Zir smiled, clapping his hands enthusiastically, and looked at the audience then at the remaining princes. He said with his usual cheerfulness:
«And now... ladies and gentlemen, who will be the next to battle? Who will step into this arena to ignite it with excitement?»
He spun the large wheel with all his might, and the names spun at a maddening speed. His finger paused in the air as he followed its rotation, then... the wheel suddenly stopped.
Zir looked at the name, then his eyes widened and he shouted in a voice that shook the stands:
«Princess Kira of the Light Empire!»
The arena exploded with applause and warm cheers.
«Kira! Kira!»
«Princess of Light!»
But Kira didn't acknowledge the cheers. She was sitting in her seat, her sparkling golden eyes fixed on the wheel, her short blonde hair still. She raised her hand and clasped her fingers together impatiently, then said in a clear voice and hurried tone:
«Come on! Spin the wheel quickly! No need for all this fuss!»
Zir looked at her in astonishment, then whispered to himself in a low voice:
«So cranky...»
He quickly spun the wheel again. The wheel spun... spun... spun... then stopped.
Zir paused for a moment, looked at the name, then looked at the audience, then shouted loudly:
«And the opponent... Prince Nile of the Earth Empire!»
Light cheers rose here and there, but soon a strange silence fell over part of the stands. Everyone's eyes turned towards the prince who rose slowly.
Kira suddenly stood up in her place, her eyes widening slightly. She whispered in a low voice:
«Nile? I've never seen him before...»
Nile descended into the arena with slow, steady steps, as if walking in a peaceful field rather than a battlefield. His cold eyes were fixed, unmoving, staring into the void as if nothing in this world was worth noticing. His long white hair cascaded down his back like pure snow, almost reaching his waist. His dark brown skin contrasted sharply with the whiteness of his hair, and his calm features expressed nothing.
He stood in the center of the arena, slowly raising his eyes towards Kira. His gaze was completely empty, as if looking at a stone or a tree rather than a princess standing before him.
Kira descended into the arena with confident steps, her golden hair swaying with each step. She stood before him and raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.
She said in a clear, slightly sharp voice:
«You... do you not speak? Or is your tongue tied?»
Nile looked at her coldly, then turned his face slightly towards the audience, then looked back at her. He didn't utter a word.
Kira felt a strange discomfort. She said in a louder voice:
«Is that all? We're about to fight! At least say something!»
Silence.
Nile looked at her again, his eyes glinting for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth and said in a very quiet voice, almost a whisper:
«I don't like... too much talking.»
Kira paused for a moment, then let out a short laugh:
«Ha! You're like Koja? But you're colder than him!»
Nile didn't reply. He just looked at her with that empty gaze.
In the stands, Agnes was watching intently, and said in a low voice:
«Strange... this boy is different. I can never read his emotions.»
Zir and Brost quickly moved away, and Zir raised his hand:
«Begin!»
The fight started.
Kira raised her hands in the air, and in an instant her body glowed with brilliant golden light. Sharp rays of light like arrows shot from her hands, heading towards Nile at the speed of light.
But Nile didn't move.
He stood in place, and suddenly... a massive stone wall rose from the ground before him, the light rays colliding with it and shattering like glass.
Kira's eyes widened:
«What?! That fast?»
The stone wall lowered, and Nile appeared from behind it, standing exactly in his place, not having moved an inch.
Kira shouted angrily:
«You won't defeat me with this coldness of yours!»
She leaped high into the air, light gathered around her in a spherical form, then she launched dozens of small light balls towards Nile from every direction.
Nile raised his hand very slowly. Thin earthen pillars rose from beneath his feet, intertwining to form a stone dome over his head. The light balls struck the dome and exploded in every direction, but the dome held.
Kira landed on the ground, panting slightly. She looked at the stone dome that had begun to crack from the force of the impacts, then suddenly... the dome exploded.
Nile stood amidst the rubble, his face still devoid of any expression.
Kira said in an annoyed voice:
«Do you never get tired?!»
Nile looked at her slowly, then opened his mouth and said in a quiet voice:
«No.»
Kira felt like screaming. She said loudly:
«This isn't fair! You don't talk, you don't react, nothing! How can I fight someone who shows no emotions?!»
Nile looked at her for a long moment, then said in a low voice:
«Emotions... weaken the fight.»
