Memories of the Darkness

[Midnight]

Why am I even here? This was the question Midnight had asked herself at least ten times after she had come to this place, yet she stayed. Why? This place was full of memories. Bad memories. Terrible memories. The black Wolf tilted her head upwards to read the names on the banner that hung outside the massive arching entrance of the arena. 'MIDNIGHT VS MOONRAY'. That battle was the last she had ever participated in after eight years of slaughtering her own kind. Deep within her mind, Tenebris pulsed. "Bad memories, child?"
Midnight didn't answer the God. Instead, she just continued to stare at the ruined banner. "What are you doing staring at that banner, child? Go further inside. Let's see what memories we can resurface."
Knowing that Tenebris would get her into the arena one way or another, the Wolf silently took a step forward, entering the place where many Wolves had been slaughtered by her own hands.

The first thing Midnight saw after she had entered the arena was the grandstands. The stone stairs circled the arena, looking over the arena. "What are you doing up here? The real action happened down there."
Running a claw across the barrier that separated the grandstands from the arena, she vaulted over the wall, landing on the ground, sending puffs of dust flying into the air. She ran her claws over the marks carved into the wall. A perfect match. The memories came flooding back from that night she had fought a black and white Wolf. Water was naturally stronger than Darkness so that fight was difficult -and brutal-. She contined along the wall, tracing the burns and cracks along the wall until she came to a set of metal doors. She slipped her claws through the crack and prised it open. The interior was dark. No torches or windows allowed any light to enter the room. The only light that was provided was the glow of the fire in the arena that would occasionally slip underneath the doors. This. The darkness is what had made her snap. What made her willingly kill for entertainment for eight years. Inhaling sharply, Midnight turned on her heel and left the small cell, once again engulfing herself in light.
"I've had enough of this." She muttered under her breath, heading for the entrance when something -or someone- stopped her.
"Where do yo think you're going, my child?" Tenebris asked. She could almost hear the sadistic grin in his voice as he took full control of her body. "There's still something else I want to see."
Knowing what the God of Darkness meant, the black Wolf tried to regain control, but the God was simply stronger than her and managed to keep control.

The God lead Midnight though a small door at the back of the arena and down a flight of stairs. As they decended further into the mind breaking darkness, Tenebris used Midnight's abilities to light the old torches with a black flame which, suprisingly enough, let off a pale light. Once they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Tenebrised released control of the Wolf's body after lighting the rest of the torches in the room, illminating the cages that occupied the room.
"Why?" Was all Midnight could say as her crimson eyes flicked around the room.
"Because this is where it began, my child." The God chuckled. "This is where we first met, remember?"
Midnight walked forward, walking past the cages, each bringing back an unwanted memory. "I thought I was insane."
The air beside Midnight rippled and black smoke formed the shape of a dark grey Wolf. "You are insane, child." He ran his claws up the side of Midnight's face. "We both are."
"I'm not the same as you." She said, turning away from Tenebris. "I never will be." She made her way back towards the stairs. "I'm leaving now. This place makes me sick." At her word, the lit torches in the room died out, plunging the room into darkness.

By the time Midnight had reached the surface, Tenebris had returned to her mindscape. The black Wolf raised her head to the darkening sky and took a deep breath in. "This place...it still reaks of blood.

[Rug-rug]

Rug-rug's nose twitched in disapproval. This place did not smell nice. Rubbish and sewage were smells Rug-rug was accustomed too, but he never could entirely stomach the smell of old blood.

Rug-rug stood outside the Elemental Battle Arena, taking in the scenery. The arena was mostly in ruins, the stone walls crumbled like dry sponge cake. The grandstands stayed true to their name, and still stood despite the weakened structures inside. Rug-rug thought back to a week ago, when he found three shifty looking rats waiting outside his house. They belonged to a group of rat elitists, and were offering Rug-rug coin in exchange for him to stand guard at the Elemental Battle Arena, an old building of apparently deep historical significance to these rats. Rug-rug wasn't really interested in the specifics. The gold was good, and the work seemed easy. Guard duty was something he'd done a hundred times.

Not sure why anyone actually wants to protect this place. It's falling to bits as it is. But gold was gold, so guard he would.

Rug-rug stepped over the tattered remains on the banner and walked inside the arena. He was a little tense; Rug-rug was confident in his abilities, but he wasn't sure why he was being hired for this, and they didn't tell him to expect anyone. Far from being reassuring, that just made it all the more nerve-racking. He approached cautiously.

As Rug-rug walked towards the arena grounds, he noticed a figure standing in the near the back of the arena. Suppressing a surprised curse, he quickly ducked behind a pile of rubble. It just now occurred to him that this could potentially have been a set-up by someone he threatened before, but he dismissed the thought. Rat's understood business. Rug-rug always made sure they knew it wasn't personal. Rug-rug sighed to himself. It was time to earn his bag of gold. He stood out from behind the rubble.

"Hey! You! This place here is out of bounds! I have to ask you to leave!" Rug-rug shouted, not unkindly, and started walking towards the figure who he now identified as a wolf.

[Midnight]

Just as Midnight was about to make her way out of the old arena, a rather rough voice stopped her in her tracks.
Hey! You! This place is out of bounds! I have to ask you to leave!
Ha! Just what you need right now, child. Tenebris said from her mindscape. A visitor. And a rough-looking one too.
"Shut your muzzle." Midnight growled under her breath, making the God laugh. She turned fully towards the owner of the voice, who happened to be a Rat. Oh great. Just what she needed. There were some Rats who still believed in the way of life before Conflict and The Uniting. They believed that the old arena rightfully belonged to them and that the Wolves still had no place on Veldora. "This place isn't out of bounds." Midnight said calmly. "This arena hasn't belonged to anyone since The Uniting, Rat. The old times are over. We all live in peace and unity so stop trying to bring back the old way of living."
Midnight wasn't one to 'beat around the bush', or so to speak. She liked to get straight to the point. Something that often got her into unwelcome collisions. But, if she was being honest with herself, then this Rat looked like one of the old soldiers from Erat.
An old friend, Midnight dear? Maybe you and I should teach him a lesson in history.
Midnight could feel the darkness within her pulse, ready to burst from her being and wreak havoc.

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