Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Moz laid on his bed, made of the softest furs and the rarest hides. All of which from creatures he’d fought and skinned himself, once upon a time. He rarely had reasons to doubt his own strength, or his worth in this realm. He was at the top.

And he was bored.

Being a leader took time, and Moz had been patient. He’d waited for his time, had risen through the ranks until he was right next to the previous Fae King. Scum of the earth, that one. But even then, he’d waited. Until he was a trusted soldier, until he was considered loyal above all else, until the old king confided in him and only him.

And then it was time to strike. When the day came for the challenge, for faes and servants alike to fight and rise above their assigned rank, instead of fighting as the fool’s champion, he challenged him. Now that he knew all of the inner workings of the palace, of the traps, of the poisons and weapons alike made for the King, he had no reason to be patient anymore.

Old as he was, the old fool was supposed to be the strongest. And yet, young as he was, Moz was stronger than him. He slaughtered him in front of all his subjects gathered for the occasion, took his limbs and feasted on his organs, thrilled in the newfound energy and magic he felt running down his esophagus and spreading through his veins. Finally, he was King.

It had been so long since he went to the human world. For years, his need to deceive and trick had been fulfilled by his regicide scheme, and now there was nothing. Besides playing a few tricks on his advisors, he had nothing to entertain himself.

“Senku. I’m going to the human world.”

“Very well, your majesty. When will you be back ?”

“When I’ve entertained myself.”

He left his minister alone, walking to the balcony. At the highest point of all the realm, he felt the pale, sickly sun of the colder season warm his wings and make the strings of his power sing. Then, he took off. Humans might be wiser now, more cautious, but he was Fae, and he was King. He would always be above them, and his traps would continue to be beyond them. Flying higher and higher, he pierced the fabric of the realm, rendering himself invisible and letting the wings carry him down into the human world.

Everything was so different now, and yet nothing had changed. Humans still lived in settlements, only bigger, as if it would do anything else than divide them. There was less forest now, and instead poor attempts at reproducing it among the houses of glass and metal. There were almost no animals, besides the humans themselves. A shame. He missed the variety of prey, especially since most forest dwellers were a lot harder to capture and convince than the humans were, as it had always been. Oh well. At least he no longer had to hesitate between his targets, with only one or two choices.

He had no space for simpler traps, and no want for them either. Perhaps he would pretend to be a human, even gain the trust of one only to betray it. The pathetic primates that they were would never see it coming.

He stopped before some sort of martial art class. Interesting. He knew humans learned to fight from stories, learned about their petty little wars that held nothing but small squabbles between two rulers. Faes at least had the gall to take care of it by themselves, one on one, or however many you were in conflict with.

Moz landed in front of the small building and let himself be seen, concealing his fae traits to appear human to the untrained eye. The door was open, showing a small room with a desk and a man behind it. He let himself in.

“Hello.” he said, startling the man, who’d been sleeping on a pile of papers.

“Oh hey. Are you here to learn ?”

“I would like to, yes.” Moz let out an aura of trust, making himself seem as defenceless as the thing before him was.

“You’re here at the right time then, Mrs Akatsuki is training her pupil right now. I think he’s about your age. I hope you brought training clothes.”

Moz hadn’t but he could make himself some in the snap of a finger. A simple illusion, but enough to fool the humans. After “changing”, he walked into a training room, in which a woman was barking orders at a young man. She turned when the door closed, resonating through the room.

“The desk worker told me you were here to learn the kudayari. Do you have any experience with it ?”

“I know how to handle a spear well.”

She hummed, assessing him. Behind her, the other human continued his movements, uninterrupted. His form was good, Moz could tell. He looked like a fighter, maybe an even better one than some of his advisors. He wanted him. Still, now was not the time. But he was used to being patient.

