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I sat up and got off of the giant bed. I walked down the stairs and into the dining area. Bertain was sitting at the table with a number of bandages wrapped around different parts of his body. Cynda and Rasani were sitting on either side of him. They all looked up as I entered and Bertain waved me over to the seat opposite him.

I walked over and sat down.

'It seems that I owe you for saving my life, Darkstar. Is there anything I can do to repay you?' Bertain asked me.

'It is I who owe you. You took me in when I had no where to go.' I murmured back.

'Speaking of which, I think that it is time that you told us where you came from.' Rasani said.

'Rasani! That is not the sort of thing that we should be asking him right now!' Gasped Cynda.

'No, she is right. It is time you learned the truth about me.' I said. 'I am the third son of Bloodshadow, the current king of Akarum. Although it seems that Bloodshadow is not my father and that my real father is somewhere else. Where? I do not know and I intend to fins out one of these days.' I told them.

'Wait, you are the prince Darkstar?' Bertain seemed shocked.

'Prince? Bah! No longer will I ever go by that title! I refuse to acknowledge Bloodshadow or his two sons as family!' I snorted.

Bertain nodded and smiled.

'I never have had royalty in my house before.' He laughed. I glared at him and he laughed louder.

'This means that we are going to have to be careful. We do not know who you are and you are not a prince, okay?' Cynda seemed worried as she looked me in the eyes.

I grinned. 'That's fine by me. I never wanted to be a prince anyway! I want excitement in my life, not the dull boring ceremonies that come with being a prince!'

'Well, it seems that you are getting plenty of excitement by killing evil dragons and saving people.' Rasani said cheerfully and I smiled at her.

She was right; I felt happier here than I had ever felt while living with Bloodshadow, Lightbane and Shadownight.

'There have been reports of a Darkstar that ran away from Bloodshadow's palace. I never thought that it could have been you though. Ah well, Bloodshadow is only looking in his own country right now, I don't think that he realises that you used the portal to get here.' Bertain said.

'Bertain, when I was rescuing you, the dragons claimed that they were part of the Black Guardians of the Inner Sanctum. What is that?' I asked carefully.

Bertain sighed. 'The Black Guardians are a powerful syndicate that are bent on controlling the city. They tried to force me to do their biddings. If it wasn't for you, I would probably have agreed to their demands. By killing eleven of their members, you have declared war against them. They will hunt you to the ends of the continent now. Keep your sword close and your eyes and ears open.'

I spent the next few hours reading in the library, trying to work out how to remove the chains that bound my powers. I must have been rather powerful to be able to do this to myself. I shivered as I thought about what would have driven me to such an act. I knew that the answer to my problem lay at the back of my mind. Somewhere, there was a trigger that would release my powers; I knew it. The problem was that I had no idea what the trigger was or how to find it.

I read through countless books, trying this or that method. But to no avail. It seemed to me that I had tried to protect myself or others from something that I had done with my powers by locking them and, essentially, throwing away the key.

I shortly gave up and walked out of the library. I slowly buckled on my sword and headed towards the front door. I told Cynda that I was going to explore the city and left the house.

This was the first time I had been in Kiralan without Bertain, and I wondered where I wanted to go. I decided to head in an easterly direction and see where it took me. I wandered the streets of Kiralan, often pausing to view some item or browse in some shops.

I was just about to turn around and head back to the house, when I found the arena. I walked around it until I found the main entrance. I walked through the massive arch and onto a spectators stand. The arena was empty, and I just stared around at the large sand floor and the surrounding stands. It was huge! I could see myself, there on the sandy floor, battling with other dragons for money. I headed towards the main offices at the back of the arena. I was greeted at the main door by a tall, blue dragon.

'Yeah, what do yah want?' He growled at me.

'I have come to become a gladiator in the arena. Where do I sign up?'

'You, a gladiator? The third door on your left will take you to see the registration officer.' The dragon laughed and let me pass.

I walked down the hall and came to the third door. I opened it and walked inside. Inside, there was a red dragon sitting behind a counter.

