The arena was tense, the crowd murmuring in anticipation as the battle started. But, there was no attack from the semifinalists.
Two siblings stood across from each other — Raphael, the older of the two by just a few minutes, stared down at Eon, his younger sibling. His expression was cold, confident, and unwavering.
"As your elder brother, I'll do you a favor and give you an opportunity to admit defeat. Unlike Azrael, you have nothing to prove. Everyone would understand your plight if you go back." Raphael said, his voice devoid of any emotion. He brushed his hair out of his face, the air around him crackling with energy. "Once you take that step, I will do my best to crush you."
Eon shifted her weight, gripping her hourglass, the glass cold and smooth in her hand. Her heart pounded in her chest. The quiet whir of the sand inside filled the silence as she glared at Raphael. "This time", she thought. "I'll show him."
"I'm not backing off," Eon muttered, though her voice trembled just slightly.
Raphael calmly stepped forward. "We both know you're not cut out for this. You'll never be able to keep up with me." With a snap of his fingers, his zodiac beast was enveloped in a flash of light, and a massive, golden lion appeared beside him. "Leo." The Zodiac Beast's Leo form roared loudly, its mane like flames, its body shining with celestial energy.
"You think that hourglass is enough?" Raphael's voice filled the surroundings. "You're not strong enough to pose a challenge to me. You never were. Get down from the platform. Consider this my last warning."
Eon tightened her grip on the hourglass. "I don't need to be as strong as you. But, I'll force you to show your moves to help out Rael," she whispered to herself.
Raphael's lion let out another roar and lunged, the ground shaking under its paws. Without hesitation, Raphael pointed toward Eon, and the lion charged straight at her.
Eon barely had time to react. Her eyes glowed, activating her inborn skill. The time froze immediately.
The lion paused in mid-air, suspended in a moment of perfect stillness. The world around her slowed to a stop.
"I can do this," she whispered, her voice a mixture of determination and fear. She stepped around the frozen beast, her heart racing. But as she took a step forward to charge at her brother, Raphael's voice echoed, "Eon."
The air crackled with energy again, and time returned to normal before 3.5 seconds had even passed. The lion's claws swept forward with the speed of a lightning strike, and Eon stumbled backward, barely avoiding the blow. She fell to the ground, wincing as pain shot through her side. "Sh*t. He can resist my ability. That's only 2 seconds," she thought, gasping for breath.
"Come on, Eon! If that's all you have to show me, there is no point in this battle." Raphael shouted. Because he put up a blank expression on his face, one couldn't understand whether he was mocking her or encouraging her. "Fine, Leo might be too much for you. I'll change it."
He snapped his fingers, and the lion vanished, replaced by a new form — a serpent, coiling in the air. "Ophiuchus." Its scales shimmered like the night sky, and its eyes glowed with an eerie intensity. "Attack." It lunged forward, its fangs bared, aiming directly for Eon's throat.
Eon's heart raced. She reached for the hourglass this time as she could not freeze time for a while as she used her inborn skill to peak earlier. She flicked her wrist to unleash the soul skill, but she was too slow.
The serpent struck, sinking its fangs deep into her shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound, and Eon cried out in pain, falling to her knees. "Argh…"
"Pathetic," Raphael sneered, stepping closer. "You always think you can change things with that hourglass, but time isn't your ally. Fate is." His words were sharp, cutting through the air like a whip.
Eon's vision blurred. She could feel the weight of his words sinking in. She was weaker. She had always been weaker.
But then, she heard it. The voice that had been for her as long as she could talk.
"No, Eon. Get up and fight. You can do this." Rael cheered from the sidelines.
Her eyes shot open at once. With a shaky hand, she grasped the hourglass, her fingers trembling. Despite the overwhelming pain, she twisted the dial.
Time stopped.
She collapsed against the cold stone of the arena floor, her breath ragged as she fought through the dizziness. I can't… lose… not like this.
Raphael's figure froze in place, the serpent suspended mid-bite. This time, she would make it count.
She stood, though her body screamed in protest, and began to move around Raphael, her vision narrowing on the spot where she could strike.
She freed herself from the serpent and charged at her brother, reaching him this time and giving a punch to his nose. The white sands of time continued to fall while Raphael flew in mid-air.
Eon didn't waste any opportunity and jumped high and gave a kick to his abdomen. Raphael crashed onto the repaired concrete platform and Eon was slowly descending down.
However, while she was in mid-air, all the white sand reached the bulb, resuming the time again and a painful groan escaped from Raphael, finding himself lying on the ground and facing the sky as well as his younger sister.
"Astralith…" He screamed in his mind.
Before Eon could land, the serpent moved and coiled its tail around Eon, capturing her.
"Argh…" She screamed in pain as her bones were being crushed by its tail.
"That was a good move,m Eon," Raphael's voice rang out, and a smile of acknowledgment appeared on his face for a brief moment. "But your time is over."
He raised his hand, and the serpent's eyes glowed, its crushing power doubled.
Eon continued to scream at the top of her lungs as the bones in her entire body were broken, her ribs shattered, and her organs started to experience failure of function as her lungs and the heart were punctured.
With a snap of his finger, Raphael dismissed the serpent and looked at the girl lying on the ground like a corpse with blood trickling down her mouth, ears, and nose. "You can't win this fight, Eon. It's over."
Rael instantly jumped onto the platform and reached to her as the Proctor announced the results.
"Eon… Eon… Eon…" Rael took her head into his lap and shook her head. Tears welled up in his eyes.
The Proctor landed beside her and checked her condition, his eyes widening in shock. "Her life force is consuming at a rapid pace." He immediately turned his head to the side, looking at the healers that were slowly approaching. "What the hell are you doing there? It's an emergency."
As the healers rushed toward the Arena, Aurelius teleported to the platform as the boy's face was frozen upon hearing the word emergency.
Aurelius grabbed the girl and looked at his son, "Raphael." He called him out, his tone containing chillness.
Raphael, who turned around and slowly walked away, slowly turned his head to look at his dad, "Yes, Father?"
Aurelius stared at him silently for a second. "We'll talk about it later." He disappeared right away.
Rael looked at the Proctor, "What happened?" He couldn't help but ask.
The Proctor, his brows furrowed in displeasure too, said, "If she isn't treated quickly, she will go into a deep state of hibernation (Coma). Her soul orb was cracked."
"Wha…" Rael's face was frozen.
But, in the next second, his gaze shifted to Raphael's back as the latter continued to walk away. "Raphael…" he directly called out his name for the first time. Hatred was evident in his eyes.
Raphael did the same thing as earlier, halting his movements and turning his head. This time, he directly spoke. "Just a bit of warning for you too, Azrael. If you don't want to turn out the same as Eon, don't come tomorrow for the battle and forfeit. Since you won the challenge set by Father, you too don't have anything left to battle."
"You… you…"
There were a lot of things that came to his mind, but he swallowed them down his throat and spoke. "We'll meet tomorrow." He turned around and walked to the exit in a hastened pace to return to Eon's side.