In stark contrast to its brown hue, blood splatter rhythmically like raindrops onto the dirt ground beneath turning it a deep shade of crimson. Although it was only a small puddle, for it all to come from one living person wasn't a sight normally seen.
Turning the mighty weapon into a mere support stick, he thrusted his sword into the ground. With little remaining strength, Adrian couldn't find it in himself to even lift it anymore, let alone wield it to fight.
'My last stand' Adrian thought before contorting his face to show a last bittersweet smile displayed with rows of blood stained teeth. Even though he couldn't even feel the left half of his face, Adrian didn't want to die frowning. He wanted to do so with a smile on his face and in spectacular fashion to the thousands of people watching.
Much to the excitement and disappointment of the crowd— varying based off who they bet on—the boos and cheers mixed to form a thunderous roar giving life to the arena. After all, it was just another set of fights displayed on a daily basis for the entertainment of the crowd. There will be plenty more to come.
When this fight finishes, Adrian's corpse would be burned and forgotten like any other dead contender. Adrian wouldn't even getting a proper burial due to the sheer number that die each day. Just a moment of silence for the fallen.
Some spectators even threw flowers down to the floor showering the two as a sign of their pleasure from watching the games.
Despite the gesture, the noise only registered as numb vibrations in Adrian's ear drums and the flowers, to him, felt like gifts one took when visiting the dead. The fact that they were white roses made it all the more fitting to Adrian's situation.
'What a crowd'. Adrian thought glancing around but quickly wincing.
'Ugh'
Adrian closed his eyes and took the pain head on. Feeling the blood rush to his head, even thinking started to hurt.
His cut and wounds deepened as more of the precious liquid gushed out. It was a miracle he was still alive, let alone putting up a fight.
But not for long though.
Feeling his own consciousness slip away, the slight unfocused look in his eyes reflected a man who already accepted death rather than one still fighting for his life. It was almost as if his soul had already ascended halfway out of his body and required a little extra nudge to fully leave the husk behind.
"Huuu.."
Thud!
Landing in the puddle of crimson liquid, Adrian knelt and leaned against the sword standing tall in the ground. It was the only thing preventing him from sprawling over the floor. However, that soon will also change as Adrian suddenly started losing strength in his arms.
A fresh red streak appeared across his palm as he dropped his hand against the blade. The stinging pain didn't bother Adrian who was already numb to the side-effects of battle though. Like those drunks indifferent to everything in the world, it felt empty to the point of almost comforting. A tranquil euphoria upon deaths door.
Looking down, he noticed his bloodied hands become four in his blurry vision. Blinking rapidly and swaying side to side, Adrian's vision dimmed and he collapsed on the ground. Leaving a mark along the hundreds of other holes and scars along the dirt ground from previous fights, he patiently wait for the inevitable hopelessly.
Yet what Adrian truly felt was the earth's gentle embrace that only made him want sleep and wake up from this nightmare.
Unfortunately, no matter how comfortable it feels, the figure in white's footsteps rang loudly along the ground the distance reminding Adrian once again of his impending doom.
Clack. Clack.
Adrian used all his might to lift his heavy head upwards and stare at his formidable opponent closing in— or in this case, death right in the face.
The woman wearing white armour in the distance released an oppressive aura as she raised her arm to clean her blade with part of her tunic until it glinted in the sunlight like a beacon.
Satisfied, she turned and slowly approached the man sprawled on the ground. Leisurely taking her time seeing that Adrian won't be running anywhere soon, she wore a bored expression as if this was her thousandth time doing this.
Being the reigning champion, it wasn't unusual to see people go all out when fighting with her, only to be shown their rightful place in the power hierarchy through a nice beating. Exactly the case with what happened to Adrian.
But who could blame him thinking he had a chance to win?
