Shortly after sunrise, Zeke arrived in the open courtyard in front of the school. After a quick glance, he noticed that the fighters were arranged according to their levels. He quickly joined the group bound for the beginner’s circle.

To his surprise, he didn’t see Leo among them. Looking around, he found his brother had already joined the competitors of the second circle. A wry smile spread across his face. He should have expected as much, but it still surprised him. After all, the conditions to advance from one circle to the next were harsh.

In order to advance to a higher circle, the Rana Samrat had to compete daily without losing a single fight for an entire week. Considering the fact that Leo had joined only a little over a week ago, it was clear that his brother had not wasted his time.

At that very moment, their eyes met. Leo smirked at him, the challenge clear in his eyes. Zeke couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s antics. No matter, he would catch up soon enough. Even if Leo once again managed to advance this week, that was as far as he would go.

Unlike the second circle, the third was dominated by Grand Mages. Even though they were the weakest of their kind, it would still be impossible for Leo to win consecutively. Even more so considering he had to hide one of his two affinities. Zeke was confident they would meet at that time.

Just then, Ravi emerged from the main building. The master of the Lion’s Den swept his gaze over the group of Rana Samrat and nodded. “Let’s go.”

 

***

 

Their group, consisting of over 50 people, made their way through the streets of Swarnaloka. Unlike Zeke’s earlier experience, the crowd parted willingly. They were still pointing and whispering, but instead of the usual disdain, their voices were tinged with excitement.

Many pointed out the Rana Samrat they knew as they talked. They were clearly excited to see them compete in the Rings of Samsara. Zeke noticed how most of his fellow fighters puffed out their chests whenever their names were mentioned.

Amused, Zeke listened in on the chattering crowd.

“That’s Ripper! She was so unlucky last time! But I am sure she’ll advance this week.”

“Forget about those losers: That’s Bloodthorn over there. He has a good chance of becoming the champion of the third circle.”

“Bloodthorn? That clown has no chance. Don’t you know that Thunderclap is about to come back? He hasn’t lost a single fight.”

“Who cares? Don’t you think Keo is just too handsome…”

Hearing the last one, Zeke almost missed a step. Keo? Was this who he thought it was? Had Leo actually used his regular name in the Rings of Samsara? Usually, one would choose an imposing moniker — Ripper, Thunderclap, and Bloodthorn were all good examples. But it seemed his brother had just used his ‘real’ name.

Thinking about it, he had only learned about this custom during the week he had gathered information. It was very likely that Leo hadn’t known what it meant to pick a monicker at the time. And now it was too late. Once you were known by a specific name, there was no changing it. He could only pity Leo in his heart.

They arrived at the Rings of Samsara soon after, and their groups split up, each of them accompanied by a single instructor. Ravi went with the group, heading toward the fourth circle and Ishaan to the third. The instructor who stayed with Zeke’s group was an old man with a stern face but kind eyes.

“Follow me,” he commanded.

Zeke’s group contained over 20 fighters, making up the majority of their members. He had noticed that aside from Ripper, none of them had been recognized by the crowd. From that alone, he could already tell that the people didn’t pay much attention to the beginner’s circle. If he really wanted to make a name for himself, he would have to advance as soon as possible.

As they entered the contestant area, many eyes instantly locked onto them. Zeke could feel that many of the gazes were anything but friendly. It seemed the Lion’s Den had quite the list of enemies. The old man leading them paid the onlookers no mind and led his group to an empty spot toward the back.

“Alright,” the old man said, “for those of you who don’t know me, I am Rohan. I’ll be overseeing your fights today. Any questions?”

Zeke looked around. His group consisted mostly of Chimeroi slaves. They didn’t seem too eager to listen to a long speech and naturally had no questions either. Zeke, for his part, remained silent as well.

The old man nodded and took a list out of his pocket. “Very good. I’ll now inform you of your opponents. Ripper, you’ll be fighting Iceweaver. This isn’t your first match against him, and I’m sure you know what to do. Next, Silver Serpent, you’ll be fighting…”

For the next couple of minutes, the old man announced the pairings. Whenever he had any knowledge about the opponent, he would explain what he knew and advise the fighters the best he could.

