The city awoke under a heavy sky, covered by thick clouds that seemed to drag slowly, as if the world itself were hesitating. It was the kind of morning that did not announce rain, but also did not promise clarity. Only expectation.
The tournament would begin in three days.
This simple fact changed the rhythm of everything. Merchants spoke more quietly. Adventurers trained with less conversation and more focus. Even the guild, usually noisy, seemed to operate in a restrained tone, almost respectful.
I left early. I needed to walk. To think. The cold air helped keep my mind sharp.
The streets were more crowded than usual. Representatives of other races had arrived during the night. Fair-skinned elves with attentive eyes walked in silent groups. Demi-dragons took up space without asking, their presence imposing natural distance. Beastfolk observed everything with calculated curiosity.
And, in the middle of all of them, humans trying not to look small.
"You walk too fast."
The voice came from behind me.
Scarlet.
She walked as if she were simply strolling, hands in her pockets, eyes attentive to everything around. She didn't seem impressed. Nor tense.
"I didn't know you liked walking in groups," I replied.
"I don't," she said. "But you looked like you were about to get lost in your own thoughts."
"And that bothered you?"
"It intrigued me."
We walked side by side for a few meters. The silence between us was not uncomfortable. It was observational.
"You changed since yesterday," she commented.
"How did you notice?"
"Your stride is firmer," she replied. "And you're looking ahead, not at the ground."
"Maybe I decided to think less."
She let out a brief laugh. "Lie. People like you never think less. They just think better."
We passed by a square where some elves trained with curved blades, their movements almost artistic. Scarlet watched attentively.
"They rely too much on technique," she said. "When someone breaks the rhythm, they panic."
"You seem to have fought elves before," I commented.
"Against everything," she replied. "Including people who thought they understood me."
We stopped near an old fountain. The water fell unevenly, visible cracks in the stone.
"Why are you really here?" I asked.
Scarlet looked at me, without irony this time. "Because this tournament isn't about strength."
"Then about what?"
"About who will decide the world's next step," she replied. "And I don't trust that in the hands of races that think they are naturally superior."
"And you trust humans?"
"No," she said without hesitation. "But humans still choose. Even when they choose wrong."
That stayed with me.
A scream echoed from the other side of the square.
We turned at the same time.
Two demi-dragons surrounded a human adventurer. The difference in size and presence was absurd. The human was on the ground, bleeding, trying to get up.
"He bumped into me," one of the demi-dragons growled. "He needs to learn to watch where he's going."
"Enough," someone shouted, but no one approached.
Scarlet sighed. "Always like this."
She stepped forward.
"Scarlet," I called. "It's not worth it."
"It is," she replied. "It always is."
Before I could react, she was already in the middle of the square.
"Let him go."
The demi-dragons laughed. One of them lunged.
The movement was fast. Precise. Scarlet turned her body, dodging the blow, and delivered a kick directly to the opponent's knee joint. The sound was dry. The demi-dragon fell with a roar of pain.
The other barely had time to react. A blade appeared in Scarlet's hand, pressed against his neck.
"One more step," she said calmly, "and I cut."
Absolute silence.
A few seconds later, guild guards came running. The demi-dragons stepped back, furious, but far too aware to insist.
Scarlet sheathed the blade as if nothing had happened.
"Get up," she said to the human on the ground.
He obeyed, still trembling.
"Thank you," he muttered.
"Don't thank me," she replied. "Learn."
When she returned to me, her gaze was cold again.
"This is the first sign," she said. "They've already started testing limits."
"And you just raised the stakes," I replied.
"No," Scarlet corrected. "I made it clear that there are consequences."
We walked back in silence.
At that moment, I understood something important.
The tournament hadn't even started yet.
But the social, political, and racial war it carried was already in motion.
And Scarlet wasn't here to compete.
She was here to break the game.