The boy with no armor thought as tears streamed down his face. "But, Mother was always kind to us." An image flashed in his mind of Alessia. His expression changed from sadness to irritation, as he thought. "That Guardian of hers tried to kill me! So, should I even feel sad right now?" He wiped the tears away with his hands and thought. "Isn't this a good thing? I thought she cared about me, but in the end, she tried to get rid of me. She deserved it... She deserved to die!" He tried to force himself to smile as he thought. "I should be happy, right? I should be happy she's dead?" He frowned and thought. "So then why do I still feel sad? Why do I still wish I could see her...?"
Ismene glanced at the boy with no armor and then said loudly for the whole stadium to hear as she looked at the man with crimson armor. "Master manipulator? I have no idea what you are talking about, Your Supreme Majesty. I have never manipulated anybody." She smirked.
The boy with no armor had a confused expression on his face as he thought. "Your Supreme Majesty? That is what Grandfather is referred to as. I don't understand." He looked at the man with crimson armor and thought. "That man isn't Grandfather. So then why are people calling him what Grandfather is called? Where is Grandfather?"
The man with crimson armor chuckled mischievously as he looked at Ismene and said. "Why are you trying to deny it? There is nothing wrong with manipulating people to your benefit. Tools are meant to be used after all." He laughed mischievously.
Ismene said with fake concern. "But isn't it wrong to use other people?"
The man with crimson armor laughed and said. "Is it? If people didn't want to be used, they shouldn't be so weak. They shouldn't be so trusting of others. It is not my fault they are so easy to manipulate. It is theirs."
The boy with dark silver hair looked at the man with crimson armor, Ismene, and the boy with no armor.
The boy with no armor muttered with annoyance. "What are you talking about?"
The man with crimson armor immediately turned his head and looked at the boy with no armor.
Ismene then turned her head and looked at the boy with no armor as well.
Another voice spoke out as it said. "That's not right at all!"
Ismene and the man with crimson armor turned their heads to look at the other voice. Ismene had a look of annoyance on her face while the man with crimson armor smirked mischievously.
The second voice came from the boy with silver armor who was standing by the railing of the stadium.
Both the boy with no armor and the boy with silver armor had a mixture of both anger and sadness on their face as they said. "How is it our fault?!"
The boy with no armor shouted. "How is it my fault I'm weak?! What if I was never taught how to become stronger!'
The boy with silver armor shouted. "How is it my fault I'm weak?! What if I train every day but nothing ever improves!
The boy with no armor shouted. "How is it my fault that I'm too trusting of others?! If I can't trust my own family, then who can I trust?!
The boy with silver armor shouted. "How is it my fault that I'm too trusting of others?! If I can't trust my own family, then who can I trust?!"
The man with crimson armor laughed and said. "Why are you both getting so worked up? You are both so in tune with each other. It is honestly surprising." He put his hand on his chin as he said out loud. "I guess morally you're both the same. Individually, you're both similar but also different from each other. Finally, on the outside, you're complete opposites." He chuckled mischievously. "I've got the perfect name for you then."
The boy with no armor thought. "The perfect name for me? Or for Brother? And what does he mean on the outside we're complete opposites? We are almost completely identical. The only difference is our eyes and our dominant han-"
The man with crimson armor interrupted the armorless boy's thoughts as he said. "Maximus Scarion." He pointed at the boy with no armor.
The boy with no armor had a surprised expression on his face as he thought. "My name is Maximus...?" He smiled happily as he thought. "Maximus means greatest. I did it! I got the greatest name." He looked up at Ismene and thought. "And she even saw it happen."
Set chuckled mischievously and said. "So the Anomaly can actually be given a name. How fascinating!"
The man with crimson armor said in a booming voice that echoed across the stadium. "This concludes the Naming Ceremony. You are all dismissed."
The boy with no armor, Maximus, had a confused expression on his face as he thought. "What? That's it?! What about everybody else. He looked at the boy with dark silver hair and the girl with black hair. "Were they already named?" He looked up at the Eastern side of the stadium and looked at the boy with silver armor as he thought. "Was Brother already named? How did he even end up there? Was I the last one to get named? How am I even still alive anyway? Didn't Alessia slit my throat?"
Phobos began to walk toward the exit of the stadium first. He was covered with sand all over his armor. He walked toward the Northwestern exit of the sand pit, and as he walked, He patted himself down to get the sand off of him. He mumbled angrily as he walked. "I shouldn't have even come to this stupid event! I don't even have any kids! The only good thing that came out of this whole thing was that bastard losing everything. I hope he gets executed so I can wed his wife."
Kambyses walked toward the exit of the stadium as well. He was also covered with sand all over his armor. Instead of walking toward the Northwestern exit, he instead walked toward the Northeastern exit. He muttered happily as he walked toward the exit. "I'm glad everything turned out alright in the end." He muttered with disappointment. "Although I wasn't much help."
Klymene and Chara did not walk toward the exit. They walked toward the south side of the sand pit, where the majority of the participants were located. Klymene walked toward the girl with blonde hair and the boy with dirty blonde hair. Chara walked toward the two girls with light silver hair.
Krios stood and stared up at the top part of the stadium where Aineas, Adrastos, and Ismene were located. He muttered to himself. "Where is Menelaos...?"
Ismene looked down at Maximus and Minimus as she said. "Are you two ready to leave? I'll take you both back with me. We don't need to stay here any longer."
Maximus thought deeply. "So everyone is really just leaving now? I went all through that stuff today just to have someone tell me my name, and then tell me to leave. What are everyone else's names? Shouldn't we all know the names of each other? How come they only told me my name? What is Brother's name? What is that Northern boy's name? What is the name of that girl who keeps calling me great? How did I even end up with such a good name anyway? Wasn't I killed by Alessia? And how am I even still alive?!"
The man with crimson armor looked at Set and said. "Are you ready to leave, Set? Or would you rather return on your own."
Set looked at Maximus and then turned his head to look at the man with crimson armor as he chuckled mischievously and said. "There is nothing more for me to do here. We can leave." He tossed the crimson greatsword that was in his left hand to Nikator.
The crimson greatsword flew through the air, and then the man with crimson armor caught it with his left hand.
Maximus looked at the man with crimson armor and Set as he thought. "I can't let them leave! I can't let it end like this! I still need answers!"
Both the man with crimson armor and Set looked up at the top section of the stadium. They both looked up at Aineas. The three of them all nodded at each other.
Two voices both yelled out, causing everyone to freeze in place. The two voices echoed across the entire stadium. The two voices both said at the same time. "Wait! Don't go! I can't let it end like this."
Maximus thought with surprise. "Somebody said the same thing as me! Was that... Brother...?" He looked over at the Eastern side of the stadium.
A small cloud of sand blew up as the boy with silver armor landed in the sand pit. He had his left hand on the hilt of his sword, which was strapped to his back. His voice echoed across the stadium as he said. "I do not accept the name of Minimus Scarion!" He pulled his sword off of his back with his left hand and said. "I would like to make a challenge!"
Maximus thought with surprise. "Brother's name is... Minimus? But that can't be right! Minimus means least, and Brother is better than me! Why would they name me Maximus and name Brother Minimus? I don't understand!"
The man with crimson armor looked over at the boy with silver armor and smirked mischievously as he said. "Is that so? Then who would you like to challenge?"
The boy with silver armor, Minimus, pointed the tip of his sword at Maximus as he said loudly. "Maximus Scarion! I challenge you for your name!"