《Gods of Arena》


 Pilot

    This wasn''t the world you would be familiar with or have any idea of. New humans were created but they were created as weapons, not as beings to live freely. Immediately they woke up to their reality, they had the unusual knowledge of the basic things around them and the ability tomunicate effectively. There weren''t kids among them but they grew, anyway.


    However, they were no longer weapons. The wars were over so they were a game. The Gamblers would pay to watch them fight against one another so the Larger Figures were making money from them. The knowledge of the Larger Figures seemed to be excluded from their programming so they had no idea of the people in control. It would seem fun whenever they first got into the house... but they realize how bloody it is when they get in the arena. One of the fighters must die in the ring.


    They were given different abilities to fight with and they had levels. The more they trained, the stronger they would be and the higher their power levels would go.


    "... he looks pretty lean,pared to the rest. What do you think?"


    "They all look small when they are created. They train and grow bigger and stronger"


    "Yes but the other new ones are not so lean. What are his abilities?"


    "Uh... we are yet to figure it out"


    "How do you mean? You know the abilities of the others, immediately they are created. Why is this one so different?"


    "His programming turns out to be moreplex than intended but we are working on him already. Soon, we will have a full understanding of his nature."


    Kang could hear the voices, indistinctly. Those were the first sounds that got into his ears. He was a new creature and he hadn''t even opened his eyes yet. He raised his arm and touched the wall beside him. He jerked his hand back as it felt cold. He opened his eyes, slowly. He was locked in a container so there was no way he could raise his back and sit up. Knowing he was restricted made him want to change his position. He pushed against the top, moving ufortably. He could still hear the voices.


    "I imagine him getting picked for a fight on the first day", a voice said.


    "That would be good luck for his opponent and bad luck for business", another voice replied.


    He could tell the difference between the two voices, as he calmed down. There were probably just two people out there... or only two of the many people were talking.


    "I''ll give you an advice; just throw him in the trash and create another one"


    "That will be a waste of resources. He should still be useful if the Gamblers want a ything for a while"


    "That''s if the Gamblers were thinking straight. They always prefer the strong ones so they can weaken him and tie him up. It''s pretty dumb"


    "Whatever. I''m not-...."


    A door opened and Kang could hear a different voice. "I''m taking the waste to the disposer. I wanted to know if you have any left in here"


    "You should let him take this new guy instead of wasting our time"


    "Okay. Hold on. There''s one here", one of the two first voices said. Kang could tell whoever it was probably created something that was inferior to simr products.


    He could hear a sound of something being rubbed against iron, as he looked straight up. The container he was in seemed to be moving. The container shook and he hit his head against the hard iron, like the container was dropped on the ground.


    "Yup. This is it. Get it out"


    That sounded like he was the trash. He was probably the trash.


    "Carmichael?", the guard called, as he felt the wave of heat. Definitely, someone had left the oven open and Carmichael was on duty. He walked over to the Disposer. As expected, the door was a few inches open and he could see the fire and feel the heat from where he stood. "Carmichael?"


    "Yes?", Carmichael shouted, running towards him. "What''s it?"


    "You left the oven open. What were you thinking?"


    "I swear I closed that door. In fact, I was going to get it locked with a key at the back so no one would get in while I was gone", Carmichael replied and moved towards the oven, shutting the door quickly. "You know the lever''s pretty far so I won''t be able to keep an eye on the door while I turn on the fire"


    "Well, the door is definitely open so someone definitely forgot to shut it"


    Carmichael''s eyes opened widely, with horror. "Or someone got into the disposer while I was gone and is not out yet".


    The man looked at the oven and thought about it for a while. "Let''s go, Carmichael. We better hope that''s not true", he said and they walked away.


    ****


    He could hear footsteps approaching him. There was very little light where he was going. He didn''t even have an idea where the paths led to but he kept running. He hid himself, as one of the ''Larger Figures'' walked past.


    He continued going forward. He hasn''t seen anyone walk out from that road and he hoped he wasn''t heading towards a dead end. He took a turning, as one of the Larger Figures appeared ahead. There was no way he could let anyone see him. At least, not after he was about to get roasted in an oven by the same people. He kept running, as he couldn''t hide if the Larger Figure looked his way. He took the next turning and escaped. He walked straight ahead and pushed a door. He was suddenly pulled into a kind of hall.


    Kang stood up, quickly. There was no one in sight but he was right in the middle of the hall. He could see countless rooms around him so if anyone walked out of any of the rooms, there was no way he could hide. He would definitely be seen. A door opened, suddenly, and a man walked out, looking straight into his eyes. The man walked away, down the hall, ignoring him like he didn''t care. Kang kept his eyes on the man. The man was different from the Larger Figures he had met on the way. In fact, the man was as casually dressed as he was. They were probably equals and the hall was safe for them.


    He walked to the man''s room, as he watched the man walk through another door. He looked in and saw a bunk bed. There were other stuffs in the room, probably owned by the man and whoever was sharing the room with him. "Hello?", a voice said. He jerked back, startled. The man had gotten back. "You want something here?"


    "Uh... no. I''ll just go", Kang replied and turned his back, walking away.


    The man looked at him from head to toe. "You shouldn''t be looking into people''s rooms, dude", he said, walking into the room. "They can m your head into the wall"


    "Sorry about that", Kang said and quickened his paces, heading back to the door he had walked in through.


    There was no door there, just a clear passage. He tried to walk through but he felt something pushing him back. He raised his hand and pushed against the invisible barrier. He couldn''t get through.


    He heard a chuckle. "Who''s this idiot? He''s probably new", a voice said.


    Kang turned and looked at who wasughing. There were two men standing there. They were casually dressed but they looked a lot bigger than him. "What are you trying to do? You just got here?", one of them said.


    "I was just about to leave. I''m sorry for invading your privacy", Kang said, timidly, and pushed against the invisible barrier.


    They whispered in each other''s ears. "He''s definitely new and stupid. We can use him"


    "Let''s leave him, for now. I''ll go to the toilet"


    One of the men took a few steps forward, staring at Kang who seemed to be putting a lot of effort in pushing against the barrier. The man was about tough, when the barrier threw Kang back. Kang fell against the man, with a lot of force, pushing him on the ground.


    "What the fuck!", the man muttered, springing up quickly. He pulled Kang and punched him in the face.


    "I''m sor-"


    He threw another punch at Kang''s face, pulling him up again. "Get some fucking sense", he said and punched him in the face again.


    "That''s enough", a voice said. "That''s enough, man. Let him go"


    The man looked up. "What now? He''s your friend now or something?"


    "I said let him go". It was the same man he had seen first. "Now, get off the boy and go back to your room".


    The man stood up slowly and they red at each other for a while, like they would get into another fight, right there. "I''m not going to smash your face now. I need to pee. Getting blood on my pants won''t be nice so I''ll just let this go... now, though"


    "You can go to your room, now"


    "I''ll catch you in the ring"


    "Wait till that happens", the man replied and walked up to Kang. He bent down, staring at the lean boy. "You really are new and stupid, uhn?... Get up ande with me"


    Kang got up and followed him into his room. The man threw a bottle of water to him. "What''s your name?"


    Kang poured half of the bottle down his throat and looked up. "My name is Kang. How about you?"


    The man sat down on the bed. "When did you get here?"


    "I just got here. I was going to be burned in the oven so I escaped and came here. When did you get here?"


    "So you just got here, all by yourself, and you don''t know how to get back out?"


    "I don''t actually know where to run to. They want to kill me, I think", Kang replied. "And I came in through that passage. I don''t know how I can walk back out"


    "No one can walk through that passage except the Larger Figures", the man said and stood up, walking towards the door. He opened it and stared at the passage for a while. "But you were able to walk through, at least once... That probably means something"


    "Something like what?"


    "I don''t know", the man said and walked back to the bed. "My bunkmate is dead so you can stay here and use his stuff. I don''t think they wille and take out his stuff so you may be lucky"

 First Day in Hell

    The rm sounded, jerking him awake. He sprung up, quickly. He had never heard anything so loud. "Calm down, man. You had a nightmare or something?", His new roommate asked, getting up slowly from his bed. "That sound. Where is iting from?", Kang asked.


    "That is the rm. What did you think it was?"


    "Nothing. I''ve never heard anything so loud in my life"


    "You don''t even have a life yet", the man grunted, as he got up on his feet. He walked to a mirror beside his bed and stared at his reflection. "Come on, get up. We have to do some cleaning in the hall. That''s what the rm is for" "Ok", Kang said and got up, slowly. He could barely keep his eyelids from closing, as they still had a lot of sleep in them. "How long does it take to clean up?"


    "I''m done answering questions for today"


    Kang was fitting in, pretty fast. Everyone had their eyes on him, all through the day. He had a feeling they hadn''t attacked him only because his new roommate was with him. He definitely wasn''t actually fitting in. He looked around, as they sat for lunch.


    "Fuck! It''s this green thing again. I already told you I don''t like this green thing in my food", a guyined, loudly.


    "O my God! I thought you were kidding. Actually, I thought that was a dream", the other guy replied. "You hate it so much" "Thest time I ate it, I puked on the toilet seat and couldn''t shit for the next week, Rico", he said and pushed the door away. "It''s simple. I love the green part. I''ll take yours and I''ll give you my sushi"


    "You sure you haven''t licked it"


    "Shut the fuck up!", a thick voice interrupted them. "Shut the fuck up and eat your food, mate. You''re disturbing our appetites"


    It was the same man who had attacked Kang earlier. Their eyes met and Kang looked away, quickly. "Who''s that guy?"


    "Who''s who?"


    "The guy that attacked me. The one that just asked them to shut up now"


    "That is Jae", his roommate answered. "He is one of the strongest here so be careful around him. There is now here so he can smash your head against a brick and all you can do is die" "How about these two? Everyone''s looking depressed but they seem pretty cheerful"


    "That''s Rico and Remi. They are roommates... Your roommate should be the closest to you"


    Kang chuckled, childishly. "And here you are being so serious with me"


    "They are the closest of the roommates... they managed to help each other get this far. I imagine the possible tragedy, all the time"


    "What''s that?"


    "I imagine the both of them getting pitched against each other.... Rico would have to fight Remi in the ring"


    "That would be bad. Can that really happen?"


    "I don''t think they''ll let it happen. They are roommates. One can kill the other by midnight"


    "They are friends. They can''t do that", Kang said and nced at the two friends who wereughing loudly. "I bet they won''t be friends anymore after that kind of fight where one of them has to win"


    The manughed. "You are so new and ignorant", he muttered. "They wouldn''t have to remain friends anymore. Once you get in the arena with an opponent, one of you has to die or none of you will be getting out"


    Kang''s eyes fell on the imprable passageway, as an armored man walked through and stood dramatically by the side. Another armored man followed and stayed on the other side, then ady walked in. "How are theying out through a passage but can''t get out through the same passage?", Kang asked, staring at the beautiful youngdy. She was pretty young... probably as young as he was.


    "They can actually walk out through the same passage. We can''t", the man replied, looking at thedy too, as she walked around looking at each of them. "Who is that girl? She''s cute"


    "Don''t look too much. She''s one of the Larger Figures", the man said.


    Kang''s eyes met with the girl''s. They stared at each other for about two seconds and he looked away. "Are they so dangerous? What is she here for?"


    "She''s probably here to pick a ything for her masters", the man said. "They always send girls to pick one of us for the fun"


    "Really?", Kang muttered and smiled, looking up at the girl again. Their eyes met for another second.


    The man pped his face, gently, to stop him from staring. "What are you doing? Do you know what they do to them when they are picked?", the man said in whispers. "You said ''fun'', didn''t you?"


    "Their master''s fun. Not your fun, idiot.... They drill your ass and expand your shit-hole"


    Kang chuckled. "What does that even mean?"


    "You", thedy said, in a soft but loud voice, pointing at one of the men eating. "You areing with us"


    The man stood up, reluctantly, wondering where he was going. That was the first time he was getting picked for that. Thedy turned, walking back to the passage. She stopped in front of the passage. "You all should move up. The next game is now and the spin is about to start".


    She walked through the passage. The armored men put a kind of golden shackles on the man and pushed him through the passage, before walking in after him.


    "What are they going to do to him?", Kang asked again.


    "I already told you. They are going to drill his ass and expand his shit-hole"


    "Yea. What does that mean?"


    "Maybe you should volunteer to get picked, next time", the man said and stood up. "Let''s go up"


    "Alright"


    Everyone got up too. None of them was allowed to stay back whenever the spin was going to happen. "So what''s your Shin Zhu?" "Shin what?"


    "What''s your Shin Zhu? You don''t know what Shin Zhu means?"


    "No. Am I supposed to know that?"


    "Your Shin Zhu is your special ability. It''s what you fight with", the man said and looked at Kang''s body again. "Asides the fact that our body size doesn''t help against the opponents Shin Zhu, your body size really gives your opponent an edge. You''re so lean"


    "My creators definitely said all new bodies are small and lean"


    "No, man. None of the new bodies are so lean", the man replied. "So what''s your ability? Every new creature knows it''s special ability, immediately it is created"


    "I don''t know... and I''m pretty sure my creators didn''t figure it out, either", Kang said. "I heard them talking about me"


    "That''s why they were going to put you in the oven. You areplicated and bad for business", the man said, as they got to where they were going. "Well, being here is a bad idea. Till we figure out your ability, you will have to hide from the spins"


    "Won''t they find out if I''m missing?"


    "They don''t count. They just keep cameras in the hall and the rooms to know who''s in and who''s not", the man said and looked back. "Keep your eyes there. Once everyone is up here, count two seconds and run back down". "Ok", Kang replied and rushed out.


    They arranged themselves in a circle, with a button in hand. They clicked on it, staring at a screen on the wall. Each of their faces appeared on two sides of the screen and a timer counted.


    ''three.... two... one''


    A kind of light beeped on their projected faces on the screen on both sides. It kept beeping, moving from a face to the other, and it went around for a few seconds and stopped. On the first side of the screen, the beep stopped on Rico''s face. That was his first fight in a long time. He clenched his fist and cracked his knuckles.


    The second part of the screen was still beeping. It soon slowed down and the beep dropped on the face of Kang''s roommate. He closed his eyes in disappointment. He wasn''t ready for any fight, at the moment.


    The beeping light moved away from his face and he let out a sigh of relief. "Fuck!", the man muttered and his expression of relief quickly changed, as the beep moved two faces away from his andnded on Remi''s face.


    Remi''s eyes twitched, as he looked at Rico''s face. Rico kept his eyes on the screen, staring with horror and disbelief.


    "The Fight has been postponed to the next day", a feminine voice announced. "The contenders should take the day to prepare for the fight. Good luck, soldiers."


    ****


    "Look me in the eyes!", they could hear from the room. It waste, already, and they should be locking their doors already. The lights would soon go off. "I said look me in the eyes, you prick!"


    There was a fight going on in the hall. Jae was ying the bully again. Kang opened their door, slightly. Whoever Jae was holding up against the wall, he was twice as big as Kang. Kang wondered how Jae would handle his tiny light body. Jae would probably dangle him upside with one hand. "I''m sorry!", the smaller guy muttered, slowly looking up at his face"


    "This motherfucker dare look at my face", Jae said, hysterically, with one hand on his victim''s neck. He punched him in the face. "Ain''t that funny?... Eh? You still looking at me?"


    He punched his face again, mming his head against the wall. The guy looked away quickly. "Please, Jae... I swear I won''t do it again"


    "Well, you already done it, Jackie, and I''m not letting this one go. At least, not yet", Jae said. "Don''t worry. I''m almost done with teaching you a lesson... that is to help you make sure you don''t do it again. I''ll just-"


    Jackie spat on his face, swiftly pushing him away. As expected, Jae''s friends stood there for a second, still surprised, as Jackie kicked him and punched him in the face. Jae pulled his hand, suddenly, almost pulling him down. He kicked Jae back down, dusting his hands off and kicking him in the face. He took to his heels, heading straight to his room. "Go after him, you idiots" Jae ordered and sprung up immediately.


    They ran after him. He staggered at the front of his door, pulling it open immediately. He dashed into his room and mmed the door, resting against it. Immediately, the lights went out and they could see nothing.


    "Wow! That was close", Kang muttered and closed the door, walking back to the bed. "He almost got caught"


    "So Jae didn''t kill him?", his roommate asked.


    "You wanted Jae to kill him?"


    "It''s usual... Jae always brutalized them whenever he got physical", the man said. "I know he''ll probably kill someone someday... just don''t be the one"


    "Me? Never. I''m not going anywhere if you won''t be going with me"


    "Well, I won''t let you go around with me"


    "I won''t let you leave me behind.... So is it true?"


    The man turned over. "Go to sleep, Kang. Tomorrow is another day*


    "Please, just answer my question first... it''s thest one and we can go to sleep"


    "What do you want?"


    "Rico and Remi will be fighting each other in the ring, tomorrow. Is that true?"


    "Yes... like we had predicted"


    "What do you think is going to happen?"


    "They are in the same room, right now. It''ste and the lights are out. Each of them knows he has to kill the other to survive. They will be there, through the night. What do you think is happening, right now?" "uh... I don''t know?"


    "I don''t know, either. Come on, sleep"


    "What is your name?"


    "You said that was yourst question"


    "Well, it''s not myst question. Please, tell me your name"


    "well, that was myst answer. Please, go to sleep"


    *"Hello, Jin. Looks like you are making progress", an hefty man said, appearing right behind him. He had almost broken the lock sessfully.


    Jin turned slowly, thinking of a way to escape whatever wasing for him. He stared at the man in the eyes with nothing to say. Other armed men walked in after the man and stood there, pointing guns at him. He raised his hands up, slowly. "This isn''t what it looks like. I swear", he said.


    "It sure looks like a lot of things. Don''t it?", the man said, smiling. "I think I''ll be the one regretting this since you are one of our bests, which is why we intentionally put you with a physical match to make the game unpredictable"


    "Please. I''ll just go back to my room and I''ll nevere back here", Jin said. That definitely couldn''t set him free, unless this man wanted to keep him in the game. He hoped there was another punishment. He wasn''t only close to escape. He had multiple alternative ways to get out.


    "Oh really. I still wonder what you were doing here in the first ce. You said it''s not what it looks like, right? Or did I get that wrong?", the man asked, still smiling. He waited for a few seconds. There was no response from Him, as expected. "Don''t mind me. I just like toying with the minds of people, unnecessarily.... Shoot him, guys"


    Jin clenched his fist and an aura of fire swirled around his arm. He stretched his arm at them, throwing them back with a wave. He calmed down, as they fell on the ground.... But one person was still standing, too far to be affected by the wave. His eyes moved up, slowly. The man was armed, pointing a gun at his head. He shot Jin in the head*

 Friends on the Ring

    *"Hello, Jin. Looks like you are making progress", an hefty man said, appearing right behind him. He had almost broken the lock sessfully.


    Jin turned slowly, thinking of a way to escape whatever wasing for him. He stared at the man in the eyes with nothing to say. Other armed men walked in after the man and stood there, pointing guns at him. He raised his hands up, slowly. "This isn''t what it looks like. I swear", he said.


    "It sure looks like a lot of things. Don''t it?", the man said, smiling. "I think I''ll be the one regretting this since you are one of our bests, which is why we intentionally put you with a physical match to make the game unpredictable" "Please. I''ll just go back to my room and I''ll nevere back here", Jin said. That definitely couldn''t set him free, unless this man wanted to keep him in the game. He hoped there was another punishment. He wasn''t only close to escape. He had multiple alternative ways to get out.


    "Oh really. I still wonder what you were doing here in the first ce. You said it''s not what it looks like, right? Or did I get that wrong?", the man asked, still smiling. He waited for a few seconds. There was no response from Him, as expected. "Don''t mind me. I just like toying with the minds of people, unnecessarily.... Shoot him, guys"


    Jin clenched his fist and an aura of fire swirled around his arm. He stretched his arm at them, throwing them back with a wave. He calmed down, as they fell on the ground.... But one person was still standing, too far to be affected by the wave. His eyes moved up, slowly. The man was armed, pointing a gun at his head. He shot Jin in the head.*


    "Kang?"


    "Uh", Kang muttered, sharply, springing awake. He forced his eyes open, turning his head left and right, as if trying to find his way back to reality. "Uh, Jin. What''s it?"


    "Wake up. The rm sounded, five minutes ago", the man replied him. "Wait! Did you just call me Jin?"


    "Oh! Uh", Kang smiled. "I had a kind of dream. A nightmare, actually"


    "So what? There was a Jin in the dream?"


    "Yea, actually, it was you. There was this man and he called you Jin", Kang replied.


    Jin walked to his bed and sat down, listening attentively. "This nightmare; tell me about it"


    "You were in a kind of room- looked more like a tunnel- and you were turning a lock, trying to get it to open", Kang said. "Then a man came over with some guards with guns. They are Larger Figures. Then the man called you Jin and ordered the guards to shoot you in the head. You did something with your arms and shot a kind of wave at them, throwing them back. One of them was still standing. He shot you in the head"


    "The man in the dream; what did he say to me when he called my name?"


    "He just called you one of the best fighters and he would regret losing you", Kang said


    "Just that? He didn''t say anything more?"


    "No. Just that", Kang replied. Jin got up from his bed and walked back to the mirror. "Are you trying to get out of here?"


    "Eh?", Jin looked at him.


    "You seem to be concerned about the dream. You are probably trying to find a way out of here. Are you?"


    That''s definitely what the dream meant. "Well, there is no way out of here. No one has found a way and I don''t think anyone will", Jin replied. "Ignore that. It''s just a dream. Get ready to watch the fight"


    "I don''t think I want to watch the fight", Kang replied. "Watching two close friends fight to death will only make me cringe"


    "You can find a way to stay back but it''s not allowed so it won''t always work", Jin replied. "Also, you have to see how the battles work in the arena. You can''t always hide from the spin. Once they find out, you will be automatically pitched against someone else so you''ll find yourself in the ring eventually... lucky for you, I can help you get through your first fight If you are picked by chance. You''ll need to train and grow your body... and your Shin Zhu too" "That fiery wave; it''s your Shin Zhu, right? I''ll have something like that too?"


    "Yea, it''s my Shin Zhu and you are meant to have something like that", Jin said. "But that dream sounds pretty urate about some things. Your Shin Zhu might be connected to it or probably your dream is it" "Really?"


    "I hope not but we''ll look into it. It''s going to be pretty dumb ''cause you got no time to dream in the arena. Your Shin Zhu has to be physical. Get up. Let''s go see what I mean"


    ****


    ''... And here we are again to watch the Lizard King, Remi, go toe to toe against the mighty Ice Lord, Rico. It''s not a regr fight so be careful with your bets. Who will survive a fight to death; the Lizard King or the Ice Lord?! Sit back and find out''


    "Ice Lord", a voice shouted, from the crowd of Gamblers seated on the bleachers on the arena. The rest of the crowd shouted, each hailing the one they had staked on. In a particr side of the arena, the other fighters were forced to sit and watch them fight.


    "Hey, Ice Lord. How are you doing?", Remi called to Rico, who seemed to still be stunned. Remi kept his face straight, ready to get it over with. "Looks like we are in this, already. Come at me with all you got. I won''t miss any of my chances" "You really want to do this?", Rico asked, doubtfully.


    "It doesn''t look like we can debate it now", Remi replied, walking around his opponent with clenched fists and punching the air. "They are going to kill us both if we refuse to fight. I don''t think I want that"


    Remi ran at Rico, shapeshifting into a huge standing lizard. He turned swiftly, flipping his tail at Rico and sliding him off the ground. His tail slithered through the air and it''s sharp edge went down at Rico. Rico crossed his hands, creating a shield of ice. Remi''s tail slithered back, as it only cracked the surface of Rico''s ice shield. Rico flipped up and created a sword of ice, dashing at Remi with it.


    Remi''s tail defended the sword and they stood still, for a few seconds, with Rico''s sword against Remi''s thick strong tail. Remi flexed his long ws and stabbed Rico in the stomach. Rico jerked back and clenched his fist, turning his full arm into ice. He punched Remi with his arm of ice, throwing him backward.


    Remi stood back up, quickly, and roared at Rico, jumping at him. Rico bent on a knee and crossed his arms, creating another shield. Remi fell at him, with his knee forward, smashing against the ice and shattering it on contact. He pulled Rico up, immediately, and punched him back to the ground.


    He looked at the crowd and beat his chest, boastfully. "Get up, Ice Jerk!", he shouted. "Who''s the Lord, now?"


    Rico raised his back and stayed on his knees. He created a small dagger of ice and flung it quickly at the standing lizard. Remi flinched, as the ice dagger stabbed him in the leg. He bent to pull the dagger out. Rico flung another one, stabbing him in the shoulder. Rico got up quickly and ran at Remi. He flipped and kicked Remi''s head, immediately Remi raised his back.


    Remi fell on the ground. Rico walked up to him and pulled a dagger out. He bent down and stabbed the edge of the Lizard''s tail, nailing him to the ground. He created another sword of ice and ced it on Remi''s neck. "I have won the fight, Remi. Give up" "I told you not to hold back", Remi replied, calmly. "You are holding back"


    Rico squatted over him and dissolved his Ice sword. He smiled and touched Remi''s tail. "I bet it will take some training to heal from this", he said and pulled out the dagger. "You almost won me, Remi. We are friends. We don''t have to do this" "What are you doing, Rico? This is not allowed", Remi said, looking around at the surprised faces of the Gamblers and the Larger Figures.


    "Yes... but they only control us so much because we let them", Rico said and stood up. He held out his hand to Remi. "Come on. Take my hand"


    Literally everyone was surprised. Jin, Kang and the other fighters were watching from their stand. "What are these idiots doing?", one of them said. "They''re wasting our time"


    Kang nudged Jin. "Remi is taking his hand. Looks like no one will be dying today", he said, smiling, as Remi and Rico stood on their feet.


    Jin stared at Remi''s huge tail which dangled behind him. "You think so?", he muttered. "I''m pretty sure Remi is not thinking the same thing"


    "How do you mean?"


    They watched as Remi raised Rico''s hand to show he won. Kang cheered them, pping loudly for the both of them. He shut his mouth and stopped pping, as everyone now had their eyes on him. They all looked disappointed, rather than wowed.


    "Rico just wasted his fucking life", Jin muttered, calmly, and leaned back.


    "What do you mean? Has anyone ever tried this?", Kang asked and nced up, at the bleachers where the Gamblers were seated. His eyes fell on a girl walking by. She looked pretty young but bold. She stopped in front of a seat, where the Larger Figures were, and looked his way. Their eyes met for a second and he turned, sharply, looking away. It was the same girl that hade to pick one of them, the previous day. She was in a different dress and wearing a different hairstyle. He could bet she had seen his eyes on her.


    "No. No one has dared to try this, Kang", Jin replied. "No one"


    "Well, they just broke the record then. The fight was pretty great. I''d like to have Rico''s ability"


    "You don''t want the lizard? He''s pretty strong"


    "No. He literally just got his ass kicked"


    The door to the Arena opened and some soldiers walked out and stood by the side. Rico and Remi walked to them and the soldiers led them in.


    .......


    The fight was over and the fighters were back in the hall. Each of them was slowly drifting back to his room. Jin and Kang were about to enter their room when a soldier walked through the passage and stood by the side, the same way the soldiers stood when the girl wasing in. Kang stayed behind, wondering if the girl wasing back again. A fighter walked in after him with another soldier behind him. They took of the golden cuffs in his hand and gestured to him to walk to his room. Jin nced at the soldiers. They were armored and armed and both of them wore a golden bracelet. They walked through the passage and disappeared.


    "What are you looking at?", the fighter snarled at Jin and Kang, as he walked slowly to his room, almost limping. It was the same fighter that was picked by the girl and taken away, the previous day. He just got back since then. "Come on, Kang. Let''s go inside", Jin said and they walked into their room.


    "Wait! I got one. What do you call a belt with a clock on it?", Kang asked and waited for a response.


    "Uh... I don''t know. Does that exist?"


    "Damn! It''s a fucking riddle"


    "Uh, well. What''s the answer to that?", Jin asked.


    "A belt with a clock on it; it''s a WAIST of time"


    "Uh, okay... That doesn''t make much sense. I''ve never heard of it"


    "Shit! They didn''t add a sense of humor to your programming", Kang said and turned on his bed to sleep. The lights had gone off, five minutes earlier. "Good night"


    "Uh... Good night"


    The lights came on, suddenly. Kang raised his back, slowly, wondering. "Why is the light on? Does this happen?"


    "No", Jin said and stood up, walking to the door. "This is the first time"


    He opened the door slightly and peeped. Soldier walked through the passage and walked into a fighter''s room. Kang came down from his bed and walked to the door, staring too. Jin left him there and walked back to his bed. "They are going into a fighter''s room. Whose room is that?", Kang asked.


    "Remi and Rico", Jin replied, turning on his bed.


    "Why are they going in there? Come to think of it, I don''t think the two of them have returned after the fight", Kang said, still peeping. "They are bringing out their clothes and items"


    "They only bring out their items when they are dead. Come to bed and stop talking, man"


    "What do you mean by that? None of them died"


    "None of them died in front of you", Jin replied. Kang closed the door, staring nkly at the handle in shock. The lights went out, a few secondster. "Go to bed, Kang. There''s nothing you can do to bring them back"

 The Flame Fountain vs The Slithering Sentinel

    Rico squatted over him and dissolved his Ice sword. He smiled and touched Remi''s tail. "I bet it will take some training to heal from this", he said and pulled out the dagger. "You almost won me, Remi. We are friends. We don''t have to do this" "What are you doing, Rico? This is not allowed", Remi said, looking around at the surprised faces of the Gamblers and the Larger Figures.


    "Yes... but they only control us so much because we let them", Rico said and stood up. He held out his hand to Remi. "Come on. Take my hand"


    Remi said and raised his hand, grabbing Rico''s. Rico pulled him up on his feet and he looked around at the faces again. They definitely weren''t giving them what they wanted to see. "You are making a mistake, Rico", Remi said again, making his huge lizard tail dangle behind Rico.


    "I''m not going to kill you, Remi. If the friendship we built totally means nothing to you, then you can go ahead and kill me"


    Remi''s tail dropped back. His eyes fell on a bald hefty man, seated with the Larger Figures, whispering into the ears of one of the soldiers. He moved his eyes away, as he shifted back to his ordinary form.


    The door to the Arena opened and some soldiers walked out, dramatically, standing by the sides of the Arena. One of the soldiers gestured to them toe over and they walked slowly to the soldiers. They were surrounded so soldiers walked in before the and soldiers walked in after them.


    "That''s enough. You can stop there", a thick voice said, as someone approached them.


    "This is not good, Rico. You should have killed me", Remi whispered and Rico held his hand in his.


    A bald hefty man, the one Remi had seen, showed up and stopped in front of them. "So today''s goal is to ruin my business?"


    The two of them stared at his shoes, looking away from his face. He stepped closer to them, folding his arms behind his back. He continued, "What was that for, uh? Have you ever watched anyone pull that off?...... I said Have you ever watched anyone pull that off!!?"


    Rico looked up. "No.... We haven''t"


    "Good", the man said, calmly. "Since you''ve decided to try it, we are going to make it thest time you ever try anything at all..... shoot them"


    The soldiers shot the both of them in the back of their heads and they dropped to the ground


    ****


    "So how does it work?", he heard Jin''s voice saying. "I think he cane in but he can''t go back out"


    "I don''t think that is possible", another voice replied. "We made it so it''s imprable"


    "Ok then. How do I get through?", Jin asked, in whispers.


