"Welcome one and all to the Tri-Annual Minar Tournament!" An announcer dressed in a bright yellow suit said from a podium.
"You all know it! You all love it! We've been waiting three years for it! The tournament of the century where all the planet's strongest fighters come together to get it down! Why?! For the opportunity to have their deepest desires brought to life by the benevolent Walker Family!"
The crowd let loose a thunderous roar of approval. Everyone in Minar had gathered to witness this tournament. Even spectators from outside the city had come just for its sake. The sheer number of people coming into Minar just to witness the tournament was one of the major problems Eron faced while setting the whole thing up. Though stressful, he could not deny the economic benefit it had for the city, especially its tourism sector.
"16 fighters from all over the planet! 15 fights taking place over 5 days!" A large screen behind the announcer lit up displaying the 16 contestants of the tournament. After showing every one of them all were displayed alongside their matchups.
"Today, our first 4 fights will take place! Who will prove to be the strongest?! Who will get their wish granted?! Only one way to find out with this first match!"
The crowd began to make their way towards the arena where the fights were going to take place. Meanwhile, the fighters were separated in their exclusive locker rooms. Sola was holed up in his along with Ordan and the rest of his family. Adeola was continuously fussing over Sola as he was preparing to go out to fight.
"Are you sure you want to go out like that?" Adeola asked. "You don't even have a shirt on! And what if you cut your foot on something? You'd bleed out before you even get a chance to fight!"
"I'll be fine," He assured her. "I fight better like this anyways,"
"...If you say so," She mumbled.
"You worry too much," Ordan said. "He's a grown man. If he's taken out by anything besides his opponent then he shouldn'tve even bothered joining!"
"I don't want to hear that from you who pushed him to the brink with your so-called 'training'!" Adeola hissed. "You're lucky he didn't get sick because of it!"
"S-sorry," Ordan shrank backwards and stood behind Fred. Adeola glared at her father before turning back to Sola.
"If you need us for anything, we'll be in the stands. Don't be scared to reach out to us,"
"Thanks, I will," Sola said. It felt strange to have someone care about his well-being like this. That oh-so-constant sense of nostalgia loomed over him but it was different this time. This time, it felt nice.
Once they were gone Sola made his way to the waiting area for the contestants. There was a screen displaying the ongoing fights. Waiting there were 11 out of the 16 contestants, 2 of which were currently engaged in a fight. Most of the contestants were engrossed with the fight being displayed on screen, analysing the fighting styles and skills of their prospective opponents. Three of them seemed completely unbothered by whatever was going on.
The first was a young boy with messy black hair and yellow, beast-like eyes that were completely focused on a portable gaming console. Sola was taken aback that someone so young could take part in the tournament. There was no doubt he was a much more competent fighter than he let on, even though he definitely did not seem it.
The second was a young man with hair that was an unnatural shade of blue styled in a short bob cut. His ears were hidden by a pair of headphones that played music loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. Half his face was hidden by the large jacket he had zipped up which was decorated with several patches of various musicians in Pedtro.
The third was one Sola could only describe as eccentric. He wore an oversized shirt stained with various colours of paint. His dark brown hair was stringy and tied behind his head by miscellaneous string, paint brushes and coloured pencils. He looked at the other contestants through a frame he formed with his fingers with an unnerving smile on his face.
Before he could think of the best place to stay, Sola got kicked in the back sending him flying. He came crashing into one of the sofas in the waiting room breaking it in half. He groaned as he got to his feet, straining to see his unknown assailant. There stood a bearded man with a smile on his face and a glint in his amber eyes. Without saying a word he ran towards Sola and threw a punch. The grey-haired man dodged the attack and smacked the bearded man sideways, pushing him a good distance away.
"The hell is your problem?!" He yelled. "If you want to fight me wait till we meet in the fucking tournament!"
"Nah," The man smiled. "I'd rather deal with you and your gang right here and now,"
Elsewhere in the building, a contestant was in his room. There he knelt in prayer before a holy effigy made of bronze of a being with an upside-down triangle for a head, draped in layers upon layers of clothes. The man stood to his feet and kissed the upside-down triangular pendant he wore around his neck.
"Protect me, oh lord," He whispered. "And guide my strength to serve you in these days to come,"
A soft knock came through from the room's entrance. The man raised an eyebrow in confusion. His match was the fourth one to take place and he was under no obligation to come out until then, so who could be at the door? The contestant opened the door but the hallway was empty. The contestant closed the door and walked back to the effigy, only to find was no longer empty.
"That's some really nice skin you have," The figure said. "Mind if I wear it?"