Eraphim scowled at Ingresh's raised brow.

   "Has anyone seen our other friend?" Gyna suddenly interrupted. She came over to them while cleaning an arclyph dagger using her torn cloak. She seemed perfectly content after surviving a bloodbath.

   "Who?" Ingresh and Eraphim asked at the same time.

   Gyna slid the dagger back into its sheath, looking up at them as if to say really? "The male you became such close friends with before the match. You two were so cute together, constantly at each other's throat."

   "Oh, I almost forgot about him," Eraphim said lightly. "If his soul was destroyed in the match it's not my fault. Sairon did warn him."

   Gyna whistled. "You're utterly merciless, Old Man."

   Ingresh let out a barking laugh.

   Eraphim finally delivered the blow to his head that he deserved that was minutes overdue, and smiled victoriously when Ingresh yelped. He turned his attention back to Gyna and scowled. "Please not you too."

   Gyna stared at Ingresh's bent-double form for a second before offering Eraphim her sweet smile. "I wouldn't dare risk your wrath. Hit him harder next time."

   Ingresh stared at her in dubious incredulity as Eraphim let out a rare laugh.

   During this time, Kaeshan had remained idle, frowning in their general direction as he scanned the audience and the other surviving contenders. He suddenly made his presence known again by shouting: "He lives!"

   The three of them whirled to where he was looking.

   "Technically he wasn't exactly alive before the match," Eraphim added rather unhelpfully as the mysterious Dark Court male stalked towards them out of the shadows (literally) with a slight limp in his left leg.

   When he was standing before them: "Well look at you. No destroyed soul."

   "Shut up, Volcron." His voice held the same coldness as before, but there was a slight hitch at the end. Was he injured elsewhere? Who had he run off to find?Eraphim pretended not to care too much.

   "I'm disappointed. You're lucky I didn't bet with Sairon, I would have lost."

   "I said shut up," he snarled. He pushed past Gyna towards the nearest archway out of the arena.

   His Dark Court armour had ashes smeared on them. Eraphim supposed he shouldn't have been surprised the male had destroyed someone's soul.

   He made to push past Eraphim next. Eraphim held him at bay with ropes made of solar flares. "I'm not done talking with you," Eraphim growled.

  The male tugged uselessly against the bonds. "Well I am. Let me go."

   "Get out of them yourself."

   The male growled low in his throat and turned hateful, dark eyes to him. "What do you want."

   "Where did you go?"

   "That's none of your damn business."

   "It is when it concerns the rest of this team."

   The male let out a mocking laugh. "Don't you see what Hallas has done to everyone? We were a team for one match. Now we are not." True enough. The male read his expression and grinned. "Don't tell me you've become fond of your teammates."

   "They're yours as well."

   "Old man, they are my enemies now. And I shall eradicate every single one of your souls to win."

   Eraphim sniffed delicately, "No wonder you didn't have any friends when you were alive."

   "Friends are a weakness. As is fondness of anything. I suppose that is why you will never win the Trial of the Fade. You easily attach yourself to others and are then willing to give up your life for them. " And then Eraphim truly hated him when he uttered: "Tell me Eraphim Volcron, how loud do you think Rinaren Salvern-Vasara screamed when Arwinan tore his wings from his back?"

   The others were completely silent. Shocked.

   How loud do you think Rinaren Salvern-Vasara screamed when Arwinan tore his wings from his back? When Arwinan tore his wings from his—Eraphim breathed and breathed. A male who uses words against you. He's just a male who uses words against y—oh screw it.

   Eraphim roared in hatred and released the dampener on his magic. He sent a blast of searing sunlight and pure magic towards the male with enough force to fell an entire legion.

   Ingresh cried Eraphim's name as the Dark Court male let out a choked laugh, barely managing to summon a shield before him.

   Eraphim shredded that shield to pieces with half a thought. And then the other one he conjured up immediately.

   The others backed up in terror as the air around Eraphim superheated itself and cracks began forming in the ground. Kyrion demons were starting to shout at one another as Eraphim summoned a fiery storm made of blue and gold flames and sent it crashing down towards the male.

   The entire arena shuddered as the BOOM that resounded echoed across the fields. The Dark Court male's shields completely shattered as the blast sent him flying into the air from the force.

   He roared a challenge at him and disappeared into shadows mid-flight, reappearing safely on the ground an entire field away from him.

   Eraphim distantly heard Sairon roaring at him to stop, or perhaps he was merely feet away. Eraphim didn't care.

   Celestials had a temper, and his was rising too quickly. A god-like aura took form around him as his eyes became pure orbs of sunlight. Magic swelled at his hands, and Eraphim knew he was too deep in his magic that one blast would ravage this entire arena to the ground until nothing but ashes was left.

   And then it all suddenly stopped.

   Eraphim gasped as Hallas's dark magic extinguished his own like a fist closing around his very core. "ENOUGH!"

   Eraphim looked at Hallas who had teleported onto the arena grounds and was currently stalking angrily towards him. Eraphim hated him too. "Have I impressed you now, Hallas?" Eraphim snarled.

The sadistic grin Hallas gave him didn't hesitate and conveyed his answer before he spoke. "Yes you have."