Adrian called Anaya and Adav to help him lift Faim from the floor while Ximo and Uiwo had beaten Sledge and Hammer to a pulp.

“This isn't over.” Sledge spat before he got punched square in the jaw by Uiwo. The fraternal twins with matching armbands were on the floor with bruises, Hammer had a black eye while Sledge had a dislocated jaw.

“We need to call an ambulance.” Anaya stated, referring to the increasing number of people that were injured.

“You're right, there are far too many for Nour and the nurses to attend.” Adrian agreed while he supported Faim on the right and the two female administrators were on the left, trying to balance him properly.

Faim groaned and mumbled to syllables. “Ay-mee.”

Ximo took over and flung Faim's left arm around his nape. “Sorry about the mess.” Uiwo apologized before he removed Faim's arm from Adrian.

“Eimy.” Faim mumbled weakly.

“Don't worry about him, he'll be fine.” Ximo said, referring to Faim as the blonde fighter bobbed his head.

Faim lifted his head, disoriented and slurred, “Are we ordering take out? I'm faimished.”

“Let's go, champ.” Ximo said to Faim.

As they got out of the administration and walked to the lounge. Logan spotted the man that spanked him.

“You!” Logan shouted, pointing at Ximo accusingly from the lounge, “You're the one who grabbed me.”

Faim saw Logan approach, confused to see someone who looked similar to him. The contrast between Faim and the Rave leader were their eye color, hair texture and attire, if it weren't for those differences, Faim would be convinced that he had met his double.

“Is it me, or am I looking at a distorted mirror?” Faim asked, confused.

“Dammit Ximo! Stop riling men to fight you!” Uiwo admonished his younger brother.

“Now is not the time!” Ximo retorted while Faim recovered from the aftershock. Dirlu looked at Logan opened her fan to cover her mouth. Then she saw Ruben at the corner of her eye, the freckled Cinnabarian was furious with gritted teeth.

“So you're the scoundrel that hit me from behind and fled like a coward.” Ruben glared at Ximo, “If there is one thing I hate more than a scoundrel, is a žlutamite.”

“What's that?” Faim asked.

Ruben II punched his free hand as a threat, “A man that rouses another for his own gratification.” In other words, a man that riles another for his own selfish desires. In Ruben II's world, the term was a synonym for a sodomite, a pervert, a sexual deviant. Though it was associated with homosexual deviants that roused men to fight against each other for their own gratification.

Ximo, a former wrestler with his own gymnasium and an annexed building as a roughhouse.

Ruben II's definition of a žlutamite are:

1) A sexual deviant.

2) A pervert that riles men to fight.

3) Has a sexual preference towards men.

From Faim's perspective, Ximo was the one who encouraged him to reach his goal. He saw Ximo as a friend and a mentor back when he had bad luck in keeping a stable job. Faim was optimistic most of the time, but there were instances that he had doubts about his path in life. Ximo saw his potential and encouraged him to move forward during a time when he got lost. The Xtreme Gymnasium was the foothold that kept him moving forward before he moved on to fighting tournaments.

“Ximo is none of that, he encouraged me to fight for my dream when I was down on my luck.” Faim stood erect. “He may have his own roughhouse, he may love men, but he's not a žlutamite.”

“Faim,” Ximo called him, the blonde turned to look at him, “I caused this mess, I'm the one who has to pick it up.” Ximo stepped forward just as Melon spotted him, Blade was about to ask what she was looking at until he spotted Ximo.

“Blade no! He's not worth it.” Melon pleaded after she managed to calm him down after he had hit various mooks during his rampage.

“He could've done it to you too.” Blade told her, he couldn't stand the idea of another man spanking her, it was bad enough that a sartyr had groped her earlier.

“I can defend myself just fine.” Melon reminded him since she reacted quickly to slap the pervert a while ago.

“I know, but still...” Blade's eyes casted a glare at the muscular man for spanking him earlier.

“Promise me you won't kill him.” Melon coaxed him while she cupped his face with both hands.

“I won't, but someone else will.” Blade replied nonchalant before he headed towards them.

“Right.” Melon drawled awkwardly, she nearly forgot the modus operandi amidst Shadow Soldiers. If a Shadow Soldier was under oath to not kill their adversary, another Shadow Soldier would take that role. Regardless, Melon followed her husband to prevent him from getting into trouble.

