The shadow Fang

The crowd erupted as Stella was declared the winner, her name flashing across the massive tournament screen. Ethan nearly jumped out of his seat, fists raised.

"YEAH! STELLA, YOU KILLED IT!" he shouted, practically shaking with excitement.

Beside him, three kids—Darius' crew—stared at the screen, mouths slightly open.

"She actually won," one muttered.

Another nodded slowly. "Boss made it sound like Hugo was the only big deal, but… she's insane."

The last kid, still in shock, whispered, "Does this mean she's strong enough to get famous too? Like… legend famous?"

The first kid frowned. "I dunno, man, but if she gets super famous, does that mean… hot—"

SMACK!

The other two immediately hit him on the head. "Dude. Focus."

Back in the waiting area, Darius stood with his arms crossed, watching the screen. His usual cocky grin was gone, replaced by something else.

A spark of irritation.

"She adapted mid-fight," he muttered. "Wasn't using that technique before."

He exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing slightly. Watching her fight had sparked something in him.

Hugo glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Darius scoffed, turning away. "Tch. Guess I underestimated her."

Lena was watching the tournament screen, deep in thought.

A familiar hum filled the air.

Cosmos.

"You're thinking too much."

Lena sighed, glancing at the sword strapped to Hugo's back. "You're real chatty today."

Cosmos hummed again. "You're about to fight, but your mind is still analyzing someone else's match."

Lena crossed her arms. "I'm just thinking ahead."

Cosmos let out a low, amused hum. "No, you're doubting yourself."

Lena frowned but didn't reply.

Then—BZZZT!

The tournament screen flickered, and the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE NEXT MATCH IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

The screen displayed the next two fighters:

LENA vs. DRAVEN THE SHADOW FANG.

A hush fell over the waiting area as some of the fighters exchanged murmurs.

"ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE LENA, THE MYSTERIOUS GUNSLINGER WHO TOOK A SPOT IN THE TOURNAMENT! WILL SHE PROVE HER SKILL IN BATTLE?"

Lena scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Mysterious? Really?"

"AND HER OPPONENT… A NAME THAT STRIKES FEAR INTO THE UNDERGROUND CIRCUIT! A WARRIOR WHOSE STEALTH AND SPEED HAVE LEFT MANY OPPONENTS COLLAPSING INTO THE SHADOWS… DRAVEN, THE SHADOW FANG!"

A few fighters in the waiting area tensed at the name.

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's dramatic."

Mira, sitting nearby, stretched her arms. "Yeah, but it's not wrong. He's bad news. Real tricky bastard."

Stella, still catching her breath, frowned. "Hey… I've heard of him before."

She turned to Hugo. "What do you think?"

Hugo exhaled, watching Lena's back as she stepped forward.

"He's not going to fight fair."

In the Arena

Lena stepped onto the battlefield, the energy of the crowd still charged from the last fight. But this time, there was something different. A strange unease settled in the air.

Opposite her, Draven the Shadow Fang stood unnaturally still in the shadow of the arena wall.

A tall, wiry man clad in dark leathers, his sharp yellow eyes almost glowing under the stadium lights. He had an arc-dagger strapped to each thigh, but his most unnerving feature was the way his shadow flickered unnaturally beneath him.

A grin stretched across his face. "Took you long enough, sweetheart."

Lena scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Creepy much?"

Draven's grin widened. "Oh, I'm just getting started."

From the waiting area, Hugo narrowed his eyes.

"This fight won't be about strength," he muttered.

Stella glanced at him. "Then what?"

Hugo's gaze didn't leave the screen.

"It's going to be a game of survival."

The match was about to begin.

The crowd buzzed with anticipation as Lena and Draven faced each other in the arena. The energy from Stella's match hadn't died down, and now, all eyes were on the next battle.

Ethan leaned forward in his seat, hands gripping the railing."Let's go, Lena! Show that creep who's boss!" he shouted.

It wasn't the explosive excitement he had for Hugo's fight, but his support was still there.

From the waiting area, Hugo's expression remained unreadable. Stella, standing beside him, frowned. "You've been quiet."

Hugo didn't take his eyes off the arena. "I've seen fighters like him before."

Stella glanced at Draven on the screen, noticing how unnaturally still he stood. His shadow seemed… off.

Before she could ask, the announcer's voice boomed across the stadium.

