The Signet Ring

The Face-off

Day Z3

The month of the harvest

Year of the Raven.

A date to remember.

The date of Neji and Cassidy's face-off. It's like all the people in Velaris gathered together here in the wide-open field, the part of Velaris where Cassandra's statue lies.

Yes, after seven years Velarians gathered here again in this forlorn, abandoned place to witness history. For the first time in Velaris, an aspirant will challenge a King. This is a fight between a ringmaster King seen without power and a student claiming to have the phoenix. They couldn't just ignore this duel. This is a face-off to witness.

The heat of the sun touches the dusty field. Cassidy stood at the center in her black hooded suit. Soft wind touches her white long hair as she's staring straight blankly with some fire in her eyes. She's ready for this. She has waited for this. She doesn't feel any fear, only revenge.

Meanwhile, Kapono looking from afar exhales heavily. He will signal the start of the duel and deep in his heart he's hoping for Cassidy to win. Yeah, this time he likes to beat on her.

Zair wears a smirk. On his mind, he's thinking about Neji's humiliation today. He's liking this show.

Lumus glances at Firmis on his side. Who's your beat? He asks on his mind. Then he looks at Cassidy. Ringmaster Queen, he whispers in his heart. How could I betray you again? He thinks with perplexed emotions on his face.

Glancing at the Tribe Kings Neji could feel the burden in his heart. Firmis you're the one that never doubted me. Lumus I don't know if you're just faking it. He thinks. But I have to win this battle for my son, for the empire that my father thought I couldn't build. These thoughts cross his mind as he's about to enter the arena.

" Father", a nervous, worried voice calls him from the back. It's Ashane, his son. His reason for fighting.

" Father, you're gonna win right?", the look in Ashane's eyes cut his heart.

" of course I'm the ringmaster, no need to worry", Neji smiled.

The expression of fear on Ashane's face is replaced with joy. That's all he needs to hear. An assurance from his father.

Then the crowd heard the sound of a gong as Kapono's voice echoed in the entire place, calling the attention of everyone in there, signaling the start of the match.

Kapono walks towards the center facing where Cassidy is standing, flashing a peculiar smile at the crowd

.

" Hello?!", he waves at Cassidy when he gets close to her. Cassidy looks at him carefully. I haven't seen him smile like that, not even when I was still Cassandra. She wonders.

" The ring will speak of you when it's time but then I guess that time failed to come", Cassidy said at Neji as if provoking his thoughts to drawback his memories of Cassandra. She sees the change in his expression.

Ammita? Neji suddenly whispers in his mind.

" I'll watch you draw out your sword, remember to have courage as you pull it and more courage as you smash it", Cassidy said at him.

Neji's eyes widened in surprise. Why does it feel like it's his ammita talking to him? His mind remembers that day where Cassandra rescued him from a wild beast in the forest and he was very scared to touch a sword that time. How could he forget that? That was the time he realizes he could fight without getting scared. And those words of Cassandra are what had encouraged him to pick up a sword.

" I never thought that a fragile, innocent-looking boy would become a monster," Cassidy mocks Neji, staring at him fiercely.

Fragile? that was how Cassandra used to call him when he's still a boy whenever his father punished him.

" Noooo!", Neji suddenly screams wildly that it surprises the crowd.

" Stop playing with my thoughts, you witch! who are you?", he said pointing a finger at Cassidy.

Cassidy laughs aloud. She walks closer to Neji and whispers in his ears.

" I am the real owner of that ring on your finger", she whispers and smirks.

" I am your Ammita, I came back to take Velaris from you. You're no leader", Cassidy said at Neji uttering every word intensely and clearly. She sees how even Neji's ears turn red. His face is frozen in shock and fear, and after a minute the shock he felt is replaced by anger.

" Hello?", Neji said at Cassidy in a teasing creepy tone and again with that peculiar smile.

Cassidy's forehead wrinkled as she stares at him. That smile again? It's so not like him... could it be? She thinks.

Amid her thoughts, Neji attacks her in an instant, Cassidy fall to the ground as she's hit without warning. She glares at him and stands, composing herself. She could hear Neji's mocking laughs. He hit her again but this time blocks it. Cassidy stretches out her hand, this time she will not be using her elements but she'll show the people who's the real owner of the ring.

" Phoenix now is the time", she said sounding certain. A loud fiery, angry shriek reverberates the entire place as the blazing luminous blue and red form of a bird comes out from Cassidy, as if coming from her back, to where her birthmark is.

