Thousand of warriors from across the kingdoms were here. Some of these warriors had enough strength to bring great turmoil in the entire world. All these warriors were standing in front of a huge door in an enormous wall that adjoined the kingdom.
DING! A boisterous ringing of a bell, enough to pierce someone's ear, started to go on repeatedly. Soon as it stopped, making a harsh creaking sound, the huge door opened from the inside. After the door opened, the warriors outside swiftly started to move in. However, some soldiers and a knight held them before anyone could even walk in. " Good morrow, precious competitors," said the knight in a calming voice," I welcome each one of you to the Kingdom of Imperial Gold. I hope each one of you will have a pleasant time here." Then the knight stepped forward and took a moment to look at everybody. The face might have been covered by the helmet but the look of repugnance could be viewed in his eyes."Well, without further impediment I shall lead you to the tournament. If you do not mind then please follow me," saying that the knight turned about and started to walk away. The competitors behind him did as he asked and followed him.
The knight was quiet during the whole trip until he stopped in front of a river. "If you cross this river," said the knight taking a break to sigh, "then you will reach your destination. That is, I repeat if you cross it." Saying that the knight began to walk away. "Hey, you! Do you think we are a fool or something?" shouted a man among the warriors " Is this supposed to be funny? The river is very deep and wide, nevertheless it is flowing too fast! We can never cross it! " Even though hearing that, the knight ignored him and walked away.
After the knight left, all the people there were in a dilemma. They were already exhausted by the endless walk so they did not have any vigor left to cross a fast-flowing river. The sun had begun to set and the river was flowing faster than ever. "Shall I offer a suggestion," said a fair man who looked like a noble," I am Augustus IX. And I suggest that we spend the night here. We do not know what kind of place this is and what lies ahead. We should probably be taking a rest as most of us are exhausted. We can cross the river and head out in the morning. The night is a very dangerous time. If we head out tomorrow not only will the route be clear but also will we be in the protection of the Sun God, Sol Invictus." suggested Augustus. Looking at all the people's faces he assumed they did not understand him, which was only a normal thing seeing that they were from different kingdoms.
But as Augustus sat down, someone stood up and shouted, "Why should we listen to you? You just said it yourself that the night is a dangerous time! What will we do if a beast attacks us while we are resting unguarded?" Just as he was speaking, someone interrupted him, "What you are saying is true, but I also approve that we should be resting to save our strength for what lies ahead." He was a young man who looked calm and steady. His long hair was tied back and he was carrying two long swords in his waist. He continued to speak, "Even though I don't care about the Sun God or whatever, it is true we should not proceed any further. As the leader of the men from my kingdom, I think it would be better for me to reach the tournament along with my comrades. I do not know how things work in your kingdoms, but I do not think anyone needs a dead comrade. Going any forth in a night where its hard to even see your hand is like suicide." Being exasperated by this, a barbarian caught the man by his dress and shouted, "You puny man! Do you think carrying two swords will make us submit to you!" What happened afterward was instantaneous. The man took one of his swords out. The blade of the sword was slim and curved. Then he swung his sword so quickly that before others could see what happened, the barbarian had his nose cut. The barbarian then fell on his knees and cried in agony. The man looked at the barbarian and said, "Wild hooligan. All I asked was for cooperation. This is what you get for being a fool." Seeing this, everyone got a shiver. After that everyone decided on spending the night there.
"Thank you very much," appreciated Augustus as he walked towards the man with the long hair," It was generous of you to support me back there. May I ask what your name is?" The man looked up at Augustus and then replied, "It is Kamino. And I only did what I thought was right. This place is strange and dangerous. We will never know what kind of trouble may fall upon us, so it is best if all people here stick together even if it is for the moment." Augustus went and sat beside Kamino. As he sat down, Augustus started to talk again, "You are right, this place is strange. The fact that we understand each other despite being from different kingdoms still troubles me. But I guess we can take it as proof that this tournament truly can fulfill any kind of wish."
While the two men were busy discussing some matters, something happened that caused a raucous in the people there. Both Kamino and Augustus hurried to see what was happening. As they went through the crowd, they saw a man in a cloak standing in front of the fast-running river. Before any of the men could stop him, he dived into the river. They all waited to see what would happen next, but the man never came out from the other end. "HA! SERVES HIM RIGHT FOR BEING SUCH A FOOL!" shouted a barbarian as giant as a bear. After that incident, not even a single soul got the thought of doing the same. Soon the moon was glowing high above. Seeing that the man did not return from the river, everyone went to sleep.
***
Across the river and inside a dense forest, there stood a small castle. Inside the castle was a man sitting on a steel armchair. And although a shadow had hidden his face, his evil smile could be seen. "Ooh, I did not think anyone would make it here tonight. You are a brave one, are you not?" said the man as someone entered the castle.
It was the man in the cloak.
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