Master and bodyguard (2)

Raphael Earhart

—Once again, I welcome everyone to the third day of the Tournament of Initiation! — Aleya's voice boomed across the arena.

Fireworks erupted, and the sky was once again shrouded in the familiar twilight, illuminated by green and purple glows. These lights marked the start of a new day of competition.

—Let us take a look at today's matchups, — she continued.

The Circle Knight gestured toward the holographic cube, which now displayed the quarterfinal bracket. Today's schedule featured only four matches—two from each bracket.

In the first bracket, I was set to face Erin, while Kiall would battle a cadet who had miraculously made it this far.

In the second bracket, Selena—who had unexpectedly defeated Mia yesterday—was slated to fight Eric, and Renald, a cadet I'd recently befriended, would challenge Lucius's bodyguard, Cedric.