Kira suddenly stopped. She looked at him in bewilderment:
«What do you mean?»
But Nile didn't answer. He slowly raised his hand, and the ground around Kira began to tremble.
Kira shouted:
«What are you doing?!»
She leaped into the air just before the ground split beneath her, but sharp rocks shot from the cracks towards her like arrows.
Kira emitted light rays from her hands while in the air, shattering the rocks into small pieces. Then light gathered around her massively, and she shouted:
«Take this!»
A giant light sphere shot towards Nile at astonishing speed.
Nile raised both hands together, and a very thick stone wall rose from the ground, but the light sphere partially penetrated it before dissipating.
Nile stepped back a pace and looked at his hand, the edge of his sleeve slightly burned. He raised his eyes towards Kira, and for the first time something appeared in his gaze... slight appreciation.
He said in his usual quiet voice:
«Strong... you are.»
Kira paused for a moment, then smiled broadly:
«Finally! One word!»
But Nile quickly returned to his silence. He struck the ground with his fist, and massive stone pillars exploded around Kira, trying to trap her.
Kira emitted light rays from her entire body, shattering the pillars before they could complete. Then she leaped high again, and light gathered around her massively.
She shouted:
«Let's end this!»
A massive light sphere shot towards Nile, but at the last moment he raised his hands, and a huge human-shaped stone statue rose from the ground, opening its arms to protect him.
The light sphere struck the statue, shattering it into thousands of pieces, and dust flew everywhere.
When the dust settled, Nile was kneeling on one knee, breathing with difficulty. He raised his eyes towards Kira, who had landed on the ground, equally exhausted.
Nile looked at her, and suddenly... he slightly bowed his head. It was a very small gesture, almost imperceptible.
He said in a low voice:
«You... deserve the win.»
Kira paused for a moment. She looked at him in bewilderment. Then she took a step forward.
Zir raised his voice enthusiastically:
«The winner... Princess Kira of the Light Empire!»
The stands exploded with cheers. But Kira didn't hear them. She was staring at Nile, who slowly rose, dusted off his clothes, and turned to leave without uttering a word.
Kira suddenly shouted:
«Wait!»
Nile stopped, but didn't turn around.
Kira took two steps forward and said in a less sharp voice:
«You... are very strange. But you're strong. Truly strong.»
Nile slowly turned and looked at her with his cold eyes. For a moment, she thought she saw something like a smile at the corner of his mouth, but it quickly disappeared.
He said quietly:
«You... too.»
Then he turned and walked towards his seat, leaving Kira standing in her place looking at him.
In the stands, Agnes smiled quietly:
«Interesting... cold and warm at the same time.»
Kira returned to her seat, sitting somewhat absentmindedly. She looked towards Nile, who sat in his distant place, isolated from everyone, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
Kira murmured in a low voice:
«Strange... very strange.»
But deep inside, she felt something strange. Something she had never felt before. Respect? Curiosity? Perhaps both.
---
Zir clapped his hands enthusiastically as he watched Kira and Nile return to their seats. He said in his usual cheerful voice:
«The fight was wonderful, my princes! Light against Earth... who would have expected such excitement?!»
The audience cheered warmly, the echoes of the battle still resonating all around.
Zir continued enthusiastically:
«And now... let's see who will be the next to battle! Who will step into this arena to continue the path of excitement?»
The audience cheered in anticipation.
Suddenly...
Lacis shouted from his seat in a loud voice that filled the place:
«Aaaah! When will it be my turn?! I'm starting to get bored!»
Everyone looked towards him. Lacis was standing in his place, his arms stretched out to the sides in clear annoyance, his black hair flying about as if burning more from his anger.
Some spectators laughed at his childish behavior, while Aqualis smiled affectionately, shaking his head.
Zir said, laughing:
«Be patient a little, Prince of Fire! Your turn is surely coming!»
But Lacis didn't calm down. He continued grumbling loudly:
«I've watched everyone fight! Sylvia, Koja, Diana, Kira, Nile... even that arrogant Lloyd fought! When is my turn?!»
Sylvia interrupted him in a quiet voice:
«Be patient, Lacis. Patience is a virtue.»
Lacis looked at her grumpily:
«I don't want virtues! I want a fight!»
Suddenly...
