An ominous rumble echoed through the arena. Lucy's body trembled, and she fell to her knees. As her breath became erratic, dark waves surged from her chest, enveloping her body. Black smoke seeped into her veins like a slender but deadly serpent, whispering to her mind with every breath. Her eyes blazed with a violet gleam, but these were no longer Lucy's eyes. Her eyes were now completely consumed by the purple glow, and her body was covered in black veins. The spectators held their breath, trying to understand what this darkness rising in the center of the arena was.
Elysia's fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword, but the unsettling feeling inside her continued to grow. The darkness emanating from Lucy made the air in the arena feel as cold and sharp as a hanging blade. But what was even more terrifying was that this darkness didn't feel unfamiliar to her. For a moment, she felt that she was not alone in the arena. A shadow stirred within her. Something—or someone—was following the rhythm of her breath. She felt something stir inside her, but she ignored it. The only thing she needed to focus on now was saving Lucy.
"Lucy! Snap out of it! This isn't you!" she shouted, but Lucy, or whatever entity was controlling her, only chuckled.
Dark tendrils, like living snakes, slithered over her skin, wrapping around her body, growing more intense with each passing second, radiating an eerie glow. The shadows were penetrating every inch of her, transforming her into something unrecognizable.
"A pitiful mortal dares to give me orders?" The voice was deeper and more resonant than Lucy's. "You should be kneeling when you hear my name. But it seems I've been forgotten... I AM THE QUEEN OF DEATH! I AM HELA!"
Hela. At the sound of that name, Elysia's breath caught in her throat. It was a name she knew from myths and legends, but she had never believed these things were real. Hela, the Queen of Death, an ancient being feared by gods. And now, she was living inside Lucy, trying to take over her body.
Elysia gritted her teeth. "If you're a god, then fight like one!" she shouted, leaping forward. She swung her Spectral Blade toward Lucy, but Hela moved instinctively and caught the sword. The clash of the two powers lit up the arena with flashes of lightning as the spectators shrank back in fear.
"Poor girl... You're like me, you've tasted the darkness, haven't you?" Hela's eyes gleamed slyly as she gazed at Elysia. "Why are you fighting someone like me? You know that the darkness is calling to you. How much longer can you resist its voice?"
Elysia paused for a moment. A storm raged inside her. She had once heard that voice inside her, too. But she knew this was a game. She had accepted her darkness, but she hadn't bowed to it. A storm raged inside her—fear, resistance, and a voice whispering something even darker. A voice she had long silenced, now trying to rise again. But Elysia clenched her fists, rejecting the call of this darkness. She wouldn't submit.
"I won't make that mistake," Elysia said through clenched teeth, directing more energy into her Spectral Blade. "I won't let you have Lucy!"
Hela threw her head back and laughed. Her laughter echoed as the ground beneath the arena cracked. Shadows began to crawl up the walls from beneath the seating area, spreading across the darkened arena. The smell of ash and sulfur lingered in the air.
"If you're going to fight a god, I want to see how long your mortal body can endure, Elysia."
Something even worse was happening. The ground beneath the arena trembled, and the air grew even heavier. Not only the spectators, but the instructors in the academy were on high alert.
An attack, sharp as a spear made of shadows, was approaching with overwhelming power. The air had become so thick that Elysia could hardly breathe.
And then...
The world froze.
Time slowed.
Hela's spear was almost upon her, but Elysia felt as though she had separated from her own body. Her vision blurred, the noise of the arena disappeared. She couldn't even hear her own heartbeat anymore. She was being pulled into a dark void.
And then—
Memories exploded.
Her five-year-old self... holding her father's hand tightly as she watched his reassuring smile on a cold winter day.
She could almost feel her father's hand as he stroked her hair. His deep, reassuring voice still echoed in her ears. "A warrior's strength lies not just in their sword, but in their heart, Elysia." Those words, now a distant memory, gave her strength and kept her from disappearing into the dark shadows.
Her ten-year-old self... the first time she held a sword, the weight slipping through her fingers, giving her a mix of fear and excitement.
Her thirteen-year-old self... trying to sharpen her sword throughout the night, her hands bloody and sore, but never giving up.
And now...
Death was right in front of her.
But something was strange.
She had revisited so many memories, but none of them had anything about the future.
This was all there was.
She didn't think of escaping.
She didn't even think of resisting.
She silently accepted it within herself.
"I guess this is it," she thought. "Is this what death feels like? Is this how it feels? I was going to make up for my mistakes. I'm sorry, Lucy, I couldn't save you. Maybe I couldn't even save myself."
And at that moment, with a sudden ripple, Elysia's world stopped. The sounds faded, the images blurred. All she could hear was the whisper inside her.
"I can help you, Elysia. I will be on your side… Just like before."
Elysia's blood ran cold. For a moment, everything felt wrong. A cold shiver spread through her body. Her skin burned like fire, but her arms were as cold as ice. A shadow stirred inside her. A voice she thought she had silenced years ago was calling her again.
Max watched the events carefully, preparing to intervene when the moment was right.
Hela reveled in the stirring of emotions.
Hela tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming slyly. She carefully studied Elysia's expression, and then a cunning smile spread across her lips.
"Aha... Now things are really getting fun," she whispered.
Elysia shuddered. She couldn't breathe. Her eyes involuntarily flickered with a green glow along with the echoes of Hela's laughter in the arena.
And at that moment, Hela parted her lips and whispered the awaited name:
"Stop hiding, Loki."