There was only but a silence.

The crowd of Rakkorians stood shocked and speechless, unable to understand what they had just witnessed. Not a single sound could be heard, as the every single pair of eyes fell upon the girl in the center of the arena.

Tension filled the air as Leona glared at the platform that housed the Elders above her, unfazed by the silence and unwilling to back down.

This couldn't be happening. She was so close to finishing.

Why had she stopped? What was she thinking?!

Pantheon's pulse quickened as a barrage of thoughts ran through his mind.

The Elders would surely put her to death. He could see no other outcome that would be probable for such a violation of tradition.

He ran his hands angrily through his hair. What a fool he was for believing that Leona would have been willing to kill another Rakkor.

He should have foreseen that her unyielding stubbornness would inevitably lead to this very moment.

He should have…

But now, it was too late for any regret. Pantheon could only watch from the sidelines, unable to help her. All that could be done now was in the hands of Aurelius.

But would he make good on his promise?

Then, as if a leak had sprung in a dam, a great oblivion of noise erupted from the crowd. Some made obscene gestures at Leona's actions while others consorting with one another, attempting to make sense of what she was doing.

It was a scene of absolute chaos.

Then, a great voice boomed from the council of Elders

"Enough!"

At the cutting edge of the voice, the crowd quieted once more, turning their full attention to the center of the arena. From the silence rose the Elder, garbed in the pearl white tunic. He gazed down at the warrior, defiantly standing above her broken opponent. Her stance was bold as she held under the withering gaze of the Elder.

"Very well done, young warrior of the Rakkor," his voice booming across the crowd, "You have crushed him and bested his defenses. Now, it is time for you to finish it. End his life, and you shall be recognized as an elite warrior of the Rakkor!"

Leona stood motionless as the words washed over her.

She had to admit, his words did hold a solid appeal. All she had ever wanted was to be accepted by all of her peers. Through all of the lectures and the taunts, she had always promised herself that she would one day be respected and recognized among by everyone; including the Elders. And now, here she was, so close to fulfilling that dream. It seemed only logical that she would accomplish her goal would it not?

But she had also promised herself to always uphold the principles that she held dear. The images of her friends who had died in the process of sharing those ideas to her flashed through her mind. No. She would not compromise her ideals; never again. The Elder's words no longer held any meaning or future to her anymore. She would not be swayed any longer by the words of those who would seek to destroy what she believed in.

Her mind was already set.

Slowly but without hesitation, she spoke, her clear voice ringing across the arena for all to hear.

"No... I will not".

The Elder's eyes widened in surprise.

"What did you say? Speak once more so that we all may hear you."

Leona took a breath, hardening her eyes and gazed at the Elder once more. There was no turning back from this point. If she continued forward, her fate would be set in stone. But she was not afraid.

"I said no. I will not harm another one of my fellow Rakkorians. It is barbaric and a disgusting traditional stain upon the reputation of the Rakkor. I refuse to complete the trial."

Upon these words, a murmur ran through the crowd. Sounds of confused and anxious spectators rung throughout every crevice of the arena once more. This had never occurred before. Even for the more elderly among the Rakkorian, this was something they had never witnessed in their many viewings of the Rite of Kor. All those who had come before had never defied the trial, and yet here was this puny girl, challenging the concepts of the entire Rite. It was not until the Elder held his hands up that the crowd was silenced into oblivion once more.

The Elder narrowed his eyes.

"You refuse to complete the trial? Do you understand the consequence of failing to finish your opponent? You would be foolish not to."

Leona closed her eyes, an image of a brown haired boy walking beside her on a dirt road flashed through her mind.

"Yes. If standing for what I believe is right means being executed under the traditions of the Rite, then I will accept my death without any resistance."

"Very well. So it shall be done." The Elder turned towards the large iron gates, "Executioner!"

The sound of an iron gate being lifted could be heard. From the stockade emerged a large brutish figure, dressed in a dark cloak that flowed to his feet. In his hands gleamed a large steel axe which shone an ominous light upon the ground. He trudged towards Leona, his cloak dragging across the dirt as he moved.

The dark apparition stepped slowly behind Leona, poising himself and his axe at the small of her back. The man glanced at the council of Elders.

All was silent as the crowd watched, awaiting the spectacle of death. But before the Elder could give the signal, a voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Elder Lervix!"

The white cloaked Elder turned to face Aurelius who had stood up from his seat at the council's table.

"Elder Lervix. Let us not be so hasty in deciding her fate for simply refusing to slay her opponent. Has she not already proven she is a worthy warrior? There is no need for us to kill our apprentices more than we must. Besides, you cannot deny that Leona is a generational warrior. Executing her would be a great loss to our tribal strength."

Lervix frowned. He turned once more to the young girl that stood in the arena. Lost in thought, he stood motionless for a while, silence befalling the table of Elders.

After a while, he spoke, shaking his head.

"Aurelius… Much as I see her potential as you do, we can't allow her to live. Doing so would break our tradition and in doing so, break our unity as a tribe. If she has an exception above the traditions of the Rakkor, who are we to say that others can not? We would lose power in the tribe and our tradition would be lost to the ages."