“That's right, I'm going to report you for harrassment.” Logan stated.

“I know a place where to file a lawsuit. I'm going to sue this place for fraud. Would you like to join me?” Dirlu suggested while Logan eyed the Duchess of D'or from head to toe, from what he could see the lady looked refined and gorgeous.

“Lead the way, m'lady.” Logan requested before Dirlu walked a couple of steps as he looked at her backside, especially the way the Victorian-esque clothing made her look curvier while he followed her.

Alexander and Octavia spotted Logan follow the woman out of the stadium while Astrid, Ash and TR had beaten some of the wild users that tried to attack them.

“Wait, where is he going?” Octavia asked.

“I have no idea.” Alexander admitted. “Should we follow him?”

“Nah, he'll be fine. He's the leader, remember.” Octavia remarked while she air quoted.

“That's the last of them.” Ash mentioned while TR flipped a teenager with a steampunk outfit. The teenager winced in pain.

“Okay,” stated Shadow, “I’m taking that hallway, you take this. Is everyone clear?”

Blue yawned and rubbed her eyes. She was still in human form, and she was tired for absolutely no reason.

“Wha-wha hallway?” she said sleepily, blinking owlishly.

Ripper gave her a tight, pained smile. “Left hallway. Me, you, and … uh … Trevor, Rexy.”

“Hmm,” Blue said complacently. “I sleepy. Maybe I hungry too.”

Spino immediately said, “Not it!”

“Okay,” said Shadow, “so Indy’s coming with me … Suzanne, of course, Spino called dibs, he’s coming … uh … absolutely not.”

Verdauga sprinted up to join the group with a goofy smile on his face. “We’re splitting up?” he said. “Cool! What group?”

Shadow exchanged a look with Ripper.

“You’re … um, with me,” she muttered, clearly sending you-owe-me vibes to Ripper, who was now explaining to Blue why she needed to turn into a ghast, now. It was dangerous, she was tiny as a raptor, come on. Wake up.

Verdauga hesitated. “Okay,” he said, uncomfortable with this arrangement, but nobody argued with Shadow.

Shadow led her group along the passageway, poking her head into suspiciously quiet corners. Finally, she reached a drinking fountain. Spino leaned forward to take a drink, but it was empty. He poked the button. “I don’t understand these human things,” he complained, poking it again. “I’m sure I read the owner’s manual over, and it said poke the big button with the logo on it - and it’s not working. I’m thirsty.”

Pretty sure that wasn’t exactly what it said, thought Shadow. Where did you get the owner’s manual anyway? 

Indy shrugged and stabbed the button with her finger again. Some green goop spurted out of the thing, sizzling into the metal and corroding it in seconds. “We, uh, have a problem,” she said. “I think we do.”

Shadow turned to Spino. “Spino?” she said inquiringly.

Spino coughed. “Well, I might have to run analysis on said material. Said analysis might take two to three hours, but let me inspect said material first.”

He peered down at it, his eyes within an inch of the ‘said material,’ and finally made an odd noise in his throat. “Well, Blue did eject a sort of substance when she … turned into a non-scientific creature of sorts. If it is the same, I think I would take a sample of the substance when I return to my lab. Arielle would be surprised. Blue has rejected all scientific advances from both of us.”

“You’re saying?” interrupted Verdauga.

“I’m saying …” Spino searched for the normal-English words to explain.

But Suzanne had caught on. “He’s saying that this is from a ghast. He’s saying that a ghast has been here, and I agree. Look.” She pointed to scratch marks on the side. “Blue was not happy with me this morning. I found on the box that holds some of my stuff similar marks. Too big to be her as a raptor, as we all know. And who’s going to bet that Blue strutted around this place in ghast form, possibly damaging individuals as well … and, I’d say that this ghast … I don’t know, this sounds stupid, but maybe this ghast possessed this thing?”

Indy scratched her nose. “So, uh … that wasn’t clear, but I think … Blue was here? I don’t think Blue would do this.”

“Exactly,” explained Shadow. “Which means a ghast other than Blue was here. We left Aryl back on the island with enough food and stuff, but it’s been days, and we forgot about him. He could be here, and he is dangerous.”

