Eye of the Arena

  As they got up, the fire had been blown out by the falling snow. They looked at each other for a moment before smiling. This was new for both of them, yet that was fine. As long as they could make it work, it did not matter how they went about it.

  ?A few more days passed before they reached a large central city. Most likely the center of the whole Origin Realm. He came to this conclusion as it was named Central City, and a large sign beside the one that said “Welcome” stood with large letters. “Welcome to the center of the Origin Realm.”

  ?With the knowledge Blade now had, he also understood the duality that came with the name Origin Realm, as though it was called a realm, it was in truth just a singular realm contained within a reality. So the name made sense and also gave a false picture.

  ?The city itself was quite advanced, filled with technology far beyond what Blade could imagine. In fact, the only reason he even knew any of it was due to Severance’s knowledge. It did help him understand, though it did not stop him from getting curious.

  ?Sensing his curiosity, Aisha tightened her hold on his hand as she signaled that she wanted to take the lead a little. As Blade followed her, he continued noting the different buildings and structures that were here. In some aspects, the city was a lot further ahead than his world, especially when it came to making things easier in daily life. Having invented things like ovens, proper showers, and other inventions to ease the stress of a normal life. On the other hand, there were also things that weren’t that different from his world, like weapons and such. Guns existed, but with magic being much more accessible, they didn’t see much use. There seemed to not even be a lot of fighting either. Throughout their travels, they had met no other major establishment, and Blade wondered if Central City was the only major city.

  ?Due to his authority, Blade knew about all types of weapons and armor, whether they came from the past, present, or future. He even had access to all of them in his treasury, but though he could imagine the weapons and armor down to their tiniest atoms, it was hard for him to imagine the world they were used in, especially when it came to those from the future.

  ?Finally, Aisha arrived in the place she wanted to go, having taken Blade to an ore store. There she found the most mora-rich ores, which also just happened to be the most expensive ones, and then asked if she could get them. Since Blade had the money, he did not mind buying the ores she picked out. The money system here was a bit different from his one, even if the core values were the same. They had coins but also paper yielding different amounts. Even without Severance’s knowledge, he mostly could have figured it out.

  ?The most problematic part about all the knowledge was probably the disconnecting feeling he got when things he knew and the information he now had did not match. This feeling became worse when combined with all the weapon knowledge coursing within him.

  ?When Aisha got the materials she asked for, she took them to a secluded corner. There she used her Absolute Authority of alchemy to create... a square technological device.

  ?“What is that?”

  ?“It’s a phone... Have you never seen one?”

  ?“A phone?”

  ?Again, the disconnect became more apparent, even as some of it made sense, though slowly.

  ?Aisha nodded before continuing.

  ?“You can use it for a lot... like paying for things... or playing games. It’s quite common for Origins to have them.”

  ?“Why only Origins?”

  ?Blade asked, taking the phone as he inspected it closely, before turning it on. The first thing he noticed was how it used his mora to power on.

  ?“Well, they are quite hard to make, and many people here are quite poor. Origins, due to their authorities, are some of the richest, and therefore the ones who often have the nice things... Like phones.”

  ?She said before showing off her own phone. Hers had a cream-colored casing with a cute bunny design.

  ?“Sorry if it’s not the best gift. I was unsure what to get you as a late birthday present... So when I noticed your interest in everything we passed by, I thought a phone would be a good gift... is it to your liking?”

  ?“Yes, thank you very much, Aisha.”

  ?Blade responded with a smile, patting her head. He sometimes forgot how perceptive she could be. Though now he wondered about what to get her as a late birthday present, but now that he thought about it, he did not even know when her birthday was.

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  ?“When is your birthday, Aisha?”

  ?“My birthday is the 20th Leo.”

  ?It took a moment, and Blade’s questioning face, before Aisha realized he probably did not know what she meant by that. Going on the ground, she drew some words and began explaining.

  ?“So here we have 365 days in a year. Each year is split into 12 months, and each month has about 30 days.”

  ?“I see...”

  ?He could understand the concept, even though he wondered why he had not gotten that information from Severance’s memories. Noticing this, Severance talked in his mind, saying.

  ?(Severance, telepathically). “If you got all my memories immediately, you would die from information overload. That’s why I’m straining information to you slowly and giving you the important parts when needed. Had you not looked so confused and waited, would I have given you the necessary information... Well, you are getting it either way, but at least Aisha wouldn’t have to get on the ground.”

  ?That at least explained some things, like how he suddenly knew what technology was.

  ?(Blade, telepathically). “What about the language and writing?”

