Celeste~

Everyone turned to me and Rain had an expression on her face that I could only interpret as 'Good fucking luck man, you're gonna need it.'

"Celeste!, Celeste!" They all shouted. Not honest in their support as we all knew what they were looking forward to. Me getting beat the fuck up. I tried my best not to look up at the Beast in the cage but my eyes just couldn't fight it.

Now he was at the side of the cage that was facing me. He looked down at me like the predator he was, analysing, gaging.

He smirked when my eyes met his.

Giving one last look at Chloe, her face a mixture of concern and encouragement, I braced myself and made my way toward the changing rooms. The room buzzed with energy as the crowd parted to let me through, their voices rose in a chorus of chants that echoed in my ears. Amongst the supportive roars, I caught snippets of conversation that crawled beneath my skin. Some people were dismissively muttering about how I didn't stand a chance against Caspian, their disbelief palpable as they scoffed at the very idea of placing their bets on me. The thought stung, but honestly, I couldn't blame them, if I were in their shoes, I would hesitate to put my money on someone like me against him too.

As I stepped into the changing room, I was greeted by a calmness that washed over my nerves. The space was well-lit with bright fluorescent lights, rows upon rows of combat wear lined the walls, a vibrant array of colours and styles that offered an impressive selection which was on brand.

My heart began to race again as I scanned the piles of equipment.

Goddammit, how can my luck be so terrible.

Jackets, arm guards, shin pads—all specially designed for agility and toughness. Yet, my mind was made up. I was a creature of habit and found comfort in my routine I would definitely go for my tried-and-true black bodysuit.

I reached for it, fingers grazing the smooth fabric as I assessed its quality. A quick stretch confirmed that it was made from the same advanced material as my previous suit, ensuring that it would offer me the range of motion I needed in the heat of battle. The last thing I wanted was to feel restricted or weighed down I needed to be light on my feet, ready to evade every strike, every move Caspian would make. This battle was far from ordinary, and I couldn't afford any distractions, especially not something as trivial as uncomfortable gear.

I slipped into the bodysuit, feeling the snug fit conform perfectly to my body. As I adjusted the straps and secured the final touches, I could feel the confidence welling up inside me. The battle ahead was scary as fuck, yes, but I was ready.

I had to be.

I wasn't just competing for my own glory, this was a public affair and the depths of Blue Phoenix's notoriety would mean that I was unfortunately now a number on a scale. Not that it wasn't already coming, now, I would be compared, judged and matched with someone who they thought I was good enough for. All because I was about to be in the ring with someone valuable. People would judge the people I came here with too, the people I grew close to. We would be branded as weak, our names tarnished unless we prove otherwise, it was a sick game.

I was fighting for Chloe, for Rain and for Markan.

As I flexed my limbs, feeling the rush of adrenaline kick in, I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, I could prove them all wrong.

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I exited my sanctuary and prepared myself for what was to come. It was daunting at the least but I had to do it. I didn't have to win after all, I just had to not make a fool of myself but that might be a hard enough task by itself.

The people not to my surprise were still buzzing with energy, the chanting continued and I made my way to the ring.

Looking at him once again when I got through the dense array of people, he had just finished entertaining the energy of the crowd before he turned to me.

Bold and confident he stood tall. His eyes faced me but it was almost as if he was looking straight through me, like I was nobody.

I stepped out of my sanctuary, walls that had offered me comfort and solitude, and braced myself for what awaited. The atmosphere crackled with an intensity that was palpable; a storm I had no choice but to confront. It was daunting, to say the least, but retreat was not an option. I reminded myself that the goal wasn't necessarily to just win. In fact, all I needed to do was avoid the humiliation of making a fool of myself, which, under the current circumstances, felt like it might be a colossal task in itself.

Once I finally broke through the crowd, I spotted him. He stood in the centre of the ring, just moments after captivating the crowd with his entertaining presence. The cheers for him were magnificent, a testament to his established dominance and charisma. He had just completed a display of bravado that had sent ripples of excitement through the audience, and now, as he turned to face me, and the atmosphere shifted.

There he was, bold and confident, commanding the space he occupied with an air of undeniable authority. He stood tall, showcasing an imposing stature that seemed to emphasise his strength and self-assuredness. His gaze locked onto mine, but there was something unnerving about his eyes. It felt as if he was peering straight through me, dispassionately assessing my worth, or perhaps my lack of. In that instant, the realization hit me before this crowd, in this moment of high stakes, I was nothing more than a pebble in his story, a mere spectator in the grand performance that he was making.

Swallowing hard, I tensed my shoulders, even as self-doubt threatened to delete my resolve. I reminded myself that I was here for a reason, and regardless of the formidable Man standing in front of me, I had come way too far to back down now.

The ring was a theatre for both victory and defeat I guess, and I was definitely the latter, and as I stepped into that spotlight, I was determined to make my entrance count, even if it meant I lost in the end.

"The round begins in three, two, one"

I braced myself for what was to come, he took the offence which I assumed he would and threw an ice shard right in my direction.

The icy missile glinted as it sliced through the air, its trajectory unnervingly precise. I anticipated the strike and ducked just in time, the projectile grazing past me with a chillingly. The tension burned between us, filling the air with a palpable sense of danger. My heart raced as I braced for the next move.

Already strategizing my response to his aggressive outburst. The anticipation burned, each moment thick with uncertainty and adrenaline.

It was a dangerous dance where every move had the potential to tip the balance in our high-stakes confrontation. As I steadied myself in the face of his grace, I steeled my resolve, knowing that I had to navigate this treacherous situation with caution and cunning.

I was going to manifest my energy into a whip, it was the only use of my magic that I deemed useful right now and probably my only hope. It was long distance enough that I could hit him without putting him into close distance to me and the only thing that would stop him shoving an ice dagger right into my arm.

But I wanted him to let his guard down first.

I threw my handy energy balls at him while he prepared to dart a bullet of his own. He dodged effortlessly and simultaneously managed to launch his shard at me as well. I attempted to dodge again but failed miserably as it grazed my hip before landing onto the walls behind me.

I was guessing that he was trying to gauge my physical condition, my ability to regenerate and my pain tolerance. We all had increased abilities but not to the same level.

He was just making sure my secret weapon was not being practically unstoppable damage wise, It would allow me to attack him without him knowing about just how healed I was, it would have caught him off guard. And oh he wouldn’t like that.

A slight flinch emerged from me when the dagger went through the outer layer of my skin, thankfully not doing too much damage it didn’t cause too much pain, but now I guess he knew that I was capable of getting hurt.

Poor me.