The entire Empire fell into an eerie silence for a second... Yes, not just the arena—but the entire Empire itself. After all, every citizen, every noble, every soldier... everyone was watching. Their eyes glued to the screens, their hearts pounding with the weight of what had just happened.
For a moment, it looked like Kaelen had the race in his grasp—victory was within reach, right there in front of him... But in the very next heartbeat, he vanished from the track. And then... only Aria appeared, sprinting across the finish line, claiming victory.
It happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that people struggled to even process it. It was like their minds had momentarily glitched, questioning what they had just witnessed.
Did that really happen?
Or was it some kind of illusion?
Slowly, the live broadcast shifted to reveal what had truly transpired. The footage rewound and zoomed toward Kaelen—who, just meters before the finish line—abruptly turned away.
Why?
