Preliminary Fight: End.

Lars walked onto the stage as the announcer called the two participants into the arena. Although this battle was meant to be an exercise taking place before the actual events of the entrance exams, the tension in the air was cold-blooded. As the two boys faced off, Lars could tell this battle could go very wrong if he made any mistakes.

"Lets have a good match Luph."

"Fuck off," Luph said.

"Let the final battle from group 8 begin," said the announcer.

Once again, Luph took out the book, and held it out towards Lars. In an instant, Lars could feel an intense pressure on his body, a pressure that made him fall on one knee as he tried to keep his right leg from falling. He slowly lifted his head and looked up towards Luph, who was now laughing at the image that was being painted in front of him.

"Look at you, a prince for what," Luph said.

"Good luck...."

Lars struggled his way into standing, surprising Luph and the crowd entirely. He took his sword out very slowly, and began moving, foot by foot towards Luph.

"That's impossible!" Luph exclaimed.

Lars' nose began to bleed from the pressure being placed on him. As he continued walking on the path, he opened his mouth and whispered.

"Swiftly I attack. Under this sun, I'll come back."

Everyone watched as the air around Lars began to alleviate itself. Lars moved quickly to immobilize Luph, taking the book from his hands. Luph dropped to his knees, not understanding what had taken place.

"Winner by default, Lars!" Screamed the announcer.

Lars looked down to Luph, holding out his hand to help him up.

"You cheated, next time things won't be so easy," Luph said, smacking Lars' hand away.

Lars walked over to the standings for the players, where he was met by many questions, most of which he refused to answer.

With that, the preliminary battles had concluded. Now, the entrance exams were being prepared.

"We will now call all participants to exit their blocks and head back to the courtyard."

Lars began to head back to the courtyard, when he heard what sounded like a call for his name coming from a tunnel. He thought about it for a second, before walking towards the area of origin. He entered the tunnel. He heard the sounds getting louder and louder, as they echoed down the tunnel.

A few minutes passed before he realized that he was chasing an unknown sound, and thus he decided to head back before the actual exams would start. As he turned his back, a small girl and boy stood in front of him, staring at him. As he glanced at them, his vision turned dark , and he began to faint, before passing out.

***********

Lars awoke and was unable to tell where he was or what was happening. He was unable to move, but could tell that he was hanging from a high place. He screamed out, but his voice could not be heard. One by one, torches lit around him, and smoke began to flood the air, creating a thick cloud. His eyes began to darken again, and he could feel a sharp but steady pain coursing through his body. A liquid fell down from his hanging hands, and dropped below his hanging feet.

He stayed there from what seemed like minutes, hours, maybe even days, as his heart raced more and more, and he felt something inside him began to change. Finally, he opened his eyes, and was lowered down from the pillar that he hung from.

He grasped out at something that was nearby, which helped him up to his feet. Then, he used the walls as guidance to attempt to find a way out. As he was searching around, another voice could be heard. Lars could tell that this was not the same person as from before.

"You are the ******, from here on out, your life is not yours alone. Remember, this isn't the first time you've been here."

Lars' head began to rattle and shake as he thought about what was said. He walked along the pillared wall, a bright light becoming apparent. Lars headed towards it.