The golden doors apart sending a cold gust into the interior of the chamber. Zeke walked slowly, slouching one step at a time. His hair flowed in the wind as his heavy steps collided with the floor of the cave. Fredric stood beside him, admiring the destroyed Undercity from afar.

“It seems like this year’s competition is pretty wild,” Fredric said, scratching his chin.

Ulmak approached Zeke. His weapon covered in blood, still in his invoked state. But Zeke didn’t notice.

“Did you get the trophy?” Ulmak asked, visibly anxious.

“What trophy?” Zeke wondered, his gaze tired and hollow.

“I don’t know, there had to be something that would signify that you passed the trial!” Ulmak stated with a shaking tone.

“This was the only thing I got,” Zeke explained, showing Ulmak his broken blade.

“Give it to me!” Ulmak screamed, extending his hand.

Zeke looked into the distance, seeing Elaine’s lifeless body next to a stone pillar.

“That’s Elaine!” he shouted. “She’s hurt! We need to get help here!”

But Ulmak’s expression said it all. In a flash he thrust his spear at the boy.

Zeke effotlessly evaded, landing on top of Ulmak’s weapon. His body appeared weightless as he stood looking Ulmak in the eyes, with his cold, lifeless gaze.

Within Zeke’s gaze Ulmak saw something he had never seen before. It was something he felt, coming from Fredric and Haze. A deep sorrow with a certain sense of detachment. Like he was not a person but puppet, a marionette with some unknown entity pulling the string.

Zeke leaped up rolling overhead as he slashed at Ulmak forcing him to retreat far back. Within that short moment Ulmak, felt it, had he not dodged that attack perfectly, he would have surely died.

Zeke ran away, sliding towards Elaine in a frantic tumble. He grabbed her hand, checking her pulse. Having felt his warm touch, Elaine opened her eyes. She looked at Zeke, placing her hand on his cheek.

“Ahhh, you’re here, still alive. Thank goodness,” Elaine opened her eyes. Her voice was faint and frail. She looked at him with her longing gaze. “I’m glad you’re safe,” She smiled. As her eyes grew dark and eventually extinguished along with the last specs of her life.

Zeke felt it. Her soul leaving her body. It was a strange sensation like something invisible was being pulled out of her, escaping right through him, pulling something out of him along with it.

“That’s odd. I seem to be taking this rather well,” Zeke though.

Yet his mind’s eye quivered.

He felt something cold hitting his cheek. As he brushed it with his hand a certain dampness grazed the tips of his fingers.

Tears dripped down no to the cold ground below, flooding profusely out of his eyes. Zeke’s expression, however, didn’t change, it remained cold, emotionless and stoic.

“Yep, I’m fine,” Zeke whispered in a slight growl as he stumbled back on to his feet.

He turned towards Ulmak, extending his arm, and pointing his broken blade directly at him as if aiming down the sights of a gun.

“Brace yourself,” Zeke frowned as tears continued flooding out of his eyes.

Ulmak’s body became stiff, covered in goosebumps.

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“This doesn’t make any sense,” he thought to himself.

“You lying brat!” Ulmak screamed, charging at Zeke, casting magic to surround himself in stone armor, and launching stone pillars at Zeke.

Zeke easily avoided the two attacks by leaping forward and slashing towards Ulmak with his blade. Ulmak avoided his strikes, thrusting his spear in repetition to gain some distance.

Zeke could not comprehend Ulmak’s attacks. The length of his spear became abstract and uncertain, it appeared ever-changing, almost like a hazy memory.

Ulmak, thrust his spear, he slashed and swiped with his weapon.

“You were playing me this whole time! Here I thought you were a beginner. A child who needed guidance. Yet this entire time you pretended to be incompetent, while being able to move like that! I should have known! I should have seen it! You were learning far too quickly to be a novice!” Ulmak screamed, his face twisted with anger.

“You’ve gone mad,” Zeke replied in a soft tone.

He charged at Ulmak, leaping up into the air in an acrobatic tumble. Zeke’s attacks were short and concise, simple in their execution, yet flawless in their nature. He landed several blows, slashing Ulmak on the cheek, arm and leg, but the difference in range became apparent as Ulmak’s weapon stopped him from finishing the job.

