The Lycan King’s Tribute

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All my life, I’ve been a runt, a virgin with no wings to fly. I’ve always wondered what it’s like, giving myself to someone.” - Enoma Pearl

…

The trees began to collapse and we increased our pace, trying to run out of the narrow way.

The minute we got to the surface end, the earthquake stopped making me sigh.

“It has stopped,” Destiny said.

“Doesn’t matter, we should keep going,” I said, with thoughts on how we were going to go back on time. It was almost evening, and the arena was a bit far.

“I have no energy left,” Destiny murmured. She sat down, just beside a tree making me sigh. I sat down with her trying to think.

“You should go,” she said.

“I’m not leaving you,” I replied to her. I couldn’t leave her. Not after everything she did for me. She went out of her way today. That was nothing.

As I told her those words, I tried to put my thoughts together. On why we had gotten the Egg, yet we were still struggling. KOTA was different; it was all magic related, I was sure of it. I just didn’t know how to prove it.

“Give me your hint,” I said to Destiny who narrowed her eyes, extending me her piece of paper.

The minute she did, my eyes scanned the words written on it. “THE WOUND IS THE PLACE WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS YOU.”

It was similar to mine. But, from what I experienced, I knew it didn’t link to her past one bit.

The wound was definitely physical, something that happened in the Game, leaving a scar somehow. My eyes stared at her, but she didn’t have any cuts.

“Did you wound at all?” I asked her and she shook her head.

“No, I didn’t,” she said, and just as she did, I nonchalantly stared at my cut. I wondered if they were referring to the bearer’s partner?

“It could be,” I muttered. If I were the game maker, I’d be sure each female would have a group. Especially after being told the forest was filled with monsters.

Alone would be the rarest thing. “That is the only way the words make sense,” I said, trying to think of another thing but found nothing.

I stared at my cut, noticing it was the same place I had cut the grey amulet that appeared on. “What is it?” Destiny asked.

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” I said, “What if these are interconnected?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“The wound,” I said, pointing to my amulet, “Is the place,” I pointed to the narrow way which led to the cave direction. “Where the light,” I opened the backpack and brought the Egg out. “Enters you,”

“I don’t understand,” Destiny replied.

“To get the light, we need to do something, we have to enter something, and my guts tell me it’s related to the Egg,” I said.

“Something like a password?” Destiny asked.

“Perhaps let me check,” I said, examining the egg, and surprisingly some inscriptions were written on it. This was it. The key to the arena. And to go back, someone had to say the words.

Hold on, everything was interconnected. What if it meant the people who would read it were the team involved in the quest?

“We should read the words together, Destiny,” I said, hoping this would work. My life might have been rough in Crestwood, but I had never lived a day with the thought that I was going to die in a pit.

I wasn’t tired physically, but this mental exhaustion wore me out.

“And, if we do?” she replied, in confusion.

“There is a high chance we appear back in the arena,” I breathed out, a bit unsure but I chose to hang on to the last thread of hope we had.

Just as I thought of these, a chilling feeling hit my face, some green plants began to turn grey, something pierced the floor with birds at the tree range falling dead.

Some dark creature, with an opening at its center, approached us with its gigantic figure. My hands trembled with the egg in them, as I stared at it.

I noticed a blur, realizing my eyes were starting to bring liquid from its sight. “What the hell is that?”

“The dark creature I hid from earlier, let’s read it now!” Destiny exclaimed and we stared at the Egg together.

“To escape, you must hatch a becoming of you that leaves your old self. - Great Elder Tao!”

The dark creature noticed our words, commencing to make its way towards us even faster when some gold light shimmered through the Egg.

Destiny and I appeared in the arena, with KOTA citizens cheering at us. I stared at everyone in their colourful attire, they seemed happy.

“We won,” I muttered.

“Yes, we did,” Destiny replied. Where were the girls though? I thought, seeing no one around.

Looking around, my eyes connected with Daxon who smirked at me. Narrowing my eyes, I walked towards him, with a lot of questions in my head. But then some Greens swarmed me flashing lights.

“Tell us about your experience in the forest,” one said.

“How did you manage to get the legendary Egg?” another asked.

I covered my face, with my arms trying to get away from them but they were too much. Far too much, thus I replied to them,

“No comment,” going the other direction, Destiny stepped in front of me, “Go, I’ll handle this,” she said, winking at me.

“Thanks,” I said to her, wondering how she was going to handle it when she had no ounce of strength in her. As I made my way towards the King. I looked back at Destiny who was asked a question by a Green.

“Over here, Miss, look at the camera. How was your experience in the forest?”

“One moment…” she trailed, patting her head before gasping and falling to the floor, faking a faint.

“Oh my goodness, someone help her!” they exclaimed.

I chuckled a bit, noticing that everyone was now on her. Thus, I slipped through their gazes, making my way to the Lycan King who stared at me surprisingly.

“W…What are you doing?” he blurted through the mind link staring at me. I didn’t stop my steps, climbing to where he was with retribution in my thoughts, balling my fists at the thought of what happened in the forest today.

“You won, level one, congratulations, sweetheart-” King Daxon tried to say but I cut him off.

“Ass hole,” I muttered, punching him.

…

The minute I did, some Blues gathered around surrounding me. In their hands were guns directed at me for laying a hand on the Lycan King.

“I’m sorry,” he let out, still smirking. “This was the only way to make you remember,”

“Remember what?” I let out in confusion.

His hands waved a halt to the Blues, saying to them, “Go back to your positions. Whatever you’re seeing is just a couple’s fight,”

“Yes, your Highness!” they exclaimed, bowing at him before returning to their positions.

“Alas, someone who handles your fire, Daxon,” some voice said. “We finally meet, Enoma,”

I glanced over my shoulders, only to see a man, who was clothed in a yellow blazer and a white shirt with gold strikes which extended to the ground.

His hair was gold, its length passing beneath his chin. I noticed in his hands was a fox mask, and staring at the yellow gleam in his eyes, I recalled I had seen him just before the Games.

“Stay away from her,” King Daxon hissed. “This is your last warning, Azriel,”

“Why, does it bother you that we always like the same women?” the man said making me narrow my eyes, confused.

I thought about Destiny and her words. It seemed it was indeed true of their history together. But why was I getting entangled in it?

“Calypso was never yours to begin with, she was my Queen, do not taint her name with your words,” Daxon seethed.

“Enoma is your plaything, isn’t she? Now that Calypso has left, you need someone like her, someone similar so you chose to be her Master, didn’t you?” the yellow head said. I wondered how much of that was true.

“Daxon... what is this about?”

“Nothing to worry about, let’s go,” he said, his large palms on my waist as he snapped his fingers, with us appearing in his room.