'You have come to register? Well, I don't know why, you would just be throwing your life away.' The red dragon snorted when I told him why I was here.

I was sick of people telling me that I was not worthy of being a gladiator, so I drew my sword and slammed it on the table.

'This is the Dragonblade that I won from Tyrin at the training grounds! I think that it proves that I can hold my own in a battle.' I said angrily.

The red dragon's eyes widened in surprise. 'You actually defeated Tyrin in armed combat?' The dragon suddenly seemed a little awed. 'Well, it seems that I was a little rude to you. Let me start over. Welcome to the arena! How would you like to become a gladiator and fight in our grand battles?'

I grinned; it seemed that this sword encouraged people to rethink their thoughts when dealing with me.

'I would like that very much. How do I join?' I asked.

'First I must read you the rules. It may make you change your mind.' The dragon drew out a scroll and unwound it. 'You want to be a gladiator? Well you must follow these rules carefully. Number one; there will be no magic used while in combat. Magic used to enhance your physical prowess is fine, as long as it is done before the battles. The only time magic is allowed is when fighting in a Power Struggle. Number two; if the battle is to be performed without the use of weapons, well that it what it means. There will be no swords, bows, axes, maces, or any other form of weaponry allowed in a hand-to-hand combat melee. Three; you will be facing against a standard amount of twenty to thirty dragons. The last three standing shall be proclaimed the winners. We would prefer it if the injuries you inflict were not lethal, but accidents do happen. Four; the arena officials shall not be held responsible for any deaths, maiming, broken bones, lost limbs or any injuries of any form. You are not forced to battle against your will. You battle for your life and you should understand that it is possible for competitors to easily be killed. Number five...' The dragon continued read out all the rules to me and then wound up the scroll and placed it back where he had found it.

'There are many forms of combat in the arena; armed melee, armed single, unarmed melee, unarmed single, grand tournament, power struggle, plus a whole lot of others.' The dragon quickly handed me a list. I glanced at it, took in all the combat types, and handed the list back.

'If you understand all these rules and terms, but still want to sign up. Then you need to fill out this form.

The dragon handed me a sheet and I began to fill it out.

Name: Darkstar Kermani.

Age: 18.

Sex: Male.

Address: The Kermani Mansion.

Reasons for becoming a gladiator: The battles, the money, the glory.

Do you understand the Terms and Rules?: Yes.

Preferred combat method(s): Armed Melee, Grand Tournament, Unarmed Melee

_By signing this form, you are agreeing to all the Terms and Rules and are pledging yourself to becoming a gladiator. You are able to quit at anytime and no one will force you to fight in battles that you do not want to be part of.

Sign Here:_

I quickly signed the form and handed it back to the dragon. He glanced at it to make sure everything was right, then stood up, shook my hand and welcomed me to the gladiator community.

'One of our officials will drop by your place of residence and inform you of your first arena battle.' He said.

I thanked him and walked out of the arena and headed back to the mansion.

When I got back, I was greeted by an anxious Cynda.

'We were just about to go looking for you, thinking that you had been lost.' She said as she let me in.

'No, I didn't get lost. I was just taking my time walking around.' I said.

'Well, where did you go?'

'I got myself a job to earn the money to pay you back.'

'Oh, where is this job?' She inquired, her curiosity overcoming the worry she felt earlier.

'I am now Darkstar Kermani, gladiator at the arena!" I said proudly.

'A gladiator?' Cynda gasped. 'Wait... Did you say Darkstar Kermani?'

'Yes, I needed a last name, and I cannot use my real one with out people discovering who I am.'

'Yes... but... I have never had a son and many people know that.'

'Well say that I am a distant relative or that you adopted me.'

Cynda looked unconvinced. 'I will have to talk with Bertain about this.'

'That's okay. I hope that I do not interfere with your lives too much.' I knew that Bertain would not agree with this, but I also knew that he knew that he owed me for saving his life. I thought that my future as a gladiator was going to be secure.

I followed Cynda into the library. Bertain was sitting on a chair, reading a book on the History of Akarum. He looked up as we entered and placed the book on the table.

