Built from the shell of an ancient foundation, the Arx Colosseum has undergone renovations to allow multiple new configurations for battle. Its spectator setup remains largely the same, with high walls, tall enough for even the most savvy Jedi to find unscalable that lead up to spectator chairs which are divided into nearly organized sections to accommodate several thousand people. At the center, an elongated platform “box” contains a central throne of stone with various seats of smaller scale lined beside it in both directions. Two large holo-projection screens are set up on each side of the Colosseum, offering different angles of the match bia holocam drones.

Today’s setup is known as The Singularity.

The singularity, an artificial dark orb ringed in bending light, floats in the center of the arena. Dust from the arena floor whirls as it is drawn toward the orb, and the air of the combat area is constantly pulled inwards. Bits of metal, rocks, and other debris whip around the singularity, faster the closer they are to the orb of darkness. At random intervals the orb pulses with a bright light, blasting all its drawn into it back out into the arena with devastating force before starting the cycle over once again.

Seven circular platforms float and orbit around the singularity, the only safe sanctuary from the intense pull inwards, shielded from the gravitational pull. Between them, random bits of floating metal plates spin and twist as they too orbit, allowing for dangerous traversal between the only safe footing to be found in the arena. Those unfortunate enough to be drawn into the artificial singularity, won’t find the release of death from its crushing gravity. Instead, they are locked in place, spinning rapidly until the next “release” of bright light by the orb when they are finally thrown back into the arena.

Selika could hear the crowd's roar from above as the glowing opening of the tunnel leading to the arena grew closer. The cargo skiff carrying her to the final battle of the tournament had two others in addition to the pilot behind them. The trio of passengers consisted of the two combatants, and standing between them was the Voice of the Brotherhood, Idris Adenn. Selika turned her head and looked past the armored Mandalorian to size up her opponent, finding herself once again facing Lucine Vasano. It was odd but also fitting that they would face one another for a second time.

Redirecting her attention back to their destination, Selika's ears were assaulted by the cacophony of the assembled throngs as the skiff burst out into the arena proper. The grandstands were overflowing, with spectators spilling into the aisles and insufficient seating to accommodate them. The Dread Lord could sense Idris tensing up slightly as the raucous crowd cheered, a motion so subtle that only those observing him closely would have noticed. It was evident that he was hoping to avoid a repeat of the static, nearly action-free duel of the mind that Lucine and Selika had fought in their first encounter.

"Don't worry," Selika whispered as she leaned in so he would hear her. "I'll ensure you don't have to engage in any dance numbers this time."

If Idris acknowledged her comment, it went unnoticed by Selika. For her part, Selika's bravado was more facade than reality. Selika and Lucine had plumbed the depths of one another's minds in their prior match, the last of the tournament preliminaries. The secrets laid bare by the Arconan were things that Selika had little interest in revisiting. As a result, she had vowed to do everything she could to keep the other woman out of her mind this time. The mental walls she had built up through meditation in the hours leading up to the match left her Force senses somewhat dulled compared to normal, almost as if she was seeing through a heavy fog. As a result, the perception of the crowd around her melted into an amorphous haze instead of the bright points of energy within the Force. Purposefully handicapping herself in such a way was a sign of the deep-rooted fear that lingered within her mind, even though Selika would not admit that even to herself.

Selika took in the arena around them, bathed in bright light from the stadium illumination above. Seven platforms ringed an empty central area, each a smaller version of the large, singular platform of the prior match. Selika checked herself after a moment, realizing that there was a difference this time. Instead of floating in the air as the singular platform of the last round, these were connected to the unseen arena floor by reinforced pillars of durasteel. Something was lurking nearly unseen at the arena's center, shrouded in darkness, outside the light cast from above.

The skiff glided to a stop a few meters from the closest platform, a gangplank extending to allow the combatants a dignified exit from the vehicle. Selika ignored the voice of Idris projected across the arena's loudspeakers to announce the combatants as first Lucine and then herself strode out onto the platform. Lucine seemed to be silently sizing her up, a penetrating gaze that seemed to figuratively bore through Selika's armor to measure the woman beneath.

"And now, gentlebeings, we have reached the Singularity!" Idris's words finally cut through Selika's concentration. Before she could take a moment to wonder what Idris had meant, a blast of light followed by a shockwave pulsed out from the middle of the arena that nearly knocked the two foes off their feet. The space at the center of the seven platforms was now filled by what appeared to be a gravitational singularity, a miniature version of a collapsed star. Selika whirled back to face the Voice of the Brotherhood as the arena's air rushed inward, attracted into the black void at the singularity's center. "How did you do this, you maniac? It's not possible."

"No," Idris answered, his voice coming from the speaker in his helmet instead of the public address system so only the two finalists could hear. "It's necessary."

The skiff pulled away from the platform and headed back from where it had come, but the sound of repulsorlifts straining remained even as it retreated. Selika realized they must be built into the platform, but not to hover against the planet's gravity. Instead, the repulsors created an area on each platform shielded from the gravitational attraction of the monstrosity at the heart of the arena. Metal, ranging in size from meter-wide plates to tiny shards, spun around the arena center as they orbited into the gravity well. Suddenly, the singularity flashed again as further debris was expelled outward from the dark heart. Selika ducked out of the way as a section of metal girder whirled past within inches of her head. Lucine was also forced to dodge out of the way as a trio of broken container parts flashed outward through the space she had just occupied.

"Lava, battle droids, and jungle beasts weren't enough for you, I guess," Selika muttered. Her voice was drowned out by the excited cheering from the assembled throng, the masses obviously ecstatic over the battlefield that Idris had crafted for their enjoyment. Selika pulled her helmet from its place hanging at her side and placed it on her head. Even here, shielded from the singularity's pull, Selika could feel a slight tug on the helmet in her hands. Though perfectly level, the platform felt as if it sloped downhill towards the arena center as the gravitational gradient of the singularity could still be felt.

"I guess sitting here in a trance is not in the cards," Lucine said, speaking loudly to ensure Selika could hear. "Wouldn't do to be decapitated by spinning metal while otherwise distracted."

Selika offered no words in answer, instead pulling her lightsaber from its place at her belt and thumbing it to life. The violet blade flashed to life with a telltale snap-hiss as Selika rushed forward to slash at her opponent. Lucine made no movement, and the blade cut through her torso from her left shoulder to her right hip. Or, however, it slashed through a projection of Lucine's torso. Before Selika could recover, a grav-ball-sized chunk of metal slammed into her back, telekinetically guided by Lucine. The force of the blow, even cushioned by her armor, drove the air from Selika's lungs and knocked her to the ground.

