I took a deep breath. My eyelids fell heavily, as well. Opening my eyes as I exhaled, I noticed the room was suddenly brighter. The blue hue that masked and altered the colors of the room had disappeared as the sun rose. The warm air flowing in from the small opening in the window felt refreshing and energizing, like a breath of nature.
The clouds sat happily in the sky and the sun beamed proudly. It was a new day: the second day of the Adventurer's Tournament. Although the matches were exciting, nothing could match the excitement of Romeo and Mia.
The duo arrived at my door with a series of knocks. A smile crept along my face. "Come in!" I spoke.
Before I could get out of the bed, they ran to the bed, jumped in, and crawled all over me. The pair latched onto my arms.
"Ares! Ares!" They chanted. Their eyes twinkled brighter than any star. "Come on! We're going to be late!"
"Relax," I said softly. I broke free of their grip on my arms and rubbed their heads. "The day just started," I said with a big smile.
I was also excited for the tournament—maybe not for the same reasons as Romeo and Mia—but it was exciting to see magic. If I could learn more about this world, I could get closer to the truth about that day. After all, I have no other purpose.
"Good morning!" the old man announced as he walked in carrying a tray of fruits and bread. "I hope you slept all right. I tried to keep Mia and Romeo occupied until you woke up." He laughed and placed the tray down on my desk.
"It's okay," I said and laughed back. "I don't mind. I could barely sleep myself. The tournament is more exciting than I thought."
"Figured!" He responded. "It's been quite popular since it first started, especially with the progression of magic and its utilization in the last century."
"Last Century?"
"Yes. The Adventurer's Tournament's been around for nearly three centuries now. It came about after the defeat of an ancient demon. During that time, there was a desperate need for more adventurers, but that's a story for another day. I'll get back to work and let you kids get ready."
"Ares, would you ever be an adventurer?" Romeo asked
"Hmm," I thought out loud. "I don't know."
"I think you should. It'd be a lot of fun!" Mia squealed. Her eyes widened as the excitement practically lept from her body. "I want to be an adventurer and travel the world."
"Yeah! I want to be an adventurer and join a strong guild to go on expeditions with," Romeo said.
"Well, maybe..." I answered.
Trying to occupy the two, I took Cres from behind me and threw him toward them. Scrambling to get good footing and fly away, he crawled on them. In his attempt to fly away, he initiated a chase around the room.
Using the small bit of free time, I decided to dig into the fresh blueberries, strawberries, and black berries. It wasn't much like the day before, but it was enough to satisfy my hunger for a couple hours, or at least I hoped. I had nearly finished the tray when I decided to save the rest for Cres, as a reward for being a distraction for me. I snagged a loaf of oatbread from the tray and whistled for him.
Whistling at Cres, I motioned for him to come to me. "Come Cres, food."
Landing on the tray, he began eating and the kids finally left him alone.
"Thank you," I said as I pet him on the top of his head.
After he finished eating, we all walked back to the same place as yesterday. It wasn't as crowded as the day before, but there still seemed to be a multitude of people. Inside the arena was empty. In the middle of it were a few representatives from the Adventurer's Society.
One of them coughed and cleared his throat. "Before we begin, I would like to thank you all for coming. It has been an honor to have such support over the last century, and it is only thanks to our recent advancements in magical items that we can project matches by hologram to the civilians who are unable to travel and meet any locations."
Holding out his hand, he revealed a small, clear orb. Crushing it within his palm, it shrunk before expanding into a large holographic display of the new fighting stage.