A storm of dust engulfed the arena, thickest at the heart of a crater. Launched into it was a human — Aria.
She could no longer fight. Her right arm was useless, the bone broken and protruding gruesomely from her wrist — a sight hard to stomach.
Nyx walked toward Aria slowly. With each step, the dust around him dispersed, fading into the air.
"Admit it, won't you?" Nyx said.
Aria slowly raised her head toward him. Her lips trembled with pain — her arm did too.
"..." She nodded slightly, barely visible.
"Hey, hey! With words!" Nyx chuckled.
Sighing, Aria spoke, her voice cracked and faint. "Y-Yes."
"Haha, it's my win," Nyx said, a wide, satisfied smile spreading across his face.
He glanced over Aria's battered body. Her arm sleeve was torn, her leg sleeves too — holes torn around her abdomen, parts of her garments missing. He looked at her face, then down her body, then back to her face again.
"Well... let's get you a doctor first," he said.
Raising his arm into the air, Nyx turned toward the announcer's box and shouted, "Mister! Doctor, please!"
The instructor flinched at the voice cutting through the dust. Through the haze, he saw Nyx and Aria slumped in the crater wall. A bead of sweat rolled down his face. Turning sharply, he bolted into the tunnel.
Nyx turned back to Aria and crouched beside her. His eyes softened, brows knitting together. The corners of his mouth pulled downward with guilt. He reached toward the shredded fabric at her leg.
"...Sorry... I should've held back," he murmured.
Aria glanced at his hand and scoffed. "No worries... I enjoyed it."
Nyx's frown melted into a warm smile. "I see..."
From afar, the sound of fast-approaching footsteps echoed. Nyx turned to see four nurses sprinting toward them — three with brown hair, one with black — one of them carrying a stretcher.
The black-haired nurse flicked her hand, lifting Aria gently into the air with a gust of wind. The dust swirled away beneath her as she was placed onto the stretcher.
As they were about to leave, Aria turned her head slightly.
"Don't worry too much... you earned it."
And with that, they bolted toward the tunnel.
Nyx watched them go, his eyes following until they vanished into the darkness. He let out a soft chuckle, exhaling deeply.
A small, quiet smile lingered on his face.
In an Overlook at the same time
A peculiar noblewoman, dressed in a fashionable gown, sat with her hair styled high into a comb adorned by two rune-etched sticks. Her face, visibly aged around forty, was veiled in wrinkles, partly hidden behind an elegant fan. Watching the arena below, she spoke with a condescending tone.
"What a disappointment."
She snapped her fan closed with a loud CLICK.
"I expected at least something entertaining — and these were supposed to be the top students?"
"The academy's standards have truly fallen."
Scoffing, the noblewoman muttered:
"Lockheart... what a disgrace."
She turned her head toward her husband — a man of average height but immense build. His body overflowed the chair's arms, his shirt strained by his girth, buttons on the verge of bursting. A rune-etched band circled his thick wrist. His face, round and bloated like a pig's, sagged heavily beneath tired eyes. Only the sides of his head held hair, the top bald and gleaming under the light.
In a deep voice, he rumbled
"Indeed… much was left to be desired."
"My love, I regret coming here."
"Me too, my love," she replied.
As if on cue, the guards opened a door behind them. Three boys entered.
Surprisingly, it was the infamous trio — Arry, David, and Sav. Their uniforms matched the academy standard, a perfect mimicry. They walked past "Luna", veering left toward their parents.
"Mother, Father! We're back!" Arry announced.
The woman glanced toward her sons.
"We're preparing to leave. Hurry up," she said, rising from her seat.
Her husband followed her lead, standing slowly — his entire body trembling with the effort.
"Listen to your mother," he added, voice deep and breath heavy.
The parents crossed their arms as they stepped past "Luna", their sons following closely.
As Arry and Sav passed her without a glance, David hesitated. He turned back, catching sight of "Aria".
"Look what we have here…" he muttered.
His eyes widened. His mouth dropped open in terror. Sweat beaded and streamed down his face. Staggering backward, he reached out, grabbing both brothers by their arms.
Looking toward the open exit, Sav and Arry shouted in unison:
"What are you doing?!"
"Don't question — just run!" David snapped, panic thick in his voice.
Arry and Sav looked at each other, gulped, and — deciding to listen — bolted with him toward the exit.
They vanished past the doors, leaving behind the empty chair where "Luna" sat.
A faint, almost imperceptible chill settled around the vacant chair — an unnatural stillness that clung to the air. From the open doorway, two flies drifted in, drawn by something unseen.
They circled lazily, then descended with eerie purpose, landing upon her head.
There they remained — pacing forward and backward in perfect mirrored steps, their proboscises pressed against her scalp, feeding silently.
The room, though full of voices moments ago, now felt hollow.
And in the chair where "Luna" sat, only the flies moved.