The arena lights stayed on all night.
Not because anyone needed them.
Because the site never really slept anymore.
Even after midnight, the valley was still alive with noise.
Generators humming behind the cliffs.
Trucks arriving one after another.
Forklifts moving between the towers.
Voices echoing in the dark while technicians checked cables under portable lights.
Every hour, more equipment arrived.
More cables.
More crates.
More people.
Boxes marked with logos from companies all over the world were stacked near the control tents.
Camera crews tested angles from the stands.
Engineers climbed the metal towers with harnesses, adjusting lights that would have to stay on for hours once the event started.
Carnarvon was no longer a hidden valley.
It was becoming the center of something the whole world of Kingshot was waiting for.
Ivy stood near the main screen platform, tablet in hand, watching the final system test run across the giant displays.
PLAYER — KINGDOM — POWER — RSS — SCORE
Numbers moved in real time.
Bars filling.
Counters increasing.
Names changing.
Every resource counted.
Every soldier trained.
Every point saved before the event.
The live system updated every second, pulling data from the servers exactly the way she had asked.
Nothing delayed.
Nothing hidden.
Nothing wrong.
Behind her, one of the production managers spoke through his headset before turning toward her.
"Pre-event phase ends tonight."
She nodded without looking away from the screens.
"Good."
That was the last step.
After tonight…
No more rallies.
No more attacks.
No more war.
Only resource collection.
Only training.
Only travel.
Exactly the way she planned it.
Players needed time to fly.
Time to arrive.
Time to see the arena with their own eyes.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Discord.
She didn't open it right away.
For a second she just stood there, watching the giant screen as numbers kept moving, thinking about how many people were looking at those same numbers from the other side of the world without knowing where they would be standing in a few days.
Then she opened it.
The chat was louder than ever.
Not chaotic.
Nervous.
Everyone knew this was the last day before departure.
DTL chat
— "FINAL DAY FARM EVERYTHING"
— "USE ALL STAMINA"
— "SAVE SPEEDUPS"
— "NO WASTED POINTS"
— "WE LEAVE SOON"
— "THIS IS THE LAST RESET"
Peachy typing fast as always.
Peachy:
After reset only RSS and training. No more fights.
Someone replied.
— "So it's real…"
— "We actually flying"
— "This feels fake"
— "209 kingdoms confirmed"
— "Bro this is insane"
Ghost was online.
Silent.
Like the last few days.
Ivy stared at his name for a second longer than she should.
He was there.
But not really.
No jokes.
No late messages.
No private chat.
No voice calls.
Nothing.
Like he had decided to step back.
Or like he was already somewhere else.
Her fingers moved anyway.
Bloomy:
Don't crash the plane before I get there 😌
A few emojis appeared immediately.
— 😂😂
— "Bloomy alive"
— "Where you been?"
— "You sound tired lately"
— "Working too much?"
She didn't answer.
Ghost finally typed.
Finish strong.
Just that.
Short.
Cold.
Normal.
Like nothing had ever happened.
Her chest tightened for a second before she even realized why.
She locked the phone.
Work first.
Always work first.
Outside, the obstacle course lights turned on one after another, reflecting in the water pools, the balance platforms casting long shadows across the sand.
Seven platforms over water.
Bear trap zone ready.
Climbing wall ready.
Suspended bridge ready.
Rotating poles ready.
Final run ready.
Stage ready.
Houses ready.
Giant screens ready.
Control room ready.
All that was missing…
was them.
The next days passed fast.
Faster than she wanted.
Arrival lists updated every hour inside the control tent, screens showing flight confirmations, transport schedules, housing assignments.
Kingdom 1387 — confirmed
Kingdom 1402 — confirmed
Kingdom 1421 — confirmed
Kingdom 1419 — confirmed
Kingdom 1393 — flight scheduled
Every time she saw that number, her stomach tightened.
Every night she opened Discord for a few minutes.
Just enough to stay there.
Just enough to not disappear.
DTL chat
— "Airport tomorrow"
— "Packing now"
— "Don't forget passport"
— "This is insane"
— "We really going"
— "I can't believe this is real"
Peachy:
Stay focused.
We represent 1393.
Ghost didn't talk.
Not that night.
Not the next.
Not the next.
Three days.
Nothing.
Ivy told herself it didn't matter.
She had work.
Too much work.
Too many things to check.
Too many people to manage.
Too many cameras to test.
Too many houses to prepare.
Too many secrets to keep.
Still…
Every time her phone vibrated, her heart reacted first.
Even when she knew it wasn't him.
Late evening, the site almost empty, wind moving slowly across the valley, she sat on the edge of the stage with her laptop open, checking the final housing list.
Kingdom 1387 — arrived
Kingdom 1402 — arrived
Kingdom 1415 — arrived
Kingdom 1408 — arrived
Kingdom 1393 — departure tomorrow
Her phone vibrated again.
Not Discord.
Message.
Her stomach tightened before she even looked.
Kylian.
Not Ghost.
Not the game.
Him.
She opened it slowly.
Kylian:
Leaving tomorrow. Long flight. Might be offline for a bit.
That was all.
No joke.
No smiley.
No question.
Just information.
Like she was someone from another life.
Her fingers stayed frozen over the screen.
He didn't ask where she was.
Didn't ask if she was coming.
Didn't ask anything.
Just leaving.
Just gone.
She leaned back slowly, looking at the dark arena in front of her, the giant screens turned off, the obstacle course silent, the houses empty but ready, the banners moving slowly in the wind.
Tomorrow he flies.
Tomorrow he gets closer.
Tomorrow he walks into something she built.
Without knowing.
Her thumb hovered over the keyboard.
She could answer.
Safe.
Simple.
Good luck.
Text me when you land.
See you soon.
Anything.
Her fingers didn't move.
Because if she answered…
It meant she was still there.
Still Ivy.
Still real.
She locked the phone and placed it face down on the table.
The wind moved through the valley, shaking the banners around the arena.
"Tomorrow…" she whispered.
And for the first time since this whole thing started…
she wasn't sure if she wanted him to arrive…
or stay far away.