Lythana, a dark elf, stood in the coliseum, surrounded by a multitude of people. She could tell that the crowd was significantly smaller than it had been on the first day. Her piercing violet eyes scanned the area, noting the human males and dark elves who couldn't help but glance her way.
She sighed inwardly. Even at 14, her beauty was striking, a curse she had to conceal while surviving on the streets. Beauty, she had learned, could be as dangerous as any weapon.
Then she saw him—the human male with brown hair and green eyes. He was still boyish but undeniably handsome. She remembered him from the chaotic battle at the end of hell week. He had been a force to be reckoned with. She had watched him engage an Ursox and hold his own, his strength and determination evident in every move.
What stood out to her the most was his demeanor. Amid the chaos, he had been smiling—not a crazy or cruel smile, but one of genuine enjoyment. She had seen enough cruelty and madness to recognize them instantly. This boy was different. She had witnessed him take brutal hits, pretty sure he had suffered a broken nose, yet it hadn't stopped him. He was relentless. Her intuition told her this boy would grow to be incredibly strong.
Her ribs still ached from their encounter. He had charged her at the end of brawl, and she had met him head-on, only to end up with broken ribs and a black eye. She was used to men and boys holding back, but not this boy. Even now, as she watched him converse with another dark elf, she noticed that while the elf glanced at her furtively, the boy did not. He didn't even give her a second glance. He was focused, driven. He was here for the same reason she was: strength.
Finn's presence in the coliseum was a beacon of determination. She could sense it in the way he stood, in the unwavering set of his jaw.
As the assembly continued, Lythana's resolve hardened. She would keep an eye on Finn. In this world, allies and rivals often blurred into the same people. And she had a feeling that this boy could be both.