    Kang stood there, a bit far from where he could be seen but he seemed to be able to hear them clearly even though they whispered. "There is a marked metal for that. I can probably tell you how to get one", the second person replied. She didn''t look like a fighter. In fact, there were no female fighters among them.


    "Okay. Thank you, Dea. I should probably get back now", Jin said and took a step back.


    "Yes, I should go too", she replied and pulled him closer, putting her lips on his. "One more thing. Don''t take the passage, when the timees"


    "Uh, ok", Jin smiled.


    "I''ll tell you where to go through when the timees", she said and walked through a door.


    Jin turned, walking towards where Kang was hiding. Kang ran back, quickly and quietly, and headed back to the room.


    .......


    "Kang", Jin called, as he entered the room. "My match is about to start. Get ready to watch me kick some ass... Kang?!"


    Kang raised his head and opened his eyes, slowly, pretending to still feel sleepy. "Hey... Good morning"


    "I''m fighting, today. Come on, get up"


    "Oh! Damn! I forgot", Kang said and sprung up. He actually forgot about the fight. There had been a spin, the previous day, and Jin was picked as one of the fighters. "Who''s the other guy again?" "Snape? Just like me, he is rarely picked for fights", Jin said, doing pushups on the floor. "He is just as strong"


    "So you''re probably scared of him? Are you?"


    "Uh... no, not really", Jin replied, grunting. "I''ll beat him anyway"


    "So you''ll kill him?"


    "I will have to. Everyone has to kill someone", Jin said. "Remi and Rico refused to kill. They both got killed. Now, they''ve been reced... Come on, let''s go".


    Jin stood up and they stepped out of the room. "When is the fight starting?"


    "No one knows till it''s about to start", Jin said, as they walked down the hall. It was their turn to clean up. After cleaning, we should get into the bathroom before the others wake up"


    "You sure about that?", Kang muttered, staring down the hall at a guy who just walked out of his room. He was a new guy and the room used to be Rico and Remi''s room. "There''s that guy over there" "Good morning", the guy greeted and walked closer to them. "I am Finn. I''m new here, you?"


    Kang shook his hands, surveying the guy''s muscles and extremely fit shape with his eyes. "You''re new?", he asked and looked at his own lean hands. "It''s nice to meet you. I''m Kang" Jin nodded at him. "I''m Jin. You''re wee"


    "I''m still pretty sleepy and I''m just trying to find my way around here so I''ll return when you guys are done", Finn said. "Maybe you can show me around"


    "You didn''t forget about the fight, today, did you?", Jin asked. "You probably won''t be catching enough sleep till the fight is over"


    "Oh! Yea. You''re the one fighting... with that rude bully. Wish you good luck?


    Jin smiled. "Sounds like you already had an encounter with Snape", Jin said. "What did he do?"


    Finn turned his head and ran his hand through his hair. He parted his hair, revealing a bruise on his head. "See that? He did that to me, just yesterday"


    "Be careful around these ones", Jin replied. "Also, you need to start working on your strength and your Shin Zhu"


    "Sure. That''s natural", Finn said, smiling as he clenched his fist turning his hand and wrist into steel. "It''s not pretty amazing"


    "Yea. If you train hard, your power level will grow", Jin said. "More durability and probably, you will be able to turn your full arm into steel.... Or your full body. We should get to our cleaning" "Yea. We will catch up,ter, I guess", Finn said and shook hands with Kang.


    A few minutes after they''ve had breakfast, it was time to go for the fight. Snape red at Jin down the hall and Jin smiled back. "That''s pretty confident of you", Kang said. "Has he ever lost a fight?" "No", Jin replied. "You can''t lose a fight on the ring and still be here"


    They had formed two lines in the hall to walk out whenever the order was given. A soldier walked in through the passage, quickly followed by a girl; the same girl who hade to take one of them, and another soldier. "Hold on", she said, walking around and assessing them one after the other.


    "Look away from her, Kang", Jin whispered and turned Kang''s head, forcefully. "You don''t want your ass drilled, do you?"


    "I still don''t know what the ass drill means. Are you being literal?¡±


    Jin turned Kang''s face towards another guy in the other line and pointed his finger to be more specific. "Can you see that guy?", Jin asked. It was the same guy that was picked to go with the girl. He was hiding behind another fighter, secretly avoiding the girl''s sight.


    Kang''s eyes met with the girl''s and he kept staring back at her. She didn''t move her eyes away, either. He realized he had messed up, as she stood still and focused on him. He moved his face away, slowly, with his eyes wide open. "No, don''t look away", she said, softly. "Look at me"


    "Uh", some of the fighters muttered, wondering who she was referring to.


    "He knows himself. I said look at me!", she howled at him.


    Kang kept his face forward and closed his eyes. "I think she''s talking to you, Kang", Jin whispered in his ears. "Just answer her"


    She held his jaw and turned his face towards her. "When I say look at me, you should look at me", she said and pped his face. "Look up. What''s your name?"


    He raised his head. "Kang"


    "You should be going with me, right now, if you had more meat in you", she said and looked at Jin behind him. "You are his friend, right? ''cause I could see you helping him turn his head. Am I right?.... You''ll probably feel good with my masters, won''t you?"


    "No, I won''t", Jin replied. "I am fighting, now"


    "Ok", she nodded and walked away from them. She pointed at another fighter. "You. Come with me"


    ''.... They say the greatest matchupse once in a million years. This one is now. Looks like we won''t be having something this great in the next few million years. Stake your bets as Snape, the Slithering Sentinel, goes toe to toe against Jin; the me fountain.''


    "Come on me foun-whatever", Snape howled at Jin, as his head shapeshifted into that of a huge snake. He honed his two swords against each other and ran at Jin.


    Jin had one sword with him. He clenched his second fist and a fiery aura swirled around his arm. Snape swung a sword, nging against Jin''s sword. Jin swung his second arm and shot a wave sliding Snape off the ground. Snape, immediately, dropped one of his swords, turning his arm into a sloppy worm, and swiped Jin''s feet off the ground.


    Jin fell backwards and flipped back on his feet. He created a fireball and shot it at Snape. Snape stepped forward, put his two palms together, raising his arms up and swiped his hand back down, splitting the fireball. He put a leg forward and threw an arm at Jin. A snake slithered swiftly out of his palm, diving straight at Jin. Jin swung his sword, cutting off the snake''s head, immediately.


    From Snape''s feet, a snake dived into the ground, slithering beneath the earth surface and heading at Jin. He could see the approach from the movement of the sand. The path split in multiple parts, going around him in a circle. Jin clenched tighter on his sword, as he turned around, watching which snake would jump out first. Snape threw an arm at Jin, while he was distracted by the snakes in the ground. Jin closed his eyes for a second, as he could hear the flying snake diving at him. Jin turned swiftly and swung his sword, splitting the snake''s head in two. Immediately, the snake''s jumped out the sand. Jin closed his eyes, clenched his hands on the sword and bent on a knee. A wave of fire dispersed from where he stood, throwing the snake''s backward. He sprung up and jumped into the air. He created a ball of fire and shot it at Snape, throwing him hard against the ground.


    Snape slowly got back up and ran at Jin with his sword, again. Jin bent backwards and Snape kicked his stomach. Jin fell on his back and flipped back up. Immediately, Snape threw another kick at his face. Jin fell on the ground, weakly. Snape swung his sword at the air, advancing towards Jin, and raised the sword, pushing it down. Jin rolled to the left, dodging the sword. He raised his left leg and kicked Snape by the side. Immediately Snape turned to face him, Jin threw a punch at his face. Snape threw his elbow at him and he caught it. He swung his knife at Snape''s neck, swiftly, slitting his throat. Jin staggered back, as Snape fell on the ground, bleeding from his slit throat.


    Kang watched from the stand. His mouth gaped, as he watched Snape bleed to death. That was the first time he was watching a man die. The Gamblers stood up, cheering loudly, and pping for Jin.


    Jin raised his sword high and nced at Kang. Kang put his hands together and pped briefly. He didn''t like to watch a person die but he would have to do the same thing someday.


    The fighters walked back to the hall but Jin was yet toe back. "How was the fight?", Kang asked, as Finn walked up to him.


    "I think it was amazing. Jin needs to teach me how to use my abilities too", Finn replied and looked behind them, as another guy approached. "Come on!"


    The guy walked up to them, smiling widely. "Hey. I''m Romeo", he said and shook hands with Kang. "It''s nice to meet you."


    "It''s nice to meet you too", Kang replied. "You both are roommates?"


    "Yea", Finn said. "He controls ice"


    "Really? Just like Rico", Kang said. "I wished for that ability, you know?"


    "Who''s Rico?", Romeo asked.


    "He used to be one of us. He was pitted against his roommate on the arena", Kang said. "You can probably imagine how that turned out. He controls ice too" "What happened with his roommate?"


    "He defeated his roommate on the arena and while he was supposed to kill him, he didn''t", Kang said. "I thought that was a great act. He pulled his roommate back on his feet and his roommate raised his hand as the winner" "Where is he now?", Finn asked.


    "Actually, that is the end of his story. The both of them were killed, immediately they stepped out of the arena"


    "Kang!", a thick voice called, startling the three of them. They turned, quickly. It was Jae, advancing slowly towards them.


    "I think you guys should go", Kang whispered to them. "We will talkter"


    "Are you sure I think we stand a better chance if it''s three against one", Finn replied him. Immediately, three men showed up behind Jae.


    "No. I can handle him. Get going"


    "Come on, Romeo", Finn said and pulled his roommate along.


    Jae stepped closer. "Looks like your daddy is held up in there", Jae said, threateningly. "How about we go inside the room and have a little chitchat? What do you think?''


    He held Kang by the neck and pushed him into the room. "Please, let me go", Kang said, weakly.


    "I can let you go if you show me your Shin Zhu", Jae said. "I want to see what you got"


    "Just leave me alone and I promise-"


    Jae grabbed his neck, suddenly, and pressed him against the wall. "I won''t ask again. When I get impatient, I just smash your head into the wall. Deal?"


    Kang struggled and threw a quick punch at his face. Jae clenched tighter on Kang''s neck and smashed his head against the wall.

 Trouble in the Passageway

    Snape slowly got back up and ran at Jin with his sword, again. Jin bent backwards and Snape kicked his stomach. Jin fell on his back and flipped back up. Immediately, Snape threw another kick at his face. Jin fell on the ground, weakly. Snape swung his sword at the air, advancing towards Jin, and raised the sword, pushing it down. Jin rolled to the left, dodging the sword. He raised his left leg and kicked Snape by the side. Immediately Snape turned to face him, Jin threw a punch at his face. Snape threw his elbow at him and he caught it. He swung his knife at Snape''s neck, swiftly, slitting his throat. Jin staggered back, as Snape fell on the ground, bleeding from his slit throat.


    He breathed, heavily. He had won the fight, already. Jin could hear the cheers around him. He wasn''t ready for a fight when the spin had fallen on him but it was over. He stood straight and looked up at the bleachers. The Gamblers stood up from their seats, shouting his name and pping for him. On another side of the bleachers, the Gamblers weren''t very happy to see him win. Definitely, they had staked their bets against him. "I won!", he shouted and raised his sword. The cheers got louder.


    He turned and nced at the fighters'' stand. Kang just smiled back at him. He turned towards the gate and walked towards it, as it opened and soldiers walked out. The loud cheers faded slowly, as the soldiers led him out of the Arena. "Nice work, Jin. You won", ady said, as Jin walked out of the Arena. It was the same girl he had met with, that morning. There was another man beside her. He was hefty, bald and wearing a dangerous look. "Thank you", Jin replied.


    "There will be a battle with apeting arena", the bald man said to him. "Now, we won''t be fighting against one another anymore. We will be fighting alongside each other. It''s not happening soon but it will happen... and you are at the top of our list. Congrattions"


    Jin wondered what joy was there in that. He hesitated to say anything for a few seconds. "Thank you?", he muttered, wondering whether he should actually say that. He definitely didn''t mean it.


    "Okay, Dea", the man said to thedy. "I''m going up to the guests. If you have anything you want to say to him, you can go ahead. I''ll just go"


    He turned, walking away. She waited for him to leave sight, then she stepped closer to Jin, keeping a straight face. "As he said, someday, you will be leading an army of our men to war. That''s the greatest honor we''ll ever give a soldier", Dea said and stood in front of him, holding out her hand.


    He nced at her hand and shook it. She sped her second hand on his wrist and stylishly winked an eye. He nodded slowly, to show he understood her gesture. She let go of his wrist and they stopped shaking hands. She had put a small bracelet on his wrist. He put his second hand on it so the soldiers wouldn''t see it and suspect anything.


    ******


    "Kang!", a thick voice called, startling the three of them. They turned, quickly. It was Jae, advancing slowly towards them.


    "I think you guys should go", Kang whispered to them. "We will talkter"


    "Are you sure I think we stand a better chance if it''s three against one", Finn replied him. Immediately, three men showed up behind Jae.


    "No. I can handle him. Get going"


    "Come on, Romeo", Finn said and pulled his roommate along.


    Jae stepped closer. "Looks like your daddy is held up in there", Jae said, threateningly. "How about we go inside the room and have a little chitchat? What do you think?''


    He held Kang by the neck and pushed him into the room. "Please, let me go", Kang said, weakly.


    "I can let you go if you show me your Shin Zhu", Jae said. "I want to see what you got"


    "Just leave me alone and I promise-"


    Jae grabbed his neck, suddenly, and pressed him against the wall. "I won''t ask again. When I get impatient, I just smash your head into the wall. Deal?"


    Kang struggled and threw a quick punch at his face. Jae clenched tighter on Kang''s neck and smashed his head against the wall. He rubbed his cheek and punched Kang in the face. Kang fell on the bed and Jae pulled him back up, kicking him on the ground. "What did you try to do, uh? You trying to show strength?"


    "Fuck you!", Kang said, weakly.


    Jae kicked him again and bent closer. "Do you mind saying that again?"


    "He said Fuck you! Your session is over", Jin''s voice interrupted.


    Jae looked up and saw Jin at the door. "Looks like daddy is home", Jae said, ring at Kang. "We will continue our peaceful discussion, sometimester"


    "No, you won''t", Jin said, confidently. "You won''t step in this room, ever again. If you do, I swear I will kill you before you get to that Arena"


    Jae chuckled, walking out slowly with his minions. "I should really test you, some other time", he said. "I''ll just go ahead and work on more important things"


    Jin carried Kang up on the bed, as Jae walked back to his room. "I''m sorry I waste", Jin said.


    "Thank you for showing up. I would have died", Kang muttered. "My leg''s aching badly"


    "I''ll give you a massage on it. Justy back and sleep"


    Kang sighed and smiled. "Thank you", he said. "You were amazing, out there" "Yea, I know"


    ****


    "Gibbs?", one of the fighters called. "Come on, let''s go. The bullies are here"


    "Please, just hold on", Gibbs replied, walking slowly. The both of them were roommates. "Who are the bullies? Eh?", a huge man walked in and pushed him from behind.


    "I''m sorry. I''ll leave the room for you", he replied and nced at Gibbs, before walking away.


    "Please, wait", Gibbs called, as he watched his roommate walk away. He couldn''t move faster than he was moving. He felt like he had a kind of weighty clog in his pants, preventing him from moving fast enough. "Oh... isn''t it the guy that got his butt fucked up?", the bully said, walking up to Gibbs with his minions. "How are you, uh? What''s that your name again?"


    "Just leave me alone. I''ll leave the room for you", Gibbs replied and kept walking.


    "What if I don''t want the gym again? What if I want to you now?"


    "Stay away from me or you will regret it, Dan"


    "I''ll regret it? Oh, I forgot. You used to be pretty strong before you got a gangbang in your asshole. Is that right?"


    Gibbs said nothing more. He just kept limping away. Dan walked behind him, clenched his fist and shoved it up Gibb''s ass. Gibbs dropped his elbow on Dan''s jaws, immediately, and pushed him to the ground. Dan''s minions grabbed Gibbs and held him against the wall. Dan got up, swiftly, and stormed at Gibbs with uncurtailed rage. He punched his face repeatedly and mmed his head on the wall. "Who do you think you''re dealing with?!", Dan shouted, maniacally. Gibbs struggled with the arms that held him on the wall. He clenched his fist and pushed them away, throwing them away. His arms had turned into stainless steel. He punched Dan''s face and tried to kick him but he couldn''t raise his leg high enough, due to the pain in his ass. He tried to push Dan on the ground but Dan grabbed him and held him tightly.


    Kang and Jin walked into the gym, just in time. Some sort of tangled wires emitted from Dan''s body, tying Gibbs'' body up quickly. Dan pushed him back and mmed him against the wall. The wires held Gibbs'' body up and Dan held the other end of the wire. "Won''t you help him?", Kang asked. "That''s the poor guy who got sodomized"


    Jin stepped closer. "That''s enough, Dan. Let him go"


    Dan giggled, crazily. "Oh! You have no idea what is enough. Watch this", Dan said and made the wires wrap around Gibbs'' neck and shoulders. He tugged the wires at himself, swiftly pulling a dagger out of his pocket. Gibbs'' body was moved closer to him by the wires and Dan shed his neck with his dagger. The wires unwrapped itself from Gibbs'' body and dropped his carcass on the ground, slowly withdrawing back into Dan''s body. Dan exhaled. "Now, that''s enough... You can get out of the gym now. My boys and I want to use the room"


    Jin looked back at Kang and gestured to him toe forward. He walked further into the gym, heading straight to the dumbbells. "So, uhm, what were you saying, Dan? What room?"


    "Are you sure about this, Jin?", Kang asked, limping after Jin. He was yet to healpletely after his encounter with Jae. "These guys look dangerous"


    "I can look dangerous too, if you want", Jin replied, with a smile.


    "Are you deaf? My boys and I want to use the room so get out of here now", Dan said again.


    Jin grabbed a dumbbell and walked over to the bench where Kang sat. "Your boys; you mean the ones who will probably kill you on the ring in a few days?", Jin said. "You probably have forgotten how things work around here. You either work out with me, here, or I send you and your boys out of here"


    "Damn! I want to be like you", Kang whispered.


    "There''s still a lot of things you need to know", Jin replied. "One of it is; never pray to be picked by the scout girl... it won''t only weaken you. This is bound to happen"


    ****


    From where they sat, Kang could see Dan''s eyes on him. Dan wasn''t staring for too long but the frequent nces didn''t make Kangfortable. "Stop staring, will you?", Jin warned him. "Has your leg healed?"


    "No. It still hurts pretty bad", Kang replied and moved his eyes from Dan. His eyes immediately fell on Jae, who was seriously ring. He was pretty sure Jae had been ring at him for more than a short while and he could read every evil intention in that angry scary face.


    "You should have healed since that night", Jin said. "We are meant to heal fast because our Shin Zhu gives us the strength and quick regeneration... You really should start training so you get stronger. You never can tell when you will be forced to fight"


    "I hope it doesn''t happen before I heal... or before I learn my Shin Zhu"


    A soldier walked through the passage. "Fuck! Does this happen everyday?", Kang asked, as the girl walked in, followed by another soldier.


    "It''s just frequent,tely", Jin whispered back and the two of them kept their eyes on the tes before them. "Feels like the universe is really trying to scare you"


    "Knowing there''s no way to escape this is you are picked makes me want to get out of here as soon as possible", Kang said, without looking up. He had no temptation to look up at the girl at all. He definitely wasn''t willing to get sodomized or get weakened and bullied afterwards.


    "Stand up, everyone", the girl ordered. They all stood up. Kang kept his eyes down, feeling a lot more nervous. He was almost sure she was ring at him, as if expecting him to just nce at her so she could pick him again. He fought the urge to confirm that. He closed his eyes and kept his face down. "You won''t look at me, today, uh?"


    Kang opened his eyes. Just like he had thought, she was right in front of him. He raised his head and made sure he didn''t stare in her eyes. Her face was as expressionless as his was.


    "Okay. You areing with me, today", she said and turned. Jin closed his eyes. He had imagined that happening. It definitely couldn''t turn out well for Kang.


    "No, I''m not", Kang said, still looking forward. He was nervous but he didn''t show it.


    "What are you doing?", Jin whispered.


    "What did you say?", the girl turned and asked him. "Come again"


    "Apart from my weirdly small size, I''m sure your bosses don''t want someone who is already limping", Kang said.


    She stared at him for a few seconds and pped his face. "Next time, you may let my bosses speak for themselves". She turned and pointed to another fighter. "You. Come with me"


    "Me?", Romeo muttered, shivering fearfully already.


    "The one behind you", she said. "Come with me"


    Romeo calmed down, as another fighter stepped out nervously and stood with the soldiers. The girl turned and stared at Kang again. "You don''t think you will go scot-free, do you?", she said and smiled. "You have a fight tomorrow and you will fight with whoever I pick?


    Kang swallowed, as she turned and walked out through the passage with the soldiers and the fighter they had picked. ''I''m dead'', he thought.

 The Good Nightmare

    Kang''s eyes remained wide open, as though he was trying to see the future. He was thinking of it, though, and it didn''t seem good. It would be a quick fight and he was definitely going to get yed. "Wake up, Kang. She''s gone", Jin said and shook him awake. Kang looked around. Everyone else was already seated. "Come on, sit down" He sat down. "She''s going to kill me, won''t she?"


    "Only if you let her", Jin said and drank some water. He leaned closer to Kang. "Listen! I have this drug that should help you win your fight. You just have to take it tonight and, tomorrow, you won''t feel nervous anymore. You just jump into the arena and kick some ass"


    "Are you serious?", Kang muttered.


    "The tiny boy''s about to get fucked!", the fighters jested,ughing at him. "That small innocent ass"


    "It''s enough!", Jin retorted, and smiled at Kang. "I''ve always won all of my fights for a reason"


    "You take the same drug?"


    "No. You only use it once and it works for ever"


    Jin brought out a small bag and shuffled through it. He touched the bracelet he had collected from Sea and kept it aside. Kang hadn''t seen it yet. No one else had seen it, yet. He picked out a nylon, with pills in it, and handed it to Kang. "Take. You can have all of that"


    "You said I''ll only need one", Kang said, doubtfully.


    "You might need more than one. I used it just once and I''m here", Jin said. "I don''t need it anymore so you can keep it.... Also, one at a time. Don''t use more than one"


    "Uh... okay", Kang replied and picked one of the pills. Jin poured some water in a cup and gave it to him. "I hope it works.... What''s going to happen?" "You''re going to fight. How do you mean?", Jin said andid back on his bed.


    "I mean, is it going to make my Shin Zhue out?", Kang asked, still staring at the pill on his palm. "Or probably increase my strength or something?" "Just take the pill, Kang. You will be surprised"


    Kang threw the pill in his mouth and washed it down his throat with a gulp of water. Heid back on his bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.


    ******


    *.... Kang, the nk, has bravely challenged two middle-tier fighters; Gandhi, the Expanse Demi, and Kabir, the il......''


    Kang found himself between the two fighters. Gandhi smiled mischievously, as he increased his body size, towering above Kang. Kang looked at himself. He definitely wasn''t in his own body. He didn''t look as lean as he actually was. He was wearing a kind of cape and holding one sword on his right hand. On the other side, Kabir just stood there, ring. Gandhi dropped his erged arm on Kang, throwing him on the ground. Kang flipped back on his feet, immediately, feeling a little hyped. He definitely wasn''t scared or nervous in any way. Gandhi clenched his fist, ready to throw another punch at him. Kang ran at him and clenched his fist too. Gandhi threw a punch at him. He threw his hand up, as if ready to block the attack with his tiny hand. Kang''s hand erged to an equal size, stopping Gandhi''s arm. His second hand erged too, as he threw a punch at Gandhi''s face, throwing him up in the air.


    Kang took a short nce at Kabir, and saw a million darts heading at him. He flipped his cape, quickly, preventing the darts from hitting him. He turned towards Kabir, quickly, and flexed his fingers, throwing darts back at Kabir. Kabir ran closer and bent his head, avoiding the darts. He swung his arm at Kang, quickly. A rope short out of his hand, with a il at it''s end. The spiked ball dashed into Kang''s leg, swiping him off his feet.


    He grunted in pain, as he could barely raise his feet. He raised his back and pulled the spiked ball out of his leg. Looking up, he saw Gandhi in the air, about to drop on him. Kang rolled on the ground, before Gandhi could drop his heavy body on him. He sprung up, as the wound covered up quickly. The more he fought, the more confident he became. Kabir flung the il at him again. Kang swung his arm back and a simr il jumped out of his hand. He bent his head, quickly avoiding Labor''s il, as his own il hit Kabir''s hand.


    Kabir held his hand, groaning in pain. Kang stepped on Gandhi and jumped up in the air, expanding his size and he dropped heavily on Kabir, breaking his neck. Gandhi got up, slowly and weakly. Immediately he looked up, Kang flung a il out of his hand and hit Gandhi in the head. He swung another il out of his second hand and hit Gandhi on the other side of hit head. Gandhi dropped weakly on his knees, with the spiked ball still in his head. Blood squirted out of the tiny wounds in his head, as he dropped on his face and died. Kang staggered forward and fell on his knees, breathing heavily. He raised his hands up in the air and the fighters cheered, loudly. The Larger Figures stood up and pped for him. Not many of the Gamblers were happy. They definitely didn''t think he would win so they must have staked their bets against him. That was a good thing for the Larger Figures, anyway.


    "Kang?", a voice called. He turned around, wondering whose voice it was. "Kang?!"


    The voice called louder, almost deafening him to the cheers of the fighters. He rubbed his ears and nced at the door. The door opened, slowly, and the soldiers walked out. "Wake the fuck up, man!", the voice roared in his ear, and the sand beneath him seemed to have disappeared, as he dropped into the ground. He jerked awake and he could see Jin''s face towering above him.


    "Jin?"


    "What the fuck are you dreaming about? You have a fight to prepare for. Come on, get up", Jin said and pulled him up on his feet. Kang''s face slowly faded into a smile. "So are you ready to fight whoeveres your way?"


    "I think I''m more than ready", Kang replied.


    "Hi. You''re Finn, right?", Jin asked. "I need you to help me with something"


    "Yea, my name is Finn", Finn replied, as he walked out of his room.


    Romeo waved from inside. "Hello"


    "That''s my roommate. His name is Romeo"


    "Good morning, Romeo", Jin said and pulled Finn closer to himself. "You know about Kang''s fight, right?"


    "Yea. He will win, right?"


    "We can make sure he wins", Jin said and nced at Romeo again. "We may need Romeo''s help too. Can he help?"


    "If he can, I''m sure he will", Finn replied. "So what''s up? What do you want us to do?"


    "Kang may not be able to take on whoever he has to fight with so we will help him take down whoever his opponent is", Jin said. "I have stunners in my bag. They are small and they can shoot far enough to get to any corner of the arena. We have to make sure the fightsts long, unless he''s too close to death. You both should stay by me. Whenever I give the order, you both are to shoot your stunners at the opponent".


    "That sounds alright", Finn said. "But I''ll still have to run it by him"


    "There''s no problem with that. You should tell him"


    Finn walked back into the room. "Hey, Romeo. Jin needs our help. Actually, Kang needs to help"


    "I''m in", Romeo replied. "If it''s something that we can do, then let''s do it"


    ****


    "No. Use the dog", the man said and slid the paper back to her.


    "But I don''t want the dog", the girl said, loudly. "He insulted me and you want to take it easy on him?"


    "There are other ways to punish him, Ana", the man said. "You are putting our business in the way, here. Why don''t you just give him as a ything to the Gamblers? At least, no one likes that"


    "No, I want him dead..... and the Gamblers won''t want to have someone as lean as he is. That''s bad for business too, especially now that we have the Grimm Arena breathing on our necks"


    "You seem to be seeing things the way you want to see it, Ana. We can keep the Dergon Arena ahead of every other Arena and still not lose money on this one match all because you have a grudge with an ordinary yer" "You swore to my father you''d protect me, King!", Ana howled. "Now, you seem to let this ordinary fighter get away after rubbing my face in the mud"


    "Enough, Ana! Killing a low-tier fighter by pitting him against a top-tier fighter, all because you are hurt, isn''t protecting you. It will be an unwise mistake on my part and a selfish and rash decision on yours", the man, King, retorted. "When your grandfather came from the Addax Arena, we epted to help him because he wasn''t much of a monster like the others. Your father took after him. Don''t let your grief make you different from them, Ana"


    "I''m the monster here, now, eh? Like all the fighters you''ve killed on the ring don''t make you a monster, eh?"


    King turned his chair, away. "You can take your leave, now, and let this go", he said. "You have called the Gamblers together so the fight must happen and he is fighting with the dog. I don''t want to hear anything more from you"

 The Real Nightmare

    Kang looked at the weapons on the ground. His eyes moved from one to the other, as he imagined using each of the weapons in the Arena. "Pick one", the man before him said.


    Kang sighed and squatted. He held the cudgel, firmly, in his hand and swung it slowly. He didn''t know who he was going against and he really wasn''t thinking about it. He was just confident. He pulled the cudgel with him and stood up. "I''ll go with this one" "Okay", the man said and walked to the door to open it.


    "Hold on", another man said, walking up to them. He stood in front of Kang and stared at him for a pretty long while, surveying every part of his body with his eyes.


    "I can see that your eyes go around my body so quickly", Kang said, drunkenly, smiling. "Thanks to my lean stature. We would probably have had to wait for hours; give your eyes some time to get around me" "What''s your name?", the man asked.


    "Kang. My name is Kang", Kang replied. "But don''t be deceived. I''m winning this fight"


    The man stepped back and nced at the other man who was about to open the door. "Sorry for taking your time. You can open the door now"


    The door opened and Kang ran into the arena, twirling the cudgel speedily in his right hand. He looked up at the fighters and the Gamblers and everyone watching. He stopped twirling the cudgel, as his eyes fell on the girl who had set up the fight. His confidence got halved, immediately, but he wasn''t scared at all. The door opened again and a dog ran out into the arena. It had nothing but a wide mouth on it''s face. It''s ears were extremelyrge, almost asrge as it''s head. It had no eyes or nostrils.


    ".... This is one of the most original fights we''ve ever had on the Dergon Arena. The low-tier fighter, Kang, has his first fight against the Night Hound. A pretty tough opponent, isn''t it? However, Kang looks pretty confident.... He is definitely getting a great tag name if he wins this fight.....''


    "When I told you to make him fight the dog, I didn''t mean the Night Hound and you know that", King whispered into Ana''s ears. "How dare you defy me openly?"


    "It''s not openly and I didn''t defy you in any way", Ana replied. "You asked me to take the dog and you didn''t specify so you can enjoy the game while I satisfy my dark desire"


    "This is obviously an outmatch and they all know he''ll lose", King snarled. "If we lose money, I''ll me it on you"


    "You can''t stop the match now, King", Ana replied. "Just sit back and watch"


    Kang breathed heavily, as the dog roared and ran towards him. The Night Hound leaped into the air and Kang swung the cudgel, throwing him to a side. The Night Hound shapeshifted immediately and stood on it''s two feet. It was still a beast, though, looking more like a standing dog. The Night Hound shook it''s head and fell on it''s fours running into Kang and throwing him back. He fell on the ground, groaning. The Night Hound ran to him again and shapeshifted, standing on two feet. It punched Kang in the face and swiped it''s ws across Kang''s face. Kang raised the cudgel, sharply, and mmed the beast with it, repeatedly, till it fell back. Kang stepped back and stood still.


