The bustling crowd of well-dressed, masked ladies and men sat down in the seats of a spacious arena. Their chatter filled the whole building, giving it the scene of an important event.
Just then, a low, staticky sound echoed throughout the place, which quieted down the crowd.
A man's magnetic voice transmitted over the crowd, "Welcome to Atlantis, ladies and gentlemen! Most of you probably expect what is going to happen, but to the newcomers, this is a fight to the death! Humans versus animals; who shall prevail? Don't you want to see their tenacity or... their savageness? Let's find out!"
His announcement triggered roaring applause from the crowd. Many were on the edge of their seats, peering at the arena lined with an assortment of sharpened weapons on the walls.
Then a woman's sonorous voice rang out, "Let's welcome our first contestant!" As soon as her words faded, a rustic door on the side was pushed open, and a young girl tumbled into the arena.
With tears threatening to spill over, the girl shook like a leaf, and the gazes boring into her wasn't helping either. She cowered next to the door and kept crying out her sister's name, as if in hopes her sister would save her.
But right then, a door opposite of hers was opened with a bang. A small dog stepped out; its steps were cautious and slow. However, once it spotted the girl, it didn't hesitate to bolt to her with fangs bared.
Watching the dog rush at her menacingly, the girl banged on the door and tried to scream at the top of lungs, but the sheer terror sealed her throat. Then the dog reached her, and it bit down fiercely on her calf.
Finally, the girl found her voice and cried out, attempting to kick the dog off with her other leg. One kick eventually connected, and the dog slammed into the nearby wall with a thwack. But in its mouth, a piece of skin dangled out of its drooling mouth before the dog swallowed it whole.
After steadying itself, it then pounced on her once again, but this time, the girl instinctively snatched a wooden bat hanging on the wall behind her and swung it with all her might.
"Crack!" the crisp sound of bones breaking reverberated as the dog's limp body flew and hit the stage with a thud.
Twitching, the small dog heaved with great difficulty before death finally embraced it.
Watching it made her stomach churn, but since she hadn't eaten anything, the girl could only gag and collapsed to the ground with a blanched face.
The majority of the spectators cheered, yet there was a distinct booing mixed in.
"Bring out the bigger dogs!" a random person yelled aloud, and there were hums of agreement rippling through the crowd.
"This is only an appetizer, dear guests! We shall show you in the next round what Atlantis really has to offer," the female announcer said soothingly, calming the disgruntled guests.
During this, several cloaked people arrived to the stage and dragged the bleeding girl into her cage. Then they opened a secret, underground passageway leading to the shed. On the way, one of them took out a tiny bottle full of a glowing reddish liquid, which when applied, staunched the blood. But the gruesome wound still remained.
After the cloaked people dropped her off in the shed, she leaned against the bars, sobbing at the pain beginning to appear after adrenaline wore off. Kalani stirred from his rest, furrowing his brows at the noise.
"Young girl, it's okay; it's over," Lucas spoke up softly. "You only have group fights left, but we will protect you."
"There are also healing potions in the group fight, so we can use it to help your wound recover," another person piped up. Kalani listened with lowered eyes to their comforting words.
'If 'he' was like them, maybe I would not be here,' Kalani mused, closing his eyes. Every time the memory of the past flashed by however, the nauseating smell of charred wood and blood lingered by his nose. His furrowed brows deepened as he tried to control his breathing.
Then the passageway door slammed open, frightening the younger kids. Silence stretched over everyone like a shadow, as they stared at the cloaked people again. However, the cloaked people did not seem to care and scanned the children before finally standing in front of Kalani and Lucas. And after exchanging looks, they towed Lucas's and Kalani's cages into the dim passageway.
'Weren't we supposed to participate later?' Kalani contemplated. A small glance at Lucas showed the young teen was also puzzled by this development—evident by the purse of his lips. The platform on which their cages were set on then moved forward into the darkness, and although it was silent—save the creaking of the wheels against the rails—Kalani knew the cloaked men were behind him, monitoring his every movement.
...
While slight jeers could be heard, the crowd gazed in anticipation as two boys and a cage filled with five wolves were brought out. The cloaked people struggled pulling in the cage as the wolves kept attempting to bite them through the bars.
"Damn," Lucas cursed under his breath, "easy my ass…"
Meanwhile, Kalani wordlessly stared at the pool of reddish blood at a nearby corner of the arena. Without a hint of blackness in that bloodish stain, he knew what this meant—this arena had claimed another child's life moments earlier.
After finishing their preparations, the employees rushed back, leaving the boys and the feral animals caged in the arena.
Then the man's voice announced to them all, "Now, for the poor entertainment earlier, we of Atlantis have decided to give you folks a fine treat in apology. Please welcome the undying Warriors of Atlantis!"
Some people in the crowd shrieked with delight while newcomers booed after the lackluster performance of the last two fighting rounds, but a fair woman with vibrant, red locks of hair stared wordlessly at Kalani in stark contrast to the vibrant crowd around her.
Meanwhile, Kalani plucked a pair of raven-hued daggers off the arena's walls while Lucas snatched a silver longsword. Then as if on cue, the wolves' cages swung open.
Black shadows darted out.
A wolf broke away faster from the pack and lunged at Lucas. He sidestepped instinctively, swinging his sword in the same motion and carving a deep gash into its shoulder. The wolf howled and stumbled back. Its gaze bored into Lucas—cold, venomous, and starving. Lucas tightened his grip and adopted a defensive stance. Neither being moved.
Growling impatiently, the other four wolves then turned their attention to Kalani, who was closer and looked weaker than his companion. Thinking this, the wolves charged toward Kalani.
Alternating between a forward and reverse grip, Kalani fiddled with his daggers before—to the wolves' shock—sprinting toward them. The first wolf of the pack faltered for a split moment.
The boy's eyes, once shimmering green, now pricked with an eerie black.
Sensing danger, the wolf dodged aside. But it felt no pain.
Had the boy missed?
Then it froze at the sudden yowls behind it.
Glancing back, it saw Kalani slice the throat of one wolf while effortlessly driving his reverse-gripped dagger into the skull of another.
Snarling in rage, the fourth wolf sprang for the boy's neck.
Something flashed.
A long blade intercepted the leap, cleaving the wolf's head clean off. Blood gushed out, staining the ground a darker red.
The last wolf shuddered.
Had its kind been the prey all along?
Terror gripped it, and the remaining wolf belatedly turned to flee.
However, a strange pressure radiated from behind, dragging at its movements. With a glance, it saw a black dagger buried in its hind leg.
A flicker of silver—
and then a bloodied sword came down.
The arena fell deathly silent. Even the announcers could only breathe, their voices stolen by the moment.
Then a single clap echoed.
Another followed.
Then another—until even the deaf could not have ignored it.
Snapping out of a daze, the male announcer found his voice, "WHAT A ROUND!!! Give it up for these two for their excellent performance!"
Kalani looked up from the wolf's corpse to see Lucas grinning widely.
"Nice throw, Mute!" Lucas shouted, his words nearly drowned out by the roar of the crowd. To drive the point home though, he gave Kalani a thumbs-up.
Kalani only shrugged, as if to say it could have been better.
A loudspeaker then revealed with a calm, elegant voice.
"As Atlantis prepares the arena for the upcoming group matches, refreshments have been arranged in the ballroom for your enjoyment. The butlers present will serve as your guides, so do not hesitate to ask for assistance. We shall resume in approximately an hour."
Kalani could still barely hear the announcement over the lingering cheers. But he quietly closed his clear emerald eyes.
…