POV of Ares Pridelyn: 

A sudden chill went down my spine. It was a numbing sensation, almost paralyzing, that overcame me. Darkness fell upon me; tunnel vision struck. I could see nothing that was previously there. My focus was disorientated and distorted under the darkness. At the same time, my body became intensively heavy as if gravity itself was subjecting me to its might with a crushing blow. 

“Hope...” I heard. The voice sounded similar to mine. “It’s a tragic thing. You either give up and succumb to the reality of things or you suffer in your journey to change things.” 

From the darkness emerged a sunset in the center of my vision. The sunset was engulfed by an array of beautiful clouds hovering above a peaceful, green expansion of land and nature. Everything was beautiful: from the color of the grass to the calm flow of the crystal blue streams. 

It was this vision that warmed my heart. I could feel the small passionate fire gasping for breath; it had awoken with a desire to spread. My heart felt as if it wanted to silently cry with tears of pride, and then a pulsing sensation grasped it. 

The beautiful light faded into a gloomy darkness; this time, the darkness was not empty as it had painted over the previous vision and left its imprint. The pretty streams had dried up and created trenches in which bones laid. The trees and vegetation had rotted; there was no fruit or life left among them. The grass faded in both color and number as the depressed land beneath had surfaced. The atmosphere had become a dark, monochromatic canvas. 

“Despair,” I heard. “This world was cursed from the first breath of its existence.” 

A dark and eerie feeling flooded me. At first, it manifested as fear, but then it revealed its true face. It was not fear itself, but something capable of frightening many. A feeling of utter loss accompanied by a growing pain of regret. 

Fire erupted from the depths of the trenches as if a volcano had awakened from a dormant state. The brightness of the flames had casted a slight orange hue over the lifeless world. From its heat emerged its exposure to the land and dominion. From the essence of death catalyzed a world ablaze. 

“Fight!” the voice argued. “Fight!” it repeated. “Fight!” 

A tightening grip seized my heart. I clutched my hand over my chest. The pulsations of my heart felt as if they were fighting against a restrictive force; it burned. It felt as if flames were raging inside my chest: a fire that refused to go out. My body had stimulated one-hundred-percent functionality; veins sprouted from the interior of my body, and my muscle contracted fully. 

The reality in front of me broke. The voice had disappeared, and everything returned back to normal. It seemed as if I was the only one who had experienced that vision. Everyone else seemed focused on the previous battle and its results; their jaws were dropped and their eyes were locked on the stage. 

The result of the battle was a tie. Both contestants were knocked out and incapacitated. 

“Did you see that?” Romeo asked me as he practically jumped out of his seat.” 

“Yeah,” I responded. I tried to sound a little enthusiastic in my response, but the recent experience was still fresh in my mind. 

“That was amazing!” Mia paraded around. “Magic is so beautiful.” 

“Yeah...” I agreed. 

“Mister Ares, can you use magic?” 

“That’s a good question, Mia, but you don’t have to call me mister.” 

“Okay!” 

The reminder of youth warmed my heart—although I wasn’t too much older than them. It seemed as if times were simpler when people were younger: no worries, no regrets, just living life in the moment. 

I reflected back on the dream I had earlier this morning. The environment was perfect. The atmosphere radiated nothing but peace and youth as we ran around and enjoyed life. As beautiful as it was, I desperately felt a need to restore that upon the world as I remembered the bits of events that occurred on Aerodom. 

I had become lost in my thoughts throughout the courses of the next fights. Although I was paying attention, I would often get dragged away from the action by the lonesome void in my heart. 

By the time the last match had finished, the sun began setting. The crowd was satisfied and entertained, and the stage was fully reconstructed as if none of the matches had even occurred. 

“Thank you all for coming!” Aaref Fayworth said. “That concludes the first round of the Adventurer’s Tournament. I’m sure by now the rest of the locations are also finishing up their first round. The next round shall take place tomorrow at noon in the city of Gallel. Now, I’m aware all of you can’t make it, so we will project the match over here using holographic magic items.” 

The crowd cheered before dispersing and returning to their everyday lives. 

I waited until everybody had left before taking Mia and Romeo home. Cres appeared to be tired and resting on my shoulder. 

“Did you enjoy the tournament?” I asked them. 

The two nodded excitedly.