At the woman’s request, he took a training staff and settled in the same position as the fighter. It had been a while since he’d had a weapon in his hands. These days, he relied much more on his hands, teeth and claws. He followed her instructions, thrusting and spinning the spear. This was a good technique. Perhaps he would bring it back to the fae realm with the human fighter, as soon as he could.

Quickly, the training session was over, and he went to change with the human. The woman held him back, telling him that he did well for a first lesson, and to come back the next week if he was interested.

“And don’t worry about paying, the first lesson is free here. If you prefer to take group lessons, to spar with others for example, come back on Wednesday. Otherwise, same day, same time !”

Outside, the human was waiting for him. “You have a good stance and handle on the spear. I’d like to spar with you sometime.”

Oh my, he was interested too. “I’m a natural, what can I say ? Also, I didn’t catch your name. What can I call you ?”

“My name is Akatsuki Hyoga. Pleased to meet you.”

Moz practically felt the collar snap around Hyoga ’s neck. The poor thing had given himself away, and he didn’t even know it yet. He could not wait to get his hands all over him, but he would wait again. Once his human was out of sight, he turned invisible once again and flew back to his realm. He only needed to wait for the night.

When Hyoga came to his senses, he was no longer in his room, and instead laid on a bed of furs, in a strange room that didn’t look anything like a normal room. Immediately, he registered the glow around his neck. A strange sort of chain, glowing, floated around his neck, not touching the skin. It looked as if made of light. When he raised a hand to touch it, it simply passed through, as if the chain wasn’t even there.

“Hello.”

A voice rang out through the room, and Hyoga spun around in the direction it came from. In the corner of the room, a small person stood. It was hard to discern whether they were a man or a woman, but they clearly weren’t human. They had large, insect-like wings, and features that were strangely akin to a bug. Their hands ended in claws, and most of all, they felt like a threat .

“You can call me Senku. I will go get King Moz. Stay here and rest.”

“Wha-” The stranger was already heading for the door. “Wait a minute !”

He was too late, and they closed the door behind them, leaving him in the room. When he tried to open it, the chain lit up ominously, and he felt like he shouldn’t go further. Frustrated, he went back to the bed, as Senku had instructed. He had nothing else to do but wait.

Moz was lounging in his council room, with all of his advisors, except for Senku, who he had asked to watch over Hyoga. The previous night, he’d laid the necessary engravings to capture his prey, and wrote his name in chains crafted only for him. After that, he’d only needed to wait for him to wake up. Unfortunately, he’d needed to leave, and so he left Senku in his stead.

While the small fae was young, he was smart, smarter even than the old king’s previous advisor Xeno, who had trained Senku when he was still young. Since then he’d only improved, and his interest in any and all things made him a reliable ally.

“Moz ?” Senku stepped into the council room. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tsukasa perking up at the sound of his voice. He hoped the two would start courting soon enough, if Tsukasa ever gathered the courage to ask.

“Senku. Is something the matter ?”

“ Yours has awakened. I thought you would want to know as soon as possible.”

Hyoga was awake. Moz stood up, keeping his composure for the moment, even if his feelings were most likely clear to all of his advisors. “This meeting is suspended. We will continue once I am done taking care of this.”

Some protested, clamoring about important matters and the needs of the kingdom. He rolled his eyes, already down the corridor that led to his room. He could not wait to see His , to touch him and make him worthy of staying at his side. He had waited long enough.

As he burst into the room, His jumped from where he had been laying on the bed, and Moz saw a flash of recognition shine in his eyes, then confusion, then anger . “ You .” He seethed, jumping to his feet. Moz was at his side in seconds, taking his hands to placate him, as well as restrain him and avoid starting a fight.

“What am I doing here, you bastard ?”

“You are Mine , Hyoga. You gave me your name, and now you’re Mine .”

Hyoga started struggling again, almost growling in his anger. It was as beautiful as he was. Moz pulled him closer, kissing his lips twisted by wrath, smiling at his attempts to bite.

“And I will make sure you stay at my side, forever.”

