It’s the way she broke up with me.

“It’s the way …” I explain while pausing for a sigh. “… It’s the way I found out. She spends like … How long was it again, 3 months? Yeah, she switched to some other guy and for another 3 months she wrote me letters making me think she was still with me. She represents my village. I should be supporting her. If I don’t win this tournament, but she does, then our village wins honor through her. I should be happy about this. But I already know I won’t.”

Kiara places a hand on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. Due to me having seen her face last night, I can now imagine her blue eyes in that shadowy spot above her nose.

“This negativity will pass.” Kiara reassures me. “It will take time for you to process, but eventually your heart will come to understand that in order for our relationship to start, your romance with Mia was meant to end. Try imagining a reality where you and Mia remained together. Would we still have gotten to where we are now?”

I take a moment to think about Kiara’s words. Suppose Mia didn’t cheat on me. Then we would have stayed together. She probably would have visited me at the castle every day. I would have joined the Gryphon Knights instead of the Dark Dragons. I would not have met sister Helena or trained with Jason. I really doubt Aelbrecht would have loaned me that book on water magic and I definitely would not have gotten into a relationship with Kiara. So yeah, maybe breaking up with Mia might have been for the better. It just sucks about those 3 months of deceitful letters. It also sucks that I have a pretty full bladder by now.

“Thanks for your words. They helped.” I tell Kiara. “I also should be going to the bathroom, I kinda need to go. It’s becoming urgent.”

“Well then. Don’t let me stop you.” Kiara smiles.

I walk towards the exit, leading me away from the seats and into the inner body of the arena. There is this long circular corridor which makes up the outer circle of the building. When I first got here this morning, it was full of people heading to their seats. Now it is as good as empty. Despite there being a good layer of stones between me and the arena grounds, I can hear the judges call the next participants. I can’t make out the names of the contestants, though, even with my good hearing. This arena must have some pretty thick walls.

As soon as I get into that long empty hallway, I turn to my right and continue a long walk towards the bathrooms. On my way there, I come across several other passages towards the seats. Each of them has some wooden plates with the emblems of guilds on them. Those are meant to signify reserved seats for guilds who have members that still participate in the tournament. There is one for the Dark Dragons, I now walk past a passage for the Singing Bluejay guild. I’m sure that if I walk long enough, I will find one for the Gryphon Knights as well, but I arrive at the bathrooms before I get close to Mia’s guild. Interestingly, this bathroom is right next to an entrance which has a wooden plate with the emblem for the Celestial Unicorns. Hey, that’s Amelia’s guild. I guess that means someone in her guild other than her is still in the tournament. Probably someone in the C or D rank. Alright, nice to know that she had a good seat. I wonder what she’ll end up saying about my duel with Theuderic next time we chat.

I head into the bathroom and finally relieve myself, but that’s not all. I also take a moment to wash my face. The duel against Theuderic has left me quite sweaty. Washing my face with cold water helps me clear my mind from Mia. I can’t let myself be distracted by her during the finals. There are unfortunately no towels around so I try and get some wind into my face by waving my hands. After longer than planned, I finally feel ready to return and enjoy the rest of the tournament without distractions.

But when I exit the bathroom, I can hear that there are two people behind the corner. Normally, I wouldn’t pay attention to that. This is a big city with a lot of people. Especially in a stadium while duels are happening. But these voices sounded familiar to me. I stood close to the wall and peeked into the passage that would lead towards the arena seats that were reserved for the Celestial Unicorns guild. I quickly recognize Amelia being one of the two people having a conversation. The other one I can’t recognize because he is wearing a cloak with the hood up. I pull my head back behind the wall and close my eyes so I can focus on my hearing, then try my best to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Amelia, why so hostile?” The hooded person says. “We were so close before. Surely, we can be friends again.”

Did that sound like Kase? That totally sounded like Kase’s voice. Why is he having a conversation with Amelia?

“We were never friends and I have no interest in ever being friendly with you again. Just leave.” I hear Amelia’s voice say. Hearing her stand up to Kase actually puts a smile on my face.

“Fine then. Fine. Just answer my question and we’ll go back to not seeing each other.” Kase replies.

I hear Amelia sigh, then she asks “What is it?” My thoughts exactly. What is it with him?

“I simply want to know what skills Darx has.” Kase asks.

That asshole! He using Amelia to try and find out my weaknesses? I don’t remember having shown Amelia my adventurer card. So, I am safe there.

“I don’t know.” Amelia tells Kase.

“Come now, I know you’ve been spending time with him. There’s no way you don’t know.”

“Darx is not a braggard like you.” Amelia replies. “The only skills I know he has are the ones he showed in the arena.”

