As soon as breakfast time was over, Pineapple Chunks, Scheherazade, and Rock Justice prepared to head out along with the other 198 participants to the arena for the first round. Nothing could've prepared them for what they saw. Before them, the walls were painted to look like a clear blue sky with some cumulus clouds intermittently scattered throughout. Above them, the ceiling was painted identically to the walls, perhaps giving the illusion that they were outside (an illusion that would've been flawless if not for the speakers tucked away in a corner). Beneath them, the floor was covered in vibrant dark green astro-turf like could be found in American football stadiums. In the middle of the room, there stood a Dame Blanche, a platinum blonde female faerie dressed in all white and ethereally beautiful. She stood perfectly still like a statue, her eyes scanning at the people circling her.

Before any of the participants could begin to speculate why the arena would even look like this, the speakers began to crackle to life.

"Attention, players," began the voice from the speakers. "It is now time for the first round of the competition to begin." Pause. "I'm glad you asked, whoever you are."

Pineapple Chunks, Scheherazade, and Rock Justice just looked at each other, confused. Had the voice perhaps thought that someone had asked what was going on? Why even bother responding like that if the voice couldn't even hear from the other side of the speakers?

"The first round of the competition is Un, Deux, Trois, Soleil," the voice from the speakers continued. "I'm sure you're all familiar with it. It's where a 'statue' has to tag a 'curator'. Normally, that would be the case anyway. Here, however, we'll be playing things differently..."

The voice left the participants enough time to briefly speculate before the voice continued further. "All 201 of you are in a circle, see, and you will be heading out from your designated spots to the middle of the room where a Dame Blanche happens to be. She's quite the mischievous spirit, for she's known to seek out attention from passerbys. She will do so here by counting to three and then yelling 'Soleil!' When you hear her yell the word 'Soleil,' you will move. When you hear her yell 'Lune,' you will freeze. If she catches you moving when you are supposed to be frozen, she'll teleport you away and eliminate you from the competition. Whoever reaches the Dame Blanche before the time runs out will move on to the next round. Oh, that reminds me, you only have three minutes to reach her. The clock should be starting right about now. Good luck! Chairman out!"

Soon, the speakers went silent; and with that, the timer started counting down from three minutes and the round began.

"Un, deux, trois... soleil!" the Dame Blanche shouted.

The 201 participants started frantically rushing toward the middle circle in the hopes of winning, their hearts pounding with anticipation. They knew that every second counted, and they had to reach the Dame Blanche before time ran out. The arena was filled with a flurry of movement as everyone tried to navigate through the crowd and make their way closer to their goal.

"Un, deux, trois... lune!" the Dame Blanche shouted again.

As soon as the participants heard the word "lune," they froze in their tracks, desperately trying to maintain their balance and avoid any sudden movements. The tension in the room was palpable as everyone held their breath, hoping not to be caught moving when they were supposed to be frozen. Unfortunately for two participants, the Australian and Russian Changed Dailies, the task of staying frozen was easier said than done. The Australian Changed Daily suddenly felt an itch on her back and gestured at the Russian Changed Daily to help her scratch it. Just as the Russian Changed Daily was reaching over to help, the Dame Blanche noticed and shot a beam of magic at them, teleporting them away while leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

The remaining participants watched in horror as the Australian and Russian Changed Dailies disappeared from the competition. and most of them started screaming. The ones who screamed were teleported away for their troubles, leaving behind 169 participants.

"Un, deux, trois... soleil!" the Dame Blanche shouted.

The remaining 169 participants resumed sprinting towards the middle circle. They knew that the stakes were high and one small mistake could cost them their chance at moving on to the next round. With renewed determination, they focused on getting to that circle and making it to the next round. They pushed themselves to their limits, dodging and weaving through the crowd with a sense of urgency. Each step brought them closer to their goal, but time was running out. They could feel the seconds slipping away as they raced against the clock.

"Un, deux, trois... lune!"

The participants froze up again to the best of their abilities. However, nineteen more participants were teleported away when they struggled to stand still.

"Un, deux, trois... soleil!"

The remaining 150 participants continued their sprint towards the middle circle, now even more determined to make it through this round. Tension in the room was running high as they navigated through the crowd, trying to avoid any sudden movements that would get them teleported away. Each participant focused on maintaining their balance and staying as still as possible when instructed. Eventually, they managed to make it with a minute to spare.

Pineapple Chunks breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God! We made it."

Rock Justice placed his hand on Pineapple Chunks' shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you, Rock Justice. I don't know what Scheherazade and I would do without you."

"My pleasure, Pineapple Chunks. I hope you can remind me about this tomorrow. I'm gonna need it."

"I'm sure you will. You want me to write it down on your palm?"

"No, you can just tell me tomorrow."

As the remaining participants caught their breath in the middle circle, they took a moment to assess their surroundings. The room was dimly lit, with towering walls that seemed to stretch endlessly into darkness. There was an eerie silence that hung in the air, broken only by the sound of their own heavy breathing. Suddenly, the speakers came back to life.

"Congratulations on surviving the first round!" began the voice from the speakers. "I hope you're ready for the next round. I certainly am! However, at this time, I can't reveal what it is. You'll have to find out tomorrow. Chairman out!"

The remaining participants exchanged puzzled glances as they tried to make sense of the cryptic message from the Chairman. What could the next round possibly entail?

"What do you think the next round will be, Scheherazade?" Pineapple Chunks signed to her.

"Beats me," Scheherazade replied. "But I have a feeling that just like with the last round, there's going to be some sort of dark twist to it."

The participants' minds raced with possibilities and theories, but there was no way of knowing for sure until tomorrow. With a mix of anticipation and apprehension, they began to strategize and prepare themselves mentally for whatever challenges lay ahead. They knew that their journey was far from over, and that each round would only get tougher. Nevertheless, they were determined to give it their all and prove themselves worthy of winning the ultimate prize. As the day progressed and they settled in for another restless night, their thoughts were consumed by what awaited them in the mysterious second round of the Lemurian Games.