Blood and Shadows

The city-like arena was alive with battle. The roars of the crowd blended with the clash of metal and the hum of energy crackling through the air. Five against five no alliances, no mercy. One team would leave this place alive. The others would be nothing more than names carved into the walls of the fallen.

Me and my opponent were still dancing around that street we owned for us, our weapons were flying around, kicks and punches all over the place. Then i decided ill try to stall thid or even end it now but my primary objective was to cool down.

I rushed over at him the first second i saw him, he frowned at me but still took his defensive stance. "What's up with you now?" He asked as he parried my shot, no answer just brutal kicks and punches, I left my dagger in my pocket i didnt care anymire i wanted to end him. "Fuck, where is this energy coming from." He said, i dont think it was intentional he probably wanted to say it in his head but then i knew i had him. I went for a hit to his knee, he dodged it by moving to my right.

What he didnt know, i already expected that and had a solution, my hand formed a first and hit him deep to the side, pushing in making him scream in pain as he stumbled back, my feet didnt have any mercy either.

My feet hit him in the stomach sending him flying back at a rapid pace into a building, he held his weapon as he tried getting up. It was my time now, i had a chance anyways so i took my dagger jumped on a car then jumped off it flying towards him, not like there was anything he could have done about it anyways. I landed infront of him, he spat on my feet smirking, as i carved that same smirk into his throat, i cut and cut until my hands were full of blood.

Then i stopped looked at the guy i completely slaughtered, it was not me that was having the control of my body when i was fighting someone. I stood up and got on the stage that was set which was able to see every fighter. The lights flashed around the Arena everyone stopped for a second, my name was around the whole Arena flashing.

Every single member of my team smirked as they gave little acknowledgement. "That's our Leader" Ravien said as he laughed, but what shocked me is that everyone agreed from our Team, they saw me as a Leader. Now i had another objective, to not let my Team down, and i won't let them down. After few seconds everyone came back to the usual fighting, i started glancing over the battlefield to observe my teammates in their fights.

Kaelen's opponent was relentless. Another member of House Solaris, wielding twin sabers infused with light. Unlike the first one he had taken down with ease, this one was faster, more precise.Kaelen barely shifted his head as a blade slashed past his face, cutting a lock of his black hair. He exhaled through his nose, his expression hidden behind the mask.

"You're better than your friend," Kaelen admitted, sidestepping another strike. His voice was still calm, detached. "Not good enough, though." The Solaris fighter didn't take the bait. He adjusted his stance, his golden eyes locked onto Kaelen's every movement. The next attack wasn't wild—it was calculated. A feint to the left, a real strike to the right.

Kaelen dodged the first but felt the second graze his ribs. He clicked his tongue. "Huh." The Solaris fighter smirked. Kaelen's fingers twitched. Then he moved.A streak of black shot forward, Kaelen's body phasing through the light like it was nothing. He appeared behind his opponent in an instant, twisting his wrist. A sharp, precise cut.

The Solaris fighter gasped as darkness spread from the wound, eating away at the light like ink spilled into water. Kaelen leaned in. "Told you." The Solaris fighter collapsed.

Silas had always been the most composed of us. Calculated, observant. But right now, his body was running on exhaustion.

His opponent was a brute massive, armored, built like a war machine. Silas ducked beneath a fist that would've shattered his skull, barely rolling away in time. His body ached, every muscle screaming for rest. The Void energy inside him had already been drained. No divine tricks this time.Just survival.

The Juggernaut swung again. Silas stepped back, but the sheer force of the punch sent a shockwave through the ground, throwing him off balance. He staggered, but before he could recover. A knee slammed into his ribs.

The air rushed out of Silas' lungs. His vision blurred for half a second before instinct forced him to move, rolling away just as a foot came down where his head had been.

He needed to end this.

The Juggernaut grinned, thinking he had Silas on the ropes.That was his mistake.

Silas's fingers flexed, then curled into a fist. When the Juggernaut lunged again, Silas didn't dodge. He stepped into the attack.

The moment before impact, he twisted—his foot hooking around the brute's ankle. The shift in weight was sudden, unexpected.

For the first time, the Juggernaut stumbled.

And that was all Silas needed.

He slammed his elbow into the base of his opponent's skull. The brute roared, but Silas was already moving, using every ounce of speed he had left to drive his knee into his ribs. Crack. The Juggernaut fell.

Silas exhaled sharply, wiping sweat from his forehead. One down.

Selena and Ravien fought side by side, but in every way, they were opposites.Selena moved with grace, calculating each step, reading her opponent's mind before they even attacked. Ravien, on the other hand, fought with reckless joy, grinning as he dodged blades by mere inches, laughing as he slashed through flesh.Their opponents were a pair as well. A woman wielding a staff crackling with blue energy, and a man with twin daggers, his movements eerily similar to Ravien's.

A perfect match.Selena circled the staff-wielder, her gaze sharp. "You know, you're already doubting yourself."The woman clenched her jaw. "Shut up."Selena smirked. "You're remembering something, aren't you? A moment when you hesitated. A moment when you failed."The woman's grip faltered, just for a second. And that was all Selena needed. Memories surged.

The staff-wielder gasped, her eyes widening in horror as unseen images played in her mind. Her body locked up, frozen by her own past.Selena didn't even have to lift a finger.

Meanwhile, Ravien was thrilled.

His opponent was fast. Unlike the others, this one kept up. Their daggers clashed again and again, sharp edges glinting under the arena lights. Ravien grinned, licking a drop of blood from his lip. "You're fun."

The dagger-wielder smirked. "You talk too much."Ravien's grin widened. "You have no idea."A sudden movement. Too fast. The dagger-wielder shifted one blade aimed for Ravien's throat, the other for his ribs.Ravien couldn't dodge.

Before impact

Selena moved.

The memory-wielder shoved Ravien aside at the last second, taking his place in the path of the attack.The dagger buried itself in her side.

Ravien's eyes widened.

Selena gasped, blood staining her uniform. The crowd roared, the gods watching with amusement.The dagger-wielder didn't hesitate he pulled back for the finishing blow.Ravien snapped.There was no grin now. No playful remarks.Just rage.

He lunged, his blade flashing.