𝔖𝔥𝔞𝔡𝔬𝔴𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔚𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔢: 𝔅𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢𝔰

After we finished eating, we had "Training". A group of twenty Champions gathered in a huge hall, weapons lining the walls, lines in the sand marking out different training arenas. An instructor stood at the front of the group; his champions eyes glowing a deep purple. A glowing trident was resting by his side. It was clearly a Champion's weapon, a weapon blessed by his God for him to use in battle. Champion's weapons hold magical capabilities, and it was a sight to see.

"Welcome to training! My name is Cassius, and I will be your instructor for your time in the arena. This is basics training. Here, you will learn the basics of defending yourself against an enemy. Now I'd like you to take a weapon off the wall, and pair up."

I walked to the weapons wall, and I saw a spear. It was a dull looking spear, there were no special engravings on it like the other weapons, but it was sharp, and surprisingly light.

I saw Attius in the corner of the room, holding a longsword. I rush forwards, but he was soon taken as a partner by a pretty girl with long blonde hair. I was standing alone, until a boy came up to me. His eyes were like lava, and his brown hair was past his shoulders, tied back behind his skull. He was only slightly taller than me and held a double-bladed axe without any engravings on it in his hands. "Uh, hello, would you like to be my partner?" The boy said awkwardly. "Yeah, sure." I say back, and we stand together as the instructor examines the group and thinks.

"You made a smart decision, with your weapon." The boy says, turning to me. "Really? I don't know much about weaponry." I respond. "Yes, engravings on a weapon cause the balance to shift, and hilt decorations make the weapons heavier. I could go on for hours about the disastrous consequences of both, but basically, having a plain blade makes it much easier to wield. Personally, based upon your size, I would have gone for a smaller weapon, such as a short sword or dagger, possibly a scimitar." He smiles, clearly just trying to give me advice. "Thanks!" I scan the room for signs of a scimitar but see none. "A spear may have to do for today." I hold out my hand, which the boy takes with a grin. "Felix. Champion of Rheia." He shakes my hand, and responds, "Evan, Champion of Vaspus."

Evan's God explains how he knows so much about weaponry. Vaspus is the God of blacksmithing and forging.

Cassius calls for attention at the front of the class, and silence falls upon the group. "First off, we'll learn about the parry..."

The class brought a sweat on everyone taking part. Evan seemed unaffected by the fast movements, like he'd done them before. We spent two hours practising until I was drenched in sweat, Marcus' t-shirt hanging off of me. Cassius walked around assisting and correcting everyone's technique, he only seemed to want to help us survive in the Arena. "Put your weapons away now!" Cassius called, and we moved to put our weapons back on the wall, cleaning them with our clothes before hanging them up.

"You are dismissed!" Cassius said, and the class exited, everyone except Evan moved towards the door. I followed Evan, heading over to where Cassius was watching us approach, his eyes shining in the half light of the hall.

"Hello boys, what can I do for you?" Cassius asked, and Evan spoke up. "I wanted to talk to you about your blade sir. It is a nicely balanced blade." Cassius smiled. "That it is. It is enchanted too, always comes back to me after I throw it." Cassius wound up and tossed the trident like a javelin. It sailed across the entire hall and embedded itself in the opposite wall. We waited for a few moments, until I saw it quiver in place.

The trident shot out of the wall and landed back in Cassius' outstretched hand. Evan was looking at it in awe. "May I look at the engravings?" Evan asked the man, who laughed. "Of course, you must be a Champion of Vaspus, you share the same interest in weaponry." Evan took the trident and examined the engravings along the handle. "These engravings are enchanted; therefore, they don't affect the trident's balance." Evan handed it back. "What's its name?" Evan asked Cassius, "It doesn't have one, I never got around to naming it." Cassius said indifferently, shrugging his shoulders. I could see the visible anger in Evan's eyes, and he exclaimed, "It doesn't have a name?! All great weapons such as these deserve a name to honour its achievements! Imagine if you became a great hero, and the people would say in the stories, "Why yes, Cassius and trident were a great team". It's an outrage!"

Cassius laughed hard, doubling over as he wiped tears from his eyes. "I was unable to read the engravings, and never knew its name." Is what Cassius said between spurts of laughter. Evan cracked a grin.

"I could read it for you!"

A girl, of maybe seven or eight raised her hand in the manner of answering a question. She had large brown eyes, and blonde hair. She was small, and I recognised the accent of the Champions of Ligia, Goddess of Language. Her voice was silky, magic lacing her every word.

"Sure Ami, you can come and try." Cassius spoke softly, and the girl walked over to us. She grasped the handle of the trident, and she read over the engravings, her eyes glowing brighter as she did so. "It reads... Lonneste. It translates to Evanescent." Cassius took the trident in his hands, held it above his head and commanded, "Lonneste!" The trident flared to life, the engravings lighting up, channelling power through the weapon. I could hear it humming to life in his hands.

Evan whistles in awe. Cassius grins widely, and Ami giggles. "Ami, aren't you supposed to be in class?" Cassius scolds her as Evan and I walk out of the Hall. "Bye Cassius!" I call, and he waves.

"Where are you headed next?" Evan asks me, and I shrug. "I don't know, I never got a template of my day, or anything at all really." Evan heads down a hallway, where I can hear cheers coming from. "You can come watch the gladiator with me if you want. It's good practice before the Champion fights, you get to analyse your opponent properly." I nod in agreement, dread settling into the pit of my stomach.

We find our way to the end of the tunnel, and I spot a balcony with iron bars separating the inside to the outside. I see a tall someone with dark hair already there, and my heart skips a beat.

"Can we go up there?" point to the balcony, and Evan shakes his head. "I don't like heights, but you can if you want." I smile in farewell and climb the staircase to the balcony. As I approach, the person already there turns to me, and I recognise Marcus. "Who's fighting?" I ask grimly, and he responds, "Elodi, Champion of Pyrrha and Damias, Champion of Ligia." His voice was hard as steel, signalling that the fight was upsetting him. I glanced outside, the colosseum arena spread out in front of me. The boy Damais couldn't be more than twelve years old, whilst Elodi was sixteen.

She was fighting him with barely any effort at all. He would swing his sword, and she would dodge easily. Damias dropped his sword, then picked it up again, but Elodi summoned it to her, the metal responding to her power, and it landed in her hand. Damias had no weapon, and I looked away as I heard the crowd cheer as Damias was beheaded, the sound of his head being separated from his skull reverberating in my mind.

Marcus had his face set like a stone, frowning as he watched the horrific scene before him. "I don't understand why they are celebrating over his death." I say, feeling bile in my throat. I feel ill after hearing the sound of metal on bone. "that's the way it is here." Marcus says his tone like ice. "They see victory, a game, amusement. We see our lives flash before our eyes as we die for them to watch." Marcus looked me in the eyes, his grey eyes gleaming with the power of Asha. I could see the world in those eyes, and I sighed. "He was so young." I say, my voice cracking, as I feel tears stinging my eyes.

"He was innocent." Marcus said, and I see a single tear roll down his cheek.