Madison had spend the better portion of the night and morning blankly staring out of the window of her inn room in the city of Scara Brae. Small, faded streaks of black eye shadow cascaded down her thin pale face, brought to this state by her tears from the last few hours. Her black lips quivered as the sun rose.
She had messed up. Terribly. It had been almost a month since the unfortunate events in Serenti, and Madison had never quite felt the same. Every waking moment, she was driven insane by the laughter of her brothers echoing in her head. Even though it was in her own mind, they were having a grand old time celebrating her failure.
Justin and Michael had never taken too kindly to the black sheep of the family. They bore a deep rooted grudge towards their sister Madison as she surpassed them in most aspects of their assassin training. She was far more calculating, heartless, and violent than either brother, characteristics only further enhanced by their poor treatment of her.
And yet... I can't even protect a single man. Tears began to well up in her eyes once more, each waiting patiently for their turn to ride down her cheek. Several days she had spent blindly wandering the Coronian countryside, often contemplating suicide in her depression, until she had heard about the reopening of the Dajas Pagoda. Battling some of the best Althanas had to offer: It was the perfect opportunity to prove to herself that she was still worthy of the Freebird pedigree, despite of how much she hated the blood that flowed through her veins.
The waif slowly rose from her chair, her velvet dress flowing groundward as she stood, and walked the few feet to her bed. She threw open her satchel, thumbing through the bag's contents until she happened upon a small slip of parchment that had the date of her Pagoda challenge written on it. Madison wiped her eyes dry with a purple sleeve, so she could read the note in the morning light.
Twenty-fourth of this month
Joshua Cronen
Dajas Pagoda--Warrior Class
A tsunami of various emotions swelled inside her as she crumpled the parchment and threw it back in the satchel. The assassin was well aware of the rules of the Pagoda--and of the hierarchy as well. However, she wasn't interested in the status; the notoriety. All she wanted was to prove to herself that she was capable of continuing on in life.
***
Madison had been walking since late morning. Her destination was not far out of the city itself, but still required a good walk to get there. It was a crappy day--horribly hot and humid, with the sun nowheres to be found. There was a dense, soupy fog suffocating her, preventing her from accurately seeing where she placed her next footstep. Thick, tall trees jutted out of the fog and into the sky.
As her heels dug into the dirt path with every step, she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip as she tried to psyche herself up for the upcoming battle. I have to do this. I have to beat this Joshua Cronen. I cannot lose. But... What if I do? Who am I, then? I'm nobody... She bit down hard enough to draw blood with that thought. She let out a small, raspy yelp as the pain snapped her out of her brood.
Madison didn't notice the dome until she was ten feet from smacking right into it. The building was octagonal; not terribly big, but large enough to host a fight in. She could see several open windows lining the walls, each layered with condensation from the fog and the slight drizzle she had encountered on her way there.
As her skeletal had reached for the door, she realized that they were already open; an omen that Joshua was waiting for her. Madison paused, stricken with a sudden bout of cold feet. She began shaking slightly, the fear of the moment rising steadily in her stomach. I-I can't... No... I can't do this... Before she could turn around and abandon the Pagoda, the voice of her brother Justin ran through her head, his words the same as what he told her before she was exiled from her family.
"You're such a fuckin' pathetic runt."
She froze, her fists clenching tightly. The insult echoed inside her mind, slowly building up a level of rage she hadn't felt since that day four years ago. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not...
Madison took those fateful few steps into the building, hoping to prove to herself once and for all that her life was worth living.