Dawn Breaks.

Erenyx's charge was a perfect blend of ferocity and precision, her movements sharp and deliberate, leaving no obvious gaps for Loretta to exploit. The ground trembled beneath her feet, but Loretta vanished in a burst of dust before her attack could land. She skidded to a halt, her eyes darting wildly. Confusion flickered across her face until a shadow loomed above.

"Heaven…" Loretta's voice was low and steady as he brought his sword crashing down like a thunderbolt. Erenyx barely raised her axe in time, the force of the blow reverberating through her arms. Loretta's eyes burned with an intensity she hadn't seen before, his usual confidence now edged with an icy, lethal focus.

"And…" he whispered, disappearing once more in a blur of speed. Erenyx braced herself, but his next attack came too fast—a brutal upward slash tearing into her side, the impact forcing a pained gasp from her lips.

"Earth…" The word came louder now, cutting through the chaos as Loretta twisted his blade and drove it into a devastating lateral slash. The strike sent Erenyx staggering, her balance faltering as the echo of his final cry rang out.

"Slash!"

Erenyx barely had time to react as the fiery blade carved through the air, flames erupting in a crackling blaze as it struck her body. She gritted her teeth, pain shooting through her as she struggled to keep her composure. Her energy surged in response, flaring outward as a glowing sigil materialized above her right shoulder. "Golem," it proclaimed, the word resonating with raw power.

The sigil pulsed once, and a crystal golem's colossal fist hurtled toward Loretta. He braced instinctively, raising his sword to block the incoming blow, but the sheer weight behind the attack forced him to falter. Erenyx seized the opening, driving a vicious kick into his side.

The impact exploded like thunder, sending Loretta sprawling across the battlefield. Pain twisted his face as he skidded to a halt, coughing sharply. Before he could recover, the golem's fist crashed down where he had been standing, shattering the ground and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

Erenyx didn't relent. She dashed through the dust cloud, leaping into the air with momentum that turned her body into a spinning weapon. Her leg swung down with brutal force, aimed squarely at Loretta. He rolled aside just in time, the ground fracturing beneath the missed strike.

Her head snapped toward him, her moon-like eyes glowing with a cold, eerie light. The ferocity in her gaze froze him for a split second. "Ah, shit," Loretta muttered, forcing himself to his feet and propelling into the air.

"Art of the Lotus: Fire Flower!" he roared, clasping his hands together. He inhaled deeply, summoning the inferno within before releasing it in a cascade of sixteen fireballs. They streaked toward the ground where Erenyx stood, a fiery barrage that burned through the haze of dust.

Erenyx didn't flinch. Her axe became a whirlwind of motion, cleaving through the oncoming fireballs with precision. Her sharp eyes caught a detail that made her pause, there were twice as many fireballs now as the last time Loretta had used this technique.

"Art of the Storm Emperor: Supreme Lightning Cloak!"

Lightning erupted violently around Erenyx, each strike more ferocious than the last. The air buzzed with electric energy as the lightning shifted to a deep, crackling purple for a fleeting moment, pushing her body to its very threshold. Her locs whipped wildly in the air, her teeth grinding under the strain. From the sidelines, Benimaru's eyes lit up with a mixture of awe and excitement, a sly grin creeping onto his face.

Erenyx stomped the ground, sending a jagged spike of earth jutting upward. Without hesitation, she surged up its length, moving faster than a heartbeat. She clasped her hands together, channeling all her strength into a devastating overhead strike. Her hands descended like a thunderous hammer, colliding with Loretta's upraised sword.

The fiery blade, once stable and unyielding, shattered under the sheer force. Loretta's eyes widened in shock as the impact sent him hurtling into the earth below, the ground splitting with a deafening crack. A streak of lightning followed him down, slamming into his prone form with a brilliant flash.

The storm dissipated, and the lightning aura around Erenyx fizzled out with a faint crackle.

Loretta lay sprawled on his back, groaning as he stared at the sky. Erenyx landed lightly beside him, her chest heaving but her lips curling into a triumphant smile. "Gotcha," she muttered.

