The crowd roared in approval at a battle well fought. The roars could be heard from the heavens. Despite the excited cheers from the academy students, one student in particular was horrified by the outcome. Jessica had tears in her eyes as she watched Jason's body fall from Anthony grasp and hit the floor. She couldn't move. She couldn't blink. Every second after Jason's death felt like an eternity in her eyes. Her tears couldn't stop flowing down her face. She rejected the outcome with every fiber of her being.
'He couldn't be dead. He had to still be alive, right? That had to be a clone.' Her mind was starting to break. Memories of the times she shared with him flashed before her eyes. The very first time she met him to the time she became his friend. From the time she first learned of her powers to the time she first healed him. Before she knew it, her memories showed her the moment when she found out he had a blessing. The first time she touched his body and held him close. The first time they became one. Every memory hit her like a runaway train all at once and erupted into a pained agonized scream.
The students around her stared at her before understanding and moved away to give her room. She crashed down onto her knees with her hands on the railing in front of her. She wanted to look away from the scene in front of her. She wanted to believe that a god casted an illusion. Yet no matter what excuse she came up with, deep down she knew he died. She started to pray, hoping that a god, any god would save him. She wanted so desperately to save his life. She pleaded and begged to the gods to spare him, willing to give her life in service to them.
"She lost it." One boy whispered to the guy next to him.
"Yea. She is in full denial. It's heartbreaking just to watch."
"Is this what it's like?" One girl asked to her friend in a whisper. "To lose the very thing you desire most?"
"Must be." The friend quietly responded. "You can tell just how much she loved him by the way she is acting now. He meant everything to her. Now he's gone."
Jessica could hear their words in her ears, yet she didn't care. All she wanted was Jason.
—
Jiang Yue watched the two fight. She sat in her seat like a queen on a throne. Her interest quickly peaked at the fact that Jason could hold his own against Anthony. "That boy is quite good for a child."
Addie looked at Jiang Yue. "You think so too?" Her pink eyes glanced with amusement and a hidden desire. "For someone so young, he has quite a lot of potential." Addie licked her lips as her desires started to affect her body. Jiang Yue smacked the back of her head, causing Addie to hold the back of her head. "Ow!" Addie complained.
"No horny."
"But…"
"No!"
Addie murmured something about abuse of powers and the right to express her feelings.
At this moment, Jason fell to the floor of the arena and his heart stopped beating. Addie started to complain that the universe was unfair for taking such a delightful treat away from her and how she couldn't enjoy tasting a delicious fruit before it ripened. Jiang Yue looked down at the arena with furrowed brows. "Now this is where the fight truly begins."
Addie looked at her friend with curious eyes. "What do you mean? He's dead."
"Yes. He is dead. I thought that too about an hour ago."
Addie looked at Jiang Yue with a confused expression.
—
Anthony watched Jason's body fall limp before he dropped him. His body crashed against the floor. Blood poured out of the hole in Jason's chest creating a pool on the arena floor.
Anthony looked down at Jason's grinning corpse. Anthony sneered then turned around and started walking away. He made it to the edge of the arena when a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Where are you going young leviathan?" The announcer said calmly. The cheers of the crowd started to die down at her words.
Anthony turned in the direction of the announcers booth. "What do you mean?" Anthony asked, confusion evident on his face. "I won the fight. He's dead. It's over." Anthony said bewildered.
The announcer spoke then spoke to everyone in the arena as if giving a lecture to the entire academy. "When an apex predator begins to hunt its prey, it always obey one specific rule. The hunt doesn't end until your prey is actually dead."
Anthony frowned at her words. Immediately after, Jason's body erupted into flames.
—
After Jason died, he opened his eyes to a world of darkness. Everything was pitch black as if the sun stopped existing al together and shadows enveloped the world. No matter which way he turned, Jason could see only nothing. Yet he felt like he wasn't alone. He felt someone was there, using the darkness like a shroud, watching him. He heard someone snap their fingers and a system prompt popped up in front of Jason.
HOST HAS COMPLETED HIDDEN OBJECTIVE. HOST HAS DIED FIVE TIMES IN COMBAT. NEW ABILITY ANALYSIS AND ASSESS UNLOCKED. WHEN HOST DIES, ANALYSIS AND ASSESS BECOMES ACTIVE. ANALYSIS AND ASSESS OBSERVES OPPONENT COMBAT PATERNS, HABITS AND IDENTIFIES WEAKNESSES. WHILE FIGHTING, ANY ATTACK THAT AFFECTS A TARGET DEALS DOUBLE DAMAGE.
"Sweet!" Jason said excitedly. With this ability, Jason can deal double damage after dying. Now this was an ability he could get used to using. It almost makes dying worth it.
SCANNING…
HOST HAS ENTERED A GODS DOMAIN. A GODS BLESSING HAS BEEN GIVEN. NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED. HIDDEN QUEST IS NOW AVAILABLE.
"Wait!" Jason shouted with surprise to the surrounding darkness. "I am in a gods domain and they granted me a blessing?" He rubbed his eyes thinking he misread this message. "What is happening?"
Before Jason could ask another question to his system, he felt something move in the darkness. He felt a soft and delicate hand being pressed against his cheek. The owner of the hand couldn't be seen in the darkness. Then a soft and gentle voice spoke directly in front of him. "I finally found you." The hand moved from his cheek and slowly and deliberately moved down to his chest and pushed him. He vanished out of the darkness. Then Jason's body was engulfed in fire.
—
The crowd was stunned into confusion as Jason's body erupted in flame. It felt like the whole world was holding its breathe wondering what was going to happen next.
—
Anthony was stunned when Jason's body caught fire. He didn't know what was happening but he knew it couldn't be good.
—
Jessica watched as Jason's body burned. No one touched him. He just started burning. The tears stopped flowing as hope appeared in her eyes. Hope that a god answered her prayers. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the flames disappeared and a pile of ash surrounded a body.
—
The pile of ash began to move and Jason appeared, shaking the ash from hair. Everyone was stunned beyond belief and before anyone could do anything, Jason looked at the stunned Anthony and said, "Time to begin round two." Then Jason lunged at him.