Saeva, deam veteres. "The Goddess Of Old"

Graduation.

     Military graduations were considered almost divine, the entire nation would be i a state of celebration. For two whole weeks, with the graduations being the marking the beginning of this fiesta. Thousands flocked to graduations in their respective areas, but all the top students from graduating year would go to the throne city, the city that was built on top of ruins.

Urbe Maxima, the greatest city. The city built on the backs of  broken people, with walls made from their dead. The city's circumference would take you three days to travel by hover vehicle, or month on foot. Only the highest ranking militants were allowed to live here, them and their families, while all others lived outside of their walls. This year was a promising year for the youth, who were coming of age at their graduation. they would get to meet the king, and he would choose one child to lead in heir to his army general, master of all armies. it was a cutthroat business, in years past kings would choose whom they fancied to use in an pleasurable way. But this generations king frightened the people of his nation. he was nicked named the dead one. He always had someone else go in his stead for events, and no one had seen him since his coronation. This year being the year of the horse, rumors spread that the dead king would come out to choose an heir from the military's most blessed children. The entire city was in an uproar., even peasant scum scrubbed their homes and faces in honor of the king they would never see.  The city was decorated with the most beautiful decorations, banners of the biggest length created to hung from the tallest buildings and the most grand designs carved into statues. Hologram rose petals fell from the sky like snow on a winter night, oh what a magnificent sight. The whole city dressed in beautiful colors, very different from its usual dark design of crumbling buildings and broken technology growing sentient.

       The city was separated by four parts, the inner circle was the palace, the tallest and biggest buildings in the entire city resided their, only the most royal and divine were allowed to live and enter there, even the slaves, maids and workers had to be considered divine. the the outer ring from the center is where the militants live. the ones that are the the top of the class, the highest of the high, them and their families. The lower class, where the children of the militants go to live before they are shipped to military schools to be reeducated by the kings will. The most outer ring is where the immigrants live, where a wall doesn't even enclose them to show where a border is.

    The graduating militants marched from their original cities to the capital. it was a sign of honor, a sign of strength, given no food and no water they were left to fend for themselves.

They would have to march through The Forest.

Once before the world had been covered in forests, then humans evolved and cut them all down, in the trees place they build crude buildings that kissed the sky. As King Cor conquered the world he destroy all those who defied him and everything they knew and loved. And only six major cities remained, massive cities that took the space an entire country would, only to be separated by forests that regrew, of equal measure. No man dared to venture through these forests, for in the darkness the creatures grew stronger. Over the generations animals became sentient, and had evolved to speak and understand as humans, but their anger and hatred caused them to kill all in their path. the creatures spared no one, because no one had spared them.

An alliance was formed between these creatures and the third generation king,

"we will not harm your forests, if you will not harm our cities"

"we will not touch the metal scum, if you do not dare touch our beautiful trees."

And in that thousands of militants flocked to the capital on foot every year to make it to graduation. The treaty allowing them to be picked off one by one, if they were to make it through the forest,  if these militants were allowed to live, they can graduate with great honor and privilege.

Out of three thousand eight hundred twenty five militant children only three hundred survived.

Saeva and her friends were full of pride to be considered worth tho graduate. but the forest was not the end of their trials. Once in the city they will be matched and will be forced to fight to the death.

Let The Trial Commence.

Saeva was partnered with a girl named Sava. The arena was a massive stadium that held up to 60 thousand souls, all to watch gods kill one another, and all sang an anthem of the nation, a patriotism that brushed an idea of homicide to all who simply misrepresent it.

"we are the shining city, we are the effortless people.

we created the world a better place. We destroyed all the barbarians and rebels, creating a world of peace.

We will destroy all who don't follow, for we are the shining city of silver,

and unto our king do we only serve."

The trumpets rang and holographic confetti fell from the sky onto the ground were they slowly glitched out of existance.

"may the match begin!!"

A gate opened on opposite sides, where Saeva and Sava met for the first time.

Sava too was a mutt, half human half animal, like a tiger she roared and lunged on all fours towards Saeva.

She was fast, incredible and horrifyingly fast, Saeva barely had any time to think before she dodged the attack.

"Fuck!"

 Saeva rolled in the dirt, she then lunged upwards and whipped out her belt, like a secret weapon she pressed the belt buckle, spikes ejected from the sides and saeva lashed at the mutt creature as if her belt was a whip. 

"Hiyah!" Saeva hit the half breed square in the face, a blow was so strong it ruptured the girls left eye.

"GGYYAAHHHHH"  the cat like girl stood up on her hind legs in massive pain, "you fucking whore!" 

The cat girl lashed out with her paws catching Saevas right cheek, leaving gashing marks from her chin to the right temple. Saeva tackled her and started to bare knuckle brawl, the crowd went wild, chanting her name.

"Cor! Cor! Cor! Cor!"

This only made saeva angrier.

"MY" she landed a blow on the the girls face, "NAME" another blow to her nose, "IS" another to her throat "NOT CCOORR"

Saeva began to strangle the poor creature, then in a Fit of pure rage she snapped the neck in half with her own hands. Exhausted, Saeva stood up and kicked Sava's body to the side. The crowd had grown silent and Saeva repeated her roar, 

"non putas me qui sum est nomen meum et non in nomine cantare. saeva est.!" unaware of the language she had spoken in she repeated herself

"MY NAME IS SAEVA"

The crowd stood silent, in complete awe, it scared them, you could feel the tension in the air, but one by one they begun to clap.  The announcer came onto to the intercom. 

"Er, the winner is!...SAEVA!!!" 

The crowd cheered and once again became full of happiness from the homicide that had jus taken place, and every one forgot the language that had slipped from the mouth of the triumphant. All they knew, and all they cared about was that she would graduate, another contestant to be the next heir to the position of the head of the militants. 

The crowd may have forgotten, but certainly the ones who's opinions mattered the most, did not.