Cyrn looked down at his sword, and his eyes widened. The point where their two swords met was slowly beginning to erode. It wasn't incredibly fast, but it was enough to notice after not paying attention.
Cyrn was baffled. He had a water affinity. How is it eroding my sword
As if he was reading Cyrn's mind, Yrsass answered. "Erosion is the concept I've applied to my water affinity boy. It's not fast, but persistent. As long as I live, anything my water makes contact with will continue to erode till I say so."
Cyrn was stunned. This was the first time he had come into contact with a concept, and it was powerful. Insanely so.
Continuous erosion of anything he touches with water? That's insane!
Before Cyrn could marvel at the power of a concept, Yrsass attacked again.
Cyrn clashed with Yrsass again, regretting it instantly. His blade began to erode at a faster pace than before.
Cyrn didn't know what to do; his sword was breaking, he was on the defensive, and he had no way to turn this situation around.
Cyrn continued to either block attacks or take hits. Then suddenly an idea struck him, and he felt like a complete idiot.
Cyrn looks at his eroding blade, Yrsass's blood still on it.
It's a gamble, I'll be out for a moment, but when I come back, I'll have the upper hand.
Cyrn took a massive leap back, then licked the blood off his blade.
In an instant, emotions flooded his mind. Regret, sorrow, longing, hope. This was a man forced into a bad situation; he wished and hoped for better.
Cyrn cleared his mind. When he came too, Yrsass was upon him, blade poised to pierce his heart.
Cyrn noticed the attack and stood still.
The blade slid between his ribs, parting muscular tissue like butter. The blade met his heart and nearly bisected it into two perfect halves. Blood spilled from his mouth and his chest, and Yrsass looked content, assuming the battle to be won.
However, Cyrn grinned, his canines shining a bright red because of his own blood. He grabbed Yrsass' blade with his free hand, holding him steady.
He raised the eroding sword, the item nearly too rusted to cut anything. But it'll work for now.
The rusted blade fell. Not clean. Not elegant. Just enough.
The rusted blade met Yrsass' right shoulder, his blade hand, and tore it off his body.
Yrsass retreaded, his arm still holding the blade lodged in Cyrn's chest. Cyrn grabbed the sword and began to pull it out.
His healing was much slower, most likely due to Yrsass' erosion, but he'll live, that's for sure.
Yrsass stared at the boy, then said, "You had the opportunity to kill me there. You should've taken it."
Cyrn replied quickly, "Why, getting your arm is good enough to secure my victory. You should forfeit."
Yrsass shook his head, "I can't, boy, I'm stuck in this pit till my dying breath. So either you kill me, or I kill you. You should've taken the chance when you could've."
Cyrn froze, fear and nervousness once again climbing up his throat.
He could feel it, the inevitability of having to kill someone. Someone in cold blood, who doesn't deserve death, who wasn't dying already.
If he did this, he knew he couldn't run from the fact anymore; he'd become a killer.
As Cyrn's mind was running with ways to escape murdering Yrsass today, the same man was preparing a flurry of water spells, all with his erosion etched into them.
"Kill me now, boy, or you'll die in this ring."
Cyrn looked at him, finally processing his surroundings. He was surrounded by water constructs shaped like spears. Eachwas poised to hit him. He knew he could tank them all, but what then? He just keeps taking hits.
He wasn't willing to see if and how his regeneration would fail him right now.
Cyrn took his rusted blade, planted his feet, readied his stance, then charged towards Yrsass.
The blade pierced his chest. Skin resisted, then gave. The path it took through Yrsass' body, the extra resistance when pressing against his heart, and the way his heart gave in, all the same, Cyrn felt it all.
Blood ran down his hands, warm and wet. He could feel Yrsass's heart beat. The organ spasmed against the rusted steel. Every beat, growing weaker and weaker, his hands picking up every tremor of fading life.
