The first rays of sunlight lit up a large aircraft soaring through the sky. Darian, along with an entourage from the New Arcadia Empire, was approaching a specific point in the Atlantic Ocean.
Back in the day, Earth needed a central place where the empires could meet to discuss important matters — and where visitors from other planets could gather for all kinds of reasons.
Since the Solar Federation Empire was by far the biggest one on Earth, they were the ones who designated this region within their territory, promising all the other empires that it would be a neutral and protected zone. No one could enter it or head to the other continents without permission.
Its location was strategic — close to four out of the six empires on Earth. That’s why the place ended up being considered the capital of the planet — a meeting point where the global powers could gather, hold debates, and use for other purposes.
All planetary tournaments were held there. It was the only place on Earth where High Humans could show up and move around freely... or almost freely.
Nobody was allowed to live there or stay longer than a certain amount of time. And everything — absolutely everything — was under strict surveillance. The whole place was surrounded by artifacts, and you couldn’t breathe for even a second without being watched.
That monitoring was fully open to the military of all six empires, so none of their Spiritual Guardians could get away with anything shady. Anyone planning to betray or pull something off in secret knew this place was the worst option.
Looking out the window, Darian saw a large island, and another smaller one nearby.
But they weren’t just two islands — it was actually a single massive futuristic megacity, with floating structures rising like artificial peaks, blending the ancient with the high-tech. Below, the landscape shifted between green plains and huge building complexes connected by underwater tunnels and sky bridges. Preserved mountains and coastlines sparkled in the distance.
Back in the 21st century, that area was known as the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland. There had also been smaller islands around, but those had sunk after Earth’s changes. Today, the whole region was called Neo-Britannia.
Since it was the center of everything, and regular humans weren’t allowed in, the entire place was connected through countless artifacts and arrays. It was Earth’s main entry point for off-world visitors — so naturally, everything was built to be as dazzling and advanced as possible.
There were three days left until the Newcomers Tournament. That morning, Darian and the New Arcadia representatives finally set foot on Neo-Britannia’s soil.
The air carried a faint trace of energy — something totally unnatural for Earth. Darian felt it through his rings and quickly figured out why: every hundred meters or so, there was an artifact buried in the ground. All of them were linked together, forming a huge array that created a magical environment — totally unique on the planet.
Just breathing the air made pure energy flow into their bodies. It was similar to the feeling in training universes, or in other powerful universes they had already visited.
A military officer noticed Darian and the other young people looking a bit overwhelmed, and quietly explained:
"Neo-Britannia was built with the help of all the empires, to resemble about 50% of what exists on top 30 planets in the universe. On those planets, the entire world’s been reshaped to contain power. That way, even people who aren’t Spiritual Guardians are constantly nourished. They live ten times longer than normal... and their kids are born different right from the start."
Everyone listened and let out deep sighs. That’s why the top planets felt like heaven compared to Earth. Here, there was just a single spot with that kind of environment — over there, the whole planet was like that... and with even more power.
They arrived at a reception area filled with smaller buildings. As they looked ahead, they took a deep breath. The size of this capital made New Arcadia’s own capital look tiny in comparison.
Countless Spiritual Guardians moved through the place, dressed in all kinds of outfits. Most were in groups, and every single one of them gave off an aura of power that was dense and heavy.
Besides all the trade that happened in the capital, a lot of people were already there to watch the Newcomers Tournament.
Everyone entered a central building. Inside, a receptionist registered them properly. Darian was handed a group leader badge; Nayara got the other one.
Then the receptionist pointed to a building through the window. There was no way to miss it — it was the biggest one for miles. He explained: inside that building, each tournament group had their own private courtyard.
"All groups got identical courtyards. Each one has three massive halls with high-grade artifacts. The first is called the Hall of Regeneration — it speeds up healing in case you get injured during battles or training. The second is the Practice Hall, a sealed area that blocks everything from the outside world, where you can train and practice together."
The receptionist spoke calmly, then looked the teens in the eyes with a serious tone.
"The last place is the most special. It’s called the Divine Meditation Hall. There, you can immediately enter an imaginary world with your soul. Inside, time flows differently — one hour outside equals nearly twelve hours in there. Also, it sharpens your soul and mind. You’ll be able to come up with tactics and new strategies easily while inside."
"Keep this in mind: one hour a day is the most you can handle. If you go over that, your soul will get injured — and soul injuries are the hardest kind to heal. Just one hour in that hall already burns through a crazy amount of resources. But you’re lucky — during the tournament, you can use it freely. That’s a courtesy from the Solar Federation Empire."
Everyone nodded, excited. They were gonna make the most of those halls. They could train together, train alone, and even recover quickly afterward. It was legit a luxury treatment.
The tournament would last three days, and in between battles, they’d be able to meet up and plan new tactics depending on who they were up against next.
The receptionist added, "You’ll only be allowed into your courtyards in twelve hours, once all the groups from the six empires have registered."
The ten of them nodded. Right after that, one of the senior military officers from New Arcadia who had brought them over spoke up:
"You’re free to explore the capital. Most buildings are for commercial use. With your cards, you can spend your merit points on whatever you want. There are also structures built by the six empires, either to share important knowledge or for other stuff. Of course, it all costs something, but you’re free to explore. Anyway, in twelve hours, everyone must gather at the main building."
They nodded, hyped. They quickly spotted a big lot nearby with tons of cars and even small planes for rent. Both islands of Neo-Britannia were open for visitors. Nobody was worried — the whole place was insanely secure and watched.
When Nayara’s group ran off and started splitting up, that was when the twins turned to Darian...
And they saw it right away — his eyes looked different than usual.