"Wasn't expecting such a simple illusion to work on you," Lucine gloated from where she truly stood behind the Dread Lord. "You're slipping, Plagueian."

Selika seethed as she pushed herself onto her knees, silently cursing her that efforts to keep Lucine out of her mind had left her vulnerable to the former Consul's tricks. As if on command, Selika felt the other woman's presence smash against her own mental defenses like waves crashing against a sea wall. Prepared as she had been for this attack, Selika strained against Lucine's attempted intrusion and kept her out. "Not this time," Selika grunted through gritted teeth.

As Lucine's mental assault retreated, Selika grasped at the threads of the Force around her, forming them into an ethereal but solid fist that slammed into the other woman's jaw. The blow was a glancing one, however, as it seemed Lucine had sensed it coming and had been able to twist away from the worst of it. Still, the strike had split the Arconan's lip, and now a tiny trickle of blood flowed down the left side of her chin. "A punch to the face?" Lucine mocked, spitting blood from her mouth. "Such a lack of imagination."

Selika did not respond to Lucine’s mocking words. At least, not verbally. Instead, the Force screamed a warning of another incoming attack. Lucine darted to the side, narrowly avoiding three twisted shards of metal that shot through the space she had occupied only moments before.

It seemed that Selika was not feeling particularly chatty.

Lucine had seen the hard edge in her opponent’s eyes as they had ridden into the arena together. Selika’s violet orbs had been filled with grim determination and a newfound wariness. Feelings that Lucine could certainly relate to.

But there was also something different about the woman. She had seemed quiet and pensive, a far cry from the poised and confident opponent Lucine had faced before. What's more, Selika’s mental defenses had been shored up, so much so that one of Lucine’s strongest attacks had not budged them. It seemed that Selika was well prepared for their rematch.

The redhead used her anger and apprehension as a conduit to draw upon the Force, shaping it as an expert sculptor would work a piece of clay. Three identical versions of herself stepped away from the original a moment later. In one motion, they each wiped away the blood that now stained their lips.

“If it makes you feel better, darling, I did not want to face you again so soon either,” the Lucines said in perfect unison.

With her helmet in place, Lucine could not see Selika’s reaction. But there was one thing she could be certain of: she had the Dread Lord’s undivided attention. The four redheads each gave Selika a mocking smile as they took a few steps closer to the southern edge of the platform, spreading their arms as if welcoming her to attack. Selika turned her body slightly to track them.

As a result, her head was turned away from the small Seeker droid as it scuttled toward the northern edge of the platform. POR-7 fought against the pull of the singularity in the center of the arena as it moved as far as it could from the fight, scanning its environment as it went.

As she watched, the droid plucked a piece of debris out of the air as it flew past and examined it. A moment later it released its catch, skittering forward to repeat the process on a different piece of detritus.

“Find it for me,” Lucine murmured in quiet encouragement, before turning her attention back toward her opponent.

She saw Selika's fingers twitch, giving her the barest hint of warning. Bits of metal and scrap, caught by the singularity's pull, began to shudder as another force pulled them from the gravity well. They began to whirl around Lucine and her illusory doubles. Slowly at first, but quickly speeding up, creating a whirlwind of shrapnel.

“Ow!” Lucine cursed under her breath as a bolt slammed into the side of her head. She triggered the plasma shield in her armor, adjusting her illusion so that the doubles each had an identical shield.

Still, Selika’s attack was partially helpful. She risked looking away from the Dread Lord in small, darting glances as she examined the debris that whirled around her. Screws, bolts, bits of twisted metal, but no sign of the data disk that she sought.

Inwardly, she cursed her incompetent associate. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea to have the data disk delivered to her by a Human disguised as a Colosseum worker. She had not anticipated that he would be pressed into preparing the arena for her impending match with Selika. She certainly had not anticipated that he would accidentally drop it while trying to maintain his disguise.

Good help was so hard to find.

Unfortunately, she had expended far too many credits and political capital for the information on the disk to simply let it go. So now she was stuck searching for the karking thing while trying to avoid further defeat and humiliation at Selika’s hands. It was a distraction that she did not need.

The cloud of detritus grew thicker as more and more bits of metal swirled around her. They bounced harmlessly off of her shield, buying more time for her search. “Are you certain that you do not wish to settle this in a more civilized manner? Perhaps with a nice game of Dejarik?”

Selika tsked quietly under her breath as her violet blade flared to life once more. “I think not. After all, I promised Idris a good show this time.”

As the Dread Lord closed the distance between them, the invisible force that created the curtain of shrapnel abruptly vanished. The debris was quickly pulled away from Lucine as it was caught once more in the gravity well of the singularity.

Lucine dispelled her plasma shield as she and her illusions drew their lightsabers. Four emerald blades ignited at the same time. She brought her blade up as Selika slashed toward one of the doubles in a feint, only to abruptly redirect the blade to spear directly toward her heart.

Sparks flared as Lucine barely brought her blade around in time to deflect the blow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bit of garbage fly past, moving directly through one of her illusions as it was pulled toward the dark orb in the center of the arena. There was no doubt that Selika's telekinetic cloud of debris had similarly moved through her illusions.

Lucine cursed her folly and distraction as she dismissed her doubles and sent the energy into her muscles to lend her strength and speed. Selika lashed out in a series of quick, ferocious blows, forcing the redhead to give ground as she defended herself.

Another warning from the Force, danger coming from above. She ducked to narrowly avoid a telekinetically-driven chunk of rock aimed at her head even as Selika lunged once more. Lucine jerked her blade upward, pushing it aside even as she lashed out with her foot, sweeping the Plagueian's legs.

Lucine took off in a run, knowing that the Dread Lord would not remain down long. Best to put some distance between them. She quickly reached the edge of the platform before launching herself off of it in a Force-enhanced leap. She could feel the pull of the singularity as she left the protection of the platform, but she had accounted for that, angling herself in such a manner that her jump would put her on one of the metal plates that orbited the platform.

Or at least, it would have.

A large piece of rock, likely the same one Selika had used before, slammed into her midsection with enough force to drive the breath from her lungs. Stars exploded in front of her eyes, the pain temporarily blinding her. Her senses quickly returned, enough for her to realize that she was no longer moving downward toward the plate. She was moving upward. Toward the black orb in the center of the arena.