Cyrn could swear he felt it too. A sharp pain in his heart, the realization that he just taken someone's life. The reality of it sank into his chest, then settled in his stomach.
Yrsass looked at Cyrn, "It's ok, boy, my time was to come soon anyway. You're a good kid; you didn't come here for slaughter. I just forced you into it. Do me a favor, however. There should be a beggar girl around here. She's beautiful and young, around your age. Her name is Viola. Please take care of her."
Yrsass's body went limp, then it slid off Cyrn's rusted blade. Cyrn felt the weight fall off the sword; the thud of Yrsass' body against the dirt echoed in his mind.
The arena holds its breath.
Before the announcer could speak, or the crowd erupts in a roar, Cyrn felt the feeling in his stomach rise, then eject.
He threw up, fully.
Then he heard it. Cheering. The announcer's overhead solidified his victory. The sound barely reached his ears, his mind still echoing the sound of his body against the floor, the fading heartbeat. Yet the Cheers, they made these echoes even more in his mind.
He collapsed to his hands and knees, then vomited again.
His head was spinning, his mind blank.
He's…dead. I killed him. He forgave me. Why did he forgive me?
His thoughts were cut short as he felt two presences approach him. Thalen and Elyon had come into the pit, both grabbed each arm and began to walk him back to the dugout.
Elyon spoke first, "I know it's hard. The first one is always hard. You'll feel better, I promise."
Thalen didn't speak, only nodding.
Cyrn's face was blank, his mind now frozen, trying to pretend that none of this just happened.
Minutes later, Elyon and Thalen decided it was enough of fightclub today. They dragged Cyrn out of the arena, back up the stairs, and into the alley.
They tried to walk towards the academy, but Cyrn stopped them.
"Viola, I need to see her, just once."
Elyon and Thalen looked at one another, then back at Cyrn. They knew he wasn't leaving till he saw this girl.
"Alright, we'll look, then leave."
Cyrn was practically catatonic at this point; he wasn't responding, only walking around, looking for a beautiful girl his age.
After several hours, Cyrn walked up to another girl and asked, "Are you Viola?"
Finally, after many failed attempts, the girl answers, "Yes, who's asking?"
Cyrn froze. He hadn't really thought this far, so he just asked, "Do you know Yrsass?"
The girl froze for a second, "You know my dad? Why? Is he ok?"
Cyrn froze. He wanted me…trusted me to take care of his daughter? Oh god.
Cyrn flinched at her response, refusing to make eye contact with her, finally answering, "No, he died in the pit today. I came to deliver the message and his last words."
Viola froze, then words came spilling out, "How is this possible? They said he was a reigning champ. He told me he couldn't lose anymore. There's no universe in which he should've lost to any of the existing winners, or any random slave. How???"
Cyrn froze, then swallowed, and said, "A newbie decided to participate in a fight today. Your father was skilled, but this guy had some weird, anomalous powers. Your father was caught off guard and lost."
Viola didn't know what to say; tears began to spill from her eyes. Then she began to wail.
Minutes passed like this before she finally regained some composure, "So, what happened to me? Father only fought in the pit to replace my enslavement. Will they take me again? Please don't let them take me again."
Cyrn's mouth moved before his mind. "Don't worry, no one's taking you. I promised your father to take care of you before he died. I will hold that promise. I'll put you up at a nice inn far from here while I come up with a permanent residence for you, ok?"
Viola sniffled, then looked at Cyrn. "Thank you for fulfilling my father's last wishes. What was the name of the man who killed him?"
Cyrn paused, mind racing, hands shaking, His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He almost says "I—".
His throat tightens.
"He said he was a vampire."
Viola nodded, saying, "Thank you."
Cyrn walked out the door with Viola, he asked ELyon for some Solars to help tide Viola by, and he silently obliged.
After walking for a while, they put Viola up in an inn, then walked off back towards the academy.
Cyrn made it back to his dorm, not talking to Elyon or Thalen the entire time, before falling face-first into his bed and falling asleep.