Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

The audience erupted into a mix of gasps and cheers as Cain reappeared, standing with casual ease at the far end of the platform. His chest rose and fell with steady breaths, not hurried, not strained, as though Abel's furious assault had been nothing more than a child's tantrum.

Abel grit his teeth, his sword raised defensively as he pivoted to keep Cain in sight. His earlier confidence had been shaken, but not broken. Pride roared within him, demanding that he silence the murmurs from the crowd, demanding that he erase the humiliation he had just suffered.

Cain's smile widened slightly, but there was no joy in it. It was sharp, edged with intent. "You came here to put on a show," he said calmly. "But the only one being entertained right now is me."

Whispers spread like wildfire among the crowd. Some spoke of Cain's speed, others of Abel's mistake, but all agreed that the duel had already shifted in favor of the scorned prince. Jayden's fiery ears twitched as she leaned forward eagerly, her jade eyes locked on Cain with unshakable trust.

Abel's hand trembled, though he fought to keep it steady. His pride screamed at him to strike again, to wipe that mocking smile from Cain's face. But his instincts, dulled by arrogance yet not entirely gone, whispered caution. Cain had moved like a phantom, practically untouchable.

"You think you are powerful now?!" Abel spat, his voice cracking with fury. "Because of a trick? Because a half-breed mongrel stands in your corner?"

The insult struck the air like venom. Gasps echoed from the crowd, and Jayden's ears flattened against her head, her tail going rigid with anger. She took a step forward, ready to retort, but Cain raised his hand subtly, halting her. His expression was calm, but his eyes gleamed with fire.

"You just made yet another mistake in your inevitably short life," Cain said softly, though the words carried across the platform with perfect clarity. "Almost worse than stabbing me in the back and leaving me to die."

The crowd went silent, the weight of Cain's words cutting sharper than any blade. Abel's jaw clenched, his fury twisting into something darker. That past, the betrayal Cain dared to speak of in front of everyone, made his blood boil.

"You should have stayed forgotten," Abel snarled, his sword trembling in his grip. "You were nothing then, and you are nothing now!"

Cain tilted his head, the faintest trace of amusement tugging at his lips. Then, in an instant, he vanished.

The air rippled as he reappeared just inches from Abel's side. Abel barely managed to turn his blade in time, slashing wildly, but Cain was already gone. The steel cut through nothing.

"Nothing?" Cain's voice echoed from behind him. Abel spun, swinging again, but Cain vanished before the strike could land. "Strange. For nothing, I seem to be making quite the fool of you."

The audience roared with excitement, their cheers swelling into thunder. Every time Abel attacked, Cain dissolved and reappeared elsewhere, his movements sharp and unnatural, as if space itself bent to his will. Each word Cain spoke cut deeper than any wound, each teleportation frayed Abel's composure further.

Abel's breaths came ragged now. His strikes grew sloppy, erratic. He was no longer the composed swordsman who had stepped onto the platform, but a desperate man lashing out at a phantom.

Cain reappeared directly in front of him, so close Abel could see the calm fire burning in his violet eyes.

Abel thrust forward, but before the sword could connect, Cain vanished again, reappearing behind him.

"You swing like a drunkard," Cain said, his voice low but merciless. "Is this the gentleman the world praises?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Abel's face burned crimson as sweat rolled down his temple. He turned sharply, slashing once more, but Cain's form blinked to the far edge of the platform where he stood at ease, arms folded.

Jayden's tail lashed back and forth with excitement, her chest swelling with pride. Her voice rang out again, strong and fierce. "That's it, Cain! Show him who you really are!"

Her words struck Abel harder than Cain's mockery. His vision blurred with fury. The woman he had coveted, the woman who had once been part of his twisted fantasies, was now openly cheering for the man he despised.

"You dare…" Abel's voice broke into a growl. "You dare humiliate me like this?"

Cain tilted his head, smiling thinly. "Humiliate you? Abel, I am merely letting everyone see who you truly are."

He vanished once more, reappearing at Abel's back. A finger tapped lightly against Abel's shoulder. By the time Abel spun around, sword raised to cleave him apart, Cain was gone again.

The crowd erupted in laughter, the sound swelling into a deafening roar. Abel's pride was unraveling with every heartbeat.

Cain's eyes never left him. Cold, sharp, unwavering. This was no mere duel anymore. It was justice, it was revenge, and Cain was savoring every moment of Abel's downfall.

Abel's ragged breaths filled the silence between the crowd's laughter. His shoulders heaved, his once-pristine form unraveling into desperation. He turned in circles, his sword gripped so tightly his knuckles whitened, sweat dripping into his eyes.

