Silence descended as Azaroth stared at them, both Darian and Bella. His face was hard and glinted red like blood jewels.

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, tilting her head up to look at Azaroth.

"Don’t talk to him, Bella. You can see he’s sick, I mean look at his eyes!" Darian took a threatening step forward, his right hand going to his shoulder. To grip the wooden handle of a large axe strapped to his back.

Azaroth raised his brows, noting the weapons the group carried. Bella carried a big knife and the twins each had swords, Azaroth could see the axe behind Darian. All their weapons were made of the same black material as Azaroth’s group.

"Are you the one that interrupted the Captains?" Azaroth looked at Darian, he pinned the big guy with such a hard look his hand tightened on his axe hand. Then Azaroth turned to the short girl. "Or were you the one?"

Bella laughed nervously, her gaze flitting from Azaroth to Stallus then to Alex. "What are you talking about?"

Azaroth sighed, this was going nowhere, he would just choose the one that spoke. "You," Azaroth pointed at Darian. "You are the dumb buffoon that interrupted the Captains by speaking aren’t you?"

Everyone stilled, Darian stiffened, the veins on his hand now clearly showing.

"What did you say?" Darian whispered, his green eyes like stone.

Azaroth sighed again, he mentally touched his normal core, getting ready. "It seems you are as deaf as you are stupid."

The twins whistled and Alex coughed. Stallus pulsed her lips and started at Azaroth, she must be wondering what Azaroth was doing.

Bella’s eyes flashed, glaring at Azaroth now, her small hand resting on Darien’s hip. "Don’t listen to him, Darian. He just wants to provoke you....what did you call him then? Yes, a weakling!"

Darian relaxed a little and grinned down at Bella but Azaroth could see the way his eyes darkened and the tightening of his mouth.

Azaroth smirked and shrugged casually. "At least I’m not a coward."

Darian jerked as if he had been shot with an arrow then he shouted and exploded forward. His axe left his back and he swung the great axe with one hand.

Azaroth’s sword was already out of its scabbard, ready to meet the axe but something darted between them. Azaroth’s sword smacked into something with a snapping sound and held fast.

Azaroth was surprised. He truly was. If this kind of situation was to happen he expected Alex or Stallus to be the one to do it. He didn’t expect Catena to be the one holding his sword in his right hand and Darian’s axe in the other hand.

There were moments of silence as everyone stared at Catena holding two weapons in his essence-covered hands.

Would you look at that, Azaroth thought. Catena had already mastered putting essence in two hands. He must have put it on his legs to move that fast too.

Darian bellowed and yanked his axe but it held fast in Catena’s hand. It was as if Catena was a mountain, refusing to bulge.

"What do you think you are doing?" Darian asked, warping two hands on the weapon and pulling on it hard.

"What is this Catena?" Azaroth asked softly. Someone had already killed one fun for him, he wasn’t about to lose another.

Catena said nothing, his head was bowed.

"What is your group playing at?" Bella drew her weapon and what followed was the ringing of drawn weapons as the twins drew their swords and Stallus and Alex did the same.

"You draw your weapons first." Stallus pointed out to Bella. The night was crawling in now and her saber was like a dark needle piercing the air.

"You insulted us first!" Bella protested, her pink hair standing.

Stallus shrugged and pointed at Darian. "Well, your "leader" here called us...what’s that again?"

"Weaklings," Alex said and Stallus snapped her fingers. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Bella glared at them, her eyes narrowed.

Zephyra shifted from her position but none of the Captains interrupted, they just stayed there watching them.

"Well, Catena?" Azaroth asked.

Catena raised his eyes and Azaroth bearly recognized him. It wasn’t that it was not his face, no, it was still the same Catena but now his face glowed. The gold in his eyes flashed in the near darkness.

It occurred to Azaroth then that Catena was opening his eyes fully.

"Oh, Azaroth. Don’t you see? We have been bored all this while!" Catena smiled like a satisfied cat. "Why do you want to fight now? It’ll be just so boring!"

Stallus groaned and Alex slapped his hand with his face.

"What are you saying, Catena?" Azaroth asked, his voice cold.

"What I’m saying is that isn’t it shameful for Darian who advanced weeks ago to fight a person that just advanced?" Catena asked in his deep voice.

Azaroth paused. So that was it, he now understood what Catena was playing at.

"What are you talking about?" Darian demanded.

Catena released the weapons and spread his hand. "A duel. In two weeks, let there be a duel between the two to know who is the weakling!"

Azaroth looked at Catena, the tall boy was smiling. So what got him excited was this type of fight. A fight to know the powerful?

Not a bad taste you have Catena, Azaroth thought.

Darian scoffed. "And why would I want a duel with a weakling?"

Azaroth moved fast and flickered his sword up, inches from Darian’s throat. The surroundings exploded as his group pointed their weapons at Azaroth.

"What are you doing?" Bella demanded.

Azaroth shrugged, his sword steady at Darian’s neck. A little thrust and he could slit his throat. Darian knew this too, he swallowed, his eyes on the sword, he was sweating now.

"I’m just answering Darian’s question. Why would you fight me? Because if you chicken out like the coward that you are I will find you and kill you." Azaroth said flatly, his red eyes gleaming in the almost dark.

Then Azaroth withdrew his sword and sheathed it with a flourish.