The Old World

As the hammer is moments from coming down on Cyrus it is suddenly stopped by something invisible stopping it midair. A dark cloud appears between the two objects before erupting, separating the two.

"What...was that?" Sarah asks bewildered.

A voice echoes from the above. "How dare you! How DARE YOU!"

Sarah turns around startled and looks up at the source of the angry shout.

Standing there is Rebecca. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She yells angrily.

Sarah scowls defiantly. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She readies her hammer before leaping at Rebecca.

Rebecca dodges easily avoiding the attack. Sarah lunges forward again trying to grab hold of Rebecca but fails.

Rebecca grins evilly. "You'll pay for what you did to him!" She shouts menacingly.

Without warning, she launches an elbow strike straight towards Sarah's face knocking her flat on her back.

Sarah cries out in pain clutching her nose.

Rebecca sends another kick flying towards Sarah's stomach which causes her to double over coughing violently.

"Is this really the best you can offer!" Rebecca growls furiously.

"I will kill you!" Sarah snarls in response as her hammer takes on the form of a tall man wearing leather armour.

"Oh what a joke." Rebecca laughs mockingly. "Do you really think adding in your worthless partner will be enough for me?" With that, she raises her hand and summons a sword made from dark energy. The blade glows ominously as it materialises from thin air.

"Hmph! You may have took me by surprise earlier but I won't make the same mistake twice! Nero, Take her down." She declares confidently.

Her summoned companion moves swiftly to intercept Rebecca. However, before he can reach her, Rebecca vanishes leaving only darkness in her wake.

Nero spins around looking everywhere searching for his opponent. Suddenly, he spots Rebecca standing near the edge of the roof.

In one swift movement, he dives downwards using his momentum to propel himself faster than any human should ever be able to travel. He lands directly on top of Rebecca and pins her to the floor.

She easily kicks him away and stands up glaring at him. Slashing at him with her blade, she cuts him deeply on both legs. Blood begins pouring out of the wounds.

"Impressive!" Nero exclaims impressed. "However, this wont be enough to defeat me!" He charges at her slashing at her with his claws.

Rebecca blocks each blow effortlessly until finally, she strikes back with a powerful roundhouse kick hitting him square in the jaw. He falls backward onto the ground before flipping himself onto his feet.

"This isn't over yet!" Nero roars determinedly as he prepares to charge once more.

Rebecca however has other plans. As soon as he starts charging, she teleports behind him and grabs hold of him lifting him into the air.

"Let us end this here!" She commands before slamming him hard against the ground.

For a moment, Nero seems stunned by the impact but quickly recovers and rises to his feet ready to fight once more.

Just then, dark figures emerge from the shadows surrounding him. They surround him completely blocking off all possible avenues of escape.

"While these keep you busy, I think ill take my time with your partner" Rebecca sneers before running towards Sarah delivering a quick jab right into her side.

Sarah gasps in pain but Rebecca doesn't let up. She continues slamming into her as she yelp's in agony.

Eventually, Sarah goes limp allowing Rebecca to release her grip. Sarah collapses to the floor unmoving.

Looking satisfied with herself, Rebecca returns to her original position. "Now, time to finish you off." She announces

Nero watches on silently as Rebecca approaches him. He stares coldly at her as she draws close. Just when she reaches him, He flashes towards her with blinding speed attempting to slice her open with his claws. unfortunately, she manages to dodge narrowly avoiding his attack and offering one of her own in response. she summons her blade once more and slices at his arm cutting deep into his flesh.

He screams in pain and retreats limping slightly. "you bitch!" He curses viciously.

Rebecca smirks triumphantly while approaching him. "Well well, looks like you're not as fast as you think." She taunts him.

"I am far superior to you!" Nero replies indignantly.

"Really? Then prove it!" She challenges boldly.

"how dare you challenge me!" Nero roars angrily.

"I don't care! Prove yourself or die!" Rebecca shrugs.

both of them are now sanding face to face. "Fine! But you better prepare yourselves because I'm gonna cut you apart piece by fucking piece!" Nero threatens.

