Shadow Slave: Riftwalker

Aeona thought about what the results would be of the next two matches. The hobgoblin would be matched against the Muscle Freak, while she would face the Snake. Obviously, the goblin stood no chance against the Muscle Freak. In fact, even if the Muscle Freak broke a bone or hurt himself like the centaur, Aeona would argue that he'd still win the fight.

That left Aeona and the Snake. The Snake had a battle style which was essentially an underdeveloped version of her own, and he lacked the strength to back it up. This meant that as long as Aeona was even the slightest bit careful, she'd win with relative ease.

Then, the finals would be between Aeona and the Muscle Freak, and this would be the match where she'd carry out her plan. Now, was she sure that her plan would work perfectly? Not at all. She hoped it would be difficult, but she feared that her plan would be entirely useless. With that in mind, she chose to dedicate this next match as an info grabber.

First of all, she needed to scope out her surroundings and find a direct route to the castle door. Besides this, she also needed to confirm that this plan would actually work out. If she ran into a dead end, or if the statue reacted negatively instead of positively, she would likely die and never be seen again.

That being said, she would ask the Snake about what he knew and hope for at least some semblance of a response.

Before her own match, Aeona needed to gauge the strength of the Muscle Freak, as it would be a drag if she hurt herself too badly in the process. She also needed to figure out his battle style to read his movements. While it seemed difficult, all she could do was her best.

Then, a voice echoed, marking the beginning of a new battle...

"Are you ready, ladies and gentlemen for the semifinals!?" The voice shouted with excitement. "If so, make sure to place your bets soon, as the rounds will begin in just a few moments!"

Hearing this, a distant chatter arose from the crowd before quickly quieting down in anticipation. "There are only four gladiators remaining! The Battle Maiden, the Muscle Freak, the Snake, and the Goblin of Pity..."

The Goblin of Pity is sort of a cool title... Why did such a weak fighter get such a cool name...?

"...will be battling it out for the first-place spot! And the first that we will witness is between the Muscle Freak and the Goblin of Pity!" The crowd repeated a phrase as per usual, but Aeona was able to ignore it this time. What caught her eye was that a balcony door of the castle creaked open, a middle-aged man stepping outside.

For each step the man took, a section of the crowd fell silent. It was as if their presence alone was enough to silence the audience—from fear rather than respect. 

He had a beard and was dressed in finely tailored royal garments. He displayed the temperament of a king, but the sheer power of a Saint. At the sight, Aeona's heart dropped at the thick, oppressive air the man produced.

Everybody, even the Master was intimidated.

She grabbed the collar of her shirt, brought it over her head, sucked in the fabric with her lips, and screamed as loud as she could. However, nobody could hear her, as it was muffled by the shirt.

An odd feeling of hopelessness occurred, but she slapped her own face in order to calm herself. She couldn't waver because of a Saint; the only thing she should complain about was that there wasn't more. Or at least she told herself that. What her heart felt was perplexity.

Why the hell was a Saint in her First Nightmare? Wasn't the highest rank meant to be Awakened or, at most, Fallen? Why was there an Ascended and a Saint? Was she cursed? Or did fate adjust the Nightmare to match her goals. 

Regardless, this made little sense, but she had no choice but to hold her conviction. She was forced to analyze her surroundings even more now, because if the Saint interfered, she could likely die from his aura alone.

The next match began, following a short countdown. The Muscle Freak wasted no time, charging at the goblin, seizing its head, and slamming it into the ground.

...

That was... quick.

The crowd went silent before falling back into their chant. However, not a soul was surprised by the outcome, just the speed. 

Aeona was grateful for the Muscle Freak's strength because the power she just witnessed was perfect for the job. It was physical strength powerful enough to contend with herself multiplied. Hit by an attack like this, she would fly many feet into the air. This was exactly what she wanted—no, needed.

The Muscle Freak walked back to his station and the gates ascended to block him off from the stadium. The Pristine Colosseum fell silent before a powerful voice shattered the stillness. This was a new voice, an unfamiliar one, but despite that, the voice held an unbreakable will.

It interrupted the Master as he began speaking, as if rushing the man to move on. While Aeona acknowledged the overdone length of the Ascended's speech, she hadn't expected somebody to voice their complaints—especially before the Master even began talking.

"Louis, show me the maiden." It was simple yet stern. It was demanding yet warming to hear. The mere tone of voice had Aeona feeling glorious, but that glory was interrupted by a realization.

Maiden? As in... me? She wondered. Her title was the Battle Maiden, so it wouldn't be a stretch. There was also no other 'maiden' in the vicinity, which left only her.

Fortunately, her questions were quickly answered as the Ascended spoke up. "Yes, your majesty, I shall commence the second match of the semifinals without wait." The previously unhinged man bowed in respect.

Skipping the introductions and the announcement of the next match, the Master just said three words. "Lower the gates..." 

The sound of metal clanked against walls, and Aeona watched as the stadium opened for her. Wind blew into her face, but what she felt even more was an almost divine presence. It was surely the Saint, and she could tell—as she stepped towards the center of the arena—that the middle-aged Transcendent was glaring daggers at her stature.

This was when she realized why the Muscle Freak didn't hold back against the Goblin, as mercy in front of the King was disrespectful/

Even more sweat than before trickled down her face as she faced her opponent beneath the Master's floating pillar. Breaking the thin atmosphere, Aeona spoke.

"Snake, what do you know about this colosseum?"

---> Feedback Please! <---

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Authors Note: 

- [1243 Words] Short chapter. I'm probably going to release a second chapter today to make up for it.

- If this chapter was too fast paced or terrible to read, please let me know so I can fix it.

Here are some questions:

1: What kind of Aspect do you think Aeona will get?

2: What rank Aspect do you believe Aeona will get?

3: Where do you think she'll spawn in the Dream Realm?

4: What do you think Aeona's third attribute, [Hourglass's Heir] insinuates?

5: How are you guys enjoying this fanfic so far?

- Anyways, I hope you liked it!