Lyan
I couldn't be feeling worse as I walked to the training area, where according to dad the last trial would take place. I couldn't believe I had slept through the second trial. Right when my guys were fighting for their lives. I felt like trash, but at least I knew they were safe. Ruan had come to my room deep into the night and had told me that they were alive.
Now I only had to worry about who knew about our plan and had managed to foil it, but if Ruan was right it was all dad's fault.
" Hello dad" I said, calling him closer.
Dad came to me in a second and was by my side, smiling at me as if he hadn't done anything bad ever. I furrowed my eyebrows, I was almost certain dad was the one that had foiled our plans, but immediately unforrowed them. If I wanted to escape as soon as the trial ended I would need dad not to suspect anything at all.
" Ready to watch the last trial?" Dad asked, offering me a big smile.
" Sure" I said cheerfully. I had to keep up the facade. " What will it be about?" I asked as subtly as I could, probing for information.
" You'll see in a little while"
Dad grabbed my hand and led me to two seats on one side of the the training area. The seats were so high up that even if I dangled my feet I couldn't reach the ground.
I looked around confused. What could this trial be about?
I was searching for my guys, there were a few demons whispering on the sides, but not them, when I saw Ruan signing at me with panic in his eyes. Just what was going on?
" Can I go to the bathroom?" I asked dad as an excuse to leave and meet up with Ruan.
" Wait for a while. This trial won't take long" Dad said, his eyes trailing dangerously close to Ruan's hiding spot. Did he know?
" What do you mean it won't take long?" I asked nervously. I had an awful gut feeling about this.
" This trial is about killing each other" Dad said, a maniac gleam in his eyes. " Only two can remain standing, so it won't take long. Killing isn't that hard."
My whole face paled and I glanced at Ruan. We were fucked.
I looked back at dad and saw him smiling at me, showing all his teeth as if everything was okay. He knew. He had known all along.
" I really have to go to the bathroom" I said as I got up, feeling nauseous. My dad was going to get my guys killed. I knew that it was a very likely occurrence, he had told me himself he would kill any boys that came close to me, but I still couldn't help but feel as if he had betrayed me.
" Stay" Dad grabbed my shoulder lightly and sat me back down on the chair.
" Begin!" Dad screamed. The four demons on the far side chose their weapons from the racks and came the the center, bowing down to dad. Then they attacked each other.
A tall demon with blue skin, the one that had been talking to my guys sometimes, started the attack. He launched at the other demons, slashing with his sword at their necks, aiming for their lives, but the other demons were fast. They all got away from his path and backed away, circling the demon. Were they in teams?
" Are teams allowed?" I asked dad in a low voice, hope igniting in my system. If teams were possible all my guys might just come out alive.
" No" Was all Dad said, his smile as big as I've ever seen. My hope dissipated as I watched his smile.
Yeah, we were fucked.
In the middle of the arena the demons were still fighting. One of them was down on the ground, his entrails all over the floor while his black blood tainted the sand.
The remaining three demons were going at each other, attacking and slashing without mercy, but I noticed none of them were using their powers.
" Are powers not allowed?" I asked cautiously as I watched the tall demon receive a slash to his right leg and go down to the floor clutching the wound.
The demon he had been fighting behind him didn't waste any time and swung his dagger straight for his neck, severing his main artery. Blood poured everywhere as the demon twitched one last time and then fell to the floor, his body completely limp and his eyes tracing the sky without really seeing.
Despite the blood the other demons didn't stop. Their weapons clashed as they moved around, stepping on the corpse and tainting their clothes even more black. The metals clashed as they attacked each other, looking for an opening, but there were none.
Both of them moved as fluidly as water, avoiding and throwing attacks in a split second. Whenever it seemed that the demon with the dagger would defeat his opponent the other one turned right on time and defended or dodged, making the duel drag on.
" Of course not" Dad whispered into my ear. " We wouldn't want them escaping, would we now?" Dad's smile was diabolical as he turned to look back at the fight.
