All eyes gathered on the training arena. Faces showed excitement, hatred from one side, and contemplation from another. Richard, with his blond hair, could not take his eyes off the white-haired figure. As if he were staring at a stranger, an enemy, a friend.
"Prince… Prince…"
His left hand tightened around the scarf at his neck, around the wrapped bandage. His lips trembled as he whispered the same word again and again. Like the tension of an exam… or like an eternal judgment.
The one concerned, Noah, with his crimson eyes, was evaluating Richard's movements from one side, and observing them from another. Inside the arena, he stood in his place, committed to the test as usual. The distance between him and the blond boy was not great. With just a few steps, Noah could hear Richard's whispers. They sounded like a foreign language, heavy with pain and suffering. He would not let curiosity break him, but it still struck his pride.
He prepared his power at the referee's signal. Facing him were Nicholas and Sarah. A girl with pale pink hair, honey-colored eyes, and dark freckled skin. Her clear features showed her boldness and strength. Nicholas, on the other hand, smiled as usual — a psychological, challenging smile, mocking from one side and observant from another.
At the referee's sign, a black gem was launched, announcing the start. Nicholas and Sarah advanced immediately, their movement looking as if they had trained for years. Sand moved, blocking Richard's and Noah's vision, followed by sharp blades flying like daggers.
Instinctively, Richard raised his hands, forming an air shield to protect himself. Noah's eyes widened, and he rushed toward Richard. His speed of reaction was astonishing — terrifyingly precise. He regained his focus by moving the sand, turning it into a whirlwind that surrounded and protected his partner. It was Sarah's magic.
At the same time, a gray dagger formed from the blond boy's magic. Nicholas charged at him with incredible speed, his agility and strength overwhelming Richard, who was thrown backward, eyes wide. The attacks were fast, the power even greater. Richard's face showed a strange, contradictory expression — confusion and tension mixed with a strange sense of thrill and shock.
The dual attack ended with a violent crash against the arena wall, producing a sound that sent shivers through minds and hearts. Noah turned instinctively toward the impact, but all he saw was dust and fog.
"From here…"
A sand vortex suddenly surrounded him after he heard a female voice from behind.
"Tch…" escaped his lips as he snapped his fingers. Flames devoured all the sand around Noah, revealing his sharp expression behind the fire. Sarah looked surprised, then smiled with greater challenge, releasing her sand from all directions.
"This is fun!" she shouted.
She clashed with the prince's power. She could not deny her weakness before him, yet she spread her magic with both hands, while he erased and burned it with a single finger.
Terrifying sounds echoed from the arena wall. Nicholas, with his many weapons, was throwing Richard around with amused expressions. Richard seemed helpless for some reason. The weapons hit the wall, narrowly missing his face — almost as if by command.
'Strange… yet exciting!' Nicholas thought.
He looked at the blond boy. Pain was clearly written on Richard's face, as clear as the moon in the night, even though none of the blades had touched him. His heart trembled — was it fear, or something else? Richard could not tell. His slave mark would soon glow to punish him. Lightning-like torment visited his mind.
Of course — if he disobeyed his master!
His physical strength gave out. He was sure one of his ribs cracked when his back hit the wall. His mind desperately tried to control his powers and protect him. A transparent shield — of air, or perhaps sand particles — formed around his body, blocking deadly blows and reflecting the same damage back at his attacker.
'It hurts… this hurts,' Richard thought.
The shield vanished like a mirage, and his body received Nicholas's attacks directly.
On the other side, Sarah was nearly out of breath after using a massive amount of magic.
"This is madness… absolute madness!" she cried, barely standing. The one before her was not even scratched!
His presence was overwhelming, his aura crushing. He lowered his guard for a moment when something sharp stabbed into his right hand. Hot liquid flowed, extinguishing his yellow flames.
"What the—?!" he shouted, turning toward the source.
A calm, mocking smile.
Nicholas charged again. Noah's eyes caught sight of Richard's body lying near the edge of the arena. His expression darkened instantly. His left hand unleashed hellish flames. Nicholas barely dodged, grinning widely.
"Is that all you've got… Your Highness?" he taunted.
He increased his speed, circling Noah in a technique of rapid point movement.
Noah's features hardened. His flames grew stronger, consuming the arena in fire. Sarah shielded herself with sand, though she was weak. Nicholas pushed through the flames with his speed.
The judges' eyes widened. Noah's power spoke clearly of his royal blood.
The arena became hell itself. Transparent shields protected the judges and observers, yet the heat of the flames still seeped through.
"Richard, my favorite dog… my doll…"
A cold voice echoed in a dark room deep beneath the castle. Calm, possessive, filled with twisted pleasure.
The blond boy's body shivered. His eyes shone with fear, pleading, and desperate hope.
He looked at his master — silver-white hair, sharp blue eyes. A cold hand lifted his chin.
"My dear favorite," the man said softly.
Richard swallowed. Despite his fear, he felt relieved. The arrival of his master, Shion Verosh, meant he would be taken away. He would not stay in this filth anymore!
He forced a hopeful smile.
"You're smiling?" Shion asked coldly, then smiled as he brushed Richard's hair. "Come into your master's arms."
Richard obeyed, barely able to carry his bruised, bloodied body.
"Master…" he whispered.
Shion held him gently. "It's alright, Richie. You're with me now. Everything will be fine."
Richard opened his eyes slowly, staring at a strange white ceiling. Tears filled his dead-looking eyes. His left hand reached upward.
It was a dream… no, a nightmare.
He sat up suddenly, breathing fast in fear.
"Don't worry, you're in the infirmary," a familiar voice said.
Nicholas.
Richard turned toward him, calming slightly. He noticed the bandages and the dull pain across his body.
"Your body was completely burned," Nicholas said. "Noah's flames got you. If you hadn't been near the exit, you would've been disfigured… or dead."
Richard turned his gaze to Noah with a cold, hateful look. But compared to his frozen hell, fire felt like a warm heater. He smiled. Truly smiled.
"I loved it," he whispered in a foreign language.
Everyone stared in shock.
"Did you win?" Richard asked in broken language.
"No winner. It was a draw," Noah replied calmly.
Richard nodded.
Then Sarah asked, "You're a foreigner, right?"
"Yes… Language hard. Very tiring."
The door opened. A dark-skinned warrior entered.
"Prince Noah, Prince Joseph requests you."
Ksaifer, the prince's guard.
Noah nodded and left.
Richard tried to stand again, seeking what he truly needed.
"Ice… Snow… Ice magic…"
No one understood.
Minutes later, the healer arrived.
"Why do you need ice magic?" the doctor asked.
Then the door opened again.
Ksaifer returned — with another prince.
Silver hair. Blue eyes like winter ice.
Prince Theodore Arthox.
Richard's eyes lit up with hope.
"Ice…" he whispered.
This time, he was certain.