Hector and Nadia got closer to the fighting cage where two suited and bloodied men where tirelessly fighting each other. Punches to the face and gut. Kicks and bites flourishing in a horrific play of desperation and sadness.

On top of the cage, squatted a man in a suit with ripped arms and damaged pants. His hair was long and messy, his green eyes shined like emeralds as his eyes watched the match. On his shoulder sat a small creature. An apelike creature with small wings and red fur.  

"What in the world is that?" Hector asked taking a step back as he saw the creature.

"Oh, that’s right I guess you haven’t gotten that far into the history of the world of sages. I sometimes keep forgetting that you’re a new sage." Nadia said with a chuckle.

"That is a mephastophilis. A creature born from the yade." Nadia explained.

"If a certain area has a strong concentration of yade being built up and a strong emotion running through the people in that area then a creature known as a mephastophilis will be born."

"They are kind of like spirits or what people would call demons in the old days. They usually perform tricks that cause the emotion they were born from, or they linger in areas where people experience that emotion more than usual." Nadia explained.

"Wait, you said that they where called demons in the old days?" Hector asked.

"Yeah, the first mephastophilis discovered by non sages called itself Azazel. It went around tricking humans and making them despair, thus he was seen as a demon. Which led to every sitting of a mephastophilis being labeled as a demon sighting." Nadia said.

"You really know this stuff." Hector commented.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I am kind of a nerd when it comes to creatures like mephastophilis. Besides, I am contracted with one, so I guess it would simply be better if I knew this stuff." Nadia explained.

"C-contracted?" Hector asked confused.

"Oh yeah, people, both sages and humans, can form a bond with a mephastophilis to gain some sort of ability or benefit. Like information or, well, anything. Just as long as the mephastophilis gets what they want in return." Nadia said.

"Kind of like a familiar." she said with a smile.

"Usually, a mephastophilis forms contracts with those they find entertaining or those they were born from."

"The one I have contracted appeared to me when I was young, and it has only demanded to stay by my side. Besides, I haven’t really asked it for much either." Nadia explained.

"But I think I should maybe stop now, or I might just bore you to death with my nonsense." Nadia said, seemingly a bit embarrassed about her interest.

"No not at all. I mean, I'm still new to this world, so I find all of this simply amazing. Hidden civilizations and islands, creatures of unnatural origin, magic! it's like a world from a story book." Hector said.

Nadia smiled hearing this.

"Then maybe you could stop by some day and I could introduce you to my mephastophilis. However, he isn’t much social." Nadia said with a laugh.

"I would love to." Hector laughed back.

The two got closer to the ring and the mephastophilis seemed to notice them, it stared into them. Studying them intensely eventually, it whispered something into the man’s ear before returning to look at the crowd.

The man grew a wicked smile before lifting his long arms and clapping one singular clap. It rang out, causing the chatter to stop and the two tiered men to pause. The man's emerald eyes slowly moved up from the cage until stopping at the two.

"I don’t like this." Hector whispered into Nadia’s ear.

"Me neither, maybe we should just-"

"Do you fight?" The man asked, his bony finger pointing to Hector, his Slavic accent breaking through.

"M-me?" Hector asked.

The man simply nodded.

Hector turned to Nadia, who seemed a bit more cautious about the situation.

Looking back to the man Hector spoke.

"Yes."

The man's smile grew, now revealing his yellow damaged teeth.

"Are you any good?" the man asked.

Hector stood quiet for a moment, the expecting eyes of the spectators forcing their way into his very soul. Their eyes seemingly begging for more entertainment, begging to spend their money, begging to see something more. He clutched his fist and spoke.

"110 matches. 2 loses."

The crowd seemed to go wild. Before he knew it, he was brought towards the cage, and the two beat up men limped out. Now that he was closer, he saw how they seemed to in reality be a part of the betters, then the actual fighters.

"Maybe they wanted to feel how it is to be in the cage." Hector thought.

As Hector stepped into the cage, his feet touched the familiar padding, sending a hint of nostalgia through out his body. Along with memories that he has struggled to repress. Yet they only grew larger as he stood in the cage. Now preparing himself to fight like he has so many times before.

Preparing himself to hurt another once more.

Hector felt the glaring eyes of the man follow him as he walked around, as if he saw the memories he was trying to repress.

"Any rules?" Hector asked.

