The sound of hammers in the arena had not stopped for three days.
The kingdom's finest stonemasons, mages, and laborers were trying to repair the crater left behind by the Twin Legends and that "Entity." But it was futile. The ground where the violet lightning had struck was scorched black, and no matter what they built upon it, the earth rejected it. It was as if the world itself refused to heal that spot.
Hope was no longer in a cell.
He was staying in a spacious guest chamber on the upper floors of the tower, a room with windows free of bars, but a door guarded by ten sentries.
He stood by the window, staring at the horizon. This time, he set analysis aside and simply enjoyed the moment, the wind against his face. After years spent inside a dungeon, even the simple act of seeing was enchanting.
The door creaked open.
Deniz stepped inside. He was no longer wearing those old, blood-soaked gladiator rags. Instead, he had on a custom-made armor of leather and steel, similar to that of the Royal Guard, but without any insignia of rank.
"Looks like you've been cleaned up," Deniz said, glancing at Hope's new clothes. A simple black shirt and sturdy traveler's trousers.
"The fabric they gave me itches," Hope said, tugging at his collar. "But at least it doesn't stink. Are we going?"
"The King is waiting for you," Deniz replied. His voice was more formal than usual, more tense. "Watch every word you say, Hope. You're not in the arena anymore. This is a battlefield of politics. A single wrong word here kills faster than a sword. And here… I can't protect you."
Hope smiled. "Don't worry. I'll just listen."
The Throne Hall.
When the doors opened, Hope paused, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the hall.
Golden pillars, chandeliers carved from dragon bones, velvet carpets… Everything screamed power.
This is seriously cool, he thought.
King Kharonos sat upon his throne. Beside him stood the Grand Master and several Barons. Baron Vexor was absent; he had yet to recover from the poison.
Despite Deniz's warning, Hope did not bow. He simply met the King's gaze.
"Architect," the King said. His voice echoed through the vast hall. "You turned my arena into ruins. You sent my finest warriors to infirmaries. And you poisoned the loyalty of my people."
"Your arena was already broken," Hope replied calmly. "I just pointed out the cracks. And wasn't the arena's purpose for warriors to fight each other anyway? So you're blaming me for nothing."
The guards reached for their weapons, but the King raised a hand, stopping them. He was smiling. Not a warm smile. It was the smile of a butcher looking at a lamb.
"I admire your courage. Or your stupidity," the King said. "That 'Entity'… it spoke to you. About Lypin."
"Yes. It said something like 'Starfallen.' Is that important?"
"Starfallen?" The King frowned. "What is that?"
He looked to the Grand Master and the others, but none of them knew.
"Perhaps," the Grand Master interjected, "we could take the girl in for examination."
Hope's gaze hardened. "You will not touch her."
"Touch her?" The King let out a cold laugh. "That girl is a walking catastrophe, child. Just like you. Keeping her in the capital would be like placing a ticking bomb beneath my throne. So I've made a decision."
The King rose and descended the steps, stopping directly in front of Hope.
"You will leave."
Hope blinked. "You're… letting us go?"
"I'm giving you a task," the King said, placing a hand on Hope's shoulder. "Take the girl and find a cure for this cursed 'Starfallen' condition. She claims a man at the Roots of the World Tree can heal her. Go there. Heal her. Or die trying."
The King gestured toward Deniz.
"Deniz will go with you. He is now your guard. He will ensure your safety throughout the journey."
The King's eyes locked onto Deniz's. He gave him a chilling look, one only Deniz could fully understand. "Keep an eye on him. If he loses control… you know what to do."
Deniz inclined his head slightly. "As you command, Your Majesty."
Hope was grateful for the King's mercy, though he didn't fully understand the reason behind it. But that didn't matter.
Only one thing mattered.
He was leaving with Lypin.
He was free.
"Agreed," Hope said.
The King turned away. "Go. Leave my city. And do not return until the girl is healed."
The Castle Gate.
The evening sun bathed the walls in gold.
Lypin stood beside a wooden carriage. Her extravagant dresses were gone, replaced by a simple yet elegant cloak suited for travel. On her back was a pack slightly too large for her frame.
