Page 1 of Blinding Light

PROLOGUE

Shouts. They pierced through the warm air, sweeping up the overall sense of anticipation. The Arena on Helion was renowned for its public events; today was a big one.

The Celebration of the Dead.

The oval-shaped open-air venue was buzzing with life, the stands were overcrowded. In its circle stood uniformed, armed members of the Luminary, the Imperial family’s security guards, waiting for their arrival.

The double doors opened, and six iron cages were dragged inside, their caretakers sighing under its tremendous weight. The crowd cheered and hollered, throwing apples and eggs onto the sand. Some even made it through the bars, hitting their targets in the face.

Six men, dressed in purple jumpsuits, were hauled outside their protection on the arena floor. They were prisoners, dressed in Helion’s national colour, and they stood, facing the crowd, and received their wrath.

This was the final celebration of these men, of those who were forsaken by their planet. Today, in front of all these witnesses, they would die.

Someone announced their names and crimes, the voice amplifiedand reverberated through the arena, where it was swallowed by the cheering crowd.

Because the people didn’t care. Not anymore. The only thing that mattered today was the festivity.

The Luminary took off the prisoners’ cuffs and positioned them in two lines of three, facing each other.

And then the bell rang, followed by a deafening outcry.

“We will celebrate the dead!” The crowd shouted.

Down, in the heart of the arena, the Luminary used the sharp end of their spears to force them forward until they had no choice but to attack their opponent and hope to die quickly.

The audience celebrated as they watched the criminals fight. They drank wine and feasted on cheese-filledtiganos. Grieving family members or loved ones sat huddled and alone as they watched in horror.

It didn’t take long for one of them to corner his opponent. With fists, he kept on driving the other man back and against the board as the man struggled to stand.

Waves of punches littered his opponent’s face, jaw, and temple until it finally knocked him out. Then, he reached for a spear that was handed by a soldier, and held it in the air with a guttural scream.

The crowd went feral.

He plunged it into the other man’s heart and killed him instantly.

What followed was an announcement, another wave of cheers, and a second death.

“Celebrate the death! Celebrate the death!” The crowd chanted, watching as a pair kicked and punched each other. Chasing down this moment, one of them fell face flat onto the sand. He barely had time to roll over onto his back before he got stabbed in his gut. This time, it took longer for the victim to die.

There was a blare of a horn, and once more, the double doors opened. A thick silence fell over the crowd.

Luminary guards removed the dead, and the three remainingcriminals lined up once more, panting and helpless. The earlier adrenaline had faded.

“Fellow citizens of Helion,” a voice echoed through the arena. “I present to you, your Imperial Princes!”

The crowd erupted.

Three men came walking inside the arena.

One had features as black as the night, including a black cape and black boots. The other two wore white capes over their blond hair, accompanied by white boots.

“Kylix, leader of the Luminary, we are thrilled to welcome you to your Aureate.”

Aureate, the Imperial way of naming the contests in the arena.

The Imperial way of leading their nation. By strength and cruelty. By proving their superiority.

The dark-haired prince bowed to the cheering crowd.

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