Sophi: She screamed and whipped around at the sudden presence beside her, her tear-blurred vision barely able to process what she was seeing. For a split second, she thought she had completely lost it. That the grief had broken her. She scooted backward until her back pressed against the cold metal bars behind her seat.
"A-Are you actually..." Her voice trembled apart mid-sentence. She slowly lifted a shaky hand toward him, fingers quivering as if she were afraid he would disappear the moment she touched him.
Alex: "Yes, I'm actually here. I set up a respawn point in the event something like this happened..." His voice was strained, unsteady. He was shaking too much to move toward her, both hands trembling where they hovered over his chest. His breathing was uneven, the aftershock of what he had just experienced still running through his body. Even though he was alive, the memory of almost fading lingered in his eyes.
Sophi: She blinked at him in disbelief, her tear-filled eyes scanning his face as if searching for some sign that he was real. She could not guarantee his existence without touching him, but she was too afraid to reach out. What if he vanished? What if this was a trick? What if it was just her mind breaking under the shock?
Her breathing grew uneven again. Instead of moving toward him, she curled into herself, pulling her knees tight to her chest and pressing her back against the metal bars. She buried her face into her knees and cried nonstop, her shoulders shaking as the relief and terror crashed over her all at once.
Radna: In a sudden burst of movement, he grabbed Alex by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall, the metal bars rattling from the impact. "YOU EGOTISTICAL FUCK!" His voice was no longer calm or measured. It thundered through the stands, raw and furious.
Alex: He gasped, squirming against Radna's grip, his fingers weakly grasping at the arm holding him up.
Radna: He shoved him harder into the wall. "ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS ACTUALLY FIGHT!" His face was twisted with anger in a way none of them had seen before. "BUT YOU JUST HAD TO HOLD EVERYTHING BACK! YOU ALWAYS DO THIS! YOU THINK YOU CAN CALCULATE YOUR WAY OUT OF EVERYTHING!"
He slammed him against the wall again, harder this time. The structure dented slightly from the force. "WE COULD DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!" he roared. "SHE JUST WATCHED YOU TURN TO DUST!" His voice cracked with fury. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT DID TO HER?!"
For a split second, there was nothing friendly in his expression. No camaraderie. No brotherhood. Just rage. "You are not untouchable! This is not some controlled match you can experiment in! If you do not stop treating this like a damn test run, we are all going to pay for it!"
Sophi: She looked up at the altercation, her breath catching when she saw Radna slam Alex against the wall. The impact alone proved he was real. "R-Radna!!" she yelped, jumping up and running toward them.
She grabbed Radna's wrist, sending as much calming energy through him as she could, warm light pulsing steadily up his arm. With her other hand, she gently placed it over his and carefully tried to peel his fingers from around Alex's throat, slow and deliberate, terrified of provoking him further.
"Please...please stop..." she whispered shakily, doing everything she could to calm him without turning his anger toward herself.
Radna: His head snapped toward her. Though he had no eyes, she could feel the weight of his attention like heat pressing against her skin. His grip remained tight for one more tense second before he exhaled sharply and dropped Alex to the ground. He said nothing. No apology. No explanation. He turned and walked back to his seat, sitting down rigidly.
Alex: He coughed harshly as he hit the floor, immediately bringing a hand to his neck and rubbing the reddened skin. "I was trying...I can't use every ability here..." His voice was strained, but the hesitation in it was obvious. He was clearly lying.
Sophi: She slumped slightly under the weight of Radna's attention, feeling small as he turned and walked away. Once he was seated, she shifted her focus back to Alex.
She slowly reached out and gently grabbed his arm, her fingers tightening just enough to ground herself and confirm he was truly there. The warmth beneath her touch steadied her breathing a little.
"I-I'm not too sure that's the case, baby.." she whined softly, her voice fragile as she looked up at him, clearly hearing the lie in his tone.
Alex: His eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I'm not gonna expose my entire arsenal for their entertainment...we need to worry about who is next..." He brushed himself off, straightening his clothes as if that settled the matter.
Sophi: Her eyes narrowed a little as she looked up at him, frustration and hurt mixing. She took a slow, steady breath, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I understand not showing everything out there, but that doesn't mean you have to lie about them to the people that care about you." She sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor before lifting back to him.
She brushed past Alex, sniffling softly and wiping at her eyes as she made her way over to Radna. Carefully, almost timidly, she tiptoed closer and lowered herself into the seat beside him.
"H-Hai...I hope I didn't anger you...if I did, I-I'm sorry...and I wanna fix it..." she said quietly, resting her hands on her thighs, shoulders slightly hunched as she waited for his response.