    "Why isn''t he shapeshifting or using his power or something?", Finn whispered into Jin''s ears. "He knows what he is doing", Jin said. "When I give the order, be ready to shoot the stunner"


    Kang stood there and made no move. The Night Hound was on it''s fours and it wasn''t moving either. Kang had predicted that. The Night Hound had no eyes so it couldn''t see him, neither could it smell. It didn''t have a nose, either. The Night Hound moved around slowly and Kang remained still. The Night Hound shapeshifted and stood on his legs. A copy of itself jumped out of it''s back and they became two. Kang''s heart skipped a beat, as the Night Hounds approached him slowly, even though they still couldn''t see him. More dogs jumped out of the backs of the Night Hounds and they multiplied in no time.


    The standing dogs circled him but their backs were turned. He held tighter onto his cudgel, making sure he didn''t make any sound, as he wondered how to hit them and leave the circle. "They are so close to him, now. Why isn''t he using his Shin Zhu?", Romeo asked.


    "Get your stunners ready", Jin said. "Just keep shooting at the dogs when I say you should"


    It was a bad idea to swing the cudgel at the dogs. He would only bring one or two of them down and the other dogs would attack him. He ran into the middle of two of them and rolled away, swiftly. The dogs ran at him and he swung his cudgel at them, bringing them down one after the other. He bravely moved from one to the other. The dogs seemed to be receding in strength, as he approached them. He swung the cudgel, knocking the dogs out immediately. He staggered back, breathing heavily. All of the night hounds had copsed on the ground. He fell on his knees and raised his cudgel in the air. "I won!"


    Jin, Finn and Romeo screamed and pped, along with the Gamblers and the Larger Figures. Kang''s eyes fell on the girl. She wasn''t looking angry but she wasn''t smiling, either. She walked out of his sight immediately. The door opened and he walked out of the Arena with the soldiers. Immediately the door closed behind him, the girl showed up and the soldiers stopped. "So you won the fight?"


    "I was pretty confident you didn''t see thating", Kang replied, smiling.


    "No, I didn''t.... You didn''t see thising, either", she said and raised a gun at him.


    "You won''t do that", a voice said and a man walked in. It was the same hefty bald man he had seen in his dream. He could remember clearly.


    "Stop trying to torment me, King!", Ana screamed childishly, still pointing the gun at Kang.


    Kang looked at the golden gun. Only the soldiers were allowed to hold it. On her wrist, there was some sort of golden glove; exactly the same color. She dropped her hand and the gun disappeared from her hand. The golden glove remained. "You can leave him with me, Ana", King said and stepped forward. "I will deal with him"


    Ana stepped closer to him and whispered in his ears. "I will kill you myself"


    Kang smiled, still feeling hyped by the pill he took. "Nice to meet you too, Ana"

 The Meeting

    The door opened and he walked out of the Arena with the soldiers. Immediately the door closed behind him, the girl showed up and the soldiers stopped. "So you won the fight?"


    "I was pretty confident you didn''t see thating", Kang replied, smiling.


    "No, I didn''t.... You didn''t see thising, either", she said and raised a gun at him.


    "You won''t do that", a voice said and a man walked in. It was the same hefty bald man he had seen in his dream. He could remember clearly.


    "Stop trying to torment me, King!", Ana screamed childishly, still pointing the gun at Kang.


    Kang looked at the golden gun. Only the soldiers were allowed to hold it. On her wrist, there was some sort of golden glove; exactly the same color. She dropped her hand and the gun disappeared from her hand. The golden glove remained. "You can leave him with me, Ana", King said and stepped forward. "I will deal with him"


    Ana stepped closer to him and whispered in his ears. "I will kill you myself"


    Kang smiled, still feeling hyped by the pill he took. "Nice to meet you too, Ana"


    Ana walked away and King smiled at him, staring with admiration. "I bet you have no idea what the crowd out there is saying about you"


    "Would you mind to tell me what they say, Mr. King?"


    "It''s just King... they call you the ''small but mighty'' man", King said. "They call you the nk"


    "The nk?", Kang muttered. He had heard that from somewhere but he wasn''t sure of where. "Why is that?"


    "By calling you the nk, they mean a lot of things", King replied. "They call you nk because you are unreadable. They can''t tell your next move. You seem scared, then you seem confident... and when it looks like you''ll lose, you just stomp the enemy. Most bizarre of the reasons they call you the nk, you didn''t use the Shin Zhu till the end of the fight"


    Kang smiled. "It''s part of my training", Kang said, confidently. "I build my Shin Zhu till I have to face the Top-tier"


    King smiled, in awe. "Looks like Ana was wrong about you, after all", King muttered, under his breath. "I underestimated you........ You will be honored" "Thank you"


    "Being the nk, the Gamblers will never be able to guess your strength level", King said. "You will confuse them and we will make a lot of money"


    ****


    "What''s up, Dea? Why did you call?", Jin asked, looking around to make sure no one would see them.


    "I''ll make it quick", Dea replied. "We have a situation now and I don''t think it''s the right time to leave"


    "Do you mean the war with the Arena?", Jin asked. "I''m not ready to lead anyone to battle" "Listen, Jin. The Grimm will be very destructive and they will wipe out many innocent people" "Innocent people? There''s no one innocent here"


    "How about your sidekick?", Dea asked. "The soldiers will die. The Larger Figures will probably run out of business and the fighters will be wiped out. Kang will go with them, Jin"


    Jin stared back at her for a few seconds. "How are you like this?", he muttered. "You seem kind enough to want to help me... but you are still one of the people who oppress us"


    "My father works here, Jin", Dea said. "This Arena saved his life, after he escaped from the Grimm"


    "The Grimm?", Jin asked.


    "Yes. We are Grimms. My dad has hid it from everyone and I''m hiding it too", Dea said and leaned closer. "I''m trusting you with this. The Grimm tormented my family and, if they find out we are here and they win the war, they will capture my dad and I... and they kill keep us as ves."


    Jin sighed. He was pretty reluctant to wait longer. "How long do I have to wait?"


    "I will inform you if it blows over and when the wares, I''m hoping you will stand to protect my father and I"


    "I will protect you when the timees, Dea", Jin replied. She leaned closer and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you, Jin"


    Just looking past her, Jin could see someone standing in the shade. He looked at the face. It was the girl who always came to pick the fighters for her masters'' sinful pleasures. Dea turned and looked at her. "Ana", she muttered. Ana turned and walked away.


    ****


    "You were amazing, out there", Jin said and sat on the bed. "How did you feel?"


    "I felt so energized and it felt so easy, sincerely", Kang said. "I think I''ll be using those pills over and over again"


    "I thought so... that''s why I handed the pack to you", Jin replied. "Just so you know, Finn, Romeo and I stunned the dogs at the end of the fight.... But your hit was amazing though."


    "Really? Damn! You made me think I was great. Mr. King had to praise me and the Gamblers even gave me a nickname", Kang said andughed at himself.


    "Your fighting was actually great. You really didn''t need our help.... Wait, who''s king?"


    "It''s one hefty bald guy. He''s one of the Larger Figures", Kang replied. "He looked so much like the guy I saw in my dream"


    "Which nickname did the Gamblers give you?"


    "They called me nk. King said a lot of things", Kang said. "When I stepped out of the arena, that girl, Ana, was-"


    "Ana", Jin muttered. He just heard the girl''s name. Dea had mentioned her name when they were caught but he didn''t actually process it. "That''s the girl''s name?"


    "Yea. She wasn''t very happy that I won the fight so she came at me with the weapon of the soldiers; the gun. Then the King showed up and stopped her. At first, she screamed back at him. It was so childish", Kang said,ughing. "She said she would kill me with her hands. When she left, King walked up to me and started praising me... Then he called me nk"


    "nk. What does that mean?"


    "I''ve actually heard that from somewhere, once before. I couldn''t remember where", Kang said, trying to fathom it out. It hit him. "Yea... it was all in my dream, everything."


    "So you dreamt about everything that happened?"


    "Not exactly. Most part of it was actually ridiculous... but some of it came true. I won and I was called ''The nk""


    Jinid on his back for a few seconds and sprung back up. "Uh... I''ll need a bit of favor from you, Kang"


    "You helped me with this one. Come on"


    "I need you ''cause I believe you are in the best position to do it... but it will sound a bit ridiculous... and dangerous too"


    ****


    "Hey, Finn. Throw me a sausage", Kang said, loudly. The drug had stopped working on him but he kept the excitement up.


    "Stop shouting, will you?!", Jae said, threateningly.


    "Sorry about that, man", Kang said, as he caught the flying sausage with his te. "It''s normal for your ears to ache after hearing too much of my victory out there"


    "What did you say?", Jae asked, ring.


    "Did I say something? Oh, I must have forgotten"


    "What are you doing? I won''t always be around you, you know?", Jin said and nced at Jae.


    "Don''t worry. If he shows up, I will just take one of those pills again"


    "it doesn''t work that way. You''ll better not give it a try and end up with an epic fail"


    As Jin had predicted, the previous night, a soldier walked through the passage again and Ana followed. Kang looked at Jin and smiled. "Looks like these Gamblers really have high sex drives, after all"


    Jin chuckled. "Don''t forget what I asked. Are you with the note?", he asked and Kang nodded. "Also, keep the smile off your face so she doesn''t pick a fight"


    Jin was right but Kang couldn''t keep the smile off his face. He keptughing in his mind, as he imagined how the girl would react when he stylishly gave the note to her. She would probably throw a p on his face or pick him to go and satisfy the Gamblers. He wouldn''t love that but he wasn''t very afraid, either. "I''m sorry I can''t", he said and closed his eyes, almostughing.


    Immediately he opened his eyes, he met with Ana''s stare and she looked away, quickly. She walked past the fighters, assessing each one, as if looking for a special quality in them. "What''s your name?", she asked and tapped Jae on the back. "Me?", Jae asked and looked at her. They never picked Top-tiers whenever they came around.


    "Yes, you. What''s your name?", she asked, staring at him expressionlessly.


    "Jae. My name is Jae", he said.


    "Come with me", she said and turned.


    "He is a top-tier", Kang said.


    She stared at him for a few seconds and turned back. "Okay", she said and pointed to Finn. "The one behind you"


    Romeo slowly showed his face. "Me?"


    "Yes, you. What is your name?"


    "Romeo"


    She smiled. "Come with me", she said and turned, walking back.


    She was walking past the table of Kang and Jin. Kang tapped her elbow gently and she looked back, wondering what he wanted. He held out a tiny piece of paper and she collected it. She clenched her fist on the paper and walked back to the passage with the soldiers and the petrified Romeo.


    "What''s going to happen to him?", Kang asked, immediately she left.


    "It''s definitely horrible. Just hope he doesn''t end up like Gibbs", Jin replied and sat back on his chair. "Thank you for passing the note"


    "You asked me to meet you here", Ana said, as he walked up the stairs. She didn''t bring soldiers with her. He had asked that she came alone in the note but he didn''t think she would actuallye alone. He could just kill her. At least, she didn''t know he couldn''t control his Shin Zhu yet. He nced at her wrist. There was a golden bracelet on her wrist. Definitely, the gun she had pointed at him after he left the arena was connected to that bracelet. "Yes. I''m d you came"


    "You had the effrontery to pass me that note. You know how stupid that is, considering I can get you killed at anytime I desire", she said.


    "Yea, I thought of that for a few seconds and then, I thought of youing here just to tell me how stupid it is to do what I did and how stupid it is for me to expect you to show up", Kang said and smiled. "Well, you''re here now. It''s Jin who wants to see you"


    "Why would I want to see him?... And why didn''t he pass the note by himself? Why isn''t he here now?"


    "He should be here himself but he also thought you would ask that question... You are already asking that question", Kang said. "There will be an attack on the Dergon Arena and it''sing from the Grimms. He told me to tell you that. He was hoping you would give him the chance to exin that before you said anything to anyone"


    "Sounds like you already know a lot about the story so tell me. What is going on?''


    "King has picked him to lead us to victory against the Grimms. However, Dea suspects an infiltration will happen and she wants him to be vignt. She is afraid that one of the Grimms will find out about her and her father and they wille for them specifically"


    "What do you mean by ''find out about her and her father''? Are they Grimms?"


    "Yes, they-...", he said and cut himself short. ''Fuck!'', he thought, as he remembered he was meant to convince her without revealing that part of the story. He hoped he hadn''t fucked up before he continued. "She asked that he protected her when they came over"


    She smiled and folded her arms. "Now, that makes me want to ignore your request the more", she said. "It sounds like what you really want me to do is to keep my mouth shut. Unfortunately, you just gave my mouth some more width" "Well, I asked what I was told to ask. Whatever you choose to do doesn''t really affect me in any way", he smiled back at her and took a few steps back. "You just shouldn''t scream so childishly like you did, yesterday... Try to grow with your looks, you know"


    She fumed, as he turned his back walking away from her. "Don''t walk out on me!"


    "I love you too, Ana", he replied. "I should be blowing kisses but it''s for sweet people only"

 Wildin 1

    "You''re back. How did it go?"


    "Uh. It went smoothly... I''m sure she''s not going to tell anyone after this", Kang replied and sat on the bed. He definitely wasn''t sure about that. He might have made things worse by impulsively giving her an information which was meant to be secret. "You guessed well"


    "Can you tell me what she said?", Jin asked.


    "I didn''t actually give much time to speak", Kang replied, thinking of what to say. "it started with a joke, though. She was like, ''it was definitely stupid for me to expect her toe''. Then I told her, ''I already thought of how stupid it was but I thought of hering over just to say how stupid the act was''. We only had a fifty-percent chance"


    "Yea. I was sure, though I wasn''t actually sure", Jin replied. "You said she was childish, right? You can easily manipte their emotions.... She would probably fall in love with you in no time" "Like Dea, right? How did yours happen?"


    "It just happened. It started from a fight on the Arena and she came over. The truth is she just wants me to sleep with her"


    "You sleep with her?"


    "Yes, I sleep with her.... When she wants me to"


    "Wow! That''s totally, uh... cool. No one will believe you have that kind of rtionship with a Larger Figure", Kang said. "So you think the same will happen between me and Ana?"


    "I don''t know; do you want to sleep with her?"


    "Uh, I''ve never thought of it", Kang replied. "I don''t know.... She''s cute, though"


    "I just hope she''s not more dangerous than she looks", Jin said, casually, and yawned.


    "I hope so, too", Kang muttered, thinking about it all over again. She was definitely more dangerous than she looks and she would probably put them in more trouble.... Or she wouldn''t. "I wanted to talk about Romeo" "What about Romeo?"


    "She took him with her in the morning. You remember?"


    "Oh. I totally forgot about that. What did she say?"


    "No, I wanted to but I forgot to..... She probably couldn''t have helped him in anyway, right?", Kang asked, to keep his conscience in check.


    "Yea... It would be toote to withdraw him, immediately he gets to the Gamblers", Jin replied. "We should go to bed, now... Thank you for everything, Kang"


    "Thank you for everything, Jin"


    The lights had gone out, already. He just stared at the ceilings, even though he could barely see anything, unable to fall asleep. He had just be one of the fighters and he still hadn''t fought on the ring. Kang''s fight on the Arena didn''t promise he would have a chance against whoever he had to fight with and he couldn''tpare himself with many of the others. They are either mid-tiers or top-tiers. They could kill him before he even had a chance to show his steeled arms. The door opened, suddenly, breaking through his deep thoughts. He covered his eyes, as the bright torch pointed directly at his face. It was a soldier.... And Romeo.


    "Leave my fucking cloth", Romeo gritted, jerking the soldier''s clothes off him. He limped to his bed andid back, silently.


    The soldier closed the door and walked away. Finn raised his back. "Romeo? Are you okay?"


    "Go to bed, Finn... and leave me alone", he muttered.


    "What did they do to you, Romeo?"


    "Damn it! I said go to bed! Just go to bed and sleep, ok?!", Romeo said and turned, facing the wall. "I need some silence for the night"


    ****


    Kang walked up to Finn, as they headed for lunch. "Hey, Finn. What''s up?"


    "Good morning. How''s Jin?"


    "He''s alright. Is Romeo back? I was going to check, earlier today, but I didn''t want to disturb his rest"


    "Yea, he''s back... and it''s better as you stayed back for a while", Finn said. "Just looks like you will have to stay back for a longer while" Kang chuckled. "Are you kidding? Why''s that?"


    "Well, he''s been snarling at me since he got back. He''s pretty angry and it doesn''t seem like he will calm down, anytime soon" Jin walked up to them. "Hey, Finn. Where is Romeo?"


    "He''s in the room. He''s pretty angry... I don''t think he wants to see anyone at the moment"


    "He''s going to miss lunch", Jin said. "You should pack his food for him"


    "He''s going to punch me in the face. You need to see him. Thest time I tried to say anything, he almost bit my head off"


    Jin smiled. "Just pack it. I will take it to him"


    Everyone was seated, already devouring from the tes before them. They walked to the kitchen and collected their foods. Finn collected Romeo''s food too, as Jin had requested. Kang took a short nce at Jae, who was staring at him angrily with a table knife in hand, as if expecting anyone- specifically Kang- to start another fight with him. Kang looked away and smiled. The drug was no longer working on him so he knew who and what he could dare. Jae and a table knife weren''t on the list.


    A squealing sound burst into their ears, forcing them to drop their spoons and cover their ears. "What the fuck is that?!", Finn asked, as they all looked up.


    The sound was definitelying from the speakers on the ceilings. "Someone is about to say something", Jin replied, covering his ears too. "They never control this thing"


    ''Good day, fighters. You get a break of thirty minutes after the meal'', a voice gave an announcement. ''Once the clock hits the next hour, you all have to move up the stairs for the next spin. Whoever stays behind will be specifically picked for the Gamblers when next they ask''


    Jinughed. "Ok. These Gamblers have high sex drives"


    "Or maybe they don''t have high sex drives", Kang yed along. "Maybe it''s just one of them with a sex drive"


    "And it''s not a gangbang", Jinughed. "It''s just one guy with a big dick"


    "What''s up, Romeo?", Kang said, immediately he walked into the room. Romeo threw a deadly look at him, sleeping on his bed with and holding his nket tightly.


    "I don''t want to see anyone now", Romeo replied. "Go to your room"


    Jin walked into the room with his food and sat on his bed. He kept the takeaway pack on his nightstand and looked at Romeo. "How are you feeling?"


    "I don''t want to see anyone"


    "You don''t have to see anyone", Jin replied, calmly. "You can just close your eyes till this is over..... or it probably won''t be over soon... or ever. How you feel is how you make yourself feel; just remember that, Romeo... and eat your food so you can have the strength to chase more people away"


    "Really?", Romeo muttered and raised his back. "That''s what you''re going to say?"


    "What do you expect me to say, Romeo? There''s really nothing any of us can do about any of this", Jin said. "They have done what they did, already, and there is nothing you can do, either... instead of brooding about it, just remember there won''t be a second time... You really should eat"


    Jin stood up and walked towards the door. "You think that''ll work on him?", Kang whispered.


    "Sure. It''s not about my words", Jin replied. "He respects me"


    "That''s pretty confident of you"


    Jin looked back. "Also, we need to be upstairs in a few minutes. You should be-"


    "I know", Romeo replied, opening the takeaway pack. "I heard the announcement"


    ****

 Wildin 2

    They walked up the stairs, together, though Romeo remained awfully silent. "Won''t you run back, Kang?", Jin asked. "The drug doesn''t always work" "Uh... I''ll just take the chance. I won''t be picked, this time", Kang said.


    "You three can actually excuse yourselves, if you want", Jin said, referring to Romeo with his eyes.


    "Why the state? I''m not scared or weak, okay?", Romeo replied and walked past them.


    "Well, I need my first fight too", Finn said, as they got to the spin and clicked their buttons.


    Their faces appeared on both sides of the screen. Finn''s heart pounded, heavily, as he imagined himself on the Arena with a stronger fighter again. He nced at Romeo again and again. Romeo''s face remained inscrutable. He didn''t look angry. He didn''t look scared. He didn''t look weak. He didn''t look strong... he just looked pretty confident. Probably confident that he wouldn''t be picked or confident that he would beat whoever he was pitted against. Finn imagined a fight with Jin, as he remembered the story they told him about the former upants of the room who got pitted against each other and killed for refusing to kill each other.


    The beep appeared and started moving, speedily, from one face to the other. Kang''s heart skipped, every time the beep passed his face. He should have just ran up the stairs, while he could. He looked at Finn, who seemed just as nervous as he was. "Don''t pee in your pants, yet", Jin whispered.


    "Now that you''ve said it, I really want to use the bathroom", Kang whispered back.


    "Now that you''ve mentioned bathroom, you really can''t go to the bathroom so you''ll have to pee in your pants", Jin said and smiled at him. "Don''t worry. I think I know where the first spin will stop" "Really? Where?"


    "Two faces beneath mine", Jin said.


    Kang looked at the faces around him. "The guy beside Romeo?"


    "Yea, that one", Jin said. "It''s just a guess though... don''t get too happy. It might fall on you"


    The beeping slowed down, on the left side of the screen, but kept moving down till it stopped on the face Jin had predicted. Jim smiled and Kang squeezed his hand. "You''re a genius", Kang muttered.


    The beeping also slowed down on the second screen. Jin didn''t guess who it was, this time. The beeping light moved over Jin''s face andsted close to a second, like it was going to stop there. It moved to the next face and to the next face, dropping on the same face that was picked on the left side of the screen. It wasn''t possible for it to stop there since the face already had an X on it. The beep moved to the next face and Jin''s face brightened up. Kang looked at him and at Finn. The beep had stopped on Romeo''s face. They all looked at him, waiting for a reaction. He didn''t budge. His face remained as inscrutable as it was before the spinning started. His opponent was standing right beside him, up there. His name was Roku. Roku cracked his neck, confidently, and smirked at Romeo.


    "Rokurokubi!", one of his friends said, as they walked towards the staircase.


    Roku put his hand behind Romeo''s pant, joking with it. Romeo didn''t move. He just kept his face forward, without showing any expression. Jin looked their way. Romeo definitely wouldn''t want him to intervene but he was pretty sure Romeo would do something rough if the joke continued. Roku pped Romeo''s butt


    Immediately, Romeo dropped his elbow on his face and threw another punch at him. Roku was about to retaliate when Jin stepped in.


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement and they walked away from each other. ''The fighters should get ready. The event ising up in less than two hours........


    ****


    ".... This is another unpredictable fight between the great mid-tier- The Rokurokubi, and the low-tier human-grinder, Romeo. Stake your bets while you can. Anybody can win the fight. Sit back and enjoy...'' "Did they just call him the human-grinder? I never asked for his Shin Zhu", Kang asked.


    "How can I exin his ability? It''s pretty dope", Finn replied. "He removes these weird thorns from his hands"


    "Just his hands?"


    "Yea. He can''t do more than that", Finn said. "You said the Shin Zhu grows, right? It''ll probably grow and he''ll be able to have it all around his body"


    "I''ll tell you a secret about having this kind of trauma", Jin said. "What happens next depends on what path you choose. He seems angry and I bet his strength and his Shin Zhu are growing rapidly" "Really?", Kang muttered. "I probably need that to unlock my Shin Zhu?


    "You can''t use your Shin Zhu?", Finn asked.


    "You didn''t know about that. I thought I told you"


    "You can choose to go with the girl but the shame, the pain and the trauma never leaves you", Jin said. "Watch him y"


    The both of them moved in circles on the arena. Roku ran at Romeo with his spear. Romeo dodged all attacks with a sword in hand and kicked Roku backwards. Roku pulled off his shirt and swung it at Romeo. The shirt turned stic and elongated sliding Romeo off the ground. Romeo flipped back up, down on one knee. Before he could look up, Roku ran at him and drove the spear into his shoulder. Roku twisted the spear, smirking evilly, as he could sense Romeo holding back the pain. "You think you''re strong, uh?", Roku said, ring devilishly. "Let''s see how you''ll handle this"


    Roku put his hand at the end of the spear, ready to push it deeper. Romeo held the spear quickly. "I have handled greater pain", Romeo said, getting up slowly. "But I won''t give you the chance to feel it. It''s too horrible. I''ll just end you" Romeo tugged the spear out of his shoulder and the other end hit Roku by the ribs. He pulled Roku closer with the spear and raised his knee, hitting Romeo in the stomach. He clenched his fist and sharp short spikes sprung out of his hand, as he punched Roku''s face with it. Roku fell on the ground and rolled away, groaning in pain.. He swung his shirt at Romeo, sliding him off his feet again but Romeo bounced back up and shot the spikes out of his fists at Roku. Roku swung his shirt, collecting all of the spikes with it.


    He stretched out and elongated his arms and touched the ground, pulling his full body forward, into the air. He leaped at Romeo and kicked him in the face. Romeo sprung back up angrily, and Roku rolled and grabbed his spear. Romeo shot the spikes out of his fists, angrily and endlessly. Roku spun his spear in his hand, shielding himself from the spikes, and moving back. He tripped and slowed down, allowing the spike to get past the spear and sh his arm. He pulled his shirt and shielded himself from the spikes, moving around and thinking of a way to put Romeo down. He rolled on the ground and swung the shirt at Romeo''s feet again. Romeo jumped and flipped immediately. Roku pulled the spear and threw it at Romeo''s feet, immediately hended on the ground. Romeo fell back and groaned.


    Roku elongated his arms and wrapped his arm around Romeo''s neck, squeezing with an Anaconda''s strength. "Fuck! That looks like he''s going to lose", Finn said. "We should have brought the stunners"


    "Calm down", Jin said, staring at Romeo with admiration. "He is still angry. He will do anything to win"


    "That''s if there is anything to do though"


    Romeo struggled with the heavy arm on his neck, choking. His eyes darkened, as he snarled angrily. He clenched his fist and stabbed the heavy arm with his spike repeatedly. Roku loosened his arm a bit, gritting his teeth in pain. Romeo pulled the arm down with all of his strength and opened his mouth. His teeth had turned into spikes and multiplied in his mouth. He bit down on the arm and Roku screamed in pain.


    "Are you seeing what I''m seeing?", Kang muttered, gaping in awe.


    "I don''t know what you''re seeing", Jin replied. "I''m seeing power"


    "Are you sure you can handle this guy if you get in a fight?", Finn teased.


    "You should be the one careful... if he doesn''t watch himself, he''ll turn himself to a full-blown monster"


    Roku''s elongated arm retracted back to it''s normal size, as he fell on his knees and held onto it, healing slowly.


    Kang and Finn looked back, as they heard a wildughter. Roku''s friends jested, pointing at him, as he looked defeated.


    Before Roku could healpletely, Romeo ran at him. Roku sprung up and spread out his arms, expanding his full body. He jumped into Romeo and covered him up,pletely. The Gamblers and everyone gaped, as all they could see was Roku''s face. No one could tell how it would end or what was happening at the moment.


    "What is he doing?", Kang muttered.


    "Just hope he wins this one"


    Roku''s jaw dropped, followed by a stream of blood. Romeo tore through Roku with his spikes and jumped out, covered in blood and Roku''s guts. He picked up his sword, raised Roku''s head and sliced into his neck, cutting and cutting, till he cut off Roku''s headpletely.


    He looked up at the crowd around him, breathing heavily, then he focused on the Gamblers. He picked Roku''s spear and threw it towards one of the Gamblers.

 Provocation

    Roku''s jaw dropped, followed by a stream of blood. Romeo tore through Roku with his spikes and jumped out, covered in blood and Roku''s guts. He picked up his sword, raised Romeo''s head and sliced into his neck, cutting and cutting, till he cut off Romeo''s headpletely. He dropped the sword and turned around, devilishly, breathing heavily. "He didn''t need to do that", Kang said, staring at him with horror written all over his face. "Why is he acting so weird?"


    "He didn''t need to do it but he did it anyway", Jin replied. Roku''s friends had stoppedughing. It wasn''t because they felt pity for him... because no one had been so brutal on the Arena.


    "Shit! I have to be in the same room with this guy", Finn muttered. "I swear he used to be sweet"


    "I wasn''t joking when I said you should be careful. He will turn to a full-blown monster, soon, if care is not taken.... That''s if he''s not be a monster, already"


    The Gamblers just stared down at Romeo. No one stood up or pped for him. They just gaped in horror. Most of them had voted against him, knowing he was a low-tier. Even the few that voted for him were too engulfed by the horror before their eyes to even realize they had won an highly unlikely bet. Romeo roared, loudly. He walked over to Roku''s spear and handled it firmly.


    "What does he want to do with that? What do you think he has in mind?", Kang asked.


    "It''s definitely not to kill Roku", Finn said.


    "Just watch", Jin said.


    Romeo clenched his hand on the spear and ran forward, raising the spear and shooting it at the bleachers towards the Gamblers. The Gamblers gasped and stood up, immediately they saw iting. The spear stopped in midair and hung there, nted. It looked much more like it had stabbed some sort of invisible barrier, simr to the one in the passage in the hall. Romeo roared angrily, again, as the door opened and the soldiers marched out.


    Immediately Romeo was led out of the arena, very few of the Gamblers jumped happily on their seats and hugged one another. They were the few that staked their bets on Romeo to win.


    ****


    That night, neither of them said a word to the other. Romeo didn''t seem ready to talk to anyone but he wasn''t sulking around anymore. Finn would just sit alone, stealing a few nces at him, till he fell asleep.


    "He said anything yet?", Kang asked, as he stepped into the gym.


    "I don''t think I want him too", Finn replied, running on the treadmill. "Looking at him alone scares me. I was too scared to even close my eyes,st night"


    Kang sat down. "But that''s pretty unfair, you know?"


    "How? I''m talking about my life here, man"


    "I know but we are all risking our lives here", Kang replied. "Dan, one of those bullies, killed Gibbs in this gym. Jae attacked me in my room and would probably have killed me if Jin didn''t show up in time.... What makes you think we are different from him?"


    Finn nced at him, shortly, and smiled. "What are you going to say?"


    "We are all the same. You consider him a monster because he killed a person with excessive brutality. Meanwhile, we all have to kill a person to be here", Kang said. "We are all monsters, Finn.... As Jin had said, we just need to try and keep him in check before he bes a full-blown monster. We still have our heads up on our necks. We have to get his head back up on his neck?


    Finn smiled at him again. "You''re right. We shouldn''t be running from him", he said. "But where did you get that speech from?"


    "I didn''t read a book"


    "Yea, but your head is kinda lean for these ideas. It sounds too matured and wise for you"


    "That''s an insult", Kang said and chuckled. "I just thought of Jin. That''s what he would have said"


    Finnughed. "I can imagine him walking in, right now, and saying a totally different thing", he said. "That''s why I respect him, though. He thinks"


    "Yea. He was pretty confident about that", Kang said and stood. "I think I''ll have to use the bathroom. We''ll catch up,ter"


    "Ok", Finn said and sighed, still running on the treadmill. He reduced the speed and stopped the treadmill, after Kang walked out.


    He walked to his seat andid back, breathing heavily. That was hisst exercise for the day. Jin had advised him on building his powers. After watching Romeo fight on the arena, he wasn''t willing to remain as a mid-tier fighter.... He wasn''t even a mid-tier yet.


    He looked up and saw Jae walking in with two other guys. "Hey, idiot. Get out", Jae said, walking in proudly.


    Finn shook his head, disappointedly, and remained on the chair.


    "I said- Get the FUCK out of here!", Jae said, threateningly.


    "And what are you going to do if I don''t?", Finn replied, indifferently. "Listen. I''m too tired to stand, right now. If you can''t use the gym with me in here, then you can get your ass out"


    "What did you just say to me?"