Extending his wings, he called upon Senku, letting them sing for his advisor to come. Hyoga continued to struggle, and Moz continued to hold him. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door.

“You called ?”

“Yes. I want you to get Stanley for me. I will need both of you for what comes next.”

“I assume you’ve found your queen then ?”

Senku left because Moz could answer. They both knew he was correct, after all. However, Hyoga had more questions.

“Queen ? What are you talking about ?”

“You’re Mine , and I want you to be my queen. But for that, I need you to be Fae.”

Soon enough, Stanley was standing in the middle of the room, Senku behind him. Hyoga had been somewhat placated, at least enough to get him to stop trying to attack. Clearly, he wasn’t happy with his condition, but he’d accepted he would not be able to escape the realm. He had given away his name, after all.

“You wanted to see me, your majesty ?”

Stanley. One of his advisors, only for his incredible prowess in battle. But he was too loyal to Xeno, too dangerous to be left alone. Keeping him as an advisor was a good way of keeping watch on him. But Moz knew Xeno wanted to rule just as much as he once did, and that the two of them were only biding their time, waiting for him to trust them, or until he made a mistake. It was simply easier to get rid of Stanley. Without him, Xeno would be powerless.

And, he needed a fighter for his own fighter.

“Yes, I require your help in royal matters. I am incredibly glad for your presence, it is crucial.”

Stanley nodded, and Senku shifted behind his back. He knew what was coming.

“Stanley Snyder .” Moz uttered, and Stanley froze. It was unsurprising. Faes were not supposed to know each others’ names, after all. And now Stanley was His , and he would do as he pleased with him.

“Hyoga, come to me please.” He turned to look at His . He was hesitant, but got closer nonetheless. “I will need your back free for this.” Moz explained as he undressed him, running his hands along defined muscles and soft skin.

While he warmed His up, Senku got closer to Stanley’s back. “Should I ?” He asked, lifting his knife up.

“Yes. We are ready.”

The knife sank in the far side of a shoulder blade, carefully avoiding the nerves and tendons that connected Stanley to his wing. The soldier was completely still, under Moz’s influence. He could not move, could not scream, but he could feel . After a few minutes, the left wing detached, hanging in Senku’s grasp.

“I am sorry my love, but this will hurt.” Gently, Moz cut into Hyoga’s own shoulder blade, and Senku came over, lifting the wing and offering it to him. His barely made a sound, despite the pain. With light hands, Senku started sewing, attaching nerves and tendons to nerves and bones, going as fast as he could to avoid hurting Hyoga.

Then, they had to repeat the process for the other wing. Moz smiled, looking in Stanley’s eyes, full of tears and fury. He then looked to Hyoga. “How do you feel, beloved ?”

“These are… heavy. And they hurt.”

He kissed his temple, brushing over his shoulder, making sure to avoid the stitching on his back. “After we’re done, they will feel better, I promise.”

He knew the next step would be harder. Although he had explained what would happen next, this was kept vague for a reason. Humans were rarely eager to eat each other, and faes were unfortunately very humanoid.

Senku stepped aside, letting Moz do the honors. He slashed at Stanley’s stomach, letting his guts spill out, severing them to drag them out in one long thread.

Hyoga took a step backwards. Thankfully, Senku had anticipated it, and restrained him before he could do much more. His arms were held behind his back, and his legs immobilised.

“You knew this was coming, dearest.” Moz told him, holding out the long cord of intestines, ready to feed it to his future queen. He was thrashing, swinging his head around. Senku finished tying up Hyoga’s hands and secured his head.

“No ! No, I don’t want to do this, I-” Moz led the intestine into Hyoga’s mouth, stuffing it into his throat. He would have to chew or choke. Hopefully the rest of it would go down easier. Making Hyoga eat the intestine was one long fight, full of choking and struggle. At the end of it, Hyoga’s face was wet with tears, and he was sobbing.