"Yeah of course. well lets see who's faster than, you or me." She mocks arrogantly.

Both of them begin waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

After several minutes of tense silence, they break eye contact briefly before locking eyes again. Both of their blades flash dangerously.

Suddenly, Rebecca leaps upwards striking at him with her sword. He deflects the attack and retaliates with a slash of his own.

They continue exchanging blows. Neither of them giving an inch. Their swords clanging loudly against each other.

It becomes clear that Nero is no match in the end as Rebecca's weapon becomes covered in blood and gore. Finally, he drops to his knees defeated.

Rebecca stands triumphant over him smiling wickedly. "Looks like you've met your maker." She laughs cruelly before delivering the final blow.

Slowly, her blade begins to dissipate as she walks over to Cyrus. Picking him up, she returns him to his bed before the world begins to shatter.

"looks like this realm is crumbling without its owner. Cyrus will most likely think this was a dream when he wakes up.

"Hehe, I'll see you at school sleepy head." she whispers before making her way out of the house before it returns to normal.

When Cyrus awakens he finds himself lying on his bed staring blankly at nothingness. Slowly, he sits up rubbing his forehead groggily. Looking around he notices that everything is back to normal. He sighs in relief.

Getting dressed, he leaves his room heading downstairs to find everyone already awake.

"Good morning guys," He greets cheerfully.

Everyone nods in return before returning to themselves.

"So how was your sleep?" He asks curiously.

"it wasn't bad actually. What about yours?" Sam asks.

"good thanks. I had some weird dreams though." He answers.

Sam frowns concerned. "did anything happen?" She asks worriedly.

Cyrus shakes his head. "no, just strange stuff. Nothing important anyway." He assures her.

Grabbing something to eat and sitting down at the table next to his sister Sam, He goes over in his head what happened in his dream. It seemed so real and vivid like the others. His mind wanders wondering what it means.

"Hmm..maybe it meant something." He thinks aloud.

His thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock on the front door. Everyone looks at each other to decide who has to get it.

With all eyes on him, Cyrus gets up and heads towards the entrance. When he opens the door he sees Rebecca standing there holding a box.

"Hey Rebecca, what brings you here today?" He asks politely.

Rebecca smiles sweetly at him. "well, I figured it would be nice to head to school with you." She explains.

Cyrus blinks surprised. "really? why?" He questions confused.

Rebecca giggles happily. "because I want to spend more time with you." She says softly.

Cyrus feels awkward having such an intimate conversation with someone he barely knows. "oh ok..." He hesitates unsure if he should say anything else.

Rebecca tilts her head quizzically. "is something wrong?" She asks.

Cyrus clears his throat nervously. "n-nothing really." He stutters awkwardly.

Rebecca steps closer to him. "are you sure? Because i'd hate for you to feel uncomfortable around me." She whispers kindly.

Cyrus glances down embarrassed. "i mean yeah...sorry." He apologizes.

Rebecca chuckles amused by his reaction. "its fine. Besides we still need to talk about your training." She reminds him.

"yeah...about that." Cyrus agrees reluctantly.

The two of them walk together through town talking casually. Eventually, they arrive at the academy where they are greeted by Benji.

"hey!" Cyrus calls out waving at him.

Benjamin waves back enthusiastically before noticing Rebecca. "whoa! What do we have her?" Benji nudges Cyrus playfully.

"uhm...this is Rebecca." Cyrus tells him pointing to her.

"hmm, interesting. Well, welcome aboard." Benjamin responds while winking to Cyrus.

"thanks!" Rebecca chirps excitedly.

Once inside, they go over to their usual spot outside the classroom.

"So tell me, Why are you guys walking to school together?" Benji probes.

Rebecca laughs mischievously. "We wanted to try something new." She answers innocently.

Cyrus rolls his eyes annoyed. "whatever." He mutters sarcastically.

Benji's eyes almost pop out before pointing to Cyrus. "With this guy?!"

Cyrus scoffs. "what?! No!" He protests.

Benji laughs heartily. "I knew it!" He exclaims delightedly.