Neji just smirks at the scene. But Cassidy didn't give a damn.

Now is the time to summon the ring. She grabs Neji's wrist but he manages to escape. He blocks her hand and twists it. Cassidy fights back. Just a touch on the ring. She thinks. Neji releases his cosmic blades of lights, one of which slashes Cassidy's shoulder. Okay. If I can't get in touch with the ring, just use its power. It will be a perfect time for her to do her thing, she thinks.

" If you truly are the ringmaster why don't you use the ring to kill me huh?", Cassidy said to Neji. She needs to provoke him.

Neji got pissed.

Cassidy laughs continuously mocking her.

" Behold this!", she said at him as her aura changes so as her eye color, turning to bluish red. She chuckles and moves swiftly towards Neji as if floating on air, and grips his neck.

She presses his neck hard with her fingers and swept him away.

" You can't? Are you sure you're the ringmaster? Use that damn ring of yours!", Cassidy screams as she walks savagely towards Neji who's still struggling to stand.

Neji chuckles wiping the blood on his lips.

" Is this what you want to witness?" Neji said in almost a whisper, intense and threatening. He stretches out his hand and a blazing sword appears like that of what Cassandra uses before. He pointed the sword at her. Cassidy smirks.

" Is that all?" she said. Neji got offended.

She flips the sword and in a snap, it changes its form into a two-bladed and next to a medium-size dagger. It's obvious he doesn't want to attack her yet with it but simply an exhibition. Neji is proving himself to the crowd. As Neji is showing off Cassidy summons the sword.

" Sword!", she screams as fire and water energy cover her.

" Hear the voice of your one true master! Sword's spirit is one with the phoenix", Cassidy said in a voice loud and clear.

" Come to me!" she said with all her might. Neji panics at what Cassidy is doing. He loses his mind and screaming wildly he runs towards her, striking her hard with the sword and as Neji pulls it from her body, he uses his element, throwing blasts of light on her. Cassidy throws up into the air. She feels like time stops for a moment as the sharpness of the blade pierces through his heart and as she gets weaker by those lights.

Cassidy grips at the sword as Neji pulls it out from her chest, cutting her palm. And the sword that's in Neji's hand becomes the dust of light slowly fading. At the side of her eyes, she catches a glimpse of her blood squeezing into the air.

Cassidy falls stooping on the ground.

" I know it's you! You're the one who tried to blackmail me! Right, you're the girl in the scarlet cloak?", Neji said at her.

" You're losing your mind!", Cassidy chuckles.

" You're so lame to know what's real," she said.

Neji flared up by her mocking.

" I'm gonna kill you!" he shouts hitting Cassidy again.

Another hit and Neji's sword got blocks by a long thin sword that seems to appear from nowhere. Who was that? Neji's eyes widened in surprise.

" Have you forgotten the own rules you set for this tournament? ... King? Ringmaster without morals?", a voice of a girl interrupted from behind.

" You!", Neji startled.

" You invited me also... remember?" said the girl in a scarlet cloak.

"I am the girl in scarlet cloak, not her.", she said glancing at Cassidy who's bleeding heavily.

" You disrespectful rebel! Reveal yourself!" Neji shouts.

The girl in the scarlet cloak laughs.

" Sure...", she sounds at ease.

The crowd gasps in chorus. They couldn't believe to witness such a scene.

" Take off your masks! You liar!", Neji shouts at her again.

" Wearing masks is different from lying.... uncle?", the girl in scarlet cloak replied. What? Did she just call me uncle?

Neji got more shock as he sees the girl takes off her mask and her hood.

" Ryse?!", words couldn't even come out from his mouth. Neji remembers the days he got tricked by this girl in disguise.

" Surprise uncle? I am not the sweet weakling kid you know", said Ryse flipping her hair, smirking.

" I know everything!" Ryse said. Her words make Neji's heart beats fast. She remembers the letter sent to him before. Oh no. She can't say that here. Neji thinks.

"And I know that you killed my mom's firstborn son! Right? back there in that forest outside Velaris?" Ryse shouts.

" Velarians the ringmaster you know is an evil liar!", Ryse screams at the crowd.

Neji's eyes rage in anger. He felt something fuming strong inside him wanting to come out and take over.

" You witch!", Neji said at Ryse, he's about to smash him with his sword but the sword fades in his hand slowly turning into dust of light.

Witnessing it all Cassidy smiles cunningly. Everything goes according to her plan.

" Phoenix", she whispers and closes her eyes.