The ring exploded.
A blast of concussive force ripped across the field like a thunderclap torn from the bones of the earth. A bright flare of gold light slammed into Zarvana's ice blade and shattered it instantly.
The weapon burst apart in a bloom of ice and mist, shards flying like razors through the air. The shockwave hit both women with brutal force, knocking them clean off their feet.
Raika hit the ground hard, tumbling over twice before she came to a sliding stop, gasping as she clawed for air that wouldn't come. Zarvana fared no better.
She skidded backwards in a low crouch, boots cutting deep gouges into the stone beneath her as she fought to steady herself. Her ice-armored arms rose instinctively to shield her face from the debris.
When the mist finally cleared, Raika pushed herself up onto her elbows. Every joint in her body screamed but she forced her head up, squinting toward the source of that blast.
Zarvana was standing again but her gaze was fixed on something, or someone, with a sharpness Raika had never seen before. Not fear exactly. But close enough.
The Chieftain's pale eyes narrowed as she slowly lowered her arms and turned to look behind her. And there, standing silent and still, as if she had always been there, was a woman cloaked in heavy black robes, her hood drawn low over her face.
The folds of the cloth hung loose around her tall, lean frame, hiding her features in shadow. But her hands... those were visible.
One gloved hand gripped the base of a long staff, taller than she was, its surface gleaming in polished gold. Its slender shape flared out at the top, a crescent-ringed symbol crowned with delicate, glassy petals that faintly glowed with an ethereal, pearlescent light.
Raika's heart skipped a beat. That wasn't just any staff.
That was a Priestess Staff. A damn high priestess staff.
Zarvana stared at the weapon for a long, breathless moment. And her face changed to something Raika never expected to see from her: hesitation.A tremor of respect. And beneath that, something sharp and coiled like a trapped animal sensing the cage door had just slammed shut.
The woman's voice cut through the field.
"That's enough for now," the hooded figure said.
Zarvana's hands clenched at her sides. Her jaw tightened visibly.
"Who-"
"You know who I am," the woman replied simply. "Don't play dumb, you disgusting horny bitch."
And it was true. Everyone did. The entire field had gone dead silent. Even the raucous crowd, who minutes ago had been screaming Raika's name or chanting for blood, were now stunned into frozen stillness. Their breaths caught somewhere between reverence and absolute fear.
The woman stepped forward. Her hood shifted as she turned, revealing the lower half of her face. She was pale with red lips but her eyes remained hidden in shadow.
She didn't speak to Zarvana again. Instead, she let her gaze settle on Raika. She tilted her head slightly, as if inspecting a wound she'd expected to find.
"You really went too far this time," the woman said, voice soft but carrying. "I told you not to overdo it."
Raika coughed, spitting blood into the dust, and managed a wry, bitter laugh.
"You didn't say I couldn't."
"I told you not to die," the woman corrected smoothly. "And you were about to disobey."
Zarvana took a single step forward. "You have no authority here."
The woman's free hand lifted then, palm open, and the air in the arena changed. The ground beneath Raika's knees trembled. A ripple of invisible force pushed outward from the staff like a sudden pressure drop before a storm. It wasn't an attack but it was a warning, one that even Zarvana didn't ignore.
"No," the woman said softly. "But my master does."
Zarvana froze just for an instant, but it was enough to turn every head in the arena. Murmurs rushed through the crowd like a wave about to break.
Raika felt her throat go dry. She pushed herself shakily onto her feet, ignoring the sharp pain in her leg.
"Wait," she rasped. "Your master? Don't tell me..."
The woman smiled thinly. "Peony's Apathy. I'm sure you've heard of that name."
The name itself was enough to send a shiver through the entire gathering. Peony's Apathy. One of the most feared and enigmatic beings to ever step foot on the Fallen Bridge in two and a half years. Rumors said this being had wiped out entire settlements with a flick of its hand. That this being was capable of halting death itself.
And now, her subordinate was standing in the middle of the Northern Tribes' arena, pointing a priestess staff at the Chieftain's throat.
Raika swallowed hard. Her body ached. Her mind reeled but she understood the gravity of what was happening.
Even Zarvana wasn't immune. The Chieftain took another step back, the frost around her boots melting as she released her connection on the ice element. Her fists lowered.
And Veyn, who had been pounding at the cage bars seconds ago, had gone utterly still. His wide, golden eyes fixed on the woman in black with something Raika couldn't name. Shock? Maybe. Fear? Probably. Hope? She wasn't sure.