Rebecca joins in laughing along with him.

"What's so funny!?" Cyrus demands.

Benji ignores him and turns his attention to Rebecca instead. "so what exactly does 'something different' entail?" He inquires curiously.

Rebecca grins evilly. "we were thinking of trying a little experiment." She informs him.

Benji's eyes widen in shock. "Experiment!? Like what kind of experiments?" He asks intrigued.

Rebecca gives him a sly smile. "I can't tell you" She teases.

"but I bet I can guess." Benji adds

Rebecca smirks knowingly. "of course you can." She admits coyly.

The all continue messing about until the class starts. After the lesson ends, Rebecca and Cyrus leave the building whispering amongst themselves. Walking alongside them is Benji, who is silent and brooding.

As they approach the gates, Rebecca stops suddenly causing Cyrus to bump into her.

"Ow!" He complains rubbing his shoulder.

"Sorry!" Rebecca apologizes sheepishly.

"Its alright." Cyrus reassures her.

Benjamin appears beside them and addresses them both. "why did you stop?" He questions suspiciously.

Rebecca looks at him uncertainly. "um...because I thought that you might want to go ahead of us. I wanted to talk with Cyrus privately." she says softly.

Benjamin furrows his brow. "okay, but make sure to call me later bro." He says before walking off in a huff.

Cyrus looks at her confused. "what was that about?" He asks.

Rebecca shrugs. "don't worry about it." She replies curtly as she leads the way

Cyrus sighs, continuing to follow after her. The two of them enter the forest following the path leading deeper into the woods.

Eventually, they reach a clearing surrounded by trees. There is a large rock formation jutting out from the ground forming a natural seat.

"Do you like what i did with the place?" Rebecca admires her work proudly.

"yea it's pretty cool. You know, it kinda reminds me of home." Cyrus comments appreciatively.

Rebecca smiles warmly pleased with herself. "that makes sense since you grew up near the mountains." She remarks.

Cyrus looks confused as hes never lived near any mountains but decides not to mention it. "So what will I be learning today teach" He asks curiously.

Rebecca takes a moment to consider his question. "well first things first, you must learn how to control your powers properly. We'll start with something a little more simply than what we did yesterday. And don't worry, I wont be hitting you this time." She promises.

Cyrus relaxes relieved that she won't hurt him anymore. "thank god." He jokes.

She laughs teasingly. "Now sit down please." She instructs him gently. "All I want you to do is create a small ball like this." She demonstrates by summoning a dark ball that could fit snugly in her small hands.

Cyrus follows suit creating a similar orb only smaller.

"Well that was fast, but I guess you have always been a fast learner. Now i want you to make it float in place like this."

Cyrus complies doing as instructed but as soon as he tries to make it float, it flies off into the sky.

"Oh no!" He cries out frustrated.

"Calm down, calm down." Rebecca calms him reassuringly. "Just focus on keeping it in one spot and then slowly move it around like this."

Cyrus repeats the process but fails miserably once again.

"This isn't working!" Cyrus yells angrily.

"Relax, take deep breaths and keep practising." Rebecca advises calmly.

Cyrus continues to struggle for several minutes before finally managing to hold onto the floating sphere for a short while.

"That's much better!" Rebecca praises him encouragingly. "You're getting the hang of it now."

Cyrus exhales deeply feeling proud of himself for accomplishing something so simple. "Thanks." He says gratefully.

Rebecca nods approvingly. "now let's try to bring it back down to your hands."

Cyrus nods eagerly wanting to impress her further. This time however, the ball crashes into the ground creating a small hole.

"No!" He screams in frustration.

"Don't give up yet." Rebecca encourages him soothingly.

After a few attempts, he manages to successfully retrieve the ball without crashing it. Looking down they can see the now massive hole beneath him.

"hehe, Maybe we should fill that later." she jokes.

Cyrus laughs nervously. "sure whatever." He agrees.

They continue practicing until the sun begins to set. Finally, they pack up and head back to town. As they walk, Rebecca speaks quietly.

"you did really great today. You will become a natural at this in no time." She praises him enthusiastically.