Benimaru strode toward the pair, his expression both amused and stern. "I'll admit, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd last as long as you did," he said, glancing down at Loretta.

Loretta chuckled weakly, still flat on his back. "Shit, I didn't either," he admitted, his laughter mixing with a wince.

Benimaru extended a hand and hauled Loretta to his feet. The two stood eye to eye, Benimaru's sharp gaze boring into Loretta as if dissecting his very soul. After a tense pause, he spun around, his hand snapping out to deliver a firm knock to Erenyx's head.

"Now listen here, Captain Dumbass," Benimaru barked, his voice edged with frustration. "If this guy wasn't freakishly strong, you could've killed him using that cloak! And even then, do you have any idea how reckless that was? That move tears you apart every time you use it!"

Erenyx rubbed her head, wincing but unable to wipe the grin off her face. "But I won," she said, her tone defiant yet playful.

Benimaru groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Winning's great, but not if you kill yourself doing it, genius."

Erenyx rubbed the back of her head where Benimaru had hit her, "Yeah, I know, I just wanted to win you know?" Benimaru shook his head, "You're taking too much after me." Erenyx let out a soft nervous chuckle. Loretta was dusting himself off, stretching his limbs. "Hey… Sir Benimaru, I have a question." Benimaru turned his attention to Loretta. "How the hell do y'all live in this forest?" Benimaru chuckled, "Well, the forest has to accept you, and it really isn't that hard when you know the man who created the forest." 

"Created?" Loretta asked, but Benimaru cut him off, "Ah, forget I said anything." He said with a sly smile. He stared for a second before going back to stretching. Erenyx finally snapped back into reality after she was busy playing with butterflies, "Wait, where did you say Grandpa Blaid was?" she said suddenly.

Benimaru sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "If I knew where he was I would've told you. He just told me to watch the house as you would be returning soon." Erenyx sighed as she rolled her eyes, "And here I thought he would give me the weapon now." Benimaru looked at her intrigued, "Weapon?"

Erenyx's eyes lit up as she began to describe it, "It was this beautiful scythe! The handle looked like it was made of obsidian, a beautiful black with bandages wrapped on certain parts and the blade was a mesmerizing light gradient blue, almost silver." Benimaru's eyes lit up at the description, "Did it have 2 wing-like crescent shapes going opposite directions at the top of the handle?" Erenyx nodded excitedly.

Benimaru began to laugh hard, unfolding his hands and throwing them to the sky, startling Loretta who was just finishing his stretching. "That crazy old man was going to give you that!? Yeah I can see why you'd be bummed out that he's not here." Benimaru finally stopped laughing, "Ay, when's the next time you're coming back home?" Erenyx thought for a moment before replying, "Probably after the tournament." 

"Look, if he's not here to give it to you himself when you get back, I'll get it for you." Erenyx ran up to him and hugged him tightly with a wide smile on her face. Loretta let out a little chuckle at the sight. Benimaru's eyes darted to the shackles in Loretta's right arm, his eyes reacting to them slightly before looking away.

Benimaru began to mutter something under his breath, his eyes glowing slightly as the forest began to bend to his will, creating a straight path out of the forest. "Alright now kids, get the hell out of my sight, I need a nap." He said while yawning and waving goodbye to them, walking back into the house.

Erenyx laughed and Loretta sighed as they started to make their way out of The Weeping Forest, the stars shining down upon them as they looked up at the moons, Erenyx's eyes glistening. "Now we can finally make it back to Arystel. Are you ready for that damn tournament?" Erenyx said with a grin on her face. "Hell yeah." He responded, flicking his wrist in an upward motion as his motorcycle flared into existence. The two hopped on, taking off with great speed into the night.

They finally arrived in Arystel, parting ways as they left for their hotels. The morning comes bright monstrous birds flying through the air as normal, shrieking and waking up the early birds. Erenyx was awake, already ready, she's been ready since she laid in bed last night. Nothing would stop her from winning this tournament. Not even Loretta. Her nerves were steeled, nothing could shake her, she felt invincible.

