Bitter Victory (2)

He hid his hand under the long sleeve of his cloak as he walked down the stairs. He hadn't come to this section of the coliseum before, since it was the area mostly occupied by the Archmage and the tournament committee. 

His steps slowed down as he walked down the winding hallways and too many stairs to count. Almost half an hour passed by the time he arrived at the more familiar sections of the coliseum. He breathed a sigh of relief as he headed for the room given to him. 

As he passed by the common room, he noticed two familiar faces. Erika and Mara were sitting on one of the couches. They hadn't noticed him yet as they chatted with low voices. Aether considered just walking past them silently, but for some reason even he couldn't figure out, he wanted to greet them.