"Aria, Cyscus, glad to see you two have been having fun." Lucian walks in to the small room next to his bedroom which Cyscus has been using to train me.

I sit perched on top of Cyscus with my legs wrapped around his torso after tackling him with much difficulty. The truth is Cyscus was distracted with the sound of the door knob turning and I quickly stole that golden opportunity.

It is almost impossible to beat the smug Plutonian otherwise and he always nags me for getting distracted. This was my turn for revenge and I cast him a victorious smile as I sit on top of him which makes him scowl.

"You cheated!" His eyes go wide in disbelief.

"You got distracted," I shrug and then we both burst out laughing.

"You two seem very comfortable with each other." Lucian walks up to us and his eyes immediately go to my legs. "Thank you for stepping in, Cyscus. I think I'll take over now."

Is it just me or did his tone of voice just change in the span of a few seconds?

The temperature in the room seems to drop as Cyscus gently pushes me off and jumps up. "Of course, Master."

He rushes out of the room leaving the two of us alone.

"You're back early," I state as I wipe my hands over my pants. "You just got back. Are you sure you want to train me? You must be tired."

"Why? Do you prefer training with Cyscus instead?" His voice is sharp and I almost take a step back in recoil. Is he angry with me?

"No, I'm just concerned." I frown and then I square my feet and hold my arms up in defense, waiting for him to attack.

Lucian unbutton's the top two buttons of his shirt and rolls up his sleeves. He walks up to me and attempts to throw an upper hook my way which I block immediately.

I throw a punch in return and he grabs my hand instead of blocking it, pulling our bodies together. He twists my arm causing me turn around with my back against him.

"Rosie doesn't do this move." I breathe out heavily whilst I struggle in his grasp.

Lucian loosens his grip slightly and I wriggle around to face him.

"How do you feel about fighting her? Are you prepared?" He asks looking slightly worried.

"I think so. Cyscus has been training me like a robot. I know most of her moves by heart now."

"What about emotionally? Are you ready to beat up your friend?"

"All fighters end up sparring with their friends sooner or later. And it's not like I have to beat her. This match is just a formality, right?"

Lucian's eyes are unreadable as he slowly nods his head and then he attacks me with a soft side kick, making me jump to avoid it.

After a few hours of training, Lucian and I sink to the floor to rest. We sit across eachother and I watch him rub the sore spot in his shoulder like I did for him before.

"Are you stressed again?" I ask him worriedly and he let's out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" I frown at him wondering if I'm doing something wrong by asking him that question. Do Plutonian's not ask each other these kind of things?

"I just remembered the night you came back from your party all drunk. You said you were concerned about me not getting enough sleep."

"Yes, I did," I look away, trying to hide my embarrassment. I had hoped he would forget all about that.

"Everyday all I hear is 'master', 'I'm sorry', 'what can I do you?', 'what can you do for me?', 'do this, do that', 'it's your duty as the Trinity, and so on. I don't think anyone has expressed their genuine concern for my well being since I joined the army, " Lucian looks me dead in the eye and I feel weakened by his gaze.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," I automatically say.

"No, I actually like it."

He looks down at my hand and then grabs it, pulling me closer to him. My eyes widen in alarm and I attempt to pull away but he holds on to me firmly. He then starts rubbing his thumb against the palm of my hand and my insides feel like their exploding.

"You're spoiling me, Aria. Keep this up and I may never let go," He smiles like he is joking but I notice it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Lucian, what are you doing?" I gasp and try to pull away, making him laugh at my expense.

He releases me and I nearly fall over.

"Why is it you have no problem holding my hand in public but you're so shy behind closed doors?" He smiles at me teasingly and the sweet memories of our night out in the theme park make me blush.

"I'm not shy," I argue quickly. "That was for our public image remember?"

"Oh, that's what it was," Lucian chides. "So I guess you won't feel a thing if go missing for a few days."

He gets up and I follow him as we walk into his bed room.

"Go missing? Are you going somewhere?" A small bubble of panic forms in my chest.

"I have a mission. I'm leaving tonight. Will be back in a few days." He walks over to his cupboard and pulls out a pocket sized suitcase.

He presses a button and the small black bag expands to its full size and then he begins to dump his essentials inside.

