Foreboding

“It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! He can see through every move his opponent makes without fail. Even the Knight wasn’t immune to his future sight. Will he be the one to end the King’s current reign? Give it up for the UNTOUCHABLE GLADIATOR!”

I walked through the opening gates in silence. Although the arena was packed even fuller than I thought possible, nobody made a single sound. Everyone was at the edge of their seats before the match even started, watching as if their life depended on it. I could feel goosebumps on my skin, causing my smile to widen more. This day would go down in history.

The King would finally fall.

“...erm,” the announcer coughed, likely trying to dispel the solemn silence. “He’s up against a man who’s fists are faster than any weapon. No person has lasted more than a single second in the arena with him. He is the ruler, the emperor, the KING!”

The gates on the opposite end opened. Before I could even see him, I could hear his footsteps echoing loudly across the arena. It was as if the sound itself had bent to his will. The hairs on my arms stood up as my excitement continued to rise.

Finally, my opponent stepped out of the darkness. His white eyes–

===

A quiet “Huh?” inadvertently escaped my lips. I was back in the room from last night. The soft light of the moon partially illuminated the redhead pinned underneath me. Her cheeks were bright red as she wrapped her arms around my body. Her quick shallow breaths whispered in my ear as I slightly moved around.

What just happened? Did I use rewind subconsciously? But why? I barely saw his eyes. Sure, the pressure in the arena was immense, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I wasn’t…scared, right? No…that definitely was it.

I could feel my anger rising as I realized what I did. No matter what I thought, it wouldn’t change the outcome. I was pissed at myself for letting it happen:

I was scared, so I ran away.

FFFUUUUCCCKKKK!!!!

I felt a hand against my cheek. “Are you okay? Is there something wrong?” The redhead looked at me in concern, but that just made me angrier.

I don’t need your pity!!! I slammed into her, taking out my pent up anger, not giving her any time to think. While she screamed and moaned beneath me, I started thinking up plans to take down the King. I knew what to expect this time, so I could keep myself from using rewind subconsciously.

I didn’t get to see any of his moves, but based on what the announcer said, I was pretty sure my broadsword would do jack shit. I would need to find another weapon – anything that could stall or stop his attacks for more than a second. Though, without any information, I could only guess at what preparations I needed to make. Regardless, if the fight was unwinnable, I could always use rewind to choose a different weapon.

Just you wait, my hands clenched. I’ll make sure you regret ever making a fool of me, even if you don’t remember it!

~~~

“It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! He can see through every move his opponent makes without fail. Even the Knight wasn’t immune to his future sight. Will he be the one to end the King’s current reign? Give it up for the UNTOUCHABLE GLADIATOR!”

I walked through the opening gates in silence. Although the arena was packed even fuller than I thought possible, nobody made a single sound. Everyone’s eyes were trained on me.

“What’s this? Gladiator has opted for a more traditional sword and shield over his signature broadsword! Has he already anticipated what he’ll need to do to win?!” Yep, that’s right. I decided to go with a sword and shield. If the King was really as fast as they said, then I would need something to block the initial impact, which was where the shield came in. The sword was on the lighter side to make it easier to counterattack.

I also tried asking around this morning about the King’s fighting style; however, nobody knew anything. It had been years since anyone had fought the King, with the last person being Knight. However, he was still unconscious from yesterday’s match, and I doubted he would answer any of my questions if I rewound time. I was just going to have to play this by ear.

“...erm,” the announcer coughed, likely trying to dispel the solemn silence. “He’s up against a man who’s fists are faster than any weapon. No person has lasted more than a single second in the arena with him. He is the ruler, the emperor, the KING!”

The gates on the opposite end opened. Before I could even see him, I could hear his footsteps echoing loudly across the arena. It was as if the sound itself had bent to his will. I prepared myself for what would happen next.

Finally, my opponent stepped out of the darkness. The King looked like the walking definition of a brawler: buff, tall, and naked from the waist up. Only two things were strange. First, he had no scars or wounds anywhere on his body. Given the King’s strength, that made sense, but it was still strange to see. Second, his irises changed between a myriad of colors, as if they could peer through anything. It was strange, and yet somehow familiar. But why did I think they were white before?

Once the King reached the center of the arena, he stretched back his arms, yawning. “So, I take it you’re done preparing? It still won’t be enough.”

Is he mocking me? Anger started to cloud my thoughts as I yelled back. “Yeah? I’d like to see you try. I’m still going to kick your ass.”

I expected the King to quip back, but all he did was sigh, rubbing his temples. “Honestly, I’m not in the mood for this. Having to fight in this stupid arena for over half a millennia only to find a bumbling idiot makes me want to punch my boss. But given how ‘mysterious’ and god-damn annoying he is, I’ll just have to settle for punching you instead.”

“Why you…”

“So, I’m only going to say this once. Give up the spell you stole, and I’ll let you win this fight and be the new King.”

“Huh? What the hell are you on about?” I was too pissed to realize what he said. I was getting ready to punch his stupid face–

“[Rewind].” I felt as though a bucket of water was dumped on me. That single word made me question who this person, the King, really was. I looked him over multiple times, but I was 100% sure I hadn’t seen him before, so he couldn’t have been the person I stole the spell from. And yet…no, there’s no use thinking about it. I’ll just have to play dumb.

“I have no idea what you’re saying. Even if I had stolen a spell, why would I give it back?” I quipped, pushing any unnecessary thoughts out of my mind. All I had to do was take him down.

“Oh well,” the King sighed before dropping into a fighting stance. I pulled my shield closer to my body, ready to block his first punch.

The announcer, and only the announcer, began the countdown.

““3!””

““2!””

““1!””

““FIGHT!!!!””

CCCRRAAACCKK! I felt my jaw get smashed upward. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the King had managed to get in-between my shield and me and land an uppercut before a single moment had passed.

Wait, WHAT?