They clash relentlessly, each strike fueled by their fight for survival. Selene’s claws slash through the air, the sound sharp and vicious, as she relentlessly pursues Xavier. He dodges, narrowly escaping the brutal force of her blows, countering with a quick jab to her side. She grunts in pain, but instead of retreating, she throws herself back into the fight with even more fury.

Her body is showing signs of wear—bruises bloom across her skin, and with each impact, bones creak under the strain. She spins, her leg snapping out in a wild kick that cracks the air as it barely misses Xavier’s head. But the effort costs her—she lands painfully, the crack of a bone in her ankle echoing through the arena. She stumbles, but doesn’t stop. Her body shudders from the exertion, yet she refuses to give in.

The crowd falls into a tense silence, watching with bated breath as Selene pushes herself beyond her limits. Each movement grows more desperate, more reckless. She charges again, her claws tearing into the ground as she surges toward Xavier, ignoring the pain that radiates through her entire frame. Her left arm, already battered from earlier strikes, bends at an unnatural angle when she uses it to block a counter from Xavier, but she doesn’t flinch. Her eyes are fixed on him, blazing with determination.

Xavier sees the damage she’s taking—her bruised skin, her bleeding knuckles, the way her breaths come in ragged gasps—but it doesn’t stop her. If anything, the pain seems to fuel her, driving her deeper into the madness of the fight. His own limbs feel heavy, his stamina waning, but it’s her unwavering drive that rattles him.

“Selene, you’re hurting yourself!” Xavier shouts, trying to reason with her. But she doesn’t seem to hear him.

Selene’s transformation falters, her claws retracting and her teeth dulling, yet she keeps fighting, pushing her broken body past its limits. She doesn’t care how much it costs—her bones can snap, her skin can bruise—but she can’t let him see her weakness. Not now.

Finally, the tipping point comes when she launches herself at Xavier one last time, her body screaming in protest. The moment her fists collide with the ground once more, a sickening crack rings out. Her right arm—shattered. She lets out a muffled cry of pain, but still, she refuses to fall. Staggering back, her legs tremble beneath her, barely able to support her weight. Bruised, bleeding, and broken, she curses under her breath, “Damn it, I can’t let him see her like this…”

Xavier, noticing her struggle, cautiously approaches through the debris of the shattered arena, his heart heavy with concern. “Selene, I understand you’re fighting for something important,” he says, keeping his voice steady. “But this doesn’t have to end in both of us destroyed. Sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away.”

Selene's eyes blaze with defiance, but her breath comes in ragged gasps. “You think you fucking understand?” she retorts, frustration lacing her words. “You have no idea what’s at stake here!”

“Then let me help you,” he replies, his tone firm but gentle. “Whatever it is you’re protecting, it’s not worth losing yourself over. You can’t win this fight if you’re sacrificing everything you are.”

As her features fade, she sinks to her knees, the fierce warrior giving way to her more timid self. “I can’t… I can’t do this,” she gasps, tears of anger, sorrow and frustration welling in her eyes.

The crowd falls silent, a palpable tension hanging in the air as they watch her struggle.

Xavier hesitates, unsure of how to respond. “Selene, please—”

But before he can finish, she unleashes an ear-splitting screech that echoes through the entire arena, sending shockwaves through the stands. It is a raw, primal sound, a last-ditch effort fueled by the remnants of her strength as she forces her throat to transform and releases the scream. The audience reacts in a mix of pain and fear, most covering their ears, while others stand frozen in shock at her cry.

It is a last-ditch effort fueled by the remnants of her strength, the final act of sacrifice that tears the ground beneath them apart.

Xavier stands tall in front of her, stunned by the force of her sound. He clutches his left ear, feeling blood begin to leak from his ears, pain pounding through his head like a drum. The sheer power of her scream knocks him down, onto the ground, the fight leaving him as he passes out beside Selene, their bodies colliding.

As Selene gasps for breath, a stream of blood drips from the corners of her mouth, showing the toll this battle has taken on her. Her features flicker and then fade entirely, the last vestiges of her strength slipping away like sand through her fingers. She too succumbs to unconsciousness, the weight of her exhaustion finally overwhelming her.

As Selene collapses, her body crumpling to the ground beside Xavier, a heavy silence fills the arena. The tension in the air is palpable, thick like a storm waiting to break. Then, from the stands, Jackson leaps down, landing with a solid thud on the broken ground.

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"Well, ain’t this somethin’?" he mutters under his breath, walking over to where Xavier and Selene lie motionless. He glances at Xavier, then at the bloodied Selene. “Y’all are damn idiots, fightin’ like that.”

His boots crunch over the shattered debris as he kneels beside them, checking if Xavier was breathing. "What were you thinkin’, fightin’ like that? Nearly killed yourselves, damn fools." There’s a tinge of worry in his voice too, as he shakes his head, muttering, “Hell, this wasn't no duel, this was a damn deathmatch!”

Before he can do much else, a slow, deliberate clapping echoes through the arena. Jackson’s eyes dart toward the entrance, where a figure emerges, her form framed by the dim light filtering in from the outside.