Cain stood still now, watching him with the calm detachment of a predator waiting for its prey to wear itself out. His smile faded into something sharper, colder.

"Enough," Cain murmured.

The word carried like a command, and before Abel could react, Cain vanished. The air rippled once more, and then he was there, directly in front of Abel, so close the swordsman's panicked swing could not possibly connect in time.

Cain's fist shot forward.

The strike landed flush against Abel's jaw with a sickening crack. The force of the blow echoed across the platform, louder than any sword strike before it. Abel's head snapped violently to the side, and the sound of teeth shattering split the air. A spray of blood and enamel flew from his mouth as his knees buckled.

The crowd gasped, their laughter silenced instantly by the sheer brutality of the hit. Jayden's eyes widened, then glimmered with fierce pride as her tail whipped back and forth, her voice caught in her throat.

Abel staggered, his sword wobbling dangerously in his weakened grip. White-hot pain exploded through his jaw, every nerve screaming, the throbbing agony drowning out the roaring crowd. His mind spun as he forced himself to stay upright.

This was not just teleportation. This was not just some cheap trick.

Cain had hit him with such raw strength that it felt as though his skull had been split in two.

His eyes widened with dawning horror. Through the ringing in his ears, through the pounding ache in his jaw, the truth clawed its way into his mind.

Cain had become something else.

Not just untouchable. Not just cunning.

He was overwhelmingly stronger.

Cain stepped forward again, his bare feet making almost no sound against the cold platform. He shook his hand once, loosening the knuckles, and then raised his gaze to Abel's trembling form. His violet eyes burned with unshakable purpose.

"Now you understand," Cain said, his voice steady, merciless. "This is not a trick. This is me."

The crowd roared once more, louder than before, their cheers and shouts shaking the very air. Abel could barely hear them, his world drowned in pain and disbelief. His pride, his certainty, his entire image of superiority was crumbling.

Abel's knees trembled, the weight of his sword dragging his arm down as if it were made of stone. The confidence that once radiated from him like fire had guttered out, leaving only a man stripped bare before the crowd. His chest rose and fell in frantic, shallow gasps, and as Cain advanced step by step, the noble's composure broke completely.

The tip of his blade clattered against the stone as it slipped from his grasp. His lips quivered, blood and spit leaking between the gaps where teeth once were.

"No… no, please." Abel's voice cracked, weak and pathetic. His eyes darted left and right, as if someone, anyone, might rescue him from the predator stalking toward him. "Cain… mercy, I beg you! I didn't… I-I didn't mean…"

The crowd erupted with a mixture of disgust and astonishment. Gasps rippled outward, followed by harsh whispers. The once-praised gentleman warrior, the shining exemplar of nobility, was crying openly before them all. His legs buckled further, and in his terror, the final shred of dignity left him. Warm liquid trickled down his legs, staining his pristine garments as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Jayden's lips curled in a sharp grin, her tail flicking as she watched. This was no longer humiliation. It was justice.

Cain stopped directly in front of Abel, his shadow falling over the broken man. For a long moment, he simply studied him, his violet eyes sharp and unreadable. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and deliberate.

"I used to think of you as a friend."

Abel froze, his sobs hitching. He dared to look up into Cain's face, desperate, searching for any scrap of mercy.

Cain tilted his head, a sad, almost reflective smile brushing his lips. "But now I see you for what you really are." His voice dropped into something cold, final. "Coward. Traitor. Nothing."

Abel shook his head violently, tears streaming down his bruised face. His throat bobbed as he tried to form words, but only strangled whimpers escaped him.

Cain's smile widened, but it was cruel now. His tone softened to a whisper, each word sliding into Abel's ear like a blade. "Tell me, Abel. Do you know what it is like to be betrayed?"

Abel's lips parted, but no sound came. His entire body shook, frozen in paralyzing dread.

Cain leaned closer, his breath brushing Abel's ear. The platform grew silent, the crowd holding its collective breath. Then Cain whispered the words that chilled Abel's very soul.

"It feels like this."

In the same instant, Cain's hand blurred. His arm plunged forward with impossible precision, sinking past flesh and bone. Abel's scream died in his throat as violet eyes stared into his. For a heartbeat, the world froze. Then Cain's hand emerged, crimson and dripping, clutching Abel's still-beating heart.

Gasps and cries ripped through the arena as Abel staggered, his eyes wide, disbelieving. Blood poured from the wound, his trembling fingers clawing weakly at Cain's chest, as if begging for the life already stolen from him.

Cain stared into his former betrayer's face, his own calm and unyielding. Then he squeezed.

Abel's body spasmed once, then collapsed lifelessly to the stone floor, leaving Cain standing tall above him, heart in hand, as the roar of the crowd thundered around them.