Gilt Shadow

Anak handily swept away the remaining teams, with nary a single difficulty. The Flames of Death ultimately put on the best show next to Anak himself due to their supremely powerful enchanter.

A pedestal was raised in the center of the coliseum, upon which stood Anak. He wore a circlet intricately interwoven with threads of gold and multicolored plant fibers, his crown of victory. It was personally made by one of the Magus' Council, and drew many gazes of admiration and envy.

Anak was enthusiastically waving to the entire crowd. He looked for a sign of Edo, but saw nothing to indicate his presence, even in the private booth they had been gifted after the coliseum's construction. He looked down to the main entrance where Eva still stood, beholding him with pride. He saw her mouth the words 'little hero' and looked away blushing.

Eva in the distance chuckled bemusedly at her son's embarrassment. She couldn't but help feel all kinds of joyous emotions well up within her. It truly seemed her dream hadn't been wrong. In just a year, he stood as the most singularly powerful person in the capitol, Ischuros. What about ten years then, fifty years, two-hundred years? Could he defeat the Demon King?

Eva suddenly shuddered at the thought of Anak fighting that creature. She would rather die. As she reflected on these feelings of love for her son, she suddenly felt nothing but gratitude towards Azazel. "Thank you, Azazel," she whispered to herself, hoping he might hear somehow.

He did, and in the tower of Armazel Academy he beamed proudly, "At last, some gratitude." A few stars around him snickered.

After the ceremony of victory for Anak, King Gel-ad asked to see him personally. He quickly accepted under the urging of Eva. She had a slight relationship with the king, and felt it would only be for something good. She wasn't wrong.

"Anak." King Gel-ad smiled amiably at the kneeling young man before him, "You did well."

"Thank you, my King." Anak kept his head lowered,much to the pleasure of the king. It delighted him to have such powerful subordinates.

"You may raise your head." He offered grandiosely, which Anak accepted. "Do you have any requests?"

Anak eyes widened at this sudden question. He understood the implications. The king wasn't just offering him a reward for the place he took in the tournament. It was for his strength, and the hope that he would use it for the Haskud Kingdom in the future.

"Um. If I may, I'd like to think it over and discuss in depth with my family. They may think of something I can't, but I will keep your generosity in my heart and mind." Anak laid down a soft postponement, while acknowledging his intention to work with the king in the future. He wasn't postponing for political or social gain, or any kind of plan. He simply didn't yet know what he wanted.

"That's just fine," King Gel-ad laughed, understanding this strong subject had no rebellious intentions, in spite of his personal and familial power. "You talk it over, I'll call on you again three days from now. Be ready then. For now, enjoy the last show. Think of it as an after-party to your victory ceremony." He waved he and Eva away, done speaking.

Anak bowed once more, and left with Eva.

King Gel-ad smiled, "That was actually unintentionally helpful. Haha. This could help tell me where Edo stands." He felt slightly threatened by the influence of his most important subject, and kept a wary watch on his affairs. The king watched the departing backs of Edo's wife and son with a mix of mischief and suspicion.

Anak and Eva climbed the coliseum stairs up to their private booth second in luxury only to the king's. They took lazy, lounging positions on the long cushioned seats, eyes aimed out the open view-port to the floor below.

"What kind of show do you think it is?" asked an excited Eva. Being out and about for the first time in a year, she was completely unfamiliar with this new Ischuros she suddenly found herself in, and had never been to any events at the Pyramid Coliseum.

Anak smiled, "I'm not sure. Let's watch." He was happy his mother could finally experience some lively things of the grand city.

At the floor of the coliseum, swept clean of the wreckage from previous battles, two small doors opened, and rows of emaciated, shaved, and naked men and women, ranging from adolescent to ancient, shuffled out in chains, not even the slightest attempt made to arm or armor them.

Anak recognized them as former leaders and warriors of the tribes that were conquered in the expansion of the Haskud Kingdom. At his side, Eva watched concernedly at their appearance. The crowd around them cheered enthusiastically. This was something they were used to in the Pyramid Coliseum, unlike the tournament before.