    "I said get your fucking ass out if you can''t be in here with me", Finn said and looked at the men behind Jae. He smiled and raised his back. "Let me guess; you need the door closed because one of these guys will give you a blowjob and, maybe the other one is the ass guy.... Or you''re the ass guy"


    Jae threw a punch at his face. "How dare you?!"


    Finn giggled. "You really should save that girl the stress of having to pick one of us when your ass is just ready"


    He punched Finn again. "Say another word there and I swear I will m your head into the fucking wall"


    "One of your guys looks so horny. You better get started before he starts beating his meat"


    "That''s it", Jae said and clenched his fist. His arm turned into a rough stone and he threw a punch at Finn.


    Finn turned his arms to steel and caught Jae''s stony fist. He threw a punch, swiftly, at Jae''s chest with his second arm, throwing back against the ground. The men behind Jae approached Finn slowly. "Hold on!", Jae called them, standing up slowly. "Leave him to me"


    Jae stood up and transformed his whole body into stone. "Hey. Be careful. You will destroy the ce", one of his men warned and they stepped back.


    Finn''s heart pounded, rapidly. He was scared but he couldn''t back down anymore. He had to fight his way out. The craziest realization that scared him more was when he realized he was dealing with Jae. Jae will not back down from a fight if he wasn''t winning already. Finn ran at him and jumped, throwing punches at the stony face. Jae carried him and threw him on the ground. He dropped his huge stone arm but Finn moved his head, quickly. That could have been a straight execution since he couldn''t make the steel get up to his head. Finn clenched his fist tighter and punched Jae in the face, kicking him away. Then he flipped backwards and got back on his feet.


    Jae rushed at Finn and threw punches at him. Finn raised his arms of steel and blocked the punches. Then Jae kicked him in the groin, finally throwing a punch at his face. Finn fell weakly on the ground and crawled away, bleeding from his head. "Are you leaving, already?", Jae asked, mockingly. "See the Idiot who wants to fight me.... A low-tier"


    "I''m not done with you... Just getting started", Finn said and sprung up.


    Jae, still in his full stony shape, pulled a huge stone out of his own chest, automatically regrowing another one on from the same spot. He flung the stone at Finn. Finn caught it and threw it back at his chest, making him stagger backwards. Finn ran at him and threw a kick at his legs. Immediately Jae fell on his knees, Finn held his huge stony head firmly and pulled it with all of his strength, trying to pull it out. Jae held his arm and pulled his head, so easily, lifting him and mming his back on the ground. Jae stretched out his arm to the stone on the ground. Immediately, the stone flew back to his arms. He raised it and dropped his arm with the stone to smash Finn''s head.


    Almost getting to Finn''s head, the stone exploded into small tiny stones, blowing over Finn''s face with burning heat. Jae stood up, staring at the door. "You were not called here so stay out of this", Jae said.


    "I''m not getting in this", Jin said, walking in. He was the one who shot a ball of fire at the stone, making it explode. "Come on, Finn. Let''s get out of here"


    ****

 Provocation II

    "I''m not done with you... Just getting started", Finn said and sprung up.


    Jae, still in his full stony shape, pulled a huge stone out of his own chest, automatically regrowing another one on from the same spot. He flung the stone at Finn. Finn caught it and threw it back at his chest, making him stagger backwards. Finn ran at him and threw a kick at his legs. Immediately Jae fell on his knees, Finn held his huge stony head firmly and pulled it with all of his strength, trying to pull it out. Jae held his arm and pulled his head, so easily, lifting him and mming his back on the ground. Jae stretched out his arm to the stone on the ground. Immediately, the stone flew back to his arms. He raised it and dropped his arm with the stone to smash Finn''s head. Almost getting to Finn''s head, the stone exploded into small tiny stones, blowing over Finn''s face with burning heat. Jae stood up, staring at the door. "You were not called here so stay out of this", Jae said.


    "I''m not getting in this", Jin said, walking in. He was the one who shot a ball of fire at the stone, making it explode. "Come on, Finn. Let''s get out of here"


    ****


    Jin got up from the bed and walked to the mirror. "Come on, Kang. The spin ising up", he said. "These people seem to be getting a lot more serious with the rules. They might find out about some people staying back" "I don''t care. I don''t want to go for the spin, this time", Kang said.


    "Well, that''s fine by me", Jin replied and looked back. ¡°This is about Romeo, isn''t it?"


    "Not really. It just made me realize how lucky I was to have won that fight", Kang said. "I''m not just weak. I don''t even have a Shin Zhu"


    "I should be cheering you up now but you really don''t deserve it"


    "What? Are you trying to make me feel bad or something?"


    "Yes", Jin replied, sternly. "Maybe when you feel bad, you will finally walk into the gym and put some work on yourself"


    "This is about the gym? I''m trying my best and you know it"


    "Not only are you not trying shit; you just lied against me", Jin said. "You only actually used the gym once. After that''s you only used the bench in the gym."


    "Whatever", Kang said and sprung up. "How about you start giving me some motivation now? I will work on the gym but, for now, I''m not going for the spin?


    Kang ran back, immediately thest fighter left the stairs. They clicked the buttons and their faces appeared on the screen. Romeo was there again, still wearing the same inscrutable face. Jin stole a nce at him and looked away, quickly. The beeped bounced off the faces, going round and round on both sides of the screen. On the left side, the beep stopped on Dan''s face. On the right side, the beep slowed down and bounced from one face to another, finally stopping on Roy; a friend of Roku.


    Everyone looked at both their faces. Dan stared at Roy, smiling mischievously as though a meat had fallen in his trap. Roy smiled, trying to hide his fear. He was trying horribly at that. It was definitely obvious on that face. Jin almostughed. He could swear Roy was sweating already. He''d probably pee in his pants if they don''t leave there soon enough.


    ''Wait'', a voice announced, as they were about to turn back. ''There will be two fights, tomorrow, so a second spin is happening now. Only the already matched fighters are allowed to leave''


    Roy ran down the stairs. Danughed at him, as he saw the wet stream spreading down his pants. The beeping light went round again on both sides of the screen. Kang was lucky to have stayed back. There was an higher probability that he could get picked from one of the two spins.... But it was the same for all of them, though. The beep stopped on Finn''s face.


    Jin nced at him, imagining a fight between Romeo and Finn on the ring. Rico and Remi''s fight wasn''t funny. This one wouldn''t be, either. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. The beeping slowed down but was already far from Romeo''s face. It finally stopped on Jae''s face.


    "Uh-oh!", Jin muttered. The both of them had a fight earlier, that day, and Jae was pretty angry. He wouldn''t take it easy on Finn. That didn''t matter, though. No one takes it easy on an opponent. At least, not in an Arena where one of them has to die.


    "I finally got you in the ring, didn''t I?", Jae said, smiling mischievously at Finn.


    Finn red back, angrily. "Bring your best then, dummy. I''m going to spank you in the ring", he replied, boldly.


    Jae stepped closer. "How about we start from here, eh? Are you scared now?"


    "Calm your nerves", Finn replied and stepped closer. "I swear I will take your head off"


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement and they walked away from each other. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........

 Before the Fight

    Jae stepped closer, more than willing to start a fight. He still had the fight they had in the gym on his mind. He was really prepared to smash Finn''s head into the wall. "How about we start from here, eh? Are you scared now?"


    "Calm your nerves", Finn replied and stepped closer. "I swear I will take your head off"


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement and they walked away from each other. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........''


    Finn walked away from him, staring fearlessly. "Be careful, Finn", Jin said.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''ll beat him", Finn said, confidently, as they walked down the stairs. The scene from the gym reyed in his head and he was pretty confident he could have won the fight if Jin didn''t show up.


    "Are you sure about that?", Jin asked. Kang walked up to them, smiling.


    "Hi... who are those fighting?", Kang asked.


    "There will be two fights. Dan and one other guy. I think his name is Roy; one of Roku''s friends. The second fight is between Jae and Finn"


    "Finn? Are you joking? We have to help him", Kang said quickly and looked at Finn. "Don''t worry, man-"


    "YOU should not worry about me", Finn replied. "I almost beat him, once before, and I''ll beat him, this time"


    Kang and Jin stared at each other for a few seconds. "Ok, Finn.... But we should keep the stunners in ce, then.... You know- in case, things get out of hand"


    "I said I don''t need your help, okay?", Finn retorted. "I don''t want your stunners or any kind of interference. I will take care of him myself"


    "I can''t fall asleep", Kang muttered. The lights had just gone out. He was expecting a response from Jin but he didn''t get any..... yet.


    The light seemed to have swallowed up some heat. He clenched tighter on his nket and curled up. "I can''t fall asleep!", he said, a bit louder, this time, trying to get Jin''s attention. How could he have slept so fast. "Uh.... I can''t fall asleep!!" "Stop thinking about Finn then", Jin replied. "It''s him, isn''t it?... Or Romeo?"


    "No. I think I''m just cold", Kang said. "And probably scared too." "Scared of what?"


    "It doesn''t seem like anyonests long in this hall", Kang replied. "But I''m still here and I''ve not even had battles yet... it makes me scared that something will happen to you... something will happen to you and I will be alone and they wille against me, like they''ve already started, and I will not have my Shin Zhu to defend myself.... And that will be all"


    "Well, uh, listen. That''s not going to happen", Jin said and exhaled. "I am still here and I will help you find your Shin Zhu so you don''t have to worry about anyone" "Thank you, Jin"


    "You should sleep now", Jin said and turned on his side. "It''ste and I''m pretty sleepy"


    "Do you think Finn will win the fight?"


    "Am I supposed to think he''ll win?"


    "So you think he''ll lose?"


    "I''m not thinking anything, Kang", Jin said. "Finn is pretty confident that he''ll win. He fought with Jae in the gym and he believes he would have won the fight. He''s pretty out of his head but... maybe we should just believe in him. Romeo defeated a mid-tier fighter, right?"


    "Yea but Finn is going against a top-tier", Kang replied. "I think we should offer him the pills. They''ll probably do the same thing they did for me and he will win"


    "You can do that but it doesn''t actually make you win or work in the way you think", Jin said. "That''s why you still have to hide from the spins"


    Kang raised his back and sat up. He grabbed a torch and switched it on. "I still wonder what will happen when the Gamblers ask that they see the nk fight on the Arena again", Kang said andughed at himself. "They think I am just holding back my power and using the physical, instead"


    "Well, it''s good for business. If they don''t ask for it, King can probably make it happen", Jin said, casually. "The Gamblers will vote for you and they will watch a top-tier beat you to death. Then they''ll lose money. More money for King" "That''s bad", Kang said, staring at him. "You say it like it''s a good thing... or a normal thing"


    "Then you better hope King doesn''t think that way. He probably believes you are holding back your power too", Jin said, as Kang got up from his bed. "Don''t make noise" "Ok", Kang said and walked out the door.


    The hall was as silent as nothing. Kang walked sneakily on his toes but he could swear he heard his own footsteps, he heard his heartbeat, he heard his nostrils exhale warm air and he was definitely sure he heard the flying insect hovering around his ear. He pped himself to chase the mosquitoes away. That was a lot louder than he expected. The mosquitoes moved around freely, from his ear to his nose and back to his ear again. "Hey, Finn", he whispered, as he got to the door. "Finn"


    That was definitely hopeless. There was no way Finn would hear that through the closed door and there was an high probability that he was already asleep. He knocked gently on the door. That was pretty loud too... for anyone who was still awake. He knocked repeatedly.


    The door opened and Finn was standing there. "Kang? What do you want?"


    "I didn''t wake you. Did I? I''m so sorry", Kang apologized.


    "It''s alright. What do you want?"


    "I just wanted to give you this", Kang said and pulled out the small nylon from his pocket. "It will help you"


    "What is that?"


    "They are pills. I used a pill during my first fight and it helped me win", Kang said. "Trust me. If you use these pills, your fear will go away, your strength will grow rapidly, and you will find yourself doing stunts you''d never do on a sober day. You just have to take a pill tonight and you will wake up as a new man"


    "If I decide tough at this, I might wake Romeo up. I don''t want a fight", Finn said and tried to close the door. "Get some sleep, Kang"


    Kang held the door open. "I''m serious about this, Finn. You watched my first fight and you see how amazing I was. I am not so amazing. This is me... but I won that fight. I won that fight because of that pill, Finn"


    "First, you said something about my fear vanishing; well, I''m not afraid. I am already strong and I am not willing to do stunts that are inspired by a drug", Finn said and held the door again. "One more thing, that drug didn''t help you win the fight. We helped you win the fight. If not for those stunners, I bet you''d be already dead by now. Well, I have a Shin Zhu and I am not as weak as you. I will win this fight and you will watch me win"


    Finn mmed the door and Kang just stood there with the torch on, for about ten minutes. Before walking back to his room. Jin was already sleeping. He closed the door behind him and walked to the bed.


    ****

 Rough and Bloody

    ''The Arena will be rough, today. Another great fight ising up, after this great fight. Dan, the living wire, gets challenged to a fight by a mid-tier fighter, Roy; the Iceman. Dan is known to be tough and strong but Roy seems confident. Roy has defeated four low-tiers on the ring. He''s about to bring down his first top-tier. Stake your bets while you still can....''


    "Did they just call him Iceman?", Kang asked.


    "Yea. He has the same powers as Rico", Jin replied and nced at Finn. He wasn''t sitting near them.


    "Leave him alone. He''s probably trying to be like Romeo, for a reason"


    "I''m guessing he''s going to be a total introvert, once he wins this fight", Jin said. "He''s probably scared too. Picking a friend in the hall will betray you when you have to get on the battlefield with the same person... what do you think will happen if we are pitted against each other, Kang?"


    Kang looked into his eyes. Anything could happen on the ring, truly, and one of them must die. "You won''t kill me, will you?"


    "You will fail to take your chance to kill me while you still can and that might affect you... or affect both of us", Jin said and looked at the Arena. "The match is starting. Let''s watch"


    Roy changed his full body into ice and created a sword of ice too. Dan ran at him with his sword too. The swords nged against each other, with Dan''s sword bouncing back repeatedly due to the thickness of Roy''s weapon. Dan flipped and kicked Roy back. Wires sprung out of his body and they darted at Roy. Roy ran backwards in fear and stood still, fighting back with his ice sword. He swung the sword, cutting the tips of the wires swiftly.


    Dan shot another wire out of his hand. The wire wrapped itself around Roy''s leg and Dan tugged it at himself, pulling Roy on the ground. Roy flung the sword at him, making him shift aside to dodge the sword. Roy created another short knife with ice and cut the wires from his leg. He flung the knife at Dan. He created more knives and flung them at Dan, immediately. Dan''s wires caught the knives in the air. He shot the knives back at him, immediately.


    Roy bent his head, avoiding the knives quickly. Immediately, Dan''s wires flung at Roy and wrapped around his body, holding him up in the air. Dan red, smiling evilly as the wires tugged at Roy''s limbs. "Good night, brother", he muttered, as the wires pulled Roy''s limbs apart, bursting him in the air.


    "Fuck! That was fast", Jin said, casually.


    "And bloody", Kang said and nced at Finn''s seat. He had left there, already. Jae had also left his seat. They were probably on their way to the arena, already.


    "That''s how brutal Dan can be", Jin said, as he watched Dan walk out of the Arena.


    Finn walked into the Arena, immediately, and Jae walked in, through the second door.


    ''The second fight is here. Finn, a low-tier, dares to challenge the top-tier fighter, Jae, the Rock bottom, to a fight on the Arena. We don''t know what Finn has up his sleeves, yet, but he has promised to wipe the floor with Jae''s face. We just watched a top-tier brutalize a mid-tier fighter. It''ll probably be the same, this time.... Or probably not the same. Stake your bets while you still can, Gamblers, and let the great battle begin....''


    Jae dropped his weapon, ring at Finn. Finn red back and dropped his weapon too. He clenched his fist and the metal in his arms showed. Jae clenched his fists too, turning his arms into stone. Jae flung his arm and opened his palms, as if pouring something out. Countless tiny stones shot at Finn''s face, distracting him. Jae shapeshifted intoplete stone and pulled a huge rock out of his side, throwing it at Finn immediately.


    Finn caught the rock and flung it back with greater velocity. It mmed Jae in the chest, throwing him back. Finn jumped at him, throwing punches against his head, repeatedly. Jae threw a punch against Finn''s head, almost stunning him. He raised his knee against his chest and kicked him back. Finn rolled away, healing slowly. Jae flung a rock at him, immediately he sprung back up. Finn raised one hand and stopped the stone. Holding the stone up in one hand, it turned into metal and he flung it at Jae. The metal ball shot faster than Jae could throw his stone. It shot a stone out of Jae''s shoulder, almost pulling his arm apart.


    Jae fell on his knees and held his shoulder, as the rock slowly regrew on his shoulder.


    "That''s how rage helps you grow stronger", Jin said. "By the next time his power level is checked, he will probably be ssified as a mid-tier fighter" "Wow!", Kang said. "We shouldn''t have underestimated him, after all. This is the end of Jae"


    Finn approached Jae, slowly, with his arms shaped into sharp des. Jae''s shoulder had only healed halfway. Finn swung his metal de arms at Jae, who blocked it with an arm. He threw a punch at Finn''s face. Finn''s face turned into steel, immediately, and his whole body turned metallic. Jae roared wildly, as his attacks seemed to have no impact on the mid-tier. He shouted, throwing Finn backwards with the wave of his noise. Tiny stones shot sporadically out of his body at Finn, who just stood still as the stones ricocheted. Finn walked around him, wondering how to put him down finally. Jae''s shoulder had healed,pletely. The metal ball was probably his most effective attack since the fight started. Jae pulled two rocks out of his side and flung them at Finn. Finn smiled, as he held the two rocks in the air, turning them both into a metal ball. Jae flung more rocks at Finn before he could throw the metal balls, throwing Finn down on the ground. Finn managed to throw one of the metal balls, which shot right through Jae''s chest. Jae staggered forward and fell on the ground, with a hole in his chest. He nced at the hole and looked at Finn. He looked at the hole again, as if wondering what was going to happen to him.


    He could hear the gamblers shouting and hailing. They had probably staked their bet on Finn. The fighters just looked at him from their stand. Everything moved so slowly in his eyes. His stone head changed back to his human head, while his body remainedpletely stone, with the hole in his chest. It didn''t look like it would cover up, soon..... or ever. He fell on his back and his eyes closed, slowly.


    Finn got up on his feet and raised his de arm. "I won!", he howled at the bleachers and the Gamblers pped and made noises.


    "I don''t know if I''m happy that he won the fight", Kang said.


    "You''re not meant to be sad", Jin replied.


    "I know. Looking at Jae''s face now, I feel some sort of pity for the guy"


    "Everyone looks innocent at one point in their life and everyone looks like a monster at one point in their life"


    "Finish him!", the Gamblers stood up and screamed. "Finish him! Finish him!"


    Finn wanted Jae to die, slowly. He didn''t want to be as brutal as Romeo was on the Arena. He looked at Romeo. Romeo was smiling, casually, staring back at him. Finn shook his head and turned, walking towards the door. "Wait! You fool!", Jae''s voice called him back. Finn looked back and saw Jae getting up. "You don''t know why they call me top-tier, do you?"


    Jae turned intoplete stone, with the hole still in his chest, and ran towards Finn, swiftly. He jumped at Finn and pushed him to the ground. He erged his stony arms and mmed Finn''s head with it, repeatedly. Finn had changed intopletely metal but the hit was having an impact anyway. Jae kept smashing till multiple dents appeared on Finn''s metallic head. He shook Finn''s head, making him transform back to his human form, then he mmed his huge stony arm on Finn''s head, bursting it. Heughed, maniacally, as blood sttered all over his face. He pulled Finn''s head out and showed it to the Gamblers and the fighters. "See! I won!", he howled and looked at the Gamblers. "Fuck you!"

 Triple Threat

    "You see what happened out there?", Jae said, proudly, as they walked back to the hall.


    "Yea, I did. I really pitied you", Jin replied and smiled at Kang. "Didn''t we, Kang?"


    Kang was too furious to speak. He thought Finn had won the game. He was finding it hard to process the unfortunate turnaround of events on the Arena.


    ¡°Doesn''t look like you little sidekick can get over it", Jae said. "Sorry, boy. You might be next. I will be delighted to pull your head out".


    They parted, as Kang and Jin walked into their room. Kang climbed on his bed and curled up. He folded his legs on the bed and hugged them. "When you''re done with that sulking, tell me. We''ll head to the gym for some workout", Jin said andid back on his bed, staring at the ceilings. "You''re not bothered at all? We are losing our friends"


    "We don''t have friends, Kang", Jin said and looked at him. "Both of us; we are not friends" "Then what are we?"


    "We might help each other but.... If we both get on that Arena, only one of us will step out alive", Jin said. "There is no friend in this kind of ce, where anyone can be an enemy and none of you can control who you go against or who goes against you"


    "But we are still friends till that timees, right"


    "Yes.... Yea, maybe"


    ****


    "Good morning", the guard greeted, walking past him.


    He looked into the mirror, parted his blond hair, adjusted his eyesses and put his hands in the pockets of hisb coat, as he walked through the narrow path. He opened a door and walked in. "Hey, good morning", the man greeted, as he walked in.


    "Hey, Fred", another man replied, dressed in ab coat. "What''s up? You haven''t been in here in a while"


    "I just thought of having another character with my signature on him", Fred said and sat down. "I will make him powerful enough to take on multiple top-tiers at once."


    "The first time I tried to do that was thest time I tried to do that", the man said. "He ended up too lean and he had no Shin Zhu. I had to give him to Carmichael to get him disposed"


    "Well, this one has got to be different, Kwei", Fred replied. "What are you working on?"


    "I saw one of the fighters on the arena, about a week ago. He looked just like the one I tried to dispose", Kwei said. "He was just as lean. I could almost bet he was the one I disposed but he won the fight" "The one you disposed has no Shin Zhu, right? You just said it"


    "Yes but this guy didn''t use a Shin Zhu throughout the fight", Kwei replied. "He just fought with the weapon he was given and he won?


    "The low-tier was probably weak and scared", Fred said. "But it''s really hard to win any fight without the Shin Zhu. You really should give him some des"


    "It wasn''t even a low-tier fighter. He fought the Night Hound", Kwei said. "Some mid-tiers have a problem getting past the Night Hound but he did it without using his Shin Zhu. Now, they call him the nk" "That''s cool", Fred said and stood up. "I will like to create something breathtaking. Something that will blow the minds of the Gamblers"


    "I bet it will end up like mine. I have been working on creating mid-tiers and top-tiers so they don''t have to grow slowly"


    "The growth is pretty fun, you know"


    "Yes, but we keep creating low-tiers and they keep dying immediately they step on the arena. The Gamblers are totally sure of the winners of each fight so they all vote right and we make no money" The door opened and Ana stepped in. "Good morning, uncle"


    "Hey, Ana. Come on. I''m working on something pretty big", Fred answered her


    "What are you doing here? I thought you don''t want to do the creation anymore"


    "Yes. I just want onest fighter named by me", Fred smiled at her. "I couldn''t help but watch the nk over and over again"


    She smiled back and nodded. "Ok. I should leave you to work. I bet he''ll take down all of the top-tiers all by himself"


    "That''s the n, Ana"


    ****


    It was lunch time, already, and they were all seated by their tables. Romeo sat alone. He was yet to get a new roommate. Kang had his eyes on Jae, rather than the food before him. Jae nced at him, sporadically, throwing annoying smiles at him. "Eat your food, Kang", Jin said. "You still can''t take him down in a fight, can you?"


    "I feel like shoving my spoon up his ass", Kang said.


    "Yea but he''s not going to wait for you to do that. Sorry"


    "I just wish I would get the chance", Kang said. "I''ll make sure the spoon is fat and long and I''ll make it go deep"


    Jin smiled. ¡°Also, remember. He''s just a pile of stones. His ass is stone too so he''ll pull it out as easily as pulling a spoon out of a pile of rocks"


    "Is it easy to pull a spoon out of a pile of rocks?"


    "I don''t know. You want to find out?"


    "Yea", Kang said, quickly, and flung his fork at Jae.


    Jae dodged, pushing it away. Itnded on Dan''s table. Dan lifted it, slowly, with two fingers, as if disgusted by the look of the fork. "Who is this MOTHERFUCKER!?", Dan asked, loudly, as he stood up. He definitely knew it came from Jae. He also knew who originally threw the fork but he loved the drama. "Who threw this filthy fork on my table?"


    He red at Kang, who stared fixedly at the food before him. He left his table and walked over. "You''re done eating, uh? You want someone to pack up your tes?"


    Jin stood up. "It''s alright. It wasn''t intentional. You can go back to your seat"


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement and they walked away from each other. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........


    "You see that guy over there? He''s just like you", Jin said, pointing at Jae. "He almost got his ass handed to him by a low-tier fighter. The only reason he is back here is Finn let him leave. Well, if you get on the ring with this one, he can be just as badass and- trust me- he won''t miss any of his chances"


    Dan chuckled and nced at the speakers on the ceiling. "I hope to meet either of you in that hell", he said, boldly. "Then we can have this lecture over again"


    He walked back to his seat and they sat down. "Stop ring", Jin said.


    Kang took onest nce at Jae, who was still smiling.


    ****


    Jin pressed the button and his face appeared on three sides of the screen. The same applied to everyone in the hall. There were three sections in the hall now; one at the top, one at the left side, and one at the right. It was probably going to be a one-time thing or that was the new way they wanted to do it. The beeping light went around the faces and, at the top of the screen, the beep dropped on Jin''s face. On the right side of the screen, the beep dropped on the face of a mid-tier named Dennis. He hadn''t gotten in a fight, in a very long time, so Jin could not even remember him or his abilities.... But Jin knew he was still a mid-tier and he would only be a bonus kill if three people had to fight in the ring. The beep on the left side of the screensted a lot longer. It went around the faces and dropped on the face of another top-tier named Jordy. Jordy was one of the oldest fighters in the hall. He hadn''t been picked for fights, in a long time either. Jordy was one of the strongest fighters, starting as a low-tier and upgrading to a mid-tier in the shortest time. He never lost a fight on the arena or in the hall. On his first days, he had to share a room with a bully. He was pretty weak so he''d just keep to himself and avoid fights. He avoided many fights, especially the ones he thought he would lose.... But he stopped avoiding fights, eventually. Whoever dared toe his way, he was always ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone. His Shin Zhu was the same as Jae''s but he had more training so he was pretty stronger, though they were both top-tiers. Jordy was once picked to be titled the god-tier, after the gamblers considered him invincible and wanted him to fight multiple top-tiers at once. He refused the title and King didn''t force it on him either. Jordy and Jae had the same abilities but they weren''t very alike. Jordy hated bullies while Jae was a bully so they had a lot of fights in the past... Jordy never lost a fight. He always had Jae''s back on the ground whenever they had to clench their fists and throw blows.


    *"Who scribbled that bullshit on my door?", Jordy stormed out of his room, asking loudly.


    "Just leave it alone. It doesn''t affect anyone. Does it?", Jin said, as he stepped out of the gym.


    Jae walked out of his room, boldly. "Well, it affects me since it affects my boy", Jordy replied Jin, ring at Jae. He knew it was Jae who did it. He just needed everyone to know why he was going to beat Jae up. "Who scribbled shit on my door, Jae?"


    "How about you ask your boy in your room, mate? No one likes a noise maker", Jae replied, casually.


    "Why did you do that? What do you have with the boy?"


    "Stay out of this, Jordy. I don''t respect ages. If youe in my way, I will spank your ass and hang you upside on the fans. You can get out of my way now"


    "Will you like toe again? I don''t think I heard you correctly"


    "Stay back, Jordy. We are the same but I won''t hesitate to burst you in pieces if youe my-"


    Jordy threw a punch at his face, immediately, shutting him up. Jin smiled widely and walked into his room.


    Jae clenched his fists and threw a punch with his stony arm at Jordy. Jordy caught and held his arm. Jae threw the second arm and Jordy caught it again. He tightened his grip on Jae''s hand till it exploded into tiny stones. "Nevere at my boy ever again", Jordy said, gritting his teeth. "Or else, I''ll end you"


    He pushed Jae to the ground and walked back to his room. It took Jae a few days to recover from his exploded wrist and hands.*


    Jin took a short nce at Jordy and their eyes met. Jordy smiled back at him. He had remained in his room, all by himself, for a pretty long time, and his roommate barely said anything to him. He was almost sure he wouldn''t be picked for any fights so he had almost nothing to worry about. They stayed there, waiting for the instructions. The mid-tier Dennis seemed nervous, avoiding the faces of both of them.


    ''Good day, fighters'', a voice made the announcement. ''There are three lists on the screens and some may be asking if it''s going to be that way now. No.... The Gamblers have requested that we pit Jin against two fighters in the Arena and have him titled god-tier. The other two fighters will team up and fight against Jin in the ring. Good luck to you, as you prepare for the fight''


    Jordy walked up to Jin and they shook hands. "It''s been a while, old friend", Jordy greeted.


    "You have chosen to keep to yourself, all this while", Jin said. "Your fault"


    "It''s not my fault that we shouldn''t make friends in here", Jordy replied. "Things keep getting bloody. They''ve been bloody and they are about to get bloody"


    "I know that, Jordy. It''s nice to have this conversation again"


    "Same here.... We are friends, though", Jordy said. "Whatever happens out there, we made our marks here"

 God-tier 1

    Kang''s eyes met with Romeo''s for a split second and he looked away, quickly. Kang was now sitting alone, with Romeo a few seats away from him. Romeo seemed a lot fiercer and stronger, with some extra muscles. ''Jin should really get me to the gym, these days. This guy will kill me in a fight''


    Jin was standing in the arena, about to go against two fighters at once. One is a longtime top-tier friend, while the other is just a bonus mid-tier. Jin didn''t seem scared and Kang wasn''t scared for him either. He should win the fight. "Looks like your daddy will be having some trouble, won''t he?", Jae mocked Kang. "You really should jump out there before he gets butchered on the ring"


    The mid-tier beside him nudged him with an elbow. "Do you think he will win?"


    Kang looked at the Arena again. Jin remained just confident. That was all he needed to believe in Jin. "Yes. He''s not scared. He will win"


    "Yea but he''s against two fighters for a reason which we don''t know"


    "They say he will be titled god-tier", Kang replied. "Isn''t that it?"


    "Well, that can be it. It can also be an execution", the mid-tier said. "The main reason may be just to kill him off"


    "Well, he did nothing that could make them want to kill him on the ring"


    ¡°It could be the god-tier thing, though..... and probably, it''s Jordy they want to kill off¡±, the mid-tier said. "I heard he''s had multiple shes with the Larger Figures in the past and he even rejected getting a god-tier title" Dennis swung an arm at Jin, flinging a kind of wire out of his hand. Jordy threw a rock at Jin, immediately. Jin bent backwards, avoiding the stone. The wire wrapped around Jin''s leg and Dennis tugged at it, pulling Jin up in the air. Jordy smacked him back on the ground.


    Jin rolled on the ground with a bleeding head. He flipped back on his feet, as his wound healed quickly. The wire wasing at his leg again and Jordy flung another stone. He raised his hand and caught the stone in his arm, while letting the wire wrap around his leg. Immediately Dennis tugged at the rope, pulling Jin up in the air again, Jin flung the stone back at Jordy, intercepting the oing smack. He shot a ball of fire at Dennis beforending.


    Jordy rolled huge rocks on the ground, moving speedily at Jin. Jin flipped up, avoiding it, and shot balls of fire at the rocks that came at his, blowing them up in the air He definitely knew how Jordy used his abilities in a fight. Jordy ran at him andnded a blow on his chest, throwing back on the ground. Jin got back up.


