The tournament grounds were still buzzing from the excitement of the previous matches. Stoinis, with his hood pulled low over his face, walked with Raylor through the streets, his mind swirling with thoughts of the upcoming finals. Sariella, the Snow Princess, was known far and wide for her grace and strength in combat, but Stoinis knew something else— she was injured, and that meant his match with her would be far more delicate than the ones he had fought before.
"Don't underestimate her," Raylor warned, a rare seriousness in his voice. "She's been trained since birth for this, and even injured, she's no pushover."
Stoinis gave a small nod, his lips curling into a faint smile. "I never underestimate my opponents," he said, but Raylor knew better. Stoinis's victories had come too easily, and the boy hadn't been forced to use his full strength yet.
As they arrived at the arena, the atmosphere was electric. Spectators filled the stands, their voices merging into a chaotic roar of excitement and anticipation. Raylor headed straight for the betting tables, his eyes gleaming with opportunity. He had wagered heavily on Stoinis's victories thus far, and the payout had been substantial. Now, as the stakes climbed, so did the potential winnings. His motive was simple, if he wins, he gets the money, if he loses, he just had to flee way, any rational bandit would think of that, there was no way to loot him, a former Vice Leader of a large bandit group.
"You're mad, Raylor," one of the bettors said with a chuckle as he watched Raylor place another large bet. "That boy's luck is bound to run out."
Raylor only grinned. "Luck has nothing to do with it." Of course Raylor had lots upto his sleeve.
Stoinis, meanwhile, stepped into the arena, the cheers of the crowd washing over him like a wave. His eyes were on Sariella, who stood across from him, her expression unreadable. She was beautiful, ethereal even, with her pale hair flowing like snow and her eyes as cold as ice. But beneath that serene exterior, Stoinis could sense her pain. She was injured, but wait, it was a slight injury— Stoinis was disappointed, nothing to make a fuss about and no matter how hard the rumors went, now he was bare feet away from her and he could analyse her situation exactly, "That girl", Stoinis thought, "She was pretending all along", but why? Could it be because she knew Torosolla would give up if she heard of her situation bit it was absurd, Stoinis couldn't come to a conclusion.
"You've done well to make it this far," Sariella said, her voice soft but carrying a weight of authority. "But now, you should rest. This match is out of your league."
Stoinis tilted his head slightly, intrigued by her confidence. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Go on, boy," hissed Shadow, the dark figure that had followed him ever since their fateful encounter. "Heal the girl... then kill her. Isn't that what you've been thinking? With my power, it's easy. Just place your hand on her wound, and she will be as good as new."
Stoinis's eyes narrowed. No one else could see Shadow, but the miasma of his presence was enough to send chills down the spines of even the bravest in the arena. For a brief moment, the crowd grew quiet, sensing the sudden shift in the air. The true power of Stoinis was starting to become apparent to those watching. They began to realise that luck is not a factor that determines the results of the match, this guy was the real deal.
In the blink of an eye, Stoinis vanished from where he stood. Gasps erupted from the crowd as they tried to track his movements. He reappeared behind Sariella, his hand gently grazing her waist. "Fear not," he whispered, his voice smooth and calm. "I'm here to heal you."
Sariella stiffened, her eyes wide with shock as she realized what had just happened. She hadn't even seen him move, let alone felt his touch until it was too late. She spun around, her heart racing, but Stoinis had already returned to his original position, standing as if nothing had happened.
The audience murmured in disbelief. "Did you see that?" someone whispered. "He's fast— a bit too fast. It's like he's not even human."
"That speed... there's no way we're seeing this right," another voice added, astonishment lacing every word.
Sariella's hands trembled as she tried to steady herself. Her wound had now completely healed, could even the best medical practitioners achieve such a feat? Even though her injury was not so deep to care about but regardless, was it even possible to heal it completely in a few moments? But she had no tine to think of all that, Her mind raced, replaying the moment over and over. How had he moved so quickly? And why hadn't she sensed him? A cold sweat trickled down her spine, she felt an overwhelming sensation of a snake coiling around her body making her shudder. She had never felt anything like it before.
"I... I can't beat him," she thought, despair clouding her vision for a moment. "Maybe even Brother Torosolla wouldn't stand a chance against this... monster."
Meanwhile, Raylor stood at the edge of the arena, watching with a knowing grin. "He's a monster," he muttered under his breath, enjoying every second of the unfolding chaos. His bets were paying off beyond his wildest dreams. People around him, who had bet against Stoinis, were beginning to panic, realizing that they had severely underestimated the young fighter. Raylor was happy but he felt disappointed at losing the chance of using his bandit tactics after such a long of time of not honing his skills.
Back in the arena, Stoinis's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED," he announced, his tone commanding. "SO YOU CAN EXERT YOUR FULL STRENGTH ."
