The sound of hammers in the arena had not stopped for three days. The kingdom’s finest stonemasons, mages, and workers were trying to repair the crater left behind by the Twin Legends and that Entity. But it was useless. The place where the crimson lightning had struck was charred like coal, and no matter what they built upon it, the ground rejected it. As if the world itself refused to heal that point.

  Hope was no longer in a cell. He was staying in a spacious guest room on the upper floors of the tower; there were no bars on the windows, but ten guards stood at his door.

  He stood by the window, staring at the horizon. This time he set analysis aside and simply enjoyed the moment; he felt the wind striking his face. After spending years in a dungeon, even just seeing the world was mesmerizing.

  The door creaked open. Deniz entered. He no longer wore those old, blood-soaked gladiator rags. Instead, he wore custom leather and steel armor resembling that of the Royal Guards, though it bore no rank insignia.

  “You look cleaned up,” Deniz said, glancing at Hope’s new clothes. He was wearing a simple black outfit and sturdy traveler’s trousers.

  “The fabric they gave me is a bit itchy,” Hope said, tugging at his long collar. “But at least it doesn’t smell. Are we leaving?”

  “The King is waiting for you,” Deniz replied. His voice was more formal than usual, more tense. “Watch every word that leaves your mouth, Hope. You’re not in the arena anymore. This is a battlefield of politics. One wrong word kills faster than a sword. And here… I can’t protect you.”

  Hope smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll just listen.”

  -Throne Hall-

  When the doors opened, Hope paused at the sheer enormity of the hall. Golden pillars, chandeliers carved from dragon bones, velvet carpets… Everything screamed power. This is really cool, he thought.

  King Kharonos sat upon his throne. Beside him stood the Grand Master and several Barons. Baron Vexor was absent; he had not yet recovered 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 caused my arena to be reduced to ruins. You sent my finest warriors to the infirmary without respecting tradition. You poisoned the loyalty of my people. And there is also the matter of several criminals seen at your side escaping from prison.”

  “Your arena was already broken,” Hope replied calmly. “I only pointed out the cracks. Besides, wasn’t the arena’s purpose for warriors to fight each other? And which criminals escaped? If that’s the case, then you’re blaming me for nothing.”

  “Field, NO9, and Gashadokuro JR.,” said the old man at the back. “Field and Gashadokuro JR. may not be very important, but the escape of a subject like NO9 is a serious problem.”

  The guards reached for their weapons, but the King raised a hand to stop them. He was smiling. It was not a warm smile. It was the smile of a butcher looking at a lamb.

  “I admire your courage. Or your foolishness,” said the King. “That Entity spoke with you. About Lypin and you.”

  “Yes. It said something to Lypin about being a Starfallen. Is that important?”

  “Starfallen?” The King frowned. “What is that?”

  He looked at the Grand Master and the others, but none of them knew.

  “Perhaps,” the Grand Master interjected, “we could take the girl for examination. She might be something special, like the Architect.”

  Hope’s gaze hardened. “You will not touch her.”

  “Touch?” The King let out a cold laugh. “That girl is a walking catastrophe, boy. Just like you. Keeping you both in the capital would be the same as placing a ticking bomb beneath my throne. We are strong enough to repel the attacks of other kingdoms, but that Entity—and others like it—surpass the strength of us humans. I cannot risk my kingdom to possess you. So I have made a decision.”

  The King stood and descended the steps, stopping directly in front of Hope.

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  “You will leave.”

  Hope blinked. “You’re… setting us free?”

  “No. I am 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. Word has reached me that in the Roots of the World Tree, there is a man who can heal her. A place spoken of in legends. If it is true, go there and cure her.”

  The King gestured toward Deniz.

