"....How much do you remember?"

A soft voice echoed quietly in a small room where a tall and robust young man rested. His expression was pale, and his eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above him.

It had been less than a day since Carmen had woken up, and his memory was rather hazy.

All he could recall was feeling his chest explode and darkness enveloping his vision.

By the time he regained consciousness, several days had passed.

"Haa."

Taking a deep breath, he turned to his right.

There, a young man with blonde hair and striking yellow eyes elegantly sat with his legs crossed and a teacup in his hand.

"I asked you a question."

His tone remained soft, but Carmen felt his entire body shudder.

'Why is he here...?'

Finding his breath again, he swallowed quietly and began talking. He knew he couldn't afford not to talk.

"....I don't remember very well. I.. I..."

His throat was sore, and he struggled to speak properly. Nonetheless, he had no choice but to force himself to speak.

"I just... remember trying to get close to him, waiting for him to use his Emotive Magic, but..."

He paused, his brows furrowing.

Recalling the sensation he felt back then, he felt his face slowly start to turn pale. His body shuddered, and his lips trembled.

"I-it was overwhelming."

He raised his head, staring directly at Caius.

"To..."

He pursed his lips, covering his mouth with his hand. He stopped himself from speaking any further.

Especially since he was about to say;

'.... To the point where even you might get swallowed up.'

"To...?"

But it was too late.

Caius had already heard his words.

Ah.

Feeling Caius's gaze, Carmen felt sweat form by the side of his face. He swallowed quietly and tried his best to remain composed.

But he knew that he couldn't remain silent.

In the end, he spoke,

"To the point where I thought I was facing you."

***

A bright light appeared.

It shone upon the darkness that surrounded the space.

Grass started to form, stretching towards the depth of the darkness.

Four Orbs appeared above the grass.

The orbs pulsed in silence, emitting faint hues of different colors. I stood in silence, watching the purple orb.

'Fear'

Extending my hand, the orb reached out for me, slithering toward me and enveloping every part of my body.

I stood in silence, observing the changes that were taking over my body.

I ignored my trembling lips, the cold sweat running down my back, and my beating heart. I focused entirely on observing the changes that were taking over my body.

It wasn't long before I had an understanding.

"Hooo."

With a long breath, I swiped my hand away and changes started to occur to the world that was presented before my very eyes.

The grass rustled, while purple flowers started to appear all around the grass.

Trees emerged, all with purple leaves, adding more vibrancy to the world.

It was a process that took no longer than several minutes, and by the time it was over, the

entire world was covered in purple flowers and trees.

The sight was stunning.

'I'm getting closer.'

But above all, staring at the world that was forming within my mind, I knew that I was getting closer to completing my domain.

I raised my head and looked at the three remaining orbs.

So long as I could get access to the remaining orbs...

Instinctively my hand reached out for the orbs, which pulsed and throbbed as though they wanted to become one with me.

I reached forward, toward the orb of sorrow.

My heartbeat increased as I started to reach out for it, my inner greed coming out and whispering things into my mind.

'Do it...!'

'Reach for it.'

'Get it.'

They rang loudly in my mind, trying their best to let me fall for the temptation, and just as my finger was about to touch the orb, I stopped.

"..."

The world shattered and I opened my eyes, revealing the insides of my own room.

".....'

I sat in silence for a brief moment before letting out a long breath.

"That was close.'

The match between Caius and I was going to be held tomorrow.

There was no break.

I couldn't afford to fully exhaust myself before the fight started. Caius was extremely strong.

To the point where I knew that the odds were stacked against me, but I wanted to win.

I wanted to be number one.

Since the day that I appeared in this world, I wanted to be number one.

I didn't want to lose.

I hated losing.

And for that reason, I couldn't afford to mess around.

"...."

As I closed my eyes, the world around me fell silent.

I basked in that silence, ignoring the subtle 'pops' and 'cracks' coming out of my body as I

adjusted myself for the upcoming fight.

Win...

I had to win.

***

The next day.

Caius woke up early in the morning.

He changed his clothes, had a nice breakfast, and brushed his teeth. Normally, he'd train at

this time in the morning, but today was different.

There was a match that he needed to attend and he couldn't afford to waste any energy.

Shaa-

Washing his face, Caius raised his head to stare at his face.

His own hair was sticking to his forehead, and staring at his own reflection, Caius paid close

attention to his eyes.

They shone like jewels, capturing everything that looked right into them.

Caius stared at his own reflection, his own pupils slowly starting to twist like the sun. The very

air around him warped, objects within his reach flickering in and out of existence.

Cr Crack-!

A subtle cracking sound spread across the room.

