As Alexandra ran towards the direction of the Dregs Arena, she found trails of blood and horses hooves on the road.
Her brows furrowed seeing this, because the blood leads to the same directions she is going. Alexandra just hopes that this blood didn't come from Nasrin.
Alexandra felt worried as she continued, so she quickened the pace running towards the Dregs Arena.
After a while.
Alexandra stopped in front of the huge structure. There are many large windows on every floor, and the overall structure stands four stories tall in a round oval shape.
Knitting her brows, Alexandra approaches the two soldiers on guard duty, standing in front of the entrance of the building. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a girl with a familiar red rabbit, she is about 16 years old at the height of five feet nine inches with a slender and frail posture," she said, looking at the man on guard.
"Hmm, I don't seem to have seen someone with features like that around here, ma'am," the man on the left answered, then he turned his head to look at the man on the right and said, "buddy, have you seen anyone like what she describes?"
"No, no one seems to have passed here with those features, ma'am," said the man on the right side.
"Are you sure? Someone told me they saw her being brought here," Alexandra probed, narrowing her eyes at the two.
"Is that so? Well we just got here, changing turns with the morning shift a minute ago, so…" the man on the left answered. "Well if someone saw her enter this building then she must be watching the show."
Hearing this, Alexandra's furrowed brows deepens. Alexandra also wants to believe that Nasrin just came here to watch, but she knows that Nasrin won't go to a place like this and watch a brutal violent entertainment show. That is contrary to Nasrin's personality, so Alexandra thinks that someone forced Nasrin to enter this building.
Alexandra really hopes that Nasrin is fine.
With a silent sigh, Alexandra nodded at the man in understanding. "I see…can I enter inside?"
"Yes, but the show has already started," the man on guard duty said.
"I don't mind," Alexandra said, walking inside.
Inside of the building is another entrance with two women on guard, and the loud noise of the chanting yells echoed everywhere, reverberating to the stone brick walls of the building.
"It's one silver to enter as a VIP, eighty coppers for a first class seat, sixty-five coppers for a normal one," the woman on guard duty said with a smile.
"Alright," Alexandra said, taking one silver coin, then she handed it to them and said, "here is a silver coin, I want to enter as a VIP."
The woman on duty received it, then they led her to one of the VIP seats. As soon as Alexandra came inside the stadium, thousands of people welcomed her eyes, sitting as they yelled, "Bakunawa."
Everyone is watching a gigantic blue serpent bang its head to the invisible barrier shield.
Alexandra frowns seeing this; her eyes roam everywhere inside the arena.
"Where are you lass?" Alexandra mumbles as her eyes narrowed at the centre of the arena.
However, no matter where she turns to look; Nasrin's figure can't be found anywhere.
Alexandra sighs in relief seeing that Nasrin isn't here, but at the same time, she is still worried that Nasrin is missing.
Rubbing her temples, Alexandra turns around attempting to leave.
"Stop hiding, coward!"
Hearing someone yell from the crowd made Alexandra turn around again. As soon as she turned around, Alexandra saw someone snatching the trumpet horn from a soldier, blowing the horn loudly. This loud noise attracted the blue serpent to their side.
Alexandra frowns at this as she turns to look at where the blue serpent is staring. As soon as she turns to look down at the edge of the wall, Alexandra widens her eyes seeing the worn out Nasrin.
Nasrin seems to be frozen and paralysed as she only gazes with wide eyes in horror.
With a pounding anxious heart in her chest, Alexandra hurriedly climbs up on the edge of the wall, but the soldiers stop Alexandra pulling her body back.
"Ma'am, you are not allowed to go over the wall!" One of the soldiers said, grabbing Alexandra's arm.
"Let go of me!" Alexandra yelled, struggling against their grip. Her eyes stared at Nasrin's frozen figure and at the serpent's gliding scaly body.
Alexandra moves her eyes back and forth at Nasrin and the blue serpent. Seeing the serpent baring its fangs at Nasrin, Alexandra struggled more against the soldiers. Yet, more soldiers came pulling her back, making Alexandra unable to help. It made Alexandra feel useless as she remembered how she also failed to protect that person during that time.
Gritting her teeth, Alexandra took a deep breath as she shouted from the top of her lungs. "Dodge, dumb lass!"
It seems Nasrin heard Alexandra's loud yell as Nasrin moved her body, jumping to the side dodging the serpent's head on attack by a hair's breadth.
