Fear No More

Chapter Twenty

Just as quickly as Julie had appeared, Rosalie took control. The look of anger flooding through her features. If it was even possible, she seemed angrier now than she did before. She glared down in my direction for a good few seconds before a smirk covered her lips.

How did this even make sense? How did I see Julie in Rosalie? Is she able to take over control? Does this mean that she still lives?

"And now for the main event." Rosalie said loudly with a smile on her face. Whatever she had decided, it would seem that she was overly content with it. Just what did she plan? "Our champion has to prove himself worthy of that title. And you all know what that means." She said clearly happy at her decision.

"The champion will now have to fight five of our challengers, with a weapon of our choice." She continued as her smile grew, a dark tint appeared in her eyes. She was enjoying this far too much. This was nowhere near the Rosalie I knew before. Something must have happened.

But this is too much. How am I going to fight five men. With a weapon that I did not choose. My hopes for surviving this round just diminished. I was not going to survive this. But I needed to, If Julie can still fight, then so will I.

"The weapon that the outstanding men behind me and I have chosen for our fighters will be the Bō staff. Now lets give a generous cheer for our fighters." She almost shouted as the crowd erupted into a frenzy. Just great. A blunt force weapon. Just what I needed. Any semblance of hope and desire to win vanished in an instant.

The door behind me opened and the crowd seemed to cheer far louder than before. I turned with a start to see five men, the same height as Juggernaught. A few inches taller tan me. However, all five were of leaner builds. Very similar to each other. A few had scars prominently displayed on their torsos while others were smooth skinned. All five had strawberry blonde hair. Just where did they find all these blondes?

In each of their right hands, they held a dark brown staff, with the man in the front holding two. One must definitely be mine. Suddenly a whip of fire wrapped itself around the blade of my sword and yanked it backwards. The sudden movement deterring my focus from the five fighters to where my sword had gone.

I saw the man with the whips that brought me to the arena with a smile on his face as he stood proudly next to the announcers box. Just how did he make his whips catch fire?

I turned back to the five men as I heard a loud thud right behind me. I found the second staff that the lead man had now lying by my feet. I bent down, not taking my eyes of the five men. Taking it into my hands the man in the lead finally showed emotion. A smile darker than Rosalie's appeared on his face.

He twirled the staff in his hands a few times, showing me that he was proficient enough to use the weapon. Myself on the other hand, was not used to a blunt force weapon or any weapon to be honest. My day could not get worse. Or so I thought.

The other four began to walk forward, widening their movements. It looked as if they were planning to surround me while the man in the lead fought me. Is he that strong, or are they just trying to make things fair.

The man in the lead rushed forward, as my attention was focused on the others surrounding me. His staff thrust forward, hitting my chest above my left peck, causing me to twist left and fall to the ground. His left leg came forward and kicked my chest, causing me to roll to my right away from him. I rolled for two meters before coming to a stop.

He brought the staff above his head as he quickly began to swing it down towards my head. By sheer luck, I managed to dodge in time. The changing of times pace had long since disabled with the death of Juggernaught.

As I rolled away from the strike quickly getting into a kneeling position, the man planted the staff into the ground and using its momentum vaulted himself in my direction, kicking me in the chest with his right leg. Once again I fell to the ground. This was not even a fight.

He slowed his pace as he took a few steps back waiting for me to stand. I coughed up a small splatter of blood as I stood, unsteadily on my feet. Somehow maintaining my grip on the staff.

The man lunged forward once more, thrusting the staff towards my head. I moved my head to the right just in time to avoid the deadly attack. His momentum stopped and began to quickly swing to the left, aiming for my head once more. I ducked forward avoiding another hit. Letting my instincts and muscle reflex take over.

As I lifted my head to look at the man again, his right leg shot forward hitting me left. Throwing my leg backwards, causing to lose my balance, I fell to my left knee. Once again kneeling. This was not a fight. It was a one sided killing. I could barely fight back. All I could do was prolong my inevitable death.

At this point no other fighter had joined the fight and still I was about to lose.

He once more kicked my chest, causing me to fall backwards, blood seeped from my lips. I could feel my body becoming heavy. My vision blurring slightly before returning. I was losing the last of my strength and I could do nothing about it.

"Is this all you are?" The man said in a deep gravelly voice. A voice that could sound both alluring and dangerous at the same time. "Once a dragon, huh? That's a joke. You are nothing. Barely able to fight for your life. This is what you deserve. Death at the hands of your enemy.

"You are supposed to be the champion. Where is your fighting spirit? Your will to live? Your strength?" The man continued mockingly. The crowd cheering at the result that had come forth. "You are going to die here. I want to know that no one is going to come help you. You are alone with nothing. Uncared for. Unloved. A human merely waiting for death." He added with a laugh.

I stood up slowly as I struggled to remain on my feet. My strength failing me at this most important time.

"This is your end. Hear how they cheer." The man said as he gestured towards the arena audience, whose cheers only grew louder chanting for my death.

Without any notice the man tensed his muscles and then swung his staff behind his back and over his head. Aiming to hit the center of my head. With the force he was exerting, it would be enough to kill me instantly.

Time seemed to slow down. Differently from the previous time. Memories flashed before my eyes reminding me of who I am and what I have lost.

The foster parents who used me to receive their monthly cheques. The fact that I thought I was alone most of my life. Meeting Julie at the first day of the academy. Seeing her smile for the first time. Her arm wrapped around mine. Then the memories turned into a nightmare.

I saw Julie finding Bo. Her telling me of their encounter, effectively cementing their union. The break I felt when she told me. My decision to die. The moment I turned into a full dragon. Releasing my powers. The light that burned a hole through my chest. Julie giving her life to save mine. Rosalie.

Her betrayal. The feeling of when she touched me. The love I felt towards her. Then her betrayal once again. I felt it over and over again. The break within me when I truly realised that I was going to die with no one to help me.

I felt alone. I felt betrayed. I felt useless.

I couldn't do anything as I watched the staff growing closer and closer towards my head.

As it was a few centimeters away from me, something within me snapped. As if breaking free from a prison that was supposed to hold it for an eternity.

"Enough." I said with a voice not my own. It was laced with hundreds of voices. My tone deepening far beyond what a human would normally be capable of.

The staff stopping abruptly above my head as if stopped by an unseen force. The staff seemed to be fighting the force as it began to splinter and break. Then power erupted throughout my body.