I was standing in the high-rankers booth, overlooking the platform as I glanced at the door. Any moment Colonel Walker could walk through, and decide that my life was to be changed. I kept scanning the stadium, packed wall to wall with blessed all muttering with each other, and yet I was unable to find him anywhere. He wasn’t even seated next to Lieutenant Zenzele.

  This had been… one of the worst weeks of my life. I needed Marnus to win today, and all the Colonel would have to do was give Boris a pistol to make everyone lose. All the blessed, from the lowliest shield men all the way up to Mother’s position would be affected. And she did not seem to even care.

  I was attempting to calm myself down as I had last night, thinking of how the Colonel looked when Viktor had taken us out of there. The horror, the realization he had been outplayed as Marnus watched such a powerful man be brought to his knees right before me.

  And now, Marnus would walk out onto stage, with his unsure steps and timid wave to his adoring fans. The stadium would be in awe at the hard-fought match that would follow, but through cunning and wits, Marnus would gain victory. He would bury that stupid civvie a hundred meters in the ground, and he would stay there for the rest of eternity.

  After, when I joined him on stage, he would bow and kiss my feet, and in his post-victory speech he would explain that it was not he, but I who won the match. Me, that gave him the knowledge necessary to proclaim victory. The crowd would roar my name, “Sofia! Sofia! Sofi—”

  “Sofia.”

  I felt slapped upon hearing my name, turning around to see my mother standing there, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. “Good morning. What are you thinking about?”

  “Nothing Mother. I am planning on how Marnus can be used most effectively for my brigade.”

  She tilted her head, her face no longer as amused, now more disappointed. “And when Boris wins, what use will those plans be?”

  “He will not win mother. Why are you so insistent that he will? Why do you care for him so much?”

  She walked to the glass as the Major announced the finalists with a grand display, action shots from their previous battles over the last few days playing over the large screens overlooking the arena. I noticed the end of the brute’s fights were cut out. I did not understand, why not show what he is? A murderer.

  “I am insistent on him winning because when I saw him defy me, even with a gun pointed at his head, I saw something. Something I have not seen in a long time,” she said with a genuine, sad look in her eye.

  She turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder, “And Daughter. What I saw frightened even me.”

  She took her hand away, all the kindness from the touch leaving her body as her back straightened, her mismatched face hardening, “And it’s like I said. None of you stand a chance. Although his kindness makes him far more injured than he needs to be.”

  I watched the contestants as they walked out, Boris with a shield and Marnus with a single pistol.

  “Mother. Forgive me, but I think you are mistaken. He is nothing but a stupid brute, and I have not seen even a hint of kindness throughout any of his matches. And I have studied them extensively,” I said cautiously, my voice tight.

  “Then you did not study well. And even brutes hold virtues, daughter,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  The crowd was roaring Marnus’s name, and the weight of their expectations seemed too much for him, his back bent, his eyes cast on the steps he climbed up to the platform. Even his wave was missing.

  He didn’t glance at the civvie, but I could see his knuckles were white around the grip of the pistol, all the way from up here. He was afraid, no matter the… Well, I guess he wasn’t putting up a brave front to begin with.

  No matter, he found his position and got ready. He tapped his left shoulder before the bubble even started forming, staring at the man across from him with determination in his eyes.

  And Boris, in his infinite wisdom, was staring at me. He didn’t even get into a fighting stance as Major Shange’s voice echoed throughout the stadium, the bubble forming around them.

  “It’s that time again, everyone! The final match to determine the next high ranker! Keep your socks on people, because this match is going to be something you’ve never seen before! And here. We. go!”

  The bubble closed around them as Boris’s dice rolled. He stopped looking at me as he shot forward, focusing on Marnus with cold-blooded determination as he deployed his shield. And then… he stopped. He stood five meters away from Marnus, as he waved his hands frantically, saying something over and over again;

  The whole stadium quieted, trying to listen to his words as Boris tilted his head one way, then another as he looked at the floor. Then he nodded, turned around, and walked back to the middle of the platform.

  “Shoot him in the back,” I whispered to the glass, a silent plea that fell on deaf ears as Marnus dropped the gun beside him.

  “That would not be honorable, Sofia,” Mother said next to me.

  “It would not. But it would be smart.” I said as Boris threw his shield down and kicked it to the side.

  In the reflection of the glass, I saw Mother nod in agreement, a touch of pride on her face.

