Beloved

When Jewels made it to the participants hall, everyone was already in their groups and uniforms. Level 3-5 wore red, level 6-8 wore green and level 9-10 wore blue. Making her way towards the check in, while she waited patiently, a group of women in red bumped into the man in front of her which in turned bumped into her. The man and the group of women started arguing and while they argued, Jewels took that moment to move around the commotion and sign in. When she finished signing in and received her uniform, she felt a hand on her shoulders.

"Hey you, you jumped the line." The man that was in front of her said to her.

"If you would have paid attention instead of flirting, then I wouldn't have jumped the line as you said so." Jewels said as she swiped his hands off her shoulders.

Seeing that she was able to take his hands off of her, Leon got mad. In his lifetime, there had never been anyone who could remove his hands, once it touches an object. But the girl in front of him, swiped his hand off like an annoying fly, he became infuriated.

"Maybe instead of causing more trouble, I suggest you sign in and get your uniform, the tournament is about to start."

Jewels pushed her way past him and makes her way to the women's changing room, there she see a lot of women changing and primping. Jewels made her way to the back of the changing room and quickly changed into a semi-loose long sleeved shirt and red matching pants. While Jewels was tying her shoelaces, she felt a body of people make their way to where Jewels sat. In front of her was Maria, Lindsay and their entourage of friends.

"Who brought the trash in?" Maria said as the group of people laughed. "How were you able to get into the tournament? You must of used your Redbane connection to get you in?"

"Your Redbane connection finally realized what kind of trash you are to finally throw you away!" Lindsay said to Jewels as she giggled. "Prince Raiden has been seen the last week in the arms of a very beautiful lady. She's said to be the Princess of Mulberry."

Jewels raised her eyebrow at them not saying anything.

"Of course he would throw this trash away for the Princess of Mulberry, I mean, you just can't compare a diamond and trash!" One of the girls said.

"He dropped you the moment she arrived to Madewell," Maria dug into Jewels further. "Seems like you were nothing but his golden foil gift."

Everyone started laughing at Jewels and instead of getting angry at them, Jewels stands up and memorizes every face in front of her and promised to pay them back. The five girls in front of her stopped laughing when they saw her stone cold face.

"You better pray not to be my opponent in the arena." Jewels said threatening. "If we do see each other there, the only way you will leave the arena is under a white sheet."

Jewels threatening aura overwhelmed them quickly. It oppressed their will to fight back physically and mentally. It was the announcement of the tournament that broke up the bullying session in the back of the women's changing room.

Everyone made their way to the entrance to the arena. Around the raised platform, held seats for the participants to sit in. Each group was assigned a section of the seating and Jewels sat at the back and last seat of her seating section. With no one around her, she was able to watch the fighting without distractions.

The number of participants were 50. 25 participants were level 3-5, 15 were level 6-8 and 10 participants were level 9-10. The first group to fight was cultivators level 3-5 and since there was an odd number of competitors fighting, the rules of the fighting was last opponent standing. The whole 25 competitors will go on to the arena. If anyone who gets knocked out of the area, gets too injured and forfeits, or is killed in the area, they will lose. Anyone who has friends or came to the tournament with allies were more than likely to survive the beginning of the fight. Allies would band together to fight off the lone wolves, such as Jewels.

When the first group was called, everyone in red quickly ran and jumped on to the platform. Jewels on the other hand slowly made her way up the aisle and up the stairs. She could hear chuckling from the crowd because what they saw was a low level 3 cultivator make her way up the arena. Instead of standing with the crowd of lone wolves, she made her way towards the edge of the arena where there were not a lot of people standing there. When the bell rang that signifies the start of the battle, the arena became a chaos of fist flying, legs kicking and people falling over the arena. Jewels stood there watching everyone, not making a move on anyone and everyone ignoring her because of her low cultivation level, Most of the competitors strategy was to attack the strong first when they are at their strongest and eliminate the weak towards the end when there is less people standing.

After a long time, there were 8 people left including Jewels. Maria and Lindsay were among the 8. Since they grew up with each other, they knew each other's weakness, they helped watched each other's back so they would be able to be in the top 5. When the Maria and Lindsay realized that Jewels still stood at the edge of the platform, they headed her way with the intention to kill her. Jewels saw them coming and clicked her tongue against her teeth in annoyance. She was hoping the dumb would fight the dumb more before she made her move, but with her sisters coming after her, she had no choice, but to fight.

