Kael's breath was ragged, his body vibrating with the intensity of the battle that had just been cut short. Jin, Daren, and he stood frozen, their hearts racing as the announcement rang through the arena, the words echoing in their ears like a thunderclap.
"THE GAME ENDS. WINNER: TEAM KIRAN!"
The disbelief hung thick in the air. They were so close. Kael's sword was still poised mid-strike, inches from Beni's sweat-drenched face. Beni's cocky grin faltered, and he stumbled back, equally shocked by the abrupt end. The arena buzzed with murmurs, the crowd unsure whether to cheer or question what had just happened. Kael's eyes darted around, trying to make sense of the situation.
Then he saw her.
Tarek's body lay sprawled on the ground, motionless. His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized she wasn't moving—she had lost consciousness. And standing over her, with a triumphant, smug look, was Laura—Jin's sister. Her boot was planted firmly on Tarek's body, her lips curling into a wicked smile as she surveyed the scene, clearly enjoying the victory.
"Well, well, well… Looks like your little friend couldn't handle the pressure, huh?" Laura taunted, her voice dripping with condescension. "It's almost pathetic how easy it was."
Kael's heart ignited with fury. His fists clenched so tightly around his sword that his knuckles turned white. He could hear Laura's mocking laughter ringing in his ears, a spark of rage lighting inside him.
"Look at you three," Laura continued, her eyes gleaming with malice as she gazed at Kael, Jin, and Daren. "You really thought you could win? How pitiful."
Kael's vision blurred with anger. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to charge, to knock that smirk off her face, to avenge Tarek. His muscles tensed, ready to strike, when suddenly, Daren's voice cut through the storm in his mind.
"How dare you!" Daren bellowed, his voice thick with rage.
Before anyone could react, Daren loosed four arrows in quick succession, each one aimed directly at Laura's smug expression. His entire body shook with fury, his usual calm demeanor completely shattered. His words were full of venom as he spat them at her.
"You think you can just walk all over us?! You think we're weak?!"
Laura barely flinched. With a flick of her wrist, she deflected the arrows effortlessly, her expression never changing. The arrows clattered harmlessly to the ground as if they had never posed any real threat.
"You've got to be kidding me," Laura sneered, looking at Daren with contempt. "Is that the best you've got? You'll have to do better than that if you want to touch me."
Kael felt the blood boiling in his veins. Daren's fury only amplified his own. Without thinking, Kael let out a roar and lunged at Laura, sword raised high. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off her face.
But before he could land a single blow, a sudden force stopped him in his tracks.
Rudra, their team's instructor, appeared between them, his hand catching Kael's sword effortlessly. Kael struggled against the invisible barrier that now restrained him, his anger bubbling over as he stared at Rudra, his eyes wild with fury.
"Enough, Kael," Rudra said, his voice calm but firm. "This was a fair game. You must accept the outcome."
Kael's chest heaved, the fire in his heart refusing to die down. "But she—Tarek—" he stammered, his voice shaking with a mix of anger and helplessness.
"I understand," Rudra interrupted, his eyes steady. "But this is not the way. A loss is a loss. Learn from it."
Kael's grip on his sword tightened, but he knew he was no match for Rudra's authority. His whole body trembled with frustration as he was forced to lower his blade. He took a step back, his gaze never leaving Laura, who was now grinning wider than ever.
Daren, however, was far from finished.
"NO!" Daren yelled, his voice filled with fury. He jumped down from his vantage point, running towards Laura with murderous intent. His bow was drawn once more, arrows already nocked, ready to unleash them upon her.
Rudra shifted his stance slightly, ready to intercept Daren, but the young archer wasn't deterred. His movements were frantic, his usually steady composure replaced with raw anger. He released the arrows, each one aimed with deadly precision at Laura.
But Rudra was faster.
With a swift movement of his hand, he deflected each arrow with ease, barely breaking a sweat as he stood between Daren and Laura. Daren's frustration only grew, his face contorting with anger as he kept firing arrow after arrow, none of them reaching their target.
