Within the grounds of the ancient martial arts temple, the workers were hard at work putting the place together before tomorrow's matches.
This was the spot where the four dojos would duel against each other for the title of supremacy and prove once and for all which fighting style reigned supreme in the region.
Pillars rose from the ground, new sand had been spread across the floor, and banners fluttered from the walls.
This sand was the battle sand, and it would soon be stained with blood as the warriors would use it as a place to battle.
Within the temple's compounds, four separate sections were designated for each of the four rival factions.
The banner of Yokai Dojo flapped in the wind on top of the Yokai section, and next to them was Ghoul Dojo.
Across from them, Wraith and Kitsune Dojo's sections stood right next to each other, and their banners also fought against the wind.
Crouching in the sandy ground, a man took a handful of sand into his hand, rubbed it against his palm, and then let it drop back to the ground.
"The place is ready."
At the temple's columns, the workers put lanterns on the hooks, tossed already-lit matchsticks inside, and let the fire wreak havoc inside the lanterns.
The entirety of Dusk Town could see the temple's lights lit up for the first time in a year, and it was used as a signal that the martial arts festival was about to begin.
With cheers filling the streets, everyone put stalls and stands in place, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Decorations hung from building to building, and confetti of every color possible rained down from the sky.
"The martial arts festival is here!"
"This is quite an insane sight."
Kiernan said as he looked from the balcony at the streets, where people walked with torches in hand, their faces painted with symbols of their chosen dojo.
"Mm~ People of Dusk Town take this festival very seriously."
Aoi wrapped her arms around Kiernan and hugged him from behind while looking towards the streets with a bright smile.
She loved this day of the year when the festival began, as everyone came together to celebrate the beauty of the martial arts.
Awkwardly sitting in the room, the five other chosen warriors cleared their throats at their show of affection.
They were all single, so when they saw them, they couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.
"Wraith Dojo is being strangely quiet about their chosen fighters."
Ren said while rubbing his chin.
"They had been quiet the whole year. Closed doors, and everything. I used to be on speaking terms with one of their students, and I heard he got kicked out.
"It looks like they cleaned the house and just kept the best talents so they could put all their effort into training them."
Jun said, but he was holding a hand mirror as he was adding some white paint to his gorgeous face.
It was hard to tell whether he was a woman or a man—he sounded like a man and clearly had a man's physique, but he just looked so pretty that he could be mistaken for a woman.
Fiona looked at him, cupping her chin in her hand, and seemed lost in thought whenever she looked at him.
She had brown hair, braided entirely down her back, and had quite a heavy amount of makeup applied to her face to hide any imperfections on her skin.
At that moment, the door opened, and everyone stood up to bow towards the door.
With steady, slow steps, Master Arakawa entered the room and joined the two lovebirds on the balcony, looking across the town with a peaceful smile on his face.
"Calm before the storm, isn't that right, Kiernan?"
"Yes. Everyone is now celebrating and celebrating, but tomorrow, the true essence of the festival is revealed, correct?"
Kiernan looked at him while feeling Aoi's soft body hugging him tighter from behind as if she knew what awaited tomorrow.
It made everyone nervous.
"Yes… The blood will be shed tomorrow to make peace with the martial gods of the past."
"How did last year's festival go?"
"We lost the first match, shamefully. We were against Kitsunes, and then, at the other match, Ghoul defeated Wraith.
"In the third-place match, we defeated Wraiths, and in the final, Ghoul defeated Kitsunes."
"Wraith's master did not take the loss lightly. They had been pretty quiet ever since their defeat, and they have the most to prove!"
"Will we decide our fighting order now?"
"No. At the start of every match, the coin will be flipped, and the loser of the coin flip will have to choose their fighter first.
"If we win the coin flip, we can choose the best opponent against them. Vice versa, if we lose, we will just have to adapt our strategy accordingly."
"Okay. I understand."
He was lucky enough that he was new here, so no one really knew what he was capable of in the rival dojos.
Which gave him a slight advantage, and he could be used as a trump card.
"Kiernan, let's go check out the festivities!"
Aoi said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door.
"Be back before Silent Hour! You must rest!"
Master Arakawa shouted.
With a rolling of eyes, Master Arakawa turned to look at the others, who sat awkwardly and looked to be waiting for something.
They didn't want to leave without permission.
"You all may leave as well."
With soft thank yous, everyone departed with smiles on their faces as they also wanted to go check out the festival.
It only happened once in the year, and they definitely didn't want to miss out on it!
Master Arakawa turned to the town, its golden lights reflected off his eyes, and then looked towards the temple at the top of the hill.
Its lights had been dead for whole year, but tonight they shone brightly as if the spirits of the town had been awakened.