Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 46: The Heavenly Stage

September 21, 4021 09:40 [Matriarch 04- Sun Rock]

Fragments of sapphire bloomed, peppering the arena. Crows raised their shields and defended the audience against an onslaught of deadly gem shards as Prasanna lay in a crater in the middle of the arena. She was out cold, a deep depression in her suit's midriff where Indra had struck her. Indra lifted her up gently, carrying her to the edge of the crater where Crows awaited their arrival with a stretcher.

He frowned as they took her away. He could feel the shards of her bones through her skin when he held her. Indra clenched his fist tightly. He had honored her wish, yet he felt hollow. There must have been another way to defeat her. Instead, he took the easy way out and decided to overwhelm her with Usha's power. I'm a monster.

"I am. You are but a mere host. You did as you were told to do. Think on it no further."

Indra was taken aback by the Siren's unprompted attempt to console him. His feelings towards the beast of sin only grew more muddled. Thanks.

"Think nothing of it. Focus on the next match," Usha replied, brushing off Indra's gratitude.

Emil met him at the edge of the field, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You did well. She'll be fine. Those pills work wonders, you know," he reassured Indra.

Indra smiled, though he couldn't shake the lingering feeling of guilt. "They're not as strong as the ones I use," he mused. "It'll likely take her a few days to recover fully."

"True, but she's stronger than most. She can afford a few days of rest. Besides, I'm sure they'll have her patched up and well enough to cheer you on by the time the final match begins."

Emil's words assuaged Indra's concerns, though they were short-lived as the Hyenas descended upon the arena. An irate Tengri landed in front of Indra first, followed by a bickering Jin and Grisha. Jin seemed to be teasing Grisha while the latter lashed out in rage, pounding his chest.

"Well, you've managed to destroy Sun Rock yet again. These repairs are costing me a fortune," Tengri sighed. "Well, I am billing Kǔ Shén for all this damage, but in the meantime, everything is coming out of pocket."

"So, when's the next match starting? How long are repairs going to take?"

Tengri scratched his chin, his eye twitching as the bickering behind him grew louder. "I'm not letting the final match happen here. I don't want to pay for any more repairs after this one. In fact, I'll be damned if we use this place for anything other than practice drills and training going forward. There will be no Trait usage of any kind in Sun Rock after the damage you apes caused. The only upside is that our repair system will fix this place up in no time. No, we're going to let Kǔ Shén deal with the headache of the final match."

Indra raised an eyebrow. " So where's the match going to take place then?"

Tengri's eyes flashed, a sly grin spreading across his face. "The Heavenly Stage of the Jade Temple."

***

Indra sat in the changing room, staring at the man in chains sitting across from him. He had been strapped into a straight jacket and muzzled most likely on account of his tempestuous nature, writhing violently against his restraints. He stared Indra down, his eyes bloodshot. Come to think of it, Indra hadn't seen him in the announcer's booth before the semifinals, though he was so preoccupied with the fight at hand that he hadn't noticed Kaluza's absence.

Kaluza had grown tired of waiting; his prey was just a few meters away from him. Indra appraised his opponent calmly. Only one more stepping stone. He shook his head, reminding himself that it was Kaluza that had defeated Emil when no one else had managed such a feat. It wasn't overwhelming power that he had succumbed to either; a mixture of quick thinking and lightning-fast reflexes had secured Kaluza the victory. Indra resolved in his mind to stay wary of his opponent at all times, even when it seemed like victory was assured. Kaluza was just that unpredictable of an adversary.