Chapter 74 The Arena's Shadow

The night at Cherish’s safe house was quiet, though none of them truly slept. The air smelled of iron and smoke from her forge, but the silence weighed heavier than the heat. Revoli hadn’t liked the plan Kai laid out—going back to the arena, walking straight into Enzo’s games—but she kept her protests short. She would follow him no matter what, even if fear made her chest tight. Patrona said little, sharpening her blades in the corner, while Kai sat alone, staring at the floor with that lost look that hadn’t left his face since he awoke. When dawn came, they moved without ceremony. Revoli stayed behind at Cherish’s insistence, while Patrona followed Kai into the shadows of the city.

The handlers led Kai through the narrow passage under the arena, torchlight bending the stone walls into jagged shapes. His staff hung loose in his grip, too light for his frame, but the only thing they’d given him. The roar of the crowd overhead was constant, a storm of voices that rattled the ceiling.

Patrona followed close. She didn’t care about the handlers throwing her suspicious looks—if they wanted to stop her, they’d need more than a shove or barked order. She’d come this far, and she wouldn’t leave him alone again.

“Kai.” Her voice broke the silence between them.

He stopped, half-turning, eyes shadowed. Not unkind, but lost. Like he knew her face but couldn’t place it.

Patrona’s chest tightened. “Do you want to know why I won’t leave you? Why I’ll follow even if you tell me to go?”

His brow furrowed, silent.

“I met you in a bar fight. Do you remember that?” She shook her head, answering herself. “Of course you don’t. You threw me to the ground, hard. No hesitation. No games. Nobody had ever done that to me before. Not like that.”

The memory burned in her—the way he’d fought, sharp and relentless, not sparing her because she was a woman, not feeding the twisted hunger she used to chase.

“All my life, I fed on pain. I gave it, I took it. I thought that was all I wanted. That was who I was.” Her hands curled into fists at her sides. “But then you kissed me. Just once. And it broke me worse than the throw. It killed the part of me that craved cruelty. It made me want something real. It made me want you.”

The torches crackled. The handlers kept walking, pretending not to listen. Kai stood silent for a long time, knuckles tight on his staff.

“I don’t remember that,” he said finally. His voice was low, steady. “I don’t remember you the way you want me to.”

Her heart sank, but he didn’t stop there.

“But…” His gaze steadied on her, cutting through the shadow. “Even without the memory, something tells me I’d do the same again. I’d fight for you. With you. There’s a link between us. I feel it.”

Patrona’s breath caught. That was enough. More than she had dared hope.

The arena gate groaned. The handlers shoved the iron doors open, and light poured in. The sound hit next—cheers, shouts, stamping feet. The crowd smelled blood, and they wanted more.

The serpent slid out first. Scales the size of plates scraped the sand. Its body coiled, muscles shifting under slick skin. A single jaw opened wide, fangs dripping venom, its roar shaking the ground.

Patrona stepped forward, blades loose in her hands. “Then let’s prove it.”

The handlers shoved Kai, and the serpent struck. The ground exploded where Patrona had stood, sand spraying high. Kai had thrown her back just in time, the beast’s jaws crashing into the dirt.

Patrona rolled to her feet, ears twitching, listening past the roar, past the crowd. She caught the scrape of coils dragging across stone, the hiss of air before another strike. She shouted, “Kai!”

But the serpent was faster. It lunged again. This time, Kai didn’t dodge quick enough. The beast’s jaw clamped over his chest and shoulders, dragging him down. Patrona screamed his name as the monster lifted its head and swallowed him whole.

The crowd erupted. Half cheering, half jeering, but all of them hungry for the kill.

Patrona sprinted, blades drawn. She dove under its coils, eyes searching for the gap between scales. She jammed one knife into the softer flesh of its belly and twisted. The serpent screeched, thrashing, its tail lashing hard enough to crack the stone wall.

The crowd roared louder.

Patrona didn’t let go, wrenching the blade deeper, but the beast whipped its massive body and hurled her across the sand. She hit the ground hard, air blasting from her lungs. Her vision swam.

Inside the serpent, Kai fought to breathe. Darkness pressed in, wet and suffocating, muscles squeezing tighter with every move. His staff was gone. His arms burned from the crushing weight. He felt his bones start to bend under the pressure.

Not like this.

Something in him stirred—a memory not clear, but a feeling. He’d been here before, not here but close. Fighting, crushing weight, the edge of death. And he’d survived.

His hands found the hilt of the blade Patrona had left in its gut. The steel burned hot in his grip, but he pulled, twisting with all the strength in him.

Patrona staggered to her feet, blood on her lip, blades raised. The serpent coiled back, ready to strike her down.

Then its belly split.

The knife tore through scale and flesh, ripping upward. With a roar that shook the arena, Kai forced his way out. Blood poured around him, steaming in the sand. He stumbled forward, dripping, but alive.

Patrona’s chest heaved. She ran to his side, knives flashing as she slashed across the serpent’s eyes. The beast screeched, rearing back.

Kai lifted the staff, both hands gripping tight. He struck once, twice, three times, each blow cracking bone until the skull gave way. The serpent shuddered, collapsed, and lay still.

The arena went silent for a heartbeat—then the stands exploded with cheers.

Kai stood panting, covered in blood, staff hanging at his side. Patrona was beside him, blades lowered but still ready.

The handlers rushed forward, already shouting, already eager to drag him away for the next fight. But Patrona’s eyes never left his.

He didn’t remember her, not the way she wanted. But he had fought with her. Chosen to stand by her side. That was enough. For now.