The roar of the crowd was a living thing, a wave of sound that crashed against the stone walls of the courtyard and echoed off the mountains beyond. It filled my ears, my chest, my very bones—a physical force that seemed to lift me, carry me, hold me suspended in the moment of acceptance.
I stood in the center of the ring, Runa at my side, and let the sound wash over me. Faces blurred past—soldiers and servants, craftsmen and children, all of them cheering, all of them welcoming. The weight of their approval was overwhelming, intoxicating, and terrifying in its intensity.
Then the crowd shifted.
It was subtle at first—a parting, a ripple moving through the packed bodies like water around a stone. People stepped aside, creating a path through their midst. The cheering did not stop, but its quality changed, acquiring a new edge of anticipation.
I knew who was coming before I saw him.