Selika grinned beneath her helmet as she regained her footing. Lucine had obviously thought that being knocked on her ass momentarily would have distracted Selika long enough to put some distance between them. Even with her Force senses muddied somewhat by the mental bastion Selika had erected, it had proven easy to maintain her mental fix on Lucine and send the rock slamming into her opponent.

"Child's play," Selika mused. Before she could take further action, Selika felt a telekinetic grip lock around her arm. "You're not going to be able to save yourself that way, Lucine!"

Selika's retort, even amplified by the vocoder built into her armor, was unlikely to reach her opponent clearly. Lucine's reply was also lost in the rush of wind that filled the arena, leaving Selika feeling a sense of self-satisfaction. The Arconan would not be able to arrest her own momentum this way; that's not how the Force works. Instantly, Selika's confidence evaporated as the strong Force presence wrapping itself around her forearm tightened and then bodily jerked her into the air.

"Sithspit!" Selika exclaimed as she careened upward, the telekinetic yank now joined by the attraction force of the singularity as she left the protection of the platform's repulsor field. Selika spun through the air, headed for the dark, pulsing sphere that dominated the center of the arena.

The two women did not fall directly into the singularity, instead adopting a curving trajectory as they orbited down into the gravity field. Falling around the sphere, they both accelerated until they vanished within. The inside of the singularity was not, itself, limited to darkness. Instead, it offered a seemingly dark, featureless circle surrounded by a halo of bright light. All of the light from outside fell into the singularity, unable to escape the gravitational pull, and showed a warped, distorted view of the world that lay beyond. In some ways, it was breathtaking, but Selika could not allow herself to be distracted by its beauty.

The two women were orbiting around its center and facing one another, separated by a few meters. Only by the steely resolve each possessed, coupled with the ability to exercise equally rigid control over themselves through the Force, could the Arconan and Plagueian Consul remain conscious against the force of their spin. Selika's saber, still in her hand, flashed out, seeking to strike Lucine with a high slash. The other woman wasn't fast enough to bring her own weapon to meet it, instead blocking the blow with the silver and gold champion's bracer she wore on her left arm. Lucine's weapon did, however, spring to life as she stabbed forward toward the gap in her opponent's armor plates where shoulder met neck. Still, Selika was able to redirect it with an armored gauntlet of her own.

"Bit of a mirror, wouldn't you say?" Lucine asked with a dark smile

"Just a bit," Selika grunted, the exertion of maintaining her focus and position within the spinning singularity stretching her to her limit.

Disengaging her saber from her opponent, Selika swung it forward again, where her violet blade met the emerald one of Lucine's. The blades crashed together with a flash, and the crushing force of gravity seemed to increase exponentially, locking the two combatants into their positions. The air almost rushed out of Selika's lungs under the pressure, and it was all she could do to keep conscious. Selika realized that the flash that had accompanied the blades meeting hadn't diminished, seeing it was not coming from the blades at all. Selika saw a bright red light reflected in Lucine's eyes, a lock of growing shock spreading across her features. Struggling against the weight of gravity around her, Selika shifted her head enough to look down. The shard of crystal that hung around her neck, usually a dark, onyx hue, was glowing brightly with a white-hot light. Worse, Selika saw that it was vibrating as if the crystal was pulsing outward against its own structure.

"Oh, kark me…" Selika said with exasperation.

Idris smiled as the two women vanished within the singularity at the heart of the arena. From where he sat in the Grand Master's box, it seemed his work on this new configuration of the Colosseum had paid dividends. The match that had featured Selika and Lucine previously had been about as interesting as watching paint dry, and Idris had gone to great lengths to ensure there was not a repeat of that fiasco. He was turning around to one of the stewards to order a tumbler of Sacorrian grain whiskey when he heard the voice of the box's owner.

"Idris," Grand Master Dacien Victae wondered, "is it supposed to do that?"

"Do what?" Idris asked by way of response as he returned his gaze to the arena. What he saw stopped any further reply before it could form. The singularity now seemed to spin even faster, with gouts of crimson energy jetting out from its surface like solar prominences on a star. Suddenly, it was as if the room lurched forward, anything loose crashing to the floor from where it had stood. Both Councilors nearly lost their footing. It was now as if the room was tilted downward towards the arena, and it was evident that something was very wrong with the artificial singularity Idris had called into existence.

"What, exactly, in the spice mines of Kessel is going on?" Dacien demanded of his Voice.

"I'm not sure," Idris offered, his mind racing. A bolt of energy leaped forth from the singularity and blasted its way across the arena stands, vaporizing seats and spectators alike as it burned a furrow into the stone. As both men's eyes readjusted in the absence of the momentary glare, Dacien's gaze drifted upwards to something above the arena that seemed to be shining a dull, red light down on the now panicked crowds below.

"Idris, I thought we closed those…" the grand master's voice trailed off as his eyes took in the vista that greeted him.

Idris followed Daicen's gaze upward and was shocked to see what seemed to be a red, glowing portal. And through it, a dark reflection of the Colosseum appeared to be filling the sky above. His mind racing, Idris grabbed his datapad from where it had fallen and accessed the weapon and equipment declarations each combatant had filed before the match. Lucine had brought various weapons, but none could explain what they saw. Switching to Selika, he swiped through each item until he found what he sought: the Dread Lord had brought an Ethereal Phase Crystal with her.

"I think we have a problem," Idris said, showing what he had found to Dacien.

"And what would you suggest?" Dacien demanded angrily.

"Uh," Idris said as a flash much brighter than before bathed the arena, violently expelling debris from the singularity. "Running sounds like a good plan."

The crystal finally burst apart in a blinding flash, tossing Lucine and Selika violently out of the singularity and back into the arena. Selika flew backward and hit the arena wall, bouncing back down and landing face-down on one of the larger platforms. The scene that greeted Selika was chaotic, much different than when she had entered the singularity. A great fissure seemed to have been cut into the sky above, an eerie vision of a dark echo of the Colosseum visible through the rip. The repulsors of the platform could be heard screeching above the roar of the crowd around them, the mechanisms running well beyond the red line as they tried in vain to keep up with the increased gravitational instability. In the stands around her, Selika saw that dark gouges had been burnt through the seating areas, smoke still rising from the dark wounds. Within the crowd, she saw something else she recognized: Spirit Avatars. The ghostly forms were moving through the roiling crowds, slashing at spectators and arena security alike. The chaos of the Ethereal Realm had been brought to Arx.