“Shh, darling, you’re okay. This part is over.”

They still had so much more to feed him. For most of Stanley’s digestive system, Hyoga fought them, from his stomach to his liver. When Moz cut out the right lung, he’d mostly stopped struggling. The poor thing must be exhausted.

He tore chunks of the lung off to feed them to him slowly, making sure he chewed and swallowed all of them. Silent tears were still running down his face. Only the wet sounds of flesh and mastication filled the room as he ate.

“This is the last one.” Moz told Hyoga as he ripped out Stanley’s heart, taking as much of his arteries with him as he could. It pulsed one last time, pumping out blood that dripped down the veins onto Moz’s arm, staining the floor.

This time, Hyoga bit into it, eager to be done with this, so he would be left alone. So he could rest. So Moz and Senku would stop tormenting him.

The chain around his neck glowed brighter as he swallowed the last of it, blinding him. And then everything stopped hurting. The stitches along his wings fused then disappeared into his skin. Moz helped him up, wiping off a tear from his eye.

“And now you’re Fae. Now, you can be my queen.”

Standing in the pool of blood and gore, covered in blood, newly obtained wings buzzing, Hyoga collapsed into Moz’s arms.

Chapter Text

It took days before Hyoga woke up again. Senku told him that he was in shock, and that if he’d waited a few more days, to take the time to explain what was going to happen during the ritual, he would have taken less time to fully transform. Apparently, Hyoga’s mind had to get used to the violence it witnessed before it could focus on acclimating to its bodily changes.

Moz understood. And he could wait. He’d waited before. And maybe, he should have waited this time too. But now, he could observe the changes his beloved’s body underwent in real time. He’d already shifted, body more fae-like and enticing, yet he continued to change. It was fascinating. His hands had grown claws, and his entire face had shifted to accommodate a new diet. He had more teeth, all of them sharper than they’d been previously, and his mandibules were somewhat visible in the dips they left along his cheeks. He eagerly waited for the moment Hyoga would open his eyes, the moment when they’d see each other for the first time.

“He will have a hard time understanding how his body is supposed to move, at first. I remember that I needed to be carried everywhere for a few weeks until I had the strength to learn to walk again.”

“But Senku, you were two ! Hyoga is older and stronger than you were, surely he’ll be okay !”

“I never said he wouldn’t be okay, I said he might need help moving. Those are two different things.”

Senku was mostly the one tending to Hyoga, leaving Moz to admire him from not so far. Everyday, he flipped the fae on his back to check on his wings again, see if any stitching had reappeared, if perhaps the graft was being rejected and if they’d need to find someone else. As his father had taught him, the reason the organs needed to be entirely consumed in that order was to make the body accept being fae.

So far, the transformation was going along well. All changes went as they were supposed to, and his vitals were going along well. What with taking care of Hyoga so much, neither Senku nor Moz had been able to get out of the chambers very much. He insisted that his patient required constant care, and refused to be the one to go out in case something went awry. Despite the very low probability of it, Senku refused to take chances on this.

Funnily enough, it was when Moz was out to get food again that Hyoga awoke. It might have been for the best, since Senku was able to take his time and explain everything instead of getting shoved aside by a needy king who wanted to cuddle his queen.

“How do you feel right now ?” He asked, offering some of Moz’s clothing so Hyoga could dress appropriately. “Do you need help putting this on ?”

“I would like some help, thank you. I don’t… know how to move these limbs. Even my hands feel foreign now.” Hyoga used Senku’s shoulder as a crutch to get up, and had to lean on the wall to support his own weight as he helped him get into his clothes. “As for how I feel. Well. It’s… weird. I feel like I should feel worse than I do about this.”

“That’s because you’re Fae now. You can’t have the same emotions as a human, that’d just be stupid. You’re going to have to learn everything again, Hyoga. Moving, feeling, being… You’re entirely different in all those things now.”