The hooded woman gave one last glance at Raika. Her voice softened again.
"You've got guts, Raika Spine," she murmured. "But next time... don't make me intervene."
Raika exhaled shakily. She wasn't sure if it was relief or terror. Zarvana said nothing more but the fire in her gaze hadn't gone out. If anything... it burned colder.
Raika stood there, teeth grit, chest heaving as she clutched at her cracked ribs. She hated feeling this helpless, hated feeling like prey instead of predator. And yet, there she was, staring at the back of a woman in a black hood who had once dragged her away from death by the scruff of her neck like a cursed pup.
It had been two and a half years ago.
A stampede had thundered through the ravines north of the Fallen Bridge, a chaos of bone-splitters and tusked maulers driven mad by the cold. Raika had been reckless, too sure of herself.
She'd thought she could outpace them. She was wrong. Her leg had been torn open, spine cracked when something slammed her into the rocks. She'd crawled into a hollow beneath the ruins, thinking she'd die there. No one came looking. No one would've.
Until she did.
The hooded woman.
Raika remembered that moment clearly. Waking in a haze of blood, cold seeping into her marrow, and seeing a pair of pale hands hovering over her chest. They'd glowed faintly, veins pulsing with some quiet energy as they closed her wounds, knitting together flesh she was sure had been beyond fixing.
And when Raika finally woke days later, conscious and able to move again, she'd been in a cave. Their cave. The one she and Veyn had ended up calling home. It was the hooded woman who'd carried her there, left her with supplies, and vanished before Raika could get any answers.
But she'd said one thing. One thing Raika never forgot.
"Don't be careless," she'd told her. "You won't get a second chance."
And now, after all that time, here they were again.
The woman turned her head just enough for Raika to catch the faint outline of her jaw under the hood. The woman's head tilted, and Raika stopped start. She clicked her tongue instead, looking away.
"Sorry."
Zarvana hadn't moved. She was still standing in the middle of the arena floor, fists tight at her sides, jaw like stone. But when the hooded woman turned fully toward her, lifting that golden priestess staff again with ease, the Chieftain's chin dipped a fraction.
"The Ice Rain is coming," the hooded woman announced. Her voice was clear, cutting through the crowd like an executioner's blade. "It will last for ten hours so stay there."
Raika's brow furrowed. "Ice Rain? Now?"
She glanced at a hole in the underground, overlooking the sky. It looked normal... but then again, it always did, right up until the sky split open and spears of frozen death came hailing down.
"You'll feel the first shards in an hour," the woman said simply. Then she added, looking at Zarvana, "And if you go outside... if you do anything to her or her beloved Veyn-"
"I'm not his beloved," Raika snapped, slamming her palm against her thigh with a grimace. "He's just... mine. That's it."
The woman ignored her completely.
"-I'll kill you," she finished, her voice flat. "Cleaning up after you would make my master's work easier."
Zarvana's lip curled faintly, but she didn't argue. Not now.
Raika clenched her teeth. She wanted to protest, wanted to yell at someone but instead, she just exhaled. Hard.
"Fine. We'll stay indoors."
The hooded woman gave her a single nod, then took a slow step backward. Her figure blurred for a moment, like heat haze off scorched stone, then vanished completely. No flash, no noise. One second there, the next... nothing.
Raika rubbed at her neck, wincing.
"Creepy," she muttered under her breath.
Zarvana turned away, her shoulders tight but composed. She lifted her voice without any hesitation, her words hard and clear.
"Everyone below will stay here for ten hours. The Mate Choosing Ritual is over."
A beat of silence hung there like the moment before a blade hits flesh.
"And Raika Spine keeps Veyn for another year," Zarvana added, voice low.
And just like that, the field erupted into motion. Warriors and tribespeople alike surged toward the tunnel mouths leading down into the hollow warrens beneath the underground village. The arena emptied in swift, practiced formation. No one wanted to be caught in the open when Ice Rain fell.
Raika stayed where she was for a second longer, dragging in a ragged breath and staring up at the sky. Then she shook her head and muttered,
"Another year, huh?"
Veyn, still locked in his cage at the edge of the arena, was watching her quietly. His eyes were soft... and maybe a little smug.
"Stop looking at me like that," Raika grumbled as she limped toward him. "I told you, I'm not your beloved."
He said nothing, as always. But his smile said everything.
"If you say so. You need to rest."