The stone floor of the training hall was cold beneath Viviana's boots. The clang of weapons and shouts of trainees had faded as she stepped into the center of the ring. Everyone else moved aside. Some out of respect. Most out of fear.
Viviana adjusted her clothes calmly.
Her black training shirt was tucked perfectly into high-waisted trousers. A dark leather belt wrapped snugly around her waist, holding the two empty sheaths where her daggers usually rested. Her boots were tightly strapped, polished, and ready for movement. Her thick black curls were pulled into a high bun, not a strand out of place.
She looked composed, almost royal, with her chin slightly lifted and her eyes sharp as glass. Cold and unreadable.
She pulled out her daggers for a moment, flipping them in her hands with grace. The steel caught the light as she swung them in controlled circles. Her fingers were light, but her grip was firm, holding them tightly at the hilt — one wrong move, and those blades could tear through bone.
She pointed one dagger at the man across the ring — the brute. Her voice was calm, emotionless. "It's you and me."
Number 24, one of her bullies during her training — cracked his knuckles, grinning wide. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with heavy arms that looked like they could crush a skull. Sweat clung to his forehead. His hair was tied in a rough knot, and his nose looked like it had been broken more than once.
He stepped forward, smirking. "With pleasure, Number 57."
Viviana's eyes didn't flinch. She held the hilt of her daggers in a stance.
Talon stepped in between them. "Here are the rules. First to yield, loses. No striking the eyes. No striking vital parts. No bones broken beyond recovery. Stop when I say stop."
Viviana nodded. She knew these rules well.
Talon raised his voice, adding something unexpected. "One last thing— No weapons. Hand to hand only."
Viviana's face twitched. Just a little.
She turned to him, giving him a slow, sharp glare. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to.
He knew.
"He knows I'm not good at hand-to-hand. Not against someone like him, twice my size." she thought. Her specialty was blades, speed, and accuracy —not brute force. "He's testing me again."
She went out of the ring, crouched and placed her daggers down gently on the ground, never breaking eye contact with the brute.
The recruits around the hall whispered.
"She's really going to fight?"
"Without weapons?"
"She's Raven. She doesn't need them."
Talon stood nearby, arms crossed.
Number 24 laughed, cracking his neck. "This is going to be fun."
Viviana stepped back into the ring, silent, graceful. She then adopted a ready stance, her body coiled, every muscle tensed and prepared.
Talon raised his hand. "Begin!"
The brute moved first.
He charged, swinging a heavy fist.
Viviana dodged, letting the punch fly past her cheek. She could feel the air shift from its force.
Another swing — she bent backward, just missing his knuckles.
She stayed on the move, light on her feet. "Always the large and brash ones," she muttered to herself. "They were always the easiest to frustrate."
He grunted and came again, this time faster.
She ducked, but not fast enough. His elbow grazed her shoulder and hit the side of her head. Her hairpin snapped.
Her curls fell tumbled down, framing her face, adding a wildness to her otherwise controlled demeanor.
The recruits gasped.
Viviana didn't stop. She moved in a slow circle, watching him.
The brute charged again, overconfident. He swung both fists — wild, angry punches. Viviana dodged and blocked, her hands moving quickly, her body low. She was faster, but his strength was overwhelming.
Another blow hit her in the ribs. She staggered, biting back a sound.
He grinned. "Come on, Raven. You were supposed to be better than this." He said, his voice mocking her.
She didn't answer. She stared at him, curling her lips into a slight smile. Calm. Almost amused.
She waited.
He charged again, this time aiming to tackle.
She moved.
Her hand slid under his arm — a soft pressure to his inner elbow.
He stumbled.
Viviana's hand pressed hard into a point just above his collarbone.
He gasped.
"There it is." She thought.
She struck the weak spot again, then twisted around and kicked the back of his knee.
He fell hard.
Before he could move, she climbed onto his chest and wrapped her arm around his neck. Her other hand pushed down on his throat.
His legs kicked. He tried to grab her arms but she didn't loosen her grip.
Her eyes changed.
Dark.
Cold.
Far away.
As her fingers tightened around his windpipe, the training hall, the brute, everything faded. Viviana was no longer there. She was elsewhere, consumed by her memory.
"Burn down the house. I don't want to see traces of life here. A traitor's daughter isn't meant to be alive."
The words, spoken by a cruel voice from her past, echoed in her mind. Her grip on the brute's neck tightened further, fueled by a rage that wasn't entirely her own. The brute began to thrash, his face turning purple, his hands weakly hitting the ground, an unspoken plea for surrender. But Viviana didn't see him. She saw the faces of those who had wronged her, the fires that had consumed her childhood.
Her arms tightened.
"Die… Die…" she whispered under her breath. "I won't stop until you stop breathing."
The brute began to panic. He slapped the ground with his palm, again and again. "I—I surrender!"
He couldn't speak very well. He just hit the floor desperately.
Talon stepped forward. "Enough!"
Viviana didn't hear him.
She was still lost in her memory.
"Number 57!" Talon shouted louder. "I said enough!"
Her eyes blinked.
The fog cleared.
She released her grip.
The brute rolled to the side, coughing and gasping for air, his hands clawing at his neck.
Viviana stood up slowly. Her breathing steady. Her face unreadable.
She stepped back, fixing her shirt. Then, without a word, she tied her hair back into a tight bun.
Talon looked at her with approval. "As always... the best. The only female in the Abyss guild. No one does it better."
The recruits stood frozen. No one dared to speak. They had all seen what Viviana was capable of — not just her strength, but the dangerous storm that brewed behind her eyes.
Talon clapped once. "Get back to training."
As the others dispersed, he turned to Viviana. "Speaking about your exit... it has been taken care of."
Viviana didn't respond.
"You leave in three days," he added.
She gave a small nod.
Then turned to look at the brute one last time — still on the floor, still coughing.
He met her eyes and looked away.
Viviana left the hall without another word.