Alex: He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, jaw tight, choosing to remain silent rather than argue further.
Radna: "It's fine..." His voice had cooled, but the tension still lingered in it. "I just hate what he has become. He used to actually care about existence. About balance. About people." His hands tightened slightly on his knees. "Now it seems like he only cares about protecting you."
He tilted his head slightly over his shoulder toward where Alex stood, the motion subtle but deliberate, before turning back toward the arena. "He isn't at all like I remember him. It's hard enough to get him to smile anymore."
Sophi: She glanced back at Alex leaning against the wall, then turned her attention fully to Radna, listening carefully to the weight in his voice. "Y-You think that's my fault..?" she whimpered, looking up at him with watery eyes. She sniffled and wiped at her tears, but they continued to flow.
Radna: "I doubt it..." His tone softened slightly. "Thinking more on it, he is probably hiding something. What exactly, I am not sure, but it does not excuse recklessness."
Announcer: He cleared his throat loudly, his amplified voice booming across the arena. "We have decided the next champions to fight for round five! We have a submission contestant to fight for our side. The last of his species, he calls himself the Phantom Assassin! GALACOR!" A ripple went through the crowd.
Alex: He tilted his head slightly. "Galacor? The guy that I bumped into while I was getting some flowers?"
Radna: He scoffed. "He is also Star's biggest hater. Bastard thinks Star killed his entire race and family and has been constantly getting in the way."
Sophi: She sniffled and wiped her tears away, glancing over at her husband before the announcer's voice boomed through the arena. "G-Galacor?" she repeated softly, then looked back toward Radna as he explained. "Why does he think that about St-"
Announcer: "They have requested that Star be the fifth round fighter! The champion of all, father of positivity, the purest being to ever exist, THE GOLDEN WARRIOR!" The crowd erupted, roaring from both sides. Star was known across countless realms.
Sophi: She jumped slightly as the announcer suddenly called for Star, quickly covering her ears as the crowd erupted. "Mmh..."
Radna: A wide grin stretched across his face. "AHAH!" In one swift motion, he picked Sophi up and threw her over his shoulder, then grabbed Alex and pulled him into a playful chokehold. Whatever anger he had seconds ago was completely gone. "IT IS GLORIOUS! WE WILL WIN THIS ROUND!"
Sophi: "EEP!!" she yelped as Radna lifted her onto his shoulder. She swayed for a moment before placing both hands on top of his head to steady herself. "Radna!!" she squeaked, though a wide smile spread across her face at his excitement.
Alex: "AGH!" He struggled against Radna's arm, trying to pry himself free as the energy around them shifted from tension to chaotic excitement.
Star: His body ignited with golden determination as he was transported down into the ring, light cascading off him in radiant waves. Across the arena, Galacor materialized in a flicker of distortion and shadow. Star crossed his arms, a confident smirk tugging at his lips. "Got a new look? It suits you."
Alex: "How does picking Star...AGH...automatically mean we win?" he groaned, still struggling in Radna's playful chokehold while craning his head up at him.
Radna: He burst into laughter at Alex's lack of faith. "Look at him down there! The most wonderful being in all of creation! The most caring, the most loving, the savior of positivity!" His voice boomed with absolute conviction, his entire posture practically gleaming with hope as he gestured proudly toward the arena.
Sophi: She shifted her legs to rest more securely on either side of his shoulder, still holding onto his head as she leaned forward to watch the arena. "That's Galacor?" she asked, staring down at the figure across from Star. "He doesn't seem all that bad...why does he think those awful things about our Star??"
Radna: "Supposedly, he saw Star do it himself, which is impossible due to Star's awakening time. And do not let his appearance distract you. It is what he carries inside that is dangerous." He stepped forward, bringing both Sophi and Alex closer to the edge of their section so they could see clearly.
Galacor: His metallic fingers bent and twisted unnaturally, joints rotating with sharp mechanical clicks as he flexed his reconstructed body. "All of this...so I can kill you." The gears embedded within his face rotated, vents along his cheeks releasing thin streams of steam. "Phantom Emperor."
Phantom Emperor: A towering figure materialized at Galacor's side, golden rings along his arm spiraling as they gathered immense built-up energy. His voice was flat and mechanical. "Mission: Kill Star."
Star: "Good to see you haven't changed one bit." His body flared as he powered up, golden light erupting outward. His hair ignited into burning gold, flames licking upward as a powerful electric white aura surged around him, crackling against the arena floor.