September 21, 4021 09:40 [Matriarch 04- Sun Rock]

Fragments of sapphire bloomed, peppering the arena. Crows raised their shields and defended the audience against an onslaught of deadly gem shards as Prasanna lay in a crater in the middle of the arena. She was out cold, a deep depression in her suit’s midriff where Indra had struck her. Indra lifted her up gently, carrying her to the edge of the crater where Crows awaited their arrival with a stretcher.

He frowned as they took her away. He could feel the shards of her bones through her skin when he held her. Indra clenched his fist tightly. He had honored her wish, yet he felt hollow. There must have been another way to defeat her. Instead, he took the easy way out and decided to overwhelm her with Usha’s power. I’m a monster.

“I am. You are but a mere host. You did as you were told to do. Think on it no further.”

Indra was taken aback by the Siren’s unprompted attempt to console him. His feelings towards the beast of sin only grew more muddled. Thanks.

“Think nothing of it. Focus on the next match,” Usha replied, brushing off Indra’s gratitude.

Emil met him at the edge of the field, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You did well. She’ll be fine. Those pills work wonders, you know,” he reassured Indra.

Indra smiled, though he couldn’t shake the lingering feeling of guilt. “They’re not as strong as the ones I use,” he mused. “It’ll likely take her a few days to recover fully.”

“True, but she’s stronger than most. She can afford a few days of rest. Besides, I’m sure they’ll have her patched up and well enough to cheer you on by the time the final match begins.”

Emil’s words assuaged Indra’s concerns, though they were short-lived as the Hyenas descended upon the arena. An irate Tengri landed in front of Indra first, followed by a bickering Jin and Grisha. Jin seemed to be teasing Grisha while the latter lashed out in rage, pounding his chest.

“Well, you’ve managed to destroy Sun Rock yet again. These repairs are costing me a fortune,” Tengri sighed. “Well, I am billing Kǔ Shén for all this damage, but in the meantime, everything is coming out of pocket.”

“So, when’s the next match starting? How long are repairs going to take?”

Tengri scratched his chin, his eye twitching as the bickering behind him grew louder. “I’m not letting the final match happen here. I don’t want to pay for any more repairs after this one. In fact, I’ll be damned if we use this place for anything other than practice drills and training going forward. There will be no Trait usage of any kind in Sun Rock after the damage you apes caused. The only upside is that our repair system will fix this place up in no time. No, we’re going to let Kǔ Shén deal with the headache of the final match.”

Indra raised an eyebrow. “ So where’s the match going to take place then?”

Tengri’s eyes flashed, a sly grin spreading across his face. “The Heavenly Stage of the Jade Temple.”

***

Indra sat in the changing room, staring at the man in chains sitting across from him. He had been strapped into a straight jacket and muzzled most likely on account of his tempestuous nature, writhing violently against his restraints. He stared Indra down, his eyes bloodshot. Come to think of it, Indra hadn’t seen him in the announcer’s booth before the semifinals, though he was so preoccupied with the fight at hand that he hadn’t noticed Kaluza’s absence.

Kaluza had grown tired of waiting; his prey was just a few meters away from him. Indra appraised his opponent calmly. Only one more stepping stone. He shook his head, reminding himself that it was Kaluza that had defeated Emil when no one else had managed such a feat. It wasn’t overwhelming power that he had succumbed to either; a mixture of quick thinking and lightning-fast reflexes had secured Kaluza the victory. Indra resolved in his mind to stay wary of his opponent at all times, even when it seemed like victory was assured. Kaluza was just that unpredictable of an adversary.

It made him wonder why Kaluza strived to be the person that he did. It would make sense if he turned out like the rest of the Hyenas, embittered, cynical, and morally corrupt. Yet, for all his unpredictability, the one constant that remained with Kaluza was his ambition. To protect the weak, huh? Unfortunately, you have to be born into power to have any sway over how this country is run. Rising through the ranks will only get you so far…unless you’re Kǔ Shén, I guess.

Indra could hear the crowd outside, their cheers compounding into one deafening roar as the room shook. He still couldn’t believe the sheer scale of this temple, sitting high atop the mountainside, cut into the rock face. The complex spanned almost four hundred acres, utterly dwarfing Sun Rock.

