The red and blue sky of Sohaud glowed softly as it cast an ethereal light over the mountain city of Desmortia. Normally, the city teemed with Ahngreel engaged in the usual lounging, training, or fighting. But aside from a few Ahngreel who wandered the halls, looking around for the usual occupants, the pristine upper floors were silent and empty.

All was quiet. All except the Tenth floor, which was abuzz with chatter as Ahngreel flocked from all over to gather in the large circular coliseum. Like most of the lower floors, Dracul Arena had once been pristine, the pride of the Ahngreel with unparalleled mason work. It had taken almost 200 years to carve this arena, but most there would not know or even care what it had once been. Now, this once-sacred ground stood in ruin. The vibrations of dozens of Ahngreel footsteps were strong enough to crumble parts of the stadium.

Kaas knew, though. He remembered the beauty, the intricacy that was now long-lost to time. But Kaas didn't have time to think about it much. He had to focus on his mission. This was not a safe place to linger, especially for a non-ranker like himself. Kaas was in enemy territory.

Before anyone noticed him, he needed to be in and out of this place.

"Well, now! Look who decided to come crawling out of his hole!"

Too late. Though the crowd was over a hundred Ahngreel, it was not large enough.

Kaas felt a hand slap his back. He slightly tensed his shoulders but otherwise gave no reaction as he glanced back at the speaker.

"Hello, Iosh." He kept his tone neutral. Kaas was not here to make nice.

Of all the Ahngreel, why did he have to catch the attention of Iosh? Not only was he obnoxious with his want of conversation, but his very appearance offended the Ahngreel senses. It was self-evident that Iosh kept his body free of hair as he wore not a stitch of clothing. Though it was less his nudity that was insulting and more the scars that marked his grey body. Each of them told the tale of his many demises. That was not something that any respectable Ahngreel should display. But Iosh made an effort to recut each scar into his body after every Rising as a "reminder." It was offensive. An Ahngreel should never have pride in defeat!  

Kaas refrained from wrinkling his nose at the sight. But if Iosh noticed Kaas's disdain, he did not show it as he laughed jovially.

"Wahaha! I knew that even you couldn't resist the chance to find out if the rumors were true." He slapped Kaas's back again. He slid his arm around Kaas's shoulders and whispered into Kaas's ear. "So, do you think the Hidaar's coming down to our level?"

"No idea." Said Kaas curtly.

"Naaaah, that's not true, you old muckraker." Iosh leaned into Kaas's vision and grinned at him, showing off his missing fang. "You wouldn't have bothered to leave the Zeroth if you didn't have some inkling. C'mon, tell me. You must've noticed our present company."

Kaas glanced around. It was true. He had noticed as soon as he stepped into the arena. While there were a fair few non-rankers dotted throughout the crowd, most of it was made up of the 113 floor masters. The Saltabiiq. He didn't know their faces, but he could tell who they were by how they carried themselves.

He glanced at Iosh, who grinned, "See? You're no fool. Even you couldn't help but take the bait. They must have been summoned and spread the rumors to draw out the easy prey. Some of them probably sent challenges to rivals on their floor."

Iosh's grip on his shoulders tightened. Any chance Kaas had of slipping away was now gone. Iosh really was annoying. But he was also correct. For any other reason, Kaas would have remained in the dark depths of the Zeroth with his team and bided his time. However, this was the Hidaar. And according to Ludd, he had been spotted traveling through the Zeroth for some mysterious reason. No current Hidaar had ever traveled to the Zeroth in living memory. It was this and the sight of the Saltabiiq that confirmed his hunch. Whatever his reasons, the Hidaar was about to do something big.

Kaas had been tempted to search for the Hidaar within the underground. However, what stopped him was the simple reality that he had no chance of defeating the Hidaar. Not without his team. And in his opinion, they were not quite ready to face such a beast. If they fought him directly, even at once, without a proper plan, they would lose and spend eternity in Freelan. Or, at least, he would.

No, Kaas had one shot and one shot only to defeat the Hidaar. He had to be careful. Yet Kaas also had to know what he was up to. So, when the rumors of Darris making an appearance at Dracul arena began to surface, Kaas began to feel in his gut that if he followed those rumors, his once-in-an-eternity chance would come. His gut was something that he trusted more than anything.

He would regain the title of Hidaar. It must be returned to a true Ahngreel again. But first, he had to rid himself of the riff-raff. And as he glanced around the throngs of Ahngreel, he saw his chance. Or rather, he heard it.

There was a distinct chinking, a sound known by every Ahngreel of the past six generations. The sound of hundreds of Ahngreel fangs bouncing against each other as heavy footfalls pushed through the crowd.