Zeke had a good impression of this old man. It was clear that he wished for his fighters to do well. However, the old man’s expression turned strange when it was his turn. He looked between Zeke and the list for a while before frowning. “Isn’t this your first fight, boy?”

“It is, sir Rohan.”

The old man’s frown deepened. “What is that fool thinking…” he muttered.

Zeke smirked. He had a good idea of what was going on. “Is there something wrong with my opponent?”

Zeke’s question interrupted the old man’s train of thought. Rohan looked at him with a pitying expression as he explained. “I think it might be better for you to throw the fight, boy. I don’t know why this happened, but your opponent is not a good fit for your first fight.”

“Why is that?” Zeke asked.

“Ironclad is one of the strongest fighters in the beginner’s circle and not somebody a newcomer should face in his first fight. For years now, he has avoided the advancement by surrendering every now and then. But that’s not the worst thing about him…”

Zeke was amazed. That was an ingenious method. Controlling the strongest fighter in any circle made it easy to prevent others from advancing. However, he could think about that later. For now, he obediently asked the old man what he meant with his mysterious comment. “What is the worst thing about him, sir Rohan?”

“He is a Rana Samrat nurtured by the Firebrand school. You might not know this yet, but we have a hostile relationship with them. Ironclad will likely try to kill you by any means possible. I do not understand why your instructor accepted such a matchup for your first fight.”

It was just as Zeke had expected — this had to be Ishaan’s doing. He wasn’t even surprised at the shady method the man had used to get rid of him. After all, this was perfectly in line with his petty and vengeful character.

However, this suited him just fine. How else would he be able to draw the crowd’s attention? By pairing him with a top fighter, Ishaan had involuntarily helped Zeke out. Thinking this far, a smile spread across his face. “Thank you for the warning, sir Rohan. But I’ll still try my best in the fight.”

The old man wanted to say more, but the look in Zeke’s eyes told him that he had already made up his mind. With a sigh, he nodded and continued to instruct the other fighters. Meanwhile, the other fighters in his group gave Zeke pitying looks.

Zeke's face turned strange. He, Ezekiel von Hohenheim, champion of the empire and rising star of Tradespire, was being pitied by the lowliest of slaves.

Oh, how far he had fallen.

 

***

 

Through an opening on the ground floor, Zeke watched the ongoing fights. Thanks to the fact that he was paired with one of the strongest contestants, his match was the last of the morning.

One after the other, he saw both familiar faces and strangers competing in the small arena. Even though the seats were slowly filling up, there couldn’t be more than a couple dozen spectators present, at best. Most of them were likely scouts as well.

He could only sigh. What a meager turnout.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that made him frown. The fights themselves were incredibly violent. This was nothing like the matches he had experienced in the empire. The quality of the fighters might be lower here, but they more than made up for it with their ruthlessness.

He really couldn’t afford to underestimate anybody here. Otherwise, they would immediately go for his throat.

Eventually, he saw Ripper enter the arena. Hers was the last fight before his own. Zeke was curious about her opponent. He had to be strong to have accepted the match — or ignorant. From what Zeke had heard, Ripper was one of the strongest fighters in the beginner’s circle.

He didn’t have to wait for long, as the other contestant entered at the same time. Zeke was surprised by his appearance; it was actually a Mage. From his brown skin and black hair, he seemed to be a local. He also had that trademark smirk on his face as he looked Ripper up and down.

Zeke knew this expression very well. It was the face of somebody who held nothing but contempt for those they considered beneath them. He had seen the same expression many times during his stay in the empire. This young man was most likely from a well-off family here in the capital — thinking himself a gift to humanity.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a treat for you this time. The infamous Ripper against the mysterious Iceweaver. Will it finally be her chance to advance? Or is the newcomer going to dash her plans? Let’s find out!”

The moment the fight started, Zeke noticed that something was wrong. Ripper seemed to be pulling her punches. It wasn’t like she didn’t try at all, but the ferocity she had displayed when fighting Zeke was completely absent. She seemed to be strangely reluctant to hurt her opponent.