'What is it?' He asked in a bored voice.

'Darkstar has just signed himself up as a gladiator. While I do not mind that too much, it was his choice of name that worries me.' Cynda began.

'What? Did he come up with some nickname for himself?'

'No, he registered himself as Darkstar Kermani.'

'What? Why?' Bertain leapt to his feet and faced me.

'Because I cannot use my true name without people discovering who I am. I can't allow Bloodshadow to know that I am still alive. He would drag my ass back to his palace and punish me for running away. I refuse to go back to Akarum unless it is to extract revenge for all the years of suffering and neglect.' I said angrily.

Bertain sighed. 'Yes, I know. We can't allow you to be found, but at the same time, I have to look out for my family. There may yet be a way to formalize your name though. I need to speak with Cynda privately about this.'

I nodded and walked out of the room.

I was just wandering aimlessly around when I bumped into Rasani. She was glaring at me and I wondered what I had done.

'So, you think that you can just name yourself Darkstar Kermani without discussing it with my father?' She demanded.

'I am sorry. I had no idea that my actions would cause this much outrage.' I murmured.

Rasani's eyes softened a little. 'But that doesn't excuse the fact of what you did.'

I stared into her eyes and began to lose myself in them. I realized that, deep down, I loved this angry dragoness that was standing in front of me.

Snap out of it Darkstar! There is no way she would ever like a dragon like you! I told myself.

Rasani noticed me staring and frowned.

'What?' She asked me.

'Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.' I stammered. I could not even admit to her that I loved her.

She grunted and began to walk off.

'Rasani, wait!' I grabbed her arm and wondered how I was going to tell her about my feelings.

She turned and looked at me.

'What now?' She growled.

I quickly leaned forwards and kissed her, sending waves of joy through my body. She gasped and drew back.

Before she could do anything, I turned and walked quickly to my room. I entered, closed the door, and leaned against it, panting.

I sighed and slumped to the floor as I realized that she would never feel the same way about me. She would never love me.

It is hopeless, Darkstar, you are a nobody here. Do not forget that you are hunted by the Black Guardians, they are the greatest threat you shall face. I told myself.

I slowly got up off the floor, staggered over to the bed, and fell on it. I slowly fell into an uneasy sleep.

In my dreams I was reading from a book. I raised my hand and cast some sort of magic. Suddenly three hundred dragons appeared from nowhere. It was dark and raining, and I happened to glance in a puddle. I saw my blurred reflection in the puddle and stared into my red eyes. I could clearly see the evil behind them. The image changed and suddenly I was battling a huge red dragoness. She threw me through the sky and I landed on the hard ground, many miles away. I woke up suddenly, covered in sweat.

Was that my future? Was I to become an evil beast that summoned evil-looking black dragons and battled dragonesses? I shivered and rolled over. I slowly dropped back into my troubled dreams.

I awoke a few hours later. I winced as pain shot through my head. It felt like I had just been smashed on the head with a sledgehammer. I sat up and groaned. My entire body felt like it was on fire. There was nothing but pain. I looked at my body and gasped. I was covered in blood.

What the hell happened to me?

I lay back down and sighed. There was no way I was going to walk right now. I thought about the previous day and knew that I had screwed everything up badly. There was almost no way they were ever going to forgive me for my mistake.

Darkstar Kermani! What was I thinking? I laughed at myself. I coughed and spat out some blood. I stared at it and knew that something had happened to me. What it was, I had no idea. The door suddenly burst open and in stormed Cynda. She looked at me, lying on the bed, covered in blood.

'What has happened to you, Darkstar?' She gasped.

I groaned, looked at her with unfocused eyes, and coughed up more blood.

Cynda ran out of the room and, a minute later, Jyn walked in and sat on the bed next to me.

'Now, young Darkstar, time to work out what is wrong with you.' She said.

I just groaned and lay still as Jyn wiped away the blood and inspected my body.

After an hour of inspections, Jyn handed me a large cup.

'Drink this; it will help soothe the pain.'

