Alden frowned.

A jolt of panic ran through him the instant the [Shroud of Bane] appeared.

His muscles tensed, and every nerve in his body screamed at him to jump to his parent's defense. However, that was foolish for more than one reason. Not only were Alistair and Elara stronger than him, which made the act of trying to save them useless, but also any outside intervention - by a relative, no less - would result in the Sunbrawler's automatic forfeit.

He clenched his fist, knuckles turning white.

A lone thought surfaced in the back of his mind, curious as to how he had received the notification regarding the Asteron' arrival, but quickly shook it off. This was not the time to postulate. The Guildmaster and his wife were in grave danger.

Now that an Asteron had descended, accepting the summons of its Champion, the flow of the battle had changed completely. The crowd which had been exhilarated at the display up until that point, fell silent, taken completely off-guard by the sudden development.

A scattering of cracks appeared over the green barriers protecting them, before they shone, reinforced against the deadly pressure.

While this wasn't exactly an extremely rare sight - the Sponsors of various combatants had descended before over the years, mostly in the Tournament for individual Champions - in the Guild Tournament, it was almost unheard of.

It was also slightly against the rules.

After all, the entire purpose of the Guild Tournament was to showcase how well the members of each Guild fought with and against each other. Summoning an Asteron completely disregarded that.

Why?

Because just a small facsimile of the otherworldly being's power was enough to skew the result.

In fact, just their presence alone was enough to have an adverse effect - Alistair and Elara seemed to be struggling against an invisible weight, their shoulders hunched, and their heads lowered.

It was as if the [Shroud of Bane] wanted them to kneel.

No, not quite…

As their heads came closer and closer to the ground, Alden realised the Asteron wanted them to bow. A surge of fury erupted within Alden. How dare that reprehensible Asteron try and humiliate his parents.

He failed to suppress his aura.

Internally, Alden's hatred for the nebulous beings increased.

He tapped into his Mana Sense urgently, hoping anyone from the upper echelons would intervene. However, they remained completely relaxed, making no move to stop the potential fatalities that would occur.

The white-haired young man gritted his teeth harder, feeling like his jaw would snap. In his brief glimpse across the chamber, he saw Celeste's face turn white with fear, and Drakon sporting a deep, displeased scowl.

'Blast this.'

However, just before Alden could break any rules and mar his reputation further, a similar starry light suddenly enveloped Alistair. The Keeper's Apprentice relaxed.

When the light dimmed, the shadow of an indescribably tall giant wreathed in ghostly flame appeared, opposing the [Shroud of Bane]. It seemed like their indistinct figure could support the weight of the heavens, such was their immense height.

A tense standoff ensued, a terrible maelstrom of pressure forming between the two nebulous beings. Alden averted his gaze so as to not look at the reflections of the Asterons directly in the eye.

They were so powerful that even their shadow could inflict some unknown harm.

It was better to be safe than sorry.

As the world trembled and deep cracks threatened to tear the very fabric of Arkanis apart, the pressure abruptly stilled. Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, the Asterons retracted their presence, flowing back into their Champions with a flourish of dazzling light.

Once the otherworldly beings left and the bright light faded, Alden shifted to take a better look at his mother and father.

What he saw… increased the intensity of his frown. Thаnk yоu fоr rеаding. This wаs brоught tо yоu by

There, on the grounds of the arena, three forms lay strewn across broken, cracked earth. Large, jagged splinters had formed from the brief clash of wills between Sponsors.

The Sunbrawlers were slumped on the ground, doubtless spent.

The Guildmaster had taken his helm off to reveal a trickle of blood seeping from his nose, a visceral sign of the immense stress his body had faced - no doubt from resisting the [Shroud of Bane], and the toll it took to summon his own Asteron.

Elara lay next to him, similarly exhausted, while Nara remained unmoving a few metres away. For a horrible moment, Alden thought she had died, but breathed a sigh of relief upon taking note of her slightly shallow breathing.

She had most likely already used up all her energy fighting, and thus could not handle the Asteron's presence and promptly lost consciousness.

Alden didn't blame her.

He stewed quietly as a group of Medics rushed into the arena, quickly performing diagnostic spells which revealed the extent of the contestant's external and internal injuries. Just for good measure, Alden saw the medical personnel place the Sunbrawlers as well as the loathsome assassins into healing spheres.

A few moments later, the grounds of the arena emptied, and the crowd slowly broke out of its daze. Loud shouts and arguments began, with people debating on who should win.

…After all, both sides had summoned their Sponsors.

Of course, to Alden, it wasn't even a question.

The Silent Slaughter Guild were the ones who had broken the rule first. His father had to rely on his Asteron as a last resort to survive. Nothing more, nothing less.

Unfortunately, Alden knew the decision was not in his or the crowd's hands. Instead, there would be a vote amongst the elites and upper echelons of the Sanctuary to determine who would win.

Hushed conversations arose in the private viewing chamber.

Of course, to those present, it wasn't really hushed - everyone had keen senses, and Alden more so, courtesy of Morrigan's Art. All in all, he could already guess what the result would be, even before any vote took place.

A dark expression marred the young man's face.

A little while later, Grand Elder Orion suddenly cleared his throat.

"We will now commence the vote. All in favour of the Sunbrawlers, raise your hands."

Alden's hand shot up.

So too did Drakon's and Celeste's.

He was surprised to find that the group of white-clad females sitting with his former love had also raised their hands. Alden's gaze suddenly locked with them, and he nodded appreciatively, thankful for their vote. The Disciples of Light politely returned his nod.

Unfortunately for Alden, they - alongside him, Drakon and Celeste - were the only ones who had voted for the Sunbrawlers.

"All in favour of a draw, raise your hands."

A couple of people raised their hands, including Eira of the Frost Clan, but it was still not enough. A pit slowly started to form in Alden's stomach as he struggled to keep his emotions at bay.

His arm trembled from the effort it took not to lash out.

"Finally, all in favour of the Silent Slaughter Guild, raise your hands."

Immediately, a sea of hands shot up.

Alden could tell that most of them were Masters who had been displeased with the way he had treated Zaruk.

Gloating smirks covered their countenances as they exchanged smug glances.

The Keeper's Apprentice gritted his teeth at the injustice.

Grand Elder Orion shot him a brief look, mostly to indicate his helplessness, but Alden ignored the wizened elder. He shifted to stare back at the arena, his expression stony, doing nothing to hide the displeasure he felt.

"Very well. With most of the votes in favour of the Silent Slaughter Guild, I hereby declare them the winners… of this clash."

And just like that, Alistair and Elara had lost.

…Because of him.