Jewels took out her short sword and held it out towards them in a defensive position. Maria and Lindsay laughs at Jewels as they attack. Every time Jewels got close to Maria and close into her defense, Lindsay would strike out with her whip at Jewels, pushing her back. When she turned her attacks at Lindsay, Maria would take advantage of her back and attack with her long sword. Jewels found it harder for her to keep up with the two, so she switched weapons. Switching the short sword from her right hand to her left, she purposefully got close to the edge of the arena and let the deflection of Maira's long sword tilt her backwards, off the arena. With a smile of triumph, Maria lets down her guard and as Jewels starts to fall back, Jewels whips out the golden vine from her metal bracer and wraps it around Maria. Pulling the whip forward, Jewels was able to jump back on to the arena without falling off and pulled Maria towards her. Jewels caught Maria by surprise and as she fell forward towards Jewels, Jewels quickly hits two of Maria's dantians with her fire energy completely crushing her dantians. She then inserts a needle dart on to her third dantian located on her forehead to disrupt the flow of energy in her body. Maria cries out loudly as she feels all her limbs go limp. Jewels clutches on to Maria's forehead with her hand and siphoned Maria's energy from her body into Jewels.

To everyone who saw what happened they were too surprised to cheer. They saw Jewels hit Maria's dantians and knew that Jewels crippled them. Maria would now be known as the Brooks trash.

Jewels took as much energy from Maria as she could before Lindsay snapped out of her surprised state and attack Jewels. Jewels flung Maria off the stage not caring if she hit chairs or people underneath the arena. Lindsay's whip came straight at Jewels and to deflect the whip, Jewels used the short sword in her left hand to hit it. A loud snapping noise could be heard as Lindsay snaps her whip back in preparation to hit Jewels again. This time around Jewels was ready. When Lindsay's whip came towards Jewels, Jewels also whipped her golden whip that came towards her. The two whips intertwined and both of them pulled the whip towards themselves. After a moment, instead of pulling, Jewels jumped towards Lindsay, surprising her and Lindsay saw Jewel attack with her fists. Jewels hit all three of her dantians, crushing them completely. The feeling of energy no longer flowing through her body made her lose her mind completely as she rocked and screamed. Not wanting to hear her cries anymore, Jewels takes out her whip and whips it around Lindsay and uses it to throw her out of the arena.

When Jewels looks up at her opponents, all of them have stopped fighting to watch Jewels and her sisters fight. They did not think the Youngest Miss Brooks would be so ruthless, especially towards her very own sisters. If she was ruthless towards family, how would she deal with them?

Snapping her whip back into place, she holds the short sword in her right hand and pulls out a dagger to hold on to in her left hand. The five people in front of her were to scared to move for when the dagger touched her hand and hot rage came over them, pushing their spirit down. When she made a move against them, they were not ready to defend themselves and were easily taken down by Jewels. Jewels did not kill them, but she did injured enough of them for the arena to be painted with blood. One by one, the five of her opponents gave up and asked for medical help.

Jewels was the last one standing in the group, becoming the top 5 in her fighting group.

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Jewels won easily due to the fact that she fought people who where at a lower cultivation level than she was. Although she felt it was not fair, the main point of her joining the tournament was to place top 5 and go into the Sky Ship.

Jewels went back to her seat and sat back down. Everyone's eyes followed her as she made her way towards her seat. When she sat back down, she looked up to where her family's booth. Uncle Jude and Pop pop held smiles on their face while Harvey and Lana looked at her with disdain. In the booth along with her family stood two dark hair men, their arms crossed over each other. They were too far away for Jewels to make out their faces, however she sort of knew in the back of her mind that they were her twin brothers.

From Jemma's memeories, her brothers left her alone. They did not care for her for they are ten years older than she is. When she last saw them, they were level 5 cultivators, the two men that stood next to Harvey, Jewels saw that they are now level 7 cultivators. Jewels eyes wandered to Raiden's booth and she wasn't surprised at his cold countenance, however what she was surprised about was the young women that sat next to him. She sat closer than Jewels liked and had her hand brushing his shoulder as if she was dusting something off his clothes. Jewels demeanor changed dramatically. Her red hot rage came forward and hit his cool oppressive aura and flooded his senses. Her rage caused a reaction with the fire burning within his skin, calling him to her. His grip on the armchair tightened, however he did not show any other reaction.

Jewels called back her jealous rage and adjusted herself in her seat to watch the rest of the match. She came in first in her fighting group, nothing else mattered at the moment.

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At the end of the first day of the tournament, there were only two groups that fought, level 3-5 and level 6-8 fought. Jewels knew no one who won the top 5 in each group nor did she care. However she did take note of all of their fighting styles and what their weapon of choice was and how proficient they used their weapon. When watching the last group fight, she really wanted to jump on to the arena and fight against them to test out her own powers and skills. The rest of the day was spent in celebration in honor of the winners. Her train of thought was interrupted when an official of the tournament came towards her and asked her to follow him to receive her prize from the King.

Following the official, Jewels went through the participant's hall where she met up with the rest of the winners of the day. All nine of them stopped talking when she entered and most of them were wary of her. They saw how ruthless she could be and how she did not hesitate when she fought. However, with her former reputation as the Young Miss Brooks Trash, they still held their prejudice against her.