"Why are you standing in my way?!" Daren shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of his rage. "She stepped on Tarek! She humiliated her! I won't let her get away with this!"
Kael's gaze darted between Laura and Tarek, fury still raging in his veins. "You won't get away with this," he growled, his voice steady.
The tension in the air hung thick as Rudra turned to Laura, anger boiling beneath the surface. "Step away from Tarek," he demanded, eyes narrowed.
Rudra's expression remained neutral, though his voice took on a more commanding tone. "Daren, stand down."
Laura's smug smile faded as she took a step back, glancing at Rudra with a mix of annoyance and surprise. "What are you going to do about it?" she scoffed, crossing her arms defiantly.
Rudra took a step forward, his demeanor shifting to one of authority. "You will respect your opponents. This isn't a game. You stepped over a line."
Daren screamed, his entire body trembling. "I'm going to make her pay!"
Suddenly, something changed. The air around Daren shifted, a strange energy crackling in the space around him. Kael and Jin both felt it—an intense surge of power that hadn't been there before.
"Daren, what are you—" Jin started to say, but his words were lost as Daren's eyes flashed with a blinding light.
In an instant, the second orbit of his first Naadi pathway burst open. Daren's power exploded outward, the force of it radiating through the arena like a shockwave. The energy around him crackled, wild and uncontrollable, as he stood before Rudra, his entire being consumed by his rage.
Rudra's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting Daren to break through so suddenly. But the surprise was fleeting. In the blink of an eye, Rudra moved again, this time faster, more decisive.
With one swift motion, he knocked Daren down, a burst of energy slamming into the young archer's neck. Daren hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him, his newfound power flickering and then fading just as quickly as it had emerged.
Kael and Jin rushed forward, their hearts pounding as they knelt beside Daren. He lay there, gasping for breath, his face twisted in frustration and pain. The energy he had unleashed was now gone, and all that remained was the bitter sting of defeat.
"Daren…" Kael muttered, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. But Daren didn't respond. His eyes were locked on Laura, who still stood there, watching with a satisfied smirk.
Rudra stood tall, looking down at Daren with a mixture of disappointment and understanding. "You've opened the second orbit of your first pathway, Daren," he said quietly. "But it wasn't through control. It was through rage. And that is not the way."
Daren's breathing was ragged, his chest heaving as he struggled to process what had just happened. He had tapped into something deeper, something stronger—but it hadn't been enough. Not yet.
As the tension in the arena slowly began to dissipate, Kael clenched his fists, staring at Laura's smug face. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Laura stood, her expression shifting from shock to smug satisfaction. She surveyed the scene, and her gaze landed on Jin, who had been watching everything unfold with a mixture of concern and disbelief.
"Look at you," Laura said, a smirk curling at the corners of her mouth. "You seem to care for these people, don't you? But that's just the beginning of your pain."
Jin's fists clenched at his sides, a fire igniting in his eyes. "What do you mean?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
"I'm going to make you pay," Laura replied, her tone dripping with malice. "One by one, I'll destroy everything precious to you. First, it will be Daren," she said, glancing over at the fallen boy, "then Kael, and who knows? Maybe I'll start with Kael."
Kael's heart raced, a cold wave of fury crashing over him. "Just try " he shouted, taking a step forward, but Rudra's hand on his shoulder held him back.
Laura's eyes sparkled with delight at their distress. "Why did you even come back?" she taunted, her voice cutting like ice. "You should have stayed dead on some remote island, forgotten and alone. But here you are, taking everything away from me as if it belonged to you."
Kael's knuckles ached from how tightly he was gripping his sword hilt, his entire being consumed by the need to wipe the smirk off Laura's face. But before he could make another move, Jin stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Enough," Jin said, his voice steady but cold. His eyes locked onto Laura's, and for a moment, the air around them seemed to still.