FIGHT 23: The Reaper vs Dmitri Volkov
Ti: 8 seconds.
Everyone had been waiting for this.
The mysterious Gold-ranked competitor. No known affiliation. No known history.
Dmitri Volkov had won his previous match—the guy with twin fire salamanders. Level 23 each. Strong companions, coordinated.
The referee started the fight.
Dmitri began ordering his salamanders—
The Reaper raised one hand.
Her scythe—which had been resting against her back—simply... appeared in her palm. It wasn’t summoned. She didn’t grab it. It just teleported from her back to her hand.
She took a single step forward.
She spun the scythe once.
[SOUL REAPING]
The scythe blade blazed with spectral light—not crimson like Grim’s, but pale blue-white, like candle fla.
The two fire salamanders simply... froze. Like statues. Eyes wide in terror.
Three seconds.
The salamanders collapsed, unconscious. Not injured. Not burned. Just... switched off.
Dmitri stared at his fallen companions in absolute horror. "Wh-what...?"
The Reaper didn’t respond. Just stood there, scythe resting on her shoulder, waiting.
The referee checked the salamanders. Breathing. Alive. But completely unconscious.
"Victory to The Reaper!"
Official ti: eight seconds from "begin" to victory.
The crowd exploded in confusion:
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"
"SHE DIDN’T EVEN TOUCH THE COMPANIONS!"
"IS THAT LEGAL?!"
The comntators struggled to explain:
"I... honestly have no idea what we just witnessed. So kind of fear ability? ntal paralysis? Soul attack?"
"Whatever it was, it was completely effective. And terrifying. The Reaper just defeated two level 23 companions in eight seconds without moving more than one step."
Alex watched, his pulse quickening.
Fragnt 2, he knew. That was the power of Fragnt 2. Reaping souls directly, without needing physical damage.
If that was the power of Fragnt 2...
What could Fragnt 3 do?
---
[DAY 1 COMPLETE - 6:47 PM]
By the ti the last fights of Day 1 ended, the sun was setting. 32 competitors had been eliminated. 32 victors advanced to Round 2.
The results were mostly predictable:
· All favorites had won (Marcus, Maya, Emily, The Reaper)
· Most Academy students had advanced
· Few upsets—mostly evenly matched competitors
Alex had won, but comntators and crowd viewed it as a "lucky victory." Exactly as he wanted.
He checked the updated bracket on his phone:
ROUND 2 (Tomorrow - Day 2):
· Alex Carter vs Michael Park (won against Amanda Silva, companion: earth bear level 24)
Not terrible. But Michael was Bronze Classification, one rank above. His bear was slow but incredibly durable.
Alex would have to plan carefully...
His phone vibrated. ssage from unknown number:
"North Stadium Rooftop. Now. We have things to discuss. - S"
The Reaper.
Seraph.
It was ti.
---
[NORTH STADIUM ROOFTOP - 7:03 PM]
Alex found the stairs leading to the rooftop—technically off-limits to competitors, but the doors were unlocked. Or Seraph had unlocked them.
He erged into cool night air. Central City sprawled below, lights beginning to flicker on as dusk faded to darkness.
The Reaper was standing at the edge, looking out over the city. Her armor was still on, but her helt was off, revealing her face.
Mid-thirties. Short black hair. Ritual scars—similar to ones Alex had seen on Circle mbers—ran down her neck, disappearing under her armor.
She turned as Alex approached.
"Punctual. I like that." Her voice without the helt’s filter was younger than expected. Warm, almost friendly.
"Didn’t have much choice," Alex said. "You said you had information."
"Straight to the point. I like that too." Seraph walked toward him, extending her hand properly this ti. "Seraph Nox. Bearer of Fragnt 2. Forr Paladin of the Celestial Temple, exiled five years ago for summoning sothing I shouldn’t have."
Alex shook her hand. "Alex Carter. Bearer of Fragnt 1. Forr Celestial Academy student, expelled for summoning sothing I shouldn’t have."
Seraph laughed—a genuine sound. "We’re very similar, aren’t we? Outcasts. Failures. Too dangerous for polite society to handle."
"Sothing like that."
"Co. Let show you what I’ve gathered." Seraph walked to the center of the rooftop where she’d laid out a blanket, and on the blanket, a collection of docunts, maps, books.