Indy scratched her nose a bit more. “Oh, yeah, I got it. But, we always beat him.”

“No,” corrected Shadow, “Blue beat him. And with the condition Blue is in … she’s been tired and cranky all of today, and if we meet Aryl, well, there’s the risk of her falling asleep in the middle of the fight.”

“Sooooo,” interpreted Suzanne wisely, “we’re screwed.”

Blue yawned loudly. “I know this sounds kind of dumb, but I’m tired. And sleepy. And so far, nobody cares.”

Trevor rolled his eyes as Bary fiddled with her phone. “Human technology,” she complained, “is so unreliable.”

“This is absolutely atrocious,” complained Blue in a whiny tone. Ripper gasped as a heavy Blue slumped on top of him, utterly asleep. So that couldn’t be Blue’s voice, but … then, who was it? It didn’t sound like Blue, anyway.

“I cannot stand this - this cramped space! I shan’t stay here any longer, and I shall just find a way out of here!” The voice’s owner rounded the passage and came face-to-face with Ripper, Blue, and the rest of the gang.

Everybody recognized the interloper.

“Tansy?” said Rexy in disgust. “You?”

Ripper muttered something about being thirsty and used Trevor’s body as a shield.

“Oh, it’s you,” said Tansy in a dismissive voice. Her dyed-blonde hair was done up in a beehive and she was wearing stiletto heels, teetering slightly.

“Yeah, it’s me,” said Rexy in a challenging voice. She did not like being ignored.

Tansy made a disapproving noise at Trevor, by and large the most threatening figure in this hallway. Ripper sighed and sat down on the floor, hoping Blue would wake up. She looked like she was getting a good night’s sleep, and he couldn’t imagine what she’d been doing all night.

“Hello, Tansy,” he mumbled quietly.

Tansy glanced around for Shadow and Indy, but they weren’t here.

“Well, this place is absolutely terrifying. It’s so dirty. Now, I came here to -”

Rexy yawned. Or at least, fake-yawned. Loudly.

Tansy shot her a dirty look, but with caution. “I came here because I noticed chains tied around one of the trees outside our cave. And I wanted to know why they were empty. And I may have gotten lost.”

Wrong answer. Everyone knew why she was here. Possibly she was lost, but she’d also probably seen Shadow on the posters and understood that there was one Indoraptor that could flaunt that pissed look so well, and she had two siblings. One of which Tansy needed to settle a score with.

“Wait …” said Bary slowly, looking up from her phone. “The chains tied around a tree is empty? Was that tree a pine?”

What are you getting at, Bary?

“Huh, I believe so,” said a confused Tansy. But she was stuck with this pretense. 

A horrified look dawned on Bary’s face. “I knew - Spino and I tested the chains - but I never remembered it. Those are Aryl’s chains!”

Ripper came to the conclusion lightning-fast. Two conclusions, actually. “Shh! Don’t say his name in front of Blue! She’ll have a panic attack, and now is not the time to find out where to keep a ghast captive!”

“Oh. It’s her,” said Tansy with distaste. “Anyway, we’re going to leave. Your sister can handle herself.”

“I’m not leaving,” said Ripper angrily. “Especially not when Aryl is loose! Who knows where he is? I know Blue has a great sense of smell. Aryl could definitely scent-trail us.”

“Who’s Aryl?” said Tansy, but Ripper ignored her. She pushed on. “Anyway, there was a knife lying by the chains, it seemed.”

A knife. 

“What did the knife look like?” Bary had pulled out a journal.

“Oh, it had a weird hilt, like a skull,” Tansy answered, obviously getting impatient.

A skull, as in a grim reaper’s skull … 

“Aryl didn’t break out himself,” said Trevor slowly. “Someone did it. On purpose. Knowing that a ghast can cause damage - and Aryl isn’t the brightest, I believe.”

“Basically,” summarized Ripper, “we need to take a trip to the host’s office and ask if there’s a ghast-proof prison here. Oh, just wondering. No reason for asking whatsoever.”

“Let’s go, Ghostbusters,” said Trevor, deploying his best sense of sarcasm yet.

