In the Land of Sexus

“Contestant Nero, please come to the stage.”

It's my turn now huh? Can’t say my fingers aren’t twitching beyond my control right now, but who can blame me? It’s finally happening.

I’ve been training for this day since I was not even six years old and now that it’s happening, I do wish we could turn back time again because I don’t feel ready.

I get up from my designated seat in the tent for the male contestants, and with nothing on me except the tournament standard robe, I trudge out into the village square. Walking barefooted on the earth paved road, I pass by tournament staff and empty huts and cottages with the sun trailing behind me until I come across an old, dilapidated hut, my home to be exact. Well, it’s less like a hut, and more of a cottage now. Yeah, we sure had fun renovating the place. Great, now I’m thinking of her. I wonder what she’s up to? Really hoped she could’ve watched.

Who’s she you ask? Well, she was my sister, yet also my mother. That hut was her home, and she just happen to take in an orphan who lost his parents as they braved through Northwestern forestry on a journey to escape the taxes of their tyrannical Feudal Lord. Those were the best years of that boy; he was sure to die in an alley somewhere if she never showed up when she did.

My thoughts drew to a halt as I arrive at the village square, and stare at the repurposed announcement stage ahead of me. The scent of sandpaper and oil on the newly renovated stage has not exuded so much pressure in my eighteen years of life. Either way, I’ve finally earned the right to cross this boundary. I walk up the stairs, each step seeming to take more effort than the last, the creaking wood grating against the pangs of my heart.

At the top of the stairs, I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding in. “You finally made it here Nero.” I praise myself.

I turn to look to the right of me, where the audience of this competition are gathered around. Geez, my thoughts were so focused on the stairs, I nearly forgot they existed. This is the village tournament, the one day every other year that everybody looks forward to. Especially those that are usually too lazy to even get up in the morning.

I’d start listing the many familiar faces that I can see in the crowd, but then I’d be lying if I said I can tell who each person is from the crowd. The whole village is here. Even the annual village meeting wouldn’t draw up so many people. Thankfully, I’ve been through enough image training by now so things like large crowds won’t affect my performance. Looking back now I still can’t laugh about those times; she was always such a she-demon when it came to training methods.

“Watch over me Sylvie” I mutter.

I hear the creaking of wood. Turning to the sound of the noise ahead of me, I notice someone walking up the stairs. Also clothed in tournament standard robe, it’s a girl with long beige hair steps up into the stage. As she walks closer, I can’t help but notice how even in the loose-fitting robe, her breasts still perk out a bit.

When she’s just a few paces away from me, I notice who my first opponent for the competition is…