Hildr was very invested in the fight, something she had not expected. After all, these were all children in her eyes. What could possibly be interesting about a children's fight? This is how she had thought until now. She finally understood that these were not fights between students, but real fights between powerful Otherkind. The young man who had been placed in the Heroic Realm fought with the heart of a lion, and on top of this, he had the power to back up his ferocious nature. This got Hildr thinking about who this young man actually was. She did not believe that he was as simple as he appeared. In him, she could see a hunger for something far greater than what any normal student his age should have. He moved with purpose and desire. "What is his name?" she asked Luna, who had been far too engrossed in the battle by now.
"The young man in the red leather armor," she clarified. The confusion on Luna's face melted away at this.
"That is Lin Rui. He is the best gladiator from our academy."
As Luna spoke about the young man, she blushed heavily, her face reddening. Hildr could see the shine in the young girl's eyes. Luna was clearly a fangirl.
Hildr shook her head at this. She felt as though this day had been filled with foolishness from so many people. Still, she could see Lin Rui's handsome face and ripped physique. She understood why someone would fall for this young man. Still, Hildr was confused, since Rui did not have this charisma when she first saw him. He had been dull and scrawny. For the young man to transform into this new shape so fast was quite impressive.
"What is he?" Hildr asked. The more she looked at Rui, the more fascinated she grew. The young man moved in the arena with a grace she had not seen in a long time. His sword was fast without reducing its lethality. His muscles were not excessive, and his technique was truly a thing of beauty. He was seemingly the perfect warrior. The young man that Rui had been fighting against was soon defeated and pushed to the ground. Since this was still the academy, Rui could not kill his foe, but within his eyes, Hildr saw the desire to do just that. Rui seemed to hate his opponent, and this had nothing to do with the fight. Still, he had enough discipline to stop himself before she went too far.
Hildr was very impressed by the young man. She wanted to get to know the young man on a deeper level. She knew that this would lead to trouble, but for some reason, Hildr felt excitement build up within her heart.
Rui put on a smile and raised his sword in the air. The coliseum burst into loud cheers that shook the place.
"He is from the Qilin clan," Luna finally said.
Hildr tried to remember what little she knew about this clan of Otherkind.
She remembered that the Qilin Otherkind were gentle and benevolent beings. They have the body of a deer, the hooves of a horse, and a unique head that did not belong to any other creature. They also had a single long horn on their head.
The Qilin have the power to control the earth and manipulate plant life. They have a stable personality and a firm heart that knows no deceit.
After this first fight, another one began. There were thousands of students at this academy, and most of them loved these gladiatorial games. There was even a ranking etched on the circular platform that floated above the arena. This platform held powerful Sol. It not only showed the rankings of the students, it also traced each defeat and win, any growth in power, and even an increase in fight ability. It showed all these to anyone who wanted to see them.
Hildr had never participated in these fights, and so her name was not on the platform. She could see a few names that she recognized. One of them was Adrian. The other was Amelia, and even Shet seemed to have participated. Their names were quite low in the ranking. They were not even in the top one thousand. This was to be expected, since there were other students who had been at the academy for far longer. These older students were more experienced and their fighting abilities honed through years of training. It would therefore be bizarre if these newcomers were to somehow be ranked among the top students just a few months into their education.
After watching all the matches, Hildr dragged Luna to the dressing rooms, and there, she barged into the men's dressing room. The young men were, of course, excited, and some even cheered at her arrival. They were half-naked, but they were confident enough to show off their bodies. They even made poses to try and attract her attention. Luna laid eyes on them for a second before she bolted out of the room. Hildr boldly looked at all of them and even measured how well-endowed each of them was. The young men soon found her glance too invasive and had no choice but to look away and even cover up the most important areas. "Do not fear, boys, I will not eat you up. At least not today," she said as she smiled and moved towards Rui, who was seated on a bench to the side. He remained calm and minded his own business. Hildr stopped before Rui, but the young man simply continued untying his shoes as though nothing was happening.
"Come with me," she said. Rui finally looked up at her. He was not impressed by her being there. She could even see hatred in his eyes. She did not mind it at all. Rui continued with his shoes. He then removed his leather armor and then his clothes. Soon, he was completely naked before Hildr. She checked him out without hiding anything. She nodded in approval, making all the men in the room look at her as though she was crazy. 'This is not how a princess should behave,' they all thought.