Blinking his eyes, Caius looked at the mirror and the fragmented pieces of his face.

He stood like that for a few seconds before tearing his eyes away.

"....I'm ready."

***

It was early in the morning, and yet a long line had already formed at the entrance of the

Colosseum.

"Let me in."

"I have been waiting since yesterday. Please let me in."

"...Don't push!" While the Quarter-Finals had a lot of fans spectating and watching, the excitement was far

less than it was now. People pushed and shoved each other as tried to get into the Colosseum, unable to hide their anticipation for the upcoming battle.

There would only be one battle displayed today with the next one displayed the day after.

This was so that everyone would make more money.

Be it the Megrail family that was hosting, and the other Empires who got a small cut of the

revenue that came from the broadcast.

It was all about the money...

Leon watched from behind, his appearance different than normal.

Since his next match wasn't until tomorrow, he decided to spectate Julien's match. Whoever

won would be his potential next opponent.

Well, that was granted he'd win his next match.

.....And he wasn't so sure about his chances of winning. Not when Aoife was currently being

controlled by the Angel.

'Where is she...?'

Leon looked around, his eyes scanning his surroundings as he tried to look for someone.

He had been waiting in line for that very purpose. Otherwise, he could've just entered on the

ground that he was also a competitor.

He was here for-

"Why did you contact me?"

A familiar crisp voice sounded from next to him.

Leon held his smile back and looked ahead.

"You don't need to hide any longer."

"...?"

"I've already been looped about the situation. The Angel knows about Julien."

"Ah."

As if realizing where the conversation was going, Evelyn let out a soft sound. Leon kept his expression straight.

"....I know you stayed away since you didn't want the Angel to find out about us so that we could investigate, but that's no longer a problem."

Finally, Leon turned his head to stare at Evelyn who covered her face with a black hoodie.

Leon found her appearance to be rather funny.

"What's the point of the hoody? You're not that famous, and the Angel already knows about you. If-"

"Have you seen my face?"

Evelyn cut Leon off, her expression seeming to say; 'What kind of question is this?'

"......"

Indeed, Leon realized pretty quickly how stupid his question was and shut his mouth. Evelyn

was rather pretty, and she knew it.

Her appearance would cause quite a bit of trouble for them.

"I'm not worried about the Angel seeing me."

Evelyn went on to speak, tilting her head slightly to see the end of the line. Their turn was

going to be soon.

"....It already can see every move that I make."

"Uh?"

Leon paused, turning his head to look at her.

Evelyn stared back at him before pointing at her temple.

"I've sealed a small part of it in my mind."

"....!"

Leon's expression changed.

But before he could say anything else, a cool voice echoed.

"Next."

Leon hastily turned his head and handed his ticket to the guard who let the two of them in.

'Booom!'

Coming into the Colosseum, as if a bomb had detonated, Leon and Evelyn found themselves freezing on the spot as the crowd roared wildly.

It took several seconds for them to snap out of it as Leon smiled bitterly.

"....I didn't think it was this loud."

He looked at the ticket and headed for their seats.

The seats were rather good. It was spotted close to the main platform, allowing the two of

them to get a good view of the fight.

Staring at the empty platform before him, Leon fell into a strange silence.

The noise around him started to drown out while his heart started to beat faster. He didn't

understand why he was behaving like this.

Was he nervous about the statue situation?

No, while he was worried, he knew he had time.

Then what...?

Why was he-

"....

As if everyone came to an agreement all sound abruptly drained away from the Colosseum,

leaving behind a stifling silence that pressed down on everyone.

Leon raised his head, his back unconsciously straightening.

Similar scenes occurred throughout.

Tak-

The single sound of a step shattered the silence that pressed down on the Colosseum.

A figure emerged from the right, his blonde hair a sharp contrast against the blinding white

sun that loomed in the sky, while his eyes, cold and piercing, seemed to draw the attention of

the entire crowd.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

The crowd's hearts beat in unison.

A strange tension gathered across the Colosseum.

Tak-

On the other side, another step echoed.

It was firmer and louder than Caius's. Emerging from the left side was Julien. His hazel eyes

and black stood in stark contrast to Caius's yellow eyes and hair.

One was the darkness, while the other was the light.

'Pop'

'Crack'

'Pop'

Weird noises burst out of Julien's body as his muscles and bones wiggled in a strange manner,

adjusting his body for the upcoming fight.

His momentum rose with each step he took.

The same was true for Caius whose momentum rose to match Julien's.

Leon stared at the two, forgetting to breathe the entire time.

It was only when the two stopped on opposite ends, staring at each other that Leon realized

why his body had been acting the way that it was.

'Excitement.'

He was...

Excited.