The streets of Arystel were alive with the thunderous roars of anticipation, the cacophony of vendors peddling wares drowned by the distant chants and cheers of the colosseum. Erenyx walked through the crowd with purpose, her moon-gray eyes fixed on victory. Every detail sharpened in her mind, the rough texture of her knuckles from the training and life threatening fights that have led her to where she is today, the fiery ache in her chest that reminded her why she couldn't afford to falter, to lose. Each step closer to the Colosseum made her heart pound, not with fear, but with a raw, unrelenting hunger. She would not lose. Not today. The towering gates loomed ahead, and as the crowd's roar swelled, Erenyx's lips curled into a subtle, feral grin. Let them try.

As her hands pressed against the colossal gate, a surge of energy coursed through her, pulling her into a different realm. The air here was thick, alive with unbridled power, and as her vision adjusted, the force of the energies around her struck like a physical blow. Scanning the room, she took in the figures scattered across the space, each one radiating a palpable aura of strength.

Her gaze landed first on two peculiar participants: a masked child and an equally masked giant, the child sitting on the giant's shoulder, swinging his legs and commanding attention. Then her eyes shifted, narrowing as they settled on two all-too-familiar faces, the tall, pale man with long black hair and the deceptively innocent-looking boy who had ambushed her group at the start of the beast hunt.

A shiver climbed her spine, her instincts screaming as her attention was drawn to the most formidable presence in the room. Agheel Ceto stood confidently with a disarming smile, clad not in his signature armor but in attire built for agility and ease. He exuded an unsettling calm, his mere presence suffocating.

And then, she saw them. Nala and Kaku. Her stomach churned at the sight of the two traitors from the beast hunt, their very existence an infection in her mind. Her jaw tightened as Kaku's gaze met hers, his smile playful but now laced with a sinister edge. He waved as if nothing had happened, the nonchalance twisting her anger into a blade of ice.

Her breath hitched, panic creeping in as she frantically scanned the void. Where is he? Her chest tightened until her eyes finally found him. There he sat, in the shadows, apart from the others. His blade leaned against his shoulder, its new scabbard gleaming faintly. He didn't spare her a glance, his gaze was locked onto Nala and Kaku, his hatred as sharp and tangible as the weapon by his side. Loretta made it.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips as relief briefly softened Erenyx's face. But the moment of peace evaporated when Agheel's aura surged, oppressive and all-encompassing. It felt as though invisible hands had wrapped around the hearts of everyone in the room, squeezing with a force that made breathing a struggle. Erenyx's legs threatened to buckle, but she locked her knees, refusing to show even a sliver of weakness.

Her gaze flicked upward, catching sight of the child perched casually on the giant's shoulder. He was still kicking his legs, humming a carefree tune as though oblivious to the suffocating weight pressing down on the others. How could a mere child remain so unaffected? A pang of unease twisted in her chest. Just how strong was he?

Agheel's laughter rumbled through the air, breaking her thoughts. "As expected," he said, his voice rich with authority. "If you're standing in this space, you should be able to withstand much more than that."

He strode to the center of the room, his towering presence commanding absolute attention. His gaze swept over the gathered warriors, sharp and assessing. "I handpicked every one of you. I do not expect to be disappointed."

With a casual raise of his right hand, an image of the colosseum appeared in the air, vast and imposing. "This is where you'll fight. I won't spoil all its secrets, but know this, expect it to change as you battle."

A thin smile curled on his lips as he continued, his words laced with both challenge and inevitability. "I will remain in the center of the arena, unmoving, only defending myself. If any of you manage to inflict sufficient damage upon me, you will win the tournament outright."

The weight of his declaration settled heavily over the room. Beating him wasn't a consideration, it wasn't even a possibility. The only strategy was survival: be the last one standing.

"Well," Agheel said, his tone final and commanding, "let The Tournament of Dawn begin."

In an instant, the world shifted. The warriors were transported to the stadium, the deafening roar of the crowd crashing over them like a tidal wave. The arena loomed massive and alive, the bell ringing out like a war cry.

It starts now.