The city was known as Minali, and it was a delightful place this time of year. The streets brimmed over with resident and visitor alike, all abuzz with the excitement that came every year at this time. Children scurried underfoot and merchants hawked their wares in every square and along every street within a mile of the city center. It was the time of the Solstice Festival, and Minali observed it with all the gusto and verve for which it had become known.
The highlight of the Festival was, as it was every year, the Great Tournament where warriors from across the worlds came to test their strength against one another in a multitude of contests ranging from simple sword duels to contests of magical will to grand melees and contests of marksmanship. Additionally there were the several dozen small stages set up about the city where individual matches could take place, whether planned in advance for those who might be taking part in the Tournament as well, or simply for those who had come to celebrate the Festival and felt the desire to cross swords with a a rival, companion, or complete stranger. Any number of wagers and grudges were settled on those extra stages, out of the Grand Colosseum yet still within easy reach of medical aid.
For Ayakami Enzo, the three time champion of Arkhavia's Five Continent Championship in the Pure Light Duel League, there was certainly the urge within to throw his name into the hat for the Great Tournament here in Minali. It was, after all, one of the reasons he had left Arkhavia: to seek out new challenges on other worlds, to experience life beyond what he had known thus far. Alas, he had missed the deadline to enter, and found himself relegated to merely watching. It was not a role that he despised, however, and he found himself wandering the Festival at large and thoroughly enjoying himself in the process. It was pleasant to be able to do so without the worries of being recognized and thronged with autograph seekers or challenged by some disgruntled Hikari who felt he could take the champ if only given the right chance.
For the time, at least, Enzo was merely a stranger enjoying the festivities, and liking it that way.
At the moment the whip-thin, dark-haired duelist was standing before a vendor selling a selection of delicious smelling cooked meats on skewers. It was a warm day, with the sun high overhead as befitted the time of year, and Enzo wore a light shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, showing the tangle of metallic blue tangle of lines that adorned his left arm. He never thought about his birthmark himself, but several others seemed to take notice of it on occasion, thinking it a tattoo of some kind or another. Like usual, he dealt with those who asked him questions about it with his typical smile and modest answers before turning back to the vendor.
In the end he settled on a skewer of seasoned beef and took up a seat on the nearby empty duel stage, letting his comfortably shod feet dangle over the edge as he ate and watched the people around him. A soft breeze curled through his unruly hair, and he smiled. It was a beautiful day in Minali, one the duelist was determined to enjoy.
The highlight of the Festival was, as it was every year, the Great Tournament where warriors from across the worlds came to test their strength against one another in a multitude of contests ranging from simple sword duels to contests of magical will to grand melees and contests of marksmanship. Additionally there were the several dozen small stages set up about the city where individual matches could take place, whether planned in advance for those who might be taking part in the Tournament as well, or simply for those who had come to celebrate the Festival and felt the desire to cross swords with a a rival, companion, or complete stranger. Any number of wagers and grudges were settled on those extra stages, out of the Grand Colosseum yet still within easy reach of medical aid.
For Ayakami Enzo, the three time champion of Arkhavia's Five Continent Championship in the Pure Light Duel League, there was certainly the urge within to throw his name into the hat for the Great Tournament here in Minali. It was, after all, one of the reasons he had left Arkhavia: to seek out new challenges on other worlds, to experience life beyond what he had known thus far. Alas, he had missed the deadline to enter, and found himself relegated to merely watching. It was not a role that he despised, however, and he found himself wandering the Festival at large and thoroughly enjoying himself in the process. It was pleasant to be able to do so without the worries of being recognized and thronged with autograph seekers or challenged by some disgruntled Hikari who felt he could take the champ if only given the right chance.
For the time, at least, Enzo was merely a stranger enjoying the festivities, and liking it that way.
At the moment the whip-thin, dark-haired duelist was standing before a vendor selling a selection of delicious smelling cooked meats on skewers. It was a warm day, with the sun high overhead as befitted the time of year, and Enzo wore a light shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, showing the tangle of metallic blue tangle of lines that adorned his left arm. He never thought about his birthmark himself, but several others seemed to take notice of it on occasion, thinking it a tattoo of some kind or another. Like usual, he dealt with those who asked him questions about it with his typical smile and modest answers before turning back to the vendor.
In the end he settled on a skewer of seasoned beef and took up a seat on the nearby empty duel stage, letting his comfortably shod feet dangle over the edge as he ate and watched the people around him. A soft breeze curled through his unruly hair, and he smiled. It was a beautiful day in Minali, one the duelist was determined to enjoy.