  “Deniz will go with you. He is now your guard. He will ensure your safety during the journey and report to me constantly. And do not think you can escape me. I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

  The King’s eyes locked with Deniz’s. He cast a chilling look that only Deniz could fully understand. “Watch 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, but he did not fully understand the reason behind it. There was no way the King had released him just for Lypin’s sake. But that was not what mattered now. Only one thing was important. He would finally reunite with Lypin.

  “Agreed,” Hope said.

  The King turned his back. “You may leave. Depart my kingdom. And Architect—do not return until the girl is healed.”

  -Castle Gate-

  The evening sun painted the walls gold. Lypin stood beside a wooden carriage. Her ornate dresses were gone; in their place she wore a simple yet elegant cloak suitable for travel. A backpack slightly too large for her frame rested on her back.

  When she saw Hope, she did not run. She simply stood there and smiled. That smile alone was enough to erase all of Hope’s troubles.

  “They allowed it! We’re really going,” Hope said when he reached her. His voice trembled. “I promised. I’ll build your path.”

  As Deniz prepared the horses, he muttered, “Great. Two disaster magnets and a former gladiator. We’re officially the kingdom’s strangest circus troupe.”

  “Hey! Are you forgetting me?”

  The voice came from the shadows, as if it had always been there. Sitting beside the carriage wheel was a black-robed figure… 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? Should I throw you back into your cell? That’s the King’s order.”

  Yaat slowly stood… tripped on the hem of his robe, nearly fell, and regained his balance at the last second. At that exact moment, the nearby streetlamp shattered for no reason, shards of glass raining down at Deniz’s boots.

  Deniz flinched. “Damn it… even your presence is dangerous.”

  “I have a curse too, just like that girl,” Yaat said, looking at Lypin. His eyes were as empty as ever, but his voice carried a strange seriousness, almost a plea. “That’s why I want to come with you.”

  “What curse?” Deniz asked.

  “The whole ‘bringing disaster’ thing,” Yaat said, turning to 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.

  “My ability is different. I see the future. Only a few seconds ahead, and usually bad things. Accidents. Deaths.”

  He took a deep breath.

  “When Kubo died… I saw it coming. I tried to warn him, but he didn’t listen. My body has reflexes shaped by my curse. Like that day, it always saves me.”

  Deniz’s face darkened. “Kubo was Hope’s cellmate. He died because of you. And now you want to come with us?”

  The air grew tense. Deniz had not lowered his sword. Lypin looked at Hope anxiously. Kubo had been one of the first people Hope met in this world. Just a boy who wanted to save his mother…

  Hope looked at Yaat. He saw no evil in his eyes. He saw exhaustion. The exhaustion of a man crushed beneath his own power.

  “Kubo died,” Hope said calmly. His voice was not cold; it was accepting. “Because we were in the arena. Yaat did what he had to do to survive. He defeated his opponent. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  He stepped closer to Yaat.

  “What you did wasn’t wrong. You just did what was right for your own life. No one can blame you for fighting for it.”

  Hope placed a hand on Yaat’s shoulder.

  “Seeing the future… that will be incredibly useful on our journey. Knowing what lies ahead. Our team needs a scout like you.”

  Deniz sheathed his sword, though his unease remained. “Are you serious, Hope? With this guy around, a meteor could fall on us.”

  “Negative times negative equals positive,” Hope said with a grin. “You called me a disaster magnet too.”

  “Yes, but Lypin is one too. Three negatives still make a negative.”

  Yaat stared at Hope in disbelief. For the first time, someone was looking at him not as a calamity, but as something necessary.

  “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’re not a circus—we look like we escaped from an asylum.”

  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 before them; far wider than the sands of the arena. Forests, mountains, rivers, ruins… like projects waiting to be discovered.

  Hope glanced back one last time at the city and the massive arena left behind.

  This city had been the first step of his new life; the place where he left the dark dungeon cell and his past behind.

  A long road awaited them.

  “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. “It’s begun… gods, it’s really begun.”

  Hope only laughed.

  “Don’t worry, Deniz. We’ll fix it on the way.”