"Hello there, Warrick." Kaas did his best to suppress his relief.

Warrick was as burly as Iosh with the same reddish-brown eyes. Though, unlike Iosh, he had hair. A lot of it. Mostly on his face, as it was covered with a shaggy brown mane and beard. He was also wearing clothes, thank the sky above! His mouth opened in surprise as the Ahngreel spotted Kaas, then clenched shut as his eyes fell upon Iosh. His pupils tightened to slits.

"I'll be. I never expected to see your face again, Kaas." His voice was gruff but friendly. "I thought ya had ended up in the lake eons ago." He laughed in the same jovial tone as Iosh and slapped Kaas on the back in almost the same spot.

"No," said Kaas, ignoring the stinging handprint on his back. He wasn't offended. It was better that no one thought of him. If he wasn't remembered, then no one would challenge him. Still, he had to have some pride. "I still have fight left in me."

Warrick looked at Kaas and smiled, "Really? Then we should fight. I still haven't added you to my collection. If I recall, it's been—" He scratched his chin and screwed up his face. "Uhh… How long has it been? Not since you were Hidaar, I think? I forget, who was it that deposed you?"

Now Kaas was offended. But he couldn't show it. It was a risky ploy to call Warrick over. This lunkhead was willing to fight anyone, just like Iosh. He just had to tread carefully and direct that volatility toward each other. "I believe it was Gabriel. Whom you've defeated, correct?"

"True." Warrick broke eye contact to look down at the leather vest he wore over his shirt. He had covered it with the fangs of the defeated. "I did best the opponent that bested you."

He, too, was a collector. Unlike Iosh, however, Warrick's collection celebrated his victories rather than his losses. Apparently, the only one who could match Iosh's number of submersions was Warrick. So, maybe they weren't that different, after all. They certainly shared the same stubborn drive. No matter how many times they were killed, the lunkheads kept coming back.

And they came back with a vengeance. Warrick especially. He made it his duty to rip out a fang from each opponent he bested. They were his prized possessions, especially those he obtained from challenging opponents.

"This is hers, I believe," said Warrick, scratching a pointed finger at a polished tooth on his shoulder. "It was a hard-fought battle. My third with her, if I recall. And she has yet to claim it back." He grinned proudly and was about to say something else when he was interrupted by Iosh moving from Kaas to Warrick in one swift motion. He shoved his face into Warrick's until they were almost nose to nose, baring his teeth.

"Oi! Are your eyes damaged, Warrick? I've been standing right in front of ya all this time!"

Perfect, Kaas thought smugly. That's it, fools. Fight it out.

Warrick met Iosh's intensity by pressing his forehead into the other's. They pushed into each other, staring into each other's eyes with ferocity.

"Nah, I saw ya. But I wasn't about to acknowledge ya. Be like noticing a speck of dirt. Not worth my time."

"Is that right?" Iosh's eyes narrowed. He glanced down at Warrick's vest. "So, which one of those is mine?"

Warrick grinned. "Dunno. I don't keep track of the easy ones. It doesn't matter. Not like I'll let ya take it from me anyway."

Iosh's hands shot out as he tried to grab at the fangs, but Warrick's hands met his and pushed back, fingers locking as one tried to push the other away. "I swore when you beat me that I would get my fang back! I refuse to let it grow until I shove it back into my mouth myself!"

"Bring it on, then! I'll take ya right here, right now, diver!"

Kaas could see Iosh's back muscles tensing as they pushed into each other, neither giving an inch. They were both completely distracted. This was Kaas's chance to disappear into the crowd.

He turned and was about to slip into the crowd when Kaas met with a wall of finely dressed muscle and intense orange eyes.

"That's quite enough!"

But the command was ignored.

"Break it up now, or I'll break it up myself!"

At the sound of that shout, Warrick and Iosh jumped apart. Once fierce and angry as rabid animals, the two Ahngreel were meek in the presence of Oriander, despite being a head taller.

"C-Champion, sir!"

Oriander exhaled sharply, making his mustache flutter. "Save the sparring for later, you two. The Hidaar has summoned us. That means he wants us alive. Self-restraint is the sign of a strong Ahngreel."

So, it was true. This was a summoning. Kaas's gut told him that it was probably time to go. He may have only learned a little information. It was enough for now.

"Yes sir, Champion, sir," said Iosh and Warrick simultaneously. With one last exchange of sneers, the two went their separate ways.

"And you, Kaas."

Kaas, who had tried to sneak away as Oriander admonished the other two, froze. Oriander was a few inches shorter than him. But his aura towered over Kaas as the Champion leaned in and whispered in Kaas's pointed ear.