Kase voice then changes. Gone is any attempt of him being charming and out comes the real Kase. “Don’t lie to me, Amelia. I know you’ve seen his adventurer card.”

“Actually, I haven’t. Darx hasn’t showed me his adventurer card. I guess he doesn’t trust me.”

It is mainly because Kiara told me not to show it to anyone. Not even to people I trust. I guess this is what she was referring to. As soon as somebody knows what’s on my card, they can be targeted for that information.

“Maybe try asking him?”

Ugh, he even said it as if it’s such an obvious thing to do that everybody ought to be doing it. Then again, maybe he demands all Oblivion members to show him their adventurer cards. I wonder what happens when one of them chooses not to.

“Why should I? You already ruined my friendship with Darx once before, now you plan on ruining it again? Why do you even want to know?” Amelia replies indignant.

“I just want to make sure he doesn’t cheat.” Kase says back with a charming voice. This is an obvious lie. He wants to know for different reasons.

“Just because ‘you’ would cheat doesn’t meant Darx would. So stop judging ‘him’ by ‘your’ standards.” Amelia tells him.

I love how Amelia stands up for me. This is the friend I remember. I also love how she emphasizes her words and accuses him of trying to cheat. She is on to him.

Next, I hear Kase sigh. At first, I think it was him admitting defeat and he would accept he won’t be getting his answers. But I am wrong.

“Then I guess maybe I just need to have a chat with our dear friend Darx. About some of the times you came to study at my father’s mansion? I wonder what Darx will think about you when he finds out.”

He even says it in a sickening creepy way. It also leaves me all conflicted again. So, Amelia was hiding something, like I always suspected. But now Kase is blackmailing her with it? Ideas start forming in my head of all the thing Amelia could have done with Kase there, and none of them are good ones.

“Kase, don’t.” Amelia says fearfully. “Things are finally getting right again. For the love of Imris, please don’t mess this up for me.”

Now I’m feeling sorry for Amelia. She clearly has no interest in working for Kase, but he is forcing her into it against her will. Goddess, Kase is so disgusting.

“Then I guess you better figure out what skills Darxi dearest has and how they work. If not, he will come to discover what kind of person you really are.”

After that, I hear footsteps coming from them and they are heading in my direction. I quickly turn back towards the bathrooms, head straight into one of the stalls and lock the door. Just in case Kase heads into the bathroom. But he doesn’t come in.

Regardless, I sit on the toilet and rub my forehead. What is going on? Why does Kase want to know my skills? It’s not like he is going to face me in the arena. How could he possibly use the knowledge of my skills against me? And what will Amelia do? Will she warn me about Kase? Or will she work for him? What choice is she going to take?

When I am sure Kase is gone, I leave the bathrooms. I need to talk this over with Kiara. But as I walk past the passage that leads to the Celestial Unicorns seats, I hear Amelia call my name. So even after Kase left, she remained here? She must have been contemplating whether she would try to find out my skills or not. Or how she would try it.

Amelia walks up to me and asks, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just went to the bathrooms.” I say while pointing behind me. “What about you? Why aren’t you watching the matches?”

“Oh, they are just showing a D rank fight. It was not an interesting one to watch.” Amelia replies.

She doesn’t show any signs of lying. That means either she’s isn’t, or she became good at hiding it.

“Anyways, I saw your duel with Theuderic. Good job on the water magic and the dual strike skill. But don’t you think there might have been an easier way to defeat him?”

My heart starts to sink. She’s actually doing it? I get that Kase apparently has something on her and that she’s afraid, but really?

“Perhaps.” I answer. “But I prefer to keep a few skills secret. It’ll help me in the next rounds when I can surprise my opponents.”

Amelia looks down and nods. “Yeah, I figured.”

I don’t want to do this. I won’t want to test Amelia. I want her to redeem herself. Maybe … Maybe I should give her a way out. Should I tell her I overheard her conversation with Kase? No, if I do that, she might get defensive. I want her to lower those defenses, not raise them.

“Amelia?” I ask. “Is there something wrong?”

My question startles Amelia. She looks at me with surprise. “N-n-no. O-of course not. Wh-wh-why do you ask?” She says, stuttering and unable to look me in the eye.

Well, at least this confirms she’s still bad at lying. But I don’t think she understood my offer.

I place my hand on Amelia’s shoulder, then look her in the eyes and say, “Amelia. If we are going to be friends again, we’re going to need to trust each other. A friendship that has no trust can’t work. So, if there is something you need to tell me, I need you to do so.”

I hold this pose for a moment, allowing Amelia to think it over.