  “And it seems they have a gentlemen's agreement! Only fisticuffs, only abilities! Both men show the honor of a high ranker, but only one may rise!” Major Shange said dramatically, but I could see on her face she was relieved. She must have assumed Boris couldn’t make the crowd endure another display of cruelty this way.

  “What the fuck are they doing?” Warren complained loudly behind us. I felt Selena and Bongi watch the match through the glass, standing a respectful distance away but still wanting front-row seats to the clown show before us.

  Boris shouted something, and Marnus nodded in response. Before his head had even finished bobbing, Boris was sprinting forward.

  Marnus wasted no time, diving into the dirt. Boris crashed into the floor just as Marnus’s shoes disappeared into the ground.

  Boris looked annoyed, getting up and dusting himself off with a curse on his lips. He turned around and looked over the stadium, at all the people watching this event. He gave them a shrug, turned towards us, and flipped me off. He started miming about how he was going to kill me.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “He isn’t even paying attention.” I seethed. How was this a match that could determine the fate of the island? He was just standing there, waiting to be attacked. What an idiot.

  “I must admit… this is certainly not how I expected it to go.” Mother said, amusement in her eyes as she waved at him. He stopped his charades immediately, and Mother looked almost offended. Like she was enjoying the show.

  Before I could ask her why she had waved, I saw Marnus’s head appear from where Boris had started, a hundred meters away from where he was standing. Boris’s head immediately snapped towards where he appeared, and I saw Marnus’s eyes widen.

  Boris just put his hands on his hips, shaking his head from side to side like he was disappointed, before lazily waving him over. He shifted into a boxing stance and just stood there. Not moving an inch.

  Marnus looked confused, half raising himself out of the ground, then hesitating. He looked at Boris, standing there, and I finally saw him steel himself. I knew he had a backbone, no one could be that cowardly.

  He dove into the ground, a wake forming around his hands as he shot towards Boris. The humor left Boris’s face, and when Marnus reached him he tried to grab the hands reaching for his feet.

  Marnus grabbed a hold of him first, and not a moment later Boris’s ankles sank into the floor. He flailed, hitting Marnus in the head once, twice before Marnus rushed forward. Boris was thrown off his feet, bouncing off the bubble’s wall. He grunted from the pain, and he landed face-first onto the floor.

  Marnus wasted no time, dragging him across the arena as Boris screamed silently. The crowd was roaring, the high rankers behind me clinking beers with each other in begrudgement. It seemed that for the first time, every single blessed was in agreement. This man was not allowed to rise.

  I didn’t sigh with relief, I didn’t shout with joy. I had learned that despite jinxes not existing, it was better not to tempt them. I waited, watching as the skin was ripped off of his back, one of his arms twisting crookedly on the sharp rocks as he was dragged through the concrete.

  Please. Please let this be it. Let him win. Let this monster be taken care of.

  “Don’t just take it. Do something boy.” Mother growled, and I turned on her with astonishment.

  “Mother?”

  “Be quiet, he’s going to recover in a moment. I want to see it.”

  Selena walked and stood next to me, glancing nervously at my Mother like she was a lion. She gave me a sweet smile, then focused on the match.

  Boris was still being dragged, and I saw that his ear had been ripped off against one of the surfaces. He didn’t seem to take notice, as he kept trying to reach the man dragging him, even as he was half through the platform.

  He was using his pants to get traction with his fingers. Inch by inch, his good arm got closer and closer to Marnus’s hand that was latched onto his ankle.

  Boris lost his grip, and he seemed to ragdoll as Marnus kept dragging him, not slowing down for an inch. Right then and there I think I could have married him, given him every piece of lead we had mined from the tower and far more. He had done it. Finally, the monster was dead.

  Marnus turned the corner, not even stopping, the beautiful man.

  Boris’s eyes snapped open, and he bent down so fast that Marnus didn’t have time to disengage. He had been playing possum, the coward.

  “Smart,” Mother said approvingly, as Boris’s hand closed around his wrist.

  I watched with horror as Boris dug his feet in, and used the momentum to stand up. He dragged Marnus out of the ground, pure terror crossing his face. Boris let go of his wrist and grabbed his neck, his fingernails drawing blood from how hard he gripped the man in his grasp.

  He growled “surrender” at the man, slow enough that I could read his lips from up here, even without looking at the screens.