Somewhere in the maze of hallways, a presence stirred. The trash can it possessed shivered, emitting a light green aura. Slowly, the presence detached from the trash can and formed into a boy. No, a ghast.

His eyes shifted around the hallway and he pronounced in a dead voice, “It’s safe. It’s time.”

A disembodied voice responded, “You have no say when it is time. All you need is your revenge, and we will grant you that. When we are done.”

Eimy and Mewmi were sitting on the backseat of a Heep, or a Jeep to humor the comparison and dialect. The vehicle itself was a combined design of a buggy and the modern day Jeep as the driver maneuvered over rocky terrain before he pulled over to park near the sighting of the habitat.

Eimyopened her handbag to pay for the transportation. “Thanks for the lift.”

“Thanks for the tip, blondie. You're lucky that I'm close to receiving my paycheck.” The driver mentioned while Eimy picked up Mewmi before she opened the door.

“Ready to spend it at the bar again, aren't you?” Eimy humored him before the driver, who also worked as a tour guide, laughed like a hyena.

“You know it!” He replied before Eimy exited the vehicle and closed the door while he turned up the radio to listen to a rock ballad as he drove off. They heard the music gradually fade out of earshot.

Mewmi then looked at Eimy and whispered, “Which way are we going?”

“We're going in.” Eimy responded as they went forward to find the gelatinous golem they knew — Seep.

The last time they saw him was when his pack migrated to a humid environment when the drought took place. Seep, like his species, need moisture to survive since 68% of their body is composed of water, 23% of the inner body is composed of mesoglea and the remaining are composed of minerals. The gelatinous golem are semisolid species that have the density similar to gelatin, most of their subspecies are semiaquatic. These endangered species are targetted for their healing properties they secrete within the semisolid dermis which is partially malleable. The sweat the secrete can turn into a viscous gel that contains collagen, enzymes and epithelial cells that can regenerate rapidly to restore damaged tissue. Rarely do these species release a toxin as a defense mechanism against predators.

Seep, along with his family, rested near the ponds in their natural habitat. One of the gelatinous golems swam in a zigzag burbling as the bubbles popped at the surface of the pond then stopped as they heard rustling. The coup of semiacuatic species hustled to hide inside the pond while some molded their appearance as camouflage.

They saw a woman holding an injured feline, Seep recognized the headscarf Eimy was wearing, then climbed down the canopy and slid to sneak up behind them.

“Eimy, do you think Seep would be interested in joining us in the tournament?” Mewmi asked her.

“I doubt it. I don't think he would want to go to a place where people fight for sport.” Eimy used her free hand to move a long leaf and passed through it.

“I'm inviting him anyway, if he won't join us for the fights, he'll come for the snacks. That's what I'd do if someone invited me to eat.” Mewmi licked her teeth thinking about the pâté.

“Sure you would, you'd eat a whole restaurant if they let you.” Eimy bit back a chuckle.

“He would definitively devour all the delicious food in one bite, he'll absorb the goodies and have enough juice to heal me in no time.” Mewmi mentioned while she rubbed her front paws maliciously.

“That is if Seep wants to heal you.” Eimy stated before she felt something drip on her apron, when they looked up, they saw the gelatinous golem looming behind them.

Eimy screamed before Seep embraced them while the gijinka wasted no time to hug Seep's arm before she made a cat angel on his squishy forearm as he slowly absorbed her and she absorbed of the sweat Seep secreted. When the friendly gelatinous golem released Eimy, Mewmi was still on Seep's massive arm now in her human form, bare as her backside jutted out.

“Mewmi, leave Seep's arm this instant!” Eimy scolded like an angry mother right before the submerged shapeshifter made her tail manifest in her gijinka form for Eimy to pull. She groaned before Seep ejected her from his left arm. Mewmi was airborne before falling into the pond with a cold splash.

Eimy ran to the pond, and bubbles could be seen from the surface before two semi-liquid arms pushed Mewmi out of the pond for landing on two children sized jelly golems. Mewmi choked for a while and spat out the water and shivered.

“Did you change your mind about inviting him to the tournament?” Eimy enquired smugly before Mewmi shook her golden fur like a wet dog then raised her chin look at them.

“I could use a warm up.” Mewmi replied while she was still shaking from the cold.