Seeing this, Alexandra let out a sigh of relief.
"Kill, kill, kill," the crowd chanted repeatedly in a yell.
Alexandra frowns at this, and her frow deepens seeing the serpent attacking Nasrin's escaping back.
"Behind you!" Alexandra yelled warning Nasrin.
Nasrin seems to hear Alexandra again as she dodge jumping with her right leg, and it was then that Alexandra notices how injured and beaten up Nasrin.
Nasrin has a dagger stuck on her left leg. Her face was also bruised with injuries.
Alexandra pulled up her brows, watching in distress as Nasrin limped escaping from the aggressive serpent.
Seeing the disheveled appearance of Nasrin, Alexandra felt guilty, but she also hardened her heart. This is a good opportunity for Nasrin to learn how to fight and to learn the cruelty of this world.
With a deep sigh, Alexandra stops struggling against the soldiers as she lets them pull her back. Her brows knitted as she watched Nasrin with thousands of other people in the audience seat.
With cold indifferent eyes, Alexandra sat on the bench watching Nasrin dodge the serpent's attacks. She nodded satisfied, feeling proud in her heart that Nasrin is able to move fast despite being injured.
When the serpent's fangs got stuck on the ground, Alexandra saw someone throwing a sword at the arena. The sword came flying next to Nasrin.
Alexandra searches for the person who threw it, and her eyes widen in surprise seeing a middle-age woman with short red curly hair. The woman told Nasrin to pick up the sword and thrust it to the serpent's body.
"Aunt Amana…" Alexandra mumbled, staring at her aunt's 6 feet tall figure standing at the balcony on the fourth floor.
Next to her aunt is the familiar face of Jabez Iscariot. Alexandra frowns seeing that man's face again. Especially after seeing Pula in a cage being held by this man.
That man, Jabez Iscariot, is nothing but trouble.
Despite not liking the situation, Alexandra didn't interrupt anything as she watched how things would unfold.
With cold indifferent eyes, Alexandra watches Nasrin.
Alexandra wanted Nasrin to learn a lesson in this experience, so she chose to do nothing as she watched like a bystander.
Well, Alexandra thought that she could always help Nasrin since this is a city her Aunt manages. Additionally, seeing how the serpent's fangs are deeply stuck on the ground of the arena; Alexandra thought Nasrin could handle it by herself.
All Nasrin had to do is probably to insert that sword stabbing it to the serpent's body. That isn't a hard task, so Alexandra thought that everything would be over once Nasrin did it.
Moreover, she originally plans to also bring Nasrin here to fight, however, not as a prisoner but as a warrior. From what Alexandra can remember, this arena used to be an arena for warriors, because her father brought her here when she was eight; to learn how to fight opponents and get good fighting experience.
This is where Alexandra hone her skills, and she hopes that Nasrin could also learn the same way. Alexandra hopes that Nasrin would take this experience as an opportunity to learn and to grow.
Alexandra wanted Nasrin to get real life experience, and that's why seeing how Nasrin is already here; Alexandra thought this is also a good opportunity for Nasrin, so she chose to just watch and wait for Nasrin to grow.
If she always ends up protecting Nasrin, then that lass will never learn how to protect herself. It might be cold and heartless for Alexandra to do this, but she believes that she is doing the right thing to guide Nasrin to the right path.
Alexandra is also interested to know how Nasrin would handle this situation, so she waited and watched as Nasrin slowly grabbed the hilt of the sword, picking it up and walking over to the serpent.
The serpent let out a loud howl, hissing at Nasrin. Nasrin approached slowly with pulled up brows. Alexandra could tell that Nasrin probably feels conflicted, but she hopes that Nasrin would choose to just stab the sword to the serpent's body.
Hesitation in a battle fight always leads to trouble, and doing otherwise would only spell catastrophe for Nasrin, so Alexandra anticipatedly waited for Nasrin to thrust the sword on the serpent.
"What are you waiting for? Thrust the sword to Bakunawa, and you'll be welcome as a gladiator," said Aunt Amana to Nasrin.
Nasrin knitted her brows looking frustrated as she inquired, "Is there really no other way?"
Aunt Amana replied, "if you could think of another way then I'll consider your crime of burglary as paid."
"I see," Nasrin said as she nodded enlighten.
Alexandra knows that her Aunt Amana is probably just messing up with Nasrin.
This is both a provoking challenge and a warning. Obviously, it's just a trap to make Nasrin do a much more entertaining show.