The Countess of Invictardor, Lilith.

She strides forward, her heels clicking against the ground, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Well, well, Jackson. You ought to be proud of your comrades for that little spectacle.” Her voice is smooth, amused, as she moves closer, surveying the scene before her.

Jackson stands up, narrowing his eyes as she approaches. “Lilith, what the hell do you want now?”

Lilith stops just before Selene and Xavier, crouching down next to them, her fingers lightly brushing their broken forms. “You're not supposed to call me that anymore, Jackie. Anywho, I just came to appreciate the show they put on. Quite the performance, wouldn’t you say?” She looks up at Jackson, her eyes caring like a mother. "They gave everything they had. What a waste it’d be if they didn’t make it."

Jackson watches cautiously as Lilith places her hands gently on both Selene and Xavier. A soft glow envelops them, and just like that, their wounds heal in an instant. The blood on their skin vanishes, bruises fade, and bones realign as if the brutal battle had never happened.

Lilith stands, dusting her hands off like she’s done nothing more than clean up a mess. “There. Good as new.”

Jackson crosses his arms, not entirely sure what to make of her sudden charity. “Why’d you do that? What’s your angle skank?”

Lilith chuckles softly, standing up straight and turning toward the exit. “I’ve always been a good gambler, Jackie. You’d be surprised how much a little investment pays off later.”

She starts to walk off, but pauses for a moment, looking back over her shoulder with a sly smile. “Now, why don’t you go ahead and take them home? They’ve earned a bit of rest after all that, wouldn’t you say?”

Without waiting for a response, Lilith vanishes, her figure disappearing into the shadows at the far end of the arena.

Jackson sighs, looking down at Xavier and Selene, both now fully healed thanks to Lilith. "Damnit, Xavier," he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "Makin’ everything harder than it needs to be.”

He crouches, hoisting Xavier up and draping him over his shoulder with a grunt. "Alright, let’s get you home," he says, more to himself than anyone else, the strain of exhaustion laced in his voice. He turns his attention to Selene, lying just a few feet away.

For a moment, he just stands there, looking at her. They weren’t friends—hell, they were barely even allies. But leaving her there? That wasn’t something he could do.

"Guess I can’t leave you here either," he mutters, shaking his head before carefully lifting her. He adjusts her next to Xavier, balancing their combined weight on his shoulders. "You two better appreciate this," he grumbles as he starts moving toward the exit.

The tension of the day starts to ease slightly as he walks through the halls of the arena, the rhythmic sound of his boots echoing off the stone walls. But the silence feels heavy, almost oppressive, like the calm before the next storm.

Xavier, slumped over his right shoulder, feels heavier than usual. Jackson glances at him and sighs. "Man, if you’re gonna go passin' out after every fight, you might wanna start practicin' the whole stayin’ conscious thing, sugar." The dry chuckle that follows is half-hearted, weighed down by the reality of what just happened.

Then there’s Selene. He shifts her carefully, making sure her head doesn’t roll too much against his arm. She’s lighter than Xavier, but carrying her feels... different. Unsettling, like the weight of a situation he doesn’t fully understand.

"Don’t even know why I’m doin' this for ya," Jackson mutters under his breath. There’s no bite in his words—just a tired confusion. He glances at her, unconscious but still radiating that same damn stubbornness she had during the fight. He can’t help but wonder what the hell she’s fighting so hard for. What drives her to push herself until she’s breaking?

“Selene... so damn stubborn.” He sighs, shaking his head. "What are you runnin' from? What’s so bad you gotta tear yourself apart like that?"

The thought lingers as he steps outside, the cold night air hitting him like a slap. It’s a quiet, almost eerie contrast to the chaos of the arena. The stars above don’t care—they never do. They just keep shining, oblivious to the mess down here.

Jackson lets out a long breath, adjusting the weight on his shoulders.

“You remind me too much of her,” he says softly, though he’s not even sure if the words are meant for Selene or just a thought slipping out into the night.

The streets are empty as he heads toward their dorms, the world around them still. For a moment, it’s peaceful—quiet. "Least it’s calm out here," he says, his voice low. It feels like the universe is giving them a break, just for tonight.

But his mind drifts back to Lilith and her smug little comment. "Gambler, huh?" he mutters, recalling the way she looked at him, all knowing and amused. "Damn woman plays with people like they’re cards."

He shakes his head, pushing the thought aside. Lilith always had an angle, and whatever “investment” she was making tonight, it probably wasn’t good for anyone involved. "Better hope this ‘investment’ don’t come back to bite us."

Suddenly, a hooded figure appears in the distance, the silhouette backlit by the faint glow of the moonlight. Jackson's instincts kick in, a chill creeping down his spine as he narrows his eyes to get a better look. The figure stands still, shrouded in shadow, but something about the way they carry themselves feels ominous.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath, adjusting Xavier and Selene’s weight on his shoulders as he instinctively prepares to react. The night has turned cold, and he feels the air grow heavier, charged with an unsettling energy.

As he moves closer, the figure shifts, and for a brief moment, the hood falls back just enough to reveal a cascade of pale hair glinting in the moonlight.