Phixa closed her eyes and inhaled. She placed her arms and legs into position. ‘I need to get it right…!’ The image of all the others of her kind flowed into thought. They danced gracefully. They were beautiful. She wanted to be like them. She took the first step. ‘The ceremonial dance is important!’ Lights flickered in her mind. Music played. The crackling cinders became the rhythm of life. She took another step. ‘That is when I’ll become a true phoenix!’ She leapt into the air with a twirl. She pictured all of her ancestors. Then...

“Not good enough!”

She tripped on her landing. Her eyes open, revealing the dirt and stones before.

“Do it again!” Her memories echoed. “We’ll get no rest until you get it right!”

“I can do it!” She cried as she pushed herself up at arm’s length. Her fist pounded the floor. Frustration clouded her mind. All the steps ebbed and flowed with reach. She knew the steps, and yet she couldn’t follow through. “I know I can.”

She hopped up to her feet and dusted herself off. Once again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. A cold wind filled her lungs. Her eyes shot open.

A pale woman caught her attention, dragging her gaze along. She was thin. Her white  clothes had many long extensions, almost tail-like. With those, her long sleeves followed her movements, making her seemingly flow in the wind, even her entrance was like a silent breeze. Her black eyes bewildered Phixa. A gaze that was neither hostile nor welcoming. The woman gave a grin with her frostbitten lips.

Before Phixa could speak, another person brushed by her. This time, a man. He wiped away a tear that Phixa did not know about. But she was surprised when she realized it was frozen. The tear flew off her face and shattered as it hit the ground. Phixa looked at the man. He wore a blue attire with fish scale patterns. And opposed to the pale woman, his clothes were more fitted.

Silent in awe, Phixa watched their move. They bowed. Phixa returned one in response. As Phixa raised her head, the pale woman danced like a ballerina towards Phixa. The woman jumped high in the air. Phixa felt a chill in her chest. She had to move. And so she did. Her eyes followed the passing pale woman, and widened when she saw a wall of ice.

“Who are you?” She finally spoke.

The woman responded with a pirouette. The man made his advance with a peculiar footing. Phixa kept her guards up. Her attention was divided between the two. The man slowly came close, but not from caution. It was part of his dance. Then, he quickened. He lunged forward, gliding past Phixa’s evasion. Heat singed her eyes. She tightened them.

“What was that?” She immediately thought. An image of blue flames flashed before her. The incident replayed. She saw an outline of blue emitting from the man. “Blue flame…? How?” She opened her eyes. And in front of her was a trail of fire. “This…” It was one of rare traits of a true phoenix, the vermillion tail. Though what she saw was blue instead of the red she knew, she was certain that was it.

Quickly to her feet, she got into position for the final time. No more hesitation. This could be the last time she could ever dance.

The three bowed. Phixa took the first move.

They exchanged hits. Lightly scathing one another’s skin and clothes. Twice as much for Phixa.

Nonetheless, there was a rush of emotion, a passionate squall that washed over the area. It was a feeling foreign to Phixa, yet familiar. Like time had frozen within the presence of the pale woman, Phixa felt no fear nor criticism. The outside world no longer was in control. And the blue man gave aspiration. A blue flame that she knew was hotter than her own, but was well maintained. Perhaps, it is due to the cold. Or maybe he knew control. Either way, Phixa desired such a state.

Her time resumed when she realized the flame trail had surrounded. The heat consumed her air. Her heart raced. Her lungs burned. She kept her breathing steady as the cold, thin air continued to diminish. She eyed the two. They didn’t seem tired. “Are they even breathing?” 

Her knees collapsed, but she held herself up. Bent, spent, and aching, she could only think of how to fight. She looked at her shakened, dirtied hands. Red… Blood… All the small cuts over her body would surely lead to her demise. That is if the flames had yet to consume her life.

Her mind became foggy. She became sleepy. As her eyes closed, words entered her mind.

“I will soar to the skies!” “I will become a true phoenix one day!” “I will fly higher than anyone has gone before!” “Our flames give us life. Our dance is our proof!” “When the sun cannot shine, it is the duty of the phoenix to paint the sky with its radiance.” 

“With our final dance, we will return to the ashes and earth from where we came.”