    Dennis flung his at Jin and Jin raised his arm, letting the wire wrap around his arm. Dennis tugged at the wire but Jin remained on the ground. He pulled back, jerking Dennis up in the air. He swung Dennis at Jordy and fell the both of them on the ground.


    "Get up, Jordy", Jin said. "Let''s end this. Just the two of us"


    Jordy raised his back and stood up. "That''s a great idea", he replied and nced at Dennis who was getting up, slowly. "But I don''t think my partner would love to stay out of this" Dennis howled and flung multiple wires at Jin. Jin threw a ball of fire at him, putting a hole in his chest immediately. The wires dropped on the ground, as Dennis fell back and died. "It''s just the two of us now", Jin said to Jordy, as they moved in circles.


    "If you win this fight, I need you to put my name on the door", Jordy said. "And no one must disrespect it"


    "If I lose this fight, I need you to keep an eye on Kang for me", Jin replied. "Help him build his Shin Zhu while he''s still here.... There are items in my bag. They will help you get out of this ce. I need you to take it.... And take Kang with you" Everyone was staring, confusedly. The two of them had been moving in circles, for a few minutes, without making any move at each other. "What are they talking about?", Kang muttered. "Who knows? They''ll still have to fight anyway"


    Jordy flung an arm, shooting tiny stones at Jin rapidly. Jin turned his arm in a circle, creating a kind of shield. He pushed back a wave, darting the stones back at Jordy''s face. He ran forward and flipped, kicking Jordy back on the ground. Jordy rolled back up.


    Jin shot a ball of fire at him, immediately, but Jordy pushed it away, rolling two huge rocks on the ground at Jin. Jin flipped up to avoid it but Jordy shot another stone at him, mming him against the ground. Jordy stepped closer to him and swung another rock at his head.


    Jin held it and they remained still in that position, battling with their strengths. Jin''s eyes glowed brightly, like a volcano was about to shoot out of the holes in his head. He pushed back against Jordy, kicking him backwards. Immediately he flipped on his feet, he shot a ball of fire at Jordy, blowing up a stone in his chest. He stepped closer and shot another ball.


    Jordy staggered backwards, every time he got it. Jin kept shooting the balls of fire at him, blowing up a stone in Jordy''s chest till there was a hole there. Jordy fell on his knees and chuckled. "I thought you would win? "You held back", Jin said.


    "I didn''t... you are holding back now", Jordy replied. "But I knew you would win. I always respected you from the start"


    "Get up, Jordy. Let''s make it a lot longer"


    "No, Jin. I will heal if you don''t end this quickly", Jordy said. "End this now. Then you can go ahead with your unbelievable n to get out of here with that boy."


    "I''m not going to hit you when you''re down"


    "Not when you''re the one that put me down", he said and pointed at his head. "Go for the head"


    Jordy''s head turned toplete stone, with his finger still pointing at his head. Jin nced at Kang, shortly, creating a ball of fire on his palm. He looked to a side and shot the fire at Jordy''s head.


    Jin stood there. His eyes seemed to be closing up, as he could barely see anything at all. Jordy fell on his chest, with his head blown up. The thud of Jordy''s drop on the ground seemed to spark an ache in Jordy''s head. He could barely hear the ps and screams or anything at all. All he heard was his conscience screaming at and the incoherent voices of every fighter that died on the arena, blowing into his ears with the cold wind.


    The door opened and the soldiers marched out. He staggered towards the door, and the ps and roar of praise followed him. He wasn''t enjoying it. He needed a deep sleep and some time by himself.


    ****

 God-tier 2

    "I''m not going to hit you when you''re down"


    "Not when you''re the one that put me down", he said and pointed at his head. "Go for the head"


    Jordy''s head turned toplete stone, with his finger still pointing at his head. Jin nced at Kang, shortly, creating a ball of fire on his palm. He looked to a side and shot the fire at Jordy''s head.


    Jin stood there. His eyes seemed to be closing up, as he could barely see anything at all. Jordy fell on his chest, with his head blown up. The thud of Jordy''s drop on the ground seemed to spark an ache in Jordy''s head. He could barely hear the


    ps and screams or anything at all. All he heard was his conscience screaming at and the incoherent voices of every fighter that died on the arena, blowing into his ears with the cold wind.


    The door opened and the soldiers marched out. He staggered towards the door, and the ps and roar of praise followed him. He wasn''t enjoying it. He needed a deep sleep and some time by himself.


    ****


    Kang stared at the ceilings, anxiously waiting for Jin to get back. He was rehearsing the words of praise he would say. Jin was pretty amazing on the arena. Kang wondered how he would feel with the new god-tier title and what it would actually mean to be called ''god-tier''. He already had the ''nk'' title, though. It didn''t really mean anything. He would still rely on the drug if he were to fight on the arena again, unless he wakes up with some unexpected ability to move things with his mind.


    He heard movements outside the room. The lights had gone out already so if anyone was walking in, it was probably the Larger Figures. They were probablying with Jin. He put his nket aside and got up slowly from the bed. He reached for the torch, beside the bed, and returned it. He didn''t need it. He walked to the door and pulled it open, noiselessly. He held the door slightly open and peeked through. As he had guessed, it was the Larger Figures. They had their torches with them, instead of putting the lights back on, like they once did when he first got there.


    There was another person with them. He looked like Rico, dressed as a fighter. The Larger Figures escorted him into Romeo''s room and they were in for close to a minute. The Larger Figures walked out of the room and closed the door behind them. Then they walked through the passage and the whole ce was as dark as ever.


    Kang walked back to his bed and covered himself with the nket. Jin should be back in the morning and they would talk.... And they should start working on Kang''s missing Shin Zhu.


    "Kang!... Kang?", Jin''s voice broke into his perfect sleep. He raised his head, quickly.


    "Hey! What''s up?", Kang said, quickly, as he saw Jin standing in front of the mirror. "When did you get back?"


    "You didn''t wait for me", Jin said and sat on his bed. "How was the fight?"


    "Well, it didn''t look like you were fine with killing him", Kang said. "You didn''t want to do it, right?"


    "If you were in the ring with me and I was down on the ground, would you want to kill me?"


    Kang nodded. "I need you to help me get my Shin Zhu"


    "What do you think I came back for?", Jin said. "By dawn, we get to the gym and we are not leaving till the day ends"


    "We can just go now. I''m more than ready for it"


    "Yea, well, I''m not ready for it. It''s not dawn yet. That''s why the lights are still pretty dim. Let''s get some sleep", Jin said and got on the bed. "Where is my cover cloth?"


    "Oh", Kang said. "I put it on the nightstand. Just move themp. It''s behind"


    "Ok. Thank you. You should get some sleep too"


    ...........


    Kang''s eyes opened and he was staring at the wall. He rolled on his back and nced at the light. It was a lot brighter now. It was done already. He yawned and rolled to his side, putting his nket away. He looked at Jin''s bed. It was empty. He raised his back and stood up. Jin wasn''t in the room. The bed was neatly arranged and the cover cloth was perfectly folded and kept on the nightstand, the way Kang had kept it. He got up on his feet, stretching and yawning loudly. He walked to the door and pulled it open.


    "Good morning, Romeo", he greeted and rushed out, quickly, before Romeo could walk into his room. "Sorry for disturbing you. Have you seen Jin this morning? You cleaned up, right?"


    "Yes, I cleaned up. I haven''t seen him since yesterday''s fight", Romeo replied. "He didn''te back to the room, did he?"


    "He came back,st night, but it waste. The lights were out already when he got back"


    "Sorry. I haven''t seen him", Romeo said and nced at a boy approaching them. He was a new fighter and Romeo''s new roommate.


    "Hey. Good morning", the boy said, smiling at Kang.


    "Whoa! You look too much like Rico. I am Kang. It''s nice to meet you", Kang greeted, holding out his hand.


    The boy shook it. "Uh... I''m Frank. It''s nice to meet you too"


    "What''s your Shin Zhu?"


    "My ability? Ok", Frank said, innocently, and pointed a finger. Fire showed up on his finger and he swirled it. "I can make it into a ball and roll it on my palm"


    "Just like Jin", Romeo and Kang chorused. Romeo smiled for a second and the expression faded quickly.


    "Uh... have you seen a guy with your kind of Shin Zhu? He''s pretty muscr and reserved", Kang asked.


    "No one walks around showing his Shin Zhu to everyone, Kang", Romeo said and looked at Frank. "Last night, when you were brought in, was there another fighter with you?" "No. It was just me", Frank replied.


    Kang nodded. "Ok. He came prettyte. I''m pretty sure they didn''te in at the same time"


    "The Larger Figures definitely didn''te around twice,st night, and they will never let a fightere alone in the midnight", Romeo said. "He''s probably getting some other treatment out there. You know- the god-tier is a new thing. No one knows anything about how it works yet"


    "Ok", Kang said and stepped back. He had seen Jin, the previous night, so he was pretty sure Jin should still be around. "I''ll just give my head some rest and wait for him to get back".


    Romeo nodded and they walked into the room. Kang turned, heading straight to the gym. Jin had probably headed to the gym, when he woke up. He opened the door and peeked in. He saw someone on the treadmill. He smiled and exhaled, walking in silently. He was going to sneak up on Jin. There was no one else in the gym so it would work. He approached him, slowly.


    "Hello?", the person said, as he turned back and looked at Kang.


    "Oh!... Sorry I thought it was Jin", Kang said, walking backwards. It wasn''t Jin. It was just another quiet top-tier. "You can continue with the workout"


    "Yea... and I don''t think Jin is back. You should ask his roommate"


    "Uh", Kang chuckled. "I''m his roommate. I''ll just wait for him to get back. Thank you"


    The guy nodded and continued on the treadmill.


    Kang ran back to the room. He looked around quickly, looking for hints to where Jin must have gone to. Jin never made his own bed. Jin never folded his cover cloth by himself. Even if Kang helped in folding the cover cloth, Jin always preferred that the cover cloth be kept beside the pillow. Come to think of it; it was exactly the way Kang had arranged it the previous night. It looked more like Jin had left the arrangement the same way he met it when he got back from the fight. The bed was just as neatly prepared as Kang had made it. That was why Jin was able to fall asleep easily, when he got back.... Or maybe he wasn''t even back yet. Maybe it was just part of the dream.

 A new day

    The day was not as horrible as he had expected it to be.... Actually, it was just as horrible. One part of him thought Jin wouldn''t return to the hall for a reason or more. Another part of him was expecting- actually, desperately wishing for- Jin to return. He had sat alone for Lunch and he made no eye contact with anyone. He was expecting Jae or Dan to stand up to him, like they always seemed to want to do. For one reason or another, they just kept their peace and Kang was able to force the food down his throat without having anyone disturb him. There was no announcement yet and Ana hadn''te with the soldiers to pick anyone. Everyone seemed to be taking a break.


    Kang was done eating. He sprung up from his seat and, immediately, a soldier stepped in through the passage. Ana walked in after the soldier, followed by another soldier. She walked in, confidently, and looked around. She hade to pick someone for her masters again. She nced at Kang for a second and, this time, she had a nk smile rather than the grudging re she always threw at him... But he wasn''t looking her way so he couldn''t tell if she was avoiding his face or ring like always.


    She walked to Romeo''s table. "What''s your name, boy?", she asked and patted Frank on the shoulder.


    "Uh", Frank stuttered, hesitating to answer. He could see the anxiety in the faces of everyone in there so he could tell that thedy beside him was dangerous. But she seemed as young as he was, anyway. "Frank. My name is Frank" "It''s a nice name. Stand up", she said and turned. "You areing with us"


    Frank looked around, confusedly. Romeo just held onto his fork, tightly, ring at the te before him. Frank stood up, slowly, and walked after her nervously.


    "Hold on", Kang said and stood up. He looked at her. She wasn''t ring at him. Rather, she looked surprised.


    "You have something to say, Kang?", She asked.


    "The boy is new. I think you should pick another person", Kang said, nervously, looking straight into her eyes. There was no response for a second. "Please" "Will you like to take his ce then?", she asked, smiling stylishly.


    "Will you really take me with you if I volunteered to go?", Kang said and opened his arms, as if trying to sell himself, while moving his head up and down.


    She chuckled for a second and changed her expression quickly. "Okay. You can return to your seat", she said and picked another boy; a mid-tier. "Go with the soldiers"


    Kang watched the fighter go with the soldiers. It wasn''t fair for anyone to be used in that way but there was nothing he could do to stop that. He had yed an hero to Frank but, to the other mid-tier, he would be the reason for whatever happened next. Ana walked up to him. "Thank you", he muttered.


    She smiled and shook her head. "That was pretty confident of you. What made you think I would even listen?"


    "You got angry once and all you did was put me in a fight that gave me recognition"


    "So you want me to put you in the arena again so they can see you in action and call you the ''nk'' again?"


    "Well, no. Not exactly. You are just not ring at me today. It probably means you are in a good mood.... Or you are no longer angry with me"


    "Talking of recognition, you already got yourself an high amount from just one fight. My uncle seems to like the ''nk''. He''ll probably want to see you fight on the field again"


    "Please, don''t make me fight on the Arena", Kang said. "Please"


    "I won''t make you", she said and smiled.


    "Thank you"


    She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Also, stop hiding from the spins"


    He closed his eyes, as she walked away from him. A hand gripped his cloth and shook him, violently. "What were you saying to that girl? What do you got with her?" "Leave my clothes, Dan. If you got problems about it, you can go to her and ask your questions"


    He spent the rest of the day on the bed. He slumbered while watching the door and expecting Jin to walk in at anytime. He even took extremely short naps. "Hey, Kang", a voice said, as the door opened.


    Kang raised his back, quickly, and looked at the door. "Frank, really?", he said, disappointedly, putting his hand over his face. "What do you want?"


    "Sorry. I didn''t know you were sleeping", Frank said. "Romeo is being too reserved so I was thinking I could hang out with you. I''ll just go ande backter"


    "Yea, thank you", Kang said andid back.... But sulking and hoping all day wouldn''t help anyway. He needed to get it off his mind till Jin would get back to the house. He sprung up from the bed and pulled the door open. "Frank?... Sorry, uh. Let''s hang out here"


    "Ok", Frank said and walked back to the room. He looked around and sat on Jin''s bed. "Jin isn''t back yet? I saw you sitting alone at Lunch"


    "Yea. You sit with your roommate at Lunch"


    "And I''m stuck with a boring roommate", Frank said and pulled a small bag beside the nightstand. "These are Jin''s stuffs, right?"


    "Yea. We shouldn''t be going through his stuff", Kang said and Frank pushed it back.


    "So tell me. What is your Shin Zhu? I need someone strong enough to teach me to develop my Shin Zhu"


    "If you need someone strong enough, then your roommate should be the perfect candidate", Kang said. "He defeated a mid-tier and became a mid-tier in just one fight: his first fight" "Really? Wow!... He also said they call you the ''nk'' for a reason"


    "That is because I defeated the Night Hound without using a Shin Zhu"


    "What is your Shin Zhu?"


    "I have no idea. I haven''t figured it out yet", Kang replied.


    Frank stared at him, nkly, for a few seconds. "I knew my Shin Zhu, immediately I knew I was alive"


    "They say that''s how it works for every normal fighter in here", Kang said. "Turns out I''m the only different one among us"


    "So how did you win the fight then?", Frank asked.


    "Jin gave me some pills and told me to use one. It helped me in the fight. Romeo, Finn and Jin also helped me stun the animals at the end of the fight" "Who''s Finn?"


    "Finn used to be Romeo''s roommate. He came before you", Kang replied. "Jae killed him in a fight on the Arena"


    "Jae is that guy with the frowny face, right? The one with the stone arms"


    "Yes, that''s him. You should be careful so you don''t get in trouble with him"


    "I know how to keep to myself. Don''t worry about me", Frank said.


    "I''ll be going to the gym for some workout, very often. Will you like toe with me?", Kang asked. "Jin said it will help me grow my Shin Zhu" "Sure. I would love to work out too"


    ....

 A rough face

    "So how did you win the fight then?", Frank asked.


    "Jin gave me some pills and told me to use one. It helped me in the fight. Romeo, Finn and Jin also helped me stun the animals at the end of the fight" "Who''s Finn?"


    "Finn used to be Romeo''s roommate. He came before you", Kang replied. "Jae killed him in a fight on the Arena"


    "Jae is that guy with the frowny face, right? The one with the stone arms"


    "Yes, that''s him. You should be careful so you don''t get in trouble with him"


    "I know how to keep to myself. Don''t worry about me", Frank said.


    "I''ll be going to the gym for some workout, very often. Will you like toe with me?", Kang asked. "Jin said it will help me grow my Shin Zhu"


    "Sure. I would love to work out too"


    ....


    Immediately Frank stepped out, he got bored again. He stood up and walked to Jin''s bed. It was gettingte already and Jin wasn''t back yet. In a few hours, the lights would go out and everyone would go to sleep. Maybe he wille back, maybe he won''t. He pulled the small bag beside Jin''s nightstand. Whatever was in that bag might give hints to where Jin might have gone or it could just be the basic things Jin needed. He opened the zip.


    As expected, there was nothing special in the bag. He shuffled through, carefully, and found a shiny kind of bracelet, made of gold. He pulled it out and stared at it for a few seconds. It was bracelet Dea had given Jin but Kang didn''t know that. The bracelet looked familiar to him, as he kept staring, trying to remember where he hade across a simr bracelet.


    He pushed the bag back to the nightstand, still holding the bracelet, then heid back on his bed. ''Ana'', he thought. He had seen a simr bracelet with her when she pointed a gun at his face. ''The soldiers''. They also had something golden on their wrists when they moved around..... oh, no, it''s just their guns. Their guns were golden. Kang pushed the bracelet in his pocket and moved back to his bed. Jin had told him something about Dea and how she was helping his n to escape but he would have told Kang when he was about to leave. When he had to speak to Ana to keep her from telling anyone about Dea and Jin, Jin had told him that Dea wanted him to wait a while.... Dea could have found an easy way to get him out of there, right after the fight.... Or not.


    His eyes closed up, slowly, still in his deep thoughts. He had barely fallen into a nap when the lights went out. The sudden change startled him, making him open his eyes. Now, he would have to start the sleeping process all over again. He rolled on his side and made sure his torch was beside him. He sighed and closed his eyes. He heard a sound of the door, startling him awake again. He turned and looked at the door. The lights came back on, flickering frequently. He could see soldiers by the door. They pushed a person inside; a fighter. It was definitely a new fighter. Kang raised his back and sat up, as the fighter walked to Jin''s bed and sat down. He saw Deaing and he sprung up, quickly.


    "Sit down. I wasing to you anyway", she said and walked into the room. "You have questions about Jin, right?"


    "Where is Jin? He hasn''te back since the fight and there is a new fighter in his room now", Kang said, quickly. "What has happened to him?"


    "Well, the only time a new fighteres into the room and bed of an old fighter is because the old fighter has been killed, on the arena or in the hall", Dea said. "But you have nothing to worry about. Jin is definitely alive.... But he is out of the game so he won''t being back here. As the ''nk'', you can help in training your new roommate. He is a mid-tier already so you shouldn''t have problems with his Shin Zhu"


    "So you helped him escape?", Kang muttered, with a smile. She threw a ''shut up'' look at him. He definitely shouldn''t be saying it out loud. "Did you?"


    "No", she said and turned walking towards the door. "I didn''t need to. In fact, he didn''t need to escape. After he got the god-tier title, King found him bad for business. He would be too powerful against any of the opponents here so the Gamblers would keep staking their bets in his favor"


    "In other words, we can''t have god-tiers in the Arena, right?"


    "We can have god-tiers but he doubts if we will have any god-tier, anytime soon", she said. "Well, If we have god-tiers, he won''t make the Gamblers bet to watch the god-tier y. Rather, they would pay to watch the god-tier fight two and three top-tier fighters. In other words, King decided to let him go"


    "Wow! That''s uh.... Pretty luck of him"


    "Yea, but not just lucky. When you get to a particr number of kills, with enough gambling revenue in the most unlikely matches, you will be qualified to get to the outside world. It applies to everyone and sometimes, the god-tier cane first. Sometimes, it doesn''t have to. You just get free"


    Kang nodded and smiled. "Okay. Thank you", he muttered. He needed to grow his Shin Zhu, as soon as possible.


    She turned and whispered to him from where she stood. "Also, you need to stop running away from the spins", she said and walked out.


    Kang looked at his new roommate. He didn''t look young like a low-tier. Dea had just called him a mid-tier, though. "Hi", Kang greeted him, smiling widely.


    He threw a frowny look at him. "What?", he asked, violently, andid back on his bed.


    "Nothing at all", Kang said, quickly, and slept back on his bed, facing the wall.


    ''Shit!", he thought. Everything would turn new, like he was starting over again as a new fighter. He didn''t have a Shin Zhu so there was really no difference. He closed his eyes as the lights went off. The bullies had something inmon; a rough face. His new roommate would be one hell of a bully.

 The Bracelet

    Kang put the bracelet on his thin wrist and it stuck firmly. ''How would Jin even wear this?'', he thought... but the bracelet was a lot wider when he picked. There was no way anyone would think it would fit on Kang''s wrist? The bracelet seemed to have adjusted itself.


    "Fuck! Kang. You need to start working on yourself", he said to himself, looking in the mirror. He turned his face and his eyes met with his new roommate''s. For a second, he had forgotten the new roommate he just got. "It''s a nice bracelet you got there", his roommate said and raised his back.


    "Good morning to you too", Kang said and took the bracelet off his wrist, keeping it in his pocket. "My name is Kang. You?"


    "Dave", he replied. "Let me see that bracelet"


    "Uh", Kang muttered, reluctantly. "I can''t give it to you. It''s not mine"


    "Well, I don''t care who owns it. Give it to me. I want to see it"


    Kang red back for a moment. "You clearly don''t know how things work over here, do you?", Kang said, threateningly. "Ignore my body size, Dave. You won''t be getting off easily, if we get in a fight"


    Kang walked to his bed and picked a bottle of water by the side. He walked slowly and confidently to the door and walked out. He headed straight to the gym.


    "Hey, Kang", Frank greeted, walking up to him. "I checked you in your room. Who''s the new guy?"


    "That''s my new roommate. Jin is noting back"


    "Why? Is he dead?"


    "No. They let him out of the Arena. The Larger Figure said we can also get free if we get to that point", Kang said walking towards the dumbbells. "Now, I''m going to work my ass off till my Shin Zhu finds it''s way out" ****


    "Hey, you. Where''s the bathroom?", Dave asked, as he stepped out of the room.


    Romeo looked at him for a few seconds, with a nk carefree expression, and turned, pulling the door open.


    "I am talking to you, dummy", Dave said, stepping closer to him. "Are you deaf?"


    Romeo looked at him again and walked into the room. Dave rushed after him and reached for Romeo''s cloth. Romeo mmed the door twice on his arm. "Oh, sorry", Romeo said, as Dave held his arm, groaning. "I didn''t know you wereing... Also, don''t pee in my doorstep"


    "Fuck you!", Dave gritted and got up quickly, as Romeo mmed the door. "You want it. Then you''ll get it"


    He pulled down his pants and peed all over the door.


    "What the fuck are you doing?!", a low-tier shouted, walking by. "Fuck! I just saw a man''s pee-thing"


    Soldiers rushed out of the passage with guns pointed at Dave. Dave''s smile faded quickly, as he bent and pulled down his pants. He raised his hands and put them behind his head, kneeling down in submission. The soldiers walked to him and cuffed his two hands, pulling him roughly with them, as they rushed back out through the passage.


    Romeo opened the door, a few secondster. The low-tier was still there, staring with horror all over his face. "Where is he?"


    "The soldiers took him away".


    ****


    He was taken back to where he was brought from and tied to a chair. "Hey, uh, what''s your name again?"


    "Dave", he replied, as the man in front of him pointed a torch in his eyes. "Stop pointing that, Will you?"


    "What are you going to do about it?", the man asked.


    The door opened and another man walked in. "Kwei! What''s up?", the man said, walking in quickly. "Who''s this?"


    "Good morning, Fred. This is my new mid-tier", Kwei replied, ring at Dave.


    "What did he do?"


    "I checked the cams, some minutes ago, and I caught him peeing on the door", Kwei said with disgust. "Who the fuck does that?"


    "Well, you created him. We should ask you what you put in his head", Fred said, chuckling, and sat down.


    "So, uh... what are you going to do to me now?", Dave asked.


    "There''s a long list of what I can do to you", Kwei said, dramatically. "I am going to say it out to you before I pick the one thates to my mind"


    Dave stared back, confusedly. One part of his expression showed he was scared, the other showed he believed the whole show to be ridiculous. "I''m sorry. I won''t do it again"


    "Yea, I know that. That''s why I''m going to do what I''m going to do so I am sure you won''t do it again", Kwei said and sat down. "I can put you in the disposer. You know what that is?" "No? What''s it?"


    Fred chuckled. "You have the guts to ask questions, boldly?", he said, dramatically. "Do that again and you''ll be getting something worse than the disposer"


    "Uh... sorry?"


    "Good!", Kwei said, loudly, ying along. He stood up and whispered in Fred''s ears. "What was that about?"


    "Just keep the fear growing in him. That''s how it works"


    Kwei smiled. ¡°Right. But there really isn''t anything worse than the disposer"


    "He doesn''t even know what the disposer is yet"


    Kwei walked up to Dave, frowning. "So the disposer is an oven. We will put you in an oven and we set the ce on fire. It''s soundproof so your noise doesn''t disturb us"


    Fred leaned closer and whispered. "Actually, thest fighter I put in the fire. I swear he farted in there and I heard in my sleep"


    Daveughed. "Shut up!", Kwei howled at him.


    "How dare you listen when I''m whispering?!"


    "I didn''t know. I''m sorry", Dave replied.


    "You better be sorry ''cause we can put you in the oven and I''ll just do what I did to the next fighter I put in the disposer"


    "Tell him what you did, Fred", Kwei said.


    "I shoved a cucumber up his ass", Fred said, proudly. "If he tried to fart, I''m pretty sure he exploded in there"


    Dave stared with an horrified expression on his face. It was working on him. Kwei leaned closer to Fred and whispered. "You didn''t do that, did you?"


    "Yea, we can''t do that", Fred whispered back. "We don''t even have cucumbers"


    "Back to the list of punishments, we''ve already mentioned throwing you in the disposer with a cucumber up your ass. We can also put a gun to your head, right now", Kwei said, pointing a gun at his head. "That one is not really cool, right?" Dave shook his head, already sweating. "Please, I won''t do it again"


    "Or we can drill three holes in your head... then we will spare you but you be an Idiot"


    "Tell him what kind of idiot he''ll be", Fred said.


    "Yea. You definitely won''t be able to pee on people''s doors again. You onlye to your senses when you are on the arena-"


    "Please", Dave pleaded. "I swear I will stay in my room. I promise"


    "You swear and you promise. We don''t even know which one is legit", Fred said, faking a worried look.


    "Yea", Kwei replied, ying along. "Don''t you think we should just end this so you don''t have to stress yourself trying to keep a promise?"a


    "A promise and a swear!", Fred exaggerated, loudly. "Even I can''t do those two things at the same time"


    "Please", Dave said, helplessly, almost crying.


    Kwei and Fred looked at each other and burst intoughter.


    ****


    Kang ate his food in peace. Frank was absent and he didn''t bother looking around for him. Rather, he was d. He wasn''t used to sitting with anyone at lunch except Jin. He felt refreshed, after the long hardcore workout at the gym and the cold shower that came after it. The feeling was pretty different, like he had nothing more to worry about.... Not even the eyes that red at him. He didn''t even bother thinking of Jae or looking at him at all.


    A soldier walked out of the passage, pulling everyone''s attention immediately. They grunted loudly in annoyance, expecting the girl to walk out. Kang smiled at the passage, genuinely wishing it was the girl. She had smiled at him, thest time she came around. That meant a lot to him. Besides, he really didn''t have anything to lose yet. He was still too lean to be picked for Ana''s bosses.


    Another soldier walked in, pulling a fighter after him. It wasn''t Ana. It was just the soldiers bringing Dave back. Kang clearly heard the sighs of relief from everyone. That was thest person he wanted to see at the moment. He stared at the golden cuffs for a few seconds and looked away. The soldiers removed the cuffs from his hands and he walked straight to the kitchen to get his food. He carried his tray, gently, heading towards Kang who kept his eyes away, ring at his te. He stumbled on Jae''s foot, almost pouring the tray away. Jae and his friendsughed at him and he only red back. He looked up at the ceilings. There was a camera hiding somewhere and smashing someone''s face into the wall can be an offence. He turned and walked to the table. "This ce is filled with a bunch of motherfuckers"


    "Were you so hungry you couldn''t punch him in the face?", Kang asked. "Or you were just scared of him?"


    "I''m not scared of him", he replied and started eating. "I know there''s a camera somewhere watching us. If I m his face into the wall, I''m sure they''ll pick me up again and probably throw me into the disposer"


    "To be honest, I was hoping they''d throw you into the disposer... At least, I can get a new roommate who will probably be humble and wearing a cool face"


    "Well, I''m d you just lost hope. I''m not letting some idiot shove a cucumber up my ass while I burn"


    "Why would you pee on a person''s door?", Kang asked, boldly. "Out of all people, you chose to pee on Romeo''s door"


    "Fuck him! I will best him in a fight", Dave replied, confidently, as his eyes fell on Kang''s wrist again. Kang covered the bracelet properly. He shouldn''t even be wearing it around. "What is that thing?"


    "It''s Jin''s property. Not your business", Kang replied and kept eating.


    Dave stared at him, thinking back. When one of the Larger Figures at theb pointed a gun at him, he was pretty sure he saw a simr bracelet. The perfect fit, the color, and the thin opening; it was all the same. "Where do you think he got that?", Dave asked, and tried to pull his wrist.


    Kang pulled his hand back, quickly. "Stay back", he said and stood up. "It''s not your business"


    ****


    Everyone moved upstairs, quickly, as the time counted. There was going to be another spin and they were strictly restricted from staying back in the hall or in their rooms. They would never catch them if they hid on the staircase, like Kang always did but Ana knew about it so she must have been watching him. He walked to the top and clicked a button. Everyone was present there and he was standing beside Frank and Dave.


    "This is my first. How does it work?", Dave asked, staring at the two lists on the screen.


    "I have no idea. It''s my first too", Frank replied, smiling innocently. He held out his hand. "My name is Frank"


    "I wasn''t even talking to you"


    "Well, he''s the only one that''ll answer you", Kang said. "You may listen to him or you may not. As far as I''m concerned, if you raise your hand against him, you''ll get a cucumber up your ass a lot earlier than you think"


    Frank chuckled. "Cucumber up your ass? Where did you get that idea from?"


    "It''s the punishment you get when you cause trouble in the hall", Dave replied him. "Well, it isn''ting for me if I''m doing it in the Arena. Is it? I want me and that guy on the ring"


    "Who? Romeo?", Kang asked, doubtfully.


    "Yes. You said something about me daring him. I''ll show you I''m nobody''s mate", Dave said, proudly. "I''ll best him on the field and bring his head with me"


    "Well, I don''t need to tell you his story. I''m hoping you get on the ring though", Kang replied, as they focused on the spin.


    The movement of the beep had slowed down already and it was about to stop. Kang and Romeo looked at each other, as the beep moved over Kang''s face to Romeo''s and it moved down again. It moved down again and again and stopped on Frank''s face.


