We stood at the end of the hallway, facing the doors to the spectator box.

Nobody was coming in or out. People were clearly in though. I could listen to their faint, muffled and incomprehensible voices from the door. I turned to Birgit and nodded at her. Just as I tried to open the door, her hand fell on mine.

“Stand back.”

She placed a hand on the door and closed her eyes with a deep breath that made the room turn colder. Within moments the whole thing had been covered in frost before exploding out in a burst of ice.

“What did you-”

Before I could finish–before I could even properly react–the ice itself was swallowed by a torrent of flames and only terrible white smoke remained in the way. Birgit walked through the smoke like nothing had happened while I scrambled to follow her.

“Why did you do that?” I tried to remain as calm as possible, but even I couldn’t keep my shock at what had just happened. “There are people in here!”

“Oh, so naive,” said a familiar voice from beyond the smoke. Was that Jensen’s voice? What would he be doing here?

As it cleared, we stepped into the big room, lit by an entire window wall that somehow had survived all the battles unscathed. Round tables with comfortable looking chairs and couches dotted the place.

Fancily dressed men and women sat around the tables with none even turning to look at us. Except the one table at the centre, made up entirely of people whose gazes were straight on top of us.

Lady Flame, Mister Paulsen, Azam and William were all sitting on chairs turned to face us with Jensen standing over us. On instinct I took off my gloves. This wasn’t a collection of people I wanted to be trapped in a room with.

“So tense, Alexander,” said Mr Paulsen with a wide smile. “But also so naive as my friend Jensen said. You’re trying so very hard to be a hero. To be a detective or save the world?”

Jensen smiled as well. He looked different than I remembered him. Less gaunt. His eyes were sparkling more. He was almost a different man than the last time I saw him.

“Yeah yeah,” said Azam with smoke coming out of his mouth. “Is this the part where I finally make this little bastard realise just what his place is?”

“You can try,” I said to him.

He growled and stepped forward. Will’s hand, however, shot in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. He then signed something I didn’t understand. And Azam didn’t either.

“What young William said, for you two who do not understand, is that you two fighting now will be fruitless. If I am not mistaken, the reason will reveal itself momentarily.”

“Moros and The New Drakon!” an announcer’s voice blared from across every direction. “Our third day, and third round shall begin with a civil war in Atlantis! And whoever wins that round will face off against either Ms Justice or Arookan–another civil war, this time among the Americans!”

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“You did this,” I said, pointing to Jensen. “You killed Alpha Surge and now you want to finish the job. Kill his legacy. Everything he stands for. Starting with us.”

“Don’t be melodramatic, boy.” It was Lady Flame who spoke this time. “Georg simply wants to make sure things are as they must be. That is why he approached us. Why we’re helping him.”

“Why are you like this?” said Birgit, almost yelling at her family. “He’s not who you think he is. He-”

“He’s Crisis,” said Lady Flame. “That’s right. We know. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

It was Will who signed something. Birgit screamed as a response. The temperature was fluctuating like crazy. I switched from shivering to sweating for what felt a thousand times in just a few seconds.

“What did he say?” For once, Azam said something I agreed with. What did Will say?

“He talked about how I brought you all together,” said Jensen, this time with a soft smile. “I’ve done nothing but help you all. Most of your friendships and relationships trace their routes to me. And I have asked for nothing in return.”

“I know you.” I stepped forward, walking as close to him as I could. I kept my voice down, almost whispering to him. “Crisis killed everyone that tried to control him. To reign him in. I see that man in your eyes. You’ve regressed.”

“Azam,” he said simply.

The air around me sifted. I stepped back and Azam’s massive fist hit the air where my head was.

“Μαλάκα,” I said to him, unable to keep the curse down.. “I knew you were an idiot. Never thought you’d be a crony for people like them.”

“Shut up.” He growled. He rushed at me again, trying to land a hit.

He attacked. I dodged. Attack. Dodge. Attack. Dodge.

Until I found an opening. One of his steps was too slow. One of his steps was too slow while his arm was too open. I flexed my fingers. I’d be a fraction of a second. But it’d be enough.

I extended my arm. And he shifted his whole body to the right.

Crap.

He sidestepped my attack. His cool scales touched my nape. My shirt was pulled back and almost torn. Before I knew it, I was slammed against the window. My back felt like it was cracked in two. Like it was just slammed against steel.

For a brief moment, I wasn’t here. I wasn’t in the spectator box with all these assholes. I was in a penthouse overlooking New York.

Azam was Mimas. Birgit was Sophie. Charles and a few other faces of my past were facing me. We were talking about us going undercover to the Houses of Doom.

And then I was back. Facing Azam.

Smoke leaked out of his mouth again. I could see it glow slightly.

“Finally,” he said. “You’ll see the difference between you and me.”

Another torrent of flames burst out of his mouth. A torrent I couldn’t dodge in time. A burst of ice met it, shattering into pieces and leaving a small fog in its wake.

But I was still standing. And Birgit stood in front of me.

“Enough!”

“My daughter is right,” said Mr Paulsen. “This is enough. We went through all the trouble of talking with Philip Knightley to set up your fight. You will face off in the third round. Then, after Azam clearly wins, he will face off against the villain Ms Justice.”

“You know-”

“Of course we do,” said Lady Flame. “Why do you think we came all this way?”

Birgit tensed. I placed a hand on her shoulder. Tried to remain calm. Even if I wanted to rip their faces off with my power. But my eyes settled on Jensen. He was looking normal. But also not. He was hiding something.

He knew Azam wouldn’t beat Lady Doom even if he won against me. And, no matter how much I hated saying it, I couldn’t beat her either. He was planning something else.

But what was that exactly?