// Chapter 36 \\

Dusk Court's arena was like none I'd ever seen. The ground was solid lava rock, mixed with ash that colored its floors in a dark texture. Marble white walls rose from the arena, containing multiple gates of red, blue, and black for entry into the field, gold columns lining them. A golden rim topped the wall before the seating area covered in black chairs. Though, the black of the chairs could hardly be seen by the colorful crowd taking up the massive arena, their voices along with it.

It was hard to even hear my comrade speak as we sat in the middle coulombs of the arena. We were just low enough to have a better look at the place but not too close that our view of half of it was blocked. Even in the casing of our seats, the crowds were boisterously loud. A seat was placed for every High Monarch of every Court in the casing, a gap for their Captain of the guard to stand behind them, and a couple more seats in the back for honorary Court guests. That was where Jongho and Heeyoung sat together, hand in hand, as the two chatted amongst themselves. I paid little attention to them, though. Instead, I focused myself to the ones who sat around me. To my left sat Seonghwa and I was thankful for the distance between us.

The Rotational Courts were placed together, as were the Directional Courts. Seonghwa sat at the very end of the group, elbow propped on the throne of sunrise purples, pinks, and gold, his hand cupping his jaw. He was observing the arena below.

Between him and I were two seats meant for Day and Dusk Court. There was no High Monarch for Dusk Court, the throne of black, gold, red, and blue, so there was no need for one to fill the seat. If someone did, that would be considered an insult.

Day Court however...

My gaze lingered on the chair, a bright white sun flashing over-top of the blue gold throne.

Nothing was ever heard about Day Court. No one could enter the Court either and no one ever came out of it. No Day Court members of birth were ever Court Selected. Rumors were that the Court killed ones who would have to leave the Court for others to protect their secrets. Those who were Court Selected to go to Day were never heard from again. Some tried to refuse the nature of Court Selection and faced the consequences of nature: death.

The pulse thrummed in my back and I quickly turned my head to observe the right of me.

Next to me was Yeosang. He was also observing the arena below in his red wood throne that had carved rose petals of rose gold falling down its rim. He was the only Seasonal Court in existence. I couldn't lie to wonder what the others were. Beside him were the Directional Courts.

Bongju was next to him in a snow-white throne. It was complimented with vibrant blue cushions and jutting obsidian stones. He appeared to actually make a bit of conversation with Leeyon who sat beside him in a golden, sea green glass, throne. The inside was actually filled with water and tiny fish swam within it, which I found a bit surprising. However, I knew neither were close and their conversation was most likely more professional than anything. It was also the constant grimaced Leeyon gave. Clearly, she was dreading the Trials and I couldn't really blame her. However, Bongju didn't seem to take the hint, conversing to her about something I couldn't hear.

Behind them sat Hongjoong who merely twiddled his one thumb with his bronze hilt covering his decapitated wrist in his green and bronze throne. I felt a slight twist of pain. I still felt bad for him, even though I loved him like a brother. However, I felt more ashamed in somehow believing no matter what I did or what happened, a part of his heart would always be there for me, as something more than just a friend. His blue-grey eyes were always too revealing on what he cared about.

I found myself looking down to my own thumbs then— my two hands. I allowed them to play with the hem of my midnight skirt. The dress I wore matched well with the silver throne that I sat in. The skirt of the dress was midnight black with glittering stars while the bodice was white and covered in the pattern of silver rings. It complimented with black cushions covered in starlight and the few violet ribbons that laced the edges of the throne.

"So, last night."

I jolted with a startle of Yeosang's voice, quickly looking up to him. Last night? My mind immediately drifted to Seonghwa. Night. I spared a glance to me left to see Seonghwa talking a bit with his Captain of the Guard, Erix, behind him. I looked back to Yeosang.

"Listen, what I did with Seonghwa was a mistake."

Yeosang was silent for a moment, staring at me before he lifted a brow. He turned back to the arena before murmuring, "Not sure if I really needed to know that."

I blushed, speechless for a moment before I cleared my throat, "I'm- what did you mean?"

"I had my Sanction scan the arena perimeters about guards last night."