Thousands of priests, shamans, and monks occupied the area, carrying out religious ceremonies. Many of them prostrated themselves in front of an enormous statue of the Buddha, his serene visage illuminating the room. Below him sat statues of the Sānqīng, the Three Pure Ones. Sticks of incense had been lit, the woody floral scent wafting through the air.

What had caught Indra’s eyes were the Hindu deities present in the temple. Just below the Sānqīng was a statue of Vishnu, the God of Preservation and one of the three supreme beings within the Trimurti. His statue was placed at the temple’s center, adorned in gold and jewelry from head to toe. Garlands of flowers had been placed around the statue’s neck as Buddhist monks recited a prayer in place of Dvaitan Brahmins.

Next to the statue of Vishnu, stood a statue of his wife, Lakshmi. The Goddess of Wealth had been treated with the same reverence as her husband, adorned in gold and garlands of pink lotuses. A peculiar geometric shape had been placed at her feet. Indra’s mind prickled, like he was forgetting something important. He had seen this symbol before, but where? As he tried to remember, a number of people shuffled into the temple, breaking his train of thought. He shrugged, making a mental note of it. He would remember later…hopefully.

Regular attendees had made the journey up the mountain to see the final match, riding the gondolas to get there. They stopped by the statue to pay respects. The temple had been constructed completely out of jade, through the same means as the Wángzhě Zhī Qiáng, the Wall of the King, Indra suspected. This was Kǔ Shén’s abode. They had been directed to the Heavenly Stage, just outside the temple grounds as violence was not permitted within the sacred walls.

The Heavenly Stage was used by the monks to train their minds, spirits, and bodies. It hadn’t been built with spectators in mind. However, when they had reached the area, a colosseum-like structure had been erected around it, milky green like the others.

Grisha riled up the crowd, her own excitement getting the better of her. There would be no obstructions to her sound system this time. She called upon Indra and Kaluza—the final match had arrived. A murder of Crows shuffled into the changing room, wheeling Kaluza out. Indra followed, pacing slowly behind them. This was it. He had to keep his wits about him and carefully navigate around Kaluza’s abilities.

As they appeared on the center stage Indra stared at the sea of attendees present, eager to witness the conclusion of the Hyena succession tournament. There must have been at least a million people in the stands, all cheering for them. Chants for Kaluza and Indra echoed around the colosseum. Indra scanned the crowd, looking for the announcer’s booth. Sure enough, all the candidates sat in an open-air booth alongside the Hyenas, observing the match with intrigue. The Homunculi waved to Indra in good spirits, all appearing well-rested and livelier than ever. It seemed that the combination of bed rest and Vulture pills had done them wonders.

Indra’s eyes fixated on two people amongst all others. Prasanna sat in front right next to Grisha, grinning from ear to ear as she waved to Indra. She was looking better already, wearing plain clothes, but when she raised her arm, he could see the thick bandaging around her midsection. Another pang of guilt washed over him, though he didn’t show it, returning a smile.

His focus shifted over to the other person of note. Kǔ Shén sat on a throne of jade, raised by an elevated platform. Around him sat the nobles of Yuèliàng and Vechnaya Merzlota, wearing face masks resembling the visage of a rabbit. Standing guard on Kǔ Shén’s right side was the Crow, his unmistakably large frame, causing the spectators seated below him to glance at him apprehensively. Some opted to change seats, eager not to provoke his ire even accidentally. Kǔ Shén watched him with great interest, smiling indulgently. Indra regarded him with distaste, returning a scathing glare. If he ever got the opportunity to wipe that smug grin off the Director’s face he would not hesitate. But first, he would bestow that honor unto Jin.

Indra clicked his tongue, reminding himself that they weren’t his priority at the moment. He had to maintain focus on the threat before him. Grisha screamed into her microphone, addressing the spectators as the excitement in the air reached its peak.

“Are you ready, everyone?!! This is it!!! The final match to decide the strongest candidate in this tournament!!! Humans, Homunculi, Crows, Hyenas, nobles, and Kǔ Shén himself have gathered to witness this fight!!” She paused, letting the audience flood the arena with the sounds of their cheers. “Candidates are you ready?!! Prepare yourselves!!! And give it everything you’ve got!!! Begin!!!!!!”

The Crows unfastened Kaluza’s restraints, pulling the chains away and removing the straight jacket and muzzle. They rolled to the side as he lunged forward on all fours ravenously sprinting towards Indra.

“Beast Flow: First Form—Acinonyx!”