Selika was curious to know if this had been what Idris had intended. She would not have put it past him, given what obstacles the Mandalorian councilor had inflicted upon them so far. Still, the Dread Lord would not allow whatever the maniacal Voice had cooked up this time to deter her from her objective. Centering herself, Selika opened up a crack in her mental defenses to better sense Lucine's presence. The woman was across the arena from where Selika stood, seemingly standing atop one of the other seven platforms opposite her position. Moving purposefully, Selika began to circle the now-roiling singularity towards her foe.

The singularity could best be described as angry, as huge eruptions of energy burned their way across the Colosseum around Selika as she moved. The comparative order of the space before their entry into the singularity had been replaced with havoc at all turns. The pull of the singularity was uneven; pockets of gravitational disturbance like those of the Ethereal Realm dotted the space at random intervals. Moving from floating debris to platform back to debris left Selika panting as she finally reached her third platform, finding her adversary waiting for her.

Selika moved as quickly as she could, her limbs beginning to feel like lead, to close the distance between herself and Lucine as her weapon once again lashed out toward her foe. "It's time to end this!" she shouted to be heard over the cacophony surrounding them.

"I couldn't agree more," Lucine called back, her own blade meeting Selika's own. The taller woman spun away from Selika, her blade moving fluidly, bringing it around in a strike at Selika's legs. Twisting herself to take the blow on the armor that protected her thigh, Selika sent a blast of Force lightning from her palm and aimed at Lucine's chest. The energy blast dissipated against the shield the former Shadow Lady projected from her armor.

"Your thoughts betray you, darling," Lucine scolded.

Selika realized that Lucine had forced her way through the tiny gap Selika had opened in her mental defenses, swearing at her mistake. Lucine had sensed her attacks coming, easily allowing her to counter. Pushing against the other's mental presence, Selika tried to forcefully eject her. As Selika's focus shifted to the mind, Lucine aimed a kick at the inside of Selika's left knee, connecting with enough force to knock Selika from her feet once more. Selika rolled away, using the momentum of her fall to take her away from her adversary.

As Selika stood again to face Lucine, another arc of energy jetted out from the singularity. This one burned across the platform, blasting between the two fighters. The distraction seemed momentary, but before either could react, the repulsorlift whine seemed to reach peak pitch before cutting out entirely. The dying repulsor field dissipated, leaving their platform unshielded from the singularity's gravity. Selika and Lucine both dropped down into prone positions, trying not to fall into the singularity once again. As each formulated their next move, the sound of grinding duracrete reached their ears as the support below their platform failed under gravitational forces beyond what it had been designed to resist.

The platform parted from its support, moving in the direction of the debris that orbited the center of the arena. The free-floating duracete disk moved through the air as both women clung on for dear life. Instead of falling into the singularity, however, the platform was flung around the gravity well and slingshot away from it. Flashing through the air, it smashed sidelong into the arena seating area, throwing Lucine and Selika forward into the rubble of its impact.

The duracrete platform ground to a sudden halt amid the stands, yet Lucine’s body kept going, just as the laws of physics demanded. Her momentum caused her to slam into the seats before dropping onto the stone floor. Though her armor absorbed enough of the force to keep the impact from being fatal, her body was a mass of pain. She would undoubtedly have a very interesting collection of bruises to show for it.

The world swam dangerously as she pulled herself into a kneeling position. She had a blinding headache. A concussion, maybe? She felt something warm trickling down the side of her head. When she touched it, her fingers came away wet and sticky with blood.

Perhaps eschewing her helmet was an unwise move. Being fashionable mattered little if she died from a head injury.

She paused, realizing her train of thought. No doubt about it. She definitely had a concussion.

Lucine tried to focus her errant thoughts as she looked around, taking in the chaos around her. The singularity still hovered in the center of the arena, occasionally shooting bolts of raw energy that left nothing but smoking ruin in their wake. Above the dark orb, the blood-red tear in the sky seemed to be steadily growing larger by the minute.

The assembled crowd was panicking. Many pressed toward the exits, creating a deadly stampede in the aisles. From where she knelt, she could see a few crumpled forms, people who had lost their footing and been trampled by the crowd. Others huddled in place amid the rows of seats, sheltering from the ghostly figures of Spirit Avatars that now prowled the stands. Security forces tried to maintain order, but their efforts did little to contain the bedlam. The air was filled with screams of pain and fear, thick with smoke and dust.

Agony. Terror. It was suffocating. There was so much. Lucine could feel her breath coming to her faster and faster, trying to breathe despite the crushing weight of the emotions that surrounded her. Instinctively, she reached for the Force, seeking to augment her lungs to absorb more oxygen. But what had been almost instinctive moments ago was now difficult, requiring almost all of her focus. There was something wrong with her power.

Move. You have to move.

The sound of her ragged breathing filled her ears, but it could not drown out the sound of the suffering that surrounded her. A Twi’lek child bawling for her mother to get up as she tugged at a still form. The gurgling breaths of a security guard clutching at a wound in his chest as blood seeped between his fingers. The terror of a man and a woman as they huddled together, trying to shield each other from the carnage.

She felt a warm wetness on her cheeks and knew it was not blood. She wanted to curl up in a ball and wait for the hurting to stop. There were Spirit Avatars everywhere. If she just waited, eventually one would find her. Then the pain, the terror, everything would stop.

MOVE!

Drawing on every ounce of strength and will, Lucine began to crawl. Her limbs felt like they were made of rubber as she slowly dragged herself forward along the narrow space between two rows of seats. Inch by agonizing inch, over charred and bloodied forms as screams and sobs and her own labored breathing rang in her ears.

And then there was peace. Blessed quiet.

It was as if she had crawled past some invisible wall. All of the ambient emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her faded into the background, the tidal wave being replaced by a trickle. The crushing weight vanished. Relief flooded her as she dragged air into her lungs, not minding that it tasted like dust and blood.

Vaguely, she recalled reading a report about this. Something about the Ethereal Realm inverting the abilities of Force Users. It seemed that the rift and the singularity were causing pockets of disturbances even here. It had caused her to feel the emotions of others, much more than she ever had before.

She once more reached for the Force. Mercifully, it came easily. Her headache quickly subsided as she focused on healing her injuries.