A guy in green walks away from the crowd he stood by and made his way towards Jewels.

"Tell me how you did it." Leon said as he stopped in front of Jewels. "You cheated didn't you?"

When Jewels ignored him he continued the awkward conversation.

"How did you beat all those people with you low level cultivation? Who taught you how to fight like that? Who is your Master?" Leon tried again.

Jewels paid him no mind and made her way to the women's changing room to change into her clothes. As she entered, she did not expect the man to follow her and as he reached out to her to stop her, Jewels dodges his arm and grabs it. Using his momentum against him, she pulls him forward then pushes him down to the ground and twists and bends his arm back.

"Try to touch me again and I'll make sure you won't have hands to grab people who don't want to be touched by your dirty hands." Jewels said as she forced his arm higher. The man's cry could be heard from the outside as the winners of the group rush in to see what was happening. "This is your first and last warning."

Jewels lets him go and flings his arm away from her. Stepping over him, she goes to the back of the changing room and retrieves her clothes and quickly change. By the time she steps out of the changing room, instead of people staring at her, they minded their own business and ignored her. Jewels leaned against the wall, by the door and waited until an official of the tournament leads them into the ceremonial hall to honor the winners.

In the ceremonial hall, the winners were introduced to the crowd of nobility, royalty and rich merchants. One by one they were introduced and cheers were heard loudly for their favorite, but when Jewels walked in last and was introduced, the hall was quiet except for Uncle Jude and Pop pop cheering at the top of their lungs. Jewels eyes found them sitting towards the front of the hall and she smiled at them. Her genuine smile caught the attention of the room for it lit up her eyes and made her look more soft and gentle. More approachable.

Jewels followed the rest of the winners as they moved towards the King and Queen and bowed deeply to them.

"Congratulations, winners of the Madewell tournament. You have all earned the honor and prestige of being the strongest in Madewell. The ten of you will enter the Sky Ship in three days time and enjoy the riches it offers." King Jonas said. "Enjoy the rest of the celebration in honor of our winners."

Everyone cheered and drank the wine in their hands. Jewels made her way to Uncle Jude and Pop pop. They stood up to greet her and congratulate her personally. As they hugged and made toasts, Harvey, Lana and her twin brothers, Steven and Patrick made their way to them.

"I guess congratulations are in order for your win." An already drunk Harvey said. "At least you did not embarrass the Brooks name."

"How could you say that, General." Lana interjected then turned to Jewels and harshly whispered. "How could you destroy your sisters dantians? You crippled them and made them trash! How are they suppose to carry on the Brooks name with honor with their dantians crippled!"

"What happens in the arena, stays in the arena. Those are the rules of the Madewell tournament. They should be so lucky that I left them their miserable lives." Jewels told them. "Had I not been their little sister, I would have killed them and wouldn't be punished for it."

"How could you say that about your own sisters?!" Lana cried. "They had such bright futures in front of them. Now what are they going to do? Who will marry them now?"

"Who they marry and what they do in the future has nothing to do with me." Jewels told Lana. "And if you insist on throwing a fit in front of everyone and blemishing the Brooks name, please, do continue to try to lecture me about what happened in the arena. For I do not care about such things as reputation, parental and sisterly bonds."

Harvey and Lana couldn't say anymore or it would cause a scene so they decide to leave.

"Sister," Steven said. "It has been 10 years since we seen each other and you have become so fierce. The sweet little girl, I remembered, where did she go?"

"She died." Jewels answered truthfully.

Patrick and Steven laugh awkwardly at Jewels comment before Uncle Jude intervened.

"Jewels, is just joking. She's joking! What she meant to say is that she had to go through a lot while growing up which caused her to mature early."

"Jewels?" Patrick asked. "Who's Jewels?"

"Jemma. Jemma wanted to be called Jewels. So that's her name now." Uncle Jude clarified.

"Why?" Steven asked.

"Why not?" Jewels asked.

"Why would you change your name? You loved your name. Especially since your mother gave you that name." Steven said.

"Jemma has always been innocent, kind and giving. It made her prey to everyone around her. And everyone took advantage of her goodness. Jemma was weak because of all her good attributes. Jemma had to die for Jewels to be born. The Jewels in front of you is greedy, vicious, and fiercely protective. Who I am now, is the direct result of how I was treated for the past 10 years. Did you expect something different?" Jewels answered.

