MasukPetals drifted through the sunlight. One landed on Octavia's shoulder. Another settled beside Krul's outstretched hand.A third fell into the blood-darkened sand. Octavia looked down at the body. She waited for something to happen inside her… Relief, perhaps, or maybe satisfaction.But the feelings came tangled together, too complicated to separate. There was anger still burning beneath her ribs.There was exhaustion, heavy in her limbs. There was the strange, distant awareness that she had crossed a line she could never uncross.And beneath all of it was the knowledge of what she had done… She had done the impossible. She had beaten Krul to his death, the personal guard of Red Dragon himself, lying flat on her feet, beaten to a pulp.Not only that, but she had faced him with courage, after all that humiliation, and she had beaten him before an audience large enough to carry the story to every corner of the world.In no time, the world will know of Octavia Beacham. The newest glory of
His fist came swinging in a wide, desperate arc; every ounce of his remaining strength was behind it.Octavia saw his intention before he even made the move. He was strong, large, but very predictable. She saw the opening.Her left foot pushed forward, and her right foot slid to the left, bringing her outside his strike zone. She had measured the length of his arm and calculated her distance. Her math was accurate; his punch missed. And now, he was exposed to a countermove. Octavia didn't hesitate. She drove her weight into a punch aimed at his upper arm.The sound was unmistakable… A sharp, ugly crack cut through the noise… Like bone breaking.Krul screamed.His arm dropped uselessly to his side, his eyes filled with disbelief and agony as he stared at his arm. Her punch was heavy, making a bone to shift. His expression was empty with shock, as though his mind had refused to accept what his body just confirmed.Octavia didn't wait for him to recover.While his fingers twitched. He
Krul turned slowly. For the first time, he looked at her without smiling.The crowd erupted…Cheers poured down from the stands, loud enough to drown out the first insult Krul hurled at her. A section near the eastern side began stamping their feet against the stone, creating a thunderous rhythm beneath the shouting.Octavia barely heard any of it. She didn't pay attention to that. Her gaze was fixated on her opponent. She watched Krul's face like a predator studying its prey before the attack.Surprise had widened his eyes. Beneath it, something more uncomfortable had begun to emerge. He didn't expect her to move that quickly. He didn't expect her to be a threat.Slowly, something was building inside him, like a realization, that Octavia was stronger than she had made the world believe all these while. But he refused to let that thought sit and settle."Come on, then, fat girl!" he snarled. His fists clenched. Eyes burning with rage. If eyes could turn to a dagger, she would be dead
The arena was a bowl of sound. Over nine hundred voices rose from the stone stands, colliding beneath the open sky until the noise seemed to shake the very ground beneath Octavia's feet. People crowded every tier, shoulder to shoulder, their faces turned toward the fighting floor. Some waved pieces of cloth above their heads. Others leaned over the railings, shouting predictions, insults, and wagers to anyone willing to listen.The smell reached her before she had fully taken in the crowd: sweat, dust, hot stone. Food being sold along the upper walkways. Torches burned along the arena's upper rim despite the daylight. It made the environment feel ancient. Within the walls, one would imagine a century-old Roman city.Banners hung from the highest balconies, snapping whenever the wind caught them. Sunlight poured into the open arena, and Octavia stood alone in the center of it all. Hundreds of people gathered above, watching her, cheering chats of joy and support. She had stood bef
Nobody volunteered an answer immediately.Krul was the first to speak. His explanation came quickly, fuelled by the anger he was yet to shed. Octavia had challenged him; a fight to the death. He had accepted with confidence, knowing she wasn't on his level when it comes to combat and intelligence.When he spoke to Red Dragon, he made it sound as though the entire affair had been her idea and his participation was just a generous concession.Red Dragon listened without interrupting. And when Krul finished, he turned fully toward Octavia."Have you lost your damn mind?"She held his gaze."You think you stand a chance against him?" he demanded.There was genuine disbelief in his voice, but something else sat beneath it. Irritation, perhaps. Or the assumption that she had once again done something reckless without considering how it might inconvenience him.Octavia could have explained herself as usual. But things are different now. And he was just as guilty as Krul.She didn't tell h
Octavia placed one hand against the ground. She rose slowly, allowing herself a moment to find her balance. The movement pulled at her bruised hip, and she felt the pain travel down her leg. She waited until it settled enough for her to stand properly.Then she brushed her clothes as if wiping off dirt.Krul watched her, his smile wider than before. He was waiting for the familiar signs of defeat. He wanted to see her embarrassed. He wanted her to lower her eyes, to acknowledge that he had put her in her place.But she gave him none of it. She denied him that satisfaction he craved so much.Octavia looked at him for one more second before turning away. He scoffed, wondering what she was up to, as she walked to the weapons rack.The men behind Krul quieted slightly, their attention following her as she passed the training equipment. The rack stood near the edge of the field, its wooden frame weathered by years of use. Practice swords hung from one side, alongside staffs and other tra