As she waited for her various aches and pains to vanish, movement from the Grand Master’s box caught her attention. Dacien Victae and Darth Renatus leapt from the box and took off in a run with grim expressions on their faces. They were clearly intent on some important purpose.

Obviously, this was not part of the show.

After a moment, a second realization dawned on her: there was no way she was going to be able to find her lost data disk amid the pandemonium.

Gradually, her headache cleared and the injuries that riddled her body began to fade. But as she began to get to her feet, the Force warned her of an incoming attack.

She brought her hand up in time to deflect Selika’s violet lightsaber blade with her bracer, even as she stretched her arm toward the spot where she had initially fallen. Her own lightsaber arced toward her. She snatched it out of the air as she jumped backward, avoiding her opponent’s overhead slash.

“Stop, you fool!” Lucine shouted as she ignited her weapon and used it to deflect a third blow. “Can you not see that this fight is over?”

The Plagueian paused, taking in her blood- and tear-stained face and the battered state of her armor. Even through the vocoder, Lucine could hear the smugness in Selika’s tone as she said, “For you, maybe.”

“No! For both of us! Look around you!” As Lucine spoke, Selika darted forward with preternatural speed, thrusting her violet blade toward her heart. The redhead deflected the blow. “There’s a giant rift to the Ethereal Realm in the middle of the blasted arena! And there are Spirit Avatars everywhere!”

The Dread Lord lashed out with her blade once more. Rather than deflecting it, Lucine darted to the side, causing Selika to tsk under her breath. “That sounds more like an Idris problem than a me problem. Unless you think I should actually care if a few mundanes get hurt as part of the show.”

Lucine remained in her defensive stance. “Would you just look around? Clearly, something has gone wrong, and we do not have time to waste on this asinine little fight!”

“If you want to end it so badly, then just surrender,” Selika replied, her tone mocking. “I’ll end it quickly.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucine saw movement: something racing toward them. The Plagueian did not seem to notice, as her field of vision was limited by her helmet. She slashed at Lucine once more, and the Arconan blocked the blow even as she made a shoving motion with her hand. A wall of invisible force slammed into Selika, driving her back several feet, causing her to narrowly avoid being cut by the Spirit Avatar’s blade.

Lucine turned her body slightly to better defend against the new threat. The fully-formed Spirit Avatar looked vaguely familiar, but she could not quite recall where she had seen the tall, bearded man before. He regarded her with an expression of disdain and cruelty before his eyes shifted to the Plagueian.

“N-no!” Selika’s vocoded voice was filled with anguish and fear. “No! I killed him! He’s dead! He can’t be here!” Her words took on a ragged edge as she tore off her helmet to glare at Lucine. “You’re doing this! Get out of my mind!”

Realization dawned on Lucine as she recalled the memory she had glimpsed in their last battle. Tolcon. Selika’s uncle. But before she could say anything, Selika tossed her helmet aside and extended her hand, her fingers twisted into a crooked, talon-like shape. Her expression morphed from anger to confusion as only a few sparks of violet energy crackled from her fingertips. It appeared that the invisible field of inversion was similarly robbing Selika of one of her most potent powers.

Tolcon roared as he charged at the Plagueian, his gleaming sword held high. Selika screamed in reply, a raw sound filled with fury and feral fear. This time lighting sprang from her fingers, purple tongues of cracking energy that tore through the Spirit Avatar, causing him to freeze in place as he convulsed in agony. The air filled with the smell of charred meat and ozone.

Lucine stepped behind the man’s twitching form and lashed out with her emerald blade, cutting neatly through his neck. A second blow cut him from his left shoulder blade to his right hip. The apparition fell forward, his head rolling to thud against Selika’s boot. A moment later, the body faded away into mist.

“That… that was not an illusion…” the Dread Lord said, staring down at the spot where her uncle’s head had been only moments before. Her shoulders sagged slightly, a sign that the bolt of Force Lightning had taken a greater toll than it should have. She looked around, her eyes narrowing, before taking a few deliberate steps closer to Lucine until she was out of the field of inverted energy.

When Lucine made no move to attack, Selika took another look around, taking in the scene of chaos that surrounded them. Her eyes finally landed on the Grand Master’s box. Only two Council members remained. James Entar’s narrow face was lit by the glow of several vidscreens as he worked his technical magic. Idris, meanwhile, paced back and forth as he spoke into a communicator. Neither were paying the slightest bit of attention to the two combatants.

“Are you seriously telling me that all this was some sort of accident?” the Consul said, an exasperated expression on her face as she swept a hand toward the blood-red rift in the sky. “Idris really IS a maniac!”

“Well, he certainly delivered on a memorable finale,” Lucine replied with a shrug. “As it is, the Council seems entirely focused on closing the rift. I see no benefit to continuing our match at this time.” Though it was a calculated risk, she deactivated her lightsaber to emphasize her point.

Selika studied her through narrowed eyes. “So what do you propose? You want to help the mundanes?” She laughed. “I didn’t have you pegged as the bleeding heart type. Why waste your time defending chattel?”

“I want to help the Council,” Lucine hastily corrected. “Though I suspect the ‘mundanes’ as you put them would also be grateful for our assistance.” She suppressed a shudder at the memory of the raw emotions that had afflicted her. She covered her discomfort with a jagged smile and a flippant tone. “They might even view our assistance as heroic. While I have no desire to actually be a hero, being perceived as one would be helpful to my endeavors.”

Selika grumbled some unflattering epithets directed toward Idris as she retrieved her helmet. When she returned, her voice took on a sweetly magnanimous tone. “Fine. I’ll help you close the rift.”

“Oh, excellent. I have no doubt this will be a beneficial partnership,” Lucine replied. She remembered how easily Selika had changed the terms of their last battle, having gleefully declared that she was willing to cheat. As such, she was not taken in by Selika’s charitable tone. She could not resist adding, “Although I did not think you were the ‘bleeding heart type’.”

“Please. I have no interest in helping the mundanes. But the Council will look favorably on our assistance.” Selika grinned, the expression of the loth cat that had eaten every canary in the star system. “Idris will owe me a favor.”

“They may even overlook the fact that it was your necklace that caused this mess,” Lucine said sweetly. “And as luck would have it, I believe I have an idea of how we can go about that rift.”

