Skylar had forgotten how long the game had been going on for, but he sure as hell wasn't done trying yet.
His family was of one of the most well known houses on the continent of Vallmora, and was known for their wealth but also their tendency for betting on Aetherball games.
But for them to have the audacity as to bet against him and his own team, would not be tolerated even by their own heir.
As he ducked underneath a powerful attack from the opposing Jax of House Morden, thousands of memories flooded his conscious all in the span of a single second.
He was supposed to be the most gifted within The House known as Zovarai, yet he found himself struggling against a single attacker.
However, this was no normal attacker, and it was clear as too what the Frostfang Academy had been playing at.
Switching their strongest defenders into an attacking position mean that they thought very little of Phoenix's attacking game, and were simply toying with them.
A pained growl escaped Skylar's frostbitten lips, as he blocked a powerful downward strike with his bare arms.
Blood and flesh shot from the terrible gashes in his numb forearms.
Then Jax of course, as any normal human does, shot his head downward toward Skylar's, at lightning quick speeds.
With no time as to move out of the way, Skylar braced himself with all his might, and took the mighty blow of the towering force.
After a swift blackout, Skylar found himself still standing, all though with an unbalanced wobble.
Looking up through his blood soaked eyes, he felt his entire head rebuilding itself like some festering virus that could rearrange the flesh of a man and turn them into some hideous monster.
Jax looked down with horror, as Skylar couldn't help but let out a terrible chuckle that vibrated inside of his throat.
It was true of course- There was a reason that many referred to his house, as that of The House of The Undead.
Skylar had always been called "Zombie" by his younger brothers and older sisters, for this very reason.
He did not feel the true length of the cold, because his blood and flesh had always been cold to the touch.
His body was just a lifeless bag of flesh, that carried the soul of the perfect soldier, one who's Axis affinity revolved solely around regeneration.
There had been times in his life when he had tried to test his limits, but after taking the mighty blow of the frozen mountain, he truly doubted that his limits simply did not exist.
"FOOL!"
Skylar dropped to the ground, and swept the legs of the mountain with a swift kick, bring him toppling to the ground just in time.
Another attacker appeared out of no where, and this one carrying the leather ball that was quite important in the current circumstances.
But before Skylar could act, A bountiful purple haze appeared behind the smaller attacker, and dropped the ball carrier with perfect precision.
Gideon was here, and from underneath his helmet, looked to be quite pissed off.
The ball shot itself free from the grip of the attacker, and rocketed into the sky, but before it could even reach its maximum height, a whirl of ice that at first looked like another Frostfang player, slowly unblurred in the air.
Michael of House Everfrost shot through the sky like an ancient dancer of one of the two lost houses.
Grabbing the ball with a slight flip, he eventually landed on top of one of the few trees in the area.
Skylar could see Michael scouting the distance, and decided that Chase's plan might not have been as terrible as he originally thought.
"Everfrost!"
Skylar yelled as he sprinted toward the opposing side of the arena, dodging through thorned bushes, and low branches.
And just as he had hoped, Michael trusted Skylar enough, too launch the ball through the clearing of a few trees and directly into the chest of the Heir of Zovarai.
Skylar already knew that neither him nor his teammates would yield to the likes of these savages, he was going to do everything in his power to ensure The Phoenix Academy would have their first championship since the age of the mighty Prodigy of Phoenix.
A weird thought entered his adrenaline filled mind, as he remembered the look of determination on Chase's face when he found the courage to speak in front of a team that had once despised his very being.
'Why does he look familiar...?'
He thought, as it all finally clicked.
In the trophy hall of Phoenix Academy, a single painting resided next to one of the few championship trophies that the team had claimed in history.
The picture of the mighty Alexander of House Phoenix.
Chase must have been related too the Blaze of Fury that once carried the team to the greatest championship in Aetherball History...
'He is a Phoenix...'
The thought echoed across his mind, like a scream within one of the vast caverns of the underworld.