The days in Carnarvon didn't slow down.
If anything, they moved faster than the city ever did.
From the moment Ivy stepped into the base camp, her world became heat, dust, noise, and lists that never seemed to end.
Workers moved everywhere around the site.
Metal structures rising under the sun.
Cables running across the ground.
Voices shouting measurements from one side of the arena to the other.
Radios crackling every few seconds.
The arena wasn't a plan anymore.
It was real.
Half-built towers stood against the red cliffs, screens still covered in plastic, rows of seats empty, waiting for the moment the world would arrive.
Huge containers were still being opened near the entrance, filled with equipment, lights, spare parts, and crates marked with logos from companies she had signed contracts with weeks ago without even meeting them in person.
Everywhere she looked, something was still missing.
And everywhere she looked, someone was waiting for her decision.
Ivy walked through the site with her tablet in hand, sunglasses hiding the fact she hadn't slept enough.
"Camera tower B needs to be higher," she said calmly.
One of the engineers nodded.
"We can lift it another meter."
"Do it."
He didn't argue.
Nobody did anymore.
No hesitation.
No second guessing.
Here, she wasn't the girl from the apartment.
She wasn't the girl from the beach.
She wasn't the girl from his bed.
Here, she was the one holding everything together.
Invisible.
Essential.
Untouchable.
The sun was already high when she stopped near the edge of the site, looking down at the road that disappeared between the rocks.
In one week, that road would be full of cars.
Players.
Alliances.
Security.
Cameras.
Him.
The thought came without warning.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Her heart reacted before her mind did.
She pulled it out.
Discord notifications.
Alliance chat.
Kingdom chat.
Event reminders.
She hesitated a second… then opened it.
Messages were flying.
People were online almost all the time now.
Preparing.
Grinding.
Farming.
Doing everything they could before the departure.
DTL chat
— "DON'T FORGET BEAST HUNT RESET"
— "SAVE SPEEDUPS"
— "WE NEED MORE POINTS BEFORE EVENT"
— "NO ONE GO OFFLINE THIS WEEK"
— "WE REPRESENT THE KINGDOM"
Peachy typing fast as always.
Ghost online.
Her eyes stopped on his name for a second longer than she wanted.
He was talking like nothing had changed.
Like the last night never happened.
Like the morning after never happened.
Like she hadn't disappeared to the other side of the country without telling him why.
Ghost:
"Rally in 5. Need full join."
Someone answered.
— "On my way"
— "Coming"
— "Wait for me"
— "Don't start without me"
Bloomy's name was still there in the list.
Still part of it.
Still expected to talk.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
For a moment, she almost closed the app.
Then she typed.
Bloomy:
"Don't die without me 😌"
A few laughing emojis appeared immediately.
— "SHE LIVES"
— "BLOOMY ONLINE FINALLY"
— "We thought you quit"
— "Busy flirting?"
She didn't answer.
Ghost typed.
"Focus."
Same tone as always.
Calm.
Short.
Too normal.
Her chest tightened.
She locked the phone and slid it back into her pocket.
Work first.
Always work first.
Inside the control tent, the air was cooler, fans blowing over computers and monitors showing camera tests, drone feeds, and the live connection between the arena screens and the control system.
She put her bag down and opened her laptop.
Carnarvon layout.
Arena phase — 6 days.
Transport confirmed.
Security confirmed.
Lighting test tonight.
Obstacle course water fill — pending.
Housing zone network — pending.
Everything moving exactly the way it should.
Too exactly.
Her phone vibrated again.
Discord.
She looked.
They were still talking.
Still grinding.
Still acting like the game was the only thing that mattered.
DTL chat
— "We need more points before travel"
— "Do every hunt"
— "No wasted stamina"
— "This event is serious"
Peachy:
"We go there ready. No excuses."
Ghost:
"We finish strong."
Her throat felt tight.
She typed one message.
Bloomy:
"Don't burn the kingdom without me."
Someone laughed.
— "Too late"
— "We already burning"
— "Where are you anyway?"
— "You sound busy lately"
She stared at the question.
Her fingers didn't move.
Where are you?
In the arena you're about to walk into.
In the place you have no idea I built.
In the middle of something that's going to change everything.
She locked the phone again.
She didn't want to lie.
She couldn't tell the truth.
Outside, the wind picked up, blowing dust across the site, making the metal structures vibrate slightly.
The banners installed around the arena moved slowly, the sound of fabric snapping in the wind echoing against the cliffs.
One of the crew walked in.
"We're ready for lighting test."
She stood up immediately.
"Let's go."
They walked back toward the arena, the sky turning orange behind the cliffs, the heat finally starting to drop.
Beautiful.
Empty.
Far from everything.
The giant screens lit up one by one, flooding the valley with cold blue light.
Numbers appeared on the test interface.
Player stats.
Resource counters.
Scoreboards.
Soon, every player in the world would see their name there.
Her phone vibrated again in her hand.
She didn't want to look.
She did anyway.
Discord.
Ghost:
"You still alive, Bloomy?"
Her heart skipped.
She stared at the screen for a long moment.
He never asked twice.
Never chased.
Never pushed.
Just one line.
Always enough.
Her thumb moved slowly over the keyboard.
Bloomy:
"Barely."
He answered almost immediately.
"Don't disappear before the event."
Her breath caught.
She looked at the arena in front of her.
At the lights.
At the stage.
At the empty seats waiting for thousands of players.
Six days.
He had no idea.
None of them did.
She locked the phone again and slipped it into her pocket.
No more messages.
Not tonight.
Not if she wanted to stay in control.
She crossed her arms and watched the lights turn on one by one around the arena, illuminating the metal, the cables, the empty seats, the obstacle course, the water pools, the rows of houses waiting for the alliances.
Soon this place would be full.
Noise.
Voices.
Tension.
Him.
She whispered to herself without meaning to.
"Just a few more days…"
Then she turned back to the crew.
"Run the test again."
Work first.
Feel later.