“Return to the earth,” Phixa breathed. As she repeated those words, her body moved without her knowing. She swayed left to right like she was drunk. Her feet transitioned her weight from one to the other. “I am always trying to go high....” She dropped low with a partial split. “That I had forgotten where I came.” 

Staying low, she attempted a new dance. The other two watched the poor performance. They glanced at one another and snickered without a sound. And like so, Phixa struck their blind spot. With a leg sweep, she knocked them down. She back rolled and entered a low lunging position. She launched forth. The couple jumped high. Phixa followed from underneath. Then, she dropped onto her palms and pushed up with a spin. Her legs entwined with each leg of the others, resulting in a messy landing. 

The pale woman was starting to break a sweat. She broke her composure, breaking her ballet form. The blue man stopped her. They witnessed Phixa's fall. She finally ran out of energy.

Crestfallen, she hadn't noticed a young man approach. This young man had witnessed their dance.

Piros wasn't as gracious or poised as the pale lady with the long-tailed dress nor the elegant man with the iridescent scale patterned suit. Though it reminded him of the Summer Solstice Festival. 

A time when the tribe celebrated the season of new found joy and merriment. The warmth of the summer, the radiance of the sunlight, the gathering of loved ones over the campfire in the night, the flickering embers of the barbecue. The songs and tales of their folklore, the ceremonial dances to interpret their praise and worship. The cry of joy complimented by the sounds of tambourimes, cymbals, horns and other instruments.

Phixa's endeavor and the dance battle was a clear reminder of why he was brought to this place, fate had shook him to a place he hadn't been before and his heart skipped a beat. A pang to see someone so majestic to get plucked out by the likes of her adversaries.

A clank from the pale woman caused a tremor as it brought Phixa's attention towards them as she saw her adversaries and Piros.

The ruddy hue-man stepped in, stepped back and spun as he raised his arms as he mimicked some of the steps and cut the air with a swift motion. As he swayed his right arm, the scale cladded man stepped in and raised his leg in a circular motion, aiming for his head. Piros blocked it with his left arm.

Piros spun and elbowed him in the stomach. Phixa saw Piros move fluidly with his steps as he countered each blow with a move of his own. The red haired hue-man rotated his wrists, descending to his chest while the lady with frostbitten lips rushed in to step on his toes while he stepped back in the same rhythm as she did. They closed in on him as their powers coalesced to emit a spiralling blue flame as the lady twirled, her partner brought her closer and lifted her up. She supported her knee on his hip as they spun, she raised her leg and kicked the flame as it headed towards Piros.

Piros prepared to counter, by enacting on the fire dance. An ascending knee, a spin outstrecthed his hands and channeled the blue flame as the flame danced and followed his movements as it coiled around him then followed his palms and redirected it back at them. The scale cladded man did all that he could to freeze the blue flame but the particles evaporated before his partner and Piros reduced the blue flame into embers.

Phixa's light red irises captured the sight of flickering embers fade away, then looked down at the cuts on her hands and closed them into fists.

If he can do it, why can't I? What is it that I'm missing? Phixa glared at her balled fists.

"Perhaps a full-blooded phoenix can endure extremely high temperatures and intense flames much more than a human, or a phoenix hybrid would, but have you considered using abilities that a full-blooded phoenix couldn't possess?" The hostess suggested.

"What do you mean?" Phixa cocked an eyebrow.

"What it's a phoenix's weakness? What are the weaknesses that a hybrid like you can use as an advantage?"

Weaknesses…? Phixa tried to think. She plunged into her memories, her past. What part of her knew the answer? Was there an answer? Her time cut short.

Phixa saw the duo circle in on Piros. The lady in white twirled then tiptoed towards him while the man in the scale patterned suit danced to the side. Piros felt warm. Sweat formed on his face. He watched his opponents’ moves, waiting to react. Then, as he exhaled he saw his breath. The temperature plummeted into a freezing chill. His eyes widened. A bead of sweat fell from his face. He looked at his feet. The sweat froze on the ebay down, and shattered upon impact. The pieces flung onto his waraji sandals and feet. In mere seconds his footwear was encased in ice. He was now immbollized. The white lady stepped into his blind spot. She swung her heel, ready to kick him square in the jaw. However, Phixa stepped in and blocked her kick with the swat of her wrist with such force that her opponent lost her balance and fell to the floor. The woman with frostbitten lips was aghast at her own fall. She looked up at the phoenix hybrid in anger. Phixa returned a glare with fiery red eyes. She, nonetheless, failed to notice the ever growing ice formation upon Piros. 