"And what, exactly, is this idea?" Selika demanded. She was keeping her feelings in check, but only just. Her anger at her opponent was doing well to keep her fear buried beneath it. Once she realized this wasn't all some grand illusion crafted by her opponent, anxious dread bubbled up in Selika's thoughts. Lucine didn't know the actual dangers of the Ethereal Realm, as the now broken Children of Mortis were the least of what she had faced. The denizens of the shadow dimension had included Faethor, after all. There was no telling who else might find their way through the jagged portal above them.

"That thing has to be coming from somewhere, yes?" Lucine asked as she gestured toward the roiling singularity at the arena's center. "Seems like that's the source of our problems. No singularity, no portal."

"You have some idea where we should be heading, then?" Selika prompted.

"I'd wager down," Lucine replied. "I didn't see any huge power generators on the way in, did you?"

Selika shook her head as she put on her helmet. "Lead on," she said.

Lucine laughed, a short bark of mirth cutting through the seriousness of their situation. "You must have hit the spice pretty hard if you think I'm showing you my back."

Selika shrugged, taking the lead as she began to pick her way through the wreckage. The lowest level of seats was many meters below them, and Selika saw that the stairs between them and their goal were mostly rubble. The stadium was still being rocked by gravitational fluctuations that saw the entire structure flexing as energy waves pulled at the support beams. With the seating areas reduced to rubble and bolts of energy arcing out from the singularity even still, Selika decided the best path was down through the arena interior as they could remain shielded from the worst of it.

"Couldn't agree more," Lucine said in response to her unspoken decision.

"Stay out of my head," Selike growled, still not fully trusting the Arconan.

"I can't help it if your mind is shouting loud enough for anyone within 20 kilometers to hear it," Lucine countered.

Selika swallowed any retort she might have offered as she realized the other woman was right. The carefully crafted mental defenses she had built before the match were shattered, her mental walls brought low. Pushing aside that concern as she had more pressing worries than what Lucine might attempt, Selika led the way through one of the archways leading into the stadium interior that opened onto a broad concourse. The main path between the levels was a series of ramps that turned back on one another to provide easy access to each level, the nearest being several sections away from where they were.

Before they could take more than a few steps toward their goal, Selika froze as she heard the guttural yells of a panicked crowd. The leading edge of the mass of bodies rounded the curved duracrete wall ahead of them. In her mind, Selika was back facing the illusion Lucine had projected in their previous meeting. The faces she saw were not those of crying, fearful spectators; her mind gave them the bloodthirsty mask that Lucine had painted, leaving the blood in Selika's veins to run cold.

Sensing the change in her makeshift ally, Lucine skidded to a stop beside Selika. Eyes narrowing in concern, the former Arconan Consul instantly saw what Selika's mind was conjuring before her. As "loudly" as she could manage, Lucine mentally screamed at Selika. "Wake up!"

The thundering sound of Lucine's voice seemed to echo through Selika's mind, quickly shattering the self-manifested illusion that had clouded her perception. Selika's lightsaber flared to life in her hand as she moved forward to face the oncoming throng. Those at the front of the onrushing mob tried to stop as they saw the threat, but the mob behind them forced them into Selika's weapon. The violet blade slashed through limbs and torsos with each sweep, dropping spectators to the ground. The mob slowly broke against Selika's weapon, those in the rear finally hearing the blood-curdling screams of her victims and reversing course. As the mass of terrified sentients receded, nearly two dozen bodies remained behind on the ground.

"You didn't need to kill them," Lucine spat. "We could have simply moved into one of those alcoves and let them pass."

"I wasn't going to corner myself in front of a mob; no telling what they'd have done," Selika said flatly, her presence in the Force betraying the feelings of darkness in her mind to Lucine.

Selika whirled back to continue her way forward, the cape attached to her armor flowing behind her. The two erstwhile combatants picked their way through the carnage Selika had wrought as the concourse seemed to fill with a dark mist. Selika's eyes darted to the left and right, momentarily confused by what was happening before her mind caught up with her perceptions. "Run, now!"

"What? Why?" Lucine asked.

Before Selika could answer, the mist just ahead and to the right of their path seemed to coalesce into the form of a man. His appearance matched the body that lay at his feet, though the spectral figure forming out of the air had a face contorted by anger instead of the pain of the corpse. As the first Spirit Avatar fully solidified, others quickly joined him. Both Lucine and Selika broke into a run, their footfalls pounding against the duracrete as they flew forward to outrace the apparitions of those Selika had killed. Reaching the switchback ramp, they didn't even slow as they raced down the incline toward the lowest level of the stadium structure.

"There," Lucine said, pointing to an exit back out into the seating area as they reached the lower concourse. They both raced out into the viewing area and stopped at the arena edge. The gravitational fluctuations were worse near the arena center than at higher levels. Selika had to brace herself against the railing just to keep her footing.

"Now what?" Selika asked as she gasped for air.

"Over the side," Lucine yelled to be heard over the swirling wind currents. "The generator has to be down there."

Selika looked over the side, seeing nothing but inky blackness below them. "And how do we know what's down there? At this point, I wouldn't put it past Idiris to have filled the arena bottom with acid. Or lava."

"Darling, you're worried about that?" Lucine scoffed with a chuckle. "The fall will probably kill us anyway."

Not waiting for Selika's response, Lucine jumped over the railing and fell into the darkness below. Selika leaned over to watch Lucine's fall, the copper-haired woman seeming to vanish a few meters down. Swallowing dramatically, Selika decided that if Lucine could manage it, so could she. Taking a few deep breaths to psyche herself up, Selika vaulted over the railing and into freefall. It was only a few heartbeats but seemed to stretch into an eternity.

After a few meters, Selika passed through some sort of distortion field into a bright, well-lit space. A metal grating, seemingly a wide catwalk, was directly below her. Quickly calling the Force to her body, Selika landed heavily on the walkway with grace.

"Ok, so not dead," Selika mused quietly.

"And here's what I was looking for," Lucine's voice called out from behind Selika.

Turning, the Dread Lord took in a sprawling space that covered the whole of the arena floor. Dotted all over, there were several large pieces of industrial equipment. To one side, she recognized a massive blast furnace and crucible, which Idris must have used to create his magma river earlier in the tournament. The center of the arena was dominated by a large ion reactor, the only machine in operation. Lucine was already running across the catwalk towards it, so Selika followed suit.

"I'm guessing this is what's powering the singularity?" Selika asked as she caught up with her temporary ally. Looking around, Selika tried to find the best place to insert her lightsaber to cause the most damage.

