The morning of the semi-final arrived beneath a crimson sunrise that painted the skies of the Imperial City in shades of blood and gold.
For the first time since the National Championship had begun, the capital no longer treated the event as entertainment.
No one called it a festival anymore.
No one referred to it as a competition between academies.
Because today, the empire itself would witness a collision between two futures.
One represented the order that had ruled the continent for generations.
The other represented something unknown.
Something rising too quickly.
Something dangerous.
And as dawn spread across the horizon, the entire Imperial City awakened with restless anticipation.
---
The streets surrounding the Grand Imperial Arena became overcrowded long before the gates officially opened.
