The night ended with Solace getting a black eye.
The next day was hectic; Solace's whole day was wasted in taking pictures for media outlets and awarding certificates and prize money.
He personally got a sum of 10,000 Sol's.
That was really the highlight of his day. 10,000 Sol was no joke.
Sol was the currency of Theon. Every four kingdoms had its own currency, and to no one's surprise, Theon's currency was the most powerful. He didn't know about the rest of the kingdoms, but knew that 1 Sol was comparable to 5 Arcs, which was the currency of Hera.
Theon also had class disparity. Solace hasn't personally seen any slums, but that was because he never really got out of Theron City. Theron City was the most developed and Urban cities to exist in Theon, which is why it was the Capital of Theon.
States like Acardia and Bellum had pretty bad slums and overall living conditions. That was also because they were present on the edges of Theon; the further west we went, the more undeveloped areas expanded.
To give a clear Idea Theon was divided into Three provincies: Theron Province, Brightburn Province, and Frostbane Province. In these three Provinces existed more than 50 states and even more cities.
Between the Three Provinces, the richer Province was Theron Province, controlled by Lily and Vivi's Father. Of course, he wasn't alone. He was mostly involved with the capital city, and the rest had their own ministry.
Theron province oversaw almost 60 percent of the coastline since it was present in the Southeast region. 30 percent was located in Brightburn in the northeast region of the supercontinent. The remaining 10 percent were in Frostbane in the central part of the continent.
"I think Nolan visits the small towns in the latter part of the story? I don't clearly remember."
Well, nothing notable happened besides that, and a few days passed.
Solace was currently heading home. After hearing the news of his rank. His parents invited him and his friends over to celebrate. He still had bandages covering his hands, but he couldn't say no to his mother's invitation.
Solace reached for the door, his bandaged hand stinging as he turned the handle.
The door flew open before he could even push.
"Solace!"
His Mother didn't give him a chance to speak. Celeste pulled him into a hug that smelled of home-cooked spices. She was always careful and so gentle, avoiding his bruised ribs and the heavy wraps on his hands, but she held Solace long enough to make the frantic energy of the outside finally settle.
"Look at you," she whispered, pulling back to cup his face, her eyes immediately welling up as she spotted the faint yellowing of his black eye. "My brave boy. You're hurt so badly. Why didn't you stay in the medical wing another night?"
"I'm fine, Mom. Really," he said, offering a tired smile. "It looks worse than it feels."
"It looks like you fought a mountain," she fretted, ushering me into the living room.
The living room was a scene of domestic war. Leonard sat in his armchair, his eyes glued to the TV screen, while my younger siblings, the twins, were hovering over him like gnats.
"Dad, turn it off! Let's watch 'A Knight of the Five Kingdoms' or something!" Noah groaned.
"Yeah, Dad, news is for old people!" Luna added, though she was grinning, leaning against the back of the chair to poke at Noah's head.
"News is how you stay alive in this world, children," Solace's father replied, his voice stern but with that unmistakable tremor of pride as he looked up and saw Solace. He didn't get up; he wasn't the type for big gestures. "Welcome home, Solace."
"You were on TV, big brother!" Luna squealed, abandoning the "boring" news to tackle my waist. "You looked so cool! Except for the part where you got hit. That looked pathetic."
"Thanks, Luna. Love you too," Solace muttered, blushing as Noah gave me a respectful, if slightly aggressive, fist-bump to the shoulder.
"Seriously, Big Bro," Noah said, his voice dropping. "You gotta teach me."
"Sit, sit," Solace's Mom insisted, pushing Solace onto the sofa. "The celebration can't start until your friends get here. Where are they?"
"Freshening up. They'll be here in a few minutes," he said.
With that said, he himself freshened up a little. After a while he entered the living room again.
Noah and Luna immediately went back to badgering Dad about the TV. "Dad, come on! Solace is home! No more news!"
My father looked at me, an eyebrow arched. "What do you think, Solace?"
Solace looked at the screen, then at the twins' pouting faces. Solace couldn't help but smirk, playing the part of the dutiful eldest son. "Actually, I think Dad's right. It's good to stay informed."
"Traitor!" the twins yelled in unison.
The news anchor's voice filled the room, cold and clinical.
"And now in our daily segment from around the world."
"...Reports coming in from the Itou Sea. A heavy-tonnage fishing vessel, the 'Gilded Harvest,' has mysteriously vanished from long-range scanners. Naval Command reports no distress signal was received..."
Solace frowned. A ship disappearing in the north? It was unusual, but the sea was a big place. Probably a high-layered Beast. The sea was really teeming with dangerous monstrosities.
The screen flickered to a snowy backdrop of the Kingdom of Nuan.
"...In the city of Winterfell, authorities confirmed the execution of five members of a suspected 'Blood Cult' found hiding in the catacombs. A local noble discovery led to the swift purge..."
Then, a final update.
"...In the Kingdom of Kirola, villagers near the border report the discovery of a mysterious, prehistoric tunnel system unearthed by a recent landslide. Local authorities have cordoned off the area..."
"See?" Noah groaned. "Ships, cults, and holes in the ground. Bo-ring."
Just as the news transition began to show the "Highlights of the Theron Tournament," featuring a slow-motion shot of Solace getting slammed into the dirt by Michael, he leaned forward and snatched the remote, clicking the screen black.
"Okay, news time is over," Solace said, my face burning.
"Embarrassed?" Luna teased, poking my ribs. "You looked like a squashed grape, brother!"
"Mom, make her stop," Solace joked.
"Is everything ready, Celeste?" he asked, turning towards his mother.
"Almost," she said, her eyes shining. "I made your favorite—and enough for a small army. I don't know how much they will eat."
The doorbell chimed a sharp, melodic sound that echoed through the house.
"That'll be them," Solace said, standing up.
Noah and Luna raced for the door, fighting over who got to open it. But before them, Solace quickly opened
"Welcome to the Wright house," he said, spreading his bandaged arms. "Try not to break anything. My mom's been cooking for three hours, and if you don't eat it all, she'll probably make you stay for a week."