Sylvia and Koja stood facing each other once more in the center of the arena, breathing deeply, the marks of their first battle still visible on them. The ground around them was covered with small puddles of water and remnants of torn plant roots, as if nature itself had witnessed their fight.
Koja slowly raised his hand, and water droplets began to gather in the air again, but this time they were slower, less dense. His shoulders sagged slightly with fatigue, and his eyes stared at Sylvia with intense focus.
Sylvia noticed it. She saw the tiredness in his eyes, the doubled effort it took him to move the water. She tightened her grip and whispered, in a voice so low it was barely audible:
«It's over.»
She planted her left foot firmly into the ground, and at that same moment, thin, swift roots shot up from beneath the soil, creeping stealthily towards Koja like silent serpents. His concentration was fixed on gathering the water, so he didn't feel them until they suddenly wrapped around his legs.
His eyes widened slightly, and he looked down to find the roots tightening around his ankles. He tried to move his feet, but they wouldn't respond. He quickly raised his hand to form a water wave to push himself free, but his breath caught for a moment from sheer exhaustion, and the water droplets scattered in the air before they could form.
At that moment, Sylvia raised her arms high, and a short but dense-limbed tree erupted from the ground in front of Koja. Its flexible branches bent swiftly like arrows, winding around his arms and shoulders, forcing him back.
He fell to one knee, surrounded by roots from below and branches from above. He tried to hold on, but felt their weight pressing down on his exhausted body.
Sylvia took a slow step forward and stood firmly before him. She looked at him with decisive eyes, but showed no triumph in her gaze.
Koja lowered his head slightly, then raised it again and let out a long, slow breath.
It was clear...
That he could no longer continue.
Zeer quickly raised his hands and shouted in a loud voice that cut through the heavy silence:
«Stop! Stop! I declare the end of the match!»
Silence reigned for a moment, then the crowd erupted.
Zeer looked at the scene before him, then shouted enthusiastically:
«The winner of this match... Princess Sylvia of the Plant Empire!»
The arena exploded with applause and rising chants.
«Sylvia! Sylvia!»
«Amazing power!»
«Plant conquers water!»
The roots quietly retreated, the branches wilted and shrank until they disappeared into the soil. Koja rose with obvious difficulty, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stood upright despite his exhaustion. He was steadfast, maintaining his pride despite the defeat.
Sylvia approached him and extended her hand with a gentle, warm smile. She said in a calm voice, devoid of arrogance:
«You were wonderful, Koja. Your power is truly amazing.»
He looked at her for a moment, his eyes gleaming with sincere appreciation, then reached out and shook her hand with a light grip.
He smiled faintly and said in a low, halting voice, as if searching for each word:
«You... too. You are... stronger than I expected.»
Sylvia paused briefly and looked at him with slight surprise. She furrowed her brows slightly as she asked gently:
«Do you have difficulty speaking? I mean... you speak in broken sentences.»
Koja shook his head calmly, then replied simply:
«Yes. It is hard... to speak fluently. I do not like... too much talk.»
Sylvia smiled more, feeling a strange comfort in his frankness. She said in a friendly tone:
«I have trouble with smell too. I haven't been able to distinguish scents well since I was born.»
Silvy chuckled lightly, astonished by this coincidence. Koja felt at ease with her words, and responded with a small, sincere smile, deeper than any words could express.
In the stands, Emperor Regas said, clapping slowly and admirably:
«Their fight was truly magnificent. I see a bright future for both of them.»
Emperor Luminas nodded and added:
«Yes, I was very impressed by Koja's power. His control over water is rare at his age.»
While Akalis said, with clear pride in his tone and his eyes gleaming:
«Well done, my son. This is an honorable loss.»
Then he added to himself, a tender smile forming on his face as he looked at Koja:
"I am not angry... I am proud of you. You did not give up despite the exhaustion."
And in the arena, the two withdrew quietly towards their seats, while the chants continued to reverberate around, signaling the end of the first match... and the beginning of something more intense.
Zeer said enthusiastically, clapping his hands to attract attention:
«The fight was magnificent, Princes! And now... let's see who the new opponents are!»
He spun the large wheel with both hands, and the names began to spin rapidly, appearing and disappearing. The wheel suddenly stopped.
Zeer looked at the name that had landed in front of him, then shouted with an excitement that stirred the crowd:
«Princess Diana of the Earth Empire!»
The arena exploded with applause and resounding chants.
«Diana! Diana!»
«Princess of Earth!»
Diana smiled with obvious confidence and waved to the crowd with elegant, theatrical movements, her head held high with pride. She stood up slowly, deliberately, wanting to give the audience enough time for their cheers.
She said in a confident, audible voice:
«Watch me closely. Today, you will see what the Princess of Earth can do.»
Zeer spun the wheel again.
It spun... spun... then stopped.
He read the name aloud:
«And against her... Prince Lloyd of the Plant Empire!»
Cheers rose again, but this time mixed with clear anticipation.