Alex knelt, studying the materials.
The map he’d seen in the text—the one showing the seven Fragnt locations—was here, but expanded, annotated with handwritten notes.
"When I received Fragnt 2," Seraph began, "it ca with... mories. Not mine. The Original Reaper’s. Fragnts of knowledge. Most of it blurry, incomplete. But so pieces were clear."
She pointed at the map.
"Fragnt 1—your Fragnt—is the Core. The heart of the Reaper’s power. That’s why your companion looks like a traditional death skeleton."
"And yours?" Alex asked.
Seraph touched her chest. "Fragnt 2—the Scythe. The weapon. My companion is a scythe. A living spectral scythe. Not a skeleton. Just the weapon itself."
She pointed at the third.
"Fragnt 3—Fallen Citadel. This one is... different. The mories call it ’The Hand.’ Control over the undead. Whoever bears it can command legions of undead with re thought."
Alex felt a chill. "That’s why it’s in a dungeon filled with undead."
"Exactly. The Lich King who guarded that dungeon was probably created by Fragnt 3. Or was corrupted by it."
Seraph moved down the map.
"Fragnt 4—the Void Heralds have it. I don’t know exactly where. But I know what it is: The Veil. Allows the bearer to see and manipulate the plane between life and death."
"The other three?"
"Blurry." Seraph frowned. "Fragnt 5 is sowhere in the Eastern Island. Fragnt 6 in the Southern Mountains. Fragnt 7 under the ocean. But beyond that... nothing."
Alex studied the map, processing.
"So what do you suggest? Win the tournant, get access to Fallen Citadel, take Fragnt 3. And then?"
"And then," Seraph said, "we hunt down 4, 5, 6, and 7. Together."
"Why together? Why not compete?"
Seraph looked at him directly. "Because the mories I received included a warning. If the Fragnts are collected by different people, each trying to compete... the Fragnts will turn against each other. Bearer against bearer. Until only one survives."
"But if we work together..."
"If we work together, if we gather the Fragnts cooperatively... then when the seven are finally united, we can choose who becos the Reaper."
Pause.
"Or we decide that NONE of us should beco that powerful, and we seal the Fragnts again."
Alex studied her. "Do you actually consider that second option?"
Seraph hesitated. "Honestly... I don’t know. I’ve carried Fragnt 2 for five years. It’s tried to corrupt . Turn into a monster. I’ve resisted. But every year it gets harder."
She touched the scars on her neck.
"These are seals. Containnt runes. I carved them myself when the Fragnt started whispering louder. They help. But they’re not perfect."
Alex thought of his own necklace—the Soul Dominion Necklace, draining his Vitality.
"I have sothing similar," he admitted. "An artifact that gives power but slowly corrupts ."
"Then you understand." Seraph stood. "That’s why I need to work with you. Because if I try to collect the Fragnts alone... I’ll lose myself. Beco exactly what the Gods feared."
"And what makes you think I won’t beco that?"
"Because," Seraph said simply, "I’ve already seen how you fight. You hold back. Feign weakness. You could have destroyed Daniel Cross in seconds. But you didn’t. You won without revealing your true strength."
She leaned closer.
"That kind of self-control is rare. Especially for soone with your power level. Which tells you’re still human. You still care about being human. And as long as that’s true... there’s hope."
Alex wanted to believe that.
"Alright," he said. "We work together. But clear rules: we don’t kill each other. No betrayal. And if one of us starts losing ourselves to corruption, the other intervenes."
"Agreed." Seraph extended her hand again.
This ti, when Alex shook it, he felt sothing more—a tingle of energy, like static electricity.
The Fragnts recognizing each other.
"Now," Seraph said, "about the tournant. We need to win. Both of us. If we reach finals..."
"One surrenders," Alex finished. "Doesn’t matter who."
"Exactly. The goal is Fragnt 3. Everything else is secondary."
"And if we face each other before the final?"
"Sa rule. One surrenders imdiately. We both win without revealing each other."
Alex considered. "What if others ask us why?"
"Then we lie." Seraph smiled. "We’re pretty good at that already."
True.
"One last topic," Alex said. "The Gods. You said they know about Fragnt 1. Do they know about yours?"