"Don't think I don't know what you were doing."

Kaas's breath caught in his throat. Does he know about the team? And if Oriander knew, then the Hidaar knew as well. It was a shame that the Champion, who had dominated the Equituum for eons before it was disbanded, had become the stooge to the human who'd stolen their Ahngreel blood. No matter how shameful Iosh's scars were, they were nothing compared to his loathing for this traitor.

But Oriander was still Champion. His body that nearly touched Kaas's emanated heat like a furnace. It was any wonder that the Ahngreel's clothes didn't catch fire.

Oriander continued as if he hadn't sensed Kaas's fear and disdain, "You can't go provoking those two. They've had a longstanding rivalry since they were children. Who knows how long it would last if they start fighting."

Kaas's heart returned to a normal pace. Was that all?

"Yes, forgive me, Champion."

Oriander shook his head. "Please, don't call me that. I'm the same as you now with the reordering."

"The reordering?!" he shouted. Kaas couldn't help himself. As a result, what seemed like every pair of Ahngreel eyes locked onto him. They all knew he was here. Great. Now I'll never escape. Why me?

It was a mistake to have come. But the temptation to know had overpowered Kaas's reason. The only way out now was public humiliation. His reputation was low enough, but it would undoubtedly be lower than Iosh's after the reordering.

Oriander's mustache twitched, "I suppose I should have waited for the Hidaar to make the announcement proper." He scratched his bulging chin with a gloved finger. "Oh well, can't be helped." He glanced around at the other Ahngreel, all of whom were hanging on his every word. "I guess I should explain myself."

"No need, Oriander," echoed a breathy voice from on high. "I shall take it from here." Over a hundred pairs of eyes looked up at the auditorium where Hidaar Darris stood, looking down at his subjects. "It feels nostalgic, having you all gathered here. So, to commemorate the occasion, I thought I'd bring you an extra special gift of which some may have 'fond memories.'"

Many Ahngreel gasped. Not at the sight of the Hidaar nor at the powerful aura that suddenly flowed from him like Earth's sun. No, all gasped, including Kaas, at the man that the Hidaar held by the chained shackles that bound the man's wrists.

He was thin—emaciated. His sallow grey skin might as well not have been there at all, as each bone was clearly visible from beneath his nearly destroyed clothes. His black hair fell well past his dangling feet, the bangs almost covering his face. All of him looked like a corpse. All except his eyes, sunken and deep. They shone through the veil of hair as blue and bright as the Everflow that hung above their heads. The Ahngreel looked down at the crowd with the same majesty as the Hidaar. His mouth twitched before the dehydrated lips parted into a smile of wicked delight. Blood poured from his mouth as his lips cracked. But he gave no sign of pain.

Most of the Ahngreel were far too young to know who this man was. Their gasps were only out of surprise at seeing such a pathetic creature dangling from his chains like a piece of dried meat.

But Kaas knew.

He had been there 10,000 years ago when this man was at his peak—a monster of an Ahngreel that was now the stuff of legends. Kaas had believed the man to have long been dead and submerged. But no. There he was, in the flesh.

Grimlow. Son of Dracul.

He was the only Ahngreel whose lineage mattered. Because his father, the fourth Hidaar, was the most vicious and cruel Ahngreel ever to walk Sohaud. Known as Dracul the Unquenchable, the man did not just defeat his opponents in battle. He chained them to his study wall and bled them dry for drink. There he kept them for years until he finally grew tired of their taste and disposed of them. It was said that those lucky enough to be returned to the lake would never resurface again as death was preferred.

And as cruel as Dracul was, his son was worse. Kaas remembered the experiments. The abominations created by this devil of a man comprised of the severed pieces of his victims. He had fought many undefinable creatures with twisted abilities that only one without an ounce of mercy in his soul could create.

Ahngreel are taught that compassion is for the weak, but Grimlow sent shivers down even Kaas's spine. There was something otherworldly about that leer as Grimlow's eyes twitched from Ahngreel to Ahngreel until they fixed on Kaas.

Kaas had to fight the urge to run.  

Without a word of acknowledgment, the Hidaar tossed the shriveled Ahngreel forward. Grimlow fell the forty feet without a sound. He landed with a soft crunch onto the worn stone. All followed his drop with stunned silence, those in the back craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the crumpled figure.

Kaas watched with bated breath. Hoping against hope that Grimlow would not stand up. But he did. It was a wonder that Grimlow could support himself with his skeletal legs. He stood hunched; his eyes fixed on his left arm, which dangled uselessly at his side. Then he raised his head and looked straight at Kaas.

The sound of scraping and clanking metal filled the arena as Grimlow limped toward Kaas. His hair dragged across the floor behind him like a cape.