"No killing." the man said, his accent heavy and his voice deep.

As Hector was preparing himself in the ring, mainly just taking off his suit, leaving him in his white under suit, Nadia was making her way towards a table where a group of people were making bets.

"500 bucks on Cain!" a voice shouted.

"60 000 on Cain!" a woman yelled.

"I'll bet 80% of my shares in baskervill economics on Cain!" a older voice shouted.

"I'll chop off a finger if the new kid loses." a drunken voice said.

Walking up to the table, she saw what looked like workers writing down names and bets, others were handing out prices, and some were collecting what was owed.

A man seeming to be in his mid 40s walked up to Nadia behind the counter.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked, brushing back his hazel hair from his eyes.

"Yes please, you see I'm a bit of a newcomer here, so I don’t exactly know how to place bets and such." Nadia said, playing naive.

"Well, either you place a general bet on who you think will win or how the match will end. Or you can make bets with others for more exciting bets." the man explained.

"The general bets are basically a permanent double or nothing. If you’re correct with your bets, then you gain around double of what you cashed in. If you lose, then we will simply keep the money and pay it to the winners." he continued.

"Okay, but how about if a girl wanted to find out some information about certain products?" Nadia asked.

The man smiled devilishly.

"Well, you can bet others for anything you want. As long as the other party agrees and you shake on it. But keep in mind there aren’t any take backs here." he said.

Nadia’s eyes darted around, and she felt it. Around the entire casino, there was a spell affecting everything. Focusing even more on it, she realized what it was.

"Договор. A passive spell that allows two willing parties to form unbreakable contracts." she thought.

"Clever." she mumbled.

"What was that?" the man asked.

"Nothing. So can I make a bet with anyone?" she asked, a hint of a smile forming on her lips.

The man picked up her intentions.

"Of course."

"Then would you be interested in a bet. You see, I want to know more about a certain new product going around. Maybe you have heard of it. It's called angel eyes." she spoke.

"I have. Exactly what do you want to know." the man answered.

"I want to know more about the ones selling it."

"Sure. Looking for a new high, I suppose." the man mumbled.

"But if you lose, I want..." the man started.

"Your right arm." he said, pointing to it.

Nadia, a little offended that he believed her to be just another junkie, clenched her fists before answering.

"You better win Hector." she thought.

Hesitantly, she brought up her arm.

"If Hector wins, I gain the information I want, and if he loses, I give you my right arm." Nadia said

"Deal." he said.

The two shook hands and a yellow chain momentarily appeared around their hands before fading away just as quickly.

From the opposite side of the cage stepped a man with blond hair set up in a bun. He was around Hector's height and had wounds all over his body. It looked like slashes and what almost looked like bullet wounds.

This man was the one called Cain.

Looking at the screen on the side of the table, it now displayed the fighters' names and their information.

"Name: Cain.

Age: 26.

Hight: 186 cm.

Weight: 79 kg.

Record: 60 matches, 60 wins, 0 loses."

A man went up to hector and asked questions to him before writing something down on his tablet. Then the screen split, and on the other side, it now said.

"Name: Hector.

Age: 19

Hight: 187 cm.

Weight: 79 kg.

Record: 110 matches, 108 wins, 2 loses."

Just before the bell rang to start the match, the man on the cage pointed to the betting table in charge of general bets.

"60 million USD on the new kid!"

The audience gasped in surprise, but it quickly grew to excitement about them most likely winning millions.

When the bell finally rang, it got the whole room quiet. It echoed out through the cage and into Hector's very soul.

Flashes of his father yelling at him, memories of the people he had shattered, and the voice of his father in the back of his head whispering to him.

"Don't you dare fucking lose."

In simply a moment, Hector clenched his fists, got into his stance, and took one step forward. he only needed to be one step closer to his opponent. It didn't matter that his opponent's fist glowed with magic. It didn't matter that he was merely an inch away from his opponent's magic fulled punch.

For Hector stepped in and with one punch hit him in the jaw. He heard bones snapping, and he felt his fist easily pushing away his opponent.

The match was over in a moment.

One punch caused Cain to fold, his jaw hanging loose to it's side. His body flung backwards, hitting the cage walls standing half a meter behind him. Cains body folded in on itself as he collapsed to the ground.

The bell rang once more, and the audience went silent.

"T-there wasn’t a spec of yade running through him... What in the world is he?" Nadia thought.