Senku helped Hyoga sit back down. “I’m sure Moz will be back very soon, so I’ll tell you the basics before he jumps you. You will have to do physical therapy, with me, everyday until you feel comfortable moving in your own body. As for your emotions, while I can’t help you with figuring them out completely, I am here if you have questions about them.”

“I… Thank you, Senku.”

He let himself fall backwards on the bed, his back hitting the pile of furs softly. Still curious, he tried to lift a hand. It shot up suddenly, then fell back down. It was like a spasm. It felt weird.

“Since you just woke up, you will have a harder time moving. It should get better once you’ve rested again, and then we can try walking around the room.”

Hyoga could move more now. While he still had to stretch and exercise with Senku, he was able to walk around on his own for small periods of time, and he rarely ever did it except to attend “council meetings”. Moz never had the decency to tell him he was Fae King before he turned him. Those usually didn’t require much of Hyoga’s involvement, his opinions were not crucial to decision making. Moz simply told him that as the queen, Hyoga had the right to participate in such matters.

He’d asked Senku about it, and he said that while there had not been a Queen in a while, the title was considered just as important as the King. The only difference seemed to be that King went to the one who won the throne through a fight, and Queen was for their partner, whoever they might be.

He didn’t usually have much to say, though he got to know some of the advisors who were close to Moz through these meetings, and if it could help him get to know other faes better, well. He could not stay holed up in the royal chambers forever after all.

Then, about two months after he was turned, Moz started preparing for an event. He said it was an annual celebration that he had to push back a little until he was sure Hyoga had all his strength and range of movement back. It was barely a week, but some of his subjects were already getting excited about it. Hearing that their king had found himself a partner might have exacerbated their desire to fight each other too.

Hyoga observed the preparations in silence. He had not been able to fight in some time, and the desire to tear into flesh got stronger and stronger each day.

“Your body is already adjusted to being Fae. It’s normal to feel excited about your first challenge. All kids do that, and then they adapt to the ambient bloodlust during that time of the year. You see, since a lot of people want to fight, they get excited much easier, and sometimes even try to goad other people into jumping them. And those who repress their wants to save it until the challenge day will also fill the air with this need for blood.”

Senku had then gone on a long winded science rant, explaining everything to him in a clinical voice. He had trouble listening, especially with the overwhelming air.

“You should go lay down in your chambers. They’re at the highest point, so you should be able to breathe easier up there.”

Following Senku’s advice, Hyoga went up the flight of hallways and steps and corridors and stairs, only to open his door in a hurry and collapse in the bed of furs as soon as he could. He was more exhausted than he’d thought. He only woke up slightly when Moz laid a new fur over him and laid down at his side.

Then came the day of the challenge. There was a lot of noise around, and Hyoga was thankful for the high platform from which both the advisors and them would watch the matches from below. One of the King’s tasks was making sure all of his subjects got out alive. After all, only the king could accept and fight a battle to the death, in the case of a challenge for the crown. Slightly before the challenge started, Hyouga was informed that, should anyone challenge Hyoga, it was now also a challenge for him. The royal couple were one, and so they would fight as one.

The first few fights were only children wrestling with each other, testing out their claws and teeth on each other, yet not really trying to hurt. Moz told him that it was a way to include the entirety of his subjects in this tradition, and that children wanted to be respected as the people they were, not excluded from something because it might be dangerous. In the fae realm, they adapted.

There were very few that actually participated, usually the strongest or most curious ones while their friends cheered them on from the sides. All of them looked very tight knit, all happy and joyful as they pretended to tear each other apart. They buzzed and flew around each other, clumsily attempting mid air attacks and dodging their opponent.

In the end, there were only three fights that involved children, and yet it looked like even that was too long for Moz to handle. He’d laid his head on Hyoga’s shoulder halfway through the second spar, and he had to shake him awake when the end of the children’s fights were over. Ridiculous, he thought fondly.

