Raak

I closed my eyes, blocking every noise around me. Remembering the face of my child.

It's his birthday today. He had already celebrated it yesterday, in Zenid.

The time in Oton is thirteen hours behind Zenid.

It made me happy that Josie and Heron were with him. He would have his family with him on his birthday.

I wish I didn't have a fight today. Usually, I am lucky; I didn't have any fights on this day, but today I am not.

I have a fight. It is in fifteen minutes.

"Anna,"

I heard the familiar voice calling my name and opened my eyes in irritation.

"I had told you many times to not disturb me during my meditation before the battle," I snapped at Master Lar.

The man might be my master, but he had no right to disturb me before the battle. Especially when he wants to win the battle on this day.

"The match is canceled. Praefectus Prisca had summoned you to her office," he informed, surprising me.

That is when I noticed. The uniform of two guards behind him. They are not usual colosseum guards, but Praefectus Guards.

The most elite of all.

Even I couldn't deal with a single one of them, with the power of legacy supporting them.

"Why?" I asked a moment later.

"I don't know," he replied. Sounding as surprised as I was feeling.

Praefectus are the most powerful people in the whole arena, the city, and its dominions. There are only four of them with Grand Praefectus as supreme authority.

I have never been summoned by one.

For a moment, my heart skipped a head, before I pushed the thought away.

It wouldn't be about the children. It had been over nine months since I had sent them away.

They wouldn't be angry about it.

Lar was angry about it, but couldn't do anything other than be angry. Unlike me, they were free and could leave this dammed place.

"Follow us!"

I was in thought when the guard ordered and began to move. I got up and followed them to Lar.

"Why did they summon you?" asked the master. "Why are you asking me that?" I asked back.

"You really don't know?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.

This time, I didn't even reply and walked behind the guards in the grand misty hallways.

It is a beautiful place. I hate it from the bottom of my heart.

It has taken everything from me. My freedom, my children. Every day feels painful here. Sometimes I want to die.

The only reason, I am living is my children.

Soon, we reached the elevator and stepped inside. The door closed and it began to move up.

I watched the views through it; the fight that is happening and the hundreds of thousands watching it.

The number never lessened. Going over a million on the special days.

One would expect it hard for hundreds of thousands of people to watch the battle in the colosseum every day, but it is not when it is a legacy.

People do anything to experience the power of legacy. People come from far, some from out of the continent, to experience the colosseums of Oton.

Ting!

The elevator stopped at the top floor, and we got out and walked through the beautiful hallways before we reached the end, where there was a big bronze gate.

There are no guards guarding it. There is only one person, a middle-aged secretary.

"Go in," said the secretary, without even looking at us.

As she said, the bronze door began to open, but I couldn't see what was behind them. There is something, blocking the view inside.

"Only her, not you," said the secretary, surprising me and Lar.

He is my master, the handler.

Every decision, I take in the arena is his; I have no will regarding it. If he said it.; I will have to follow it.

I remember the day; I signed the contract. I was extremely desperate; there was no option but to sign the contract.

If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been standing here, but sometimes, I really wish I hadn't. Death was preferable to the life, I had.

I signed the contract, not to survive, but for my child. In hope, that I will see him someday.

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I passed through the door and entered the magnificent office. No office, even the head of the House of Silver could compare to what I am seeing.

I only looked at it for a fraction of a second before my eyes fell on the man sitting behind the huge table.

It is not Praefectus Prisca, but Grand Praefectus Donatus.

I had only seen him a few times, in over a decade. He rarely shows himself, preferring to do his work through the four Praefects under him.

Grand Praefectus is a thin man with a scholarly feel. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, handsome with gentle features.

Nobody would think him powerful, much less dangerous, but he is a very dangerous man.

The man responsible for the arena and the massive dominion. He is sitting there while Praefectus Prisca is standing beside him.

Both of them are looking at me with unreadable expressions.

"Grand Praefectus Donatus, Praefectus Prisca," I greeted and bowed.

"Esanor Raak, you have hidden a lot of things from us," said Grand Praefectus.

I shuddered hearing him take my real name. I had never told anyone about my real name. Even the contract, was signed in blood.

I had not even told Emer my full name, on the day he left. I had told him where to go and who to meet.

"Take a seat, Esanor," said Grand Praefectus Donatus.

I sat down shakingly and turned to them.

"How are you able to find out my name?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Your son, he contacted us," replied Grand Praefectus, before placing the envelope in front of me.

I closed my eyes for a moment. He did what I had asked him not to do it.

I had asked Emer to warn Remus to not contact me. The heavenly colosseums are dangerous; the further one remained, the better.

I sighed and turned to the letter. It is simple, with two emblems.

The one on the right was unfamiliar to me, but the other one was on the left, I know too well.

It is the emblem of a house of silver; the variation of it. If I had any doubts, about his words; the emblem made it disappear.

"He wants us to release you and I have said, his offer of owing us a favor is quite enticing," said Grand Praefectus, shocking me.

Grand Praefectus is a powerful man. To entice him even slightly, one needs to make an offer of colossal proportion, and the man has found the promise of favor from Remus enticing.

