Rain poured down, so did his blood. His life force ebbed away as he spoke those final words, then passed.
Felicity had won.
Thunder roared in the sky, distant yet loud. A flash of lightning lit up the cold, wet arena for a split second. Then, the overwhelming clouds darkened the atmosphere again. The plants relished in the heavy downpour, some even sprouting bigger, taller by the second. Across the ground, cracked stone and dirt, the mixed blood of both opponents trickled away. Felicity was on her knees, watching the body. Shivering, she hardly noticed how her wounds stung when touched by the water. Her hair and clothes were soaked, yet, it did not matter.
She won.
Her sword was cast to the side, splotched in his blood. The rain was making quick work of the stained metal, washing it clean. As the sound of rain pounding against the ground boomed, she had to force herself to remember that this was the Citadel. It was not real. Yet…
She did win. She won. At what cost, however, was this victory?
â€Never forget what you feel right now…â€
Did she feel victory? Satisfaction? She had proven she was a powerful fighter, capable of beating whatever odds were stacked against her. The Citadel had no permanent consequences for physical wounds or even death; the monks made sure of that. The clamoring memories of people mocking her, spitting at her, screaming, that her swordsmanship was no good silenced. Yet, why did she not feel happy? The powerful rain and roaring thunder fell on deaf ears. She shook, but not from the cold. This was the Citadel, she knew this death was not real. Yet, she could not get the lifeless form out of her mind. She had proven her adversaries wrong, proved their words were fruitless. So why- …
How did she feel?
She should feel proud, happy, triumphant. Instead… her heart was chilled like ice. Dead, unmoved. Nothing had changed. She still felt the weight of all those words slashing her chest. Yet, crystals of frost coated the cuts, preventing them from bleeding anymore. She somehow was not hurt anymore. At the same time, though, it hurt more than ever. Something was wrong.
Her heart was frozen cold.
Why?
The overwhelming floodwaters of rain, boisterous thunder, deafened her lonely scream.
