Ethan's hands were plagued with uncontrollable tremors. His tense shoulders ached, and a persistent fog floated in his head, causing a thunderous migraine. Vassili had released him fifteen minutes before the tournament was due to start, assuring him that he would find Mia in the arena, which only added another layer to his painful anxiety. If they had taken her into the heart of the battles, how could they say she was safe?

All the participants had already entered their designated rooms, eagerly awaiting the opening of the gates to unleash what they had been waiting for days. Ethan, running late, entered the vila box five minutes before the fighters were due to join the arena. Six vilas were waiting, some sitting on Spartan benches, some leaning against the cold walls of the room. Their gazes instantly fell upon him as soon as he passed through the white stone arch announcing the room reserved for the vilas. Two of them immediately looked away, opting to avoid confrontation. That wasn't the case for the other four, who quickly assessed him condescendingly while smirking sarcastically.

One of the vilas ventured a few meters closer to Ethan, confident. It was clear 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 finding out he didn't share his mother's radical ideas. Usually, Ethan just ignored him, and that was enough to calm the young vila's fervor. Today, he wasn't so sure he could keep his cool.

"So, participating in the tournament, are we?" Neil quipped ironically. "Your courage impresses me, I didn't think you had the balls to step into the arena with so many people who hate you."

"Shut up, I'm not in the mood," Ethan replied firmly, taking a seat on one of the available benches.

"Is it your little human that's putting you in this state? What a milestone for your family, though! Can you believe it? Half the school hates you because you're your mother's son, and the other half because you're stuck with a human! Don't you think it would be simpler if both of you died?" Neil laughed. "What's her name again? Mia?"

Before his mind could process his interlocutor's words, Ethan's fingers closed around the vila's throat. He coughed up blood under the pressure of the grip compressing his esophagus. The action seemed violent and would probably be lethal to anyone else, but it wasn't enough to kill a vila. Nonetheless, it was painful and particularly incapacitating until fully healed. It was a good compromise between his desire to kill him on the spot and his fear of losing control. Ethan was already loosing it, he didn't need someone coming in and insulting his soulmate. His sanity was dangerously close to the edge, and maintaining it was draining enough energy. The last thing he wanted was to find Mia having lost control of his inner vila that was agitated beyond reason.

"Shut your fucking mouth," Ethan hissed, bringing his face close to Neil's, "before I feel like ripping your jaw off."

The terror in Neil's eyes indicated he understood the message. He had a big mouth, but he knew full well he stood no chance against Ethan, especially when he was teetering on the edge. Eventually, Ethan released his grip and backed away from the frightened student to return to his seat. The other vilas, nervous, moved away from him and huddled in corners of the room, leaving him a few meters of space to try to calm himself by exhaling deeply. Vassili wanted him to handle his fellow vilas, and that's exactly what he did. He strongly doubted they would dare to do anything in his presence. A part of him was relieved. If he didn't have to fight, he wouldn't lose control.

The sirens blared for the first time to announce the opening of the gates. Ethan let the other vilas pass before entering the arena himself. A thunderous roar from the stands reverberated in his ears as the fighters poured into the combat zone. The atmosphere of the crowd sharply contrasted with the participants in the arena, who were surprisingly silent. His gaze swept over his fellow competitors, quickly noticing that they all wore stern expressions. He could see determination in the eyes of some and nervousness in the bodies of others. A few, unaware of the tension hanging in the air, were enthusiastic, but their number was minuscule compared to past tournaments. Everyone was aware that the event had a strong chance of going awry.

After five minutes of waiting, some murmurs finally rose within the cohort of students. The usual speech from the headmaster was overdue. Ethan's eyes landed on the upper platform where the faculty and administration were seated, hoping to grasp the situation. Unfortunately, his lower position prevented him from observing the upper stands.

Three more minutes elapsed, during which time seemed to slow down. Confused students chatted amongst themselves, but silhouettes emerging from the forest immediately silenced the conversations. Before Ethan could even distinguish faces, movements arose to his right and in the stands. The centaurs, both students and spectators, were hastily evacuating the area in deathly silence, leaving the rest of the crowd in a state of advanced agitation.

What's happening? Do they know something?

Some attempted to flee as well, sensing danger, but their retreat was blocked by a horde of soldiers dressed all in black, wielding long tools that they pointed at the fleeing individuals. They had formed a barrier at the arena gates and the entrance to the underground passages leading out of the stands. In the confusion, the escape attempt died down, and the soldiers managed to secure the possible exits without having to engage in combat.

The silhouettes emerging from the forest comprised three women and five men, also clad in black, except for two individuals he immediately recognized: Andrei, carrying an unconscious Mia on his shoulder. A rage unlike any he had ever known surged through his veins, transforming his nails into sharp claws and fully darkening his irises and the whites of his eyes. He had to summon all the remaining willpower in his exhausted body to refrain from launching himself at the sorcerer and his companions, tearing out their hearts on the spot. No, he had agreed to play his part to buy their freedom, and he would do just that.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

They stopped in a line about a hundred meters away from the students, and Andrei gently placed Mia's limp form on the ground. A few seconds after their positioning, cries of surprise and exclamations filled the air, causing smiles to form on the faces of the seven individuals. Ethan gathered from snippets of conversation that their identities were being discussed and focused on scanning the magical auras of the soldiers. A mage, Andrei, a vampire, and... nothing else. He couldn't detect anything from the other five individuals. Were they masking their auras, or...

A deafening noise rang out, immediately restoring silence. It came from an object held by one of the women, her arm raised and pointing towards the sky. It was a smaller model than the unknown weapons the other soldiers held. A small cloud of smoke rose from the object as the echo of the explosion still reverberated. He had never heard of such a weapon. While the effect was impressive, it was hard to imagine that it could be lethal.

