Invitation to the Dark Side
It had been almost an hour and quarter past since Red and Ari arrived in Atlantis. It was a secluded dimension held together by the magic of mermen and merwomen, tucked safely away from the hungry and power lustful humans.
It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since they made a mistake with their teleportation. They fell from the skies, Ari was captured by vengeful daemons, and Red and Archer had a dispute.
They were exhausted, drained from all the successive activities, and yet they took part in the trials nonetheless.
Red saw the teenage boy, Nickolai point his sword at Wolfe who was curled up and clutching at his bloodied shirt. His mouth moved in a slow and steady series of consonant and vowel shapes which she infers as a threat.
His alexandrite eyes glinted, not a single hint of mercy in it. He gave off an eerie smile; so sweet yet seemingly very deadly.
A voice had invaded her thoughts and she struggled to keep her end with the battle still going on.
"Who is this?" she asked again, but this time out loud, forgetting that the voice had actually talked only in her head.
'You need not to shout.' It replied. 'The pieces of the puzzle are coming together just fine. Continue on with this path you have chosen Red. The answers you seek are within your grasp.'
'What did you mean of the Springfield's quest?'
There was a sudden blast and Red whipped her head to see the Latina had whipped a huge ass gnarly vine at Ari's direction. Yellowed stones of every size scattered and flew up into the bleachers. Dust muddled Red's vision and she squinted to see where everyone was at now.
She can't just randomly shoot people with her magic. She needs to see them!
'Do not give in to the dark side.' The voice whispered. It sounded as if it was so close that Red looked to her left and saw a shadow. It seemed like it was shorter than her, maybe like a seven year-old.
She strained to see through the dust but she just couldn't point out if it was a girl or a boy.
Another explosion and wind whipped inside of the arena. Ari used the last bit of his strength to blast away the dust that hindered their sight. Dirt stuck on to everyone's cloth and faces.
'He will test you Red. Do not succumb to evil.' The voice said in finality and echoed as its volume slowly weakens in the distance.
She saw Ari struggled with his breathing, his body all dirty from the dust and sweat that mixed. He was on his knees, a bow and arrow in his hands. Archer's camo pants had some tears here and there, but all in all Ari looked fine.
To the other side of the arena, Luca the shapeshifter lay lifeless, and Wolfe sat beside him his shoulder badly injured like he was stabbed.
Red realized she couldn't see where Nickolai was.
As the dust cleared because of Ari's wind, the candidates of the fallen warriors reached out and grabbed the men towards them. Noelle sent out a cloud that carried Wolfe to the sides and water pooled as Luca sunk below.
Frantically, Red searched for the teenage boy. He started off as a very sweet lad but behind his angelic demeanor, he was actually a force to reckon with.
The blondie continued to burn where his candidate had pulled him over. Green light shone where he sat as the Latina stretched out her hand to heal her warrior.
A sudden movement flashed in Red's peripheral vision and a blinding light enveloped the arena.
She didn't know what happened, but she assumed it could only be Nickolai. There was a long pause that lasted for what felt like forever but had actually just been a few seconds.
A deafening sound blasted the arena and the spectators climbed to get out of their bleachers as the left side of the circular structure began to crumble into pieces. The energy that came with the blast threw Red away and her body slammed at the walls.
Red sputtered blood and she fell on her knees wheezing from the impact.
The sound of frantic mermen and merwomen drowned her senses and then she heard it; the horns that signaled the battle's end.
As the arena cleared from all the suspended dust, Red saw Ari with his face smacked on the dirty ground while Nickolai stood poised beside him.
The kid didn't even shed a single drop of sweat.
Nickolai held his thin sword above his head, the golden guard glinted as the sun's rays hit it at a perfect angle. He was about to swing down his sword on Ari and Red screamed at the top of her lungs.
The spell she casted on Ari could only work as long as he was conscious.
He was defenseless now.
Out of nowhere, the mermaid herald caught Nickolai's arm just in time before the point of his blade could hit Ari.
"Isn't the battle of Pankreata supposed to be whoever is left standing?" he asked the herald, flashing a beautiful smile and twin dimples from both sides of his young face.
The herald held on to his arm and when his tension subsided, only did the herald let him go.
Boos and jeers were heard from the crowd. Red couldn't believe her eyes. The herald actually stopped the fight!
"Atlantis has lost it's edge. This is the reason why you mermaids sank to the bottomless pit." The boy said.
The herald's eyes glared at the child and her voice echoed in every living person's head as she announced,
'The battle has now ended! Warrior Nickolai and Maiden Stella Marie Celestiana wins the Mermaid's Jewels!'
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