The semi-finals of the grand gladiator tournament had finally arrived — and never before had the coliseum witnessed such an ocean of humanity. Every tier of marble and stone overflowed with bodies; every archway and stairwell echoed with the feverish hum of excitement. The air itself trembled with anticipation.
It was said that over a hundred thousand souls had gathered inside the arena that day. The stands were so packed that many spectators were forced to share their seats — women sitting on their husbands' laps, children perched on shoulders, strangers pressed shoulder to shoulder, their breath mingling in the heat of the Roman sun. Yet no one complained. Comfort was a luxury; today was about spectacle, and nothing else.
The crowd's restless murmur rolled like thunder, echoing through the colossal stone amphitheater. All eyes were fixed on the sands below, where the last matches of the semi-finals were about to begin.
