Zin had unusual interests.
It all stemd from his curiosity about various sounds. His mind and ears were his greatest blessing and curse.
That was precisely what had brought him here, in the middle of nowhere. He sat on a flat rock before a trembling core that could drive even the Lords mad, but not him.
He heard the cries emanating from the core. Unlike others, they were not muffled for him. Moreover, instead of amplifying its effect on him, it did the opposite, granting him silence and calm amidst the empty field.
Still, that didn't an Zin wanted to spend his whole life amidst silence or lodies that others found eerie.
No, he was always ready to hear a new, unusual sound, but for many years now, this had been a problem he couldn't solve.
"I see…" Zin touched his temples. "This ti you're right, Es'aha. It doesn't matter whether Adam Vinter loses or wins, after that, he'll leave the Hollow Lands, and the blood of Quin Elisa, the resource that makes him stronger, will vanish. That's the only positive outco for him."
Although Zin might have seed strange at first glance, he was, above all, a high-level monster. It wasn't difficult for either him or Es'aha to figure out what Adam's goal was based on his actions.
Es'aha nodded.
"As you know, the battle against Adam Vinter has caught the attention of every unranked monster in the Hollow Lands. Everyone understands that such an opportunity won't co along again anyti soon. However, none of them know about Queen Elisa's blood. They want to defeat him because it would be a unique achievent that no one else could replicate."
None of this mattered to Zin, which was clear from his expression. He didn't need to prove anything or defeat anyone. That wasn't what he wanted.
But if he wanted to hear about Queen Elisa's blood, he would have to fight Adam Vinter.
After a few monts of tense silence, Zin nodded and looked at Es'aha.
"When does the fight start?"
"Three o'clock."
She had spent a lot of ti preparing and getting here.
"Which Hail Passage will the battle take place in?"
"The northern one, in the central section."
Without saying a word, Zin rose from the flat rock as a thick layer of dust fell from his pants and the lower edges of his coat.
'Damn it,' Es'aha bit her lip. 'Did I pull it off? Did I finally do it? Ah… Zin, you're finally coming ho.'
"Do you need my help?" She asked, trying to maintain the serious expression of a ruler. "You'll have to go through the entire Pit. That will take a long ti.
I can help you."
Zin turned to her over his shoulder.
"Hmm? Strange to hear that from you. If you were a stranger, I wouldn't be surprised, but you know better than anyone that I can handle this on my own."
Step. Step. Step.
Without fear, Zin headed forward toward the core.
Instinctively, Es'aha reached out her hand in an attempt to stop him.
'No.'
She didn't continue.
'He won't be hurt. I'm sure that maddening sound is nothing more than white noise to him.'
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The black roots quivered, wrapping around Zin but not touching him. They feared him, for he had ignored them.
Stopping right in front of the core, Zin turned and took the red apple from the top of one of the roots.
Then, he stepped aside as the roots parted, clearing a path for him.
"I'll miss this place. But it's ti to move on."
He paused, glaring at Es'aha.
"Will you watch the battle?"
In response, she placed her hand on her chest and smiled warmly.
"Of course. To see you in battle at the Grim Court. It's a dream co true."
"Well, that's your business."
Zin shrugged and brought the red apple to his mouth.
CRUNCH!
With a loud crunch, he bit off a piece.
At the sa mont, his body trembled as complete silence hung in the air.
No, that wasn't what Es'aha felt. It wasn't silence around her, but nothingness. All sounds had vanished as if she were in the void.
Blink.
She blinked as Zin vanished.
A few monts later, the sounds returned as powerful gusts of wind swept past Es'aha, ruffling her crimson hair.
…
TREMBLE!
A solitary tremor rippled through the Hollow Lands. It was almost imperceptible, but a man sitting on a rock and reading a book smirked.
"Well, well…" Kaerno humd as his eyes filled with triumph. "So she did it? She managed to persuade him? Huh, I'll have to thank Gladius and Xyrea when I see them. If it weren't for them, we'd never have gotten such an intriguing fight."
Clasp.
Kaerno closed the book, stopping on the tenth page, and stood up, perched on the sharp peak of the rock.
"He's already here. Adam doesn't know about it yet, though he doesn't need to, he'll see everything in the arena. But…"
Kaerno fell silent as a broad smirk spread across his face.
"For so, this will be an unpleasant surprise." He shrugged. "Nothing to be done about it. The strongest wins."
With a satisfied smirk, Kaerno vanished, heading toward the Hail Passage. The Grim Court wouldn't begin for several hours, but he had to secure the best seats in advance.
He and Es'aha were the only ones who knew just how unique this battle really was.
…
At the sa ti, the three main contenders for the Grim Court were battling each other.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
A barrage of blows from Kelya rained down on Batar as he used his energy to defend himself. With difficulty, but he managed to do it.
They were ready to continue their clash when a sharp blade, aiming to cut the two of them in half, flashed before their eyes.
"Damn it!"
Simultaneously, Kelya and Batar leaped aside from Narha's blade, which t only gusts of wind.
"Tsk." Kelya snorted. "Stop trying! You don't stand a chance."
Narha turned to her. "Beat first."
The next clash was about to happen in the next mont, but sothing made them freeze.
Step.
Just one step. That was enough for all of them to turn in the sa direction, their eyes widening in shock and fear.
Batar gulped. "No… How is this possible..."
They stared at Zin, who was holding a perfectly intact red apple before him with a calm expression.
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