Cyrus smiles shyly looking away. "thanks." He mumbles bashful.

Rebecca notices his embarrassment and pats his arm comfortingly. "there there. Don't worry about it. Just remember, practice makes perfect." She reassures him smiling.

Cyrus smiles weakly nodding. "yep." He agrees.

The two of them continue walking side by side in silence lost in their own thoughts. They eventually arrive at his home where they part ways. Once inside, Cyrus heads upstairs to change clothes while Rebecca vanishes once more.

A week passes by quickly for Cyrus. Every day he spends hours training under Rebecca's supervision. Although it seems tedious at times, he enjoys it because he likes being able to see her often.

One afternoon, he arrives early to find Rebecca waiting for him already dressed for training. Her hair is tied back neatly behind her head revealing her beautiful face.

He walks over to her greeting her cheerfully. "hi Rebecca." He greets her happily.

"hello Cyrus." She returns with a smile.

"how long have you been here?" He asks curious.

"not too long actually." She answers nonchalantly.

"oh good." He replies relieved.

"so what shall we train today?" She asks curiously.

"well...I've had enough of control training for now. So maybe we should do something a bit more exciting" He suggests hopefully.

Rebecca ponders his suggestion briefly before agreeing. "fair point. Let's start with some hand to hand combat." She proposes confidently.

Cyrus raises an eyebrow skeptically. "hand to hand? Really?" He questions doubtfully.

Rebecca smiles wickedly. "yes really." She assures him. "You should always know how to handle yourself in cases where you wont be able to use your powers confidently."

Cyrus frowns slightly concerned. "okay well, I'm game if you are." He concedes reluctantly.

Rebecca nods in agreement. "good. Then lets get started." She orders.

The two begin sparring against each other using various martial arts techniques.Her movements are fluid and graceful making it look easy despite the fact that she isn't fighting hard. Each strike is precise and powerful leaving him panting heavily afterwards.

"I think you have a lot to work on." Rebecca states after watching Cyrus's clumsy techniques.

"no shit!" Cyrus retorts heatedly.

"calm down," Rebecca warns sternly. "Remember, its just a friendly match." She reminds him firmly. "I'm not trying to make fun of you" she giggles.

"I know. It's okay." Cyrus says calming down somewhat.

"Good. Now let's try something else." Rebecca suggests.

"like what?" Cyrus asks cautiously.

"How about we try going over the basics of martial arts?" She offers. "It would help improve your skills in case anything happens."

Cyrus considers her offer carefully before accepting. "yeah, sounds good." He agrees.

Over the next hour or so, they go through basic punches, kicks, blocks, sweeps, throws, joint locks, chokes and holds. By the end of it, both of them are exhausted and covered in sweat.

Rebecca watches him closely observing his every movement. "very nice. Your form is improving rapidly." She compliments him sincerely impressed.

Cyrus blushes embarrassed by her praise. "thanks..." He murmurs awkwardly.

They spend another half an hour discussing strategies and tactics before calling it quits for the day. Afterwards, Rebecca helps him clean up and they get ready to leave before seeing noticing someone strange waiting by the street.

There is a man standing across the street staring intently at them. His eyes are hidden underneath a black hoodie pulled low over his head hiding everything except his mouth and nose which appear white and featureless.

"who's that?" Cyrus whispers worriedly.

"I don't know." Rebecca replies equally nervous.

"maybe we should hide somewhere until he goes away." Cyrus suggests timidly.

"i don't think that's necessary." Rebecca insists shaking her head.

"are you sure?" Cyrus asks unsure.

"yes." Rebecca confirms.

"alright then, but stay close." He tells her.

Rebecca nods understanding. "okay." She responds obediently.

Together, they cross the road towards the stranger who doesn't seem to notice them approaching. When they reach him, he turns around and reaches for them. But before he can touch either of them, Rebecca steps forward striking him in the chest sending him flying backwards into the air. He lands flat on his back in a crumpled heap on the pavement.

Cyrus gasps in shock unable to believe that she knocked him unconscious. "wow! That was amazing!" He exclaims amazed.

