"Pass me one," the taller man said with a grin, sitting atop a mountain of monster corpses like a king of chaos.
The other man scoffed mid-bite, his voice muffled by the sandwich stuffed in his mouth. "Hell no. You should've made your own."
"You're such a dickhead, Uriel."
"Shaddup, Zephyr." Uriel shot back, scowling, his molten golden eyes glowing.
The two of them sat there in the aftermath of a massacre — an ocean of blood and broken beasts stretching out around them. They'd slain an entire horde without so much as breaking a sweat.
They were known across the world as the Two Pillars of Conravia:
The World's Strongest Man and The World's Strongest Creature.
Two beings bound by power—
and the crushing loneliness that came with it.
But that was a long time ago.
Time... isn't so simple anymore.
...
"Eh? I have to pay to enter the Beast Hunt?" Erenyx groaned, her face scrunching in disbelief. She dug into her bag and reluctantly handed over the 2,000 Kril entry fee.
Her phone chimed as the ticket confirmation appeared on screen. "I better make that back tenfold," she muttered, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she started toward the city's center.
It had been two days since her arrival in Arystel, and the Festival was now in full swing. The streets were packed — crowds stretching for hundreds of feet, filled with shouting vendors, fluttering banners, and warriors showing off their gear. Most were Wardens, soldiers for hire who took contracts from nations, guilds, or private clients alike.
Erenyx squeezed through the crowd until she found a decent view of the central stage. Her cropped hoodie rode up slightly as she stretched, her eyes darting over the crowd — when a familiar voice called out.
"Erenyx? Is that you?"
She turned, spotting Rui weaving through the mass of people, that same confident smile on her face.
"Oh! Hey, Rui, good to see you again! Where's Heartz?"
"Ah, he's off finding us a teammate," Rui replied, brushing her hair from her face.
Erenyx tilted her head. "Teammate? I thought you could go solo?"
Rui shook her head. "Not anymore. They changed it after last time — some guy took first place alone and earned way too much of a bag."
Erenyx blinked. "How much are we talking?"
"Thirty-two million Kril," Rui said with a smirk.
Erenyx's jaw dropped. "What!? That's insane!"
Rui laughed. "Yeah, they shut that down real quick."
Their laughter barely lasted a moment — because suddenly, the air shifted.
A crushing pressure rolled across the city, invisible yet suffocating. The crowd went silent. Many dropped to their knees; others collapsed entirely. Erenyx's breath caught in her throat, her body refusing to move.
Rui, however, stood her ground — her figure outlined by a faint, shimmering layer of chi.
"He's here," she said softly, her gaze fixed on the stage.
From the heart of the city, a man emerged — flanked by two others at his sides.
Zephyr Ceto. The World's Strongest Man.
His chi was so dense it was visible, rolling off him in waves that pooled around his feet like thick fog. Even his casual attire couldn't disguise the sheer power he carried — a plain white shirt stretched tight against his frame, gray sweatpants hanging loose despite his build, and a single necklace bearing an ancient rune: "Strength."
"Ahem."
That single sound — just the clearing of his throat — sent another wave of his King's Authority crashing through the city. Those who had barely managed to stay upright moments ago dropped instantly, unconscious before they even hit the ground.
Only twenty-two remained standing.
Erenyx looked around, scanning every face still on their feet, burning each one into her memory.
The strong will not be forgotten, she thought.
Zephyr's gaze swept across them all. "Among those of you still standing," he began, his voice steady yet thunderous, "I welcome you to the Festival of Dawn."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"You twenty or so have been chosen — your will, your strength, your endurance have separated you from the rest. Everyone lying beneath your feet... they are beneath you for a reason. Show them what it means to be strong."
His tone hardened, final and absolute.
"Do not disappoint me."
And with that, he turned away, his heavy steps echoing through the silent square. The two figures beside him — his appointed Court Angels, Ahjma'il and Ragna — followed close behind, their forms vanishing into the haze of his lingering chi.
Erenyx let out a massive sigh of relief. "Shit, man... I almost couldn't handle it myself." Sweat dripped down her forehead as she steadied her breathing.
Rui turned to her, still looking shaken. "I would've been pissed if you flunked out on me. Now come on — Heartz is waiting with our new teammate."
The two made their way through the sea of unconscious bodies scattered across the plaza, weaving past fallen Wardens until they reached a small, cozy diner tucked between two larger buildings. Inside, against the far wall, sat Heartz — and beside him, a young man with fiery golden eyes and black twisted locs with a hint of brown in their roots.
"Rui! Over here!" Heartz called out, waving them over.
As Erenyx and Rui approached, Heartz gestured to the stranger. "Glad you could bring Erenyx. You two — meet Loretta. From what I can tell, he's a solid guy with some real power behind him."
When Erenyx met Loretta's gaze, the world seemed to stop. The hum of the diner faded; even time itself felt like it held its breath. For a long moment, neither said a word.
Then Rui broke the silence with a smirk. "Y'all falling in love already?"
Both of them blinked and snapped out of it. Erenyx extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure's mine, mate," Loretta replied, his accent faint but distinct.
Heartz and Rui exchanged a curious glance before moving on.
"We've got about four hours until the Beast Hunt starts," Heartz said, leaning back and kicking his feet up on the table. "Wanna go over any strategies?"
Loretta took a seat beside him, shrugging. "We're all pretty strong, yeah? Why don't we split up and regroup once one of us finds the most expensive beast? No point in all chasing the same one."
The group exchanged looks — no one disagreed.
"Well," Heartz said, grinning as he crossed his arms behind his head, "we should at least get a quick rundown of each other's powers before we go in blind."