As Ceaui- god like beings- gathered around a large, sand-floor pit in the ground, a man yelled from above, "Ceaui! Today marks the 100th Tournament in the name of The One Who Wields Rage, Custos! And, to celebrate, we have some special guests!"
The Ceaui, now seated, whispered to each other in anticipation. Were the guests potential Socii- mortals who could get chosen to be a singular Ceaui's champion in the Tournament- or other Ceaui?
Massive black oak double doors, situated at the far left side of the oval-shaped room, swung open, revealing three people- a man, with skin like the night sky, a glowing white smile, adorned with a black suit, a woman with skin as pale as ice, white hair that went to her waist, and deep blue eyes that seemed to contain some of the very sky. She was in a white robe. The last person was a man shrouded in a dark cloak, but it did nothing to hide his identity due to the two scaly wings that came from his back.
"Let's welcome our guests, the esteemed One Who Smiles, The Ex-Angel in White, and The Winged One of the Deserted Mountains!"
In an instant, a roar of welcomes and claps came from the gathered crowd of Caeui- after all, they were in the presence of the most powerful beings!
The Winged One of the Deserted Mountains took a perch far above everyone else, a throne made out of icy stone and rubies. The One Who Smiles, on the other hand, took a seat closer to the pit- the pit in which the Socii would inevitably fight one another to win the Tournament of Custos. The Ex-Angel in White, meanwhile, slowly approached an empty seat next to one that was occupied by The Entity Who Encompasses All Doom, and as she sat, the being- who seemed to be made out of the sea, the galaxy, black holes, and maelstroms- looked over at her. He made a hmm sound before his gaze focused back on the pit.
=--=--=--=
A woman, similar in appearance to The Ex-Angel in White- but with pale red eyes, and a white general's outfit with gold accents adorned her body instead of a robe- straightened her uniform, staring at herself in the mirror.
Alexius Remandus was her name. The Royal High General of the Relatius Armada; the Angel of Doom, the One Who Felled An Army with a Single Swordstrike.
A beauty, a 7 foot 6 beauty with a shortsword. One of her metal gauntlet-clad hands rested near her sheathed blade, a beautiful silver designed specifically to be used with one hand.
She stared at herself for two more moments, her eyes locking with her own, before she turned on her heel and headed for a metal gate- a metal gate that lead to an absolutely giant sand-floor arena.
Standing near the gate were two Wealri- guardians, employed by the Ceaui to keep Socii from being too rash. At the sight of Alexius, they snapped to attention, saluting her. Their Egyptian-like attire, mostly comprised of gold chains, clinked as they moved, and their spears stood both resolute and tall.
She always found the Wealri interesting- all of them wore the same thing, and it was not lost on her that the jackal skulls that adorned their heads were for intimidation.
She saluted back, her expression emotionless and calm as she did so. There was a slight tension in the air for some reason; Alexius could feel the cold, dark pits of the Jackal skull eye holes boring into her, but she didn't show any discomfort, since she felt none.
Finally, after what seemed like a millenia, all three of them relaxed, and one of the Wealri asked Alexius, "Socii, you are prepared to fight another in the arena, correct?" She gave a curt nod, her pale red eyes never straying from the guardians, her hand never drifting from the hilt of her shortsword.
"Very well. I wish you many victories." A common saying that Alexius had now heard many times; to bolster courage and to motivate Socii. She needed none of that; she knew what she had to do, that she must stain the arena crimson.
She had to win, for her pride, her people, her Caeui, her survival. The other Wearli, standing near a lever on the wall, gave a bow to her. "May your blade cut straight and true, and may your metallic strikes hit as intended. Should the sky stain red, it will be the enemy to fall. The Grand One of Many Empires smiles upon you, Socii." And with that, he pushed the lever down, and the gate slowly and shakily rose, creaking and groaning due to it's age.
Far ahead of Alexius, but still very much within sight, another gate was being raised- and behind it stood a man in leather armor, axe in hand. Oswae Emeniant, Socii of the Nordic Master of All Northern Winds, was to be her opponent. The Tournament of Custos had began, and Alexius was not one to back down from any fight.