Rebecca smirks amused. "it wasn't that impressive. I didn't even hit him very hard." She explains modestly.

Cyrus shakes his head laughing. "whatever. You still kicked ass!" He cheers excitedly.

"hey watch it." The mysterious figure growls menacingly before standing up. His body remoulds itself as he stumbles towards them until he is fully recovered.

"Who are you?" Cyrus demands suspiciously while backing away.

"It doesn't matter who I am. All that matters is that you pay for what you've done to my master." The man say's before lunging at them with inhuman speed.

Without hesitation, Rebecca strikes him knocking him to the ground. Before he has chance to recover, Cyrus rushes forwards punching him square in the jaw causing him to fall limp onto the floor.

Both of them stare down at him before jumping back.

The mans body begins to reassemble once more before Rebecca gives a suggestion to Cyrus.

"I think this is a good chance for you to train against a real opponent. He doesn't seem to strong and he sure can take a beating." She suggests optimistically. "Go ahead, knock him out." She urges him encouragingly.

Cyrus nods uncertainly stepping closer to the man who has now fully recovered. He stares at him calculating his chances. After a moment of thought, he decides to risk it and charges at him swinging wildly hoping to land a blow. However, when he gets within range, his fist collides with nothing but empty space.

"what?!" He shouts surprised Before taking a blow to the stomach.

Cyrus falls to the ground coughing violently clutching his midsection in pain.

When he looks up, the man stands above him grinning evilly. "that was quite pathetic." He taunts mockingly. "Your power is useless compared to your partner.

Cyrus struggles to stand up before trying again only to fail once again.

"look kid, I'm sorry but you aren't cut out for this." The man informs him coldly. "but don't worry, you'll never need any kind of magic ever again." He promises ominously.

Before Cyrus can react, the man grabs him roughly by the throat choking the life from him. Struggling to break free, Cyrus blast the man away with all his might throwing him far into the distance landing on top of a parked car.

Gasping for air, Cyrus looks up to see the man beginning to stand back up as a whole begins to reform in his chest.

"this won't hurt a bit." The man says arrogantly.

Suddenly, The mans arm stretches out towards him crashing into the ground as Cyrus dodges it just barely.

In response, the man pulls back his arm preparing for another attack.

But suddenly, Rebecca appears beside him grabbing his wrist holding it tightly preventing him from attacking.

"stop!" She commands forcefully.

Surprised, the man stops struggling momentarily confused.

Then he realises that he is incapable of freeing himself.

"I cant have you using your powers now. That would just be unfair for my student. He new to this whole thing you see." she smile before letting his arm free and returning to Cyrus's side.

"Remember. No powers!" she reminds the man.

His expression darkens angrily before turning away muttering something under his breath. "fine." He snaps irritably before disappearing.

"What?! you cant just start a fight and leave! I said you couldn't use your power. Not that you should leave!" Rebecca complains.

Cyrus breathes a sigh of relief before collapsing to the ground exhausted.

Rebecca kneels down beside him checking him over. "Are you alright?" She asks worriedly.

Cyrus coughs painfully rubbing his neck. "yeah i- im fine." He manages to reply between breaths.

Rebecca checks him over making sure he is ok before helping him to his feet.

Once he is upright, he thanks her gratefully. "thank you." He apologizes.

She smiles reassuringly patting his shoulder. "I think we should increase your training a bit don't you think? We could also add some weapons training." She suggests enthusiastically.

Cyrus nods in agreement. "yeah definitely." He agrees eagerly.

Afterwards, they head home together.

"You should head inside. And don't worry that guy wont be returning anytime soon." Rebecca reassures him. "he's probably gone off looking for easier prey." She adds jokingly.

Cyrus laughs nervously smiling shyly at her. "thank you." He replies grateful for her kindness.

Watching him head inside Rebecca jump up to the roof before sitting down. "I dare you to show up here." She thinks to herself as she lies in wait.

aiting at the top of Cyrus's house Rebecca sits alone thinking about What to do with him.

"He's just way too weak." She mumbles to herself frustrated. "We spent weeks training and yet he was almost useless against such a weak opponent."