“They’ll be going up the chain as it goes on.” Moz mumbled into his ear, still sleepy. “I hope Senku and Tsukasa go at it this year…”

“Tsukasa ? That is how one of your advisors is called, yes ?”

“Mmm.” Moz nodded, straightening up and stretching. “They’ve been dancing around each other for a while now, so I’m hoping one of them proposes this year.”

Hyoga nodded in understanding. The fights started once again, this time with adults. It was a lot bloodier, violent. The faes let their mandibles out, bit and slashed at one another. It was horrible. It was beautiful, exciting even. He saw them fly up and down, sometimes leaving the ground entirely to risk fighting up, up in the air. And yet, Hyoga could see that they were careful. Strikes too close to vital points had less strength behind them. Wings were avoided entirely when flying, and if the tiniest scratch was left on one, the fight continued on the ground. It was unspoken, the fighters seemingly having these rules engraved at the base of their very being. Most likely why these challenges were started this young.

It was bloody. Claws swiped and slashed at exposed flesh. Fangs and mandibles dug into skin. Wings buzzed, pushing air away and kicking up dust. Blood stained the sand of the arena. The crowd roared. They shouted for victory and defeat. And the fighters answered in kind. It was exhilarating.

Hyoga hadn’t gotten to fly a lot, not by himself. Somehow it was a lot easier than walking again. Senku didn’t know much about that, as he’d been too young when he turned to remember learning to fly, and his father didn’t know that much either.

Soon enough, those fights ended as well. The people who’d been tearing into each other’s flesh a minute before were now helping each other up and chatting on their way to get treatment. It was fascinating.

“They’re going to announce proposals after that.”

“Mm ? Didn’t you say that today was mostly for fighting ?”

“That’s how we propose, dear.” Moz kissed his temple. “How else would we do it ?”

Hyoga didn’t answer, settling back in his seat. Some couples were waiting on the sides, but in the center of the arena, facing each other, were Senku and Tsukasa. He had met the councilor earlier in the week, but wasn’t overly familiar with him as he was with Senku, who had cared for him until he was deemed physically fit enough to be paraded around as Moz’s new partner. He wasn’t too surprised by the fae using violence to show deep bonds and announce people getting married. Seeing how they did everything, it checked out well enough. However, he hadn’t thought Senku would be interested in romance, or anything of the sort for that matter. Goes to show he shouldn’t let appearances trick him, especially here.

The two men in the ring of sand circled each other, waiting for the host to announce they could start the fight. Hyoga could see Senku’s wings buzzing slightly in anticipation, while Tsukasa seemed calm as can be, his expression unreadable. A gong sounded out, and it started.

Tsukasa made the first move. He rushed ahead, trying to grab Senku and immobilize him immediately. Meanwhile, Senku took to the air, zipping around. He slashed at Tsukasa’s back and arms, almost getting his legs before he had to retreat when a hand came close to wrapping around his wrist. There were roars coming out from the crowd, cheers on one side when Tsukasa tried to throw Senku to the ground, or from the other when Senku tore open Tsukasa’s shoulder. Tsukasa had the strength, and Senku was using his small body and fast wings to his advantage.

Finally, Tsukasa took to the sky. He was linear in his movement, making fast changes from one spot to another, and yet almost always staying in the same spot. Senku had a flexibility that he was lacking. A game of cat and mouse took place, with Tsukasa charging at Senku and trying to trap him somehow, and Senku narrowly avoiding him each time.

“He’s playing with him.” Moz chuckled. “Trying to get him riled up so he makes a mistake.”

“Do you think it’s going to work ?” Hyoga enquired, leaning back in his seat. “From what I have seen of him, your counselor is a very calm person. He doesn’t seem the type to fall for this kind of tactic.”

“Oh, he isn't. In fact, I’m almost sure he can see through Senku’s act. But it’s more of a game for the two of them, and I can assure you Tsukasa is pissed that Senku doesn’t seem to take it seriously.”