When she did, Phixa tried to drive her heel into the ice, hoping to break it. It was no use. Piros told her to leave him and focus on protecting herself. He then shoved Phixa out of the way before she could reply. The pale woman dropped where Phixa would have been. Piros hollered at Phixa to take on the blue man. The woman scoffed and the matchup, for she wasn’t going to let the duel happen. But Piros held onto her wrist and Phixa pounced away.

Phixa ignored the cold sensation that manifested at the sole of her feet. She flew 3 feet in the air before dropping on the man with a kick to the chest. The man stumbled back and hit his head. She landed on her feet. She winced as a piercing cold shot up through her legs. This was when she realized how invigorated she was. ‘Did the hostess feed me something while I was out?’

Meanwhile, Piros deathgrip refused to let the woman leave. They tossed and turned within place. Though with only one limb free, Piros did well blocking two-thirds of the woman’s assault. She was irritated. With a growl, she flipped into the air, twisting his arm with her. He had no choice, but to release her. And so he did, only to snatch her with his other hand. She let another howl out.

“Fine,” she spoke. “Then why don’t you just chill for good.” She drew a circle with the tip of her toe and spun towards him, coiling his arm, and then uncoiling it as she spun outwards.

The frost jabbed with his calves. His grip loosened as a searing pain tore at him. The woman flicked his hand off her. Piros jerked her for the last time. As she fumbled close, he pushed her out. She fell onto her knees and hands.

“A little help?” Piros commented on seeing Phixa’s victory. Ice continued to climb his legs. He was stuck knee-deep.

Phixa turned around to see Piros immobile and with goosebumps from the cold the ice produced. While Phixa headed to Piros, the lady with frostbitten lips grit her teeth stood up to make a ballet pose then danced to erect rows of icicles. They snapped out of the floor one after another towards Phixa and Piros.

Just as Phixa was a foot away from Piros, a giant icicle shot up between them. Phixa jumped back. The pale lady glared at Phixa with cold fury.

“My legs are burning!” Piros alerted Phixa.

“I’m coming! I won’t let the frostbite take your legs!” Phixa replied.

“No... “ Piros hissed. “It’s not from the cold. It is actually getting hotter!”

Phixa turned to the pale lady. She noticed the black frostbitten lips had lightened up into a blue hue and then white. Next, the eyes also turned white. The floor beneath Phixa began to feel warm, but none of the ice was melting. Quickly, she ran around the obstructing icicle to Piros. He was still trapped. She touched the ice. It was warm. And it was only getting hotter.

The two couldn’t do anything else. So, they witnessed the omen unfold in front of them.

The pale lady emitted a white mist around her as she floated. The mist fell and crawled towards the two, and brushed by Phixa. It was hot. She jumped onto Piros’s arms. He strained himself, holding in the pain of his burning legs.

The blue man ran up to the white woman. “Lia!” He shouted. “Don’t! Not now!” He screamed to grab her attention. His voice grumbled as sadness set into his throat. “Please…!” He wrapped his arms around her waist. He continued to call for her. 

But it was futile.

She continued to grow hotter and brighter.

In seconds, the scale patterns on the blue man elongated, and became blue wings that enveloped around her. Instantaneously, there was a muffled explosion that shook the colosseum. The blue wings evaporated like burning paper, letting out a white mist that carried the woman’s voice, her last words: “Eli…”

The ice finally melted. Piros was free. He let phixa down.

“That was so sad,” Phixa cried.

“What exactly was that?” Prios asked.

“I don’t know, but,” Phixa sniffled, “they seemed like they had no choice…!”

Credits go to ShadowTheIndoraptor for writing her part of the skirmish with the Raptor Squad and their hijinks. A special shoutout for the Most Valuable Penguin, PenguinMaestro for aiding me in cowriting Phixa's skirmish with this masterpiece.