Chapter 41: Chapter FOURTY ONE

Ethan's hands shook uncontrollably. His tense shoulders ached and in his head floated a lingering mist that gave him a thunderous headache. Vassili had freed him a quarter of an hour before the tournament began, assuring him that he would find Mia in the arena, which had added another layer to his painful anguish. If they had taken her into the thick of the fighting, how could anyone tell him she was safe?

All the participants had already joined their assigned room, impatiently waiting for the gates to open to make way for what they had been waiting for days. Ethan, late, entered the Vilas box five minutes before the fighters entered the arena. Six Vilas waited, some seated on spartan benches, some leaning against the cold walls of the room. Their eyes fell instantly on his person as soon as he crossed the white stone arch announcing the room reserved for his specie. Two of them immediately looked away, preferring to avoid confrontation. It was not the case with the other four who hastened to size him up in a condescending way while smiling sarcastically. One of the Vilas ventured a few yards closer to Ethan, confident. It was obvious he was looking for trouble. Neil, the son of one of the generals who participated in the genocide, liked to tease Ethan from time to time after discovering that he did not share his mother's radical ideas. Usually, Ethan just ignored him, and that was enough to calm the young Vila's ardor. Today, he was no longer so sure of succeeding in controlling himself.

"So, participating in the tournament huh?" Neil said ironically. "Your courage impresses me, I didn't think you would have the balls to show up in the arena with the number of people who hate you."

"Shut up, I'm not in the mood," Ethan replied firmly, taking a seat on one of the empty benches."Your little human got you like this? What a shame for your family though! Isn't it funny? Half the school hates you because you're your mother's son, and the other half loathes you because your soulmate is a human! Don't you think it would be easier if you both died?" sneered Neil. "What's her name again? Mia?"

Even before his mind assimilated the words of his interlocutor, Ethan's fingers closed around the Vila's throat. Neil coughed up blood under the pressure of his grip, which was compressing his esophagus. The gesture looked violent and would probably kill anyone else, but it wasn't enough to kill a Vila. However, it remained painful and particularly disabling until complete recovery. It was a good compromise between his desire to kill him on the spot and his fear of losing control. He was already on edge, he didn't need anyone to insult his soul mate. His sanity was teetering dangerously close to the abyss, and keeping it clear was draining enough energy from him. The last thing he wanted was to find Mia while having lost control of his inner Vila which was agitated beyond reason.

"Shut your fucking mouth," Ethan hissed, bringing his face close to Neil, "before I rip your jaw out."

Neil's terrified look confirmed that he got the message. Neil had a big mouth, but he knew full well that he had no chance of winning against Ethan, even less when he was on the verge of losing his mind. Eventually, he released his grip and pulled away from the frightened student to return to his bench. The other Vilas, nervous, moved away from him to take refuge in the corners of the room, leaving him a few meters of space to try to calm down by exhaling slowly. Vassili wanted him to manage his congeners, that was done. He highly doubted they would attempt anything in his presence. Part of him was relieved. If he didn't need to fight, he wouldn't lose control.

The horns sounded for the first time to announce the opening of the gates. Ethan let the other Vilas pass before entering the arena. A thunderous hubbub from the bleachers rang in his ears as fighters poured into the combat area. The atmosphere in the audience contrasted sharply with the participants in the arena who were surprisingly quiet. His gaze swept over his competitors and he quickly noticed that they were all looking stern. He could see the determination in the eyes of some, and the nervousness in the body of others. A few, unaware of the tension in the air, were enthusiastic, but their numbers were ridiculous compared to past tournaments. Everyone was aware that the event had a strong chance of ending in chaos.

After five minutes of waiting, a few murmurs finally rose in the cohort of students. The director's usual speech was long overdue. Ethan's eyes rested on the upper dais containing the faculty and management, hoping to understand the situation. Unfortunately, his position below did not allow him to observe the upper tiers.

Three more minutes passed, during which time seemed to slow down. The students, confused, were talking among themselves, but silhouettes standing out from the forest put an end to the conversations immediately. Before Ethan could even make out faces, people to his right and in the stands were starting to chaotically move. The centaurs, students as well as spectators, evacuated the square hastily, in dead silence, leaving the rest of the population in an advanced state of agitation.

What is happening? Do they know something?

Some tried to flee in their turn, sensing the danger, but their retreat was blocked by a horde of soldiers dressed all in black, holding in their hand a long weapon which they pointed at the fugitives. They had positioned themselves as a barrage at the gates of the arena and at the entrance to the underground passages to prevent them from leaving the stands. In the confusion, the breakout movement died and the soldiers managed to gain enough ground to secure possible exits without having to fight.

The silhouettes coming from the forest declined to three women and five men. They were also dressed in black, except for two individuals he recognized immediately: Andrei holding an unconscious Mia over his shoulder. A rage like he had never known poured through his veins, turning his fingernails into sharp claws and completely blackening his irises and the whites of his eyes. He had to summon all the will that still remained in his exhausted body not to take off on the spot and rip out the hearts of the wizard and his comrades. No, he had agreed to do his part to buy their freedom, and he would.

They stopped in line about a hundred yards from the students, Andrei gently depositing Mia's amorphous body on the ground. A few seconds after their placement, cries of surprise and exclamations rose, causing the smile of the seven individuals. Ethan understood through a few words heard on the fly that people were debating the identity of the individuals. Wanting to understand what was happening, he concentrated to scan the magic aura of the soldiers. A magician, Andrei, a vampire, and... nothing. He detected nothing from the other five individuals. Were they camouflaging their aura or...

A deafening noise rang out, immediately restoring silence. It emanated from an object that one of the women held, arms in the air, pointed towards the sky. It was a smaller model than the unknown weapons held by the other soldiers. A small cloud of smoke rose from the thing as the echo of the explosion still sounded. He had never heard of such a weapon. Although the effect was impressive, it was hard to imagine that it could be deadly.

If they're all equipped, they must do some damage, especially if–

"I see some of you have already guessed," the woman began, aided by a voice-volume amplifying spell. "The time has come for us to regain our place on Istarea and make those who have forced us to hide like rats for all these decades pay! Carefully choose your side, we are no longer as helpless as we were then... As for our enemies, fear us, for the Age of Humans is about to begin!"

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