The whole house of silver barely could do the job. I know very well that the old man wouldn't pay such a price for me.

'Has Remus made the princess fall in love with him?' I asked myself. It is the only thing; I could think of.

He is twenty years old. It's his birthday today.

At that age, he couldn't achieve anything. It is either that or him finding that load of treasure.

My heart shuddered when I thought about it and immediately controlled my emotions in everything I had.

'Has he found that?' I couldn't help being asked myself, before burying that thought could as deep as possible.

"Please forgive my son, Grand Praefectus Donatus. He cannot offer you anything, that might interest you," I said, and the man smiled and so is the woman beside him.

"Oh, you are very wrong about that, Esanor," he said, before tapping on the desk.

The mist moved and formed an emblem. The same unknown one as the letter.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked, and I shook my head. I didn't, I had never seen it before in my life.

"This?" he asked, and the mist moved again, forming a small tower of about twenty floors. Beautiful, with verdant flower plants around it.

"You really haven't even tried to find information about your son?" He asked, with his eyes intensely searching mine for whatever he was trying to find.

"I know better than to do that, Grand Praefectus," I replied, and the man smiled

"We are not the big, bad wolves, Esanor. We wouldn't do anything to your son's continent away,"

"Did we stop you from sending your children away?" he asked with a smile.

The smile of the wolf.

It was a wise decision to send the children away. If I hadn't, they might have got them; I have seen it enough to not believe their flowery words.

"You should have tried to look at the information about your son. At least in the past nine months," he said, making me frown in question.

I looked at the emblem and the tower beside it. It is what they are looking at and likely the thing, that made even Grand Proetus interested.

It is beautiful, but other than that. There is nothing special about it.

"What is it?" I asked finally, and a small smile appeared on their faces.

"This is a velvet garden." He said, pointing at the tower. Speaking an unfamiliar name.

"The legacy. It was born nine months ago, and the host of it is Remus Silver, your son," he added, and my heart shook.

I had expected many things, but not this.

"It had advanced to Grade II,"

"Most are saying, he had achieved it within six months, which is shocking enough, but there is a whisper, that said he had achieved it in three months,"

"If it is true, he would be the first to achieve the feat, in this era,"

His eyes were searching, but I didn't know anything. He wouldn't find anything in my eyes other than sheer shock.

'Remus has a legacy,'

This sentence revolved around my mind. It took me a while before I was able to get out of it.

"Are you going to release me?" I asked.

I kept the hope to a minimum, but it couldn't help, seeped into my voice.

It had been over a decade since I saw my sweet boy. My heart aches every minute in his memory. I want to see him, hug him, never leave his side.

"I thought about it and decided not to." He replied, crushing all the hope I had in my heart.

"If it had been a common legacy, I would have, but the velvet garden was clearly a special legacy and that makes you an asset to us," he added.

He wouldn't have let me. Even if it was a common legacy. No mercy exists in the hearts of heavenly colosseums.

"But don't worry, seeing you are the mother of a fellow Synod member. We will promote you and give you access to the things, you didn't have before,"

"We are also suspending the Patrons Prize. So, you won't have to sleep with patrons that sponsor you from now on," he said.

The more I heard. The angrier I got, but I said nothing and drank down the emotions.

"You can now even contact your son without any worry," he added with a smile, and all those buried emotions once again threatened to burst out.

"Thank you," I said.

Once again, drinking down everything I was feeling.

"I am going to write to your son, the response now. He would be happy, seeing the privileges we are going to give it to you," he said.

"Can I go now?" I asked.

"Sure, and take this," he replied, before sliding a silver medallion toward me.

A surprise flashed in my eyes. I know what it is; every fighter, gladiator, and warrior longed for this thing.

"You have the potential to earn it, but you are getting it early, thanks to your son," he added with a smile.

The champion's medallion. Only those of Lv. 40 or powerhouses of great prowess get it and he is giving this to me.

It also means Lar can't control me anymore. I am now directly under the prefect's control.

"You will have to add a drop of blood on it to bind it," instructed Praefectus Prisca.

I nodded and took my dagger and pierce my finger with it, before dropping the blood on the silver medallion.

Immediately, the surrounding mist moved onto the medallion, and the emblem of the area flashed in it.

A moment later, it came out of my card and stuck on the back of my hand. It flashed there for a moment before disappearing.

Click!

A few seconds later, I walked out of the office. Lar was waiting there, looking confused.

"What happened? I felt the power of your contract taken from me?" he asked.

"Fuck off!" I cursed, shocking the man.

I had wanted to say those words to this bastard for a long time and now I finally said it.

He was shocked, but the familiar anger appeared in his eyes.

"You bitch! You dare to talk to me like that!" he screamed and raised his hands.

Slap!

A loud slap rang out, sending him flying, crashing into the wall. I waited for the punishment from the contract, but it didn't come.

I have the privilege of champion. Aside from Praefectus, nobody can do anything to me.

"If you ever dare to lay your filthy hands on me again. You will see the slap with mercy," I promised.

I looked at his snotty face, before walking away. I have things to do. First and foremost, find out if this is all true or one big nightmare.

I am still having a hard time believing. It is all truth.