LOGINHiii. Author here. I hope you’re enjoying the story so far! Let me know your opinions regarding the direction and general world building. I’d like to know! I’ll be checking in from time to time. See yA!
{Ragna’s POV}My head hurts.And my eyes were swollen without being physically swollen.They felt swollen while being normal. I don’t know if that makes sense.I haven’t cried heavily in a long time, you know. And I also haven’t felt this confused in a long time. Right now, everything around me was unclear. It was as if the world had suddenly turned gibberish and was mixed with Greek, a language I didn’t understand. Sigh. I’m spitting nonsense. Permit my manner of speaking. I had been stumped on the head and my body battered. And now I was chained in an inky room with no air and a foul stench. Hence I was bleeding out sweat. So where was I?“Witch!” A Warden barked at my cell now as she walked by. Right.The world had turned gibberish.Everyone had gone crazy and nonsensical. They said I had killed the Arena master, a man for that matter. Then they said I also had thrashed all those Iron wardens also, and because of this, everyone was being aggressive towards me. Not that th
{Ragna's POV}I was panting. I was panting really heavily but I didn’t seem to know why. But then that wasn’t my focus. Voices pooled all around me and the ground seemed to be trembling, but none of that was my concern. My mother was, so I threw my gaze to her. I hadn’t realized yet…I rushed to my mother now, pulling her into a tight hug first, before breaking it and running my gaze over her body. I adjusted her clothes from where it had nearly been ripped off to expose her nakedness, and I did it with relief. Toiling with my virtue for the sake of entertainment to the populace was enraging enough, but then bringing my mother into it— the same woman who had suffered years before she miraculously developed womb with me in it?— bringing that woman into such humiliation was something I would never agree with.I checked my mother’s body for bruises now, and I was hurrying before the four wardens or the Arena master finally would get to me. She was my priority in this moment, so
{Ragna's POV}Okay, so I was standing in the red sand, surrounded by thousands of people who definitely hated— not that I cared, and then I had a six-foot-three beast storming at me. The Arena master was huge in his werewolf form, and, in my stance, I couldn’t tell if my heart was beating out of readiness or out of fear that this was a bad idea. It was probably the latter, and I realized this when the Arena master got to me and swung his claws at my face.I escaped being noseless only by inches. He growled as he turned to face me again, and now I was properly uneasy, my boldness from before drained as I understood the gravity of the situation I was in. I had only ever watched females fight and Arena bloods tear themselves apart.And now there was a male before me and I realized a number of things that scared—I dodged another blow aimed for my throat as I rolled beneath his swing. Goodness!“Come here, you rat!” He bawled now, claws thirsty, but I backed away once again. As I wa
{Ragna’s POV}The crowd’s noise multiplied in response to me dislocating Selene’s jaw.She didn’t rise immediately now so they started the countdown. “ONE.”“TWO…”"THREE."It was supposed to be a relief hearing the countdown, but I wasn’t satisfied or convinced— not until Selene started convulsing a second later.With this, I settled my rage and stared while the crowd’s voices grew wilder. They lived for brutality. I had definitely damaged other things in Selene's body but I didn’t give two shits. Me not killing her is mercy beyond anything. I took one step forward as the count got to TEN, and then the crowd exploded in roars.I had finally won but that wasn’t my focus as I stood over her now, my chest heaving with blood dripping steadily from my chin and arms. I snarled lowly as I gazed upon her battered body.“I had mercy,” I said to her now, my voice rough but steady.“Don’t expect it again.”**I stood alone on the sand now, my breath becoming calm but my muscles still tense.
{Ragna’s POV}The Arena roared before I even stepped onto the sand.Another fight had just ended— two bodies separating, one dragged and one standing. Above it all, the King’s voice rang on cue.Deep and commanding.“Here is your victor.” He announced and the crowd roared, sounding unreal as usual.Soon the Blood Gate opened to me— for the second time ever for which I poured out a calming breath.I stepped onto the red sand, and this time, I didn’t look around. I didn't admire the structure. Didn’t listen to the crowd.None of it mattered.Selene stepped onto the sand opposite me, her movements loose and confident, revealing her familiarity with the system.This wasn’t her first rodeo and the crowd swelled at that, hungry. I ignored all of that as I rolled my shoulders once with ready claws. This time, I’ll break the nose…“Begin.” The Arena Master’s voice cut through the noise… and that was it. Selene moved first, slow at first. Then she exploded.Her body surged forward with ter
{Ragna’s POV}For a moment, I thought about stepping inside.Not to shout. Not to cry. Not even to ask questions.Just… to stand there and let them see me. Let him see what he’d chosen… and let her see what she’d taken.She had mentioned earlier that she had seen me with my lowbond; Darian, outside the Arena and I had missed the warning label in that. Clueless and dumb me hadn’t known that that was the time this cruel attempt had been born. My chest tightened now at the thought, my fingers curling slowly into my palms as something sharp pressed up against my ribs— anger, pain, or something uglier that didn’t have a clean name.Inside, Selene laughed, soft and comfortable like nothing at all was wrong with her actions. With that, my breath grew heavy, and for one reckless second, I almost moved.Almost.Then I exhaled slowly and stepped back… because there were ways to handle things like this. And I wasn’t about to be the girl who fought over a man.Not even one I cherished.Not even







