[Chapter 7] Free - To The Coliseum

------------------------------—

That was embarrassing… Free tuned out as Light began asking about immortality. I respectfully disagreed. She was a big believer in lies, especially white ones. ‘I’m fine’ and ‘It’ll be alright’ were two of her favorites.

Besides, fabrications could become truth. A bad situation could evolve into a good one, and a fake smile could turn genuine. She’d seen it happen. Telling yourself you’ll overcome the insurmountable and making it reality… Isn’t that how dreams come true? Simon was wrong.

Free noticed everyone was walking away. Awww, fudge! Quickly following, she recalled another habitual line: ’I was paying attention’. Her ruminating was usually far more interesting than the thoughts of others. Revealing this would be cruel.

“Where’re we going?” She asked Rose, her go-to person for these moments. She gives the best summaries.

“You missed everything? Again?” Her sister reproached.

“…Yes” Free admitted. Sometimes honesty was important. Rose has a low tolerance for bullshit.

Her sister sighed, “Basically, Light asked about our chances of reaching the Wall. Simon replied that strength and potential were key, and he couldn’t comment without knowing ours. Light then suggested some sparring matches, and we’re headed to the coliseum.”

“So we’re battling?” Free said.

“Four quick duels.” Rose said. “To be frank, I’m also curious. I believe we’re advanced for our age and want to confirm I’m right.”

Gaging our standing does sound appealing. Free knew how limiting insufficient power could be. She gazed off at her beautiful plants. I’ll take some with me. She’d spent nearly as much time in her garden as Hope did in her workshop. It’s amazing what life can do when you tinker a little.

A sinister smile crept on her lips. Astra will undoubtedly be busy. If she’d one complaint, it was her creative pursuits were stymied. Between the tiny patch she’d been alloted and the constant supervision, the environment was stifling. It’d be different story on the Isle. I’ll work unshackled. She’d construct wonderful things.

Another beloved untruth sprung to mind: ‘I stopped making bugs’. It was necessary. The others would be upset if they discovered she was still designing insects. She hid them inside her root balls. Tragically, they sometimes escaped. It’s always so sad. More likely than not, they’d have a fatal encounter with one of her siblings. I can’t even complain when Rose burns them! Her sister didn’t appreciate the effort devoted to their development.

Free smirked. The others are baffled over how I made them. The habitat held only plants, and no books were sufficiently detailed to be useful. The answer was the Ether. She’d reached out and blindly summoned ‘small’ things, and what she’d gotten were mostly bugs. Strange ones. She’d mastered the basics by dissecting these.

Even then, it’d taken months to produce her own. Implanting instincts so they didn’t starve was a thorny challenge. She’d saved time by omitting certain functions, such as reproduction. It’d be a pain if they multiplied, mainly because they’d be impossible to hide. They’re meant to be unique anyway.

Each bug was a precious experiment which had answered a question: ‘What happens if I make the legs longer?’, ‘How does it balance if I add other body parts?’, ‘Does it eat faster if I add extra jaws?’… For satisfying her curiosity, she’d gone the extra length to gift them permanence.

Any object created by magic had a reserve keeping it in the physical world. To make something last forever, you simply had to pour energy into it. Lots of it. The lifespan would go up by days, months, years, decades, and then centuries. The quantity required is ridiculous.

When Free ‘cultivated’, she channeled power into her insects until adding more became impossible. Although gifted with creation, it took days. So Rose should stop torching them.

Nearing their destination, Free heard Light explaining their training and stopped listening. She was eagerly anticipating her match. When fighting, she conjured reproductions of the plants in her garden. What’ll I use today? This lead to a frightening thought.

Free hurriedly sought Rose, “Who’s facing Dawn?”

Her sister tensed, “We haven’t discussed that.”

“You know she’ll want to show off.” Free said. “Being her opponent won’t be fun.”

Rose grimaced, “we'll see how it goes.”

They entered the smaller dome which served as their coliseum. There was no greenery, only a large sunken pit, twenty feet deep. The floors and walls were covered in glowing symbols, and a control podium stood by the stairs to the arena.

“This is Nero’s work.” Simon observed. “When he found the time, I can’t imagine…”

Free glanced at the ground. I must quiz him later. For years, she’d been resisting the urge to pick those sigils apart. Regrettably, she didn’t have confidence in replacing them.

“Wait,” Hope said. “You’re saying the Black Citadel’s leader came all the way to set this up? Was it for us?”

Simon nodded, “Most likely. Astra must’ve requested it after she found you.”

“’Found us’?” Rose pounced. “What was that?”

Simon stared back tiredly. Her sister got the message, “Yes, tomorrow. I remember.”

Free swore she heard Rose’s teeth grind. Shaking her head, she hugged her sister from behind, “Calm down. You always have to know everything right away, don’t you?” Rose looked over her shoulder surprised. “We’re traveling to the Isle of Dreams, and Astra has promised to reveal everything. So relax a little and enjoy the ride.”

“So, who’s fighting who?” Dawn grinned. And we’re brought crashing back to reality, Free released Rose. I wonder who’ll be sacrificed on the alter of her ego. “Or should we do everyone against me to save time?”

Free shot a jaded glance. For the most part, you wouldn’t notice Dawn’s vanity. She’d appear a polite, reasonable young lady. Then, out of blue, she’d make such comments… In any event, we’re not doing the ‘all vs Dawn’ thing again. It’d been a disaster. Not only did she win, but her narcissism grew noticeably worse.

“I’ll leave this to you.” Free whispered, wandering off. Behind, Rose went to work, “One-on-one duels are best…”

Free peered down melancholically. It’ll be our last time. She recalled her adventures in the ring, including her decapitation. Flying through the air looking at your headless body is a rare experience. She smiled. Poor Soul. The incident had scarred him. Although she’d told him countless times it hadn’t been disturbing (small white lie), he’d still apologize whenever it was brought up…

While their arena prevented death, the healing was slow. One day she’d discovered she could accelerate it. From then on, whenever someone got hurt, she’d heal them. Perfecting her craft had led to more fallacies such as ‘I haven’t been injuring myself’ and later ‘they were only minor wounds’. I had too. The others might look at her weirdly otherwise.

I’ll hone my skills further on the Isle. Free was aware her abilities were unbalanced. She could expertly mend cuts, bruises, burns, broken bones… Basically, anything she could inflicting on herself while remaining conscious. Nevertheless, she remained a novice regarding deceases, poisons, and head trauma.

Rose tapped her shoulder, “We’ve finished.”

“And?” Free asked. Snapping back to reality was a necessary skill for a daydreamer.

“Silver vs Dawn” Rose pointed to the two descending into the ring. Yes! Free disliked facing Dawn. Losing isn’t fun. Silver was wearing a determined, resigned expression. Better you than me. As she watched, he turned back, and their eyes met. Can someone who doesn’t feel fear be brave? It didn’t matter. Free gave him a solute. Considering the circumstances, entering the ring with Dawn was heroic. Silver laughed and gave a thumbs up. It’s like watching someone march to their execution.

“And the others?” Free asked. Silver’s fate was no reason to get distracted.

“Light vs Free, Soul vs Rose, and Wise vs Hope.” Rose said.

Nice. “That’s pretty good for me” Free said. “But not so much for you.”

“Yes, my odds are slim.” Rose lamented. “At least it wasn’t Dawn.”

By the podium, Soul activate dueling mode. A brief shimmer flickered over the arena, proof the force field was active. Half the runes then went dim as healing inside was disabled. Good luck Silver. You’ll need it.