Kevin's story

A few days had passed since the incident.

Liam and Ethan were about to be discharged from the hospital. The room was crowded—Kevin, Sarah, Maiya, Noah, and even Ryan were there. The air was lighter than before, but exhaustion still clung to everyone like a second skin.

Kevin leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Tomorrow's the day."

"Yeah." Liam exhaled, shifting in his hospital bed. "Can't wait to get out of this shithole."

Ryan scoffed. "Well, maybe don't do stupid shit, and you won't end up here in the first place."

Liam smirked. "You volunteering to take my place, Ryan?"

Ryan held up his hands. "I'm good."

Liam laughed before wincing. His ribs still ached.

Kevin tapped his fingers against his arm. "Anyway, I finished writing the story for the tournament."

Sarah's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Oh boy. Let me guess—it's gonna be ass?"

Kevin frowned. "Pardon my fuck?"

Liam shrugged. "I wasn't there when you wrote it."

Kevin narrowed his eyes. "I swear to God, Liam, I will strangle you the second you get out of that bed."

"You're free to try," Liam shot back.

Maiya rolled her eyes. "Can you two not act like five-year-olds for once?"

Noah, who had been quiet until now, perked up. "So, what's the story?"

Kevin cleared his throat dramatically. "Alright, listen up. The story follows Arthur, a young man with an ambitious dream—to become the greatest knight who ever lived."

Ryan groaned loudly. "That's the most generic, boring-ass thing I've ever heard."

Kevin shot him a glare. "Can you shut up for two seconds?"

Ryan shrugged. "No promises."

Kevin ignored him and continued. "Arthur trains, works hard, does everything he can… but he fails. Miserably. His dream shatters, and instead of becoming a knight, he ends up as just another ordinary soldier. Nothing special. Just a guy with a sword and orders to follow."

Sarah frowned. "That's kinda sad."

Kevin smirked. "Oh, it gets worse. War breaks out. Arthur gets sent to the frontlines and dies. That's it. No glory. No recognition. No legacy. He's just another nameless soldier buried in the dirt, forgotten by history."

Silence hung in the room.

"Damn," Ethan muttered.

Sarah shook her head. "That's dark."

"Exactly," Kevin said, pleased. "It's a story about how not everyone gets to be a hero. Sometimes, you're just another piece on the board."

Liam leaned back against the pillows. "Hate to say it, but… I actually like it. We can wrap it up neatly in three chapters."

Kevin smirked. "Exactly." He turned to Sarah. "Thanks, by the way. Your research helped a lot."

Sarah waved a hand. "No problem."

Liam suddenly grinned, looking between the two. "Ohhh, is this a little romance I see?"

Maiya joined in, smirking. "Yeah, you guys would look cute together."

Kevin groaned. "Oh, shut up, both of you."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Liam, I swear I will pepper spray you."

Liam put his hands up. "I surrender."

Ethan leaned forward. "Didn't you say there was a girl you liked, Kevin?"

Kevin blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah… I did say that." He hesitated. "Haven't really had time to think about it. Y'know, with all the chaos."

Liam wiggled his eyebrows. "Can you still set up, Kevin, Sarah?"

Sarah's expression shifted. Something about her eyes darkened. She lowered her voice. "Sure… I'll try."

Noah frowned slightly, noticing the change in her demeanor. It was subtle, but something was definitely off.

"What's wrong?" Noah asked quietly.

Liam raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Noah glanced at Sarah again. He'd seen that expression before, though he couldn't quite place where. The others didn't seem to notice, or maybe they were ignoring it. He decided not to push it.

"Never mind," Noah muttered.

Ryan snorted. "You're weird as hell, you know that?"

Noah smirked. "Yeah, I know."

Maiya sighed. "Shut up, Ryan."

Ryan scoffed. "I'm just saying what everyone's thinking."

Maiya shot him a glare. "Maybe try not talking for once."

Ryan scoffed. "I'll fucking sell you on a prostitu—"

Liam cut in sharply. "Alright, alright, that's enough. Both of you, grow the hell up." He turned to Ryan. "Especially you. Grow some balls, man."

Ryan crossed his arms. "I already have two."

Liam smirked. "Somehow, I doubt that."

Ryan opened his mouth, then shut it. For once, he had nothing to say.

Noah took the opportunity to shift the conversation. "So… what characters should we start designing? We don't have much time, right?"

Maiya nodded. "Yeah, we're short on time."

Kevin exhaled. "Alright, for starters, we need Arthur, his younger brother Gabriel, Arthur's wife Emma, and the man who kills him."

Maiya blinked. "Wait. Arthur has a wife?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah."

Liam grinned. "Make her have enormous boobs."

Maiya groaned. "No! Geez, you perverts."

Liam shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with boobs."

Maiya shook her head. "Oh, shut up."

Sarah suddenly chimed in. "Make Arthur have some sweet abs."

Noah glanced at her again. She seemed normal now, but the earlier shift in her mood still lingered in the back of his mind.

Maiya looked betrayed. "You too, Sarah?"

Sarah smirked. "What? There's nothing wrong with abs."

Maiya groaned. "You guys are hopeless."

Liam chuckled. "I know, right?"