I froze. Of course, Yeosang was still trying to find the wielders and my mind had the crazy idea that he was somehow jealous of what I'd done with Seonghwa— or that he'd known. He was practically my brother, of course he was focused on his secret mission, not a night of relaxation.

I slouched my shoulders but quickly straightened as I asked, "What did you find out?"

"Guards are stationed everywhere in the complex. It's secure." Yeosang spoke with a bit of relief in his voice, "I got another report this morning from scanning the crowds as the arena filled though, there has been no evidence of wielders."

I hesitated before I put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll find them. I believe we can."

Yeosang looked to me then before he nodded his head.

There was a loud sound of a horn then and both Yeosang's and my own attention went to the arena. The trials were starting.

Five pillars of a red glittering magic took over the stadium before figures began to take form from them, mimicking their walks from the gates they would've come from. A tradition of the High Monarch trials was taking form: The Rewatching. A magic of holograms or illusions would take over the arena for a short period of time to replay what the last trials had been.

The arena battle was always the cruelest tradition kept for multiple heirs to become High Monarchs. All forms of mannerism and peace were off. The blood baths and cruelty could almost compare to those of Takers. Except the heirs could always use their magic and magic made things more cruel. But that wasn't the definitive part of this Rewatching.

The five figures took their forms, different statures and outlines carved out in the red glitter. But none of those figures were remembered after their deaths— except for one. One which we had the honor of being closest to when his outline took form, and there was no mistaking who he was.

A cloak of stark cuts and sharp ends took hold over the tall male, making him sleek in appearance. The gloves on his hands were that of a showman and tragically deceiving. Shaggy, slightly curled, hair was shaken before a hand elegantly pulled it back to place something on his head that had been in his other hand. The magic never moved to give an ounce of true color to its characters, but the item he placed on his head was unmistakably ancient and forever known: The Black Fedora. It casted a shadow down on the head of the man it was placed on, perfect for the fitting and what would be the black figure that stood there if what I saw was truly real and not the works of the peach illusion playing out.

The audience of the stadium silenced their shouts and bellows for just a moment as all their eyes found the figure— as they recognized the figure as I did. No cheers broke out for that half of a moment. Whispers was all that greeted the ears of everyone. Whispers of the name of who they saw. Whispers that made a chant in that what-would-be silence. It was a name and an impact that was enough to signify the mark he'd left on Dusk Court.

Rione Hala. Or as people once called him by his Monarch name, Nightmare.

His re-animated figure was just as deadly as what the eyes that had witnessed his living stature had said. What they spoke was a promise that his Monarch name was not chosen in vain as he was a walking nightmare, a cruel dream on the foot of reality.

He possessed a multitude of talents; ones of impossible tales and legends such as the fire blasts of treachery, the smokey-haze of silver sleeps, the shift of chivalry, and the swiftness of time. His magic was the only one marked in history to have names placed behind it. Names and a talent so powerful, I didn't believe this illusion of the grand historical fight would do them justice.

All the figured stopped then, forming a smaller circle in the circular field. Then, a horn sounded, but not from the horn atop the arena. This hologram contained sound.

Immediately, the figures on the field bursted into action.

A woman of lean form and braids spun at a man. She dove in with an array of crystals forming from thin air before they were launched at the man. The man simply waved a hand and the crystals that had been coming towards him disintegrated to sand which began to whoosh around him before he sent it back at the woman. She had to stop in her tracks from the wrath of the sand storm that hit her, covering her face with her arms. She made the mistake of showing weakness.

The man sliced his hand in an upwards motion which launched the woman in the sky. I could her yell of panic she let out as she flew into the air. Her hands waved as she slowed and began to fall back down to the storm of sand that had formed into rock of deadly sharp points. I thought she would die then, but suddenly, her skin was shining and glimmering like a gem. She hit a spike straight on, but all that was heard was a rough collision of stone against sheer diamond before she clutched the pillar and launched off of it to the man. However, the man let out a bark of agony before the woman could get to him.

His side burned from a whip of lava that had slashed him. There was another man that was not too far behind him, bulkier and lava swirling all around him.

The man quickly whipped the sand back to him, dodging a blow from the girl who tried to attack his already wounded side with a diamond dagger that had formed out of her hand.

