Within the Domain, all the Tu’i who were currently awake were watching the tournament. More out of obligation than of any real interest. This first stage was a bore for most of them to watch.

Nima sat quietly, watching and weighing all the candidates equally. He never lost sight of what he was doing.

Wha and ‘Ekolu were busy watching their disciples. Wha could barely hide how proud she was of the two. She couldn’t remain impartial and watched with bated breath, regardless of the fact that she knew they wouldn’t be harmed in any way in these early rounds. ‘Ekolu was reluctant to admit it but he felt a modicum of pride watching the two candidates use some of his cherished techniques.

Rua stood behind Nima, impassively watching the unfolding tournament. She was busy scouting and assessing all the groups. While she was an accomplished tatau user and Le’o practitioner she never allowed herself to slack in preparation. By the time all the Tu’i would be called to accept she would know exactly how to deal with each group finalist. She secretly hoped to be chosen as the representative against the intruders.

Taha sulked as he watched the intruders doing something that he wished he could be doing. His anger seethed as he watched these impostors doing what he enjoyed the most. The memory of his humiliation by the intruders all but forgotten in the wake of his jealousy. As he watched he chewed on one of his disgusting nails, mumbling to himself.

Wanu was, surprisingly, in attendance. Nima had expected she wouldn’t make an appearance until they were called to accept. Yet here she was, sitting in a seat next to him. She was much less interested than the rest of the Tu’i in attendance. She had grown disdainful of the constant tournaments a long time ago, yet she continued to support her friend. While the rest may appear to have forgotten the real reason behind the tournaments, Wanu hadn’t. If ever Nima were to be dethroned, she would be the one to take over.

Fiti was the only Tu’i not in attendance. She held a special exemption due to her close relationship with Nima. She absolutely abhorred the tournaments and only supported the Conglomerate as a way to continue to support Nima. She avoided the tournaments both out of disdain and out of a fear that the man who was, in all essence, her father would one day lose to a candidate. She knew what it meant and refused to be there when it happened.

The rest of the Tu’i slept, deep in their own domains. As a testament to Nima’s confidence in those who were currently awake, he chose not to awaken them. Even for an Advent.

_______________________________________

The siblings had one more match before the end of the first day of the tournament.

What surprised them most was how quickly the day had passed. It was almost dreamlike. Their fights passed in a haze of violence where they both used the least amount of energy. Rather than getting tired, they both felt a little more energized with each passing match. To them it felt as if the arena were forcibly empowering them as they won.

“I don’t know what’s going on.” Sone said as they stepped out of the waiting room for their final match. “But if it’s gonna continue to be this easy, I’m all for it.”

Mai didn’t share her brother's optimism. She couldn’t help the off-kilter feeling that continued to nag at her. She was happy that things had been so easy, but the doubt still lingered. Something wasn’t right. About this arena, about the island, about the tournament, about everything.

“Let’s just mop this last one up.” She stated as their last opponents of the day entered the arena. The only time she could ignore the doubts was when she was fighting.

The sound of chimes filled the arena, signalling the beginning of their last match. At this point the siblings barely acknowledged these opponents and couldn’t identify any special characteristics to separate them from the last bunch they had faced. They were all so weak that it became a chore trying to remember any defining features about them.

Just like the last 9 matches Sone took the lead, stepping up and using his Le’o to attract the attention of all 7 opponents. They both barely registered the amount of opponents, they were just numbers that needed to be taken care of.

As Sone held their attention Mai dashed into action, skillfully balancing her tatau activation as she approached the first of the opponents with frightening speed. She led with an empowered left overhand punch which easily threw her first target back. She flowed with the direction of the punch, turning and utilizing the torque to add more power to her next strike. While the rest of their opponents continued to pay attention to Sone, Mai flowed through them and easily disposed of them.

7 efficient strikes for 7 opponents.

Once all 7 were incapacitated Mai let out a quick breath before walking towards the door that the Faifekau had opened. As she caught up to her brother they quickly fist bumped.

“That last match concludes the first day of the tournament.” the Faifekau announced as he led them down a long, dark hall. “We have a suite ready for your use and my trainee will be along with the brackets for tomorrow's matches.”

As the Faifekau finished his short spiel he reached out and opened a door, motioning for the siblings to enter.

The suite was much like the waiting room. Very dark but somehow everything within was properly illuminated. It was different from the waiting room in that it was much more comfortably furnished, with 2 beds and an adjoining bathroom. It did not have a window like the waiting room so it felt a bit more claustrophobic.

After letting them in the Faifekau excused himself.

They both noticed that all their belongings were already in the suite, neatly stacked on the beds. “That’s real nice of ‘em.” said Sone as he pushed his belongings aside and flopped onto the bed.

Mai sat down on one of the couches and folded her legs under her. She was hoping to make some kind of breakthrough after that last match but she was still stuck. Still trying to remember her little island’s name. Still mulling over the few pieces they had to the disjointed puzzle that was the mysterious island they were currently stuck on.

“It really doesn’t bother you?”

Sone’s head popped up as he looked at his sister. She had her head propped on one hand, her face wrinkled with thought. “I don’t know, it does but I don’t see the point in dwelling on it.”

He understood his sister's frustration but he refused to allow himself to wallow in a mire of overthinking. He knew something was wrong but he couldn’t prove it. Without sufficient proof, he saw no reason to linger. He let his head plop back down onto the bed and listened as his sister prepared to take a shower. Without warning he had dozed off.

_______________________________________

In stark contrast to the siblings room, the intruders were given free reign over an area and told to wait for the next rounds. The area they were given was much the same as the waiting room, just a little bigger. It still had a window that looked into the arena and had no furnishings as the intruders had no need for that. Earlier they had decided to test the limits of the arena and had devoured the members that were assigned to them.

The Conglomerate did not appreciate such open challenges and the Kainga had requested that Nima set them straight. All the leader of the Tu’i had to do was appear in the intruders waiting room. He said nothing, just stared at them as if they were little more than livestock needing to be surveyed. As he stood there the Faifekau and trainee who would be replacing the 2 members they had eaten opened the door.

Before the door was completely open Nima had vanished, leaving without even issuing a verbal warning. He had decided to leave that to the Faifekau who would be taking over. The new Faifekau passed along Nima’s message and the intruders agreed.

Once their last foray into this new hunting ground was complete they were escorted into the room they now found themselves in. The Faifekau had informed them that they would be sitting out of the next round of the tournament and that they wouldn’t participate until the group finals.

This vexed some of the intruders, who were looking forward to feeding more in preparation for their showdown with the Tu’i. Mr. Bel was busy pacing, thinking about the leader of the Tu’i. “I cannot stand these backwater peons!” he rasped as he angrily wrung his hands. His tall, skinny frame shook from how hard he was wringing his hands. His motions were so emphatic and rage-filled that he dislocated and relocated his fingers multiple times.

“Who does he think he is, looking at ME like that?” The other intruders ignored his tantrum. They were used to him easily forgetting the power of those they had come to devour. Mr. Bel was far from the strongest in the group of intruders and his tantrums consistently showed just how far down the ladder he really was. He had been ranting and raving about the encounter for some time now.

“Shh!” vocalized the leader, pursing his inflamed pink lips as he looked at his brother. “Watch.”