Martial Arts Worlds

After walking down a dirt path through the Amaranth Forest, Kiernan dodged a branch and then through the trees, managed to see people sitting on large fallen logs.

They seemed to be waiting for something, and they were easily able to hear them as the sound of excited cheers echoed through the forest.

"There are people here?" Julian said in surprise.

"I heard this place is pretty popular among students. It's where most of them spend their after-school hours."

Kiernan said, and then pushed past the branches before leaving the thick forest behind, arriving by the Game. It was quite an interesting scene.

An arched pathway led deep into the jagged mountain. It looked like a simple cave, but it most likely wasn't going to be one.

On top of the arched pathway, the words "The Game" were engraved down.

Left of the entrance, a tall stone tablet showed names and their times. It was the leaderboard of the top ten fastest times.

And then, right of the entrance, there was another, but smaller, stone tablet. It had currently frozen time, showing the time of the previous student who had just finished his run.

[FINAL TIME]

[21:03.054]

The student didn't look that satisfied with that time and even looked pissed. He'd been trying to do the run in under twenty minutes, but he was always losing time somewhere.

At that moment, a young woman entered the cave and disappeared into the darkness. The stone tablet's time got reset and began counting up from zero again.

"Interesting~"

Julian said, and began approaching the cave entrance, but before he could enter, a voice called out to him.

"What are you thinking of doing?"

"Hmm?" Julian turned to see a cold-faced young man staring down on him. "Planning to do a run, why?"

"There's already someone doing a run," the cold-faced young man said. "Only one can do it at a time—wait for your turn, tourist."

"Ah, didn't know about that, thanks." Julian walked back to Kiernan and whispered to him. "Why are they using the word tourist as some kind of insult? These people don't like outsiders, huh."

"Back in my day, I once wanted to go to a surf. It was really good waves and all, but I was told I couldn't. It was because locals didn't want to give the waves to any outsiders.

"This could be somewhat similar. It looks like a run can take quite a long time, so these impatient kids don't want to wait for some tourists."

"Are you saying they will be trying to make us leave?" Julian asked.

"Maybe some."

Kiernan said, and eyed a few groups of people who didn't seem too happy about them being here.

"I was invited here, so there are clearly some who don't mind us being here, but be prepared for whatever."

Julian nodded and then looked to the leaderboard stone tablet.

"So, we must enter that top 10 if we want a tour of the castle. Hmm."

"It seems like it." Kiernan said and looked into the leaderboard.

***

[LEADERBOARD]

[1. Zeus Abracadabra - 06:21.012]

[2. Christmas Abracadabra - 06:30.535]

[3. Rain Abracadabra - 06:31.985]

[4. Light Abracadabra - 06:44.234]

[5. Yvette Montrose - 07:01.022]

[6. Cash Abracadabra - 07:05.456]
Experience new tales on empire

[7. Messiah Abracadabra - 07:21.195]

[8. Gaius Alderwood - 08:34.444]

[9. Valtin Fox - 08:55.323]

[10. Casmiri Peverell - 08:59.355]

***

"Whew, it looks like the Abracadabra children are really talented." Julian said.

"Hah."

A person sitting close to them laughed at Julian's ignorance. She was sitting on a hacked-off tree stump that was tall enough to serve as a makeshift bench.

"?" Julian raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her.

"I know you aren't from Nightingale, but the children of Abracadabra are famous even outside of this island. Are you two living under a rock or something?"

She asked with a pompous expression.

"Your face is annoying." Julian blurted out as she looked at her.

"Hah?!" She looked over with an ugly expression on her face.

"Shit, did I say that out loud?" Julian scratched the back of his head. "My bad."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She asked in her hoarse voice. "You're in our island, and the only reason for it is because the Abracadabra family opened the borders for outsiders, so know your place, tourist!"

'By the sounds of it, this island was closed off from the outside world. However, these borders must've been opened for quite some time since my father visited this place eighteen years ago.

'It looks like even with so much time they hadn't actually warmed up to the outsiders but have become even more hostile, feels like it.'

"Ah, you must be part of one of the Purist Families," Julian laughed mockingly. "A dying breed."

"Tch!" The young woman stood up, and her group of five joined her, their eyes filled with fury.

They were staring at Julian and Kiernan as if they were made out of trash.

"Purist Families?" Kiernan asked.

"There was a vote to decide whether the borders should be opened for close to fifty years in Nightingale. In forty of those years, these Purist Families always voted no.

"They became infamous for their clear hatred of any outsiders and their belief that only pure-blooded Nightingale citizens should be allowed within the city limits.

"However, the Purist Families were becoming lesser and lesser. The generation that followed them was much more accepting.

"Thus, in the fiftieth anniversary of the vote, the majority voted yes. Thus, it was decided. The borders got opened.

"That happened twenty years ago.

"The ordinary folk of Nightingale accepted outsiders with open arms. However, there are some families that refuse to accept them, even to this day."

"Done with your history lesson?" She asked. "I want you two to leave. You're not allowed to enter the Game because I say so."

"Purist Families are dying because they refuse to start working with the outsiders. Other families got richer by doing so, but these Purist Families are just so stubborn that they would rather die."

"What about the Abracadabra family?" Kiernan asked. "Are they purist or not?"

"I don't know, but they were among those who voted no." Julian said. "Even during the fiftieth anniversary of the vote, they still voted no. I don't know how they are now."

"Are you listening to me?!" She screamed. "Leave, or we will force you trash-blooded mutts out!"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up." Julian smacked his hand across her face. "Your voice is annoying me."

"Ah?!" She held her cheek in shock. "Y-you slapped me?"

"Sure I did."

"K-kill him!" She screamed, and her already enraged-looking followers rushed to attack Julian.