Many minutes earlier...
Charles stood at the end of the fighters' line. The crowd's roar filled the air, mingling with the sounds of the current fight.
Thud!
Whack!
Charles took deep breaths, trying to steady his nerves.
'Seriously... two fights back-to-back...' he thought, eyeing the two hulking fighters ahead of him.
The first sat on a stool, stretching his arms.
The second, with long hair tied in a ponytail, was ready to go, smacking his fists together with an unfriendly glare.
"Excuse ..."
A sweet voice pulled Charles from his thoughts. He turned, confused, and froze.
'Whoa!'
Before him stood a girl with long black hair. Her red eyes studied him curiously, her pale skin stark against the fitted, elegant red tunic she wore.
'She's... gorgeous,' Charles thought, his heart skipping a beat.
He shook his head, forcing focus.
'No, wait... not the ti for this.'
"Sorry, what'd you say?" he asked, scratching his neck, a bit embarrassed for getting distracted by her beauty.
The girl smiled, her voice soft but clear.
"Are you fighting tonight?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly. "I just got back from the bathroom, and I could've sworn the fighter lineup was full."
She gestured at the line, counting on her fingers.
"There's those two, and now you... but sothing's off."
Charles blinked, processing her words. He glanced at the fighters ahead.
'One, two...'
He counted ntally, then looked back at her.
"You're fighting?" he asked, a hint of disbelief in his tone.
The girl frowned for a second, like the question stung, but then relaxed.
"Well... let's say I'm here doing a favor for a friend," she said, shrugging. "So, yeah, you could say I'm fighting those two over there."
She nodded casually at the burly fighters, like they were no big deal.
Charles's eyes widened.
'Her?' he thought, surprised and a bit confused. 'Is this girl really the replacent Lira set up for ?'
It clicked.
Lira had planned to knock him out with the drugged cake so soone else could take his spot.
But of all people...
It had to be this tiny girl?
Charles eyed her delicate fra; her red lips caught his attention, and the way she smiled...
'How can she be so cute?'
The girl coughed, snapping him out of it.
"Well?" she asked, her tone now tinged with annoyance, though her voice still sounded sweet to Charles. "Are you fighting or not? Don't make ask again."
Charles straightened, trying to regain composure.
'Damn it, why does her face keep throwing off?' he thought, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I'm fighting," he said, forcing a smile. "Actually, I'm supposed to face two guys tonight. Alone. It's... a bet with my stepsister."
The girl frowned again, this ti looking puzzled.
"You're doing two fights?" she repeated, crossing her arms. "My friend didn't ntion that."
Her eyes narrowed, sizing him up.
"You sure you're not pulling my leg?"
Charles let out a short, bitter laugh.
"Nope," he said, scratching his neck. "Didn't know Lira was throwing into this either, but here I am. Gotta fight, gotta win."
The girl closed her eyes for a mont, like she was weighing her options.
'Why didn't Lira tell this...? Was she so nervous she forgot that detail...? Or does she have a plan?' she thought, before opening her eyes and asking:
"What's your na?"
"Char... Cole. Rian Cole," Charles replied, coughing to cover his near-slip of saying his real na.
The girl stared, and for a second, her red eyes srized him.
'Stop it,' he thought, shaking his head.
If there was one thing he wanted to avoid, it was falling for a girl in this ssed-up clan.
"First ti I've heard your na," she said, tilting her head.
"And you are?"
"Kaira Voss," she answered, a proud smile flashing that made Charles forget the arena's noise for a mont.
She was... an angel.
'Kaira,' he thought, repeating her na in his head. 'Pretty na.'
Charles couldn't help but laugh, and Kaira raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" she asked, stepping closer.
Charles instinctively stepped back, suddenly hit by a warm, intense scent—spices and sothing floral.
'Is that coming from her?' he thought, his head spinning.
'How can a woman sll this good?'
But then he noticed she seed to be sniffing him too.