If they're all equipped with these weapons, they must cause significant damage, especially if—

"I see that some of you have already guessed," began the woman, aided by a vocal amplification spell. "The time has come for us to reclaim our place on Istarea and make those who forced us to hide like rats for decades pay! Choose your side carefully, for we are no longer as defenseless as before... And as for our enemies, fear us, for the era of humans is about to begin!"

At first, silence greeted the human woman's announcement. The bewildered audience quickly started whispering, filling the arena with a subdued background noise. For the moment, no one dared to make a move, all uncertain about what to do next. Then, suddenly, a thunderous explosion from the castle echoed through the air. The mountain's flank prevented him from seeing what had happened, but thick smoke billowed from the site, indicating to Ethan that they had likely destroyed the building, just as Vassili had told him.

Panic began to spread, exacerbated by the four soldiers entering the upper stands. More explosions followed, this time caused by the weapons they aimed at the headmaster and the few professors present in the stands. They were evidently not being given the benefit of the doubt regarding their allegiances.

The execution triggered two different reactions: some, terrified, chose not to make any movement that could be interpreted as a threat, while others, seeing half of the teaching staff fall, roared and charged at the soldiers guarding the exits. This wasn't without merit, as they were not very numerous against the horde that was the audience, but their lack of familiarity with the humans' new weapon quickly worked against them. New gunshots rang out one after another in the arena, drowning out the sound of conversations.

Soon, a few students joined the fray by directly targeting the human who had made the announcement. Some werewolves and vampires launched themselves forward, while some mages prepared their best spells to support them. In the arena, the human weapons were deadly, but their opponents had the advantage of being able to dodge the projectiles in the vast open space.

It was time. With the soldiers guarding the gates, the seven individuals wouldn't be able to contain the roughly twenty students rushing towards them. If Ethan wanted to protect Mia, he had no choice. He had to join the battle.

The vila rushed towards the group, pushing aside a few students who crashed to the ground, surprised that the threat was coming from behind them. His primary goal was to position himself between Mia and the horde of enemies advancing towards her captors. If he could avoid shedding blood and thus losing control, that would be the preferable scenario. He knew he couldn't avoid fighting until the retreat was announced, but delaying the moment might allow him to keep his cool. His inner vila roared at the initiative, constantly urging him to rip the heads off anyone in his way preventing him from reaching Mia.

Some, having caught on to what was happening at the rear, tried to lunge at him, but a few shoulder and elbow strikes quickly cleared them away. To his left and right, he could see some students falling to the ground, hit by the weapons that four humans were pointing at the rebels. The first arrivals confronted Andrei's spells and the power of the accompanying vampire, while the gunfire continued relentlessly.

As Ethan approached Mia, Andrei motioned for him to turn around. Neil and another vila, Roy, were running towards him. They had probably tried their luck, counting on their numerical advantage. Unfortunately for them, Ethan's determination to protect his soulmate was stronger than their pseudo-hatred based on questionable allegiances and ideals.

Ethan stood his ground, both feet firmly planted, preparing for the impact of the two vilas. They were charging in with claws out, wings spread, and their eyes blackened in a semi-transformed combat state. Ethan also unsheathed his claws, but his back remained bare. He didn't want to risk using his wings yet, still unsure if they had fully healed from the fireball he had taken in the previous tournament. Besides, he wouldn't need them.

Before he could repel his two attackers, a tiger, Roy's mage soulmate, pounced on his back and tore into him, leaving a wide gash that quickly soaked his clothes with blood. He growled in pain and immediately turned around, grabbing the animal's paw and tossing it a few meters away. Roy roared furiously as he saw his soulmate take the blow, whimpering and reverting to human form. He then lunged at Ethan, aiming his claws at his heart to impale him. Ethan parried the blow by sidestepping to the right and using his palm to strike the vila's elbow, breaking his arm in the process. At the same moment, Neil managed to catch him off guard from behind, digging his claws into his collarbone, just inches from his jugular. Ethan pushed him away with a shoulder thrust, granting himself a two-second respite as his new wounds throbbed intensely. His inner vila was furious. If he wasn't restraining it with all his willpower, it would have taken control already and wreaked havoc on the battlefield to retrieve Mia. However, containing his inner vila was equal to curbing his strength. Between his fatigue and tormented mind, Ethan wasn't at his best. Fighting three opponents, two of them vilas, was proving to be a significant challenge.

"Now you're not looking so tough," Neil taunted sarcastically.

"Coming from the guy who needs two others to avoid wetting himself in fear," Ethan retorted in the same tone.

"You might want to hurry up," Neil chuckled, changing the subject. "The magician seems to be struggling."

A glance at Mia confirmed that the vila wasn't lying. Their numerical disadvantage was starting to seriously hinder them, and Ethan could see that the members of what he assumed was the first division were weakening.

What are they waiting for to call for retreat?!

When Roy and his soulmate took advantage of his momentary distraction to tackle him to the ground, Ethan's determination to maintain control cracked. When a werewolf leaped a meter away from Mia and Andrei, it shattered. He had no time to waste anymore. Letting his inner vila express itself through his appearance and his rage, Ethan transformed into a demonic creature with violet skin, teeth sharpened into tiny points, and long, razor-sharp claws. His wings, once injured, were now functional but adorned with fresh violet scars, and his new wounds had already begun to close thanks to the accelerated regeneration powers of vilas. His mind, void of any anxiety, was focused on one thing: taking down the enemy and ripping Mia from the treacherous sorcerer's grasp.