Sighing loudly she makes up her mind. "I have the perfect idea on how to toughen him up," she announces confidently.

Clapping her hands together, a dark field begins to expand outwards from her body, spreading towards Cyrus's home. Within moments, it completely surrounds the home.

"This will help him get it together" She boasts smugly.

***

after arriving inside Cyrus goes to wash his face before taking bath. Bringing the towel to his face, he thinks back on the fight from earlier. Feeling even more embarrassed by how easily he was taken down, he wonders why Rebecca did what she had done. Was it simply because she didn't want him to be hurt, or was it because she too thought that he was too weak.

As he dries himself, he remembers how scared he felt when the man grabbed his neck stopping him from even being able to breath. It made him feel helpless and vulnerable like a little boy.

Thinking about it further, he recalls how much stronger Rebecca seemed during their first encounter. How she managed to hold her own against the monsters without even breaking a sweat. Even though she looked small and fragile, she was clearly capable of great things. Unlike himself.

Deciding to push those negative thoughts to the back of his mind, he makes his way out of the room, Opening the door to see An open plain surrounded by trees. Looking around curiously, he notices path leading out from where he stood and along the path were other people wearing unnatural clothing.

He turns around to try and go back from where he came only to see that the door had vanished.

He was now stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Panicking, he runs around frantically, looking for a way back before falling to his knees.

"why me?" He cries hopelessly.

Feeling defeated, he lays down on the grassy plains.

A few moments later he decides to get up. "well, I might as well try and make the best of it." He reasons.

Walking over to one of the nearby tree's, he focuses to float to to the top before sitting on one of the branches.

Looking out, he sees several figures walking through the forest heading towards the same place. They look different than normal humans, each having unique features that set them apart from everyone else. Some wore animal skins, others dressed in robes whilst some appeared to wear armour. There was no doubt that most of these creatures weren't human.

Even further out, was a noticeably large city. Buildings rose high into the sky reaching hundreds if not thousands of metres. A massive wall encircled the entire area surrounding the buildings. In fact, the walls stretched so far beyond its limits that they disappeared behind the horizon.

"Wow..." Cyrus whispers in awe.

With no other ideas he decides to follow everyone else and makes his way over to the city. As he approaches, he notices a group of men standing outside the walls talking amongst themselves. From afar, they appear to be arguing.

"No, we can't let them in. This isn't our problem. If they're willing to kill just to get in, then it means that they must be dangerous." One man argues.

"But we can't afford to turn anyone away right now. Especially after everything that happened last time." Another responds.

They continue to argue for a short while before Cyrus steps up to the gate.

One of the guards looks up and raises an eyebrow upon seeing him approach. "who are you?" He asks suspiciously.

Cyrus clears his throat nervously. "i- im Cyrus. I saw the city from afar and figured i could find a place to sleep here. Is that okay?" He answers quickly.

The guard frowns slightly annoyed at the interruption before gesturing for someone to come speak with them.

Soon enough, another person comes forward carrying a wooden staff. He has long white hair tied back in a ponytail which hangs down past his shoulders. His skin is pale blue with black markings covering his arms and legs. He wears strange clothes consisting of leather trousers, boots and a shirt with metal plates sewn onto it. He has sharp eyes, thin lips and pointed ears.

"Check this kid for us will ya," The guard says to the man while pointing his thumb at Cyrus.

The stranger walks over to Cyrus inspecting him closely. After a moment he nods approvingly.

"you got yourself a pass kid." He tells him kindly. "now run along." He instructs him.

Relieved, Cyrus hurries away following the path leading into the city as the guards continue to argue behind him.

Inside, he finds himself in a wide plaza filled with shops selling various goods. People walk around aimlessly going about their business unaware of the danger lurking among them.

Cyrus heads straight for the nearest shop hoping to buy food. When he enters however, he realises that he doesn't even have a cent to his name. Cursing his luck ,he wanders around searching for anything useful until he spots two women fighting.