Aurelius shrugged, "I am not concerned with what the Rakkor's tradition has been. I am looking to see what it will become. If we execute those who exemplify the art of war, how can we hope to maintain our culture? We would be hypocrites of the principles that the Rakkor have been founded on."

"It cannot be done. We cannot spare her life. The rules must be enforced in any and all circumstances. Besides, we will always find another exceptional warrior to take her place."

"You are blind to the present Lervix. The times are changing; we cannot always follow in the past's footsteps. We must create our own way in our world. Perhaps the rules may need to change for the new times that our warriors are experiencing."

"It cannot happen Aurelius! We must uphold the rules that our forefathers have laid down throughout the ages! We will not risk endangering the entire history and monuments of those who came before us!"

The other Elders watched as the two battled, the intensity of words heating up between them. It was as if they were watching two of Earth's greatest elements war with each other, rather than the squabble of old men.

"Well, you can't execute her if I am in a disagreement. We all know there must be a complete consensus among the Elders to overturn my decision."

Lervix growled, "Very well then. You believe that the other Elders will allow us to crumble from the inside? Let us take a vote then. Those in favor of overturning the decision?"

Many of the Elders raised their hands, a near complete majority in favor of the policy.

"And all of those who are opposed to the overture?"

Aurelius and another Elder by the name of Angelina raised their hands.

There was a stunned silence. No one had expected any other Elder to be bold enough to challenge Lervix and the traditions. As much influence as Aurelius held, the repercussions of voting for this challenge could reverberate through the generations. That kind of social pressure would often hold Elders at its mercy. Yet Aurelius had somehow succeeded.

He smiled in his triumph.

"We seem to be at a standoff Lervix. You do not have enough votes to struck me down."

Lervix glared at Angelina, who shrunk back slightly under his glare.

"Very well Aurelius," Lervix snarled, "If you wish to play such political games, then I shall be happy to oblige. From my position as the head Elder, I invoke the power that is given to me to be used once in order to secure the future of the Rakkorians. I shall nullify your vote and your dissent."

Aurelius stared, shocked at his words, seemingly out of words for the first time in his life. The power he spoke of was only given to the head Elder to be used once in his entire lifetime. It was a power of security and could only be used preserve Rakkor traditions. Normally, the council would decide on decisions as a group, but with this power, Lervix would be able to bypass that system in his justification for saving the Rakkor. It was a power not to be taken lightly and very few head Elders in the entire past had rarely ever made use of it.

Yet here was Elder Lervix, invoking the sacred powers that could only be seen once in a century.

"You wouldn't…do that."

"Oh but I would," declared Lervix solemnly, "I must do whatever it take to preserve the tradition of the Rakkor. Even if it means assuming dictatorial powers for this moment. I will hold this tribe together Aurelius, regardless of what you think of the individuals. We as the Rakkor must move as one or else we are nothing."

Aurelius looked around angrily at the other Elders. They glanced away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"And will none of you come to see sense? Will you all follow Lervix into this madness? She is one of our best warriors!"

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence among them. Electricity shot in between the glances of the Elder, arcing through the thick tension. Then, an Elder dressed in a grey tunic sporting short white hair turned to face Aurelius.

"Elder Aurelius," she began slowly, "While we admire the fervor in which you have placed upon this young warrior, we must be able to see the larger picture. If we should break the tradition here, we will begin an age of instability among ourselves. As Elders, it is our duty to do what we have to preserve our tradition, be it with our lives or our liberty. I, for one, cannot destroy the future generations of Rakkor solely to save one that you believe has merit now. We must not only look to the present and the past Aurelius, but to the circumstances of the future as well. It is for this reason that we choose to support Lervix. Do not take this as an attack, but rather as a necessity of action."

The other Elders nodded in agreement with her words, muttering assent among themselves.

Aurelius turned helplessly, but there was no more ground for him to move upon.

"Enough of this talk," Lervix sighed, "It certainly is regrettable that we must kill such as fine warrior such as her. But at the end of the day, the importance of our tradition takes priority. Do you understand that Aurelius?"

There was no response. Instead, the Elder simply turned to a small compound on the side of the arena where a brown haired boy stood anxiously among his peers. He watched him sadly as the boy stared at Leona with an intensity he had never seen. And amid the intensity there was anguish and pain but there was also something he had never seen before; hope.

But as much as he wanted to keep that fire alive, there was no room for him to argue, no place of refuge to sheath his argument. He had no choice in the matter. He had failed, and now the boy, not him, would pay the price. Guilt befell him like a hammer, but his back was against the wall.

"Very well," Aurelius croaked weakly, "I-I...I withdraw my dissent."

Lervix gave him a solemn nod as he collapsed defeated into his seat, his head between his hands.

"It is the right thing to do Aurelius. You will come to see that."

Pantheon lungs felt like they would burst. He had to mentally remind himself to keep breathing as he watched the argument between Aurelius and the other Elders.

