571 years ago

8th Empire Coliseum

Azura

My body was a map of my sins, words etched into my skin like a story half-written. Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, they read, Wrath, Envy, and Vanity. Layered one over another, they decorated my body like a map of my insecurities, all of my flaws in full view scarred on my skin. Each sin told the story of a memory gone sour, one that could never be forgotten. My sins made me the monster I was and the freed puppet I longed to be.

Today was no different. As always, I had sinned, the burn still fresh on my leg. Daddy said I was a sloth, unable to achieve simple tasks because of my laziness. As punishment, I ended up in a poorly-lit cell, chains clamped around my wrists like I was a murderer. I am a murderer, I thought, but I only did it because Daddy told me to. 

My chains clinked against the ground as I was dropped into a passageway. The air was strangely dry and saturated with dust, so thick it made it difficult to breathe. However, the metal floor beneath me was spotless and led up to a grand entrance. I coughed and the noise echoed down the corridor. Where am I? I thought. My purple hair flew in my face as I walked towards the light streaming from the end of the hallway. 

“And our next challenger to the 10th’s imperial reign is Nyx, a skilled assassin from the 4th! This is this fighter’s first time in the ring, but from the rumors I’ve heard, this is sure to be a wild fight.”

I stepped into the light and the cheering crowd went silent. 

“Rick, are you sure this is the right galeiditara? She’s just a child.”

“Don, the roster says it right here. This is the 4th emperor’s submission.”

I looked up at the 10th emperor. He was smirking. Did he think this was going to be an easy fight? Likely. Daddy had pinned my wings, chained my arms and legs, and sent me into the arena. I was going to die. I deserved it. I had sinned. I had been lazy.

That was before I saw my opponent, the 10th’s son. He was riding a dragon and flaunting his decorative gold armor like he was the star of a parade. His shiny golden mace was bigger than his entire body, and he was swinging it around like a madman, somehow managing to make his position of galeiditara embarrassing. He flexed his muscles, and the crowd went wild. 

He’s arrogant, but I can't fight him. This is my punishment. Keep your powers hidden, Zuri, I thought. Daddy told you to never use your magic. You can handle the pain, just go to the meadows again. I knelt down on the dirt floor and closed my eyes, accepting the punishment. Vibrant green fields flashed in my mind. I was laying down in the grass staring up at the clouds, yellow binabees tickling my legs. A flock of griffins flew overhead, their majestic wings shining in the midday sun. I was at peace. 

The first blow shredded open my wings and sliced open my left side. Why was he going for the kill? He only needed a surrender. I cried out in agony, much to the crowd’s delight. They were all too excited to watch the show. 

“What a blow! Don, did you just see that? You know I have had my eyes on that boy ever since his debutante ball. He is the perfect example of the imperial families: beautiful, cunning, and ruthless.”

“Rick, this might just be the most boring match of the day. The child assassin from the 4th isn’t even fighting back. Look, this is the first match to be booed all weekend.” 

The meadows brought me back to their world, a safe haven where no one dared attack me with a mace. The announcers’ voices faded to a whisper as the sounds of the goldensongs chirping filled my ears. 

The next blow sliced my right side in pieces, but I was too far into the dreamland I had created to feel the pain. In the meadows, I felt the wind rustle my hair as I gazed at the sun slowly descending below the horizon, casting a golden light on the herons flying overhead. 

Something was wrong, I could feel it in my bones. The sky was turning red. Black clouds were rising from the soil. I was angry, my stomach boiling from this newfound rage. Why should I be angry? I thought. This was my punishment. 

I felt the third blow across my back, sharp and swift.  Blood was pooling temptingly below me, calling my magic as it dripped down my crippled shell. My magic was begging me to defend myself, but I had sinned. I could not forsake Daddy’s punishment. 

I was back in the coliseum in an instant, dying in a pool of my own blood. Without thinking, I plunged my hands into the blood and used my magic to heal my wings, the site of my deadliest wounds. I wasn’t thinking straight. I had sinned. But my body wouldn’t stop. In the process of getting disemboweled the shackles on my wings detached, and I leapt up into the nighttime sky. The crowd went wild, finally excited to see some real combat. 

I pushed my hands forward and summoned a gust of wind, knocking the 10th prince off his dragon. Just as soon as he hit the ground, I summoned a spear and chucked it at the enchantment gem atop the dragon’s forehead, which was keeping them in reptilian form and under the prince’s control. The gem smashed in an instant, pink shards flying through the air. The disenchanted dragon quickly flew away out of the top of the arena, embarrassed to be treated as nothing more than a steed. 

Suddenly, it was just me and the prince. In a fit of rage, the once confident prince chucked his mace at me and missed by a mile, lodging it into the wood panels right below the commentator’s booth.

“Looks like we finally have a real fight here, Rick. Nyx has really turned the tide.”

“You know Don, I think it could really go both ways. Nyx is still bleeding out. However, I can’t see the crowd booing anyone anytime soon.”

It was an easy fight. Without the dragon, the 10th prince was nothing more than a child dressed in knight’s armor. Within minutes, he gave in and surrendered, winning me a wish from the 10th Emperor. The crowd roared in applause, excited to see a win from the attacker. I flew up to his gilded spectator box and bowed respectfully, Daddy close behind. When I reached the box, the 10th Emperor sighed, likely frustrated that his favorite son lost. 

“What do you want?” he said gruffly. 

Daddy approached the 10th emperor, a frightening grin on his face. Daddy only smiled when he was plotting something.

“My galeiditara would like the port city of Levia as her prize,” he bargained. “Is that too much to ask of the father of incompetent children?”

Levia was the city that controlled all trade along the Yuli River, but it was on the border between the 8th and 6th Empires, nowhere near the 4th Empire. However, it housed a flourishing and easily profitable port, a place that would reap nothing but benefits for my father. 

The 10th Emperor was in no place to bargain, so he accepted the rather fair offer immediately. Soon after the contract was signed, Daddy and I flew down to his box. As soon as he landed, he offered his hand to me.

“Darling Azura,” he said, “Would you take a walk with Rolf and me?”

Who was I to refuse? He was the emperor. I took Daddy’s hand and walked out of the silence box, pleased that I had made such a contribution to the 4th empire. I saw the sleeping cloth before I felt it, but it was too late.

I woke up the next day with Sloth burned into my right arm and Wrath burned into my left. Sins were not something that can be forgiven so easily.