"Fighters, ready?"

Lena rotated her shoulders, rolling her neck. "Let's get this over with."

Draven simply smirked, his sharp yellow eyes glinting.

A tense silence settled over the battlefield.

"BEGIN!"

Lena immediately drew her Arc-Gun, aiming to end things quickly—

But Draven vanished.

Her eyes widened. What?!

Then—a whisper behind her.

"Too slow."

SWOOSH!

A black blur shot past her. Lena barely twisted in time, raising her Arc-Gun to block, but Draven's dagger scraped across the barrel, sending sparks flying.

He faded into the shadows, reappearing at her side—slashing again.

CLANG!

She barely blocked, stumbling backward. The crowd gasped at the unnatural speed and fluidity of his movements.

From the waiting area, Mira whistled. "Damn. That's just unfair."

Hugo didn't blink. "It's worse than it looks."

Stella frowned. "How?"

Hugo exhaled. "He's not just fast—he's manipulating what she sees."

Lena gritted her teeth. Draven wasn't teleporting—he was using shadows to distort perception. Every time he moved, her eyes struggled to keep up.

Okay, think.

She switched tactics, firing three rapid shots—but they passed right through him.

A chilling laugh came from the darkness.

"Come on, now," Draven purred, his voice echoing unnaturally. "Is that all?"

A shadow moved.

Lena rolled to the side just in time as a dagger slashed through empty air where her throat had been.

The crowd gasped. That could have been a kill shot.

Lena spun, gripping her gun tightly. He's testing me.

Draven chuckled. "You're fun. Let's play a little longer."

Ethan clenched his fists. "Come on, Lena, don't let him mess with you!"

Darius, arms crossed, watched with narrowed eyes. "She's keeping up… barely."

Stella scowled. "Hugo, tell me she has a way to win this."

Hugo watched in silence, then muttered, "She'll have to find it herself."

Cosmos hummed in agreement.

ena steadied her breathing. He wants me to react. He's controlling the pace.

Fine.

She stopped moving.

Draven paused. "Oh?"

Lena lowered her gun slightly, baiting him.

The moment he lunged, she stepped in, ducked low—

BOOM!

A point-blank Arcana shot erupted from her gun, the blast catching Draven mid-dash.

The crowd roared as Draven skidded back, smoke curling from his armor.

Lena smirked. "Not so fast now, huh?"

Draven chuckled… then grinned.

"Clever. But not enough."

His shadow suddenly stretched unnaturally.

Before Lena could react, something grabbed her ankle.

Her eyes widened. What the—?

SHWOOM!

The shadow yanked her off balance, and in the blink of an eye, Draven was on her.

His dagger stopped just inches from her throat.

Silence.

The crowd held its breath.

Draven grinned. "Checkmate."

BZZZT!

Suddenly, the tournament screen flickered.

Then—a new voice echoed across the arena.

"Draven."

A cloaked figure emerged from the entrance tunnel, stepping into the arena. The Neo Arcane Dominion insignia gleamed on their arm.

Lena's breath hitched. Dominion?

The figure spoke clearly, their voice carrying through the stadium.

"You are summoned by the Arcane Sovereign. Return to base immediately."

Gasps rippled through the audience.

Draven sighed dramatically, pulling back from Lena like he had all the time in the world.

"Well, that's unfortunate," he mused. "I was just starting to have fun."

The Dominion agent remained silent, waiting.

Draven turned to Lena, giving her a slow, amused smirk. "Guess we'll have to finish this game another time, sweetheart."

Then—he turned to the audience, his voice amplified by Arcana.

"For those of you still catching up…" His grin widened, voice dripping with amusement.

"My name is Draven, and i am One of the Seven Commanders of the Neo Arcane Dominion."

The stadium exploded into chaos.

Lena froze. The same man she had just fought—was one of the Dominion's top enforcers?

Draven stretched, cracking his neck. "Sorry, folks. Looks like I'll have to withdraw."

He vanished into the shadows, reappearing beside the Dominion spy.

The announcer, still processing what just happened, stumbled to speak.

"Uh… due to forfeit, the winner of this match is… LENA!"

The crowd roared, but Lena barely heard it.

She clenched her fists, watching as Draven and the Dominion spy disappeared into the tunnel.

Her chest tightened.

This fight wasn't about winning. This was something bigger.

And whatever it was…

It had just begun.