Dyon stood silently across from Zabia. It wasn't lost on him that this man had some sort of connection with Ulu, but Dyon wasn't the type to transfer the sins of one to another. As far as he was concerned, Ulu had already paid dearly for her mistake and would be paying for the rest of her life. Whether the relationship between Ulu and Zabia was close or distant was irrelevant to him.
Zabia, however, wore an expression so dark that the atmosphere seemed to turn heavy in response. His momentum was deep and rumbling, his thoughts seeming to manifest and take form in the real world, carrying a hidden but towering strength with it.
Planet Nix was a planet that specialized in a host of rare wills and disciplines, each more troublesome and awe-inspiring than the next.
The Nuru God Clan was won born of darkness. Although failing to reach the pinnacle of a supreme law, the power of a wielder of darkness will could not be underestimated. The numerous paths birthed a versatile and dangerous will that left little weaknesses when mastered.
The Lebna God Clan was a clan of soul and spirit experts. Their seals were their trademark, capable of tying down even the most powerful of experts with a single thought. Their control over a battle field was near unmatched, and their manipulation was uncanny.
However, the clan that stood above them both was the Jafari Royal God Clan… Specialist in time will.
There was reason that time will wasn't listed among the supreme laws. Not only was it a will just as difficult to learn as any supreme law, it also didn't provide any of the benefits that should come with one. Legacies related to time will were too rare, and the use of time will was so constrained and limited by the laws of the universe that wielders of it would be seen as those wasting their time…
And yet, despite understanding this, the Jafari still continued to take pride in their speciality, still continued to pass down their wills… Still continued to hold on to this seemingly useless will.
Even Dyon only maintained his time will in order to make use of its fusion with his space will. It simply took too much stamina without enough pay off to wield time will… It wasn't worth it…
However… Somehow, the Jafari continued to survive. An ancient and stubborn clan, yes. But, one that had lasted through the torrent of the ages nonetheless.
Few understood why and even fewer understood how. But what was clear was that underestimating a clan like this, would only lead to your downfall.
Nearly half a minute had passed since Dyon and Zabia stepped onto the arena floor, and yet neither one had moved.
The crowd didn't dare to say a thing. If this was any other match, they would likely have begun to boo by now. But something seemed different about this match… There was a story they didn't know about.
Ulu watched silently from the Planet Nix stronghold. Her expression was dead, and her eyes were hollow. A dense darkness filled the space as everyone's mood seemed to sync in unison.
Her hand was placed lightly on her stomach as her chest beat slowly – almost too slowly – filled with endless regret. Why had she even done what she had done? Was it worth it in the end? Was the potential increase in power their clan might receive worth the life of her child?
Ulu couldn't even delude herself into thinking that had she known she was pregnant, she wouldn't… No, couldn't have thought of doing those things to Ri.
She wanted to believe that maybe if she had had a little bit more motherly instinct… A little bit more sympathy and foresight… She would have been able to avoid all of this…
And yet now all she had was a baby in her belly that she had little understanding of… Was her child already dead?... Did it matter if their child was alive?... With her womb sealed, how would she ever give birth?...
Ulu was a part of the Lebna God Clan. By all rights, with her sensitivity toward sensory type techniques, she should have been the very first to realize that she was pregnant. But, it seemed that their elders were just that much more powerful. Until this morning, she hadn't even known she was pregnant at all… And now she wished she never knew…
Maybe if it was just her womb that was sealed, Zabia might have been able to maintain enough rationality to put their plan first. But, how could he be expected to do so in this situation? Ulu hadn't even attempted to calm her husband down. She hadn't bothered to remind him that he was meant to seal and not kill Dyon. In fact, she hadn't even been able to speak or think clearly for the entire day.
All she felt was regret… Endless regret.
Elder Den stood in the skies with a confused expression on his face. Now more than a minute had passed and yet neither warrior had made a move. He was quite clear on the fact that he had long ago said begin, but there was little he could do now.
Dyon continued to stand silently, his eyes trained on Zabia who had yet to look up from the ground this entire time. Judging by his demeanor, Dyon had long since come to understand that this man's relationship with Ulu wasn't so simple. In fact, it was so close that Dyon could see his soul blackening more with each passing second.
Zabia didn't even seem to be using time will. The black fog wafting from him was without a doubt a darkness will.
Suddenly, the silence was broken.
"I don't care what your reason was. I don't care what you think my wife did or didn't deserve. For the price of playing with the life of my child… Today is the day you die."