The bubble of panic expands till it fills up my lungs and suddenly I find it hard to breathe. He's being sent on a mission, after Cassandra's warning, after Lazarus told me he is planning to kill him. This can't be a coincidence.

"Where?" I fold the suits he dumps inside and pack them for him neatly even though all I want to do is throw them back into his cupboard.

"To one of our planets in the Fire constellation. A team of highly ranked officials crashed their space craft there and I volunteered for the mission."

"Does that mean you won't be here for my match?" I slump against the wall and watch him. "Is the Trinity going? Lazarus, Luna?"

"Aria, calm down. It's just an extraction. I've done it a hundred times before," Lucian finally stops packing and turns around to face me. "And I don't need the Trinity with me all the time."

"Which means Lazarus will be here?" My chest feels like it's about to explode. I grab Lucian's hand without thinking, the thought of him dying paralyses me with fear. "Don't go, please. Atleast take Luna with you."

"What's gotten into you?" He frowns at me in concern and rubs my shoulders to calm me down. "I can't decline a mission. It's my job and my reputation."

"Cassandra warned me that he is up to something... Lazarus," I choke out.

"Aria, I've survived all this while and I'll be fine again. I'll be back just in time to nominate you to my squad, okay?" He leans his forehead against mine and my breathing stills momentarily.

"Can she join you? Luna?" I know Lazarus won't risk Luna's life. Taking her with him would be the safest bet.

"I'll think about it. You just focus on your match, okay?"

I lie in bed staring at the empty side that Lucian usually occupies. It feels weird sleeping here without him. Everytime he's not here, I feel apprehensive and I can't believe how accustomed I've become to his company.

I run my hands over the smooth satin sheets, lingering on the side he sleeps on. Maybe it's a good thing that I'll have undisturbed sleep till my match but the inner turmoil builds up in my stomach like a ticking time bomb.

I finally succumb to sleep after what feels like hours and the next few days pass by at an excruciatingly slow pace without Lucian. Especially my evenings.

I keep thinking about his safety even though Cyscus reassured me that he took Luna with him.

Cassandra hasn't visited me since her frantic outburst and she isn't here to keep me company before my match today as well.

I shrug it off as nothing but something feels wrong and her warning echoes in my head again.

The attendant let's me know that my match is going to start soon so I stand up and wait by the entrance which slides open to the pits.

Surprisingly, I don't feel anything as I walk to the center to face Rosie. Deep down I don't really care about winning, especially since I don't need to.

The crowd goes wild for me and I hear them chanting my name over and over again. Once our match is announced I turn to Rosie to bow and acknowledge her and she does the same.

I am about to step back when Lazarus's voice blares through the speakers and I look up at the exclusive seating area to see him standing with a speaker in his hand.

My feet dig into the ground as I try to steady myself but his next few words are enough to knock me over.

"My dear esteemed Plutonians and hardworking humans, as the elected official for this prestigious event today I would like to make an announcement. I think the time is apt to remind everyone of us here why the fights in the pits were created in the first place. Make no mistake it is not and never was for entertainment." Lazarus pauses for dramatic effect as the rest of us watch on in silence.

"The pits were constructed to seek out potential army candidates, those strong and smart enough to serve the greatest army in the galaxy. But after several years it seems complacency has permeated into the air and into the heads of our fighters. You have become too comfortable and entitled and this needs to change. And it is with the heaviest heart that I introduce a new rule, already approved prior to this day. From now on each fighter who has won three matches in a row must win their fourth one or die. Whoever wins joins the army." His sickening voice echoes throughout the stadium and then he looks at me and smiles. "In other words this fight must be a fight to the death, for a winner to be announced."

Everything drowns out as we stare at each other and suddenly all the pieces comes together like clockwork.

I shudder, realizing that Lucian's mission wasn't to kill him, it was to prevent him from interfering with this match. My eyes flit to the back of the exclusive seating area and sure enough the generals are missing.

My knees quiver and I stumble back slightly. Rosie seems just as shocked as we turn to face each other. The realization that only one person will come out alive from this match slowly sinks in as our eyes meet.

And then the speakers blare indicating the match has started.

Hope you guys enjoyed and I'm sure the hatred for Lazarus just went up a notch haha.