What sort of story will we tell the world today I wonder Her fingers tightened until her knuckles were white
Soon they received the signal to proceed out into the arena and Wivanya released a massive dragon sized sigh that frosted the ground in front of them She waddled forward ahead of Alana down the hallway Finally time Well even if you balk at naming the planet after him you must still keep your edge in battle Alana We will not have the opportunity to honor the Ghosthound without first seizing victory DonÆt be distracted by unnecessary things
You donÆt need to tell me that Alana thought with a small smile But she didnÆt bother to reply She could sense through her bond with Wivanya that the Frost Dragon Broodmother was unprecedentedly excited for this match So Alana didnÆt mind the constant stream of cheery complaints
Due to her roleÆ on Earth Alana and Wivanya were given the right to walk out into the arena first The audience seethed and roared as the duo appeared in the mouth of the tunnel and then calmly proceeded toward the stage With Hank having gloriously clinched victory in the third place match the crowd was all hyped up for the final
Their appearance now was the signal for the simmering spirit of Earth to rise once more to the fore This time for all the marbles
Alana hopped up onto WivanyaÆs back and allowed the dragon to carry her up onto the stage Coming out first was of course a natural advantage in a duel that relied heavily upon images The first arrivalÆs image would naturally begin to influence the surrounding area unless they consciously tried to prevent the phenomenon Alana suspected that Randidly would say something if the effect was too obvious but Alana believed that in terms of image sensitivity few could currently match her
And one thing she knew for sure about Randidly was that he preferred to simply remain an observer So Alana took a risk and loosened the tight control she maintained on her image
The surrounding air became laced with the slightest note of holy energy That aspect of Inviolability that Alana had obtained spread outward through the air making this space sacrosanct Any who tried to influence the area with their own image would have a difficult time dislodging the hold of faith
Although the volume didnÆt change the crowd’s cheers and shrieks gradually faded to a buzzing More than their cacophony what Alana heard was the beating of her own heart
Today Alana was determined to act as the proper gatekeeper She would do everything in her power to win this tournament and keep the threshold through which both she and Randidly had passed locked Thinking this she was unable to resist the impulse to look upward after she released her image Distantly she was able to make out RandidlyÆs face he was laughing and shaking his head
Alana turned back down to the arena She was two Alanas one a bloated and massive image based on public perception that wanted to remain a dominant force on Earth The other was the Alana who wanted to win the tournament as proof that RandidlyÆs teachings were the true Path toward strength Both desired the same thing but Alana had learned the hard way about the dangers of accepting extraneous images
Besides Alana was confident that she could guard this nonexistent passageÆ to strength on her own for at least another year Her grin slowly widened as the excitement once more surged back to the forefront of her mind Heh Alright let them come IÆm ready
Wivanya lowered her scaled head next to AlanaÆs body Even through the already chilly winter air the dragonÆs scales radiated an intense cold that cut to the bone You seem different today Are you going to be alright for the match Your image
ItÆs just how the world sees me just ignore it Alana replied lightly She cracked the knuckles of her hand DonÆt go projecting your nerves on me though if you need me to punch you to wake you up feel free to ask
Hmph As if a human punch could have any effect on a dragon Wivanya snorted But she did begin to flex her claws cleary antsy with nervous energy
Right on cue Paolo and Kayle arrived Perhaps out of respect for Alana or perhaps because of how their prior match had ended they dropped all pretense of their weapon bet Paolo came out cracking his knuckles and Kayle played with his knives as they came into the publicÆs eye Both stood tall and proud their own images steadily pushing back the subtle notes of inviolability that Alana left in the air
And this is why this is a fight worth having Show me how much youÆve grown Alana thought with a smile Then she turned to the crowd Because as Paolo and Kayle arrived the tone of their cheers changed Because I need to show you how many more lessons you need to learn
In all likelihood the difference in the crowdÆs reaction wasnÆt even something that was done at a conscious level It was just that from a sense of awe and respect in their voices for Alana they shifted toward a raw animalistic approval for Paolo and Kayle Hearing the cheers AlanaÆs eyes drifted upward through the chaotic mass of images around the arena
These people wanted a victory Although the bets on who the ultimate victor would be proved to be rather even it was clear from the crowdÆs expression that there was a favorite Their approval became wishes and wishes from strong minded individuals became images that drifted steadily downward onto Paolo and KayleÆs parade toward the arena
Paolo was especially voracious rapidly absorbing any of the surrounding images and growing to an even more stupendous sky His image presence was like a pillar of light so bright and triumphant that it was difficult to look at it directly
AlanaÆs smile deepened Like I said You still have so much to learn
Chapter 1469
Gradually the noise from the audience fell away rather instinctively they understood what would soon be beginning and didnÆt want to miss a single moment of it The referee had asked both sides whether they were ready but then he stepped backward And from the island in the sky Randidly Ghosthound drifted downward By the time his bare feet hit the arena the audience had fallen completely silent
Mrs Hamilton glanced around at the people around her Not just the Donnyton contingent but even the representatives from Star Crossing and East End were unprecedentedly solemn as they saw the master of the Order Ducis move The ritual of the tournament final had seized their attention While inwardly sighing Mrs Hamilton turned back toward the arena to watch the spectacle along with the rest of them
Rather than speaking Randidly simply loosened his grip on his images His limbs flexed and elongated the muscles and tendons standing out in his skin His left eye became filled with absolute darkness His veins were golden and his hair was emerald like maple leaves in spring
Perhaps it was because the audience had been constantly exposed to the potency of images in gradually increasing doses over the course of the matches but this was the first time that the general populace had been exposed to the truth that had been obvious to the powerful for quite a few years compared to everyone else Randidly Ghosthound was on another level altogether
His images physically clung to him in a way that Mrs Hamilton had never seen in anyone else It seemed that at any moment the horrible specter of the Grim Chimera might surge to the fore and replace the humanity of Randidly immediately And even though it was just a shifting specter around him the amount of detail on the image was obvious It was almost impossible to tell that this was just a mental projection It was so vivid and present that it suppressed all other images
Randidly Ghosthound could make images real And as soon as the audience came to that realization he restrained himself once more the very human Ghosthound had returned