The roar of the bloodthirsty crowd shook the ground and caused other warriors around her to quiver a little. Some stood strong while others trembled so much it felt as if they were about to fall over. The fear of being led through a dark tunnel with the sound of yells and shouts that sounded like roars of beasts echoing down the passageway made most of their faces pale and their eyes wide. In the small, rocky tunnel behind the gate, they could see nothing; it was dark and the gates were blocked off with the Legion Armada's soldiers. 

Not that it mattered anyway. She wore a blindfold over her eyes.

Unlike most of the things in her life, she wore it by choice. The dark red material hid her eyes and she was never seen without it. It was a small thing, but it set her out from the other warriors who thought she was insane when she went to fight people wearing it. Though everyone thought she couldn't see a thing, but she could still make out shapes and some details. No one could see her eyes...no one could find out what she really was.

Another roar followed by the booming shouting of the announcer Aarron Glycon made them all perk up to attention. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted, "these normal fights have dragged out for too long...let's see some real blood!"

No matter how many years have passed since she was forcefully taken to Arenam, she still found the audience's enjoyment on bloodshed revolting. The first few weeks were the worst, all she could hear while she slept was the endless screaming of terror and excitement coinciding with each other. How could the crowd not see the true suffering of the people who died? How could the not hear their families crying over them and screaming their names? Even blinded mostly from her opponents, she didn't have to see them to feel their pain.

"Now!" Aarron said, shouting so he could be heard, "the famous Aloysius Ajax versus Adreana Lykaois!"

Whispers and murmurs broke out in the small group behind her when she heard her name called. Some sounded like they were wishing her luck, others were pitying her, and a few were laughing at her misfortune. She heard the crowd scream again once a burly man with an enormous shield and sword entered the center of Arenam. He grinned confidently at them, waving at some girls sitting in the stands. Adreana watched him parade around the center like a prize animal with disgust. The Legion soldiers created a small path and the gate opened and the sunlight shone in. The warmth coated her, but it felt fake from the dread of killing someone that froze her body.

Though Adreana was considered a skilled warrior, she knew that Aloysius mercilessly attacked and slaughtered whoever he was up against. Even from the start, she knew that maybe his size had more than what it let on and he was fast. As she stepped into the center, the audience grew strangely quiet at her appearance: a girl wearing a red blindfold over her eyes with two daggers at her sides, clad in clothing that resembled an assassin's. Someone's laugh broke the silence, and it spread to the rest of them. It was a nervous, hysteric laugh that chilled her to the bone.

"Adreana, eh?" Aloysius asked, preparing for an attack and getting into a stance. "Wish I could see those pretty eyes of yours. Ah, I'll see them after--"

"Less talking!" An audience member shouted. "FIGHT!" The crowd joined in on the chant, shouting, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Without a single word, she sprung forward, her face an expression of calm and a dagger in each hand. She was fast enough to get behind him when he was in the middle of turning around. She jumped up to build more force and watched the blades flash in his eyes before she brought both of them down, slicing them across his throat. 

An average fighter with normal reflexes would've dropped onto the sandy ground, choking on their own blood. Lucky for him, he moved his shield just in time and the daggers only scratched the metal. Fiercely, he heaved his sword to her again and again, making one mistake after another. He swung at her with his sword in a wide arc but she ducked and slashed three, four, five times at his stomach which was wide open. 

He let out a grunt of pain as blood spilled from the cuts in the thin armor that he had. Despite his wound which would become fatal within half an hour if it wasn't treated, they never called off the match. Fight to the end. Fight to the death. He swung faster, determined and frenzied from the sight of his own blood. She stopped each swing with one of her daggers with the same expression. Calm, cool, but not at all collected. She hated killing anyone even though by her nature she should be hungry for any violence like the monsters that surrounded her. 

She tried as hard as she could to kill them quickly, so they wouldn't suffer. She had not seen the leather armor that protected him a little and that he would have to agonize until she finished him off. With a burst of speed, she tried to stab him in his chest which was unprotected. He screamed, a horrible sound that reminded her of her past. The audience shouted in approval, clapping at the death of the undefeatable Aloysius Ajax.

She walked off and back into the gate, the sound deafening against her ears. The gate shut quickly behind her, and she breathed one, shaky breath. The warriors watched her, open mouthed and sharp fear in their eyes. She sat against the stone wall, her head in her hands as she clenched her teeth. How can you be so weak? A voice whispered to her mind, poisoning her thoughts. One human death by your hands and you're acting like a lost soul. How could you ever be the daughter of Queen Nyx, the ruler of Erebos?  You should be proud to have hundreds of human souls at your disposal. An exile, indeed.

There was no escape from here. 

No wings, not even the powerful ones of the Devil's daughter could fly her away.