    "Oh damn! Has it stopped already?", Frank asked, staring nkly, as the beep didn''t move further.


    "Looks like it''s your turn to fight, Mr- what''s your name again?", Dave replied him. "Better pray you get another weakling like you"


    "How hard is it, out there?"


    "It can be hard, depending on who you fight against", Kang replied, as the other side of the spin was about toe to an end. The beep had slowed down too. "But I have a secret to help you beat anyone. Remind me to give it to you" "So you got something to beat anyone, uh?", Frank asked, staring threateningly. He leaned closer and whispered in Kang''s ear. "It''s that bracelet, isn''t it?"


    "Stop breathing in my ears, Frank", Kang said, as the beep moved to Jae''s face. He skipped an heartbeat. That would be an unfair match. The beep moved to the next face but it was another top-tier bully. It moved to the next and the next, then it stopped.... On Frank''s face. "Fuck!"


    Frank stared at the screen for a few seconds and burst intoughter. "This is the weakling I''m fighting with? It''s going to be a free point for me"


    Dave just stared at him. He was definitely scared. Romeo walked up to him and patted his back. "Are you scared?" "I''m terrified. He''s going to kill me, isn''t he?"


    "It''s one of two things. You either kill him or he kills you", Romeo said. "Just remember it''s your choice to make"

 Roommate Clash

    Kang did a few pushups before falling on the bed. He stared at the ceilings, tiredly. He really missed Jin. He had sworn he would work as much as possible till he got out of there and, maybe, he would find Jin. He turned on his side and his eyes met with Dave''s. "Stop it. Stop ring at me", he said. "I almost forgot you existed. I was gettingfortable"


    "I''m d to know I ruined the fun", Dave replied. "At least I have a purpose in life"


    "Oh damn! The fight?!", Kang muttered and sprung up from the bed. He was supposed to give the pills to Frank. It waste already and the lights could go off anytime soon.


    "Nothing about the fight, young man", Dave said and got up too, ring at Kang like he was about to challenge him. "Are you going somewhere?"


    "Yea... How is that your business?", Kang replied. The fight was against Dave and Dave would never let him help an opponent. "I, uh, just want to use the bathroom"


    "You can use the bathroom in here. You''re not leaving this room"


    "Well, if I''m going to use a bathroom, I have to use a BATHROOM. This is a bedroom. Just stop being an Idiot and get out of my way"


    "Okay, then. You can''t use a bathroom", Dave replied, stubbornly folding his arms. "You can pee on the bed. I''ll wash the sheets myself"


    "What is wrong with you? Damn! Just get out of my way!", Kang said and pushed him.


    Dave pulled him back and snarled at him, shapeshifting halfway, with his eyes glowing brightly. "You think I don''t know where you''re going?", he asked. "You think I don''t know what you''re going to do?"


    "What am I going to do?", Kang muttered and shook his hands off his clothes. "I already told you you can''t bully me. If you want a fight, I''ll give it to you."


    "Yea, well. I want a fucking fight! You haven''t shown your Shin Zhu", Dave said. "I doubt if you can even control it"


    He pushed Kang back and searched his pockets, emptying them quickly and shaking his body. Kang pushed him back. "What are you searching for?", Kang howled at him. He had forgotten to take the pills with him. He was happy he forgot, though. Dave would have seen the pills and would have used it instead.


    "It''s the bracelet, isn''t it?", Dave asked, stepping closer menacingly. "I saw that same type of bracelet with the Larger Figures. I''m sure that means something. Give it to me"


    He pushed Kang against the wall and checked his wrist quickly. "You seen it now?", Kang said and pushed him back, as Dave found nothing on his wrist. He had kept it in his bag, immediately they got back from the spin. "I flushed it down the toilet. Can I go out now?"


    "No, you''re not going anywhere", Dave said. "You are not going to say anything to him till the fight is over"


    "Well, you''ll have to try and stop me", Kang said and pulled the door open. Dave growled again, pulling him back, as he dug his fingers into his clothes. Kang got angry and pushed back against him, throwing back against the wall. Kang stared back for a few seconds, wondering how he was able to do that.


    Dave remained on the ground looking up at him.


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement, within the room. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........''


    The lights went out immediately and Kang closed the door behind him. He walked to Frank''s room and knocked on the door. He could barely see anything at all. The lights just went out so there was still an high probability that Romeo and Frank were still awake. He knocked again and again. There was no response. He waited for close to twenty minutes in front of the door. He slowly walked back to his room. Dave hadid back on his bed already. There was no light to be sure if he was asleep or not but Kang was pretty sure he was still awake.


    "Romeo?", Frank muttered, silently. "Romeo?"


    "What do you want?"


    "I am going on the arena. You should help me", Frank said, looking panicky.


    Romeo sprung up. "You want me to help you?"


    You know I need your help or he''ll kill me on that ring"


    Romeo stood up and closed the door. "Get up", he said. Frank stood up, quickly. "You said you wanted my help but trust me, it''s going to be pretty violent"


    "I just want to have the upper hand on that ring, tomorrow"


    Romeo smacked him in the face. "You don''t train to have the upper hand in a fight on the Arena. You train to win a fight on the Arena.... Now,e at me with all you got" Frank created a small ball of fire in his hand. "Are you sure?"


    "Actually, you can keep that", Romeo said. "You should build your ability with rage. You are just a low-tier but you can be a mid-tier in one fight if you can pull out your ability" "I heard it take tons of training".


    Romeo clenched his fist, shooting darts at Frank. "No. All it takes is one hell of a beating"


    Frank moved around trying to avoid the darts but he failed woefully. Romeo swung a rope at him and tugged him closer, mming his back against the door. "Please, stop it"


    Romeo pulled him up with his cloth and clenched his fist again. "What were you saying?", He said, as sharp thorns shot out of his arm. He drove a sharp thorn into Frank''s shoulder and threw him againsll ppl a ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement, within the room. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........''


    "Let''s stop", Frank said, bleeding from his mouth. There were darts all over his body with a thorn in his shoulder.


    "Ignore the announcement. We are not stopping this, halfway", Romeo said and pulled Frank to himself again. He smacked his face, giving him three cuts across. Romeo kicked him down on his knees and stabbed his back with another thorn. "huph!", Frank fell on the ground, gasping in pain and difficulty to breathe. "Please.... Stop"


    "On one condition will this stop right now", Romeo replied and walked over to his bed. "Show me the fire"


    Frank showed his palm, weakly, and created the fire on it. "This is it"


    Romeo smacked his face again and twisted the thorn in his shoulder. "Now, focus on the pain. Create a storm and consume yourself"


    Frank clenched his weak fist, tightly, and slowly got up on his feet. Wild fire ran up his arms, burning up the sleeves of the cloth he wore. "Are you satisfied now?"


    "It''s you who should be satisfied", Romeo said and Frank fell back on his knees. "At least, you''ve grown a bit. Let the fire burn in you when you get there and, trust me, you will win the fight"


    "How am I going to be able to fight tomorrow, looking bloodied like this?"


    "You should heal in a few hours. Lay back on the bed and let me pull out the darts", Romeo said and pulled out the thorn from his shoulder. Frank groaned. Romeo pulled the thorn from his shoulder and he slumped forward. "Get up and let the firee out naturally"


    Frank raised his back, weakly. He inhaled and exhaled heavily, as Fire sprung out of his arms and his eyes. He chuckled at the fire around him. "Wow! I couldn''t do this"


    "You should do some meditation, once in a while"


    ****


    It was toote to give the pills to Frank. Besides, Dave was watching him closely so he would know if Kang gave anything or said anything to Frank. He watched Romeo and Frank walk out of their rooms together. "Frank! Good morning!", Kang greeted, loudly, and stepped closer. Dave was definitely watching every move.


    "Good morning", Frank greeted.


    "Good morning", Romeo greeted too.


    "So... I trust Romeo gave you some tips to win. Did he?", Kang asked


    "You should have let the girl take him", Romeo replied. "He would havee back like me"


    "Or he could havee back like Gibbs. Gibbs was easily killed because of it, remember?"


    "What are you guys talking about?", Frank asked. His wounds have healed up and he was fit to fight.


    "It''s nothing. I came around, yesterday. I wanted to give you something but you didn''t open the door"


    "Yea. I was too weak to get up and Romeo was toozy... Romeo has actually helped me with some badass beating. I''m sure to take it out on anyone who stands in my way"


    "Good", Kang said. "That''s the exact confidence you need"


    Romeo pushed him forward. "It''s time to go", he said and drove a thin dart into his shoulder. "That''s a reminder for you"


    ****


    Frank shot a fireball at his chest, throwing him backwards. He stepped forward, immediately, and swiped his sword across Dave''s chest. Dave pushed his chest in and flipped backwards, waiting for his wound to heal. He rushed at Frank and their swords nged against each other.


    He kept moving forward, making Frank to step backwards and lose bnce, as he was swinging his sword with greater strength. Dave fell backwards but Frank''s tail slithered forward, driving it''s way into his shoulder, and pulled him back, then Dave knocked him to the ground with his leg.


    He swung his sword, immediately, but Frank rolled away quickly, getting a slight cut on his face. Frank was about to push himself back up when Dave kicked him back to the ground with his heavy lizard foot. He pulled Frank up on his knees, with his cloth, and put the sword on his neck, showing everyone what he was about to do.


    "Damn. He''s losing. I should have given him the pill", Kang muttered and looked at Romeo.


    Romeo closed his eyes. "Rise, Frank! Rise!"


    Dave put the sword closer to his neck, holding Frank tightly on his knee. Frank shook, as Dave''s knee touched the dart pushing it further into his back. He growled and pushed back against Dave, letting out a wave. The wave threw Dave in the air, dropping him feet away. Frank stood up, slowly, with his eyes glowing brightly.


    He clenched his fist tightly, making fire roll up his arms, as he approached Dave. Dave sprung up quickly and Frank threw another fireball at him. Dave pped his heavy lizard palms, quenching the fire in midair. Frank shot another fireball, immediately, throwing Dave back.


    Before Dave could get back up, Frank dashed at him with his sword. Dave pulled his sword and defended himself, kicking Frank, as he flipped up. He swung his sword but Frank bent, dodging it. Immediately, Dave''s tail slithered at him and swiped across his arm, leaving a deep cut. Frank staggered backwards and shouted again, running at the huge lizard. He kicked Dave in the chest and flipped back, swinging the knife at his chest. Dave swung a sword back and his tail came at Frank again.


    Frank gripped his sword tightly and fire rolled up his arms and up his sword. He swung the sword at the tail, cutting it off, and kicked Dave back. Dave fell back, weakly, as he bled profusely from his tail. Frank put his fiery sword to Dave''s chest and looked up at the gamblers.


    "I win!", he shouted and raised an arm up. "I win!"


    "Finish him! Finish him!", the gamblers shouted, standing up from the bleachers.


    He shook his head and walked towards the door, slowly.


    "Don''t make a mistake, Frank", Kang muttered, staring enthusiastically.


    "He has lost this, already", Romeo said and leaned back.


    Frank limped towards the door. He was about to drop the sword when he felt someone approaching. It was Dave. He was definitely back on his feet. He held the sword, firmly, and turned back. Dave was already right behind him. He drove the sword into his stomach, swiftly.


    Blood poured out of Dave''s mouth. He was about to leave the sword and step back when Dave''s hand raised a sword and drove it into his neck. Dave staggered backwards, watching blood gush out of Frank''s neck. He pulled the sword out of his stomach and moved closer to Frank,ughing wildly. He pulled the sword out and drove it back in. He pulled Frank''s body back to the middle of the Arena. "I won!", he shouted. "Look! I won!"


    Another set of the gamblers got up, screaming with excitement and pping for him. Kang nced at Romeo who was fuming beside him. Dave turned and looked directly at Romeo and Kang. He raised the sword, licked part of the blood, and pointed it at them.

 Arrest

    His feet felt numb, as they returned to the hall. He just came to the realization he would still lose everyone..... or probably lose himself to someone. He reluctantly took short nces at Romeo who was fuming beside him and moving at a slow pace. He could almost swear he felt heat emitting from Romeo. He stopped, as he watched Romeo turn and enter his room. "What''s up, Kang?", Jae greeted and winked, as he entered his room.


    He faked a smile back at Jae and entered his room too. Immediately he closed the door behind him, he stood still, staring at the bottle of water he had kept beside the nightstand. Right there, he could feel his childishness seeping out of his head and it was almost outpletely.... Probably true.... Or he wanted to believe that. He walked over to the nightstand and picked up the bottle of water. His long desired rest had just escaped his mind. He was going to work out till he knocked himself out.


    He headed out of the room, immediately. "I won!", Dave''s voice mmed into him, immediately he stepped out. He stared nkly at Dave, as Dave approached him slowly with hate. "You didn''t want this, did you? You probably gave him something that would have totally knocked me out but it didn''t happen. Am I right? It makes me feel a lot prouder of myself if I''m right"


    "Get out of my way, Dave", Kang said, looking pale. "As you can see, I''m on my way out"


    "What are you going to do if I don''t leave? Eh?", Dave asked, threateningly.


    "I''m not in the mood for this. Get out of my way"


    Romeo''s door opened and he stepped out, looking directly at Frank. Dave stared back, wearing an awfully annoying smile. He was sure he saw Romeo hurting beneath all the anger he put on his face. "How are you dealing with grief, bro?", Dave asked, stepping closer to him confidently. "I told that guy If I got time with the both of you in the ring- and it''s just me- I would still best you."


    "How about you best me now?", Romeo asked, as his angry face slowly shaped into a smile. Kang nced at Romeo''s hands. He had clenched his fist, probably ready to throw a punch. "What do you think, Dave?" "You want to bring it on? Bring it-"


    Romeo threw a punch at his mouth, shutting him up. Kang looked forward and walked away, heading straight to the gym, with his bottled water in hand.


    Dave shook his head, transforming into his huge reptilian face, and bit on Romeo''s hand. Romeo lifted him and mmed him against the wall. Breathing heavily, his eyes turned ckpletely and his arms were covered in his sharp thorns. He just stood there, ring at Dave with peerless ferocity and trying to control his anger. Dave''s tail shot him up and he kicked Romeo back. He moved forward and his huge tail skittered ahead of him, driving it''s way into Romeo''s shoulder. Romeo was about to grab the tail when Dave zoomed at him and kicked him down again.


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement, from the speakers in the hall. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........''


    "Fuck that!", Romeo muttered, as his eyes got darker. Dave kicked his leg at him. He pushed the leg down and sprung up, quickly. He threw a punch at Dave but Dave caught it in his thick palm. His tail slithered at Romeo, who held it quickly, making the thorns in his hand stab the tail. Dave threw a punch at him and Romeo bit on it with his extra teeth.


    Dave''s tail writhed and he shook, howling in pain. Romeo put an hand in his mouth and Dave bit hard on it, as expected. Romeo made the thornse out, getting stuck in Dave''s mouth. The thorns rolled around on his fist, speedily like a grinder, tearing around Dave''s mouth.


    Blood gushed out all over Romeo''s arm and he tugged it out, quickly, tearing out Dave''s mouth. Dave dropped on the ground, with blood gushing out of his grotesque face, as he died there.


    Soldiers rushed out of the passage with their golden guns pointed at Romeo. "Put your hands behind your head now".


    Romeo smiled and did as he was told. He nced at Dave''s body on the ground again. The revolting appearance of his bloodied face was awfully satisfying. "That''s for Frank", he muttered and spat on Dave''s body. The soldiers put golden cuffs on his hand and pulled him with them, as they walked back out through the passage.


    ****


    He pulled the gloves and fit his hands in. He was pretty angry and he really didn''t care about anything. He pictured Jin in front of him, building up anger against him for not informing him before leaving the arena. He shouted, as he punched the bag in front of him.


    Jae walked in on him. Everyone else had entered the room or was probably hanging out silently somewhere. All he could hear was Kang''s noise. "Hey! Keep it down, will you?"


    Kang turned around slowly. He was pretty angry. Thest person he would want to see at the moment was the first person who made him angry and tried to kill him. "What if I don''t?"


    "What did you just say?", Jae said, approaching him slowly, with the weird threatening look he always wore on his face.


    Kang stepped closer. He definitely wasn''t seeing Jae in front of him. Rather, it was just a punching bag he wanted to hit till the insides fly out. "I said it three seconds ago. What happened to your memory?"


    "Oh. You never learn, do you?", Jae said and clenched his fist into hard stone. He punched Kang in the face.


    Kang raised his head, quickly. The rage kept building up in him so much that he could barely feel anything else.... Not even the pain of having a rock mmed against his head. Rather, he felt refreshed and awakened by the hit. Jae threw another punch at him but he caught it in his hand. He definitely wasn''t thinking of winning, neither was he thinking of losing. In fact, he wasn''t actually thinking.


    Jae threw the second arm at him and he caught it. He felt the strength of Jae pushing against his hands and he pushed back. He kicked Jae in the stomach, throwing him backward. Jae sprung up and pulled a stone out of his side, flinging it at Kang immediately. Kang bent backwards and tried to catch the stone. The weight of the stone almost pushed him back. Kang managed to pull it back and threw it back at Jae. The stone weakly bounced off Jae. He looked at Kang, nced at the stone on the ground, andughed loudly. "It''s impressive that you''re able to do that, at least", he said and stepped closer. "Whatever Shin Zhu you have, I''m sure it''ll remain low-tier forever"


    Kang ran at him and flipped, kicking him in the head. Jae swung his Stony arm at him but he blocked the hit with his arm and threw back at punch at Jae''s head. Jae pushed his body towards Kang, bouncing him off with his body weight. ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement, from the speakers in the gym. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished........''


    Kang got up furiously, running at Jae. Jae pulled a stone out of his side and swung it at Kang''s head. Kang saw thating. He ced a hand on the stone and leaped into the air, kicking Jae in the chest. He held the stone firmly and swung it at Jae with all of his strength, throwing Jae backwards.


    Soldiers rushed into the gym, in time, and found Jae on the ground. "Turn around and put your hands behind your head", one of the soldiers said, as they approached him.


    They cuffed his hands and pulled him, roughly, as they rushed into the hall, heading for the passage. He stared at the golden cuffs. They were just like the bracelet in his bag.


    ****


    "Aargh!", Romeo screamed, as he felt electricity crawling up his entire body. He could feel his brain dangling in his head, with his hands chained to a chair. Not only was he unable to break out but the electricity made him a lot weaker. He could barely feel his hands, not to talk of clenching his fist. They put a silver bracelet on his hand, which stuck firmly to his wrist. That could be the exnation for his inability to use his abilities since then.


    "Fred? Who''s that?", Dea asked and stopped torturing Romeo. She walked to the man and looked into theputer screen.


    "It''s, uh, one of the fighters", Fred replied.


    "Yea. He was making contact with someone on the other side. What''s his name?"


    "Dan"


    Romeo raised his head slowly. He could barely see anything but he heard them clearly. His head dropped on his chest weakly. Having aplete minute without electricity in his veins was pretty satisfying. "I will have to see him... also, there can only be arger figure on the other side", Dea said. "I need you to find out who is there"


    "I''m sorry. Unless this person steps into the camera, I can''t", Fred replied and faced her. "You might have to get whatever information you want from the fighter"


    "We have an impending war on us. We can''t have secret hideous ns blowing them up for us", she said and walked back to Romeo.


    "Please, stop", Romeo muttered, weakly.


    "But you are creating huge problems for us. You are not only breaking our rules. You just wasted a valuable fighter in which we invested resources. King will have your head if he finds out about this" "Dea!", a voice called loudly, from the outside. "Dea!"


    Dea got up and walked towards the door. The door opened suddenly and King walked in. "King? What''s the matter?", she asked him.


    "Jin''s the matter. Where is Jin?", King asked, wearing an angry investigative look.


    "Jin? Why?", she stuttered, walking towards him. "What do you need him for?"


    "See me in my office now", King said and turned, walking away furiously. Dea followed him, closely.


    The room was silent now and Romeo was slowly regaining his strength. He couldn''t use his powers but he could now feel his hands. He raised his head and looked at the man in theb.


    Fred sat in front of theputer, watching a footage again and again. Romeo stared into it but he could only see shadows of people. He couldn''t recognize anyone in it but he knew it was the same footage they were talking about a few minutes earlier. "Uh... Mr. Fred?", he called.


    The man turned the chair towards Romeo and turned off theputer. "It''s just Fred. You can call me Fred"


    "What happened to Jin?"


    "He is a fighter. I work in a totally different department so if anything happens, I''m not entitled to know.... But I''m sure he''s alright"


    "When am I going to get back to my room?"


    "Sorry about that but I am not the one deciding that", Fred replied. "The good news is you definitely won''t be leaving here today.... But no more electricity. I promise"


    "Ok.... Thank you, Fred"


    "Yea.... Also, they are nning to do a kind of shuffle with the rooms and fighters"


    "How do you mean?"


    "You''ll understand when you get back there. Just know you won''t be getting a new roommate. It''s going to be any of the fighters already in the hall"


    "What''s this for?", Kang asked, as she put another silver bracelet on his hand immediately she removed the golden handcuffs. He was enjoying her soft hands caress his arm for the short second.


    "That will dampen your abilities so you can''t use your abilities", Ana replied and held up a kind of remote, as the soldiers chained Kang to a chair. "Now, it''s time to use the electricity" "Before you begin the torture, the dampeners are pretty useless. I can''t use my Shin Zhu"


    "Uh?", she muttered, staring confusedly. "You can''t use your Shin Zhu?"


    "Actually, I don''t even know if I have a Shin Zhu", Kang added, smiling. "That''s why they call me nk. What kind of idiot has a power and refuses to use it in the face of danger?" She stared at him for a second and sat in front of him. "How are you able to survive in the house then?"


    "Jin has been there for me and, now that he''s gone, I have to fight for myself", Kang replied. "That''s what I was trying to do before you arrested me"


    "Uh...", she muttered, staring confusedly. "Jin?-"


    "Ana!", a voice called and a man walked in swiftly. "Ana. We have to talk"


    "Fred? Is something wrong?", she asked and walked up to the man.


    "Something might be wrong", he said, refusing his voice. Kang bent his head and tried to listen. "You mentioned Jin, one time"


    "Yes, what about him?"


    "I just checked the list of active fighters, Ana. What happened?"


    "I have never had a physical contact with him. I''m not the one you should be asking"


    "Well, the one I should probably be asking is asking another person"


    "I''ll find out and I''ll get back to you, Fred", she whispered.


    Fred nodded and nced at Kang. He couldn''t recognize him from behind. He just turned and walked out. She walked back to Kang. "I have bad news for you" "What is it? Is it about Jin?"


    "No. Jin is definitely alright. It''s about your ability"


    Kang smiled. "There''s a fighting for me on the Arena?"


    "Yes... The Gamblers are demanding it and King wants to give them what they want", Ana said. "And he''s not going to make it an easy one"


    ****


    A soldier walked through the passage, ahead of him, and he followed, with the golden cuffs in his hands. "You can find your way to your room, right?"


    "Why won''t I be able to find the way to my room?", Kang asked, rhetorically.


    "Right", the soldier nodded and removed the cuffs.


    "Thank you", he muttered and watched the soldier walk back out through the passage.


    He was feeling tired and sleepy but he had questions in his mind. The lights had been put out already but it wasn''t as dark as it always seemed. He could move easily around. Everyone had gone to sleep so he moved sneakily. He walked to Romeo''s door and knocked. "Hello? Romeo?", he called, quietly. "Are you in?"


    There was no response. He pressed down the handle and pushed back the door. He opened the door slowly and peeked in. The beds were empty. There was no one in the room. Romeo wasn''t back yet. He walked to his room, which was also empty, and he dropped on his bed andid back for a few minutes. He controlled himself from falling asleep...... but it would be inevitable if he kept his backid sofortably.


    He sprung up and searched through his bag. He brought out the nylon in which he had the pills and put it on the nightstand. He searched further and brought out the golden bracelet. He was going to perform the experiment he had imagined. He wore the bracelet on his wrist and walked to the door, quickly but quietly. He gently pulled the door open, walked out, and pulled the door back, careful not to make any noise. He walked over to the passage, breathing heavily, as he imagined someone stepping out of one of the rooms. He raised the hand on which he wore the bracelet and slowly moved it forward, pushing against the invisible barrier...... or there was no barrier anymore.


    Kang snorted in a short chuckle, as his hand sessfully passed through without getting pushed back. He put his second hand and it passed through, just the same. He could probably walk through and get to the other side... but he wasn''t even sure of how to find his way out. He pulled his hand and turned back, quickly, as he heard a gentle door m.... It was his door. He didn''t close it well. "Fuck!", he muttered and exhaled with relief. He already got what he wanted. He headed back to his room.


    A door opened suddenly and Dan walked out. Their eyes met and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Dan turned and headed towards the bathroom.

 The Shuffle

    He walked into the room, dropping himself on the bed immediately. He didn''t prepare the bed or use his nket. He just unbuttoned his shirt, closed his eyes, and spread out his arms on the bed. He felt the breeze blow on his bare chest, as he slowly fell asleep.


    "Hello, Jin. Looks like you are making progress", an hefty man said, appearing right behind him. He had almost broken the lock sessfully.


    Jin turned slowly, thinking of a way to escape whatever wasing for him. He stared at the man in the eyes with nothing to say. Other armed men walked in after the man and stood there, pointing guns at him. He raised his hands up, slowly. "This isn''t what it looks like. I swear", he said.


    "It sure looks like a lot of things. Don''t it?", the man said, smiling. "I think I''ll be the one regretting this since you are one of our bests, which is why we intentionally put you with a physical match to make the game unpredictable" "Please. I''ll just go back to my room and I''ll nevere back here", Jin said. That definitely couldn''t set him free, unless this man wanted to keep him in the game. He hoped there was another punishment. He wasn''t only close to escape. He had multiple alternative ways to get out.


    "Oh really. I still wonder what you were doing here in the first ce. You said it''s not what it looks like, right? Or did I get that wrong?", the man asked, still smiling. He waited for a few seconds. There was no response from Him, as expected. "Don''t mind me. I just like toying with the minds of people, unnecessarily.... Shoot him, guys"


    Jin clenched his fist and an aura of fire swirled around his arm. He stretched his arm at them, throwing them back with a wave. He calmed down, as they fell on the ground.... But one person was still standing, too far to be affected by the wave. His eyes moved up, slowly. The man was armed, pointing a gun at his head. He shot Jin in the head


    His eyes opened, slowly. He could hear some sort of movement, probablying from the hall. He had a good sleep, feeling absolutely refreshed. He stretched, as he got on his feet, and nced in the mirror. He went on the ground to do a few pushups. "One", he muttered and grunted, as he pushed himself up and down. "Two.... Three...."


    He could still hear the rowdy movements from the hall. He got up and walked out of the room, wondering what was happening. He could see people moving around with bags in the hall.


    "... You are only allowed to enter the room you have been ced in. Go though the list and be sure of the rooms you have been ced in before walking into any room....", the announcement said, loudly, through the speakers. "What list?", he muttered and his eyes fell on Jae approaching him, slowly, with a bag.


    "For a moment, I wished we would be roommates so I can easily smash your head against the wall but it''s going to be one dumb mid-tier", Jae said and shoved Kang aside, walking into his room. "But don''t be mistaken, our fight isn''t over. We are not fighting on the Arena so I will make it happen here. What Romeo did; I want to do the same thing.... And it will be with you"


    "This threat would have been a lot scarier but I''m only scared of this sputter", Kang replied, boldly. "It might take days to get rid of the stink"


    Jae''s teeth gritted at him. Kang walked forward, stepping away from him, and turned. "I''m going to check my room. Then I''ll start preparing for when to shove your head up your ass".


    No one needed to give him directions to get the list. He could see the crowd gathered down the hall, staring at a projection on the wall. He walked down and looked at the list of names on the wall. There was a Larger Figure behind the wall to attend to every of their inquiries.


    "Ana?", Kang guessed, staring at her from behind. He wasn''t sure she was the one. It was a pretty different appearance but the hair was pretty simr.


    She turned. "Kang", she smiled. "Have you seen your new room?"


    "No. I just hope I have not been ced with a top-tier psychopath"


    "I''m not sure about that but it''s definitely not someone you already know", Ana said. "How were you able to recognize me from behind? I was on disguise." "It''s just you and Dea, right?", Kang replied. "The hair is definitely not hers so it''s yours"


    "Oh. There are a lot of females in here. I bet you haven''t even met the Queen"


    "There''s a king and there''s a Queen?"


    "Yea. She''s his wife", she said. "How are you working on your Shin Zhu?"


    "What am I supposed to do if I have no Shin Zhu?", Kang replied, indifferently. "I just hope it''s not a top-tier I fight against or some badass mid-tier like Romeo"


    "Are you kidding?", she asked, staring confusedly. "You think I was joking when I said he wants to make it hard? Well, he wants the Gamblers to have doubts so some bet against you and YOU WIN" "He thinks I''ll win?"


    "Everyone likes you! Damn! You''re pathetic"


    "How about you give sleeping pills to whoever I have to fight against?", Kang asked. "That way, I just have to run around the Arena till they pass out."


    "That''s ridiculous. Why would I want to do that?"


    "You just said everyone likes me... and it sounded like you are part of everyone"


    She chuckled. "I''m not going to do that because I don''t have ess to their foods", she said and pushed a strand of her from her face. Kang''s eyes fell on her wrist. There was a kind of mark on her wrist. It looked like a watch but it seemed to have merged with her skin, like it was imnted.... Or like it was a tattoo. "Also, I am not allowed to know King''s ns. I stumbled upon this information by mistake"


    The golden bracelet must be on the second wrist. He stared nkly for a second, wondering what the second bracelet could be for, but he was sure the bracelet had a use just like the golden one. He had no Shin Zhu but those items could probably give him an advantage on the Arena. "Oh. Alright"


    "What were you thinking about?"


    "Um. Nothing at all", he said, nkly. It would be nice to have her give him some weapons but he wasn''t ready to tell her about the golden bracelet he had with him. He looked up at the list and saw his name and the room number beside it. His new room would be the closest to the gym and Jordy''s previous room was on the other side.


    "I''m pretty sure you were thinking about something. You had an idea?"


    "Yea. A stupid one. I want to ask for a favor. Do you mind?"


    "Just go ahead"


    "I''m having problems with Jae. We fought, thest time, and he wants to make it happen again"


    "Okay. You want me to arrest him?", Ana asked.


    "That would be a good idea but I don''t want to arrest him. I want to fight him", he replied, staring at her. "I want to fight him"


    "So what''s my part in the story?"


    "I don''t want to hear the bullshit announcement and I don''t want the soldiers interfering. Alright?"


    Anaughed at him. "Let me guess; you want him to beat you to death before the fight on the Arena?"


    "What?! No!", heughed. "I want to beat him. You should probably keep your eyes on the gym.... In case he beats me, you can stop watching."


    Sheughed. "I promise not to", she said, as he turned, walking back to his room.


    He pushed the door open, as if hoping to catch someone stealing.


    "Hey! Show some respect, ok?", Jae howled, lying on Kang''s bed. "It''s my room now, alright?"


    Kang walked to the bed and packed the pills from the nightstand. He reached under the bed and pulled out his bag. He stared into the bag for a few seconds, taking short nces at Jae. Jae was definitely not someone he could trust. He put the pills in the bag and headed towards the door.


    "I didn''t see that bag. I would have taken my share from it"


    "You really want a fight, don''t you?", Kang asked.


    "You really know a lot of things, don''t you?"


