13th District

Last Day

The evening before the transfer to the Towers of the Elite, the air in the Ryden family’s home felt heavy with anticipation. Sylvia, their mother, sat on the worn couch, her arms cradling Luca, their three-year-old brother. She smiled weakly as Arya, full of uncontainable excitement, rambled on about her plans if she won the Ascension Trials. The small house, cluttered with the remnants of years of struggle, felt oddly quiet for the moment.

The small house felt cramped as Kael stood by the door, watching Arya spin around in circles, her excitement barely contained. “I’ll buy a house for us, Kael, one with a real kitchen! And you can have a big sword to protect me!” she said, her words tumbling out faster than Kael could process. Arya beamed, her eyes sparkling with the thought of what awaited them. “We’re going to live like the people in the stories! Beautiful clothes, delicious food… I’ll buy us a house with a big garden, and we’ll never go hungry again. It’s going to be amazing!”

Sylvia, who sat in the corner, holding Luca in her arms. His little brother, still too young to understand, cooed in his mother’s arms, unaware of the gravity of tomorrow. Kael’s chest tightened, but he didn’t show it. He never did.

Kael leaned against the wall, arms crossed tightly. He watched his sister with a mix of concern and frustration. “It’s not going to be like that, Arya. You really think they’ll just hand us a life like that because of some trial?” His voice was more flat than angry, but the bitterness still lingered.

But Arya just shook her head, oblivious to the doubt creeping into Kael’s mind. “You’ll see! You’ll see when we’re there. They’re going to treat us like we matter, like we’re important. Mom, are you excited too?” Arya asked, bouncing over to her mother, her face full of expectation. She was so innocent, so hopeful.

Sylvia’s lips trembled as she looked up, but her smile never quite reached her eyes. She shook her head softly, her gaze dropping to Luca, who was snuggling against her shoulder. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” she whispered, her voice strained. “I’m just… scared.” Sylvia, holding Luca in her lap, let out a quiet sigh. Her eyes flickered toward Kael, but she said nothing. Her expression said it all—she knew how hard this was for him, how much Kael hated the idea of this trial and everything it represented. But she also knew there was nothing they could do now.

Kael blinked, confused. Everyone around him—everyone in the district—was excited. They all saw the Ascension Trials as an opportunity to escape, to finally live a life outside the slums of Eridyon. Arya was talking about it like a dream come true. But his mother—his mother was terrified. And that made no sense to him.

Sylvia wiped away a tear, which she quickly masked with a forced smile. “Kael,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “Promise me you’ll protect Arya, no matter what. You’ve always taken care of her—please don’t stop now.”

“Mom, don’t worry,” Arya said, still smiling. “It’s just a competition. We’ll win. We’ll make it, and everything will be better. I promise.”

Sylvia’s eyes welled with tears, and she wiped them away hastily, looking away from Arya. “Kael,” she said suddenly, her voice trembling, “take care of your sister. Keep her safe, no matter what.”

Kael’s chest tightened. He hadn’t realized how badly his mother was holding on to this fleeting moment. “I will, Mom,” he said, his voice softer now. “I’ll keep her safe. I swear it.”

But his mother only shook her head. “Kael, please.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now. “Just promise me. No matter what happens, you’ll protect her.”

Kael swallowed hard, his anger flaring up, though he couldn’t understand why. “I’ll protect her, Mom. I will. But we’re going to be fine, alright? Everything will be alright.”

But Sylvia didn’t look convinced. She held Luca a little tighter, her gaze distant. “Just… please, promise me,” she repeated softly.

Kael’s heart twisted, a deep unease gnawing at him. He wanted to believe that everything would be okay—that they were just going to the Capital to be treated like royalty. But something in his mother’s eyes told him that this was more than just a game.

Arya, oblivious to the weight of the moment, was already planning their future. “When I win, we can get a big house and go on vacation. Maybe even visit the capital every year!” she said, practically skipping around the room.

Kael tried to smile for her, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Sylvia looked up again, locking eyes with Kael. “You have to promise me, Kael. Don’t let her get caught up in the excitement. You have to make sure she stays grounded. If anything goes wrong… you have to get her out.”

Kael didn’t know what to say. His mother’s words echoed in his mind as Arya continued her excited ramblings. But the thought of the Ascension Trials, the bloodshed, the brutality—it wasn’t something he could ignore anymore. Not with his sister now part of it.

“I’ll protect her,” he said again, though this time, it felt like more than just a promise.

Arya, her excitement undeterred, bounced up from the floor. “Maybe I’ll be the one to win it all! You won’t have to worry about anything anymore, Kael. We’ll get out of this place, I’ll take you with me. We’ll be happy!”

Kael forced a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not going to be in this trial, Arya. You’re the one who’s got a chance. I’ll just keep my head down and make sure you don’t get hurt.” His words were blunt, but the reality of his indifference toward the trials, combined with his protective instincts, made his stance clear.

“But you’re in it, too,” Arya countered, a frown knitting her brows. “You’re not going to let me do this alone, are you?”

Kael ran a hand through his messy hair, clearly frustrated by the whole situation. “I’m in it because I have to be. Not because I want to be. The only thing I care about is making sure you come back safe.” He let his words hang in the air, hoping Arya would understand, but he knew she didn’t.

Sylvia stood and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Kael, we don’t know what’s going to happen. Don’t fight this. Just… try to enjoy these last moments with your sister before everything changes.” Her voice cracked again, but she wiped the tears away quickly.

Kael felt a knot in his stomach. His mom was scared, he could see that. But it was hard for him to understand why she was putting so much faith in this trial. To him, it was just a way for the capital to manipulate people like them into playing their deadly games. But he couldn’t say that out loud. Not now.

“I’ll protect her,” Kael repeated, his voice firm. “Even if I have to drag her out of there myself.”

Sylvia nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. She pulled Arya into a tight hug, and for a moment, the room was silent, save for the sound of Arya whispering about her hopes for the future. Kael looked at them both—his mother’s face full of fear, his sister’s face full of dreams. He wanted so badly to believe Arya’s excitement, to feel even a flicker of hope that something good could come from this, but deep down, he knew better.

But as the sun began to set, casting a soft golden glow over their small home, Kael couldn’t shake the feeling that tomorrow would change everything.