3 The One-Eyed Reaper

The crowd erupted in chatter. Everyone's eyes bulged as no one could fathom the thought of a random boy being a divine being.

From the top of the Coliseum, King Hendrix of the Fang family shouted, "Saint Aziel, that boy is nothing but a peasant. Surely you do not truly believe he is a god. That's preposterous!"

Most royals and commoners nodded in agreement. All eyes were on Raijah, who had already tuned out their chatter. Having worked in the marketplace, he was used to nobles and people alike talking down on him. 

Aziel raised his hand and the crowd grew silent. "With all due respect, King Hendrix, this is none of your business," Aziel retorted.

In the silence that followed, Raijah got his first good look at Aziel. He immediately noticed that the man only had one eye open. His left eye was closed, with a vertical finger-length scar going through it.

While Raijah gazed blankly, Aziel motioned for Val and whispered to her:

"Val, take the boy with you. We will discuss this in private."

Despite his own shock, Raijah questioned nothing. He'd thought of many possible reasons for his missing memory, but something as obscure as godhood had never even crossed his mind. He could only hope that Aziel would soon shed light on the situation.

Even with the workers that surrounded Raijah having returned to their stations at the entrances, Raijah could still feel everyone's eyes fixed on him, tracking him as if he were some sort of animal. 

"What's going on?" Raijah asked Val as she led him to a pair of seats in the front row. "I thought I was the last number for this year's Ceremony. Shouldn't we all be leaving?"

Val was visibly shocked. "You've never been to an Awakening Ceremony?"

"Nope," Raijah responded. "You have to be at least sixteen to receive an awakening, so I never saw a point in attending until I reached the proper age."

"I see," Val said. "Well, every year, Aziel proposes an open challenge to the crowd. He offers all his riches to anyone who can best him in battle. He has been doing this for ten years, fought in 199 battles, and has not lost once. Every year, fewer people volunteer to fight him because no one has managed to land a hit, let alone stain his hakama. I doubt anyone will even accept his challenge this year."

Raijah's gaze returned to Aziel, awe enveloping his thoughts.

How can one man, not even of royal blood, be so respected?

While Raijah at the thought, Aziel stepped onto the center of the arena floor, his eyes scanning the crowd. He spread his arms wide as he said, "I would like to propose an open challenge to you all. If anyone can defeat me in battle, I will reward them with riches in copper, silver, or gold—any currency they so choose."

A hush fell over the audience, but amidst the silence, one man boldly raised his hand. He had long blonde hair with a big, broad-shouldered body, and his rugged features indicated that he was older than Aziel and had his fair share of battle experience.

Aziel smiled. He had great respect for those who could muster the courage to challenge him.

"And what is your name?" he asked the man.

"Damian Lee," the broad-shouldered man spoke with a confident, deep tone. "That is the name of the man that will soon defeat you. I request payment in Gold Coin."

As Damian descended the stairs, Raijah turned to Val.

"So what's the deal with Aziel's eye?"

She returned his gaze. "Oh. He told me he'd received that injury in battle, but till this day, he refuses to tell me who exactly gave him that scar."

Raijah's face lit up with a mixture of admiration and fear. "That's incredible," he muttered to himself. "To think there's someone out there that can harm Saint Aziel."

Reaching the Coliseum floor, Damian positioned himself in front of Aziel.

Meanwhile, Val stood up from her seat to officiate the fight. Extending her arm, she tapped into her Signature Prana.

"Sealing Prana: True Prison!"

A shimmering purple shield materialized to protect spectators, enveloping the arena from top to bottom. Aziel and Damian stood alone within its confines, ready to engage in combat.

Val's voice echoed through the arena. "Let the battle between Saint Aziel Creed and the challenger Damian Lee commence!" She swung her arm downward, signaling the start of the fight.

Raijah watched as Damian smirked, igniting his arm with crimson flames.

His Signature Prana is something related to fire, Raijah observed in his head.

Damian lunged at Aziel, fists ablaze, but Aziel maneuvered around his punches.

Ducking under another fist, Aziel slammed a punch into Damian's stomach, spun on his heels, and kicked him into the purple wall.

Aziel stretched out his hand and a long scythe appeared in his clutches. Its blade gleamed silver while its snath was pristine white. With his weapon in hand, Aziel began walking purposefully toward his opponent. 

On the other side of the arena, Damian Lee scrambled to his feet and threw his arms forward to stop Aziel's advance.

"Fire Prana: Exploding Fireball!"

He channeled his raw Prana to activate his Fire Prana and formed a dense ball of flames, hurling the mass toward Aziel.

Aziel skillfully spun his scythe in circles.

"Mirror Prana: Reflection!"

Just before the fireball struck, he swung his blade diagonally, causing the inferno to collide with the tip of his scythe and redirect toward Damian.

Narrowly leaping over the recoiled blast, Damian soared through the air. The flames slammed into the ground, engulfing the arena and setting half the arena floor ablaze. Undeterred, he charged at Aziel, shooting flames from his soles to propel himself forward.

Unbeknownst to Damian, Aziel's speed surpassed his perception. With a swift maneuver, Aziel positioned himself beneath Damian. He buried the butt of his scythe into Damian's stomach, launching him skyward toward the top of Val's prison-like enclosure.

Seizing the opportunity, Aziel leaped and reached the top before Damian. Once again, Damian failed to perceive Aziel's quick movement.

"Mirror Prana: Exploding Fireball!"

A torrent of fire, identical to the one Damian had fired, erupted from the tip of Aziel's blade. Slamming into Damian, the blast sent him crashing down, creating a small crater upon impact. The ensuing explosion consumed the other half of the arena, leaving only a small circle of flooring unscathed.

"Have you ever heard Aziel's nickname?" Val asked.

Still captivated by Aziel's prowess, Raijah shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Well," Val began, "there are two reasons he is called this. Firstly, because he has one eye, and secondly, he wields a scythe in battle."

While falling, Aziel threw his scythe downward, planting it firmly into the floor, its blade pierced the ground as the handle stood upright.

"Aziel's nickname is the One-Eyed Reaper," Val said as Aziel landed gracefully; one foot on the scythe's handle and the other atop the blade.

With that, the One-Eyed Reaper emerged triumphant, having won his 200th open challenge with not a speck of dust on his hakama that indicated a battle had taken place.