Kamari Yelekal

The sun was setting, reflecting off of a boy's honey-colored eyes as he gazed forward while sitting alone on a beach. His sepia, reddish-brown skin was practically glowing beneath the setting sun, along with his black dreadlocks. The beach on which he was lounging was known as the Nech'i Sanidisi beach, which resided in what was once known as the nation of Ethiopia before the countless wars. For the last two hundred or so years, it was called the nation of Eswaria, which included the land from what was once Somalia and Eritrea.

Kamari Yelekal was the name of the young African, and due to having just turned eighteen, the boy was experiencing what could be his final day of freedom, as his name would be in the drawing for the annual Magic Metaverse Tournament. Most people were spending their hypothetical final day with family, friends, or their lovers, but Kamari had no one. Both of his parents died when he was young, forcing him to grow up living in an orphanage.

He was never adopted due to him becoming an orphan at such an old age, so he lived the rest of his life there. He had formed attachments with a few of his fellow orphans, however, seeing them leave when a family chose them just hurt the boy too much. For him, the despair of seeing his siblings leave him was akin to that of losing his parents all over again. To avoid those feelings of grief inside of him, the boy decided to keep to himself for the rest of his time at the orphanage.

As he watched the sunset, the boy thought about how far he'd think he'd get if he were chosen as a Magic Duelist, however, he didn't see himself going very far. His nation, Eswaria, had never won a single Magic Metaverse Tournament after the four hundred and ninety-nine years of its existence. Eswaria wasn't the only country without a victory, the nearby nations within the continent of Neo-Africa all shared the same fate, never winning the tournament.

Most tournaments were won by the same nations: The United Empire of the Americas (UEA), South Tsundora, North Tsundora, Great Russia, and the Kingdom of Lièrì. These five nations have won over seventy percent of all Magic Metaverse Tournaments when combining all of their wins together.

Though there was truly no way for a country to give themselves the advantage in the Magic Metaverse, or at least, that's what was said, those five countries' ability to win consistently came down to their ability to train potential warriors to become Magic Duelists from a young age. Whether it be because of their flourishing economy or their military funding, these nations poured insurmountable amounts of funding into their training programs.

Unlike in the past, the continent of Neo-Africa was far from underdeveloped, in fact, they were thriving. However, their developments as a whole were lacking in comparison to the five super-nations of the world. Neo-Africans weren't the only ones who were behind, as the entire world was right there with them in terms of their nation's development.

None could rival the five super-nations. The only real competition perceived by the super-nations was of those who also held the title of being the strongest. When there was a duel between any of the five super-nations, the tournament would reach peak viewership.

Kamari didn't care too much about any of that, despite him often pondering about what he would do if he were a participant in the tournament. He had no plans for his future, he had no goals, and he had nothing to lose.

The only thing he ever looked forward to every day was watching the sunset. Feeling the warmth of the sun gradually fade as the sky became smeared with vibrant hues was calming for the boy.

The sun was his safe space.

Kamari stood up, still gazing at the sun as the star's final moments in the sky were concluding. His gaze was accompanied by the booming sounds of waves crashing and the aroma of the salt water beneath him. His traditional, all-white robes flowed delicately in the cool breeze as he planted one foot on the lump of sand in front of him, shifting his weight to his front leg while his vision remained locked onto the sinking star. The gorgeous violet and crimson sky reflected off of the ocean before those vibrant hues died off, leaving Kamari alone on the beach.

Unbeknownst to the boy, this would be the last sunset he'd gaze upon for quite some time, perhaps even his final viewing of the star fading from his view for the rest of his life.

Once alone in the dark, the boy headed back to the orphanage that he called home, walking past the thriving halls of the area where the toddlers and young children stayed, and making his way to the upper floor with the rest of the older kids.

He only had a few more months to find a job and move out before he'd be removed from the orphanage due to being an adult, which he found ironic. As he grew up there, they never pushed for him or any of the older kids to get adopted. Once he became an adult, they basically wanted to throw him to the curb as soon as possible.

Walking through the silent, gloomy floor of the young adults and older teens, Kamari made his way into his room before throwing himself on the bed. As he looked up at the ceiling, he pondered about life or death. 'If I die, what happens? Do I see my parents again? Do I reincarnate? Or does nothing happen?' He sighed at his own thoughts before turning to his side, staring into the dark abyss of his room.

'That's probably it. Just nothingness...' The boy slowly closed his eyes, letting himself get lost in thought until finally falling asleep.

__________

Kamari's eyes shot open due to the blasting sound of his door getting bashed in and crashing onto the floor beside his bed. Before he could even process what was transpiring, a cluster of men sporting black military uniforms with black helmets began rushing the boy down.

"Don't fucking move!" One of the officers screamed as he yanked the young man out of the bed and began pressing a damp towel onto his face. Oddly enough, Kamari didn't fight it, understanding that resisting these guys would be completely useless.

Within just a few seconds, the boy's limbs went limp, his vision faded and he had lost consciousness.

He was chosen.

Kamari Yelekal was Eswaria's representative for the five hundredth annual Magic Metaverse Tournament.