The Fall of Everything [Rewrite]

As they were moving rapidly through the huge red rocks, suddenly a huge plateau appeared behind the rocks. In the center of the plateau was a circle of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. It was this crowd of people that was the source of the sounds Belisarius heard along the way that made him nervous. As soon as they saw the crowd, a small group broke away from it. Like the group they had seen before they started climbing the mountain, this group was carrying a wounded man. As Belisarius and Kaelyra passed, a woman in the group said something angrily to Kaelyra, but Belisarius did not understand. Kaelyra's footsteps quickened and her expression worsened, indicating that the woman was not saying good things.
Soon they broke into the crowd. If Kaelyra had not been clearing the way, Belisarius would not have been able to advance. After some effort, they broke through the crowd and reached the center of the circle where they could see what was happening. What Belisarius saw shocked him.
Corvus had knocked down a man much larger than himself and was punching him with all his might. Neither Corvus nor the man on the ground desperately trying to defend himself had a single piece of clothing covering their upper bodies. The only difference between them was that Corvus' arms and elbows in particular were covered in blood and wounds.
The man on the ground was desperately trying to defend himself against Corvus' hammer-like blows. He didn't even have the slightest chance to make a counter move because there was not even the slightest gap between Corvus' punches. While his opponent's arms threatened to break under the weight of the blows, there was no change in the weight of Corvus' blows. The inevitable happened and the man's defenses broke along with his arms. Corvus' punches gave way to elbow strikes. His opponent was already unconscious after the second blow. Nevertheless, Corvus had no intention of stopping until the referee separated them.
As the referee declared the winner, his family entered the arena to tend to the defeated man's wounds.
"The winner of the fight is Corvus Tiamat! Anyone who wants to question my decision, come to me!" Referees' decisions could be questioned, but not in this fight. Corvus' victory could not be questioned. Moreover, his opponent was much older and a member of one of the most powerful families in the city of Rhazgord. After making sure that no one challenged his decision, the referee continued: "From this day forward, everything that belongs to Varek Nabuk belongs to Corvus Tiamat!"
The fight between Corvus and Varek was not a simple fight. Varek had more than three thousand soldiers at his disposal and was much older than Corvus. He was one of the most powerful men in the city. According to the laws of Rhazgord, Varek could not challenge Corvus. The only reason the fight took place was because Corvus challenged Varek.
Varek was the fifth and strongest man Corvus fought that day. Corvus had been challenged in the previous four fights. It was unexpected for everyone that a tired and wounded Corvus would challenge Varek. Four fights in a row was enough to quell the rumors about Corvus. But his fights were not enough for Corvus. He stood in the center of the crowd looking for his next opponent. He had almost no strength left, but he had no intention of backing down. As he surveyed the crowd, he met Belisarius' terrified gaze.
Corvus felt a shame he could not understand. The cheers of the crowd around him, his half-naked body and the blood covering his fists. Corvus felt unbearable shame towards all of them. Before he knew it, the words came out of his lips in a whisper; "I... I am not a barbarian..." The deep shame he felt drained the last remaining energy from his body. The last thing Corvus saw as he collapsed was Kaelyra running towards him.
Both Belisarius and Corvus had just turned eighteen, but they came from completely different worlds. Belisarius was fourteen when he first picked up a sword. Corvus had been training and fighting with his peers since he was seven. Yes, Belisarius had learned a little about Rhazgord culture, but what he experienced at that moment was different. The redness of Mount Rhaz, the cries of the people and the brutality of Corvus were as fascinating to Belisarius as they were terrifying. If he had a little more faith in himself, he might even have tried to jump into the center of the circle and challenge someone.
Kaelyra had long since forgotten Belisarius. She had grabbed Corvus before he could hit the ground. She and the other members of the Tiamat family had gathered around Corvus. Even if it was seen as a great disrespect, there might have been those who wanted to avenge the losers. This was especially likely given that each of the opponents Corvus had defeated came from great families. A few in the crowd were preparing to challenge the other Tiamats, if not Corvus, when the cheers from the crowd stopped them. It was the soldiers of the division Corvus was in charge of who started the chants. They were chanting Corvus' name and blessing his victory. Suddenly the whole crowd was chanting in unison, with members of the Timat family joining in the cheers.
"Corvus, the Lion of Rhaz!"
When Belisarius came to, Kaelyra had already left with Corvus. The crowd was still there. They were watching the fights of the young people, energized by Corvus' effect. Belisarius was all alone in an unfamiliar country among unfamiliar people. He thought of returning on his own, but he was afraid. Strangers were forbidden on Mount Rhaz and he couldn't explain why he was there without Kaelyra with him. As Belisarius looked for a solution, a large hand touched his shoulder. Belisarius turned around and saw one of the Tiamat who had stepped forward to protect Corvus a few minutes before. This was Zarqa, one of Corvus' soldiers. The two had met before in the Kingdom of Adler.
"You follow me." he said with a terrible accent. Desperate, Belisarius followed the man he barely knew and they took the path between the red rocks again, heading towards the Red Mansion. Although the two did not speak the whole way, Belisarius could tell that Zarqa was happy.
As they approached the mansion, they saw Kaelyra talking to her father Valerius and an old but very strong-looking man. Kaelyra looked as troubled as the old man and Valerius looked happy. At one point the old man laughed so loudly that Belisarius stepped back a few steps against his will. The old man put his hand on Kaelyra's shoulder, said something and then he and Valerius headed towards the city.
As Kaelyra rubbed her forehead anxiously and muttered, she noticed Belisarius and Zarqa walking towards her. She moved closer to the pair, who were also coming towards her. Kaelyra ignored Belisarius and began to order Zarqa to do something. Zarqa listened and then left. Kealyra turned and shouted orders to the surrounding warriors and finally it was Belisarius' turn.
"I have just sent your men to an inn and we have put what you brought in storage." She called one of the warriors over to her. "This man will take you to your men."
Belisarius had recovered a little from the day's events and now he had to show he was a prince.
"I understand that things are complicated, but I am here as the prince of the Kingdom of Adler and I would like to pay my respects and offer my gifts to the great Sanguinar."
Kaelyra expected the prince, who she thought was timid, to leave quickly, but he did not. The prince stood before her, his eyes locked on hers. She leaned down a little to make eye contact with him and put her hand on his right shoulder. She made this gesture a little harsh, so the prince leaned slightly to the right.
"Look, Belisarius, little prince of a little kingdom. You are one of the biggest reasons for what I am dealing with right now, and yet I am trying to be kind to you. Besides, I cannot take you to see Sanguinar, even if I wanted to, because he is not in the city.Now go and rest. When Corvus wakes up, I will tell him you have arrived." She said something to the warrior who would take Belisarius to the inn where his men would be staying and entered the Red Mansion.
Alone with the warrior, Belisarius followed the soldier, taking with him all the humiliations, confusions and terrifying moments of the day.