When she saw Hope, she didn't run. She simply stood there and smiled. That smile alone was enough to erase all of Hope's troubles.
"They allowed it," Lypin said when Hope reached her. Her voice trembled. "We're really going."
"I promised," Hope replied. "I'll build the road for you."
As Deniz prepared the horses, he muttered, "Wonderful. Two disaster magnets and one former gladiator. We're officially the strangest circus troupe in the kingdom."
"Hey! Are you forgetting me?"
A voice emerged from the shadows, as if it had always been there.
At the base of the carriage wheel sat a figure in a black robe.
Yaat.
Hope smiled. "Yaat! You're coming too?"
Deniz instantly reached for his sword. The sound of metal leaving its sheath cut through the air.
"What are you doing here, freak? Want me to throw you back into your cell? I have the King's orders."
Yaat slowly stood up… tripped on his cloak, nearly fell, then barely caught his balance. As he staggered, the streetlamp beside him suddenly exploded without reason, glass raining down at Deniz's boots.
Deniz flinched. "Damn it… even your presence is dangerous."
"I have a curse, just like her," Yaat said, looking at Lypin. His eyes were as empty as ever, but his voice carried an odd seriousness, almost a plea.
"What curse?" Deniz demanded.
"I mean the whole 'bringing disaster' thing," Yaat said, lifting his head to look at Hope. "Everyone thinks I'm a disaster magnet. But that's not my ability… it's my curse."
Yaat placed a hand on his chest.
"I see the future. Only a few seconds ahead. Bad things. Accidents. Deaths."
He took a deep breath.
"When Kubo died… I saw it coming. My body has reflexes shaped by my curse. They always save me, like they did back then."
Deniz's expression darkened. "Kubo was Hope's cellmate. He died because of you. And now you want to come with us?"
Tension filled the air. Deniz hadn't lowered his sword. Lypin looked at Hope anxiously.
Kubo had been one of the first people Hope had known in this world. A boy who only wanted to save his mother…
Hope looked at Yaat, meeting his eyes. What he saw there wasn't malice. It was exhaustion. The weariness of a man crushed beneath his own power.
"Kubo died," Hope said calmly. His voice wasn't cold, just accepting. "Because we were in the arena. Yaat did what he had to do. He defeated his opponent to survive. There's nothing wrong with that."
He stepped closer to Yaat.
"What you did wasn't wrong. You simply did what was right for your own life."
Hope placed a hand on Yaat's shoulder.
"Seeing the future… that will be incredibly useful on our journey. Knowing what awaits us ahead of time. Our team needs a lookout like you."
Deniz sheathed his sword, though his irritation remained. "Are you serious, Hope? With this guy around, a meteor could fall on us."
"A minus times a minus makes a plus," Hope said with a grin. "You said I'm a disaster magnet too."
"Yes, but Lypin is one as well. Three minuses multiplied together still make a minus."
Yaat stared at Hope in disbelief. For the first time, someone looked at him not as a 'disaster,' but as something needed.
"I… I want to be healed too," Yaat said. "If the World Tree can heal Lypin… maybe it can lift my curse as well."
"Then get in the carriage," Hope said.
Deniz let out a deep sigh. "I can't believe this. An Architect, a Starfallen, a gladiator, and now a walking omen. We don't look like a circus, we look like escaped asylum patients."
Lypin laughed softly. "I think we're a wonderful team."
Hope took Lypin's hand and helped her into the carriage, then climbed in himself.
The gates opened.
The endless world stretched out before them, far wider than the sands of the arena. Forests, mountains, rivers, ruins… all projects waiting to be discovered.
Hope took one last look back at the city, at the massive arena behind them.
This city had been the first step of his new life, leaving behind the dark dungeon cell and everything else.
A long road lay ahead.
"Let's go," Hope said.
The carriage began to move. The wheels creaked.
And just as Yaat climbed aboard, one of the massive iron hinges of the castle gate snapped off with a loud CLANG and crashed to the ground.
The guards scattered in panic.
Deniz covered his face with his hands. "We've started… gods, we've really started."
Hope just laughed.
"Don't worry, Deniz. We'll fix it on the way."