  In response, Marnus kneed him in the balls. Boris doubled over, all previous injuries forgotten as he held his crotch in pure agony. Marnus tackled him to the ground, getting into full mount, both of Boris’s arms trapped under Marnus’s legs.

  Marnus started punching him in the face. Over and over, screaming as spittle flew from his mouth, Boris’s nose and missing ear painting the floor more crimson with each blow.

  “Daughter, this reminds me, we need to fix the martial arts the education system currently uses. It doesn’t account for individuals with enhanced strength.” Mother said offhandedly.

  “But it’s working?” I pointed out, gesturing at Marnus as he tried to rearrange Boris’s face.

  As if he could hear me, Boris flailed wildly, thrusting his hips as he heaved with all his might. Marnus flew six meters, straight up into the air. He screamed all the way down, as Boris stood up casually, his face more annoyed than angry.

  Boris waited, standing aside and letting his opponent fall a few centimeters past his nose. He stepped back with one leg, and then his knee flew straight into the falling man’s face. Marnus crashed to the ground even as he scorpioned, his back bending unnaturally from the blow he received. He picked Marnus up by the hair and walked towards us.

  He started pummeling Marnus’s face into the bubble wall separating us. The thuds echoed throughout the stadium. I saw Marnus’s parents start crying, his father’s face contorting with rage and helplessness as he watched his boy have his face flattened.

  He had hit the wall six times with his head, before he threw the man onto the ground, crouched over him, his broken nose and lost ear bleeding onto Marnus’s face as he said something I couldn’t see, but was probably some form of surrender.

  Marnus nodded weakly.

  Boris hung his head low, breathing an apparent sigh of relief as he walked away.

  “I told you, daughter. None of you stood a chance,” Mother said proudly.

  “It’s not over yet,” I whispered, Marnus rising to his feet as Boris stared up at me again. I stared right back, trying to provide as much of a distraction as possible.

  Boris twitched in his direction, and I knew the stare wasn’t enough. Mother was going to beat me for this, but it was the only thing I could think of to keep his attention. I flipped him off.

  Marnus crept towards his back, even as Boris’s eyes widened with disbelief, a grin spreading across his broken face. He turned to the crowd, gesturing at me as if to say, You see? This is what she is actually like.

  And as he turned back to look up at me with a grin, Marnus leapt at his back. I don’t know if the glance of my eyes gave it away, or the anticipation of the crowd, or if his enhanced senses let him hear as Marnus’s feet left the ground, his hands outstretched. One moment, Boris was staring up at me with a grin. The next, he spun on his heel and slapped Marnus so hard he flew back three meters.

  Marnus tried to escape despite his state, sinking halfway into the earth before Boris grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. He lifted him, then head-butted him, Marnus’s nose almost disappearing into his skull.

  Something must have snapped in Boris because his grin was nowhere to be found. He was screaming, blood and spittle flying off his face as he slammed Marnus into the floor, once, twice, three times before he let go of his neck, and grabbed his arm. The same arm that had dragged Boris through the platform.

  He bent it, the bone snapping through the skin, the muscles and ligaments holding growing taut as Boris wrenched at it, despite Marnus’s screaming.

  “I can’t watch this,” I said, turning away as bile rose in my throat.

  Mother grabbed my shoulder, spun me around then held the back of my head towards the spectacle, “You will watch if you know what’s good for you! This is your newest high ranker! You must know who is to be your subordinate,” she growled as she made me watch.

  And so, I watched as Boris ripped Marnus’s arm off. Watched as he slammed the dismembered arm against Marnus’s neck. Boris pressed all his weight into it, strangling the man with his own arm as whispered something down at him.

  Marnus fought. He tried gouging Boris’s eyes out. He kicked, he clawed, he soiled himself in some desperate attempt at getting him off. None of it mattered.

  He grew limp after a moment, his face stretched in eternal agony at being strangled to death with his own arm. The crowd was horrified, all of them looking at this display with open disgust.

  Not Mother. She watched as Boris stumbled back from the body as if she had never been happier. Her eyes were glowing, the hand on the back of my head almost shaking with joy.

  He looked up at the high-ranking booth, his glare meeting my eyes. And in that moment, that silent stretch of time that only we occupied, I realized something as my leg shook, my back prickled with sweat and my body froze.

  He scared me.

  I looked away, unable to hold his stare, and when I glanced back he was pointing the severed arm at me with the same promise he had made in his first match.

  This will be you. And there’s nothing you can do about it.