“What would be taking it seriously, then ?”

“Well, last year there was someone who got their stomach punched through… And they lost a few fingers too, so I would say going for the kill is the way to go.”

“Is that not risky ? I’d assume you don’t want to lose people because of this.”

“Eh, anything that isn’t done to your wings is easy to fix. I mean, that chick lost her stomach for a few weeks, but that’s not really anything permanent. What was her name again ? I know she’s friends with Senku, uhhhhh. ‘Ko’ something…”

Moz continued to mumble about the name of this mysterious ‘Ko’ person who had lost her stomach temporarily . Did fae grow back organs ? Did they grow back limbs ? Hyoga hadn’t heard anything about this from Senku, but how could he know ? He’d been here for a few weeks, and nobody had thought to inform him of this. Was it something so obvious to them that they didn’t even think that humans wouldn’t know ? He’d have to ask Senku later on. Or Moz, if the man didn’t decide to jump him as soon as they were behind closed doors. He certainly wasn’t about to ask in public.

There was a sudden outcry, and Hyoga was snapped out of his thoughts. Moz was laughing excitedly, and a good part of the audience was cheering loudly. He looked up to see that Tsukasa had finally managed to catch Senku, and the two were wrestling in mid air. Both of them were hissing and snapping at each other, mandibles wide open and trying to cut into the other’s skin. Their wings were buzzing too fast to keep track off. They seemed to be falling, too caught up in each other to bother staying upright. At this point, Hyoga wasn’t sure whether they would crash down to the ground or slash each other’s throat before that could happen. And the blood in the air was thick, cloudy. It was exhilarating.

Looking at the crowd, he could see that multiple of them were struggling to contain themselves, and some of them had already started taking it out on anybody close and willing enough. Moz ran a hand down his back. “Exciting, isn’t it ?”

“It’s unsettling. I can’t breathe without feeling like there’s violence all around me, and it’s comforting. I want to be part of it. That’s not normal.”

“It is, though. You’re just getting used to it. That reminds me of Senku as a kid, actually. Kept fighting with everyone because it was too overwhelming.”

“I’m not going to start doing that.”

“You have more restraint, and you’re older. But you definitely need to get rid of all that energy somehow. Not now, of course. No doubt you could find someone to take it out on in the barracks after. That’s usually what people do.”

“To get rid of wanting to fight, you fight. Of course.”

“I mean, you don’t have to, there are other options.”

Just as Hyoga wanted to ask what other options there were, the crowd roared once again. Senku had Tsukasa pinned, claws digging into his shoulders, in a threatening position, right above his face. He was using his legs to stop Tsukasa from kicking, and had a hand placed on his stomach, threatening to cut it open should he try to move. Senku had won.

“Want to get out of there ?” Moz offered Hyoga a hand, standing up to stretch.

“Aren’t there other people to watch ?”

“Yeah, probably, but I only came to see those two get at it. My presence isn’t really mandatory, just a tradition. Besides, who cares about the King being there ? Right now, the focus is on the fighters.”

“Isn’t this one of your tasks as ruler ?”

“Ehh, the advisors can handle it just fine, don’t worry. Plus, you want to leave, don’t you ?”

“You are impossible. But fine, you’re right.”

Moz laughed. “I knew it. Wanna try out your new wings ?”

Hyoga nodded and took the offered hand. Moz gave a short nod to one of the counselors present (what was her name again ?) before taking off, leaving the platform with a small jump, pulling Hyoga with him. His wings buzzed behind him, creating a small wind. He still wasn’t used to the new appendages, and barely had the opportunity to use them in the time he’d been here. Moz was holding him strongly enough that he didn’t need to worry about falling.

“What were these other options you were talking about, to get the energy out, by the way ?”

“I think you already know.” Moz winked. Hyoga rolled his eyes, and briefly considered letting go of his hands.