Over the course of the night, many citizens of Emerald City woke up in the morning, walked out of their homes, and were surprised by the unusual silence in the streets and alleys. They sensed the indescribable tension and desolation among the patrolling guards and heard the secretive and hesitant whispers among neighbors and friends. It was amidst shock and panic that they successively learned:
Emerald City had undergone a dramatic change.
It was said that the Duke's cousin, who bore a criminal charge, had come back from the dead during the selection event and had fought his way into the top eight, alone and with only a sword, just to proclaim loudly in front of all the spectators that he was seeking justice for his father, the late Baron Sona.