It seems as though they've been arguing since before he arrived. Both of them have red hair and green eyes. The taller woman is tall and muscular whereas the shorter one is slim and petite. Their outfits differ greatly with the larger girl wearing tight fitting jeans and a loose tank top whilst her smaller counterpart dresses in a revealing outfit.

Hiding around a corner, Cyrus watches the event unfold.

"how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care what happens. You cant join me the tournament. Its not safe." The bigger girl scolds her companion sternly.

"but I can help too. How can you expect me to stand by while you fight for the both of us?" The smaller one protests angrily.

"because you're not strong enough." the bigger one explains patiently. "if you joined in, you'd only end up getting hurt." She continues.

"what does that matter? I'm already hurting." Her partner retorts bitterly. "This is our only shot at returning to a normal life and I refuse to not take part in it." She insists stubbornly.

"no, you shouldn't." The big one states firmly. "its better that you stay here and stay safe instead of risking your lives for nothing. If I am incapable of winning, there is no way that you would even stand a chance" She pleads desperately trying to convince her companion.

Her words seem to work somewhat as the smaller one almost relents. However, she still refuses to give up on joining the competition.

"Fine, but you'll regret this." The bigger one says before leaving her companion behind.

Seeing the bigger lady walk away leaving the small girl to herself ,Cyrus decides check up on her. Making his way over he waves and greets her nervously.

When she notices him approaching she immediately becomes wary.

"Who are you?" She demands cautiously.

Realising that she may be hostile he holds his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry. I just heard you guys fighting and wanted to see if you needed any help. Are you alright?" He asks concerned.

The smaller girl stares at him suspiciously. "yes, thank you very much." She replies curtly.

"I'm sorry if i sound nosy, but can you tell me what you were fighting about? Were you arguing over something important?" He asks politely.

The smaller girl sighs tiredly. "we always fight like this. But this time its important. This may be our final chance to free ourselves from all of this madness." She explains sadly. "If we don't win, then we'll never be able to return to normality again." She adds quietly.

Cyrus listens intently. "Do you mean that tournament that you guys were talking about earlier. Whats so important about it?" He questions carefully.

She looks at him in disbelief. "What do you mean? Of course its important. Everyone in this town is taking part in it. Do you mean to tell me that you don't know?" She asks surprised.

Shaking his head. "sorry, I just recently arrived here so I'm not familiar with any of this." He apologizes.

"Wait, you just got here!? But everyone was summoned here a year ago!" She exclaims confused.

Cyrus senses something wrong. "What do you mean summoned?" He asks warily.

The smaller girl looks at him worriedly. "don't play dumb! We were sent here by the gods themselves. All of us were chosen to participate in the tournament and become champions. With the condition that when we win we will have the opportunity to return to our original world. That's why everyone had been training so hard for this last year." She explains solemnly.

Confused by what she said, Cyrus shakes his head. "that sounds impossible. Why would the Gods send you here just to fight each other?" He wonders aloud.

The girl pauses briefly before answering. "the tournament was created by the gods themselves to decide who should rule the land once the current king dies. Whoever wins will gain control over the kingdom and the power to create whatever laws they wish. Along with gaining the power to reign over this world, we would also have enough power to cross between realms. Meaning that whoever won could theoretically return to their home worlds." She explains excitedly.

Cyrus furrows his brows. "so why was I brought in so late?"

"I'm not sure but now that your here, I doubt you will be able to return by yourself." She tells him seriously.

"Why not!?" He asks shocked.

"You are a part of the gods game now which means you too must take part in the tournament. Otherwise you risk being stuck here forever." She informs him grimly.

Looking to the sky, Cyrus thinks back on everything he has learned since talking with the girl.

"So that's how it works huh?" He mutters under his breath.

Seeing as he has no other options, He slaps his cheeks before turning to face the girl.

"Well, I guess I better start preparing myself. Right?" he announces before thanking her for the information and rushing out from the alley.

[Grumble]

Only making it a couple of steps, he stops to face the girl once more. "Umm you wouldn't happen to have something to eat would you." he says with a red tinted expression on his face.

The girl laughs before inviting him to join her for dinner.