Once the fog completely dissipated, those standing on the balcony were left frozen in place, each of them surprised in their own way.
Luzbel was the first to react. She let herself fall into her seat and let out a long sigh, as if the soul lost during those eternal seconds had finally returned to her body. Her shoulders trembled slightly. But he was alive… still.
Zarathoz, on the other hand, felt the pressure in her chest ease. The invisible weight that had been crushing her slowly faded away, and with it returned something she believed she had lost: confidence. A slow, dangerous smile formed on her face. With that same expression, she turned toward Ursa and spoke with a calm that bordered on mockery.
well, Ursa… you still have that bad habit of yours of taking things for granted.
Ursa clenched her teeth. She turned sharply toward Zarathoz and, without saying a single word, unleashed all her fury against the edge of the balcony. The impact resounded like a dry thunderclap. The structure groaned… and cracked slightly, as if even the stone feared her rage.
damn it.
( Said Ursa with fury )
Zarathoz did not flinch. Her eyes slid back toward the arena, cold, attentive, expectant.
so it would be best for you to sit down, Ladies and Gentlemen… because the real fight is about to begin.
( Said Zarathoz, looking coldly yet expectantly at Kalista and Morgan )
Kalista frowned.
damn it… so there was more.
( Said Kalista in her mind, annoyed )
Instinctively, she stepped back, placing herself at a safe distance from Morgan. She observed him closely. He was growling. His face was twisted with fury, muscles tense, teeth bared like those of a cornered beast. It wasn't just rage… there was something else there, something she couldn't fully understand.
what's happening to him?
( Said Kalista with a tone of disgust )
She clicked her tongue.
damn it… I couldn't finish him off once and for all. I'll have to move on to plan B.
( Said Kalista in her mind, serious and irritated )
She extended her hands and created two shards of pure snow. She whistled once more, and they grew to a moderate size. They fell to the ground with unnatural lightness. Kalista placed her feet on top of them, and as if the ice itself had been born to obey her, the shards adhered to the soles of her feet.
what is she doing?
( Could be heard among the crowd in the coliseum )
Kalista began to move.
She wasn't walking.
She wasn't running.
She was skating.
Her figure became a white flash, circling Morgan at an unnatural speed. With every corner she passed, she left behind a trail of living frost. The ice spread, freezing the ground, drawing frosted patterns like spiderwebs. The arena ceased to be earth: it became her domain.
Morgan turned his head from side to side, trying to follow her movement, but it was useless.
you're quite strong, I admit it… but you're still a rookie!!!
Kalista shouted.
Morgan barely perceived her. He only felt the impact.
The blow struck him square in the face. His body was sent flying and slid violently across the ice. The sound was dry, brutal. Yet Morgan stood up immediately, roaring, driven by blind fury.
Kalista smiled.
A wide, twisted, terrifying smile.
I've got you.
Kalista pressed her fingers against Morgan's face. There wasn't just a stain there. It was a mark. A perfect frost-shaped figure that began to glow the very moment she snapped her fingers.
From the ground beneath Morgan's feet, multiple ice spikes emerged. They rose violently and embedded themselves into his body. They didn't pierce vital organs, they weren't lethal… but they did make him bleed. The hot blood contrasted with the ice, steaming upon contact.
wow… you really are a damn stone in my shoe.
( Said Kalista with disgust as she saw that Morgan had only been superficially wounded )
She spread her arms wide, claiming the surroundings.
but it doesn't matter. Now you're in my territory. All of this… now belongs to me.
( Said Kalista )
let's see how much more you can endure.
She began skating once again, tracing chaotic circles, impossible directions. Morgan struggled to stay on his feet, slipping, resisting. Kalista struck him again… but just before the impact, she felt something.
A gaze.
Morgan was watching her.
Not with fear.
Not with pain.
She felt it.
The blow connected and Morgan was launched to the side once more, but a shiver ran through Kalista's body. That look… as if he had been waiting for it. As if he had wanted it.
That unsettled her.
what… what was that?
( Said Kalista, confused )
She shook her head.
damn it… nothing, it was nothing. I'll keep going until I leave you like a damn pincushion.
( Kalista shouted with fury )
She snapped her fingers once more. New frozen spikes burst from the ground and embedded themselves into Morgan. The result was the same: superficial wounds.
damn it! Just let me pierce you once and for all!
But then something different happened.
A smell.
It reached Kalista's nose. It came from Morgan. Before, he barely emitted a human scent… now it was different. Dense. Heavy. Wild.
Rage.
An uncontrollable rage.
why…? why do I have this rage? why can't I control it? what's happening to me?
( Said Morgan in his mind, frightened )
Morgan didn't know.
Kalista didn't know.
No one knew.
But the gift that had been bestowed upon him had seen his lack of courage, his apathy, his passivity, his fragility… and it devoured them. It transformed them.
It turned him into the most tenacious, most resilient, and most aggressive being in all of creation.
The honey badger.
And very soon, the world would witness how his rage would turn into a force that would only grow stronger… the more his fury burned.
End of the chapter.
Next chapter: the one who turns his fury into strength.