Iceweaver, for his part, was neither strong nor weak. He was just passable. As his name implied, he was a Water Mage. Zeke had learned that there were several prominent Water Mage families calling Korrovan their home. Given the nature of this desert kingdom, this revelation hadn’t come as a surprise. It was likely that the boy was a descendant of one of them.

The fight was very frustrating to watch. Ripper would most likely win easily if she went all out, but given her reluctance to cause any real harm to the boy, her chances were slim. Zeke had seen enough. It was almost his time to fight anyway. So, he made his way to the gate of the arena.

There was a short interlude between each fight. During this time, he would summon the Dragon.

The moment Zeke reached the gate, he could hear the crowd gasping and his heart sank. He had come to recognize this reaction during the past fights. It meant somebody had gotten severely hurt. And that somebody was most likely Ripper.

His guess was proven right as the severely injured Ripper was dragged through the gate only moments later. The trio of guards unceremoniously dumped her on the ground the moment she was out of the arena. Apparently, they didn’t care if she lived or died.

Lucky for her, their group had posted a healer next to the gate. The young woman rushed over and immediately began the treatment. Zeke also approached to take a look. His eyes widened when he saw the extent of her injuries.

Several smaller icicles were sticking out of her arms and chest, bleeding profusely. But those injuries all paled compared to the massive ice spear protruding from her stomach. Zeke could even see the other end peaking out of her back. This had to be the reason for the crowd’s reaction earlier.

To his surprise, Ripper was still conscious. At this very moment, she was looking up at him as he studied her. Her expression was eerily calm, despite the extent of her injuries. It was clear that this wasn’t the first time she had ended up in such a state.

Seeing that she was awake, Zeke decided to use this chance to get to the bottom of her strange behavior. “Why did you hold back?”

Ripper flinched as the healer yanked the frozen pillar from her stomach. But her expression went right back to normal soon after. She considered the question for a moment.

“No other choice,” she eventually said, forcing out the words through gritted teeth.

Zeke was curious. “Why not? Is that Iceweaver someone important?”

To his surprise, Ripper shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Then why?”

Ripper remained silent for a long, drawn-out moment. In the end, instead of replying verbally, she merely pointed at her collar. But the meaning was clear. She was a slave.

It could indeed be problematic if she humiliated her opponent. He wasn’t sure, but the boy probably had several ways to make her life a living nightmare if he wanted to. Couldn’t he just buy her? Wouldn’t she be completely at his mercy then?

The life of a slave truly was pitiful.

Zeke nodded, signaling that he understood. But he didn’t have any more time to talk to her. If he didn’t start his summoning now, it might be too late. As they had done hundreds of times before, Zeke, Akasha, and the Dragon began their joint casting.

To an outside observer, it would look like Zeke was deep in thought. Any Mage would be able to feel the violent fluctuation of Mana in the area. However, Ripper was a Chimeroi and had no way of feeling Mana's movements. To her, it seemed like Zeke was frozen in fear.

By now, the worst of her wounds had already been healed. After a few moments, she addressed Zeke once more. “You shouldn’t try to fight against Ironclad. I have observed your fights, and you are not his match. He will kill you.”

There was no response.

“I am not trying to be mean, but you stand no chance against—” Before she could finish her sentence, a fountain of blood shot out of Zeke’s palm. Her eyes widened as she saw the stream of blood taking the shape of a winged reptile.

The newly born creature let out a mighty roar, completely unbefitting of its size. Instantly, every Chimeroi in the vicinity tensed up. Their instincts were telling them to run and hide. Even Ripper crawled backward, her words forgotten. She only stopped when her back was against the wall.

With wide eyes, she watched as the small reptile fluttered its wings. In one swift motion, it perched itself on Zeke’s shoulder. It was then that she heard the voice of the announcer from outside.

“For our last fight of the day, we have something special. Ironclad, the heavyweight from the Firebrand school, is fighting a newby from the Lion’s Den. Everyone who knows anything about those two will know that this is going to be a deathmatch. Give it up for the newbie: Blood Dragon.”

The gate opened, casting a bright light on the silhouettes of Zeke and Ripper. Before walking out, he turned toward her. There was a smile on his face. “We’ll see about that.”