A strange mist began creeping into the arena. It wasn't ordinary mist. It was thick, white, flowing from all directions as if it had a will of its own.
The sounds gradually stopped.
Zir looked around in bewilderment, then said in a stammering voice:
«What... what is this mist? Where did it come from?»
Before he could finish his sentence, he fell to the ground unconscious.
Suddenly...
Everyone began falling one after another. The princes, the soldiers, the spectators... even the seven Emperors sitting in their honorary seats.
Emperor Regas fell onto his chair, unconscious.
Emperor Luminas followed, reaching out his hand trying to hold on.
Aqualis looked around trying to understand what was happening, then he too fell.
Ronald, Ranius, and others... everyone fell into a deep slumber.
Lacis stood in his place, stunned. He looked around with wide eyes. Everyone was asleep. The stands were silent. The arena was empty except for the lifeless bodies.
He said in a trembling voice:
«What... what's happening here?!»
He looked at Sylvia who had fallen beside him, at Koja leaning against the wall, at everyone... everyone was asleep.
He shouted loudly:
«Emperors! Princes! Wake up!»
But no one answered.
Suddenly...
A mocking laugh cut through the silence from the center of the arena.
Lacis quickly turned towards the source of the sound, igniting a fireball in his hand, ready to attack.
In the center of the arena, amidst the gradually dissipating mist, two figures stood.
The first... dressed entirely in black, his long black hair cascading over his shoulders. His hands were thrust into his pockets with strange nonchalance. His eyes were covered with a white cloth tied at the back, yet despite that, he smiled with obvious mockery. He said in a quiet, sarcastic voice:
«It was easier than I expected... they sleep like children.»
Behind him, stood another figure... his clothes like a clown's, white and embroidered with strange purple and red symbols. His face was painted entirely white, with colorful drawings on it. His sharp purple eyes gleamed with mockery, and his white hair stood up under a pointed clown's hat. He moved with constant acrobatics, as if never staying in one place.
The clown said with a wide, mocking smile, playing with a small red ball between his fingers:
«I told you it would be so easy! A simple sleeping gas... and here they all are in their dreams.»
Lacis looked at them with bewilderment and growing anger. He raised his hand and ignited an even larger fireball, then shouted forcefully and hurled it towards the two men:
«You lunatics! I don't know who you are, but it's clear you did this!»
The two men leaped with superhuman speed in opposite directions, dodging the fireball that exploded where they had been standing.
The man with covered eyes laughed mockingly and said:
«Oh... looks like one little rat didn't sleep with the others.»
The clown replied, leaping and somersaulting in the air acrobatically:
«Seems he has strong immunity... what a shame!»
The clown looked at his companion, then threw the red ball that was in his hand towards Lacis like lightning.
Lacis quickly raised his hand, ignited another fireball, and hurled it towards the red ball.
The two spheres collided in the air, exploding, creating sparks of fire and red smoke.
At the moment of the explosion, the two men seized the opportunity. They disappeared momentarily in the smoke, then appeared behind Lacis from two different directions.
The clown shouted:
«Now!»
They lunged towards Lacis with terrifying speed.
Lacis spun around quickly, igniting fire in his hands, ready to repel the attack. But suddenly...
He felt something grabbing his hands from behind. He swiftly turned to find Silvi and Elias behind him, gripping his arms firmly.
Lacis shouted angrily, trying to break free:
«What are you doing?! Let me fight these lunatics!»
Silvi said in a quiet but firm voice:
«You can't, Lacis! They're dangerous!»
Elias added in a serious voice:
«We're getting you out of here now! That's an order!»
Lacis tried to break free forcefully, but they held him tightly and began dragging him quickly out of the arena.
Lacis shouted as he struggled:
«Let me go! I'll burn them! I'll turn them to ash!»
But Silvi and Elias didn't relent. They continued dragging him quickly towards the arena exit.
The man with covered eyes watched the scene calmly, then said mockingly:
«Run, little rats... run.»
The clown added, waving his hand sarcastically:
«We'll meet again soon... I promise you!»
The two laughed loudly and mockingly.
As for Lacis, his screams echoed all around as he was dragged out:
«I'll kill you! I'll burn you! I'll turn you into charcoal!»
Until his voice disappeared into the distance, leaving the arena silent, the lifeless bodies scattered everywhere, and the seven Emperors asleep in their seats.