Julius Caesar
โCowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.โ
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๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐๐
A single name had began to haunt the interiors of her skull, repeating itself over and over again. Every slash, every stab, every lunge, every step, every clang, every single second spent within the confinements of the Colosseum's dusty arena;
๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐๐.
The name rang in her head like a bullet had been newly-fired beside both her ears, like she was surrounded by multiple gongs beaten together at the same time, like she was drowning in a sea dubbed the same name โ with the waters filling her already-inflated air sacks.
She wonders how much blood has been spilled. More accurately; how much blood had the emperor spilled? Far too much to count, her mind replied, picturing a pool filled with scarlet. By the end of her lifetime, she would've slain about the same. Perhaps even more so? ๐๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, as they say.
She shook her head, bidding herself to prioritize her opponent's movements instead. Her abrupt action had puzzled her foe, but she was still much too distracted to notice, leaving only her subconscious to parry.
๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐๐
There it was again.
Creases formed above her brows, an exasperated sigh flew from her dry, chapped lips. Losing focus during battle because of a deceased emperor was more than a ludicrous mistake.
๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐๐
Before she realized, she'd sent her rival's gladius flying, earning much of the wild crowd's approval. Her tensed muscles began to relax, she adjusted her stance, tightening her grip โ her form was perfect. Acting swiftly nowโ with a single strike, she skewers the enemy standing unarmed and exposed before her.
โ๐ฟ๐๐ธ๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐๐,โ
She doesn't bother to lug her blade out, taking a few steps back to marvel at her work. The spectators cheer, the sickening voice in her head finally pauses, yet she hears only herself.
โ๐จ๐ธ๐พ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ผ ๐ต๐ธ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ท ๐น๐ช๐ผ๐ฝ.โ
It was her turn to play gladiator.
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