The days passed quietly.
Jiyul did not train anymore.
He did not swing his sword, did not test his powers, did not call the ember or the flower.
He simply rested, letting the mountain air fill his lungs and letting the ki inside him settle like a deep ocean.
"More training will burn energy," he said to himself one morning.
"I need to save everything… for that day."
The hare looked up at him when he said it, as if it understood.
Two weeks and five days passed.
Snow melted.
Wind softened.
Silence wrapped the mountains like a blanket.
Jiyul stood outside his small hut, the hare beside him.
He looked once at the place he had lived, the place that changed him, the place that almost killed him—and saved him.
"Two days left," he whispered.
"It's time."
He picked up his sword, tied it to his waist, and took his first step down the mountain.
"Come if you want," he said to the hare without looking back.
Small paws hit the snow.
It followed.
Jiyul didn't stop it.
Inside the capital, the large hall of the Tournament Registration Center was full of noise.
Masters, nobles, guards, and warriors from all kingdoms stood in line.
Daren pushed through the crowd with a scroll in his hand.
"I'm here to register someone!" he shouted.
A bored-looking clerk raised one eyebrow.
"Name?"
Daren took a deep breath.
"Han. Jiyul."
The hall went silent for a moment.
People turned.
Some whispered.
Some stepped back.
Some laughed nervously.
A guard near the corner muttered, "Isn't that the prisoner who killed six capital guards?"
Another said, "If he enters… someone will die."
The clerk swallowed hard.
"You're serious?"
Daren dropped the scroll on the table.
"Yes. He's under House Virel. This is his entry."
Someone from the noble side shouted:
"Are you insane!? You're bringing a monster into the arena!"
Another voice argued:
"He'll kill half the contestants!"
Selena stepped forward from the crowd, calm but cold.
"He won't kill unless he needs to."
Her eyes were steady.
"And you all should pray he doesn't need to."
Daren looked at her.
"You think he'll come back?"
Selena didn't blink.
"He said he would."
The clerk stamped the scroll with shaking hands.
"Han Jiyul… registered."
The entire hall stirred like a troubled sea.
Far from the capital, standing on a cliff of golden stone, Rayel knelt with one knee on the ground.
The rising sun burned bright above him.
He closed his eyes and whispered:
"Sun… guide my blade.
Give me strength to protect this kingdom.
And if I must fight him again…
let my heart stay clean."
He opened his eyes slowly.
There was no fear in them.
No pride.
Only a quiet, steady fire.
"I'm ready."
The Heavens Prepare
High above the mortal world, in the sky that glowed like white marble, the gods gathered.
Some were excited.
Some were afraid.
Some argued loudly.
One god laughed, "A human tournament… why shouldn't we join? It has been centuries!"
Another shook his head.
"Rayel will win. He always does. No mortal comes close to him."
A third whispered,
"But… the boy with the ember… he is coming."
Silence passed through the hall.
A group of gods began packing their weapons and cloaks.
"We'll go watch," one said.
"A fight like this won't happen again."
Another murmured:
"If Rayel stands… the world stands.
If he falls… the world breaks."
At the throne of the Heavens, Arion Vale rose from his seat.
He looked toward the mortal lands, eyes calm, voice even calmer.
"…Hmm."
A small smile touched his lips.
"Looks like it's time."
And far deeper in the stars, in a place where the sky had no color, Sylus sat on a floating stone.
He listened to the whispers of gods and mortals.
Then he laughed—low, sharp, hungry.
"So the little ember bearer is walking back," he whispered.
"Good. Good… Let him come. I want to see how the world shakes."
His laughter echoed across the void.
Back to Earth — The Gates of the Kingdom
Two days later, dust rose from the old road leading to the capital.
A long cloak moved in the wind.
Boots stepped forward without hesitation.
Jiyul walked with his sword at his hip, the hare trotting quietly beside him.
The kingdom gates stood tall, heavy, and dark.
Guards watched him approach, confused by the presence of a man who walked like a storm that learned to breathe.
Jiyul stopped in front of the gates.
He looked at the towers.
At the flags.
At the world waiting behind these walls.
His eyes grew cold.
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"The world will fall apart now."
A faint smirk cut across his face.
"Let's do it."