Minutes passed after the rest timer expired. No one uttered a word. The silence was heavy, tense, saturated with an invisible anticipation.
Then the door opened.
The Examiner entered.
He didn't need to speak. He gestured with his hand, and everyone rose silently, their bodies moving against their will, exhausted and resigned.
He led them through a narrow, gray corridor, its walls breathing a frozen silence. With each step, the sound of the ground changed… until the corridor itself seemed to breathe with a slow, warning rhythm.
And at its end… an arena.
Vast. Circular. Barren.
Its floor was made of cracked, compacted dirt, and its edges were surrounded by high stone barriers, as if built to contain something more than just fighters.
In the center, a table held a variety of weapons: swords, staffs, daggers, iron gauntlets.
They approached one by one.
Kai chose a straight black sword, its hilt intricately engraved, looking as if he wore a piece of darkness.
Silo took a double-ended spear, brandishing it with a lightness that hinted at hidden expertise.
Jarm pulled out a bow and kept a quiver of dark green-tipped arrows, preparing with deadly calm.
Faro contemplated for a moment… then grasped a short blade, more like a thick dagger, shimmering as if wet with light, as if a hidden glow resided within it.
As for Nayan… she stood for a long time, then picked up a small, sharp-edged, finely honed dagger. She hid it beneath her clothes with deadly silence.
The four spread out in the arena. Nayan, however, stood at the edges, watching them.
Her eyes weren't lost… but watchful, decisive. She was seeking the moment. She didn't intend to enter the battle yet, but was waiting beyond the chaos… for the opportune moment to strike.
An inaudible sound signaled the start of the round.
And the fight erupted.
Kai lunged like a black lightning bolt, his sword gleaming with a dark sheen as he thrust towards Faro's neck. A sharp metallic clang echoed in the arena as Faro raised his dagger to block the blow, but Kai's immense force made his arm recoil; he felt a sharp inflammation in his wrist. At that moment, Silo attacked from behind, his double-ended spear spinning with furious speed, targeting Faro's knee. Faro skillfully retreated, his body sliding on the dirt, and Silo's spear missed its mark. Faro found no space to breathe, as if the arena was closing in around him, suffocating him. A faint hiss pierced the air; an arrow from Jarm's bow. Faro barely ducked, feeling a cold gust touch his cheek where the arrow had passed. But that moment of distraction was enough; Kai was already there. His black sword descended, and Faro felt a burning sensation ignite in his shoulder. A warm, sticky trickle of blood began to seep onto his skin. His lungs seized up, each breath becoming a painful effort. His heavy steps on the dirt grew slower, heavier, as if the arena itself was pulling him down.
Faro was being driven to an unknown brink. Neither his body could keep pace with the brutal rhythm of the fight, nor his mind comprehend the true motives behind their assault.
Kai's gaze was heavy, as if there was something personal behind it, a dormant animosity.
And Silo… it was as if he fought to escape something within him, perhaps his own guilt.
And Jarm… he attacked, but he didn't seem convinced by what he was doing, as if compelled.
And Faro… searched for a foothold, finding only the hostility surrounding him.
Then something unexpected happened.
In a moment of engagement with Kai, as Faro recoiled for an instant, he felt a strange prick in his back. Not an ordinary sting. A sharp coldness spread through his back, followed by a fiery surge that pierced his body. The pain was slow, eerie, then it exploded like a volcano. A stab… directly to the heart.
His eyes widened in pure astonishment. He turned slowly… Nayan was behind him.
Her eyes held no malice. Only a cold, irreversible decision.
The dagger was plunged into his chest. And slowly, agonizingly, it was pulled out, leaving a terrifying void in his body.
Everything froze.
Kai took a step back, unable to comprehend, shock paralyzing him.
Silo gasped, stunned, his voice barely audible.
Jarm froze completely, the sight hardening him.
As for Faro… he fell to his knees.
But he didn't fall completely.
The air around him began to grow abnormally heavy.
The ground beneath his feet cracked… small fissures began to spread as if searching for an outlet for the latent energy.
Dust rose, and a faint heat began to permeate the air.
Then… an explosion.
Not sonic, but energetic.
As if the entire arena recoiled from an unseen force.
An immense pressure surged from Faro's body, scattering the dust, and particles of dirt rose around him as if burning from within.
His eyes opened again… glowing with a dark violet, intertwined, as if swallowing the light around him.
His body began to lift slightly off the ground, his hand dangling, blood still flowing, but something else emerged with it.
Something ancient… strange… as if nameless.
The air froze.
Time itself slowed.
Jarm fell to the ground from the immense atmospheric pressure.
Silo clutched his chest in pain, almost suffocating.
Kai's eyes widened, and he instinctively stumbled back two steps, terrified by what he saw.
As for Nayan… she stood rooted to the spot. Her eyes widened… then slowly constricted, as if she finally realized what she had awakened.
Suddenly… the Examiner appeared. He didn't come from anywhere, but materialized like a mirage shattering the air behind Faro.
A fleeting touch to the back of Faro's neck. It wasn't a blow, but a precise tap as if extinguishing a violent flame.
And he fell.
His body hit the ground without a sound.
As if everything stopped with him.
A deafening silence.
The energy dissipated… but its mark remained etched on the place.
And the arena was no longer the same.
Neither were they.
The Examiner's silent voice reverberated in their minds, clearer than any echo: "Faro… is the only qualified candidate."
No one moved.
Even breathing became an impermissible act.
Nayan was still standing, her hands trembling. Her gaze was frozen on the fallen Faro, as if something inside her had silently shattered.
Kai bit his lip until it bled, and Silo sat on the ground, unable to stand. Jarm didn't lift his head.
As for Faro… he remained motionless. His body lay still, but his eyes—even unconscious—were still half-open… and that violet glow, despite its faintness, had not completely vanished.
Something had not ended.
Hello heroes
This is today's chapter. If you have any questions about the story, feel free to write them in the comments and I will answer them all as usual. Don't forget the support, as it helps me continue writing the story.