Ulmak grew even more frustrated. He put in all the strength he had to pummel Zeke with magic, but no matter how many projectiles he threw, they proved to be too slow.

Suddenly, just as Zeke finished dodging the last attack, Ulmak finally saw an opening, a stutter that occurred because of Zeke’s weary state.

Ulmak charged at Zeke, thrusting his spear towards him. Yet Zeke did not avoid the attack. He dropped his weapon, spreading his arms, embracing Ulmak as his spear dug into his abdomen. He could feel the sensation of the spear vibrating, shifting all across his body, as he itched closed.

“Goodbye, friend,” Zeke whispered into Ulmak’s ear.

Ulmak looked down, as the barrel of Zeke’s gun rammed itself directly in between his eyes.

“Shit,” he thought to himself, remembering his wife and child as the gunshot echoed through the caves.

Zeke let go, allowing Ulmak’s body to drop to the ground. He looked at his void expression, reminiscing about how Ulmak taught him back in the caves.

“What a fool you were, dear friend,” he thought, with a smile.

Suddenly, Ludwig came out from the corner.

“Bravo! Bravo!” he cheered, clapping his hands, and he slowly made his way towards Zeke.

Zeke crouched down, closing Ulmak’s eyes, framing his body into a more graceful, peaceful position.

“Fredrick!” Zeke screamed, stumbling as blood flowed from the gash on his stomach.

“I’m listening,” Fredric approached from the shadows. He looked down at Zeke’s wound and placed his on the boy’s stomach as Zeke groaned in pain.

“There you go,” Fredric said as he healed Zeke’s injury.

“Can you do that for Elaine, too?” Zeke asked.

Fredric sighed.

“No can do,” He replied.

“Why not!?” Zeke shouted.

“Because she’s dead,” Fredric explained. “You felt it when you touched her hand, right? There was no pulse,” he cleared his throat. “I can only use magic on living things, anything dead is too far gone for me to revert back.”

“But she talked to me!” Zeke exclaimed.

“Yes, you’re right. That girl had become a contractor while you were away. I believe she was contracted to a spirit type demon. Most likely that must have been part of her abilities, to allow her soul to remain in a lifeless body,” Fredric explained with a sorrowful tone.

“I can still revive Ulmak, however,” Fredric remarked.

“No, let him rest in peace,” Zeke replied.

“Hey champ! Congratulations on your victory!” Ludwig said, interrupting the two. “Say this, why don’t you join my team when you receive your prize? I promise I’ll make it worth your time,” Ludwig smiled.

“You… It was all you…” Zeke whispered.

“What are you talking about?” Ludwig asked.

“You talked Ulmak into betraying us!” Zeke screamed.

“Oh yes, that. Well, I promised that as long as he won the contractor king would be willing to grant him his true soul,” Ludwig explained.

“A baseless lie,” Fredric scoffed.

“What do you mean?” Zeke wondered.

“Even If the king would tell Ulmak how to summon his true soul, he still wouldn’t be able to do it,” Fredric remarked.

“What? Why?” Zeke asked.

“Because a true soul is a more complex, more demanding version of the soul. Besides being difficult to summon, it also requires a large amount of mana to use. Something Ulmak severely lacked, seeing as he only recently started using proper magic.” Fredric explained.

“I did not lie,” Ludwig smiled, “The contractor king would teach it to him, eventually.”

Zeke turned around.

He looked at Ludwig with intense hatred in his eyes.

“What?” Ludwig asked, visibly amused.

“Fredric!” Zeke called out.

“Yes?!” Fredric curiously replied.

“What happened when you killed the final examiner all those years ago?” Zeke asked.

“I had to replace him,” Fredric smirked.

In a flash, Zeke pulled out his gun and fired 3 shots directly at Ludwig’s face.

Splashes of a black, metallic fluid floated up into the air, catching the bullets, coating them and crystallizing around them. The bullets dropped to the ground. Ludwig pulled out a pair of leather gloves from the front pocket of his coat and slowly put them on.

“Well, I guess this year the contest will remain without a champion!” Ludwig grinned.