    Kang smiled. "Well, I do and I want a fight too.... So we''ll have it"


    The door opened and a guy walked in with bags. "Hi...", he said, looking at the two of them. "This is my room"


    "Yea. I was just about to leave", Kang replied and walked to the door. "Good luck living with your new roommate"


    ****


    The new room had the same setting as the room he had been. He walked to one of the beds, sat down, and put the bag on the nightstand. The room was empty. The previous owners were careful not to leave anything behind, except the bed which they definitely couldn''t be allowed to take with them.


    Kangid back and exhaled, smiling as he gotfortable. Whoever had just left that room would probably be regretting the new room. Not only was the venttion better but the bed was as soft andfortable as sleeping in a bathtub. He sat up and took off his shirt. Jin had once rmended meditation and exercises to help him discover his Shin Zhu. He had been exercising but he never tried meditation.


    He picked the nylon and counted five pills on his palm. He poured the pills in his mouth and swallowed with water. That was against Jin''s prescription. That was definitely overdose... or it would work in a different way andst long.... Or it would just give him enough strength to fight Jae.


    He sat on the bed in the lotus meditative position. He closed his eyes slowly and rxed his shoulders and arms. He could feel the breeze blowing against him like he was no longer in the room. His mind wandered off and he could feel himself floating. He didn''t open his eyes and he definitely wasn''t seeing anything. He just felt the environment change sporadically.


    He felt himself in theb where he had been made, rxed andid on his back. He could feel the wall around him and the inability to raise his back. He felt trapped in.... He exhaled andid back in the container, then the environment changed again.


    He was in the hall, pushing against the invisible barrier. He felt a force throw him against the hard wall. Jae walked in through the passage and dashed at him. He went nk again.... And he was just staring at the ck behind his eyelids. He could feel himself on the bed again and an itch on his thigh. He scratched without opening his eyes, then he rxed again. His stomach grumbled and he was transported again.


    He found himself on the arena and he could feel the crowd around him. He clearly heard every movement through the wind. The night Hound was close. He could feel it''s anger and intention to attack. This time, they were both blind, unable to see each other... but he was sure he could sense the dog''s movement than the dog could sense his. A strong wind blew against him and he felt the Night Hounds jumping at him. He exhaled, rxedly, and the wind threw the dogs back. He felt himself redirecting the wind to every direction he wanted.


    The environment changed again and he was almost unsure of where he was. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids seemed to be closed tight. He felt an oing attack from the wind. It was Jae... and he could feel himself with a battered face. He held the wind with his mind and it stopped. He could feel Jae hanging in a position, unable to hit him and unable to retreat at the same time. He exhaled and felt the wind blow suddenly. Jae was thrown into the air, towards the passage. The barrier threw him back.


    Kang felt himselfying on his back and he was in the container again. The breeze continued and he rxed. He raised his back slowly till he was sitting straight up. The walls had disappeared. He was no longer trapped in.


    The door opened, suddenly, jerking him out of his meditation. He opened his eyes and saw a guy at the door. He had never seen him before so the guy was definitely a new fighter.... Or his new roommate. The bags he held confirmed that. Unlike before, he wasn''t apanied by the soldiers.


    "Hi.. uh", the guy said, walking in slowly. "The list says this is my room. I''m your new roommate"


    "Wow!", Kang muttered. He was going to fall on his back and sleep off. "Right now, I''m not even sure if I''m alive or dreaming so I''ll just fall asleep. When I wake, I will confirm this"


    The guy stared nkly, as he dropped his bags on the second bed. Kang raised his head, slightly. "Also, you forgot to close the door", Kang added andid backfortably. "And you''re wee".

 The new roommate

    He walked through the passage with the soldiers and they took the golden cuffs off his hand. He rubbed and shook his numb wrist. He dragged his feet on the ground, as he walked towards his room. He was so weak he just wanted to fall on a bed and sleep off. Dea didn''te back to him after King called her so he had remained in theb, chained to the chair. He spent the night on the chair, unable to fall into a deep sleep.


    He was about to pull the door when the door opened. "Uh?", Romeo muttered. "What are you doing in my room?"


    "Where did you go?", the man asked, stepping out and staring at him. "Oh. You were the guy that killed his roommate"


    "He wasn''t my roommate, dummy. Get out of my room"


    "We''ve been shuffled into different rooms now. It''s no longer your room", the man said and pointed to the projection on the wall. "There is a list of our names and our new rooms. Go and check yours"


    Romeo stepped back. "Alright... Thank you", he said and headed down the hall to the projected list.


    The window had been closed so there was no Larger Figure to put him through if he had a challenge. He looked up at the list and found his name. His room was just by the side, on the opposite side of the gym. He walked back to his room and knocked on the door.


    "Who''s there?", a voice asked and opened the door. "Oh.. You''re Romeo"


    "Yea. I want to get my stuff out", Romeo replied. It was a different fighter; probably the roommate of the first one he saw.


    "Alright", the man replied and let him in.


    Romeo took a quick look around. There was no change yet. He picked up his bag and headed out immediately, walking straight to his new room.


    He pulled the door open. "Hey! Knock before you enter. Who''s the idiot?!", a voice howled, immediately.


    Romeo walked in and went straight to one of the beds. His new roommate was Dan. "You didn''t know you were going to have a roommate?" "Well... you could have knocked before stepping in"


    "Were you masturbating?"


    "No", Dan replied andid back. "I''ll tell you what I always tell my roommates. I don''t like fights and I don''t get in fights-"


    "Funny", Romeo scoffed andid back too. "Go on"


    "If you get me angry, I won''t take it lightly with you", Dan said, proudly. "If you get into a fight with me, you''re going to wish you were never born"


    Romeo smiled. Threats was one of the things he loved, especially when it came from someone he considered weaker. "Crazy thing is I never wish", he replied. "And if you bring hell, I will give you hell"


    ****


    Just like it worked the first time, the drug had made him overconfident again. He woke up to the gym and started punching the bag.... He wasn''t nning to stop. The overdose had probably taken his anger to another level too. "Helloooooo!?", a voice interrupted his session.


    He turned sharply, breathing heavily and staring like he was expecting a fight. "Oh, um.... New guy", he said and calmed down. "What''s up? What''s your name?"


    "I was wondering when you would ask me", the boy replied and sat on the bench.


    Kang took a closer look at him. The boy was almost as lean as he used to be. "You never asked for my name either", Kang replied and walked to the bench. He stared into a mirror on the wall. He was already growing significantly. He sat beside the boy. "So what''s your name?"


    "Crane... time flies", he said. "How about you?"


    "What do you mean by Time Flies?"


    "I, uh... I have no idea. It justes up in my mind whenever I have to say my name", Crane replied, innocently. "How about you?"


    "It''s just Kang", Kang said and grabbed a bottle of water. "So what''s your Shin Zhu?"


    "What''s a Shin Zhu?"


    "What do you mean by ''what''s a Shin Zhu''? It''s programmed in every fighter, along with the name and knowledge of everything here" "Uh... I still don''t know what a Shin Zhu means", Crane said, staring nkly.


    Kang stared into his eyes. He didn''t know how it felt to have a Shin Zhu but he was pretty sure of how they should feel after he met Finn and Frank. "Uh...", he stuttered. "The Shin Zhu is an ability that we are created with. We are meant to fight on the Arena with it... and without it, you can barely survive a week in here"


    "So if I don''t know my Shin Zhu, then I don''t have it?", Crane asked.


    "If I had a Shin Zhu, I would say I have no idea", Kang said and drank from the bottle. "But I''ve been here for a long while. The only difference is I''ve grown"


    "You don''t have a Shin Zhu too?"


    "I''m supposed to cheer you up and lie about us being special but maybe we are not", Kang replied and stood up, walking back to the punching bag. "Maybe we are just weak"


    Crane stared nkly at him. He definitely didn''t look sure of how to feel... or he didn''t understand what Kang was saying yet. He stood up and walked up to Kang. "But you said you''ve been here for a while.... And you survived. Teach me how to be like you"


    Kang took short nces at him. Heughed in his mind at how confident he looked while he was still pretty scared. He wasn''t ready to mentor a kid while he was just as weak. "Ok", he said. "But you should know I still have death dangling over my head"


    "Then let death dangle over OUR heads", Crane said, confidently.... Rather, childishly.


    Kang stared at him for a second. The unusual excitement was definitely due to his ignorance. "Alright", he said and faced the boy. "The spin ising up soon so we should-" "Well, well, well!", Jae said, loudly, as he stepped into the gym. "If it''s not Kang and another low-tier idiot I definitely don''t know, then it''s nobody."


    "Look! We don''t want trouble, ok?", Kang said. "Just do what you want and let us focus on our business"


    "Well, I''m a troublemaker. I don''t have the power to let you focus on your business. I just do what I do", Jae said, stepping closer. "You said you would be ready, didn''t you?"


    Kang swallowed and clenched his fist. He bent his head and closed his eyes. He curtailed the anger in him and the hyped confidence from the pills he took. He was totally full of energy and he was ready to throw some punches. He wasn''t afraid... but he wanted to be able to control it and direct the energy in the way he wanted it. The dream or feeling he had in his meditation had to mean something and he was going to figure it out. "Alright. What do you want now, Jae?", he asked.


    "Okay. It seems there has to be a legitimate reason to pick up a fight so...", Jae said. "I want to use the gym and I want the both of you to get out but you won''t so I -"


    "It''s alright. We will take our leave now", Kang said and gestured to Crane. "Let''s go, Crane"


    "Whoa! Wait up! I''m here to give you a beating", Jae said, threateningly, standing in their way. He looked at the new boy. "You. What''s your name?"


    "Crane... Time Flies", Crane replied.


    "Time flies to where?", Jae asked. "Is that part of your name?"


    "Yes, I think"


    "Crane Time Flies", Jae said, confusedly. "That''s too long and meaningless... it sounds like a reason to pick a fight, right now. Ain''t it?... You want to run, Kang. After the threats you made, you are afraid to fight me?" "Let''s go, Crane", Kang said and pulled Crane with him. Jae pulled Kang back.


    "I''m still talking, you fool"


    Kang stopped. "Go to the room, Crane. I will meet you there"


    "Yea, he should go. It''s just me and you anyway"


    "Let me go. I am not in the mood for a fight so let go of my cloth", Kang said, without turning back.


    "I''m not letting you leave here without a scar", Jae said. "in fact, I want to know that Shin Zhu of yours"


    Kang turned to look at him but Jae punched his face with his stone fist, immediately. Kang looked up, slowly. His eyes glowed angrily. Crane was still standing at the door, staring at the both of them. "Go to the room, Crane. Now" Kang sprung up and caught the second punch in his hand. It was a lot easier, this time. He didn''t need to put much effort like he had to the other time. He raised his knee, hitting Jae in the stomach, then he threw a punch at Jae''s stone hard face, throwing him backwards... The more he made moves, the stronger and more relieved he became.


    Jae sprung up, quickly, and pulled a huge stone out of his side, throwing it at Kang immediately. Kang dashed forward and grabbed the stone, throwing it back at Jae. Jae dodged the stone and stood there, staring at Kang and wondering how he was able to control the stone easily. He threw his hand at Kang, sprinkling tiny stones at him.


    Kang stood still, pushed his hands forward and pulled them back, as if trying to pull the wind. The tiny stones gathered around his hands and he turned around, swinging the stones back at Jae. Immediately he turned to face Jae, a huge stone hit his head, throwing him backwards.


    Jae walked to Kang, shapeshifting into his stone-body self and getting bigger in size. He put his erged stone arms together to smash Kang into the ground. Immediately he dropped the arm towards Kang''s head, Kang sprung up and blocked the his with his bare arms. He grunted as he pushed back against the erged Jae. He rushed towards him and flipped, giving him a kick in the stomach. He dashed at Jae again, pulled a stone out of Jae''s side easily, and mmed the stone against Jae''s head. Jae pushed his body at Kang, throwing him back on the ground. He ran at Kang but some sort of rope pulled his leg back and he fell on his belly on the ground, shapeshifting back to his human self.


    He looked towards the door, where the rope or whatever it was definitely came from. Romeo and Dan were standing there. Romeo looked back at Dan, like he didn''t know Dan was there. "He didn''t need your help. He could have taken care of the situation himself"


    "That sure didn''t look like it", Dan replied and scoffed. "I''m sure he will be grateful"


    Kang stood up and walked towards them. "Get back here. We are not done yet", Jae howled at him, springing up quickly.


    "I''m not wasting another second with", Kang walked up to Romeo and nodded. "Thank you"


    "That wasn''t me. Dan did it", Romeo said.


    "You are wee", Dan added.


    Kang stared at the both of them. "Thank you. I could have taken care of him all by myself though", he said. "So you guys are here together; as friends or what?"


    "We are roommates now... and we are bing friends too"


    "No one wants to be your friend, Dan", Romeo said. "I am here to use the gym?


    "Well, I''ll just go check up on my new roommate", Kang said. "Good luck making friends with him"


    ****


    "That''s how you''ve been surviving? By hiding?", Crane asked, walking hastily, as he tried to keep up with Kang''s quick paces.


    "For a while, yes", Kang replied, as they headed towards the staircase. It was time for the spin and everyone was moving up already. "But I got a game fixed against me by one of the Larger Figures; a cute one... she probably wanted me dead. Jin gave me a pill and it worked for me. I won the fight"


    "Alright", Crane said. "Are we going to join the spin?"


    "I think she has been watching me and they are probably fixing a fight for me again"


    "ok. So we have to join the spin now?


    "No, you won''t join the spin", Kang said. "It''s just me. You should probably get some training so you don''t look small and weak. It''ll give your opponents the confidence they need"


    They walked up the stairs, along with the others. "Alright. She won''t know if I hide, will she?"


    "She shouldn''t. I think she''s watching just me so you can go back down and stay on the staircase", Kang said and they waited for thest fighter to walk up the stairs. Kang prodded him, gently. "Go now and watch from there" Crane ran back to the staircase and hid himself, watching the fighters and the screen. He hadn''t seen the Arena or an actual fight so he wasn''t enthusiastic about it. All that mattered was he couldn''t die from where he was standing. He watched as the faces appeared on the screen. He watched the beeping light move over the faces quickly and repeatedly till it stopped on one face. He didn''t know who it was. One the other side of the screen, the beeping light was still moving.


    He felt something touch his shoulder. He just rubbed it and kept looking. He felt a touch on his second shoulder. The beeping light seemed to be slowing down and Kang''s face was right down the line. He scratched his shoulder and kept his eyes on the screen. Then he felt something hard pressing on the back of his head. He couldn''t tell what it was but he was sure it wasn''t an itch. He turned his head. "Slowly.... Just turn slowly", a voice said to him.


    He turned and saw a girl pointing a gun at his face. "You are the girl that watches him, aren''t you?"


    "I''m the girl that watches everything. You''reing with me"

 Sand Wave vs Living Grinder

    Kang sighed, as he turned, walking towards the staircase with the horde. He wasn''t among the fighters, this time. That gave him enough time to train for the impending fight Ana told him about. "Crane?", he muttered, as he looked around for the new boy. Crane was supposed to remain there and wait for him.


    "Crane?!", he raised his voice a little, wondering where he had to go.


    But he couldn''t get lost, right? There was no way out for any of them so Crane had probably walked back to the room or he probably had to use the bathroom. He headed straight to the room. He nced at the gym for a second and proceeded to their room.


    Immediately he opened the door, his eyes fell on Ana, staring back at him. He walked in slowly and closed the door. Crane sat calmly in front of her, as though he was getting schooled. Kang stared at the both of them, while Ana kept staring into his eyes with a look of disappointment without saying anything. "Uh... what''s up? You look like I just did something stupid and you are about to teach me how toy my bed", Kang said.


    "Oh. Your bed looks perfectly alright. It makes me wonder if you can do anything better than that", Ana replied, meanly.


    Kang smiled, walking to the bed, and sat beside Crane. "Since you already know how useless I am, it''s nice to hear I can do one thing right, even if it''s justying bed"


    "What were you trying to get the boy to do? Even after we made it a rule not to hide from the spins?"


    "You wouldn''t have known if he wasn''t my roommate"


    "Yes. That''s where you realize how stupid you are. You know I had my eyes on you and I know he is always with you", Ana said. "You could have just let him stay on the staircase withouting up but you let hime up first. I could see you making gestures for him to go and hide. If there was anyone to be punished, you would be the one"


    "If?", Kang scoffed. He knew she wasn''t going to do anything. "You really will punish me again if you get the chance?"


    "I have the chance now, Kang", she retorted. "And I might give you special privileges but you shouldn''t misuse it. I can withdraw it whenever I want to"


    Kang sighed. "But that doesn''t change the reason I got the privileges anyway", he said, as she stood up, walking towards the door. "He has no Shin Zhu... all I did was help him stay safe, the same way Jin helped me stay safe"


    She turned and faced them. "Look, Kang. I asked again and they told me it''s not possible for a fighter to be created without a Shin Zhu... I think you just have to train hard enough till ites out"


    "I''ve been training for a while, Ana", Kang said. "Maybe there is a chance for him but it doesn''t seem like I''ll ever be able to do anything thany my bed"


    "But you''re surviving, aren''t you?", Ana said and stood up. "I can imagine what would happen if Jae or Jordy m their stone fist on my head. Larger Figures are mortal and destructible, unlike the fighters... and I watched the fight, Kang. You probably should watch the fight too. You didn''t seem like a mere mortal at all"


    She walked to the door and opened it. "They are not meant to know I''m here or contacting any fighter at all so I blocked the cameras... Good luck, Kang"


    "Thank you, Ana", Kang smiled back. "It was nice having this chat"


    She nodded and walked out. "I think she''s right", Crane said.


    "What part?", Kang said and returned to his bed.


    "I didn''t watch the fight but I watched the start", Crane said. "When Jae pulled you back and you told me to go to the room, I looked at your face. Your eyes were glowing brightly... I can''t do that and I think the fighters only do that when they want to use their ability, just like Jae when he shapeshifted"


    ****


    Kang meditated, once more. He didn''t take his time to wonder if Ana was right or if what Crane saw actually meant anything. He had bothered about that a lot of times and he had remained just the same. He couldn''t stop thinking about how he almost defeated Jae in a fight though. Now that he thought of it, he could imagine how overconfident he seemed standing up to a top-tier fighter without a Shin Zhu.


    It was time for the fight. Kang and Crane sat next to each other on their stand. "Wow! It''s really big", Crane said, when they walked in. On the opposite side of their bleachers, the Gamblers and the Larger Figures were seated. He didn''t need to ask before he knew they were Larger Figures. Their appearances were totally different.


    "It''s big", Kang replied. "And it''s limitless when you are standing in the middle of the Arena with an armed opponent"


    ''... it''s a brand new day. We have the Sand Wave, Argus, fighting against living grinder, Dennis. It''s an unpredictable battle, as the two fighters are rarely found on the field so you can''t tell their limits.... But you can guess from their terrifying names. Stake your bets while you can. Sit back and enjoy the game''


    "That''s the girl that caught us. What''s her name again?", Crane asked, pointing at Ana who was seated among the Larger Figures.


    "That''s Ana.... and stop pointing", Kang said and pushed his hand down. "Watch the game. You won''t be able to hide from the next spin."


    "So what''s going to happen if I get picked?"


    "Well, I survived my first and only fight on the Arena. We are going to do the same for you"


    Dennis ran at Argus with his sword. Their swords nged against each other, swiftly, moving around on the field. Dennis kicked Argus by the knee and swung the sword, cutting him by the arm. Like hitting a pile of sand, the cut only emitted a bit of dust and covered up immediately. Argus stepped back, as Dennis swung the sword again. The de cut across his second arm, emitting dust and covering up just like the first one.


    "Oops! Ain''t that surprising?", Dan said, smiling as he nced at Romeo beside him. "Why do you keep looking like you''re not enjoying the fight?"


    "Must you ask questions? Why are you sitting beside me?"


    "Because I have the right to do it, dummy."


    Dennis stared at Argus for a few seconds, wondering how he would beat someone who healed so fast that he could barely do any damage. Argus clenched his fist. His hand turned to sand and erged, as he punched Dennis back, throwing him against the wall of the Arena. Argus got up quickly and clenched his fist too. Dennis ran at him with his huge arms of sand and threw another punch at him. Sharp thorns sprung out of Argus'' fist. He made the thorns swirl speedily around his arm, as he punched into Dennis'' huge fist of sand. Argus dived at him, breaking the sand down with his grinding arm. As soon as he got close to his body, he pulled himself up with Dennis''s arm and flipped, throwing a kick at his mouth. Dennis fell backward and his arms returned to the normal size unhurt. Argus walked around him, wondering how to put him down finally. Dennis rubbed his hand over his mouth. He was bleeding in his mouth. Immediately he sprung up, Argus. swung the sword, cutting Dennis in the face. That was all he needed. He smiled, as Dennis wiped the blood off his face. Dennis'' huge arm swung at Argus'' feet, sweeping him off the ground. With Argus on the ground, Dennis erged his two arms and raised them up. He brought down his arms with great force upon Argus. Argus brought out his grinding thorns quickly, breaking down therge mold of sand.


    "He has your ability, Romeo", Dan said. "Unfortunately, this Dennis guy is too strong for him"


    "Watch the fight. All he has to do is go for the head", Romeo replied.


    Argus flipped back and fired darts out of his fists at Dennis. One of the thorns cut across Dennis'' face. He erged his arms into sand again and blocked the thorns from getting to his face. He threw his arms at Argus, blowing a wave of dust at him. The wave threw him back against the wall. Immediately he sprung up, Dennis dug his hands into the ground and the sand was troubled.


    Argus could see a rapid movement towards him beneath theyer of earth. He clenched his fist, keeping himself alert and expecting something to jump out. The movement stopped right at his feet and sand molded his two legs up to his knee. He tried to move his leg but it was impossible. The sand was almost as hard as concrete. Dennis smiled as his body turned to sandpletely, except his head. His body erged, towering above Argus, while his head remained the same size. Dennis clenched his fist making sand swirl around his huge arms. He was going to throw another wave at Argus and it looked like it would be a lot heavier than the first one. Argus shook, helplessly, stuck to a position. If the wave should hit him, with the sand mold still covering his knee, it would bend his body backwards and he would probably break a bone. "Do something, idiot", Romeo muttered.


    Dan scoffed. "You want to go out there and help him? ''cause it looks like he''s about to get a knock out"


    Argus'' eyes turned ckpletely. He snarled and his mouth erged. The thorns emitted from his entire body, including his legs, breaking through the mold of sand on his legs. Dennis threw the wave at him, throwing him back against the wall again. He flipped back up quickly and ran towards Dennis.


    He leaped into the air, jumping so high towards Dennis. The thorns on his arms got bigger and broke through Dennis'' sand arms. He threw a punch at Dennis''s face, creating multiple tears at once. Dennis'' left arm grabbed Argus from behind and flung him back on the ground. His erged body shrunk back to it''s normal size, as he groaned in pain holding his brutally torn face. The wound wouldn''t heal fast enough.


    Argus smiled, as blood gushed out of the wound he inflicted. He shot darts at Dennis'' face quickly. Dennis flung back his arms, throwing back a wave of sand. The wave flung the darts back at Argus'' face. Immediately he raised his hands to block the darts from hitting his face, Dennis dug his hands into the ground, making sand mold Argus'' legs again. This time, the sand molded up to his waist, making it a lot harder to move.


    Dennis dashed at him immediately, before Argus could regain his bnce, and threw a punch at his face. Argus bent backwards, almost breaking his back. Immediately he stood straight, Dennis grabbed his head with his huge arms and held Argus'' mouth open.


    Argus struggled in his grasp. His eyes turned ck and the thorns spring out of his body, breaking the sand mold from his waist. His teeth erged and got sharper, looking exactly like the thorns that covered his body. Dennis kept Argus'' mouth open with all his strength, trying to pull it apart. Argus threw his elbow backward hitting Dennis'' stomach repeatedly with the thorns. It only shook dust off his body, healing up immediately.


    Dennis shouted, as he pulled with all his strength. Argus also pulled Dennis''s hand back with all of his strength. Dennis erged his body and pulled Argus'' mouth apart easily. Dennis stepped back, shrinking back to his normal human size, as Argus dropped on the ground lifeless.


    "To be honest, that is the strongest disy of power I have ever seen", Kang said. "Jin didn''t do this much"


    "So this guy would beat Jin if they got in a fight?", Crane asked.


    "No. Jin can beat everyone"


    "The scene is horrible"


    Dennis raised an arm, as some of the gamblers stood up hailing him.


    "What''s up, Gandhi?!", a voice called loudly, from behind, as they all walked into the hall, heading back to their rooms.


    It was Dennis. He wasing back, already. Gandhi looked back at him.


    "I told you I was going to win the fight, didn''t I?", Dennis said, proudly, looking around. "There is a reason I''m the only one with my power. I''m special"


    "You won, Dennis. Everyone already saw that", Gandhi said and turned, walking to his room. "Go to your room and celebrate"


    Dennis walked up to him and pulled him back. "I''m not done talking!", he said. "You both boasted of strength and, now, I want to do mine.. in fact, I''m hoping we meet on the Arena so I can show you what true power really -"


    Gandhi turned again. Immediately Dennis pulled him back, he threw a punch at his shoulder and dust fell off. His palm erged and he held Dennis in the neck, squeezing tight. "If you ever try to pick a fight with me, I will give it to you", he said and kicked him back.


    ''Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated'', a voice made the announcement, from the speakers in the hall. ''Every fighter found in the act will be punished. Keep in mind that your moves are being watched and every unwarranted violent act against one another will be severely punished.........


    "Stay away from me", Gandhi said to Dennis and kept walking towards his room


    ****


    They stared at the ceilings, silently, till the lights went out. "Kang?"


    "Yes?"


    "What if I want to pee?", Crane asked. "How do I get to the bathroom without the light?"


    "You walk there", Kang replied. ".... There''s a torch on the nightstand?


    "Oh... thank you", Crane said and switched on the torch, pointing at the ceiling. "How do you sleepfortably in the dark?"


    "Because we have no choice. You can''t keep the torch on till dawn, Crane. Don''t ask?


    "Let''s talk"


    "We are talking, already", Kang said. "I can''t get myself to sleep, anyway"


    "If I get picked in the next spin, am I going to win?"


    "You will", Kang smiled. "You''ll be surprised at how things will turn out. Don''t worry"


    "Alright. Thanks", Crane said and paused for a few seconds. "The girl that caught us. What''s her name again?"


    "This is the ten millionth time you are asking that question", Kang replied. "Her name is Ana. Do you like her?"


    "Yes", he said. "Yes, I like her"


    "That''s pretty sweet, isn''t it? ..... and dangerous too", Kang said, smiling as he remembered Jin and Dea. "Are you about to make a request?"


    "Yes, maybe... are we going to be seeing her often?"


    "Sorry, Crane. Her presence is meant to be always official so you can''t guess if she will be back soon.... And if shees back for her usual horrible task, you definitely can''t have time with her... she tried it once with me and she won''t be doing it again"


    "Alright"


    "Also, she seems pretty disciplinarian. She might not take it lightly when you tell her that so you should probably tread slowly with it"

 The Mad Dog

    "Kabir!", Jae walked out of his room, howling. "Kabir!!.... Kang, have you seen Kabir?"


    "You think I''ll let you kill someone?", Kang replied in a carefree tone. "I don''t even know who bears the name"


    "Fuck off!", Jae said and kept looking around. "Kabir! Come out now. If I have to find you myself, I swear I will shove your head in your throat" Kang walked into the room. "Hey, Crane. What''s up?", he said and jumped on the bed.


    "Nothing''s up. I want to start training", he replied.


    "Hmm... alright. We should get to the gym before breakfast. Just one hour left"


    "Kabir!!!!!"


    "Shut the fuck up! Damn!", Kabir retorted, as he stepped out of the bathroom. "What do you want?"


    "What do I want?!... What did you do with my lube?"


    "What did I do with your lube? Dummy, I never touch your lube", Kabir replied, walking to the room. "Get out of my face"


    "Come back here, dumbass", Jae pulled him back. "Take another step and I will stuff your breathing holes with rock. You want to dare me?" "What do you want, Jae?"


    "I need another lube and you''re going to get it.... ''cause somebody exhausted my lubricant and it''s not me but it''s definitely someone"


    Kang and Crane stepped out of the room and walked into the gym, ignoring the two of them. "You''re not going to bully me, Jae. If you really need a lubricant so badly, just use your spit instead of wasting it all over my face" Craneughed, as they stepped into the gym. "What does he need a lubricant for?"


    "Trust me. You never want to find out"


    ****


    "Carmichael!", King called, loudly, approaching him. "Open the door to the Grimm''s cage and get me the captain"


    Carmichael nodded and opened the door, heading out immediately. King walked in and stared into the cage. A standing dog, like the Night Hound, with onerge eye on it''s face, stared back at him. "You want something now?" "Have you beenmunicating with the Grimms?", King asked. "I have a feeling you''ve been sending messages to them from here"


    "We are not so advanced and you know that", the Grimm replied, indifferently. "Are you in trouble or something?"


    "No but you might be in trouble if you don''t tell me what is happening now"


    "Me? I don''t even know what you are talking about"


    A soldier walked in. "King".


    "I just checked one of the reports and it''s recent", King said to the soldier. "It''s recent and strategic. It''s only possible if someone ismunicating with them from here... or they have someone working for them amidst us" "We will get the Grimm to talk"


    "You should do that... and make sure you investigate the doctors, the cleaners and your men. If you suspect anyone to be giving us away, bring him or her to me immediately"


    "Yes, sir", the soldier saluted, as King turned walking away.


    "You won''t find anything!", the Grimm said. "They don''t have your time and they will nevere for me... You better check yourselves for whoever is ying the prank!"


    The soldier left, after the king.


    ****


    "that''s if you can catch me", Kang said, excitedly, running up the stairs, as Crane ran after him.


    "Come on!"


    Kang stopped, abruptly, staring at a passage. Just like the one in the hall, the fighters were not able to walk through. That was where he caught Dea and Jin in a conversation; the same ce Ana caught the two of them. "Hello?", Ana waved at him.


    "What are you doing here?", Kang asked.


    Crane smiled, as he saw her. "Hi, Ana!"


    "Keep your voice down", she said. "Come closer"


    "Do you need our help with something?", Kang asked. "Or you''re here for something special?"


    "No. I came to see you"


    "You don''t want toe to the room so we can sit and talk?", Kang asked. "How did you know we would be here?"


    "I was watching... I can''te in. They must not see us talking so I''ll just stand here", Ana said. "Can Crane excuse us, please?"


    Crane faked a smile and walked away. "Alright. Good luck", he said.


    "Is there a problem?", Kang asked and stepped closer.


    "Sincerely, I only came here because I got bored", she said. "The soldiers have been finding notes and signs of an impending attack by the Grimms" "Grimms?"


    "Yes. That was what Jin was being prepared for. Now that he''s not here, someone has to stand up and protect us", Ana said.


    "Protect us? I''m pretty sure many of us will be d that this ce is going down. How do you expect to find one among us willing to fight for you?" "We don''t need all the fighters. We need the strongest"


    "And I''m supposed to find the strongest?"


    Ana stepped closer but she made sure she was still covered in the shade. "I have a feeling you are already with the strongest"


    "Who? Crane?"


    "Yes. Now, this is not about you convincing him to fight for us. You have to teach him to learn his Shin Zhu before it''s toote for any of us"


    Kang sighed. "Okay. I hope you are right about the Shin Zhu thing. You''re going to do something for me too"


    "What is that?"