Seraph’s expression darkened. "Yes. Five years ago, when Fragnt 2 awakened in , the Temple sent an Angel. A literal, honest-to-God Angel. They gave a choice: give up the Fragnt and live, or keep it and be destroyed."
"Obviously you chose to keep it."
"Obviously. And I nearly died. I only escaped because... well, Fragnt 2 gives abilities even Angels can’t easily defend against."
She touched her scythe.
"Soul Reaping. The ability I used today. I can directly sever the bond between summoner and companion. For a mont, their souls simply... cease. Not dead. Just... paused."
"Terrifying," Alex said honestly.
"Effective," Seraph corrected. "But yes, terrifying. And why the Temple can’t easily catch . Though they try. Hence the alias, the helt, the fake Gold classification. Layers upon layers of concealnt."
"Eventually they’ll find you."
"Probably." Seraph shrugged. "But by then, I hope to have enough Fragnts that it won’t matter."
Not the most reassuring plan Alex had heard.
His phone vibrated. He checked—ssage from Maya:
"Where are you? Several people looking for you. Including Vance. He looks suspicious. - M"
"Shit," Alex muttered.
"Problem?" Seraph asked.
"Maybe. One of the judges—my forr academy instructor—has been watching closely. If he finds here with you..."
"Then let’s not let him." Seraph grabbed her helt, put it on. "You leave first. I’ll wait five minutes, then go down a different route. And Alex—"
She turned, dark visor hiding her face but her voice coming clear:
"Good luck in Round 2. Don’t die. It’d be inconvenient."
"Sa to you."
---
[STADIUM HALLWAY - 7:23 PM]
Alex hurried down the stairs, erging into a hallway that was supposed to be empty.
It wasn’t.
Master Vance stood there, arms crossed, expression triumphant mixed with disgust.
"Carter." His voice echoed in the narrow corridor. "What were you doing on a restricted rooftop?"
"Fresh air," Alex said. "Needed to clear my head after the fight."
"Fresh air?" Vance laughed humorlessly. "Interesting. Because I could have sworn I saw two figures up there. You and... soone else. Who was it?"
"No one. I was alone."
"Really?" Vance stepped closer. "Because from my angle, it looked like you were conspiring with the mysterious Reaper. What’s that? Alliance? Collaboration?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Of course not." Vance pulled out his phone. "But for your information, restricted areas have caras. And I’ll bet the security footage will show exactly what I saw."
Alex’s stomach sank. Shit. I didn’t think about caras.
"So here’s what’s going to happen," Vance continued. "I’m reporting this. To the judges. To Guild Investigation. To the Temple if necessary. And we’re going to find out exactly what kind of ga you’re playing, Carter."
"I’m not playing any ga—"
"YOU WERE A FAILURE!" Vance’s control slipped, his voice rising. "An expelled F-Rank with no future. And now suddenly you’re winning tournant fights? Conspiring with mysterious Gold-ranked competitors? Using abilities your rank shouldn’t possess?"
He breathed deeply, regaining composure.
"Sothing is wrong here. And I’m going to find out what."
He walked away, leaving Alex standing in the empty hallway.
Grim erged from the shadows where he’d been hiding, growing to a ter and a half.
The red lights in his sockets pulsed with intent.
Permission... to... make... trip?
"No," Alex said, though the temptation was strong. "But he’s officially on our shit list now."
He checked his phone. Maya’s ssage was still there.
He wrote back: "Vance found . Might cause trouble. Stay alert."
Imdiate response: "Understood. I’m watching too. And Alex—be careful. Vance has connections. And if he actually reports whatever he thinks he saw... this could escalate quickly."
Alex pocketed the phone, breathing slowly.
One day of fighting.
One day to reveal a fraction of his power.
One day to form an alliance with another Fragnt bearer.
And one day to gain the very wrong attention from very wrong people.
"Tomorrow," he said to Grim. "Round 2. Michael Park and his earth bear. We need to win without revealing more. And we need to figure out how to handle Vance before he destroys us."
Grim nodded. Together. Find. Way.
"Yeah," Alex said. "Together."
But as he walked back toward the waiting room, he couldn’t shake the feeling:
The net was closing.
And he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep dancing on the edge without falling.
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