I quickly gulped down the contents of the cup and the fiery pain that coursed through my body began to lessen. I sat up and looked at Jyn. She handed me a bucket and I looked at her quizzically.

'It's for you. You will need it in a second.' She said calmly.

I groaned as my stomach heaved and I started coughing up large amounts of blood.

'You need to clear your body of the blood from the internal wounds. I still have no idea how you got these wounds, but it looks like you were in a bloody battle of some kind.'

I gasped in the cool air and thanked Jyn, before hopping off the bed and walking around in circles. My legs were stiff and I needed to try and loosen them up.

'It may take awhile for everything to return to normal. During the time it takes for the potion to fully move through your system, you will be saying and experiencing things that you normally wouldn't. Do try and keep your mouth closed so you do not annoy everyone.' She said as she left the room.

I walked down the stairs and was greeted by Bertain, Cynda and Rasani. They were all looking worried and concerned.

'How do you feel?' Cynda asked me.

'Like I have just marched through hell and back.' I said happily.

Jyn poked her head in through the door and looked at Bertain, Cynda and Rasani.

'I have given him Alsat to relieve the pain.' She warned them before disappearing.

Rasani stared at me and I groaned inwardly. Before I could stop myself, I began apologizing.

'Look, Rasani, I am so terribly sorry for last night.' I began.

Rasani took a step forward and I flinched backward, afraid that she was going to explode with anger.

Bertain and Cynda shared a quick, knowing look before walking off to leave me alone with Rasani.

Rasani approached and I closed my eyes, so that I could not see the blow that was bound to come.

'Stop that!' Rasani ordered and I slowly opened my eyes.

She was standing directly in front of me and I could feel the warmth of her breath on my scales.

'I think that it is time I punished you for what you did last night.' She said. She suddenly leaned forward and kissed me. I was so shocked that I did not even move. When she broke the kiss, I could clearly see the love in her eyes.

I blinked. 'I thought that you hated me for what I did. I was expecting a punch or something.'

'Hey, I can still hurt you if you want!' She said playfully. I quickly shook my head.

'You see, after you kissed me and ran off, I did some thinking. I now knew that you loved me and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that it was not such a bad thing. You are handsome, a prince, a master of combat, and now a gladiator.' She said.

At that moment, Jyn walked back into the room and grabbed my arm.

'I need you to go get a potion from a friend of mine, down in the city. It will help you remember what you did last night.' She told me.

'Ok, who is the dragon I need to see?' I asked her.

'Her name is Avyn and she is located in the training ground.'

I nodded my head. I was looking forward to seeing Avyn again.

'We will continue this discussion when you get back.' Rasani said as I went to grab my sword.

I made my way through the streets and back to the training ground. I could sense that I was being followed the entire way, but I did not turn to confront the stalkers because I wanted them to think that they ad the advantage. I arrived at the training ground without being attacked and went straight to Avyn's room.

I politely knocked on the door, instead of barging in like I did last time. I heard footsteps and the door opened.

'Darkstar! Come in! It is good to see you.' Avyn greeted me enthusiastically.

I walked in the door and she closed it behind me. She then ran up to me and planted her muzzle on mine.

'So, what can I do for you today?' She asked as she broke the kiss.

'A friend of yours, Jyn, sent me to get a potion to retrieve my thoughts. You see, I woke up this morning, covered in blood and wounds, and I have no idea how I got them.' I told her.

Avyn rummaged around in her cupboard and handed me a vial of blue liquid.

'I will get you a cup of water. You need to place two drops of that into water and drink it. That will awaken any hidden memories that may be hidden in your subconscious mind.' She said and handed me a cup. I pulled the stopper off of the vial and let two drops of the clear blue liquid fall into the water. I quickly swirled the cup and downed the contents.

I suddenly grabbed my head as pain shot through it, the world spun and slowly went black. I fell onto the floor, writhing. I heard Avyn gasp and I knew that this was not supposed to happen.

Memories ran through my head. These were not from last night, they seemed to be coming from much, much further back in my life.