Both Patrick and Sam were surprised at her answer. When they left the Brooks Manor, Lady Iris doted on all of her step-children as well as her biological child, Jemma. They have gotten along with Lady Iris and treated her well. When they left to go into the army, Lady Iris was still alive and the household was lively and warm. When the news of her death reached them, they were already training at the Madewell boarder and could not attend her funeral. Over the years they heard stories and rumors of how Jemma have been mistreated by their father and their sisters, but they thought that was just stories and rumors. They stayed fighting and protecting the boarder to gain more fame and experience so they wouldn't let the Brooks name down. When they were granted leave to come back home for a month, the closer they came to the city the harsher the stories and rumors they heard about the young ladies of the Brooks family. Not truly believing the hatred between the three sisters, Patrick and Steven were surprised when they saw with their own eyes how Maria and Lindsay attacked the weaker Jewels. And they attacked with out mercy, without regard to their blood relation. When Jewels attacked back, it surprised them even more. With her skill level, she knew how to destroy their dantians and than she fought off the rest of the participants easily. Steven and Patrick stared at their youngest sister and wondered who she has become.

For the most of the night, Jewels stayed beside her Uncle and Pop pop talking, eating and laughing while several people came forward to congratulate Uncle Jude for having such a talented niece. The people who came to congratulate her through Uncle Jude where his close friends and acquaintances. The whole evening, she knew where Raiden sat, however she did not look at him once. She did not even pay him any attention, when she felt the freezing breeze hit her skin and chilled her to the bone. From the corner of her eye she could see the young lady sitting beside him the whole time. She placed several food on his plate and in front of him.

"Niece, you should go greet your maternal side of the family or they will see this as a slight." Uncle Jude said. "I can practically see Duchess Rowen frown at us for the past hour."

Even though she dreaded meeting the young Princess by Raiden's side, Jewels did Uncle Jude's bidding and made her way toward Duchess Rowen and her Uncle and Aunt. When she reached them, Jewels placed a smile on her face and rushed the rest of the few steps towards them and quickly hugged her grandmother and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Grandmother!" Jewels said. "Please forgive this granddaughter for my unmannerly behavior! I did not greet Grandmother, Uncle and Aunt until now. I have neglected you and will now drink three glasses of wine as punishment."

Jewels took the wine glass from a servant standing by and drank the wine glass in one shot, swallowing she turned to the servant to pour the second glass and once filled, she drank the wine, again in one shot. When the glass was filled a third time and she was about to drink the last glass, it was suddenly taken away from her by rough hands that she recognized.

Raiden took the glass of wine and drank it down while staring at Jewels. His face still stern, but his eyes showed anger.

"Prince Raiden!" Jewels said as she bowed quickly in greeting. "I---"

Jewels did not know what to say. Its been a week since she's last seen him or touched him and her feelings were conflicted . She was happy, but sad. She wanted to say something, but no thoughts or words where able to come out. She wanted to touch him, hug him, and kiss him but with the young Princess by his side, she did not want to make any mistakes and cause Raiden any trouble. She wanted to do and say so much to him, but the words died on her lips and her pride held her back.

"Thank you for taking the last glass of wine of punishment." Jewels said.

Jewels could hear Duchess Rowen laugh heartily as Uncle Same and Aunt Nora came to stand beside her. Jewels turns to hug them quickly and greet them as well.

"Since this neglectful niece has forgotten to greet Uncle and Aunt earlier, this niece will drink six glasses of wine as punishment!" Jewels stated as she looked at Raiden.

Raiden's eyes flashed with entertainment. Jewels was purposefully punishing Raiden by declaring that she would drink six glasses of wine knowing that Raiden would drink the wine in her place.

When the first wine glass was poured, Raiden drank the wine looking at Jewels with his eyebrow raised high, as if he was accepting the challenge. A slight smirk could be seen as his lips touched the glass. By the end of the fourth glass, Jewels took away the wine glass from Raiden and drank the fifth and sixth cup of wine.

"This lowly one thanks Prince Raiden for taking my punishment. However, it was because of my oversight that caused my grandmother, my Uncle and my Aunt a misunderstanding that hurt them. If this lowly one does not take responsibility for for my mistake and instead let others take the punishment for me. This lowly one would never learn and won't be able to hold my head up." Jewels said.

Uncle Sam hooked his arms around her shoulders and laughs joyously.

"My beautiful niece, sure does know how to speak eloquently! Your Uncle Jude has raised you well!"

They toasted Uncle Jude and Pop pop before Duchess Rowen took Jewels into her arms and caressed her head.

"Since when has my granddaughter become so strong?"

"It was not skills that won the tournament, but luck." Jewels said humbly.

Duchess Rowen laughs again and lightly taps her shoulder.

"If you keep teasing your grandmother like so, you will regret it!" She teasingly told Jewels.

"This granddaughter fully submits to grandmother's discipline, for this granddaughter has 18 years of discipline to catch up on!"

Laughing again, Duchess Rowen hugs Jewels tighter.

The young Princess who had been ignored the whole time, finally stood up and stood next to Raiden. She grabbed Raiden's sleeve and tugged it lightly.

"Beloved, who is this charming lady?"