Ready

The light of dawn entered the infirmary window, and for the first time, it didn't seem hostile. The healers had worked intensely so that I could be healed in time for the tournament. Not completely, of course. The pain still throbbed in my body, but unlike the moment I was beaten and the moment of the discovery, I was no longer powerless.

The emptiness was still there, like an open wound, but now it gave me strength to continue, just like the words my friends had said. "It's not a certainty." "You built everything from scratch." "The grimoire might hold the answer." Even more powerful, the image of Nina came to mind, her red eyes, her fierce determination, which compelled me to go on.

I prepared to leave that room. Even though I hadn't spent much time there, I didn't want to be there anymore. I put on the clean uniform, adjusted it to my body, and felt the amber stone warming my pocket. The reminder that I needed to continue the fight.

Suddenly, Nina stopped in the doorway, looking at me with that usual provocative expression. But instead of annoying me, it kept me firmly grounded in reality, the reality that we were more united than ever.

"Anxious for the fight?"

"Anxious to finish it."

She entered the room, closing the door softly. The silent atmosphere of the infirmary gave way only to our moment. Being with Nina had not become uncommon lately, but there was something about it that always made me feel awkward.

"Good, you look better. Less... dumb."

"Thanks, I think."

She sat on the edge of the empty bed, her restless fingers tracing circles on the sheet fabric. Her serious gaze studied me.

"Just don't do anything stupid in there. This time, I won't be by your side to save you."

"I know. And... thank you. For being there last time."

A silence fell between us, but it was comfortable. It was only broken when I let a thought slip out loud.

"It's just... Roderick. The 'Stone Wall.' He's different from anything I've faced. And after everything... I'm afraid to fail again."

That was the cue she needed. Nina looked down at her own hands, as if searching for the right words there.

"You know..." she began, her voice so low I barely heard it. "When I first arrived here, I was excited to start something new. But over time, I started to hate everything. The stares, the questions, the feeling of being an outsider. I reached a point where I just wanted to disappear. To give up everything and never come back."

I looked at her, surprised. I knew that moments when she opened up like this were rare, not something she could do easily, but when she did, I felt more special, as if it were a reward to be the one chosen by her to hear everything that came from her heart. A trustworthy listener.

"The only thing that kept me going was magic. The study of the threads. Until... I saw you. A complete idiot, lost in the middle of the road, who didn't even know how to hold a magic sword properly, but who still challenged Lyra without a drop of fear. You fell. And you got up. Fell again, and got up again."

A slight, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips before vanishing.

"I thought: 'How can someone be so stubborn?' And then I understood. That was it. The stubbornness. The absolute refusal to accept defeat. It was exactly what I had lost."

She lifted her gaze, and her red eyes met mine, but this time, neither of us looked away. It was as if something prevented us from doing so.

"You reminded me how to fight, Haru. Not just with magic, but for something. When I was ready to throw in the towel, you, without knowing it, showed me that it was always worth trying one more time."

My breathing seemed to stop. I had been so focused on my own things, with my worries, that I never once thought about those around me, what afflicted them. How they truly felt.

It was a selfish thought, but since the day I arrived in this world, I had only been concerned with doing everything possible and the impossible to find my sister, and in moments of doubt, I could always count on the support of my friends to renew my hope.

It had never occurred to me that I could have, in some way, helped someone else too.

"Now," she said, her voice firm again, regaining her usual composure, but with an underlying softness. "It's my turn. Roderick is just another obstacle. I know who you are. I've seen the stubborn and incredibly irritating person who doesn't give up. That person is still there. And I trust him to win."

Her words weren't meant to give me empty hope or simply support me. Instead, they showed me my own reflection, my story, and how I had gotten here.

There was no hug, no dramatic gesture, just an exchanged look that we knew meant a lot. And in the end, that was all I needed.

After leaving the infirmary, the morning sun hit the city with a warmth that felt like it was cleaning my soul. The streets were way more alive than they were before my first fight. The crowd's buzz swallowed me whole, a wave of excitement that got stronger with every step I took toward the arena.

This time, some eyes turned toward me, and they were no longer those of anonymous curiosity. There was recognition. Discreet nods, whispers that carried my name. I was no longer just another face in the crowd. I had become a true competitor.

Walking among those people, I no longer felt that pit in my stomach. In its place, I only felt calm. The strategy against Roderick, prepared with the help of my friends, was clear in my mind. I knew his weaknesses, and he had no idea what was to come.

I placed my hand in my pocket, confirming its warmth once more as if it could remind me why I was fighting, of my promise.

The arena rose before me, the enormous gates welcomed the excited crowd. I didn't feel fear, but that didn't mean I expected an easy victory. But thanks to Nina, I found the courage to give my best, without the ghost of failure haunting me.

Soon I would be inside, battling. And I was ready.