"No!" Lucine's voice rang out as she grabbed Selika's wrist. "No stabby."

Lucine's eyes darted around, taking in data on several monitors simultaneously. "It looks like James has already tried to shut it down, but the singularity didn't seem to change. It's probably self-sustaining, drawing energy from the portal."

"So?" Selika demanded, Lucine seeming not to hear.

"If we can't turn it off, we need something else. Come on, come on…" Lucine trailed off before her eyes widened in realization. "Of course, we need to collapse it."

"In Galactic Standard, please!" Selika demanded.

"It's not a real singularity, so we should be able to get it to collapse if we overload it," Lucine explained. "Give it too much power, and it won't be able to maintain itself."

"And how do we do that," Selika wondered. "Turn up the generator?"

"They're already trying that; it isn't enough. We need more power than it's putting out now," Lucine said, looking at Selika.

"What?" Selika asked with concern.

"There needs to be a continual application of energy right there," Lucine said, pointing at the transmission dish atop the reactor. "And you're the one that can do it. Simply put, lightning hands," Lucine said, holding her hands out, palms forward, in front of her and shaking them back and forth.

Selika looked up at the transmission dish, taking a moment before she pulled in the swirling Force around her. The amethyst-tinged arcs of electricity leaped from her hands to hit the dish. Looking up through the distortion field above them, Selika could see the singularity above ripple all along its surface. The energy discharges became even more erratic, burning their way across the surface of the now-empty seats.

"More!" Lucine yelled as the roar from above made hearing her words from where she stood at Selika's side nearly impossible.

Selika maintained the electricity that was shooting out from her hands, feeling the energy being sucked out from her body along with it. "I… I can't," she stammered.

"Yes, you will," Lucine answered in Selika's mind. She felt Lucine's hand upon her back as Force energy radiated from the other woman's palm. The healing Force Lucine channeled into Selika's body replenished the Elder's stamina, allowing her to maintain the flow of electricity.

Above them, the singularity seemed to grow in circumference. The platforms that had formed the combat area were wrenched from their supports and sucked into the singularity. The lighting towers began to buckle and lean inward before they, too, were ripped from their mounts and devoured by the dark orb of gravity. Entire duracrete sections of the stadium wall were torn away and fell into the singularity. Just as it seemed the Colosseum couldn't take anymore before it totally collapsed, the singularity seemed to momentarily flash even brighter than the sun before it vanished with a sound like a thunderclap.

Selika gulped in breath as she let the Force slip from her grasp. The singularity was gone as the portal above shrunk before it, too, disappeared. Selika knew she couldn't have managed it without Lucine's help, and she was about to thank the other woman when she felt a stiletto blade slip into her side just below her chest plate.

"It's not cheating," Lucine whispered into her mind. "Our partnership ended the instant we accomplished our shared goal."

Selika spun around, aiming a blow toward where her enemy's face had been. Lucine was nowhere to be seen, however. Selika dropped to one knee as she frantically searched for her foe, coughing up blood in her mouth. Selika realized she had made the one mistake Lucine had made sure to avoid: She had shown the other woman her back.

Lucine crouched in the shadows of a nearby alcove, the optical camouflage module of her armor rendering her mostly invisible. The effect would have been perfect, were it not for the fact that she had lost her helmet in the arena above. She covered her copper hair with the hood of her cloak to better hide herself.

She watched her opponent through narrowed eyes. Selika dropped to one knee, clutching her side as she coughed into her other hand. She stared at her palm and cursed, seeing a spatter of blood where there was only bare flesh. The Consul coughed again, doubling over in pain.

Lucine smiled faintly. Selika’s reaction to the mob of Spirit Avatars had intrigued her. So, while they searched for the singularity’s power source, she had probed the woman’s mental defenses. Or rather, what remained of them. It seemed that whatever Selika had done to prepare herself for their final match had been undone by the combined stresses of their combat and exposure to the Ethereal Realm.

She pressed her lips together in concentration as she adjusted her illusion. The pain in Selika's chest intensified, accompanied by a heavy pressure. She flooded her opponent with an intense feeling of impending doom and the oppressive sensation of suffocation, creating the illusion that her lung had collapsed from its fictional injury.

The Plagueian's breathing became ragged, her body rocking as she gasped for air. Her skin became pale and soaked with sweat as her mind, convinced that it needed more oxygen, shunted blood toward more important bodily systems. Soon it would become too much, and Selika would lose consciousness.

On the whole, it was not a bad way to win their rematch.

Selika closed her eyes tightly, her fingers digging into her side. Then they snapped open, and she whipped her head around to look directly at Lucine. She slowly rose to her feet and turned to face the redhead, her hands balled into fists.

“You…” Selika snarled. Her breathing was now deep and controlled, a far cry from the erratic and distressed gasping from a few moments before.

“Oh, very astute, darling!” Lucine said with a saccharine smile.

Selika drew her lightsaber with deliberate slowness. “I told you to stay out of my mind.” Her voice was low and deadly. “Now I see that there’s only one way to keep you out.”

Though her smile did not waver, something in the Dread Lord’s expression gave her pause. The finality of her tone. The way her gaze burned molten and frigid at the same time. Lucine had seen for herself the foundational events that had made Selika the woman she was. She had clawed herself upward despite setback after setback, overcoming every challenge and barrier with determination and force of will. Their lives bore striking similarities. But the difference was that Selika was older, more practiced and more powerful as a result.

“Are you sure you wish to do this now?” Lucine asked, her tone neutral despite her growing tension. “We are both spent, both from fighting and from closing the rift. Let us have our grand fight later when we are both rested.”

“No.” Selika’s amethyst blade flared to life, punctuating her words. “This ends now.”

Selika stretched her hand toward her in a familiar claw-like motion. Lucine instinctively activated her blade as she leapt out of the alcove to escape having to fight with her back against the wall. But instead of amethyst tongues of lightning, she felt her connection to the Force diminish.

Lucine narrowed her eyes. She still felt the Force, but it was as if the great river of power had been slowed to a mere trickle. It took an uncomfortable amount of concentration to keep a steady flow of energy to her muscles to maintain an additional level of strength and speed. It was a distraction she did not need.

But she kept her mask firmly in place and offered the Plagueian a charming smile. “Oh my, such a handicap. Do you really fear me that much?”

