The Peculiar Pair

'The battle has now ended! Warrior Nickolai and Maiden Stella Marie Celestiana wins the Mermaid's Jewels!'

The spectators cheered and threw in the arena various ornaments to celebrate the winners of the battle. Red stared at Ari's sorry state still laid on the ground, his pretty face soiled and dirty.

Nickolai turned to look at Red and said loudly so she could hear even at the distance,

"Congratulations Mademoiselle, your warrior survived." The corners of his mouth lifted into his sweet double-edged smile and Red felt a cold feeling shoot up through her spine.

This boy isn't who he seems to be.

He looked like he knows so much and just played around. What is with him and his weirdly too young queen candidate?

Most importantly, what do they want with her?

Red walked slowly towards where Ari lain unconscious. She didn't have means to pull him away with her magic. She still needs to work on that part of her powers so she doesn't have a choice but to get him herself.

She kept her eyes on Nickolai and he stood there with the herald closely watching. He still clutched at his sword but this time he was already relaxed.

It seemed like he had no intentions anymore to attack now that the herald had announced them as winners of the second trial.

The triumphant pair that won the battle of Pankreata.

The crowds had slowly hushed down and only slight murmurs of remaining spectators can be heard from the bleachers above as the others went on their way.

The herald magically materialized the set of jewels that was the battle's prize. The beautiful crystals looked so mysterious in her scaled hands. At closer inspection, each of the shining stones had something at its center, like a little galaxy swirling.

The mermaid herald slowly walked back to where Nickolai's queen candidate had sat in her cradle. The little girl had her eyes fixed at the herald that approached her.

She laid the array of jewels on top of the girl's tucked legs inside the cradle. The little girl bowed her head as if to curtsy at someone who deserved her respect.

She was so peculiar.

Physically she was no more than a little girl, but her demeanor and eyes speak otherwise.

Red knelt down and felt for Ari's breathing. She placed her point and middle finger just below Ari's nose and she felt the air steadily released as he inhaled and exhaled. She let go a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness Ari was alive.

Red heaved as she tried to pull Ari upright. She grabbed and pulled at his arms but apparently her strength wasn't enough. She struggled for about one or two minutes before she heard shuffling at the back.

"Let me help you mademoiselle." She heard Nickolai say behind her. His breath brushed through the back of her head and it felt really ominous despite the kind words he spoke.

Nickolai half squatted beside her and checked over how he should approach the situation and move Ari. He stood up suddenly then threw his sword to the ground.

The sharp tipped weapon thwacked into the hardened soil and stood straight, the hilt shining in the noon's heat. He took Ari's arm and swung it around him, grabbed his camo pants' waist band and lifted Red's faey warrior in a standing position.

"Heave-ho!" he looked back at Red and asked her, "Where do you want to go from here on out Mademoiselle?"

His question ringed like asking what her plan was and not where she actually wanted to go. She decided to let it slide off her mind.

"Home… I just want to go home." Red answered bluntly. She was dead tired, her warrior unconscious as he had pushed himself too much for her sake.

Nickolai turned to the herald and called her out like she was not a messenger from the Queen herself, "Herald, do you mind opening the portals back now?"

'You are such a cocky warrior all because you won.' She said as she waved her hand and the wooden doors opened right where it used to when they entered.

Five doors for five candidates and their warriors. All portals that lead to somewhere else around the world.

The other candidates slowly took their battered warriors towards their respective doorways. Their eyes a mixture of anger, frustration, relief, and pain.

Nickolai took Ari's towards the door that appeared opposite the herald's viewing box and Red looked back to where his candidate had sat.

She had been so quiet the whole time. Just… watched. Like she was nothing but a spectator too. She didn't even lift a finger to assist her warrior in the fight.

But of course how on earth could a child assist in a battle royale? Red scoffed, her eyes and the girl fixed at each other. Just as she started to turn and exit as well, she heard the child say,

"Do not be blinded by pain. The darkling will use it against you."

Her voice was the same with the one Red heard in her head a while ago! Red spun on her heels and looked at the little girl quizzically.

"Do not succumb to the darkling, Red." She said with her dawdling child voice.

============

The dawn broke and the sun has started to rise. Archer jolted and stood up as he saw a familiar sphere of winds come up from the oceans.

He had been waiting for Red and Ari to come back for almost twelve hours now. He almost had lost hope that they would come back alive, but here they were.

"Red! Ari!" he dashed into the open sea, not minding the cold waters as the winds that protected Ari and Red dispelled and both flopped unto the shallow waters near the coast.

Both of them were beat.

When they exited the arena, Atlantis had shut off their doors to the outside yet again. Ari had been unconscious for the remainder of the night and Red stayed by his side, guarding him as he slept and rested in the underwater temple.

She had been troubled by the ominous words spoken my Nickolai and his candidate. What did they mean and why did it have to be her? She slowly drifted into sleep and her worries lost in the subconscious.

When Ari had awoken, he noticed Red had leaned on him as she slept soundly while drool dripped from her open mouth. They had lost the battle, and he felt sorry for letting Red down. Once he had a feel that he had regained enough strength, they went on to resurface into the open.

Archer pulled both of them to shore and built a fire to help them dry faster. He proceeded to cook fish that he caught last night swimming and gave everyone their portion.

Including the cat!

For five more days they spent their time in the island to train. The last day they spent for recuperation. They visited the once grand tree and nothing was left to it but ashes.

Destruction was evident and no signs of the daemons.

"Okay, this time around say the word in unison." Ari said as they made a small circle.

"PARTIO!"

Blue light enveloped the three and Sir Arthur. As they came to, they saw the familiar corners of Dorothy Cane's apartment.

Cozy and warm, it looked like nothing changed since they left a week ago. The sun shone from the window and birds sang their songs.

But all isn't the same.

On the floor right next to the lounge Dorothy loved to sit, a pool of red liquid had caked the plush rug. An ominous sentence was sprawled on the tiles as if written by hand,

"The darkling will rise again."