The three proceeded to fight while a scrawnier man had rushed his way to where Rione stood. He had a smirk on his face and long claws sticking out from his nails.

Rione had stood still in the same spot ever since he'd walked into the arena and he didn't make a shift in his position as the man of claws approached him. He still didn't bother to move when the man of claws was upon him. The man sneered, saying something that couldn't be heard through the cheers. He seemed ignorant to approach Rione in such a taunting manner as it had to be known by all the fighters their strengths and weaknesses. But I could see it in the red holographic glimmer of the man's eyes and he did know how dangerous Rione was. Yet, Rione did nothing. He simply stood there as he had when the fight commenced.

The man stood there, turning his head to either side of Rione, smirk still prevalent. He spoke every now and then, and by the look in his eyes he must have been taunting him. But Rione stood still, not doing anything. It was evident the man of claws grew irritated. He spoke something before he moved to thrust his claws into Rione's gut.

There was an explosion. The sound rocketed through the arena as smoke bolstered through the side of the arena like a mushroom. Then the smoke froze before quickly taking the form of deadly slashes of a deadly blade. Some sparked and ignited into flames as they reformed the figure of Rione, collecting back from the smoke and embers he'd combusted into. The fire blasts of treachery and the smokey-haze of silver sleeps. That was half of his power.

In his wake, he left the man that had mocked him with several slashes and burn marks across his body. The corpse laid limp in an unnatural pose on the ground. Rione didn't spare him a glance, fedora still perfectly placed on his head.

The other opponents on the field froze, hesitantly looking between each other and the scene Rione left behind.

Rione didn't hesitate. He stepped forward to a group of the three other opponents who had been fighting each other a moment ago. He raised his fists which were clear he'd for a moment before he opened them to reveal smoke and fire blazing in them.

One opponent dared to step forward. The woman made of gems charged towards Rione, a battle cry leaving her mouth. The dagger where her hand was grew to a broad sword. She tore it down on Rione but it was a quickly blocked in a puff of smoke and fire— no— the smoke and fire only made up the shifted arm.

Rione's arm had become one of a creature much larger than him. Its arm was coating in armor and bulky, tough enough to block the cut of the diamond blade the woman used. Shifts of chivalry.

The woman didn't even have time to react to this as Rione quickly drove the blade away, using his other hand of smoke and flame to grab her face. He held it there for a moment, holding the sword down with the beast hand while he bag an to burn and melt the face of the woman.

I could've sworn I heard a muffled scream. However, this woman had an unbelievable amount of fight in her. Her other hand formed a dagger to swoop in on Rione. But just before it could, and explosion came from the woman's face and the beast hand swung her across the arena.

It came closer to our side and I couldn't help but feel a bit of unease to find the woman's face gazing up to the sky. Except, there was no more face there. Just a warped and shattered display of gem. I couldn't bare to look when the lifeless form shuttered back into flesh, despite it being a hologram of red material.

I turned my attention back to the fight where the two men surrounded Rione. They'd stopped fighting each other to try and take him down. I could see why, but I knew how this would turn out.

There was another burst of smoke and flames. Out from it came a large wolf-bodied beast and a serpent jaw. Wisps of smoke immolated from it with crackling heat as it hurdled towards the two men.

The man of lava rose a large whip of molten rock before sending it to slice down on the creature but the creature was fast. Or rather, Rione was fast: the swiftness of time. He'd dodged the lava whip that now smacked the ground with a loud thud.

A grotesque sound of a howl emulated from the beast as it closed in on the two men, the last two opponents. Both had gone wide eyes in disbelief.

Quickly, the other man threw out his hands and an explosion of sand erupted through the arena. Everyone murmured in surprise and giddiness for what was to happen next, even the live audience.

All was silent for awhile as the sand drifted, making it impossible to see and no sounds erupted from within.

But where sand had been was replaced immediately with abrupt bright and hot steering flames, smoke slithering from the sides. But just as the flames came, it was gone, leaving what would have been sand to fall in specks of lava, coming down onto the field like rain.

Rione stood with the man of lava held up by his neck. The man may have been bulky and full of muscle compared to Rione's lean stature. However, Rione was tall, taller than the man, and something else entirely.

The man's lip curled as he glared at Rione but his eyes couldn't be seen under the fedora.