Surely, surely Aurelius would win. He was a revered Elder, was he not? And besides, he had made a promise to Pantheon. Aurelius always kept his promises, no matter the cost. That is why Pantheon had always held an absolute faith in his Elder.

But as Lervix stepped to the front of the plateau, the words Pantheon heard were not what he had expected to hear. He had hoped they would bring him salvation and assurance; instead, they brought him despair and hate.

"For the act of refusing to follow the tradition of the Rite of Kor, you are sentenced to death! Executioner!"

Pantheon felt as if his heart had been torn from his chest by an icy hand. He whipped his head towards the Elders' table only to see Aurelius slumped in defeat. It was then he knew, the worst had come to pass.

No!

He would not allow this to happen. He could not!

In a flash, he hoisted his pear and his shield and leapt over the fence that separated the box from the arena. Spear in hand and shield strapped to his arm, he charged towards Leona and the dark figure above her.

Lervix froze as he watched this strange figure run towards the kneeling warrior. He meant to stop her execution! He would destroy us!

"GUARDS!" he roared, "STOP HIM! DO NOT LET HIM TOUCH HER!"

Instantly, dozens of armed Rakkorians stepped in front of Pantheon to halt his advances.

Pantheon quickly sidestepped one of the guards that swung his club him, slamming his shield into his helmet and dodging the spear of another. He fought viciously, throwing several more guards to the ground. He punched another, breaking his jaw and shoved another away from him.

But no matter how well he fought, there were simply too many for Pantheon to handle. Eventually, the guards overwhelmed him, swarming him until Pantheon lay pinned against the dirt beneath them. For in the end, he was a mere teenager clashing against the grown men of the guard.

He struggled angrily but the weight of several soldiers held him fast.

Pantheon could do nothing as he watched the brutish executioner stand over Leona with the gleaming axe. Leona knelt in the dirt, her head bowed to the sun above her. She had already accepted her fate. She would be willing to die to give her devotion to her ideals.

But Pantheon would not. He could not lose someone such as her. Not after so many years of companionship. She was his last link to what it meant to still be truly human and a friend.

"Leona!" he screamed, "Don't do this! Don't give in! Please, you can't die!"

She lifted her head slightly, sad eyes caressing his cheek. Her lips did not move, but her sorrowful eyes told him all he needed to know in that moment.

I'm sorry Pantheon.

Lervix signaled the executioner.

"Do it!"

Raising the axe above the kneeling girl, the blade began its descent down towards her neck. The metal gleamed, lusting to meet the soft flesh of her body and shred it to pieces.

Pantheon watched in horror, his breath taken from him by the atrocity in front of his very eyes.

NO!

In a surge of unknown strength, Pantheon burst free from the grasp of the guards above him. He roared, shaking the guards from his body. He burst forth, once more on his feet.

LEONA!

He charged again towards the pair of figures conspiring the act of death. But it was too late. He was too far to save her. He could only watch as the blade came closer and closer to her neck, ready to end her life.

He felt something crack inside of him, as if a glass ball had shattered against his heart.

Then, his vision tuned to white as something erupted in front of him. Pantheon flew back, landing hard onto the ground, his eyes blinded by a brilliant light.

Leona….

The sound of the earth shattering could be heard as the entire stadium shook with blinding rays of sunlight. Beams of the brilliant sun struck the foundations of the arena, arcing to every crook and crevice, leaving no placed untouched by the fiery light.

The Rakkorians erupted into a panic, many cowering and covering their eyes to shield themselves from the intense rays that seemed to appear from nowhere.

Some Rakkorian guards fell, their bodies writhing in the intense light that rained upon them as their swords clattered harmlessly to the ground.

It seemed that the world for the Rakkor was ending, the very sky above them splitting in half, allowing this light to eviscerate them all. Chaos reigned freely among the panicking Rakkor as they trampled in a hurry in an attempt to seek cover from the all-seeing light that blinded them so.

But then, as quickly as the light had come down like a judgement of a supreme being, it stopped, slinking away back into the blue heaven above them. Once more, it was quiet, devoid of any brilliant rays that shook the stadium.

Many Rakkor stood in confusion as they surveyed the surroundings for any signs of the light that had attacked them. They watched curiously for enemies or beings that might have appeared among the rays.

But all they could see as they surveyed the arena was an unharmed girl standing above a cloaked man who laid motionless in the dirt. Her orange locks waved in the wind as she stood once more, bathed in the dawn of the sunlight.

Headcanon:

Lervix and Aurelius go way back, but they've always had different viewpoints on how to run things. Lervix is the head Elder but Aurelius wields substantial influence as well, though not as much.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the late update, tried to change the direction and style of the story for a bit so that took me a bit longer to write. Tried to play league as well, but got demoted to Silver from Plat. Yikes.

Anyways, hope you guys like that chapter! Thanks for the support so far, it's really encouraging! If you want, leave a review telling me how I did, so we can all make the story just a bit better, step by step.

Also, if you're looking for a Talon/Quinn story and other cool stories (not as intense as mine lol), my friend Tinyshygirl125 has got all the stories on those two and some others. Go check her out and see if you like her style!

-Until Next time,

C. Geng