The entire coliseum fell silent.
You could hear the hum of the lights, the low wind brushing over the stone battleground, even the nervous breaths of spectators holding back screams.
The announcer, for once, wasn't talking.Even he knew words would only get in the way now.
Two figures stood across from each other in the arena.
On the left: Kuro — lean, eyes half-lidded, posture relaxed like he wasn't facing anyone dangerous. His black scarf fluttered lightly in the breeze, golden pupils locked forward with quiet anticipation.
On the right: Astrid Vale — silver-haired, violet-eyed, her uniform simple, combat-focused, yet elegant. Her boots didn't make a sound as she moved. Her aura? Calm. Cold. Calculating.
I leaned forward in my seat, heart pounding behind my ribs.
Why is she here? Why now?
She'd been watching since the beginning. At sign-ups, at the gate… always distant, always aware. She warned me about Kuro. But now she was standing in front of him like she'd been waiting for this moment her whole life.
The arena's stone surface groaned.
Then a mechanical hiss echoed across the field.
In the dead center, a platform rose.
And on it—
The white flag.
Glowing softly. Beckoning like the spark of war.
A new voice came through the speakers — deeper than the announcer's usual tone.
"This match will be under Capture the Flag rules. The contestant who holds the flag for 60 continuous seconds shall be the victor. If the flag is lost, the timer resets. Victory must be earned — not stolen."
The crowd erupted.
This was the match they didn't know they were waiting for.
Neither Kuro nor Astrid moved. Not yet.
Their eyes met.
Then the air between them shifted.
Auras flared. But not like before.
Kuro's aura was silent. It didn't scream, didn't burn. It simply existed, like gravity itself — subtle, terrifyingly natural. The ground beneath his feet cracked just slightly from the pressure.
Astrid's aura was sharp. Slicing. It made no noise, yet the breeze cut through the stands like a blade. Even the hairs on my arm stood up.
They were both…
Built different.
"This is going to be fun," Kuro finally said, his voice smooth like glass over steel.
"I don't do 'fun,'" Astrid replied, her tone emotionless. "I do results."
The crowd leaned in.
Still…
No one moved.
And then—
Kuro vanished.
A blink.
A shockwave detonated where he had stood, stone erupting underfoot.
Astrid dodged sideways instinctively — but Kuro was already there, behind her.
He didn't strike.
He just stood there, waiting.
She twisted midair, delivering a slicing kick — but Kuro ducked, backflipping out of reach with nonchalant grace.
Their eyes locked again.
They'd just tested each other's speed.
Both still smirking.
"You're fast," Astrid admitted. "Not fast enough."
She disappeared.
No sound. No visual cue. She was simply gone.
Kuro's smile widened.
He closed his eyes… and raised a finger.
CLINK!
His finger tapped against the flat of her dagger midair.
She'd appeared above him — silent, invisible to the naked eye — but he still knew.
She dropped back, sliding along the ground, skidding into a crouch.
"You're reading my steps," she muttered.
"And you're reading my thoughts," Kuro replied. "We're not so different, Vale."
For a brief second, I forgot to breathe.
Neither had gone for the flag.
That was the game.
But the moment was fading.
They couldn't stall forever.
Suddenly — both took a step toward the center.
And then it began.
Astrid's daggers glinted like frost, her silver hair a streak of comet light as she lunged. Kuro, barehanded, twisted, his body coiling like smoke.
She slashed left — he swayed back.
She jabbed at his ribs — he caught her wrist, twisted, disarmed her midair.
But she wanted that.
The dagger flipped upward — and landed in her other hand behind his back.
Kuro ducked — barely.
She smiled this time.
"Got you."
"Almost."
He pressed a single finger against her shoulder and pushed.
She flipped backwards, using the momentum to land gracefully on her feet.
No one had the flag yet.
It was right there.
Just a few steps away.
"You don't want to take it yet, do you?" Astrid asked, standing in front of it now.
"You know why," Kuro said. "Because the real game begins after someone holds it."
They both stood on opposite sides of the flag.
The wind whistled around them.
I felt myself gripping the edge of my seat.
This isn't just a match. This is war.
They were calculating every second. Every trap. Every feint.
The crowd wasn't even screaming anymore.
Just stunned silence.
Sweat rolled down my neck.
How long had it been since I saw a fight like this?
Kuro's aura whispered around him.
Astrid's hair glinted like silver moonlight.
They both stepped forward — at the same time.
One inch from the flag.
Both smiling.
"Let's stop pretending," Astrid said.
"Let's begin," Kuro replied.
TO BE CONTINUED.