I just stared at him with my eyes wide open. He knew. He had known all along. A feeling of betrayal made its way up to me. He had known they were important to me and yet he was trying to kill them. I glared at him as hard as I could, unshed tears in my eyes.
I stopped staring when I saw it wouldn't have any effect and went back to staring at the middle, where the demon with the daggers was choking the other one, both of them rolling around on the bloodied ground.
It didn't take long for the demon that was being strangled to stop moving and look up, already dead.
The remaining survivor got back up with a smile as he dusted off his pants, which was useless taking into account the fact that he was covered in blood from head to toe, and bowed down to dad.
" We have a winner" Dad said as he smiled. " You're dismissed, bring in the next ones"
At dad's behest the next four demons entered the ring and after dragging all the corpses to a corner they picked their weapons and stood in the center, waiting for dad.
" Begin"
As soon as dad said that a head went flying off as a demon struck the closest one, severing all the neck ligaments in a fluid motion. The head landed with a thump on the left of the bloody body, which slumped to the floor pouring out blood.
I made a face of disgust and had to keep my food in my stomach. I wanted to puke. This was violence without a cause. It was just to hurt and laugh. As I watched dad from the corner of my eye I could see a faint smile on his face. He was enjoying every second of it. I just gagged and looked ahead, dreading the moment my guys would come in, all because of me. I had killed them.
Ruan
Craaaap!!
I knew Ashmoder knew about our plan, but I didn't think he would take so much action. I just thought he was going to be annoying from the sides, not actually interfere.
My plan to help them escape was trash now if I couldn't make them survive this challenge, which was looking pretty grim. At least I had managed to threaten and intimidate other candidates into going first, so the humans would go in last, but that didn't mean we were any better off. At the rate things were going they'd have to kill each other, the princess would tattle and I'd be dead meat. That and I wouldn't get my revenge.
" What do we do now?" Fast healing was pacing besides me, walking up and down the corridor.
" I don't know" I panicked.
Ashmoder's office hadn't had any useful information and I hadn't learned about the challenge until he had presented it in front of everyone, so I hadn't had any time to prepare.
I too began pacing up and down. I couldn't let things unfold like this. I looked down at my right hand and sighed. I'd have to use them.
" I'll fix this" I said as I began gathering my power, ready to teleport. " Stall for as long as you can"and
" Stall? What do you mean stall? How!!?" Their screams faded in the distance as I teleported, appearing in the middle of a dark room.
" Hello Inna"
The shadow on the far end of the room lowered her sword and smiled as she walked up to me.
" What do you want now?" Her musical voice was as lovely as always.
I smiled. Maybe I wouldn't have to give up on my revenge after all.
Lyan
The contestants passed by, entering the arena and fighting until only one remained standing, and as they died the sand turned more and more black until the original color couldn't be seen anymore.
The corpses piled up on the sides and the panic that I'd been feeling since the beginning of the trial and that I had pushed back was beginning to show itself.
I hadn't seen Ruan since that first panicked look at the beginning and was now beginning to think that he had abandoned us, leaving my guys to die. I couldn't accept that, but there was nothing I could do.
" Are you enjoying the show?" Dad asked not for the first time since the duels had begun.
Instead of answering I just looked away from him and into the center of the arena as he chuckled. He truly was derranged. I had already lost all my faith in him, but I was still surprised by how low he could fall and how many warnings I had ignored just because he was my dad.
Only two demons were standing in the middle of the arena, each of them with no weapons, those were discarded some time ago, and were punching each other, trying to get to the opponent's neck and crush it, but none of them had the advantage.
" We have a problem!"Ruan screamed from the entrance as he strutted up to us, confident. What was he doing? I glared at him. Our deal was supposed to be a secret.
The demons stopped fighting and turned to look at him expectantly.
" Continue" Dad told the demons. They reluctantly looked away from Ruan, who was now very close to us, and started fighting again, throwing punches.
" What is it?" Dad's tone dropped, his voice turning deeper and darker.
