text: Chapter 2: All of Your Hate... The boy sat alone on the bed, in the dark. Brown eyes stared through a curtain of fair hair. He was in deep thought. The room was spacious enough, with just about enough room for the bed and for him to stretch his legs. A sword was sheathed on his hip, with a single ruby embedded into the hilt. At the foot of the bed, there was a plain, wooden bow propped up, with arrows spilling out of a quiver nearby. So far the rounds of the first stage had been simple enough; Make your opponent unable to continue fighting. He had a feeling that the second stage would not be as simple as that. They all had such powerful magic, he thought bitterly. He wished he could have had magic like that. He got up, slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder...but no matter how strong their magic was, he had to win! There was no other choice. They had to see their sins for what they really were! He opened the door, with light flooding into the room. And besides, he thought with a smirk, its not as though he was completely defenceless. Placing a wolf mask on his face, he strode forward with a spring in his step. The final battle was about to begin. The open arena was a large rectangle in shape, large enough for powerful magic battles to take place. Spectators, seated on the rows of chairs above the arena, whispered feverishly as they waited for the final battle of the first round. They didn’t have to wait long, as two curtains on opposite sides of the arena opened and two people walked out, a boy with fair hair and a dog mask and a short, burly man. They stepped forward and bowed. The boy drew his sword. The man couldn’t believe it. All of his previous battles had been won out of pure luck and a bit of strategic thinking. His water magic was versatile and adaptable, but it lacked a lot of power. That was the reason he struggled so much with his last battles. But the last opponent was just a child! He could only sense a tiny amount of magic in his frail body. He would be able to advance to the second round with no trouble at all. He readied his magic. The boy had a mask over his face, so it was hard to tell what exactly he was thinking. The mask caught his attention; it wasn’t of any native design. It was a mask of a wolf, but instead of the usual grey tone of a wolf’s fur, the mask was adorned by elegant swirls and patterns. Unusual, but why did he care? As long as he could win it was all irrelevant. “Get ready, boy!” He outstretched his hand “Little children like you are out of your league-“ The boy ran forward with blinding speed, appearing behind the man in an instant. The spectators gasped; this speed had not been seen in anyone else before. Sword outstretched, the boy replied, “ It would be best for you to surrender now, so that I don’t have to hurt you” What the hell was this kid? He could sense only a tiny amount of magic from him, yet he had crossed that entire distance in an instant. Was it with physical prowess alone? His legs shook like a tree in an earthquake. But he wasn’t going to lose to someone as young as him! Stretching both arms out, he let loose thin jets of water from his fingertips, but the boy weaved and sliced through them, without moving from the spot. His control over the sword was as if it was a part of his own body. Every jet of water was reduced to a puddle on the floor, and the boy was completely dry. But the man hadn’t been aiming for the boy. The jets had been aimed so that if the boy were to evade them, the boy would be surrounded by a ring of water on the floor. His aim had been to bind the boy, not to hit him. Coils of water erupted from the ring of water from every direction, too fast and too many for the boy to avoid. It looked like he knew this. He made no attempt to move. The tentacles of water grabbed him, and held his hands behind his back. His sword fell with a clatter to the floor. A coil of water seized his bow and quiver, and threw it to the other side of the arena. He stayed silent, limp in the water’s grasp, making no attempt to escape. The man strode forward. “This is why you don’t try to swim in deep water, boy. Inexperienced children like you will drown.” He grinned, amazed at how lucky he was to get an opponent as weak as him. “Now, how about we the face behind this dog mask of yours” The tentacles lowered the boys slightly. The man pulled back the mask to reveal a face full of pity. He tossed the mask to the side. Just like his mask suggested, the boy wasn’t native to this country. His brown eyes were downcast, a slight smile touching his thin lips. His eyes rose to meet the man’s eyes. “I warned you to surrender, so that I wouldn’t have to hurt you. I’m not the one to blame for what happens next.” The tentacle’s grip tightened, and the man’s fists started shaking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, boy!” A voice choked by fury erupted from his mouth. “You’ve lost. I’ve won! You are the one who’s going to get hurt.” The boy closed his eyes “You’ve forgotten that I have still magic. You dismissed my magic as being weak and useless at the start of this battle. I can tell. That was your mistake.” He opened his eyes again and smiled in earnest. “Look down” The man’s eyes darted down to see a round ball next to the sword. That hadn’t been there before. He didn’t realise it was a bomb until it had already exploded. The shock of the explosion rippled through the solid coils of water and turned it into a lifeless liquid. Man, boy and sword were all propelled in the air. Grabbing the sword out of the air, the boy let loose a powerful barrage of blunt slashes in mid-air. The man didn’t stand a chance. He fell on his back with a thud, unable to continue. The boy landed elegantly, greeted by the stunned silence and the astonishment of the spectators. Facing the crowd, he sheathed his sword. “I am the one who will bring the Ruined Lands out of darkness. In order to do so, I will overcome every and any challenge that stands in my way. Be it man, monster, machine or other, there is no other choice for me but to fix this broken world!” Cheers and passionate expressions of support greeted his words. He bellowed over the shouts of the crowd “My name is Salieri Dabaso!” On that day, a light was sparked in the darkness of The Ruins.