Then Rione threw the man to the ground with a shuttering crunch before quickly sending a slice of smoke through him. The man fell limp onto the ground.

Rione then looked up across the field to the last man, wiping a smudge of drying magma off the shoulder of his jacket. He hadn't gotten a single scratch on him and he'd taken down three opponents as if it was nothing.

The surprise was emanated by everyone's excited cheers but it was even more-so apparent in the last opponent.

The man gritted his teeth, summoning sand into both of his hands as he eyed Rione warily. Surprise and fear filled his entire stature, clearly feeling the defeat to come and the death along with it. But he clenched his fists and the sand became spinning stone shards and more sand appeared in waves like a shield around him. He wasn't going down without a fight.

Rione only observed for a moment before he launched himself forward with smoke and flames. The man launched forward as well sending a few spikes straight towards Rione.

Rione naturally dodged the first one, and explosion with the second before he emerged as a six legged creature with an armored head that deflected the third before charging at the man.

The man quickly launched himself in the air with his sand but that was when the flames his it. The crackles of fire from the creature as it hurtled the sand caused a flame to burst from it in another explosion. The explosion and fire had hit the man, sending him hurtling father skyward with a grunt before he began falling to the ground.

Rione sent out a slash of smoke to finish him off right as the man was about to his the ground but the man brought a storm of sand up from the ground, dodging the smoke, and flipping to his feet with a slight faulted with the injuries he sustained.

Rione launched forward with both the smoke and flame as the man did with rock and sand. The powers collided and became nothing. One after another, rock collided with smoke or fire as smoke or fire collided with sand and either combusted or merged into nothing. The two kept at this dance of attacks for a bit, sending the crowd into a tizzy.

But the man still had a wary look in his eyes and even though Rione's face couldn't be seen, he radiated certain calmness— it was almost cold.

Another explosion came from Rione before he launched forward and punched the man with a fire fist. The man recoiled in surprise and pain as Rione twirled. Another explosion came and his leg he swung out had become one of a creature with blades. They slashed through the man's face, leaving it mangled and almost as warped as the woman's. Rione was relentless, though, bringing the leg back before he jabbed it into the man's stomach, but he wasn't even moving anymore. He dropped dead on the ground, leaving Rione to be the last one standing, the creature leg of flame and smoke forming back into his normal one.

The crowd erupted in claps and whales as Rione raised his head, half of his face still hidden by shadow. He won, and made quite the show of it from the red hologram as he'd done all those years ago.

The smoke and fire billowed out from Rione then, filling the floor of the arena. Then wings bursted from it, large deadly and magnificent wings. A harpy eagle, at least the size of Seonghwa's dragon form, bursted from the smoke. It hollered a war cry through the arena, echoing the sound off the walls and sending a chill up my spine from the sheer power it sent.

Nightmare, one of the strongest High Monarchs to ever live. He came out of High Monarch Trials without a single scratch.

The second form swooped around the arena, leaving red glittering particles in its wake before it landed back in the center in a puff of fire and smoke, having Rione Hala reappear in its place. Now, the frame of his cloak were feathers and one of a bird tail.

The fedora had fallen from his head when he transformed, and now his face was left for all of the crowd to see. And somehow, I imagined the colors that would appear in the hologram.

His black hair had sagged into his face but it was short enough to still see his magenta eyes. His skin was sunkissed tan and gold streaked down his cheeks like tears. He breathed a heavy sigh as he took in the crowd. The crowd that would be yelling in his triumph. There wasn't any joy of victory in his eyes, though. There was calculation, a look that this was only one step forward.

The hologram faded then, and wilder cheers erupted as three figures made their way out of the gates.

Mingi approached out on the field where Rione's hologram had been. He was clad in black and gold armor and strode with purpose. Continuing his legacy.

Izan and Bustol walked into the field as well. Izan was in blue and gold armor while Bustol was in red and gold.

All appeared to be sending the others glares. Only one would walk out of this fight. The true trials were about to begin.

REMEMBER:​​​​​​

1. Smack dat butiful star

2. Leave a comment talkin abt dis tea

3. Share dis tea induced book with yo fwends

WHY? Because I appreciate it 🥺

\\ See u in the next chapter! \\