The referee walked toward them, his eyes no longer red. He stopped before the two contestants, then turned his gaze toward the headmaster's seat.
"The winner of the Arena records is… THEO MERRICK!"
The referee's shout sent the entire coliseum into another uproar.
Theo felt satisfied, but there was something about this victory that didn't quite sit right with him.
It left a bitter aftertaste.
Amid all the deafening cheers and celebrations, his eyes drifted toward the battered mantis.
With a thought, he recalled the mantis into his beast space so that it could rest before looking toward the front, where the headmaster had just risen from his seat, still wearing that same smile.
But before the headmaster could take more than a few steps, Theo saw a pure white crane glide into the coliseum from outside. As it descended, shimmering white dust began drifting across the arena like a slow snowfall.
