"Yun-Jin," Kern greeted her, a wary note in his voice. He set his fork down, leaning back in his chair. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Nor did I," Gisorn added from across the room, his voice carrying a similar tone of suspicion. He turned slightly in his seat, his brows furrowing as he studied her. "What brings you here?"
Yun-Jin gave a nod in greeting, pulling out a chair to sit, her gaze moving between Kern and Gisorn. "I wanted to ask you both a few questions… about Ty."
"Ty?" Kern echoed, his brow knitting together. He exchanged a glance with Gisorn before looking back at Yun-Jin. "Why are you asking about him?"
Yun-Jin sighed, settling herself in the chair as she leaned forward, her eyes scrutinizing them. "What was it like working with him? I didn't get much ti to watch the broadcast of the fights."
Gisorn frowned, his expression skeptical. "Why… why do you care how the demon acted as part of our team? It's a miracle we managed to work with him and all get out alive, even after he tried to get us disqualified."
Yun-Jin shrugged slightly, her fingers tapping lightly against the armrest of her chair. "Well, watching the replays back, it seed like he was genuinely concerned with your wounds and such."
Gisorn nodded after a pause, his eyes narrowing. "That is true, I suppose. But with a demon, you can never be too sure of their true intentions."
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Kern spoke up, his voice taking on a reflective tone. "Yeah, other than that stunt, he was pretty great to work with. In so weird way, he seed to genuinely care about us and not want to see us get hurt. He was especially concerned for Rosana, because of her family being treated poorly. Other than that, he had a really strange issue with John, and they kinda butted heads for a while."
"Yeah, that's about it," Gisorn added, nodding thoughtfully. "Seed like a pretty decent guy overall, but why do you ask?"
Yun-Jin hesitated, her gaze dropping to her hands, which were clasped together. Her brow furrowed, and then she looked up, determination evident in her expression. "If push ca to shove, is Ty soone you would consider defending?"
Gisorn's eyes widened, confusion etched across his features. "Well, initially no, but in so way, I do owe him my life. I would have likely had a higher chance of dying had he not done what he did. I did lie about it to get back into the tournant… but yeah, if the situation were similar, I'd say he's a life worth saving—minus the whole demon thing he has going on."
Kern leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Yeah, still not sure why it's that important. I an, we'll eventually be pitted against him in one way or another, maybe even against each other."
Yun-Jin bit her lip, her eyes clouded with a mixture of concern and uncertainty. "I… I don't know entirely. I just have this feeling in my gut that sothing bad is going to happen, and no matter how much preparation we do, it's not going to be enough."
The two n exchanged a wary glance, Kern's eyebrows lifting slightly. "You worried about the next stage, or sothing more?"
"Both," Yun-Jin answered, her voice tight. She looked between them, her gaze earnest. "I want to make a request of you two. And in return, I'll give you so information, sothing personal."
Gisorn leaned back in his chair, exchanging a skeptical glance with Kern. "What kind of request?"
Yun-Jin took a deep breath, her expression hardening. "If you encounter Ty during the next stage, please try not to kill each other—at least not until the third stage."
Kern blinked, his mouth opening slightly in disbelief. "Wait, what? You're asking us to not kill a competitor?"
"I know how it sounds," Yun-Jin said quickly, her eyes flickering between them. "But trust , if you do this, I'll make sure you both are in a better position to survive. I'll let you in on a secret—one that could save your lives."
Gisorn's eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in his gaze. "This is weird… Is this normal? For the kingdom to put a hand in the tournant like this?"
Yun-Jin pursed her lips, her voice low. "Sort of. But it's not about the kingdom—it's about survival. Do you agree, or not?"
Kern leaned back, glancing at Gisorn before shrugging. "Well, whatever gives a better chance of surviving is fine by ."
Gisorn nodded, albeit slowly. "Sa here… though I'm not entirely sure I trust you yet."
Yun-Jin gave a small nod of appreciation, her eyes softening. "Thank you. Now, as promised…" She paused, glancing at the door before lowering her voice. "In your wrists, there are small injection points—implants, given to you before you arrived here. When they trigger, your ability to act will be delayed, heavily. It's new technology, just recently released."
Kern frowned, looking down at his wrist, flexing his fingers slightly as if testing for sothing he couldn't see. "Implants? Why weren't we told about this?"
Yun-Jin raised an eyebrow for a mont, her voice carrying a sharper edge as she spoke. "Why would they tell you they put those in? The point is control—control over how the tournant unfolds, over who lives and who dies. They want to pull the strings without anyone realizing it until it's too late."
Gisorn let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose that makes sense in the most ssed-up way possible. They're really not giving us any choice, are they? There's no way out of this other than trying to plan for it, hoping we sohow get an upper hand." His tone was heavy, each word filled with resignation.
"Do you have any idea what the onset of it happening will be?" Kern cut in, leaning forward, his eyes flicking between Yun-Jin and Gisorn.
Yun-Jin nodded, her expression serious. "Yes. According to so of the lab doctors, it starts with a jolt of electricity in your right palm. You'll feel it like a shock—seconds later, your skills will be completely nullified, much like the effects of the stone cuffs." She paused, glancing down at her own hands. "I imagine it runs on similar technology."
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