  ?(Severance, telepathically). “The common language here is the origin of all languages. As long as you can read, write, and speak any language, there will be no problem. There are a few unique outliers, but nothing to worry about.”

  ?From the information he got, the 12 months, from start to finish, were Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn.

  ?When he thought about it, they were similar to the months from his own world. January being Aquarius, Pisces being February, and so forth. So if he were to exchange the months for the ones he was used to, then Aisha's birthday would be July 20th.

  ?“Thanks for explaining Aisha.”

  ?Blade said, patting her head as he brushed off the dirt on her dress.

  ?Now that he had been given his birthday present, he began thinking a bit about what to give Aisha but quickly stopped himself. He could think more about such things after he did what he had to.

  ?It did not take long for them before they found the Arena, it was by no means hard to miss, taking up a large portion of the city. It was only rivaled in size by the palace, which was placed squarely in the center of the city.

  ?There were no guards, only a barrier and a large crowd swarming the entrance, yet none managed to get through. Picking up Aisha, he jumped over the crowd only to be surprised as he passed right through the barrier. Was his immediate thought, though he did not get much room to think as the crowd’s swarming intensified when they saw him pass through.

  ?They would then find an empty seat in the stand, which was surprisingly full. Were these all the Authority holders?

  ?His sight fell on the battle that happened below, as Aisha tugged at his sleeve, pointing at him. There below was Raiden fighting an opponent who was clearly mismatched.

  ?Raiden was gliding across the ground, as if standing on nothing more than ice. It was obvious she had gotten better with using the Authorities, yet her eyes looked more lifeless than ever. It was not like the joy Indra displayed in fighting or the cold logic Iris used when it came to it. It was as if she was fighting without purpose, as if the reason had been drained from her, and now all she could do was continue.

  ?Her opponent was also a girl, appearance-wise the same age as Raiden, yet she at least moved with purpose. The struggle was evident on her face, wielding twin daggers and had the ability to produce various poisons and curses. An interesting ability and one to end fights quickly.

  ?Yet it did not matter much if she could not land a single hit. No matter how much she tried, not even a cut befell Raiden. Not a scar, scratch, or even the loss of a hair strand. Continuing to glide on the ice.

  ?Raiden was not prolonging the fight due to any inherent kindness or joy, but to please the woman who sat at the highest point in the whole Arena. The Overseer was sitting comfortably as she observed the squabble below.

  ?It truly was a spectacle, but not one that brought any light, yet for the unaware audience, it was seen as the woman having Raiden on her rope’s end.

  ?Blade noticed the betting booths and guessed a lot of the people here used their money to bet on the one who would eventually defeat Raiden, and it seemed this woman now was one of the highest potential prospects.

  ?It seemed even Raiden got tired of the noise eventually, as she suddenly lunged at the woman. It came as a surprise to not only the woman but also the audience, who had been cheering moments before.

  ?Catching the dagger with her hand, Raiden froze them with the touch before crushing them. Following it with kicking away the woman and throwing the broken dagger pieces into her body. It happened quickly and fast. A clean move that was meant to end the shallow voices from the stadium.

  ?Blade saw it truly now. She was not dead. Not yet. She simply hated the shallowness of it all. It made him wonder, truly, why someone like her would work for someone like the Overseer.

  ?“Aisha, can you take care of yourself?”

  ?Blade knew she was perceptive and understood the meaning behind his words, so when she nodded, he did not think twice about it as he left his parting words.

  ?“Remember the plan.”

  ?Blade did not wait for the announcer to announce the victor or for the defeated to properly leave. This moment could not wait any longer, this was the time for their confrontation. And it seemed Blade wasn’t the only one losing their patience, as while still on the air, Raiden turned to him, only for ice to sprout from her feet, charging at him.

  ?Sliding on the ice, Blade managed to dodge most of it, only being grazed by some, but taking no damage and losing no blood as he landed in front of her.

  ?“We seem to meet often...”

  ?Were the words that left her mouth. It was a combination of mostly calm but slight surprise at seeing him alive. Yet he had not left her memories, not completely.

  ?“I agree, we do meet often.”

  ?Blade said, summoning Severance in his hand. At this moment, the chains felt both grounding and reassuring.

  ?This atmosphere reminded him of the humiliation he suffered at her hands before, yet it also felt distinctly different. He would be lying if he said he was confident, yet he felt a weird form of emotion, kind of like he was stable.

  ?Though their positions might be the same, the routes had been different. And to him, that was good enough.

  ?In a flash of lightning, her sword appeared in hand. Her feelings mirrored his. This fight was different, more. Maybe even what she had sought.

  ?In a flash, clashes occurred, and thus started the fight that would define their existence.