The Bloodbath Odyssey; I reincarnated to become the cursed

The locker was filled with joy, precisely by those that had won their arena battles that day.

Sarah couldn't contain hers. She had really outdone herself, though she nearly lost to that Dax of a guy, but she somehow pulled it out.

She had re-joined the others that were making noise in the locker room from the infirmary. They were narrating how their fights went, some bragging and some making mimics of other fighters.

Her brother had come by while she was still at the infirmary receiving healing from Nurse Stacy.

He had given her some flowers, congratulating her on her victory and telling her that their training, based on the Wood Hint, was going to start soon.

Although she knew that her failing three times had made her infamous somehow, she didn't expect that it would attract the attention of a White Elder.

For Zolomon Theus, a White Elder in his sixties, had come and congratulated her, telling her to promise him that she would not fail to become an Azren this time.

Zolomon Theus was a reputable man and was feared by many.

Though he was old, his aura and physique looked as though he was still thirty.

His words had this thrill in them that made one shiver, and the way he walked commanded the air around him.

Meanwhile, Sarah still did not believe it, but she didn't have to rejoice much. It was not over yet.

The Wood Hint tournament, which is harder, was still on the way.

Sarah was there cheering with her friends. One of her very best friends, Lucy, had also won her fight.

Two fights had taken place after Sarah's fight, and the last one for the day was Lucy's. Sarah wasn't able to watch it because she was at the infirmary.

But as they rejoiced came that voice.

"Well, look who managed to win today," came that voice that Sarah wasn't sure she'd forget ever again.

Even if she talked through a glitchy frequency radio, she would still recognize that voice.

After Sarah's fight was Gwen's, that red-haired bitch that was competing for the first time, and she won, though.

"Gwen," Sarah called out. She was happy enough to face her this time.

The last time, she had completely made her want to throw up.

"I had the feeling that I would have seen you off the citadel today," Gwen said with a snigger,

"but, well, you managed to have luck on your side," she added, glowing since she had managed to win just on the first trial unlike Sarah, who had lost three times.

"Says the girl that almost lost an eye at the arena," Sarah threw back.

Lucy and the rest were doing their best now to hide their laughter.

"You know, for someone that bragged the way you did before the fight, I expected you to beat the hell out of that bitch you fought… but, well, you came out with barely one eye."

Gwen indeed was injured brutally at her left eye. Thanks to Miss Stacy, who was an Accrehx-ranked healer,

she had restored her eye.

But nevertheless, Gwen still won her fight.

Gritting her teeth, Gwen threw a devastating stare at Sarah and her friends before walking away angrily, cursing.

Those words had hit her badly. Well, they may be even now, but Sarah had disgraced her in front of her friends.

And that hurt so badly.

Well, Sarah didn't watch her match but had seen her at the infirmary with her eyes bleeding out, and that was enough for her to know that she had her ass whooped. Who cares if she had won?

…

The day went by, and before anyone would know, it was already dark.

Sarah had slept in a way that she hadn't done in a long time...

No weird nightmares, no silly dreams, and no rolling around on the bed begging for sleep to come.

She had slept early only to wake up in the dark hours of the morning.

She tried to get back to sleep, but sleep wasn't answering her calls. Then she decided to take a walk.

Throwing a dark cloak around herself, strode to the door.

She stepped out of her room into the passageway that was lined with doors of the other rooms, dimly lit by a yellow long bulb on the white ceiling.

She took a left turn and walked into another hallway lit with a bright white light, with a kind of glossy tiles that squeaked under her flip flop footwear.

But this one was empty. No one was out. It only had pillars aligned in a beautiful row.

She walked past the hall and took a left.

There, was an elevator. She took the elevator down to the locker room.

She didn't have an exact place she was going, but she just felt like walking around.

On entering the locker room, smile lingered her face. She remembered how nervous she was when her name was called.

She entered where she had changed into her clothes, while she was still about to fight, and stared into the mirror there.

"You did well, Sarah," she said to her reflection.

Then a thought hit her head, and she decided to visit the arena where she had fought, a mixture of feelings in her heart.

She walked to the metal door, which opened with its normal metallic hissing. And then, to her surprise, the stage was still floating in the air.

"Wasn't this supposed to be back down so that Madame Hooch would raise it up for tomorrow's fight, as usual?" she pondered.

But ignoring the thought,

she walked through the bridge that was forming itself onto the stage. Now she let out a smooth laugh,

the memory of what happened playing in her head, the smile on her face widening more and more.

The mark made by her sword across the ground was still there, along with some other marks that she hadn't seen while fighting.

"Maybe the new marks were from the later fights after mine." She wandered, looking at a rough, shallow dent on the ground with wild cracks around it.

She was about to take out her phone and snap some pictures when she heard someone's voice.

"You know you shouldn't be out here," the voice said.

Sarah could never misread it, it was Gwen's voice.

What the hell is she doing here? she pondered.

"Did you follow me out here, Gwen?" she asked, her words almost dying in her mouth as three other girls walked up to the stage with Gwen.

"Ohhhh Sarah…." Gwen began, smacking her lips.

"One thing very funny about making fun of someone in front of your friends is that they are not going to be there when you are in trouble for it."

The four girls were now on the stage, with Gwen standing akimbo. She was as though glowing.

"Is that a threat, Gwen?" Sarah asked, the smile on her face leaving completely.

As early as it is, someone wants to make trouble with her?

"And you think I need my friends to beat you? … C'mon, fight me like a lady," Sarah added.

Anger was now written all over her words, her eyes darting from one face to another.

"Hm... no," Gwen replied. "Hold her."

Her three friends strode towards Sarah and grabbed her by the arms.

"Don't touch… don't touch me…. Oh Gwen, you bitch, I should have known you were a coward. You should have faced me alone so that I will rip out both your eyes, this..."

WHACK

Gwen hit her across the face.

Sarah got mad.

"AAARGH… Let go of me, bitches… I will kill you and make sure everyone rejoices over your corpse!"

"HAHHAHAHAA!" Gwen laughed. "Oh, I'm enjoying this… why would I want to waste my strength fighting you alone…"

"and I'd like to see you kill me, huh?"

Her face gleaming with smugness, her heart as cold as the morning breeze.

She drew out a dagger from the sheath that was on her waist and, walking close to Sarah, said,

"I'm going to make you feel the pain I felt when my eye was hurt."

Smiling devilishly, she caressed the blade across Sarah's eye.

Sarah's heart started racing rapidly. She could feel the cold blade on her skin, beside her eyes.

A brutal smirk was on Gwen's face, her voice sending a thrill of ice into Sarah.

"Aww, what a lovely eye you've got here."

"... Gwen you don't have to do this" Sarah stuttered.

Her feet was now vibrating violently, Goosebumps rising on her now sweaty body. 

"Yell yeah, I have to" Gwen Replied.

With a great affinity, Gwen struck with her blade, cutting through a skin as a lush of blood followed suit.

"ARGH!"