" The rebels"
As soon as Ruan finished speaking dad's eyebrows furrowed and his whole face contorted in anger.
" Where?" Dad demanded more than asked.
" The capital"
Dad swore and looked at the demons in the middle, where one of them had managed to pin the other one down to the ground and was trying to pop out his eyeballs by applying pressure with his fingers.
" I'll go" Dad said as he got up. Then he looked at me with love and then at the demons fighting. " Stop!" He said in a deep voice. The demons stopped immediately, the one on top with his hand mere inches away from the other one's eyes. " All of you, come to the arena right now"
At dad's words all the other winners from the other tournaments began entering, and my guys did too. I watched them file in and then take a lateral position, avoiding the blood. My blood ran cold. What could he want now?
" Only two can remain" Was all dad said before he turned around to face Ruan, already focused on his conversation with him.
As soon as I heard his words I breathed a sigh of relief. This was our chance. My guys could survive, but the problem was they were three.
I got up from my seat as fast as I could as hell unleash behind me, everyone going after everyone. I ran up to dad and grabbed his sleeve, making him stop and turn back to look at me.
" Can't there be three survivors?" I asked in my most innocent voice. " I want three servants" I lied.
Dad clenched his teeth but nodded. Just as I suspected. He wanted to kill my guys but didn't want to earn my hatred by doing it directly, so he was using underhanded tactics to get what he wanted.
" I'll come back as soon as I can" He said as he ruffled my hair " In the meanwhile Riss will take care of you" Dad kissed my forehead and disappeared, leaving Ruan behind.
" Did you do this?" I asked. Ruan laughed, but didn't answer my question. He definitely had something to do with the rebels, but if he didn't want to tell me that was his problem, not mine. He had helped me and that was all that counted.
" If I know the rebels this should take about a week. When I come back I'll teleport you home before Ashmoder can have another one of his great ideas. In the meanwhile stick close to Riss, he'll protect you"
Thousands of questions rushed in my mind, but I asked one of the most unrelated ones, one that would be important if I had to stay here for a week.
" Who is Riss?"
" Remember that awful dinner?"
How could I forget it? The way everyone had looked at me was still etched into my memory.
I nodded.
" He was the dude you sat besides." I tilted my head. What guy? Ruan must've seen my confusion because he chuckled and added "The one with the red hair"
Oh, that one.
" I remember" I said.
" He'll protect you" Ruan said as he waved his hand on the direction of the fighting and disappeared.
Fuck, I had just lost all my chances to ask him questions. With a little bit of luck, which I really didn't rely on, he would answer them when he came back from dealing with whatever he had caused.
As I turned back to face that arena I saw that my guys were standing in the middle, corpses all around them.
I ran to them as fast as I could and I hugged them, breathing in their smell. I had missed their smell and their voices, I had missed them all.
" Missed us?" Jack asked with an smug expression.
As an answer I just hugged them tighter and closer to me.
" Don't ever leave me again" The words I had been thinking escaped my mouth instead of what I wanted to say, which was: thanks for been with me or thanks for following me to hell.
" Not ever" Orus said as he hugged me thigher, my ribs suffering from the pressure.
" I never thought you'd be able to kill this much" I said while I chuckled as I still hugged them, not wanting to let go.
In truth I could see Oscar killing that much, but not Orus nor Jack. That and their opponents were demons. How had they managed to kill them all? Despite wanting to just let it go and be happy for the reunion my curiosity took the better of me.
" They suddenly dropped dead, but don't think for a second I couldn't be able to kill them all and offer you their eyes"
I chuckled at Oscar's words. I had missed his threats and his silent care.
" Wanna go see my room?" I asked as I finally let go and grabbed their hands instead.
" Sure" Jack said smugly as he grabbed my hand tightly.
" I knew one day you'd invite me to your room" Oscar said with a smug expression too. Insufferable psycho. I smiled.
" If that's what my mate wants"
I smiled the biggest I had for a long while as I took them to my room, happy as fuck. My guys were safe. We had made it. We were finally back together and now all that was left was to get back home.