'This scent... I like it,' Kaira thought, before straightening and stepping back, realizing Charles was giving her a weird look.
'She'd gotten carried away!'
"You sure you want to face those two alone? We could split them, one each," Kaira offered, her tone as serious as she could manage to hide her embarrassnt.
Charles considered it for a second. But then he rembered Lira's bet... and how everyone looked at him like he was nothing.
'If I let her fight with , the clan'll never take seriously,' he thought, clenching his fists.
"Thanks for the offer," he said, smiling. "Really, you're... super sweet for suggesting it."
Charles saw Kaira step back, her cheeks faintly pink.
'Sweet!?' Kaira thought, caught off guard.
She hadn't expected a guy like him to complint her in this situation.
"I made a bet with Lira. I've gotta win both fights alone, no help."
Kaira stared, and Charles noticed a small accessory in her hair—a silver hairpin shaped like a fla.
"That hairpin looks aweso on you," he said without thinking, watching her eyes widen.
She turned her head, pretending to swat a mosquito with one hand.
'Damn it, get a grip!' Kaira thought, her cheeks burning. 'It's just a dumb complint. Why's it hitting so hard?'
Kaira let out a small laugh, trying to play it cool.
"Thanks," she said, touching the hairpin. "It's... the first ti anyone's noticed."
Charles grinned, but before he could say more, the announcer's voice bood.
"Rian Cole, a fighter without powers, but bold enough to promise two back-to-back matches tonight, stands before us!" he roared, and the crowd erupted.
Charles and Kaira blinked, startled.
'Already?' they both thought, glancing at the arena. The previous fight had ended without them noticing.
Charles walked toward the arena, barely acknowledging the girl, ignoring jeers from so in the crowd.
Kaira, realizing how silly she'd acted, shook her head hard and bolted for the stands to watch.
'I've gotta see this!' was all she could think.
From the stands, Kaira couldn't look away.
'No powers?' she thought, confused.
She knew the Coles were the clan's strongest, trained from childhood to master their elent.
But... a Cole with no powers?
And if so...
Why let him fight in the arena?
'This doesn't add up,' she thought, biting her lip.
When the fight began, Kaira's eyes went wide.
Rian was fast.
Too fast!
Whack!
Rian dodged Darion's punch like he'd seen it coming hours ago.
Whoosh!
Darion unleashed a wind gust, but Rian flipped mid-air, landing with a taunting grin.
"That all you got?" Rian asked, smirking.
The crowd roared—so shocked, others hyped.
'This guy's unreal,' Kaira thought, leaning forward.
She'd tried moves like that before, but always fell or lost balance.
Though she'd earned the title of fire master through relentless control, she was nowhere near Rian's fluidity.
'Isn't he scared of screwing up? Sure, the water controllers keep the arena dry, but... he could slip,' she thought, worried.
Yet Rian kept pulling off effortless acrobatics, like he was toying with Darion.
Thud!
Rian dodged another blow, spinning mid-air and landing behind his frustrated opponent, who growled.
The crowd went wild, but a doubt crept into Kaira's mind.
'Why isn't Rian attacking?'
Suddenly, soone grabbed her shoulder hard.
"Hey!"
Kaira spun, annoyed, but froze when she saw Lira, pale-faced and eyes brimming with panic.
"Kaira!" Lira shouted, almost screaming. "How are you just sitting here watching the fight?"
Kaira looked down, guilt stabbing her.
'Damn it, I ssed up,' she thought, scratching her neck.
"Uh... stuff happened," she mumbled, embarrassed. "But, Lira, your stepbrother's amazing!"
Lira let out an exasperated sigh, dragging a hand down her face.
"First, Rian's not my brother, he's my stepbrother," she snapped. "And second, his arm's injured! No way he wins that fight!"
Kaira blinked, glancing at the arena.
'Injured?' she thought, watching Rian dodge another wind blast with a perfect flip, landing on one arm.
That's sothing an injured guy would do!?
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