From the main entrance a cluster of six-inch long flying monstrosities emerged, their bodies like those of wasps, with a razor thin line separating the abdomen and thorax, but with the tail and stinger of a scorpion, as well as what appeared to be scorpion claws acting as its forelimbs. On it abdomen were a pair of insectoid legs, a similar two pairs residing on the thorax, as hornets wings extended from its back, making for a total of ten limbs. It had a thin proboscis longer than its body like a mosquito and nine compound eyes on it horrific swollen head. These unholy terrors were called blood scorpions.

From the other main entrance emerged hairy bipedal creatures with bloodshot eyes, hungry fangs lining the whole of their mouth in rows, and sharp, nine inch claws featured on their elongated forelimbs. Their lower limbs weren't clawed, but they were nimble and used for agile movement. They were bulky, beastly horrors, and they were called man-eating apes. They weren't named inappropriately.

The wasps caught sight of the conquered slaves at the same time the apes caught their scent. The terrified people with no way to defend themselves huddled together like herded cattle as the bloodthirsty creatures closed in.

The attendees went berserk in the stands, calling for blood.

"Eat those pathetic losers!"

"The defeated should just die!"

"What is this?" Eva cried, aiming an accusatory glace towards the high booth from where King Gel-ad surveyed the contests. He currently was wearing a self satisfied expression, as if delighting in the suffering of those who had dared to fight him instead of capitulating immediately.

Anak glanced worriedly at his mother, "Is something wrong?"

Eva looked at him with alarm. "You tell me! Just what have these people been teaching you?!" Eva berated, for the first time showing her anger to her son.

"But... the Book of War says,

A CONQUERED FOE BEARS AN ETERNAL GRUDGE.

The Magus Council said that meant we must capture them, to make sure they won't come back with a vengeance." Anak began dejectedly. The Book of War was his favorite revelation. Did his mother hate it?

The blood scorpions reached the captives first, swarming them in a horde, stinging them with paralytic poison from their tail, before sucking them dry of their blood with their unnaturally long proboscides.

The man-eating apes followed, catching the few not yet tormented by the blood scorpions, tearing into them with their claws, before clamping their jaws down on parts of the various teenagers, young men and women, and old ones. Wherever they bit a person, that part disappeared forever. A bloodbath was occurring before everyone.

Eva's eyes grew sad as she looked at her son, "Look to your heart. I know you have a deep love in you for others. Does your heart tell you that this could possibly be the intent of Lord Triac?" She had of course told her son about her old friend over the course of his visits, but he felt conflicted about this person he never knew. However, his mothers words about his heart struck a chord.

Anak looked out over the pitiful, chained human sacrifices, all dead now, their corpses being completely swept away by the man-eating apes appetites. The creatures then turned on each other, to the great excitement of the crowd. This development was always the best for entertainment. The bloodbath before was just an appetizer.

For the first time in his life, as he thought over his mother's words, Anak felt disgust at the sight before him. Was the Book of War wrong? Thinking this he recalled what Eva said about Triac. She trusted him completely, even after everything he'd heard about their old circumstances. Influenced by this, Anak thought in a different direction. It wasn't the book, no. It was the people using it.

As he realized how wrong he had been, Anak let out a sorrowful cry, and tears started to stream down his face. He hugged Eva and whispered to her repentantly,

"I didn't know, Mom. I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Eva stroked her son's head as he held onto her, "I know son. But now isn't the time for tears."

Anak shuddered, before inhaling deeply and standing up nodding, wiping his face with his hands. He was grateful they had a private booth in the coliseum. He had only ever used it once, without Edo's permission, getting him in tremendous trouble.

"You're right. Mom, let's get out of here."

Eva smiled at him, glad that her son wasn't too far gone. She wasn't going to let Edo off the hook for this though, she would make sure he gave a good accounting for the ideas being put in Anak's head. "Where are we going?"

Anak had a face filled with determination, "The slave's quarters."

As they walked away together out of the horrible atmosphere, something came flying out from that direction. It pinged harshly against the back of a spectator's head.

"Hey! What the- huh?!" The spectator picked up a shining multicolored band, "The crown of victory? He gave me his crown of victory!" The fan crowed, completely misunderstanding the person he thought he idolized.