‘Pray they stop me in time’, Eren had told Daniel. As he stepped into the arena, he realized he knew nothing of the extent of Daniel's powers. Daniel's ability was the ability to shape shift, like Drake. But he had barely used his abilities in the previous fights because his opponents were easier to beat. What would he do now that he knew Eren was a real threat? Eren dismissed the thought and tried to remain unruffled. The crowd welcomed him with cheering. Flower petals floated down from above. He gazed above in awe, momentarily distracted. The arena had been scrubbed clean of the blood and grime from the last few fights. The third stage had begun and just the same way he had started the tournament, his fight was beginning the third stage. Eren took his position at the other side of the circle and watched as Daniel emerged. His arrival was celebrated with cheering, too. The announcer announced his name and he raised a hand grinning as if he was some kind of prince.
The next blow Eren dealt Daniel nearly tore his head off his shoulders with the force of it and he was flung across the arena where he slammed against the wall, crumpling to the ground like a paper doll. A shock wave rippled through the arena after the blow. The crowd gasped. When Daniel hit the wall, the bricks cracked and a rift jagged like a bolt of lightning could be seen. "Get up!" People called from the crowd. "Come on!" They yelled all sorts of encouragement at the fallen fighter from the stands. The shouts turned into a chant and soon the arena was alive with it. ‘Not if he had a say in the matter’, Eren mused. He advanced on Daniel as the screams of Get up! grew more insistent. A blow like that, he surmised, would put down most people. Yet, bleeding at the mouth and from the ears, Daniel crawled forward, eventually using the wall as leverage to heft himself to his feet. Eren was upon him in a moment, as quick as a blur. He managed to regain his com
Sid Nivron watched the fight in the terse quiet of the locker room. They all did. The Awakened stood around in their combat suits, watching the match in earnest. The pairings were random, so it was best to learn everything one could about any one that seemed even remotely like a threat. And after that contest, Sid could see it on all their faces - the silver haired boy was high up in the rankings. The contest had ended as Sid had hoped, granted, with Eren as the undisputed victor. It had, however, not gone quite as he had expected. The rage, he foresaw. The brutality with which Eren handled his opponent was a surprise; one he could not have dreamed up in two lifetimes. Gaine grinned at the screen when the medics entered the arena to take Daniel away. "And that, my friends," He said to no one in particular, "was what you call a proper contest." The ripple of unease that passed over the spectators did not seem to have any effect on him. Drake Khan preten
If there was one thing Drake Khan did not like about this world, that thing was surprises. He loathed them. Utterly despised them. This special hatred he had reserved for surprises came from the fact that, being a Khan, surprises were rarely ever good ones. Most days he prided himself in keeping his life on a short leash, and there were few things worse than a hound acting out. If there was ever a time things had gotten out of hand, it was then, in that moment. He watched Eren from his perch across the room. Drake had never been the smartest in school, so he was not too startled. However he could not understand what happened to Eren in the month he went away without leave. But the thing was, no one else seemed to understand the transformation the boy had gone through either. He was not sure whether to call it adolescence. Under what bloody sun had the lad become so bloody sturdy? He was enormous compared to who he used to be. "Is that Eren?" He had heard
‘Because I have a newfound trust in him. And I know he will win. I just know it…’ Ashley Moore’s words echoed in Drake’s head and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was a possibility that Eren and him would fight in the nearest future. Not just any fight, but a public one like the tournaments. And in a ring too. Was that what he really wanted? Drake was not absolutely certain. He was sure he could beat the Trost boy with relative ease if they were pitted against each other. Daniel was, after all, weaker stock. It mattered little that Eren had torn through him. Drake was a prodigy, if he had to say so himself. He chuckled at Ashley's face. The conversation had continued longer than he would have allowed it if the circumstances were different. "But you aren't a gambling woman, Ashley, now, are you? You would be making a losing bet. But then again, who am I to tell you what to do?" She sauntered away, her movement like those of a jungle cat. Watching he
Air was more like water than most people would believe. Tiana knew this. She could feel it swirl around her ankles and torso the minute she reached for her MANNA, like a river bending, swaying ever so slightly. After the commotion of the near brawl between Eren and that bully, Drake, the locker room had quietened. The contests were placed on pause for a while while the contestants recuperated. Tiana passed the time in silence, closing her eyes to the world. The wall behind her was level and gelid, and there was a dull ringing in her head from the last fight. A long time passed before she felt movement around her again. Somebody was tapping her gently. "Hey, Tiana. Hey." She heard Sid say to her from what seemed like a distance. His words forced her back to the moment. Sid was watching her with keen interest, his green eyes not missing a beat. He gestured at the screen above. She had been placed against some other girl. A brunette. Brawny, with cheekbones li
The crowded locker room had slowly and surely become nearly empty. Only a few people remained. In the fourth stage of the contests, a lot of contestants had lost their fights, forcing them to drop out. When a person lost, their journey ended there. Drake clenched and unclenched his fist. Despite his advanced healing, he was starting to hurt all over. He was sure the same applied to the rest of his peers that remained. A boy with heavy tattoos was slumped in the corner, panting. Even Gaine was crouched in a corner, the white of his eyes flecked with red. His fight, like Drake's, had taken a toll on him. The Trost boy sat in a corner, deadly silent. The fifth stage was to begin in a few minutes and they waited for the announcements, the screen above blinking with light. The screen came back to life suddenly and the first names were drawn up - Drake Khan versus Samantha Dennin. Loud cheering could be heard from the stands. The locker room buzzed with life again. Dr
That sadistic jerk, Drake, had lost. His match against Samantha was televised and it played in the locker room. Eren watched his nemesis' humiliation with quiet joy. While he had hoped Drake would lose, just out of spite, he did not foresee it. Violence and shows of brute strength were, after all, Drake's forte, and the contests were both things. It was not long after that Drake stormed into the room like a whirlwind. No one cheered him this time. There was mostly silence. Those who were brave enough clapped him on the back. He headed straight for his locker and began to shove his personal effects into his bag. When he had finished, he turned to leave. A bench was in his way and he sent it flying with a powerful kick. Even more people shied away from him. Drake stomped forward as if to exit the room, then he stopped to glare at Eren. Eren met his eyes. "One beating is not enough for you? Here you are looking for another one." Eren heard himself say to Drake. I