When the images had come to a stop, Elodie's face was on the screen. Her picture shrank and settled in the first slot in a pyramid battle sheet.
"Elodie is our first battler! Now who will she be fighting?" The pictures went by again, excluding Elodie's. Elodie stared at the screen, unconcerned. The pictures stopped, showing Akarui. Several in the audience and of the contestants let their breaths go. Akarui's picture settled in next to Elodie's.
"So the first battle will be Elodie versus Akarui! Let's continue!"
The ending result was interesting. After the first two came Soul vs. Nikki. Then Kid vs. Akira. The rest were Hope vs. Rein, Liz vs. Patty, Lilliana vs. April, Noboru vs. Black Star, Maka vs. Avalyn, and Tsubaki vs. Rikki.
"Now, let's begin the first battle, shall we?" Chris asked. Everyone but Elodie and Akarui disappeared in pink poofs of smoke. They reappeared behind Chris and Charlie. The pyramid battle chart disappeared from the screen and more pictures flashed by... Except this time they were not people. No one could make them out until the pictures suddenly stopped. It showed a picture of a Pit. You couldn't see the bottom.
"They will be battling in the 'Falling Realm!' Good luck!"
Everyone disappeared. The audience, the judges... Everyone. Akarui and Elodie were the only ones in the white room.
"What is this? Do they think this is-" Her sentence was cut short as she suddenly started falling. Akarui fell with her, his cape flailing out behind him. The whiteness turned into a sky and a pit. The were falling down to the bottom.
On the sides of the pit was branches, rocks, and roots, sticking out from the ground.
"The collars are off, you can now use your abilities. But in order to get out of there... One must loose." The voice was clearly Chris's, but he was nowhere to be spotted. Akarui put his hand to his neck and grinned. He grabbed a branch from the side and stopped his fall. Elodie also grabbed one on the other side of the pit. She looked down for a slight second. There was still no bottom.
A white icicle pierced the wall beside her, slicing her cheek. She looked back up and cupped her face. Akarui was just floating there. His cloak was flinging around him a bit, showing off a bit more about him. He had a long slender tail and claws.
"You're... a cat?" Elodie asked. She smiled. "Well, this'll be easy." Akarui laughed.
"I'm no cat. Actually, a ferret. But these are just... The result of a failed spell."
"Spell? You mean you're-"
"Yes. A warlock." He shot over at her, pushing off the wall. She let go of the root she had a hold of and fell.
"A warlock, huh?" Kid said. "That's not good." Everyone stared down at the dome simulator where the two were fighting. The audience could see them, but they couldn't see the audience. Everyone was quiet as they watched the fight.
"If this wasn't so dangerous and uncool, I'd like this place," Soul said. Some nodded at his opinion. Soul turned to Nikki sitting next to him. "So, it looks like I'll be fighting you." Nikki looked at Soul.
"Soul, right? You're a scythe?"
"Yeah," Soul replied. "What're you?"
"I'm not telling. Currently I have the upper hand with knowing what you are, but you not knowing what I am. Anyways, I want to beat my brother. To do that I have to beat you first." She said nothing else. Soul stared at her, then turned back to the battle.
Elodie fell, down, down... She looked up at Akarui falling after her. He was gaining. She suddenly turned her arm into a weapon form as Akarui shot an icicle at her again. Her arm now had half of an axe coming out of the outer side. She put her other hand out as the other half of an axe blade came out of the other arm and caught a stiff branch. She twirled around the branch and then flipped upwards. She suddenly... Disappeared.
Akarui grabbed a rock and pulled himself up, looking around. Suddenly an axe blade was at his throat.
"You should really be careful not to let your enemy behind you." She said.
"You should take your own advise," she heard whisper in her ear. She looked down as a dagger was stuck into her.
"H-How-" She suddenly realized the Akarui she had her arm to was a decoy. The real one was behind her.
The dagger was taken out as she fell. Her eyes closed softly as she saw Akarui standing above her, a grin on his face.
The dome fell as the audience clapped a bit. Akarui looked around, blinking at the sudden change in light and space. His hand suddenly went to his throat. The collar was back on.
Six people in white cloaks ran over and put Elodie in a stretcher, then pulled her out of the room. Akarui disappeared in a pink poof as he was replaced by two others. Soul and Nikki once again stood down in the arena. The pictures of the places the battles could take place flashed by once again.
"Oh, hey, I'm next." Kid realized. He turned and looked at Akira, who was currently quietly talking to Rein. She looks like she'd be a good opponent or something. Ugh, she's so asymmetrical. It's hard to see what she's thinking. She'll be tough though. I hope Liz and Patty will be alright.
Kid looked back at the screen, which had finally stopped.