The smile Selika gave her in return was razor-sharp. “Fear you? No.” The Plagueian’s body split and a mirror image copy stepped away from the first. “But I am going to make an example of you. After today, no one will consider trespassing into my mind ever again.”

The twin Selikas charged. One held her blade aloft in an overhead strike while the other attacked with an underhanded slash. There was no time to think. Lucine spun to the side, narrowly avoiding the higher blow while moving to deflect the lower one. Selika’s blade retracted for a moment, and Lucine’s weapon found nothing but air.

Aha, Lucine thought as she twisted to slash at the Selika who had deactivated her lightsaber. The image vanished as the emerald plasma cut through her. Selika laughed as she reversed her weapon, slamming the emitter into the side of Lucine’s head.

Lucine stumbled back, feeling blood trickling down her temple. She barely managed to bring her bracer up in time to deflect a blow aimed at her flank.

“You think I fear you?” Selika taunted. “You? You’re just an inferior version of me!” Every word was punctuated with an attack, an unrelenting onslaught of strikes. None of the blows were aimed at a vital organ; instead Selika aimed for Lucine’s extremities. Seeking to maim rather than kill. Though Lucine maintained her defensive stance, it was quickly becoming apparent that even in lightsaber combat, Selika was her superior.

Selika’s blade seared through the armor covering her bicep, grazing her arm. Lucine drew in a sharp breath between her teeth. It was a minor injury, but painful nonetheless.

The Plagueian smirked before taking a step backward. This time, five more identical versions of herself stepped away from the original. Lucine could feel the heat emanating from their lightsabers as they moved to surround her. She fell back so she could keep each of them in her line of sight.

A large piece of duracrete slammed into her back, throwing her forward onto her hands and knees. The illusory doubles of the Dread Lord vanished, their distraction no longer necessary. Before she could get back to her feet, violet lightning surged from Selika’s fingers.

Lucine screamed as the energy tore through her, locking her muscles into a single continuous convulsion. Agony overwhelmed her senses, seeming to last for an eternity. When it finally ended, she fell limply onto the catwalk.

Over the ringing in her ears, she could hear Selika’s slow approaching footsteps and the hum of a lightsaber. “The blood of Empress Teta runs through my veins. And you? You’re just an impoverished peasant, desperately playing pretend to please your long-dead daddy.” She seized Lucine by her braid and hauled her up into a half-kneeling position. “You could never hope to be on my level.”

The plasma blade seared through Lucine’s braid, causing her to fall forward once more.

Selika laughed as she tossed the shorn hair aside. “There. A vast improvement.”

Lucine slowly brought her hands up to feel the strands of hair that now framed her face as a burning rage welled up inside of her. Not over her lost hair, but over something deeper. The truth in Selika’s words seared her to her very core.

She was done with being looked down on by others.

Her fingers closed around her lightsaber as she tried to stand. The Plagueian had been so focused on her display of prowess that she had relinquished her chokehold on Lucine’s power. She focused on her pain and anger, drew upon it and shaped it. It was time to show Selika what she was truly made of, or die trying.

“Did I hit a nerve?” Selika asked sweetly. Bones crunched as her boot slammed down on Lucine’s hand. The redhead cried out, drawing her arm in to cradle her mangled hand to her chest.“Now that that’s over with,” Selika said as she kicked Lucine’s lightsaber away, “I want you to kneel.”

The raw power behind that single word crashed through Lucine’s mental defenses. Though she tried to fight against it, her body acted on its own accord. Despite the pain, despite the fact that her muscles and bones felt like jelly, she moved slowly until she was on her knees before Selika.

“Well, I suppose that will do,” the Consul said with a dismissive wave of her hand. One by one, chunks of duracrete and slabs of steel lifted from the ground to hover in the air around them. The Colosseum debris floated in a slow orbit, enough weight to easily crush Lucine.

Yet even with her doom hanging suspended over her head, Lucine’s eyes were drawn to something else. Something behind the Dread Lord. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.

Selika raised her eyebrows as she turned to look.

The mob had found them. Twenty or so of the people that Selika had cut down in their haste to reach the generator. They shambled toward Selika even despite the wounds that had killed them. Their footsteps could be heard, evidence that they were corporeal. Fully formed Spirit Avatars, the only kind that was strong enough to remain even though the rift was closed.

“Pathetic,” Selika said with a sneer. “Do you honestly think I would fall for this trick again? You tried this in our last match!”

Lucine groaned as one of the sheets of metal slammed into her, pressing her face-down onto the catwalk. She fought to stand, scrabbling to draw upon the Force as more and more weight was added to the plate. Debris slowly piled up around and on top of her, obscuring her from view. “I am going to crush you like the insect you are,” Selika said.

And that was when the Spirit Avatars reached her.

Selika’s glee quickly turned to terror as they surrounded her, tearing into her with claw-like fingers as they sought retribution for their deaths. She slashed and stabbed at the mob with her lightsaber, even as the creatures and her own fear overwhelmed her.

Eventually, the woman’s screams and the sound of rending flesh ceased.

With the object of their wrath dealt with, the Spirit Avatars gradually dispersed in twos and threes, looking for some other unfortunate victim to vent their rage on. Within minutes, the only sound that could be heard in the space was the steady dripping of blood off of the stones that had been piled on the catwalk.

Trapped within the debris, Lucine struggled to breathe. It took all of her concentration to levitate the metal plate just enough to keep the rocks that covered her from crushing her.

The Arconan clenched her uninjured fist so tightly that the nails cut into her palm. Another sort of pain. She grasped at it, combining it with all of her other hurts and used it as a conduit for her power. Groaning, she pushed with every ounce of will that she possessed.

Gradually, the chunks of duracrete and twisted metal began to shift, freeing her from her intended tomb.

Lucine crawled free, sucking in lungfuls of air. Finally, she dragged herself to her feet and began to stumble toward the exit.

A cheerful chirp in Binary caught her attention. She looked up to see POR-7 scampering toward her, clutching something in two of his spindly legs. The data disk.

Lucine reached down to retrieve it and immediately saw that it was broken. Large cracks split the casing, exposing parts of its internal chips to air. A few of the chips were missing, undoubtedly lost when it had broken.

She sighed and tucked the shattered data disk into her pocket. She was too distracted by her injuries to be able to dwell on the loss of the intel. Her body felt painful, stiff and heavy, but Selika’s words hung even heavier on her mind.

Too heavily.

She might have won the match, but she had lost so much more.