Ellie's pov:

The arena was terribly full and a cloud of dust rose into the air. Screams rang in my ears and my breathing became heavy. The audience was standing and protesting who should win the duel and was moving animatedly, making me dizzy. The surrounding environment was dark, except for the single glimmer of light that illuminated the point where a beast taller and more muscular than me was approaching to grab me by the tank top. Kneeling on the ground, I tried to catch my breath. Blood came out of my lips and adorned the corners of my mouth. My injured hands were wrapped in blood-stained white bandages, and purple bruises burned on my thin shoulders. I looked up. The man in front of me spat out the small wooden stick he had between his teeth and approached me. His calloused hands grabbed my shoulders and lifted me forcefully, making my legs move forcefully and as soon as I fell to the ground, I wiped the blood from my nose, growling. The fingers trembled, the wrists became strong. And I threw a punch that hit him full in the face. One, two. Three. My eyes began to flicker. Blood pressure to lower. And before my eyes could close, they landed right on the only person who had bet on me. A particular girl, who had raised her arm holding a precious white card with my initial engraved in her fingers, without taking her eyes off me. I could feel the sweat falling from my collarbones, my knees shaking and my hair cut into a now messy mullet. I pounced on the man, still dazed from the punch, and punched him several times until the duel director ran towards me to grab me from the shoulders, sealing my victory. He grabbed my arm forcefully, lifting it up and everyone screamed and growled and fist-bumped for losing the bet. I thought that the girl I had seen shortly before had been a figment of my imagination, but instead... I saw her disappear into the crowd in her black cloak. Her hair flashed in front of my eyes for a second as I closed them, tired and terribly sore.