Telo, Champion of Kera

The dormitory was spacious enough for one person to live comfortably, even if it was just a dorm. The entire place had only two rooms. Stepping through the door, we entered the living room, which had a sofa and a television. It was the first time I had seen one in 6025, and it seemed they had done a good job researching and adapting the environment.

Still in the same room, to the left, there was a small counter dividing the living area from the kitchen. At the far end, to the right, a door led to the second room, the bathroom, which had been perfectly adapted for me. On the left side, at the back of the main room, a staircase led up to a raised platform where the bed stood. Thinking back on it, they had made clever use of the space, since the bed’s platform had been built directly above the bathroom.

“The Jardim is an extremely safe place. Only a select group authorized by Chefe has permission to enter. So Luna thought it best for you to have your own space. Dom and I will be at your side, one on each side, to be precise,” Alba said, still inside the dormitory.

“Now let’s head to our next destination,” Dom added, pointing to the exit.

We got into the minicar and went on a short tour around the Jardim.

The second place they showed me was far from the dorms. At its center stood a small fountain, followed by two massive greenhouses where food was cultivated. Just behind them stretched a large lake which, according to Alba, served as the source of irrigation for the crops. She reassured me that the water underwent a special treatment before ever coming into contact with the plants.

The third place they showed me was farther away than the first two. It was a massive two-story building which, according to Alba, served as a research center owned by Luna. Beside it stood a smaller round building that resembled an arena. Dom explained that it was the fighting ring, his favorite place, since it housed a highly advanced simulator.

That seemed to be the final stop of the tour.

“Luna asked me to bring you here,” Dom said as he stepped out of the minicar.

“Wait… what exactly did we come here for?” I asked them both.

Was it what I thought? Did Luna want to test me already?

“We weren’t informed either,” Alba replied.

So we headed toward the arena.

The interior was almost identical to what I had seen at Luna’s house. It was, in fact, a ring with a vast area, but this one was integrated into a simulation center. 

From outside the ring, you could see everything happening inside. A golden metallic cyborg, nearly two meters tall, was fighting a generic robot twice his size. The simulator created a unique and highly realistic environment. It looked as if the objects inside were real, since the fighters interacted with them, hurling things at each other.

“That giant on your right is Telo. Do you remember that competition I mentioned a while ago, the Mist Games?” Dom asked me.

“Yes, I do. You won an edition, didn’t you?” I replied.

“That’s right, I did win. And Telo is the winner of the round to decide the representative of the Kera region, who will fight in this year’s edition against the other three finalists. He already has a guaranteed entry into Nowy, but he still needs to represent Kera in the final,” Dom continued.

“We don’t yet know if it will be Telo.” Luna and Chefe had also arrived near the ring.

“What do you mean?!” Alba asked, shocked.

“Welcome back, Inertia!” Chefe greeted me. “The outfit looks perfect on you! It’s really good to see you doing well.”

I had almost forgotten I was still wearing that TD cosplay.

“Chefe, you said you’d only return in three days,” Dom said, just as surprised by his presence.

“Luna summoned me for an extraordinary event taking place here today,” Chefe replied.

Two other figures arrived at the ring, a “man” and a “woman.” Well, I wasn’t even sure I could call them that, since they weren’t human.

His form was that of a white owl, strikingly similar to the one from that famous wizard movie. Despite his appearance, he had a humanoid body and was dressed formally, a bipedal owl in human shape. She, on the other hand, had the form of a wolf. Her green eyes stood out vividly against her exotic white body. Like him, she was humanoid and dressed in formal attire.

“Inertia, these are Oliver and Hazel. They’re both judges and representatives of the Mist Games,” Chefe introduced them.

Oliver stepped forward, took my hand, and kissed the back of it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Inertia,” he said.

Chefe shot him a not-so-friendly look. From what I could gather, he wasn’t exactly pleased with their presence here.

“What happened that day was recorded and shown to all the other territories. Your ability was praised by many, Inertia. There are several rules for the participants of the Games, and one of them states that the strongest in the territory must serve as its representative. The people of the other territories, as the audience, together with the judges, demanded that Telo challenge you, Inertia,” Chefe explained.

“What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

They’re insane! I don’t even know how this transformation mechanism works, let alone how to fight.

“Chefe, how is that even possible?” Alba pressed. “You know what they’re after, don’t you?”

“I know very well. I wasn’t in favor of it. Inertia is not obliged to accept the challenge,” he replied.

“Yes, she can refuse,” Hazel answered this time, “but then your territory will be excluded from this year’s Mist Games, and Telo’s entry into Nowy will be revoked.”

We had a problem.

I finally understood why Chefe had come here despite being against it. Forcing me into this fight was a masterstroke.

From what I understood, the territories’ representatives wanted me in Nowy. Since they couldn’t get me there by conventional means, they turned to the people instead. They knew the power of popular uprisings and that public pressure was essential to the territories’ stability.

If I accepted and defeated Telo, I would advance as Kera’s representative to face the other three territories, and if I won the Mist Games, I would gain unrestricted access to Nowy. But I also had the right to refuse. That wasn’t the real issue. I realized that once everyone knew who I was and what I could do, Kera’s claim over me would no longer rest solely with its leaders but with the people themselves.

On the other hand, if I refused, Telo would be expelled and Kera would lose its chance to win the extra Eternos and recover the trapped consciousnesses that had a limited time window for restoration in Nowy.

What should I do? What’s the best choice? Even worse, they might find out about Rei if there’s any slip today.

Wait, there’s another option: accept the challenge and lose on purpose. Or maybe… I’m being too optimistic. After all, I can’t really see myself winning this duel anyway.

Telo seemed to have finished his fight in the simulator and was now heading toward us.

He was truly massive. His body was entirely golden and human-shaped, but as he drew closer, he opened his helmet, revealing his real face. He was a Black man with blond, curly hair and striking yellow eyes.

“Inertia, it’s a pleasure to meet you. From what I understand, you’re already aware of everything. So I, Telo Piovesan, challenge you to a duel to decide the best fighter in Kera.”

“Wait, this can’t be validated. Inertia isn’t fully recovered ye—” Dom tried to defend me, but Hazel quickly cut him off.

“Dom, you cannot influence Inertia’s decision right now. Any word spoken after Telo’s challenge will be taken by us as an attempt to manipulate the results.”

They were placing all the responsibility on the shoulders of a human from 2025 who knew nothing about this world, let alone the Mist Games. How could I accept without even knowing the rules properly? It was unfair.

But I had already made up my mind: I would accept and lose.

“I accept your challenge, Telo.”

Everyone stared at me in shock. It seemed that wasn’t the answer they had expected. Hazel and Oliver, of course, smiled and adopted a victorious stance.

“Alright then. Let’s go.” Telo turned his back and returned to the ring.

Oliver, Hazel, Luna, and Chefe moved up to a higher section of the stands, where they had a better view of the ring.

Before leaving, Alba passed by me and whispered, “Inertia. You…”

“It’s alright. I’ll lose on purpose.”

Alba still looked disheartened by my answer. I even found it strange that she hadn’t considered that option.

But I realized the reason too late.

End of Report 27