The Arena: Ch. 13

Chapter 13: Torrin vs Blaine&nbsp
I was not expecting the terrain of the Arena when they set it. Infact, I wasn't expecting any of what happened that day.

I sat in my small room that overlooked the Arena. The terrain of the day was open sky. Yes, open sky. Clouds served as ground, and the open, almost oxygen-less air hung high in the sky. I'd been given a pair of gravitational boots, but knowing Hecate had designed them, I made sure my Titan Mist was at the ready.

This time I'd actually studied up on my enemy, though there was not much to his file.

His name was Blaine, meaning "warrior of men". Surprisingly, that was very accurate. He had once been a guardian angel, a high golden savior of the Earth. But he'd let power go to his head. Zeus, being the snotty, mercieless god he was, cast him to earth and took away his Holiness and immortality. Now he was a dark, demonic angel, but deadly nonetheless.

The countdown began as I sucked in my last breath of clean, steady oxygen.

"3! 2! 1!"

The door of the private room opened, and as if by an invisble boot, I was kicked into the Arena. Unfortuantley, my gravity boots had not been turned on...so I fell to my death.

Cold wind cut and slashed at my face as I fell. My body was numb thanks to pressure, and my hand barley moved as I reach for my boots. The ground approached fast. I could just imagine myself hitting the ground, blood and guts splattering across the concrete. Just like that, it would all be over. I was half tempted to end this and die...but then Nova flashed through my mind. Her beautiful face, her soft lips. Her glowing eyes brought me back to Earth, and I tapped the switch on my book.

A feeling, like an invisible disc under my feet, came to me. I rocketed skyward, up past the clouds and came face to face with my enemy.

He wasn't all that big, but his snarl was intimidating. Scars and burns were painted across his face, bruises covereing his arms and hands. He was the same height as me, six feet tall, and his hair was bluish shade of black, with white streaks floating down the front. His eyes glowed snow white, unlike his wings- yes, wings- that jutted out of slits cut into his leather jacket. He wore no undershirt, reaveling clean cut washboard abs. A charm bracelt was strung around his gloved wrist- a burnt silver cross strung onto a black thread.

Before I could even say hello, a blue light errupted from his right hand. It was like a ball of bioluminescent light surrounding his hand. I held my hands up, willing the Titan Mist to protect me. As I guess however, it was no match for his Demonic-Angelic mix of powers.

The blue light sailed pass me, slicing off a single strand of hair. The strand floated down next to my shoulder. As it touched the fabric, the blue Angelic light glowed bright, and the strand disentegrated.

Blaine said nothing as he raced forward, a stoned expression set hard into his lips. A red ball of light appeared in his left hand, and he sent it flying towards me. I held up my sword, but the red light encased it. Instead of disentegrating however, the sword vibrated out of my hand and fell to the hard concrete far below.

I was out of options...so I dashed. I flew away, but Blaine- being an angel- was experinced in flying. He caught up to me in a matter of seconds, and touched my left boot with one simple finger.

A blue, veiny thread like substance spread through the boot and it evaporated into ash. Suddenley I jerked downward. Held up by only one foot, I flew in all directions, my body uncontrolled.

I suddenely gave up- there was no way to beat him. I looked up across the snow white clouds, out of the dome, and a blur of movment caught my eye.

Nova stood in the stands, along with a few other people, screaming. I could not here, for the dome seperated us, but I could just make out her words...

I love you...

A surge of invisble strengthy came towards me. I pivoted my head on my neck, seeing Blaine coming strong at me.

I searched my brain for ideas. I COULD NOT DIE. Then I remembered what Leonidas had said.'' Give them a good show. Kill me in way you've killed no one else. Make the fatality one to remember. ''

As Blaine approached, I did the dumbest- yet smartest- thing I've ever done.

I yanked off my boot, pointing it at the sky and I lurched upward. Blaine, unable to stop, flew forward under me. As my shadow loomed over him, I let go of the boot. My body soared down to him, and I landed feet first on his back. Before he could think to even retaliate, I wrapped my hands in Titan Mist- as I'd done with Leonidas- and I gripped his black wings.

With the force of a thousand men, I pulled. At first nothing happened. But then the thin bones of his wings pulled up from the roots. The two wings decapitated from their stubs, sending blood flying through the clouds. The angel screeched like the bird he was, and his wings flew out into the sky. I kicked off his back, sending him falling to the earth below.

But what was dumb about that? I had let go of my boot. Luckily for me though, Titan Mist was on my side. Creating a pair of smoky wings from scratch, I floated gracefully to the ground, landing noiselessly on my feet.

As the Arena changed back to a dirt floor circle, I looked to my right. Blaine's body had hit the ground hard. His bones were dislocated and his face was turned the wrong way. His torso looked bent and broken, and his bloody wings layed close to him.

I noticed a gleam in the corner of my eye and I turned. My sword lay, dirtless, at my feet. I picked it up, seathed it and looked to my left.

The Caller approached, a wicked gleam in her eyes. Of course she was upset I had lived.

"Well, well, well," she hissed.

"I won," I said, a drip of sarcasm in my voice.

"No sh-" she began, but changed her tone. "No matter. You wont be as cocky when you find out you next oppnent."

The tone in her voice was poisonous and taunting.

"Yeah, yeah," I snorted. "I can take anyone on in this bull crap piece of a torunament. Who's my enemy?"

The corner of her mouth curled in a devilish smile. She said the thing I should've known, the person I'd always hoped never to fight, the one being I'd never expected to face in the Arena.

"Nova," she hissed. "Your precious Nova Lylac."

Next Chapter: Chapter 14: Torrin vs Nova