The Forsaken Truth (Marvel's Avengers)

Beauty And Beast

I was going to die. Plain and simple.

Goodbye cruel world! It's been... eh, alright, I guess.

"Stop that."

At the stern command from my spirit guide, I snapped out of my dull thoughts.

"Stop what?" I questioned and he flashed me an irritated glance.

"Stop thinking you're going to die."

My jaw slackened in shock. "Whaaa...? How did you-"

"I can practically hear your thoughts." He sniffed. "You are also giving off a rather negative energy."

"Oh... sorry." I said offhandedly. "I was jus-"

The sound of drums beating rhythmically interrupted me and immediately, I blanched.
That was the signal for the contestants to get ready. 

I didn't even know who I was supposed to be fighting!

"Come on."

At the urging, I only nodded before painfully walking forward, the bronze armour clinking noisily.
A poorly fitted breastplate was the only and meagre protection offered to me by the mythical creatures. And though I thought I looked like I was cosplaying a trash can, I was thankful for whatever I had.

As I drudged through the opening of the small room-like area provided for preparation, I stopped short, my eyes widening in awe and fascination. 

"Holy shit!"

The battle arena was actually a full blown underwater amphitheatre, very closely resembling the gladiator ones of ancient Rome. The central area was a large oval shaped ring where the fight itself would take place, raised a few metres above the ocean bed. The floor of the arena and its surrounding barricades seemed to be made out of what looked like flattened sea shells. How either of them were constructed, I had no clue. An alarming number of spectators swam above, whooping and hollering in glee and excitement.

"They're going all out, huh." 

There's no escaping.

"I need you to do something." I turned abruptly, facing Willow. 

"This," I flourished the single sheet of paper in front of him, "is my will, it has my signature on it. Read it carefully and make sure that everyone gets what I wanted them to."

Frankly, it wasn't much. Just a few, crudely jotted, items with the name of the person it had to go to. I had made it in the duelist's room after I'd found out that I could apparently also write underwater. When I'd asked about it, Sereia had told me that it was her doing.
I could basically do everything I could on land, including breathing, talking and walking until she wished so. For a few hours, the ocean felt like air rather than water. The only differences being the constant wetness I could feel on my skin, and the lightness of my body, meaning I was much more flexible here, than I was on land.

"What is wrong with you?" Willow's harshly spoken question broke me from the reverie. "This is what you were doing the entire time? Have you done any preparing at all?"

I frowned, crossing my arms defensively. "Well, it's not like I've ever had any sort of martial arts training. I don't know the first thing about fighting, let alone with blades! The only time I've ever wielded a blade is while cooking and I'm sure this one's a lot different than using a bloody kitchen knife!"

"I don't even have my powers anymore." I mourned pitifully.

Sereia had cut off my elemental abilities and I feared that would be the case until I got back on land. She had claimed to want to see my full potential. And I was too ridden with fright to tell her she'd be terribly disappointed.