Umbria Scar Coliseum.
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Scene 1: The Sand of Oblivion
The wind blew ashes across the black stone sand. Ryn adjusted the bandages on her hands, feeling the sting of the rune on her left forearm: an indecipherable symbol that shone with a pale glow, like the light of a moon drowned in fog. All around him, thousands of spectators chanted warriors' names, but his was never uttered. To them, he was just "the Ghost Wolf," a Marked One with no past who survived by instinct.
-He will fight The Masked One of Thorn! -a herald announced in a metallic voice. Let the moons decide his fate!
The challenger emerged from a trapdoor: tall, with carved bone armor and a helmet without slits. On his back, a rune of ice sparkled. Ryn gritted his teeth. He knew what was coming: the searing pain in his rune, the lunar heat flooding his veins... and then, darkness.
Scene 2: Moon Fury
The first blow was a whiplash of frost. The Masked One threw an ice dagger that Ryn dodged by millimeters, but a subsequent lunge caught him in the shoulder. Warm blood slid down his arm, activating the rune.
A buzzing sound.
The world was tinged blue. The three moons-Zorya, Nocturne, and Umbria-seemed to pulse in unison. Ryn moved like a whirlwind: he dodged, he struck, he broke his enemy's helmet with a punch. Under the mask, there was a youthful face, almost a child, with eyes full of fear.
-Stop! -pleaded the Masked One, but Ryn was no longer listening.
His mind clouded over. He saw flashes: caged winged dragons, a deep voice whispering "find the scar." When he regained consciousness, the Masked One lay unconscious, and the arena was split in two by a furrow of lunar energy. The spectators fell silent.
Scene 3: Lord Valtor and the Price of Glory
In the ebony box, Lord Valtor, patriarch of House Umbria, bowed his head. His silver mask-a dragon devouring his own face-concealed any emotion.
-That boy is no ordinary Marked One," he murmured to his attendant, a snake-eyed woman. Watch him. If he wakes *that* up again, we'll have to put him down before he attracts unwanted eyes.
Meanwhile, in the dungeons of the coliseum, Ryn sank into a barrel of ice water to soothe the burning of his rune. The visions persisted: a black-scaled dragon, its eyes like wells of dead stars.
-Ignavus? -he mumbled, remembering the legends the slaves whispered.
A shadow materialized behind him: it was Lira, wrapped in a merchant's cloak.
-Your rune... does not belong to this cycle," she said, holding out a scroll with symbols identical to those on her skin. If you want answers, come with me.
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Scene 4: The Offering of the Dragons
That night, Ryn followed Lira to the Catacombs of Zorya, a labyrinth beneath the coliseum. On the walls, frescoes showed ancient warriors offering blood to dragons in chains.
-The Coliseums are not just arenas," Lira explained, tracing a georuna on the floor to light the way. They are temples where the Houses drain the power of the dragons. And you... are the key to freeing them.
Before Ryn could respond, a rumble shook the catacombs. From above came shrieks: Ignavus, the dragon guardian of the coliseum, roared as if in pain.
-What's wrong with him? -Ryn asked, covering his ears.
-Someone is trying to control him," replied Lira, pale. And if they fail, this place will be our grave.
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Scene 5: The Dream of the Scar
Returning to his cell, Ryn collapsed into a fitful sleep. He saw the dragon again, but now there was a man at his side: Kaelion, the traitor, with a rune twinned to his own on his chest.
-They mark us to steal our essence," said Kaelion, pointing to Ignavus' chains. But you carry the *scar* that can break the cycle.
Upon awakening, Ryn found his rune bleeding. On the floor, someone had slipped a message: "Next full moon, Valtor will sacrifice you. Flee or die."
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To be continued...