Previously a glorious warrior revered for his talents and hard-work, he stood at the peak of his planet in terms of strength. He deserved the right to brag....Except that he was just a big fish, in a very tiny pond. Turned into nothing but a tiny fish for anything to devour, only now is Adrian being introduced to the horrors of the ocean.
But Adrian didn't care about any of that right now.
All he wanted to do was to rest.
Soon enough, a pair of white shoes appeared within his vicinity. Stopping just a meter away, she lifted sword and pointed it at his head.
"That was a good fight Adrian". She said before slowly arching her sword back before adding:
"A pity you weren't any stronger."
'Haha. Finally, my time has come'.
The thoughts racing through his head gradually slowed until only a few remained. The last one being the how beautiful the silver blade was radiating the beautiful rays of sunlight right before the the tip pierced Adrian's forehead and turned his world black.
'What the—?'
However, the woman was taken aback right after piercing Adrian's forehead.
Like a flurry of butterflies, Adrian's body disintegrated into a mass of purple particles that scatter around the arena before condensing around single point like a vortex. Then it disappeared in a flash leaving the confused woman standing amidst a cheering crowd chanting her name.
*Flash
The screen in front of square room displaying the results of the battle flashed and updated based on the situation. A bald man glanced upwards at it in delight.
Wearing white robes and glasses that would make anyone mistaken him for a church priest However, that image couldn't be any more further from what he represented.
Around his room were only white walls, a desk, and a peculiar looking machine in the corner that resembled a gum-ball dispensing machine crossed with a surgical apparatus built in on the side. From the rooms bleak manner and simple amenities, it screamed more cubicle than private office.
"Finally. I have been waiting a long time for you to die!" He celebrated and rubbed his hands together like a shrewd business man.
Glancing at the writing incomprehensible to anyone but him, he cheered in delight when the status beneath Adrian read: [Dead].
On cue, the machine in the corner of the room made the distinct sound of a soul arriving.
Ding. Ding.
To the man, it was the sound of money.
"Yes come to daddy!"
With his eyes shining brightly like fire, he squealed whilst marvelling at the flurry of violet particles condensing to form a flame within the machine.
That flame was a soul. More specifically, Adrian's soul. Returning here. Again.
A special one of a kind that would make most people working there want to rip him to shreds if they ever saw him possessing it. After all, most have never even seen an dark blue one let alone violet in their lives.
These souls were colour coded by the colours on the visible light spectrum with violet being the rarest and colourless the most common.
Inside the machine, the violet flame was suspended within the clear liquid inside the glass cylinder. At this stage, the man pulled a lever which prompted the mechanical needles to appear on the side and inject a white serum into the solution. A white swirl of liquid revolved around the flame and became transparent after trapping the flickering flame within. As soon as it solidified, he hastily reached in through the top and removed a shiny violet sphere.
"This one will go for at least 5 million credits in the auction again!". The man said in delight caressing the sphere softly in his hand
"Mr. Orb will take good care of you. Poor thing, you can only blame yourself for having such a powerful soul. A pity, but at least you will make me a lot of money every time you die and get resold again." He said following up with a wicked smile and not feeling even the slightest ounce of sorrow.
Who wouldn't be happy if they made money off reselling the same product that found it's way back every time.?
It was practically like printing money at this point.
Screaming in joy before dashing out of the rooms, his high pitched maniac like laughter gave life to the dull halls telling his colleagues that someone was making much more money then they are.
"I'm going to be so rich! Hahaha!"
*********
Normally, none of these spheres would interest his him due to his grand collection in which every distinct colour and modification could be found, but this particular one had caught Neil's eye simply because they were never violet. Being a collector of souls, Neil had to purchase which ever rarity that he doesn't happen to have in his collection.
The glint in his eyes finally shifted as he looked towards the bid button in the corner. Neil hastily tapped on the button to bid on the violet sphere with a payment of 10 million credits, and waited.
Right then, the crowd was silent as the voice of the auctioneer announced "Going once…..going twice…..and sold to Mr Neil!"