Sephiroth and Skuld approached the bustling crowd gathered he coliseum, the air filled with excitement and anticipation. Warriors of all shapes and sizes stood in groups, discussing strategies, showing off ons, or simply sizing up the petition. Skuld looked around nervously, clutg the munny card tightly in her hand.

  Her eyes nded on a young man standing to the side, his demeanor cheerful and approachable. He had short, thick bck spikes for hair, and his bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle with enthusiasm. He wore a gray armor uniform with silver pauldrons, bck gloves, and a brown abdominal guard over his blue outfit. A rge sword rested on his back, its weight seemingly unnoticeable to him.

  Something about him stood out—perhaps it was his youthful energy or the fact that he seemed one of the younger petitors. Skuld instinctively walked toward him, leaving Sephiroth trailing behind. The boy noticed her approad smiled broadly.

  “Hey there!” he greeted, his voice as lively as his expression. “You look a little lost. First time at the coliseum?”

  Skuld nodded, her nervousness apparent. “Y-yeah, I was w… where do we, uh, sign up for the petition?”

  The boy chuckled, his cheerful attitude immediately putting her slightly at ease. “You’re cute when you’re nervous,” he said, leaning slightly closer. “So, are you signing up to pete? I’d bet you’d do great out there.”

  The ued pliment made Skuld’s face flush red, and she stammered, her earlier posure pletely lost. “N-no, I’m not—I mean, I don’t—I’m not peting!” she managed, waving her hands in front of her.

  Before the boy could respond, Sephiroth’s cold, anding voice cut through the versation. “Where do we sign up?”

  The boy turned his attention to Sephiroth, his bright demeanor unfazed by the imposing figure. “Oh, you’re here to pete too? Awesome!” He poio the right. “You’ll want to talk to Philoctetes—Phil, for short. He’s the satyr in charge of sign-ups. Just head that way, and you ’t miss him.”

  “Let’s go,” Sephiroth replied curtly, already turning to leave.

  Skuld, still flustered, turo follow him but paused as the boy stepped closer, holding her hands gently. “You sure you’re not peting?” he asked, his tone pyful. “I tell just from your hands—you’ve got the strength of a true warrior.”

  Skuld pulled her hands back quickly, her cheeks burning. “N-no, really, I’m not!” she said, her words tumbling over each other as she hurriedly turned and rushed toward Sephiroth.

  The boy, uerred, waved after her with a grin. “I’m Zack, by the way! I’ll see you both out there!”

  Sephiroth, who had been watg the exge with a detached expression, g Zack before turning his gaze forward. Zack smiled back, his bright, carefree demeanor in stark trast to Sephiroth’s cold iy.

  As they walked toward the sign-up area, Skuld muttered under her breath, “What was that all about? Is that the person Helios said to look for?”

  Sephiroth didn’t answer immediately, his attention focused oh ahead. Finally, he said, “Distras have no pce here. Fet them. If it’s him then you need not waste more time thinking abou it.”

  Skuld bit her lip, nodding silently as they reached a small booth where a grumpy-looking satyr sat, scratg his head and muttering to himself. The satyr was unmistakable: short, stocky, with a goat’s hind legs and curly horns. This hiloctetes—or Phil, as Zack had called him.

  “Sign-ups?” Phil barked without looking up, his tone gruff. “Name and category: beginner, intermediate, or advanced?”

  “Sephiroth,” Sephiroth said, his voice calm and authoritative. “Advanced.”

  Phil finally looked up, squinting at Sephiroth as though trying to assess him. After a moment, he shrugged and scribbled something on his part. “All right, you’re in. Fights start tomorrow. Don’t be te.”

  Phil turned his attention to Skuld. “And you, sweetcheeks? Same thing?”

  Skuld shook her head quickly. “N-no, I’m not peting.”

  Sephiroth interrupted, his tone firm. “She’ll join the beginner rank.”

  Skuld’s eyes widened in surprise, and she turo protest, but Sephiroth’s expression brooked nument. Phil raised an eyebrow, his pen h over the part. “Beginner, huh? She looks like she’s got potential. I’d say intermediate, but begi is if that’s what you want.” He scribbled her name down. “The coliseum’s got a reputation to uphold. Let’s hope she doesn’t embarrass us.”

  Phil waved them off with a gruff, “!”

  As they walked away, Skuld g Sephiroth, her voice low and unsure. “Why did you sign me up? I’m not ready for this.”

  Sephiroth didn’t look at her, his gaze fixed ahead. “You have strength. I would think you’d want to learned how to use it.”

  Skuld opened her mouth tue but stopped herself. Something about Sephiroth’s tone made it clear he wasn’t going to discuss the matter further. Instead, she nodded relutly, silently resolving to do her best.

  Behind them, Zack watched the pair disappear into the crowd, a curious smile on his face. “This is going to be iing,” he muttered to himself before turning his attention back to the petitatherihe arena.

  Outside the city Helios stood in the Ravihe t Cliff Ast looming before him. At its peak was the massive statue of Zeus, King of the Gods, carved with divine majesty. The atmosphere around him crackled with power as he raised his voice to the heavens.

  “Zeus, King of Olympus,” Helios called out, his toeady but firm. “I e to you seeking an audience. I wish to make a deal for the Olympus Stone.”

  For a moment, nothing happened, and the air was filled with an oppressive stillness. Then, the sky darkened, and the air grew heavy with the st of ozone. Lightning bolts rained down from the heavens, striking the ground around Helios in a dispy of divine fury. The colossal statue began to move, its eyes glowing with electric blue light as it turs gaze upon him.

  “Who dares call upon the King of the Gods?” Zeus’s voied, shaking the grouh Helios’s feet. “An outsider, no less! How do you know of the Olympus Stone? No mortal possesses suowledge!”

  Helios took a steady breath and stepped forward, keeping his gaze fixed on the colossal figure. Despite the god’s overwhelming presence, he maintained his posure. “My name is Helios,” he said, his tone polite but unwavering. “I am an outsider to this world, yes, but my purpose is noble. I seek the Olympus Stoo protect myself from the Underworld’s weakening effects, so I may retrieve the heart of a rade trapped within the River Styx.”

  Zeus’s eyes narrowed, lightning crag around his form. “The River Styx carries the souls of the dead to their eternal fates. None who belong to it may return. Why should I aid you in this sacrilege? How do I know your iions are true?”

  Helios remained calm, his expression steady as he spoke. “I uand your skepticism, great Zeus, but my rade’s heart does not belong in the River Styx. Hades has been traveling to other worlds, making deals with warriors and powerful individuals. In exge for help in their desperate moments, their souls are bound to him, bringing them here upon their deaths.”

  Zeus’s thunderous expression faltered slightly, repced by one of ption. The lightning surrounding him grew quieter, though the iy of his gaze did not waver. “Hades… you would dare question my brother. If such a thirue it would be troubling indeed. You cim he has ensnared souls from other worlds to serve him? Prove it and the stone shall be yours.”