Alexandra frowned at this, but she didn't interrupt and only waited.
From what Alexandra could tell, this situation seems to be just a huge misunderstanding that escalated so much into this. Her Aunt Amana would never offend a high ranking noble. Especially if it's Nasrin who came from the most powerful noble clan; only second to the royal family. Yet, it seems that her Aunt Amana has no knowledge of Nasrin's background.
She doesn't know how and why, but Alexandra could tell with the way how Jabez Iscariot is smirking as he watches Nasrin struggle in the arena; this is probably his doing. That man probably already knew who Nasrin was.
That man seems to have a deep hate for nobles, and Alexandra doesn't know why. Jabez and her never talk to each other, but she heard rumours about him during the time when Alexandra was still a student; that man, Jabez Iscariot, often targeted aristocrats. Especially rich aristocrats. She doesn't know if it was true back then since Alexandra was never targeted by that man. Probably because Alexandra is from a family of knights not from a noble family.
With a deep sigh, Alexandra hopes that Nasrin will not fall for this obvious trap. It pains her that Nasrin has to experience this, but as much as Alexandra wanted Nasrin to rely and depend on her, she knows that she will not always be there to protect the lass. That's why Alexandra will harden her heart and just watch.
However, with how Nasrin looked back and forth at the howling serpent and at the sword in her hand; Alenxandra could already tell what Nasrin would choose, and just like what she expected; Nasrin threw the weapon away.
"Boo, boo, boo," the crowd yelled, disappointed and dissatisfied.
Alexandra could only let out another sigh as she watched how Nasrin would turn this around to her favour.
Nasrin walks limping as she approaches the serpent, and the serpent moves its tail attacking Nasrin. Nasrin would use her right leg jumping to dodge to the side. This whole thing kept going for hours.
Not until Nasrin climbed up on the serpent's head. The serpent stops attacking Nasrin for some reason. Everyone in the crowd felt unsatisfied watching Nasrin do a boring show, but Alexandra is interested in what's going on.
She could tell that Nasrin seemed to be having a communication with the serpent. That idea made Alexandra baffled. However, she remembers how Nasrin seemed to like talking to Pula like a human being, and it made Alexandra think that Nasrin is also indeed probably communicating with the serpent.
That sacred serpent Bakunawa, is one of the sacred beasts, but that serpent is one of those sacred beasts that chose not to communicate with humans, and yet this serpent chose to communicate with Nasrin?
Alexandra smiled to herself with these thoughts, and now, she is interested in Nasrin and the serpent's conversation. Alexandra wondered what kind of serious talk they were discussing, but with how Nasrin was talking in a whisper; it became impossible for anyone to hear what she was saying.
After a few minutes, Nasrin jumped down from the serpent's head. Nasrin stared around the arena, but those eyes seemed not to notice Alexandra in the crowd as those light brown eyes stared at her Aunt Amana. The crowd still kept yelling foul words to Nasrin, but Nasrin seemed to have deaf ears not bothering to hear it.
Afterwards, Nasrin walked towards the weapon seals, stabbing the serpent's body.
Alexandra knitted her brows seeing this. She could already tell what's going to happen next.
"Don't do it, don't do it…" Alexandra mumbled to herself, staring with worried furrowed brows at Nasrin's figure at the centre of the arena.
Yet, Nasrin did it. The lass pulled out the weapon seal from the serpent's body.
The crowd was just as dumbfounded as Alexandra is, and they all stared at Nasrin in mixed emotions. Some look shocked and surprised. Some are confused and puzzled.
Nasrin stared back at everyone looking lost. Like Nasrin doesn't know what the hell she was doing.
However, it only lasted for a few seconds as Nasrin started moving again. One by one, Nasrin pulled out the weapon seals on the serpent's body.
The crowd started to yell in chaos again, shouting how stupid Nasrin is for pulling those weapons.
Alexandra gulp, knitting her brows seeing this. Nasrin seem to choose another dumb decision. Alexandra sighed in resignation.
Alexandra thinks that it's finally the time for her to clear up things, so she left the audience seat, running on the passage leading to the fourth floor.
Alexandra remembers every route in this building, because she used to live in this place training for eight years. When Alexandra reached the corridor on the fourth floor, she was stopped by soldiers.
"Sorry ma'am, but the area beyond this line here is prohibited. Only staff and personnel can enter this floor, please go back to where you came from."