Lloyd descended to the center of the arena with calm, deliberate steps, but his face bore a clear, unmistakable smirk of disdain. His dark green hair was slightly tousled over his forehead, and his narrow eyes were full of ingrained arrogance.
He stood before Diana, looking her up and down with haughtiness, then said in a voice loud enough for those around to hear:
«You should be proud, earthy one... because I am your opponent. I don't expect the fight to last long.»
Diana slowly raised an eyebrow and smiled a sarcastic, challenging smile:
«We'll see about that, you conceited fool. Your overconfidence will be your weakness.»
In the stands, Agnes watched them calmly and said to herself with a smile:
"Arrogant... and arrogant. The competition will be fierce. But I see something else in their eyes... strange."
Zeer and Brost quickly retreated backwards, moving away from the center of the arena.
Zeer raised his voice loudly:
«Begin!»
The fight started like lightning.
Diana stamped her foot on the ground with immense force. The entire arena shook, the earth cracked beneath her feet, and massive rocks rose from under the soil, dust flying into the air like a cloud.
Diana shouted confidently:
«Rise! Rise, rocks of the earth!»
The massive rocks hurtled towards Lloyd at terrifying speed.
Lloyd did not retreat a single step. He smirked arrogantly and plunged his hand into the ground up to his elbow.
He shouted loudly:
«Open up! Rise, my vines!»
Thick, strong plant vines erupted from the soil in an instant, intertwining with the oncoming rocks, wrapping around them and squeezing until they shattered them into small pieces scattered on the ground.
Gasps of admiration rose from the crowd.
Diana jumped back nimbly and struck the ground hard with her fist. A thick stone wall suddenly formed in front of her, then split into hundreds of sharp fragments that shot like bullets towards Lloyd.
One spectator shouted in alarm:
«My God! That's dangerous!»
Lloyd moved with lightning speed, waving his hands in the air, and thick, dense wooden trunks rose from the ground, deflecting the flying shards, though some cracked and splintered under the impact.
Lloyd said sarcastically, looking from behind his wooden shield:
«Brute force... without precision or intelligence. Is that all you have?»
Diana became intensely angry, and her smile widened with clear defiance:
«And this is what will crush you! Just wait!»
She leaped high into the air with astonishing power, and in an instant, huge spherical rocks formed around her, then she dropped them all at once towards Lloyd like falling meteors.
The arena shook violently. The stands trembled too.
Lloyd stepped back two paces, his features tensing for the first time, the arrogant smirk vanishing from his face.
He plunged his hands deep into the ground and shouted seriously:
«Hold her! Now!»
Plant vines shot out like arrows, quickly wrapping around Diana's arm and leg, and began to squeeze tightly.
Diana gritted her teeth hard and said angrily, trying to break free:
«You think this is enough for me? I am stronger than your weak vines!»
She tensed her entire body with tremendous force, and rocks exploded from around her, shrapnel flying in every direction, shattering the vines that bound her.
The crowd applauded warmly and cheers rose.
The two charged towards each other at the same time.
A massive rock collided with a huge plant shield, and dust covered the entire area.
At that moment, all eyes were fixed on the arena...
Everyone was waiting.
The dust began to clear slightly... slowly... a silhouetted image of two people facing each other appeared.
Then, in a decisive moment, Lloyd unleashed light plant roots that cleverly wrapped around the rocks Diana had summoned, immobilizing them for a crucial moment. He exploited that moment to push her outside the arena circle.
The dust cleared completely, and silence reigned again.
Zeer raised his voice enthusiastically:
«The winner... Prince Lloyd of the Plant Empire!»
However, the cheering did not come as Lloyd expected. The stands resounded with another name.
«Diana! Diana! How strong you are!»
«You didn't give up despite the loss!»
«Diana! Diana!»
Lloyd's smile froze slightly, and his chest tightened painfully. He was the winner, yet his name wasn't chanted. He looked around in confusion and bewilderment, then turned his gaze back to Diana. His eyes widened in surprise; he saw her with her head bowed, shoulders tense, and a shimmering tear at the corner of her eye, about to fall.
A strange, faint pang struck his heart for the first time in his life, like an arrow of love passing through him swiftly. He quickly caught himself, flustered, took a step towards her, and said in a low, almost inaudible, hesitant voice:
«A... are you okay? It seems there's something in your eyes. Are you hurt?»
Diana raised her head with suppressed anger and quickly wiped her tear with the back of her hand:
«You arrogant, conceited fool! You made me shed my precious pearl tears... I will never forgive you!»
Then she sharply turned her face away, her cheeks flushing deeply with a mix of intense annoyance and wounded pride.
Lloyd stepped back, at a loss for words. He remained completely silent, while his heart pounded uncharacteristically. He stood there, dazed, his eyes following her as she walked away.
They returned to their places. Lloyd remained lost in thought the whole time, his eyes trailing Diana whenever she moved, thinking about her without understanding why.
As for Diana, she sat rigidly in her seat, her fist clenched on her knee, extremely upset... not just because of the loss, but because of that brief moment that had shaken her balance more than the entire fight had.