Why me?!

First Iosh, then Oriander, and now this freak. Kaas felt his fight-or-flight instincts kick into overdrive. He managed to suppress it and stand his ground, but not before glancing up at the Hidaar for help. However, the Hidaar remained silent as he watched Grimlow hobble across the floor. He spared a glance and a shrug toward Kaas but otherwise did nothing.

The other Ahngreel laughed at Grimlow's pathetic gait as he passed. More than a few pretended to try and trip him with their legs.

Kaas could hear murmurs of, "Look at him, he's so scared," and "How pathetic." He realized that some of them weren't just laughing at Grimlow. Kaas bristled. He may be afraid, but he was not the only one. The few Saltabiiq he recognized were also watching Grimlow warily. Kaas knew they silently sang praise that this devil had not chosen them.

The others could jeer him if they wanted, but he was not stupid. He had to survive no matter the cost, even if it meant he was seen as a diver. It was for the sake of the team.

Finally, after what seemed like eons, Grimlow reached him. He raised his eyes to look into Kaas's and grinned. "It seems… I've dislocated my shoulder. Be a dear… and put it back into place, would you, Karl."

Kaas suspected that Grimlow had not spoken once during his 10,000-year absence as his voice was nothing more than a mealy rasp. The laughter increased. Kaas wasn't sure if Grimlow had gotten his name wrong on purpose. Either way, it felt like a disrespect. It was bait to try something. But Kaas wasn't going to bite.

Kaas placed a hand on Grimlow's barely existent neck without a word while putting the other onto the displaced shoulder. Kaas hesitated for a moment, looking at his hands. All he had to do was push a little too hard and snap his neck, and the terror would end. He didn't know if killing Grimlow would gain the respect of all the Ahngreel, but the ones who remembered would sing his praises for eternity.

"What are you waiting for? Get it over with."

Kaas's eyes locked onto Grimlow's. There was a challenge in his piercing eyes. Grimlow knew exactly what Kaas was thinking. And Kaas knew that if he tried, he would die before he could register what happened.

A means to show off, that's all he was to Grimlow. So, his push was gentle but firm as he popped Grimlow's shoulder back into place. And then he let go.

Grimlow sighed in relief and rolled his shoulder, making the chains dangling from his wrists rattle. Then he straightened. His spine made several loud cracks as it realigned. He was now eye level with Kaas, who got a proper look at his gaunt face. The face of death.

"Ah, much better," he said, "My thanks to you." He clapped Kaas on his shoulder before turning his back on him.

He didn't look very grateful to Kaas. He was more than disappointed. Kaas guessed it had been a long time since he had killed anything. He pitied anyone who inevitably challenged him.

Sure enough, one Ahngreel that Kaas didn't know stepped in front of Grimlow and swiftly grabbed him by the left wrist. She raised him up, imitating the Hidaar, until his feet dangled off the ground.

"Well, would you look at that? Some surprise. All that huff, and he was this easy to catch. Just look at these stupid chains!"

Her tone was mocking, and she looked around to the Ahngreel beside her waiting for them to join in her amusement. A few smiled, which encouraged her to mock Grimlow further. But as she turned to look back at her capture, she was met with the point of Grimlow's right finger, which buried itself deep into her forehead with a soft crunch. Grimlow's face was plastered with a sadistic grin as he rotated it around in her skull. The Ahngreel's face went slack as the arm holding Grimlow dropped, who landed on his feet with ease. She remained on her feet, though, her body twitching and eyes wide.

Although Grimlow had pierced her brain, it was clear she was very much alive as her eyes darted rapidly. She was seeing something they could not, though what she saw, Kaas could only guess. Blood poured from the wound in her head, nearly masking her blank expression that quickly became terror. She began to mutter… something. Kaas couldn't quite hear what it was. Something about stupid chains.

"Yeees, these chains are stupid, aren't they?" Grimlow's cooing croak was loud and clear as he licked the Ahngreel's blood off his finger. "But they have their uuuses." He lifted his left chain in both hands and wrapped it around her neck. "Come, dear. We will have much to talk about soon." And with that, he began to walk away. He yanked the chain causing the Ahngreel to tip backward and fall with a heavy thump onto her back.

She did not so much as twitch as Grimlow effortlessly dragged the Ahngreel despite her being twice his size. His skeletal frame hid much strength. As he walked, there were a few cheers and clapped hands. But all froze when he turned his gaze upon them.

He didn't go far. But when he stopped and waited for the Hidaar to begin speaking, he was given a wide berth from the Ahngreel around him, who couldn't help but spare a glance at Grimlow's new pet.