Each word was like a hammer blow to Sariella's resolve, pushing her closer to the brink of surrender. She glanced up at the VIP box, where her father, the tyrannical Lord Arenar, sat watching her every move with a scowl. His eyes bore into her, filled with disdain and silent judgment. The fear of his wrath was greater than the fear she felt toward Stoinis.
With a desperate scream, Sariella launched herself at Stoinis, her body moving on instinct. She couldn't lose—not here, not in front of her father.
Stoinis was ready. His expression shifted from calm amusement to something darker, something more primal. This was it— the moment he had been waiting for. He wouldn't hold back this time.
In a blur of motion, he met Sariella's charge head-on, his knee slamming into her gut with brutal force. The impact knocked the wind out of her, but before she could recover, Stoinis brought his elbow down hard on her back, sending her crashing to the ground. The crowd gasped as Sariella lay motionless, her body wracked with pain.
Her father's furious glare burned through the arena, but even he couldn't deny the truth. His daughter had been severely outmatched.
In the VIP box, Torosolla watched in silence, his heart heavy with regret. He had forfeited his match against Sariella not because of her injury, but to spare her from the wrath of his father, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to fight at her best. But now, as he watched her broken form on the ground, he knew that his forfeit was for naught, Sariella had already lost.
Since childhood, Torosolla had been close to Sariella. She was like a little sister to him, They were playmates for as long as they could remember and the thought of her being destroyed by her father's cruelty was unbearable. He had hoped to protect her by conceding, but now, as she lay there, it was clear that his sacrifice hadn't been enough. It was he who planned the faking of her injury and had her play along. This plan saved his face and also protected Sariella from the tyarnt.
However, looking at hiw events had turned out, Torosolla couldn't stay silent any longer. Leaping from the VIP box, he landed in the arena with a thud, his presence commanding immediate attention. The crowd fell silent as they realized what was happening.
"You need to give up this fight," Torosolla said, his voice calm but firm as he approached Stoinis. "For Sariella's sake", he said in a low tone.
Stoinis looked at him with a bemused expression. "And why would I do that?" he asked, his voice dripping with amusement. "I've come this far for a reason."
Torosolla's jaw clenched. He couldn't think of anything to convince him when suddenly the strange boy suugested, "Then how about a duel? If I win, the I don't have to give up. If you win, the victory is yours."
The terms were clearly in Torosolla's favor, but he knew that the boy was a monster. Maybe he didn't even stand a chance, but he still wanted to gjve it his all.
The fight that followed was nothing short of a spectacle. Torosolla, despite his size and strength, was no match for the speed and agility of Stoinis. Each of his attacks was effortlessly dodged, each attempt to land a blow met with a counterattack that left him reeling.
Torosolla had thrown his knives at Stoinis from all directions so as to lock him down and the attack. "I am impressed" said Stoinis, "I never thought I would be compelled so far as to unsheath my sword in this tournament." His sword deflected each knife while he caught the kast with his hands and then threw it before Torosolla, burying the knife in the ground. " You need to be faster than that to scratch me. Let's not drag this fight any longer, I got a feeling, we should end this match".
Saying this, Stoinis leapt towards Torosolla, he charged at him with his sword. It seemed as if he was cutting through the air, Torosolla's will had already been shattered, Stoinis striked him with the blunt back of his sword
Within moments, the crowd watched in stunned silence as Torosolla, the reigning champion, was brought to his knees. Stoinis stood over him, his expression unchanging as he delivered the final blow that sent Torosolla crashing to the ground beside Sariella.
The arena was silent for a long moment, the weight of what had just transpired settling over the spectators like a heavy fog. Raylor, standing near the betting tables, couldn't contain his laughter. "I told you all," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "He's a monster."
As the medical team rushed to tend to the fallen fighters, the crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement rekindled by the unexpected turn of events.
The anchor, struggling to find his voice, finally spoke. "Victory... to Stoinis!" he announced, his words barely audible over the roar of the crowd. "What an unprecedented show of strength! May I request the Young Lord to show his face to Alaric-"
Stoinis, his hood still concealing his face, stepped forward at the anchor's request, slowly pulling it back to reveal his face, he had a handsome face, uet his left cheek bore a scar. The crowd fell silent once more, taken aback by the sight of the young warrior's striking face. The scar running across his cheek only added to his mystique, it was a abbreviation to his sufferings and the battles he had fought. As the girls in the audience exchanged hushed whispers, it was clear that Stoinis had captured more than just their admiration.
With the tournament over and his victory secured, Stoinis turned to Raylor, who was swimming in gold. He was not surprised that the cunning fox could reap out so much money from people "You overdid it this time but no worries , we secured quite the fortune."
As he walked out, the crowd couldn't stop murmuring, two prodogies, the geniuses of Alaric, one of the strongest of their generation, lay defeated by a stranger of whom they have never heard or seen excaljmed the crowd in astonishment, "He was the real deal"