The noise dimmed at the sight of bloodied people whose appearance had a child-like quality to them. There were still people cheering and getting excited over blood and gore stained grounds and walls but the majority of the crowd fell silent. Only a few whimpers and prayers of mercy escaped their lips. Pleas that fell on deaf ears. ’They have entered a frenzied state,’ Hex concluded. The Mountain Sons rampaged their surroundings, roaring and swinging without purpose. Anything that moved, on its own or not, was trampled and bashed in. While the crowd reeled in shock by their behavior, Hex continued to watch Althea. Her flared nostrils and worried eyes fooled others, not him. ’She would have kicked their asses and not appear sad in the window, faking being chained by the rules of the competition.’ Hex knew her. Her old version. This wasn’t her. The petite and weak squad had confused him. Their strength couldn’t compare to others, which would be understandable if they didn’t represent the High Temple. The strongest faction in the world could surely field stronger people. This was a set up. At the cost of those petite members. ’A necessary sacrifice. Is that what you told yourself?’ Hex’s fingers dug deep into his palm as he stared at the girl he once knew. Coincidently, Althea happened to look in his direction. When their eyes met, her cries stopped...briefly. In that moment both understood they were seen through. That was not all. They also understood that it didn’t matter. ’You seem to have made up your mind. I wonder whether you found your past self or lost your true self. Just don’t regret it.’ Althea’s resolve shook a little as she looked into those dark eyes. Cursed eyes, people called them. The black hides the soul, they said. But whenever she looked into them, all she saw was her own reflection, laying bare whatever she was trying to hide. She saw her naive self imprisoned within cages of responsibility and expectations. A weak moment flared her desire to break free and be the hawk she wished to be. "Oh Heavens have mercy..." "Let Heaven save these kids..." Her gaze averted from his and fell onto the crowd. More and more people prayed, pleading to have the weak saved from the berserk barbarians of the mountains. I can’t be free. People’s wishes chain me. My fate happens to be this. My fate... Althea resumed her acting, letting a soft chuckle in her mind. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She, Fate herself, was bound by fate too. She almost understood the Divine Lord’s desire to be free of its tentacles. Alas, chaos would ensue, costing more lives. She couldn’t allow it. It was bad enough that the world was coming to an end. She would try to at least save those living in it. It’s time to end this. The Mountain Sons had finished trampling all over the place, decimating her team. The attacks dealt by the tower only served to infuriate them more. Her heart pained to see her people lying in blood, almost at their last breath. When one of the oafs lifted their feet, readying to smash into a boy’s face, she stepped in. A simple command. Not shouted but whispered, yet enough to stop...everything. The berserk men froze in place, the blood stopped flowing, the wind stopped blowing, and the grass stopped moving. Heaven wills it, the world obeys it. That was how it was meant to be. And that was how it would be, once she won. She controlled her domain to this small group. As her power grew and her body adjusted, she would be able to influence more and more. A shame she was still slow to adjust. Orosol has conquered a third of the world. I need to speed things up. Or else, many will perish. She had no power over those who freed themselves from Fate. She couldn’t command them nor save them. The more people Orosol managed to ’free’ from fate, the less people she could save. Unwilling to let that happen, she willed the energy to flow through the tower, aiming at the head of these oafs. Strong as they were, their heads remained their weakest points. The beams shot right at them. The first beam produced sparks. The second one burnt the skin. Only after the third one did they fall to the ground. Her actions stirred the crowd. Only a few understood what happened. Still, not understanding her abilities didn’t bother the majority. In fact, it helped increase their faith in her. More prayers erupted. More heads knocked the ground, or in this case, the hard floors of the arena, as they bowed to her. If she was honest, which she couldn’t afford to be, she would rather not hear thousands of prayers buzz in her ears. But like she thought, it wasn’t her choice. Fate dictated she accepted this part of hers. So, she did. Golden sparks erupted. People watched in awe as thin, golden threads appeared around the fallen cleric. The shimmering light bathed them in their glow. The wind flowed again, brushing against the threads, creating a soft melody that calmed the hearts of even the most bloodthirsty spectator. The grass sparkled. And as the glow dimmed, people saw the injured clerics again. Only, they weren’t injured anymore. They were healed. Their ragged bodies lay in peace, as if they were asleep. The rowdy arena had turned into a serene, sun-basked garden. Finally, when the glow stopped, did the clerics awaken and stand up. They looked confused at first but quickly seemed to understand what had happened. "Thank you." They bowed before the tower and said in unison. "You deserve the care and love for the loyalty you have shown." Althea addressed her team but her voice spoke to many hearts in the crowd. Many wanted nothing more than to pledge their allegiance to her right there and then. Some did. In the end, the Mountain Sons surrendered. After all, even their second badge of attackers suffered. This time no cleric was hurt. Althea waved her powers and earned even more followers. Watching all this, without missing a single detail, Hex only othered a single word: morons.