The sun blazed over the Kingdom Arena, its golden stones gleaming beneath the Temple of the Sun’s arches. Laurel Cookie stood at the center, his eyebrows twitching as he adjusted his golden laurels. The magical scroll in his hand fluttered, its feather scratch-scribbling critiques: “Participant #42 tardy. Discipline advised.”

“Tardiness disgraces the blade and the quill alike!” He barked, eyeing a contender fiddling with their sword belt. “You’ll face tripled trials for your delay, fresh dough! The Archive demands accountability!”

Palmier Cookie stepped forward. “Easy, father, let us hear their cause. Honor, after all, is not carved by haste.”