    "You will be the one to convince him to fight for it", Kang said. "He likes you"


    She stared back at him and a smile slowly carved on her face. "Teach him to control his Shin Zhu first", she said and turned. "Aargh!"


    A one-eyed dog jumped at her, pushing her down, immediately she turned. The dog zoomed in, madly shoving Kang aside, as it ran around in the hall. "Fuck!", Kang muttered, breathing heavily. "What was that?"


    "That''s a Grimm. It has escaped!", she muttered, getting up slowly, and staring with a look of horror at the footpath she had left behind.


    Kang looked up at the ceilings. The lights turned red and started blinking. Then the irritating emergency sounds red through the speakers. He put his hands bon his ears and nced at her face. "What''s going to happen? How dangerous is it?"


    "I led it here", she muttered and ran back


    He stretched his hand out, testing whether the invisible barrier was still standing in the passage. His hand was bounced back by the bubble.


    Crane stepped out of the room and nced at the blinking red lights on the ceilings. Apart from the horribly disturbing noises emitting from the speakers, the blinking lights would be dangerous, especially if he was about to get attacked. A punch would go straight to his face and, before he could raise his head to look at the attacker, the lights would be off. When the lightse on again, another punch would havended on him. He looked around. He couldn''t see any problem..... except many of the other fighters walking out of their rooms to check the same thing. His eyes met with Jae''s. He pushed the door with his back and walked back in, closing the door.


    "What the hell is that?", Jae asked, loudly.


    Everyone else was busy staring at the ceilings too. They stepped back, as the dog-like creature jumped into the hall. "Isn''t that the thing that small guy fought with on the Arena?", one of them suggested. They all stood still, watching the Grimm as it crawled slowly, looking at all of them viciously.


    "That one didn''t have an eye", Jae noted, as he clenched his fist and turned it into stone.


    The Grim growled and charged. "Challenge epted!", the Grimm said and stood on two legs, growing bigger and muscr.


    "Damn me", Jae muttered and stepped closer. "Come at me, you frea-"


    The Grimm swung it''s arm at his head, mming him against the wall. Jae stood up quickly and made his stone fist bigger, jumping at the Grimm with a swing. The Grimm held his hand and his shoulder, holding him in the air, and mmed him on the wall. The Grimm growled and opened it''s mouth wide. He was going to bite Jae''s head off. Jae shook his head, turning it into rock quickly.


    "Stand down!", a voice emitted from the speakers, as soldiers started rushing in through the passage with guns.


    The Grimm dropped Jae on the ground and shrunk back to it''s initial size.


    ****


    King rarely called her to his office but she was back there again. Thest person she called is nowhere to be found. Her heart pounded heavily and she was almost sure it was obvious on her chest, as she nced at herself in the mirror. She tried to fix the look on her face but she only ended up twitching.


    "What''s it, Ana? I can almost hear you breathe", King said, wearing a serious nk face, as he took a seat in front of her. "Why are you scared?"


    "I''m not scared", she muttered.... But the break in her voice betrayed her. She was obviously nervous.


    "Come on, tell me", King said and smiled, as he poured a drink for himself. "Thest time you were here, you were furious and you wanted to do something irrational. I only called you to ask for your opinion" "On what, sir?"


    "Before we get to that, let''s talk about why you are scared", he said and sat up. "So what is it that you are hiding?"


    "No- Nothing, sir"


    "The Grimm got into the hall. Anyone would believe it got in there through the direct front passage, right?..... But it didn''t", King said. "There was no way it found it''s way to the back without being led by someone....or something. What were you doing in the back entrance?"


    "I''m sorry. I was bothered and I was just taking a walk", Ana blurted. "I didn''t know my shoes would leave a track behind"


    "It''s alright. I want to have an epic match and I was thinking we should bring the nk into the game with a top-tier... You wanted him dead, anyway"


    "Right... but I don''t think it''s a really good idea yet"


    "Really, what do you think?"


    "I think, since it''s going to be a bet, we should make them doubt the two or trust the two", Ana said, confidently. "They gave him a name after the first fight. I''m sure they love him already and they will want to watch him win. I bet they will all vote for him. That can be profitable for us, only if he loses.... That will be a huge loss if he wins"


    "So what do you suggest we do with him then?"


    "Let''s make him a show, instead", Ana replied. "Whenever you''ll make him fight, make them pay to watch him. Trust me. A lot of them will turn up."


    "And now that we have to present a fight to them and it has to be an exciting one, what do you suggest we do?"


    "I think we should pitch two popr top-tiers against each other"


    "That would be a good idea if you gave a reasonable example, Ana", King said and stood up. The wry smile on his face showed he liked the idea. He was hoping the suggestion would impress him more.


    Ana smiled back at him, as though her idea would give him the satisfaction he obviously sought. "Dan and Jae"

 Impending

    *King turned his back, with his hands folded behind him, and stood still. Ana stared at him. She could almost swear she saw his expression change. Her smile faded quickly, as her heart pounded. He was probably going crazy again. The mad King was probably going to do something to her again.... Like he always did or tried to do.


    She stepped back a little. "I didn''t ask you to leave", he said, startling her so much that she almost fell backwards.


    "I- I wasn''t going to leave", she stuttered.


    "I know that. You dare not", he said and faced her. "... but I didn''t ask you to move either... or to speak... or to blink"


    Her eyes twitched, as she saw the wry smile on his face again. It was a mischievous one... probably the same mischievous smile he wore on his face when he climbed over her the first time. "I''m- I''m sorry"


    "You''re doing it again", King said and took one step closer. She looked down, staring at the tiled ground and hoping the moment would pass away quickly. It never passed away quickly... and she never got used to it. "So what were you thinking when you walked in and went through my files?"


    "Uh?", she eximed, almost looking up at his face. She did it... she just never thought he would know. "i- uh" "You didn''t do it?"


    "I''m sorry", she muttered. Her heart rate just tripled. He was never supposed to find out. She was perfect with it.


    "Of course, that is the only way you already know about the fight I had nned", King said. "You probably walked to the back to warn him... probably because you fell in love with him like the Gamblers and everyone else"


    "I swear I had no motive when I walked there", she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I was just taking a-"


    "It doesn''t matter though.... ''cause it''s always based on my judgement", he said and turned back. She exhaled, almost loudly. "But I''ll take your suggestion anyway.... You wonder where Dea is, don''t you?"


    He turned again and faced her. She inhaled again and moved her face back to the ground. "N- no", she stuttered and twitched.


    He stepped closer to her and she could feel his breath on her skin. "I just had to show you how dispensable all of you are", he said in terrifyingly sensual whispers. "But I won''t do that to you"


    He held her by the waist and ced his second hand on her thigh. He looked straight into her eyes and she twitched. He smiled evilly, as he saw her eyesced with tears. "Please", she muttered.


    "You know why I won''t do that?", he asked, still in the sensual tone. "Because you are useful in so many ways"


    He moved his hand up her skirt, suddenly, grabbing her butt cheek. She gasped. The door opened and a woman stepped in. King stepped away from Ana immediately. Ana looked at Queen. She definitely had an idea of what was going on. There was no way she was knowing about it for the first time.


    King faked a smile. "You can go now, Ana", he said and walked back to his seat.*


    "Ana?", Fred called her back from her subliminal journey. "What are you thinking about?"


    "I- uh... I had some sort of sh with King", she replied and took her seat.


    "I knew you would", Fred said bluntly. "What were you doing back there? It was clearly led by the footpath you left behind"


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know"


    "It''s alright", he cut in and sat in front of her. "So what did King say to you? Or what did he do?"


    She looked into his eyes. That was enoughmunication between them. It wasn''t the first time. "He did it again", she burst into tears.


    His eyes widened for a second. He leaned back on his chair and rubbed his eyes. There was literally nothing he could do about. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I''m sorry, Ana... I''m so sorry this is happening and I can''t do anything about it"


    She pushed herself away from his chest and wiped her tears off her face. "It''s alright", she said, as she stood up, walking towards the door.


    "Ana", he called her back and stood up. "What were you doing at the back entrance?"


    "I was just taking a stroll", she said. "I was thinking of something so I just walked back there. There was no motive"


    "I''m asking you because Dea once caught a yer in the back entrance", Fred said. "The yer was talking to a Larger Figure"


    "That is prohibited", she replied, nkly. "But she does it too so she shouldn''t take it up, should she?"


    "I am happy you know it''s prohibited... but she could take it up if she wanted to", Fred stood up and stepped closer. "She didn''t see you but I did, Ana"


    She was going to say something else to lift his suspicion but she swallowed. He wasn''t suspecting her. He obviously knew it was her.


    "I''m pretty sure she would have figured out", he continued. "... and she would probably report you to King... but King called her, that day, and I haven''t seen her since then. Be careful, Ana"


    "I was going to ask about Dea. I haven''t seen-"


    "This is not about Dea, Ana. You know King and his sporadic errands. She can be gone for months.... Just find a way to keep her from getting to you when she gets back", Fred said. "And whatever you are doing with that yer, Dave or whatever his name is, you should stop. Alright?!"


    "Alright. I will"


    "You should probably her secret if you have to. You haven''t told King about it, have you?", Fred asked, staring at her. That would be a bad idea. If King didn''t make a judgment in time, Dea would definitely find a way to get back at Ana. He stepped closer to her. Her unusual silent stiffness said a lot. "I warned you not to tell King about it. Do you know the grav-?"


    "I didn''t tell him!", Ana said. "I haven''t told anyone about it, alright?"


    "Alright, Ana... We can keep it that way till we have to do otherwise"


    ****


    "What do you think she''ll do when we meet again?", Crane asked.


    Kang had his head buried in his te. An unusual hunger had woken him up in the morning. "Eh?", he muttered, as he raised his head. "I don''t know... but I think she''ll like you."


    "She didn''t say anything else about me"


    "She only talked about some special ability you got", Kang said. "If you get better in time, I''m sure she''ll like you"


    Jae nced at the both of them, frequently. His eyes met with Crane''s, a few times. "Jae''s always staring at you. Why?"


    "That''s a question for him", Kang said, with a mouthful of food.


    A soldier stepped out of the passage. Kang had been expecting that. Ana hadn''t shown up to pick anyone for her masters in days. She stepped into the hall, followed by another soldier. Crane''s face brightened, as their eyes met. "Good day, everyone", Ana said, walking around in the middle of the tables. "This is meant to be an announcement but I chose to be here myself. I''m not here to pick anyone so you can adjust your faces. There will be a special fight on the arena and the spin will happen in the morning. You should prepare"


    She winked at Crane, as she turned her back, heading towards the passage. "Hi, Ana", Crane muttered, smiling at her. "Hi, Crane"


    ****


    * ".... You wanted an amazing fight? You got one!......"


    Dan stood in the middle of the field, with a device covering his face. He was one of the fighters but he wasn''t allowed to know who his opponent was. He had almost guessed the fight would be like Kang''s fight against the Night Hound but Ana already told him his opponent was as ignorant as he was. He was definitely pitted against a fighter. He could hear his own unsteady breath. He was nervous but he wasn''t scared.


    The device jumped off his face and he was staring at the bleachers, where the Gamblers were seated. He turned his back and found himself staring at Jae. They smiled at each other. Each was confident.... Or one of them was overconfident. Jae flung a rock at him but Dan wrapped wires around the rock, making it hang in midair, then he flung it back. Jae caught the rock and made it explode into tiny stones all over Dan''s face. Immediately Dan raised his arm to protect his face, Jae flung another rock, throwing Dan on his back.


    Dan flipped backwards and flung a wire at Jae''s leg. "I''ll make this fast"


    Jae erged his leg, breaking the wire. He erged his arms and jumped forward to smash Dan into the ground. Dan flipped back, avoiding the hit. Jae swung an arm at him but Dan flipped over it, shooting another wire at his wrist. He tugged powerfully at the wire and broke of a huge rock out of Jae''s hand.


    With the wire wrapped around Jae''s rock, Dan swung it and hit Jae in the face. Jae drifted back, getting up quickly. The rock hit his head again. He growled and caught the next swing. He tightened his grip on the rock and crushed it. As he ran towards Dan, Dan pushed his chest forward, shooting multiple wires out of his body.


    The wires swung at Jae''s limbs, wrapping around every part. A wire wrapped around Jae''s left arm, another wrapped around the right. A wire wrapped around Jae''s right leg, another wrapped around the left. Jae struggled with the strong wires, which incapacitated him. Another wire wrapped around his neck.


    "Ha-ha¡±, Danughed, maniacally, as Jae tried increasing his body size. "I told you I''d get you, didn''t i?"


    Jae was already in thergest size he could be. There was no way he would burst out of the wires, except..... except he shrunk suddenly, then the wires would be too wide to hold him. The wires tightened on Jae and raised him off the ground. "Goodbye, Jae", Dan said and tugged at the wires, pulling Jae apart.


    The stones dropped down on the ground and the Gamblers stood up, immediately, screaming and hailing. Dan exhaled and turned back, facing the Gamblers and screaming back.


    Jae''s stones rolled back together and formed his body again. He dived at Dan, swiftly, with his erged stone fist, and mmed his two arms on his head, blowing it in a mash of blood and brains. *


    He sprung up from his bed, breathing heavily. "Fuck!", he muttered, as he held his head. Romeo was fast asleep on the other bed.


    The lights were dimmed; a sign that it was almost daybreak. He could almost feel Jae''s fists pping on his head again and again. He stood up and walked out of the room. A quick nce at the right, his eyes met with Jae, who was about to enter his room. They stared at each other, a lot longer than intended, then Dan proceeded into the bathroom to throw up.

 Anniversary

    He took water in his palms and washed his face repeatedly, staring in the mirror. For a second, he saw Jae grinning at him and holding a mash of Dan''s blood, hair and brains in his hands. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!", he muttered and held his head. "Are you alright?"


    His heart skipped a beat, as he turned back quickly. That almost sounded like Jae''s voice. "I''m- I''m fine", he said, as he exhaled and faked a smile. He turned back and looked in the mirror again. "How are you doing, Romeo?" "You never ask that", Romeo said and walked to the next sink. "You don''t look fine, either"


    "I''m serious. I''m totally fine. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, today"


    "I don''t care, though. I just don''t mind if you say what''s wrong with you, then I''ll know if I can help", Romeo said and stared at him. "But your silence is better. I don''t have to worry".


    He turned, walking out of the bathroom. "Wait", Dan said. "I had a nightmare. The spin is going to pit me against Jae"


    "So what? You''re scared of-"


    "He killed me... We fought on the arena and he killed me in the middle of the field. He burst my fucking head"


    Romeo turned and stepped closer. "Are you going to ask how I won my first fight after they got an old Gambler to sodomize me?"


    "How did you win that fight?"


    "I put my anger before me", Romeo said. "I don''t care what happens on that Arena so you''re on your own. My advice is; y your dream again and, this time, watch your back"


    He watched Romeo walk out of the bathroom and he leaned on the wall. He thought of the dream again. He could almost remember every part of it. He had almost won and then, he turned his back... Romeo was right, even in the literal sense. He shouldn''t have turned his back. He should have watched his back.


    ******


    It was still just a dream, though. The voice that always made the announcement was ring through the speakers again. He could barely make out a word but he knew it was time for the spin. Everyone was already heading up the stairs. "Ha-ha... You want to make a bet? I''ll-", one of the fighters spoke, hitting Dan gently with an elbow.


    "Watch where you walk, idiot", Dan said, standing there.


    The fighter red and walked away with the others. Dan looked around, as if searching for a way out of enclosing walls. The indistinct chatterings filled his ears so much he found it hard to think of what to do next.


    On the opposite side of the hall, a door opened and Crane walked out with Kang. "Crane!", he called, quickly. They were going to run up the stairs, quickly. They probably needed that. They were the only three left in the hall. Whoever was behind the speakers was probably staring at the three of them through the cameras.


    "What do you want, Dan? We arete", Kang said.


    "You were speaking to Ana at Lunch, yesterday", Dan said, quickly. "What did she tell you about the spin?"


    "Why would she tell me anything about the spin?", Crane asked, ignorantly.


    "Listen! I know she said something to you. I need to know if I will be picked for the spin"


    "What are you saying? If it''s decided before the spin, why does the spin happen then?"


    Dan gritted. He was almost sure the soldiers were already on their way to get them up the stairs. "Don''t y dumb with me, idiot"


    "They only greeted each other for a second, Dan", Kang intervened. "Come on, Crane. Let''s go"


    They walked up the stairs and Dan followed, reluctant but quick.


    He felt dizzy again, ncing at Jae for another second. Jae wasughing with his friends. Dan clenched his fist. He could almost swear they knew what the result of the spins would be and they were plotting andughing at him. He walked to his spot and clicked the button.


    "What is he looking at?", Jae muttered.


    Dan read his lips, correctly. He had been ring at Jae, impulsively. He moved his eyes back to the screen. "Fuck!", he muttered, clenching his fist a lot tighter. He could imagine how weak he seemed to Jae at the moment.


    The beeps started moving down the row of faces on both sides of the screen. His eyes darted from one side to the other and twitched every time it passes over his face. He took another nce at Jae and Jae was still staring back at him. Jae wasn''t smiling anymore. He had a look of suspicion all over his cheeks and chin.


    "Hey! Let go of my hand, will you?", Crane said, gently pulling his hand out of Dan''s grip.


    Dan seemed dumb, at the moment. The beep stopped on the left side of the screen... on Jae''s face. He nced at Jae again.


    "You knew about this, didn''t you?", Jae muttered, gritting his teeth. Dan read his lips correctly again and closed his eyes.


    "Hey! Stop squeezing my wrist. Let me go", Crane muttered, again, tugging.


    Kang looked at the both of them. Dan had his eyes closed. Crane closed his eyes too and stopped resisting Dan''s grip. "Dan?", Kang called, gently. "Are you scared of something?"


    Dan forced a smile. His eyes were still shut. "I''m not scared of anything", he lied.


    "Crane?", Kang called in Crane''s ear. "Why are you closing your eyes? We both know a fight between you and Jae is not the great thing they want on the field"


    Crane didn''t respond. The beep stopped and everyone was silent. Dan kept his eyes closed. He was pretty sure he was the one on the other side of the screen, even though he desperately wished his dream remained a dream. "Are you scared, Dan?", Kang asked again.


    Crane opened his eyes and gently got his hands free from Dan''s grip. "This is unfair. Jae will tear him apart"


    "I''m not scared of fighting him", Dan snapped.


    "Uh... alright", Kang said.


    His eyes were still shut. It had happened. He could hear Kang and Crane walking away andughing at him. They probably thought he was too weak to take on Jae... Maybe he was too weak to take on Jae. "Everyone''s left already. What are you doing?", Romeo''s voice said. "For a second, I almost thought your dream meant a thing"


    Dan opened his eyes. "What do you mean?", he asked, looking at the right side of the screen. The beep didn''t stop on his face.


    "Well, it''s not you against Jae. It''s just one mid-tier"


    "A mid-tier", he muttered and sighed.


    Romeo rubbed a finger across his forehead. "You''re sweaty. You really are a coward, aren''t you?"


    ****


    "I really wasn''t expecting this, though. No one was expecting this", Kang said and sat down.


    "I almost thought it would be Dan", Crane said, staring down in the arena. It was still empty.


    A Larger Figure would give a speech before introducing the fighters. "From the way he was acting, I almost thought he already saw the game n", Kang replied. "But really, do they fix the games? I thought the spin was supposed to pick randomly"


    "Nah, the spin is mostly a fa?ade", Kang said. "Sometimes, it picked randomly and when it pitches a top-tier against a low-tier, they would just change it" "But this doesn''t look well-matched, does it?"


    "We don''t know what the mid-tier can do, do we?", Kang smiled and nced at Romeo. "Wait for it".


    Dan sat by Romeo, staring into the arena innocently. He was definitely d he wasn''t going to fight. No one needed to see his excitement so he stayed pale.


    "It''s one big day again at Dergon. Our three-hundredth anniversary. I should probably be telling the story of how Lord Deryol took down three hundred Grimm soldiers on the particr spot called the Dergon Arena today but I wasn''t even there. Ha-ha.... This anniversary is a special one so everything is special. If your taste buds work well enough, you''ll realize the special taste in the food is different fromst year''s. Yea... it''s not my fault if you don''t so... the ceremony continues. This is the arena. You wanted an amazing fight? You got one!......"


    The gate opened and Jae stepped out with a sword and a shield. "Yesss!!!", he roared, confidently, raising up the shield and the sword. The gamblers pped and cheered, excitedly, as he walked to the middle of the arena.


    The gate opened again and the mid-tier walked out. He held a simr sword and shield and definitely wasn''t excited to fight. The arena was silent, as the mid-tier walked to the middle of the arena. He could hear the indistinct murmurs among the gamblers. They weren''t impressed.


    "Is this the amazing fight you nned for us?"


    King''s mouth gaped, as he stared down into the arena. That definitely wasn''t the n. "I''m sorry. That is the wrong fighter", King said and stood up.


    Jae twirled his sword and swung at the mid-tier. The mid-tier dodged the attack with his shield and took a step back, breathing heavily. "What''s your name?"


    "Uh, Todd", he replied, moving slowly and thinking of the best way to attack.


    "Funny. Never even heard of you", Jae said. "Should I give you a head start? I''ll drop my weapons"


    Todd pushed his shield and his sword forward. His hand shot a wave, sweeping Jae''s feet off the ground. Jae pushed himself up, clenched his fist and threw a rock at Todd. The rock threw Todd on the ground and Jae dived at him. "Halt!......

 Dandy Execution

    "Halt!....."


    "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!", Dan muttered, thinking of every possibility. They had never stopped a fight halfway.


    ".... We are sorry for the minor inconvenience", the announcement continued. "The fight is obviously a mismatch and will be discontinued, immediately. The real contestants will resume the fight." Dan stood up and ran away from the Fighters'' stand. "Where is Dan going?", Crane asked.


    "Whoa. Looks like we guessed right. He must have seen something", Kang replied and stood up, going after Dan.


    "Wait for me", Crane said and followed him.


    The gate opened and Todd ran out. "Not you, Jae", a soldier said to Jae, as he approached.


    "Alright", Jae replied, with a wry smile, and took a step back. "I can take on anyone, anyway"


    ******


    "Dan?", Kang called, running after him. "Wait up! Where are you going?"


    "Stay away, you idiot", Dan said, as he dashed into the hall, heading towards his room.


    They watched him drift and stop, just a few meters to his door. He must have seen something. "Where are you going, Dan?"


    "Who''s that?", Crane asked, looking at the woman in front of Dan''s door. She had four soldiers behind her.


    "I- I wasn''t going anywhere", Dan stuttered.


    "The fight is going to start now. Your punishment for tampering with our system will be awarded after the fight", the woman said, as the soldiers walked up to him and seized him. "That''s if you survive, anyway" Kang and Crane stared nkly at her. She looked a lot older than Ana and Dea. "I have never seen this one", Kang said. "She''s arger figure"


    "What are you two doing here?", she asked. "You should get back to your stand, immediately. We will find out who tampered with our machine operations and if any of you is implicated in any way, you will be severely punished. Pass the message to your friends"


    ****


    Dan approached him slowly with his sword and shield. The gamblers cheered, noisily. They probably believed he was a worthy match. He closed his eyes, taking one step after the other, and maintaining a defensive pose. ''this time, watch your back'', Romeo''s voice echoed in his head.


    He turned, quickly, and took a low swing with his sword. The sword nged with Jae''s, like he had seen the attacking. That was an instinctive move. He barely thought about it.


    "Hey, Jae", Dan muttered and smiled, as he opened his eyes. He had just put his fear aside. He would rather die fighting and giving the gamblers the show they wanted than die like a coward.


    "I bet you already saw thising", Jae said and smirked back at him. "I hope you said yourst prayers"


    "Never said a prayer... but I''ll learn?


    Jae flung a rock at him. Dan blocked the attack with his shield, drifting backwards from the impact of the hit. He ran towards Jae who had dropped the shield and sword. He leaped and swung the sword at Jae''s head. Jae blocked it with a stone and swiped at Dan.


    Dan bent backwards, avoiding the hit. Two wires jumped out of his chest and wrapped around Jae''s arm, pulling it down immediately. He hit Jae''s head with his shield and kicked Jae to the ground. Dan clenched his fist, watching Jaey back on the ground. The cheers from the gamblers was a lot of hype for him.


    He shot a wire out of his right fist. The wire wrapped around Jae''s leg and he tugged it at himself. Jae was pulled on the ground, swiftly, towards Dan. Dan was about to jerk the wire up. His heart took a leap, as Jae''s leg expanded, breaking the wire. Jae swiped his leg across, sweeping Dan off his feet.


    "Urgh!", Dan groaned, as he fell on his side. "Fuck!"


    Jae flipped on his feet and cracked his neck. He put his two arms together, erging it and dived at Dan on the ground. Dan rolled away and got up. He shot wires at Jae, wrapping around his neck. He swiftly jumped on his back, squeezing with all of his strength.


    Jae''s huge stone hand wed at his neck, trying to get the wire off. He turned around, sporadically, jerking and trying to shake Dan off. He jumped andnded on his back, mming Dan on the ground.


    "You, asshole!", Jae spat and clenched his fist, increasing the size to a heavy rock.


    Dan''s heart skipped a beat. Jae already held him to the ground. For a split second, his mind tried to find a possible way out of the situation. Multiple wires shot out of his body and dived into the tiny holes behind Jae''s back. The wires tugged, as Jae was about to drop his rock fist on his head, pulling Jae away and throwing him up into the air.


    Dan sprung up quickly. More wires jumped out of his body and darted back into Jae''s body, holding him up in the air and holding his limbs apart. "Die, asshole!", he screamed, as he tugged at the ropes, pulling Jae apart into heavy pieces of rock.


    "To Dan!!!", a Gambler howled, raising a ss in the air. The gamblers joined, cheering him noisily, as they stood up and pped.


    Dan kept staring down at the rocks. He could barely hear a word from the Gamblers. He waited for the rocks to join together and form Jae again... like it happened in the dream.


    "Why is he just standing there? He doesn''t look happy", Crane said.


    "I bet he didn''t think he could win the fight", Kang replied.


    Dan nced at the bleachers and looked back down at the rocks. ''Watch your back, Dan!'', a voice sprung into his head. He turned back quickly, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. He turned again and looked back at the rocks. He almost thought he had seen the rocks move, a second earlier.


    He walked backwards, watching the rock. He could hear the gamblers cheer now. The rocks weren''t moving. His dream wasn''t real, after all.


    ****


    "So Dan won the fight?"


    "You having trouble sleeping?", Kang asked, with his eyes shut. The lights were out and he was pretty sleepy.


    "Yea"


    "That''s the only time you ask a needless question", Kang replied and rolled on his back, staring up at the ceilings. He could barely see anything. "There must be something else on your mind keeping you awake. What is it?" "Ana", he said. "What she told you about me; about my ability"


    "Yea, we should work on that, especially now that it''s hard to hide from the spins", Kang said. "I''ll be pretty jealous, though. You''re the one with the ability.... Then you''ll have the prettiest girl. There''s nothing to worry about, Crane" "Thank you, Kang", Crane said. "Thank you for everything"


    "I''m so sleepy, Crane... time flies. Once it''s dawn, we might not get a chance to sleep well enough"


    "Did you just use my full name as a pun?"


    "Sleep,


    Crane"


    He could feel his chest go up and down slowly, like he was taking in more air than usual. He could hear the cheers of everyone, though the vision was quite blurry, he knew he was in the middle of the Arena. He felt consistent drops of liquid on his foot. He looked down at the sword on his hand. Blood dripped from the tip of the de.


    "Romeo!", a voice called his name.


    He looked at the man on the ground, as his vision got clearer. The man looked huge and bald, dressed in the costume of the leading Larger Figures. That face was pretty familiar, though he wasn''t sure who it was.


    "Save us, Romeo", the man said. There was blood all over his neck, like he had a cut somewhere on the shoulder. "The Dergon Arena needs your help"


    "Don''t listen to him, Romeo", another voice retorted. Romeo turned and looked back. There was another Larger Figure, tied to a chair.


    "Who are you?"


    "That man is the enemy. Dergon Arena needs to go", the man replied. He wore ab coat, like the doctors who created them. "You need to save us, Romeo"


    The cheers continued loudly. The arena looked bloody, like he just finished fighting. He looked up at the gamblers. They were punching the air, aggressively. He could see weird creatures running through the doors into the Gamblers'' bleachers. They were being attacked..... the noises were not chairs of excitement. The gamblers were trapped and ambushed....


    Romeo''s eyes blinked and he was staring at the ceilings. He felt numb andid there for a minute more, without making a move. It was almost dawn. The lights were still pretty dim. He raised his back, slowly, and looked at Dan''s bed. The dream made no sense to him, as he tried to make some meaning out of it. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Dan''s bed again. It was empty. "Dan?", he called, gently.


    The call was useless. If he wasn''t on the bed, he definitely wasn''t hiding under the bed. Dan had been acting weirdly for a while but Romeo cared less, anyway. He stood up from the bed and stretched. He looked at Dan''s bed again.... No, he wasn''t hallucinating. Dan wasn''t in the room.


    He walked out of the room and headed straight to the bathroom. He peed and washed his hand, staring into the mirror. "Save us, Romeo", he muttered and smiled at his reflection. "Funny".


    He walked out of the bathroom. "... thought you wouldn''t show up", a voice said, gently.


    His ears caught that, pretty sharply. He wasn''t sure whose voice it was but it seemed pretty sneaky and was definitely unusual. "I wasn''t meant to", another voice replied. "I know-" "Stop it, Ana"


    Romeo followed the sound. It wasing from up the stairs. ''Who''s Ana?'', he thought, as he walked stealthily.

 Lol. Nightmare?

    *Crane pushed his palm forward, throwing Kang against the wall. "Whoa!", Kang groaned and coughed. "That''s one hell of a hit.... But we need more" Someone walked in, pping. "Wow!"


    "Ana?", Kang muttered. "What are you doing here?"


    She looked directly at Crane, slowly walking up to him. "What is your name?"


    "Crane... time flies", Crane replied, smiling back. "May I know your name?"


    "It''s Ana, dear... It''s a pleasure to meet my uncle''s biggest creation", Ana said. "I believe you are ready for the war ahead of us, are you?"


    Kang stood up. "Actually-"


    "Not you, Kang. I was talking to Crane. Your power is overwhelming you can tower over every fighter.... But you stay humble among mundane creatures. You even hang out with a weakling"


    "A weakling?", Kang muttered, taking a step closer. She would never call him a weakling. What was she doing?.... "Ana?"


    "Show some courtesy, Kang. She''s still speaking", Crane retorted and smiled at Ana. "Sorry for the interruption. You can continue, mydy"


    "No, my Lord", Ana said, softly, and put her hands on his chest. "I wish to hear you speak"


    "Then say no more", Crane said and held her arms firmly, as he leaned closer and kissed her on the lips.


    *


    * "Kang!!!"


    "Shut up! What the fuck!", Kang sprung up from the bed. "You could have gotten a knife and stabbed my eardrum instead!"


    "Sorry! I''ve been waiting here for years"


    "Yea, and you haven''t grown a bit", Kang muttered and fell back on the bed. "I had a horrible nightmare"


    "It was obvious from the frown on your face", Crane replied. "Looked like someone was giving you a visual torture"


    "Pretty urate. Why were you waking me?"


    "You already missed your workout time, even though you slept before mest night."


    "Yea, right", he muttered and stood up.


    That dream was definitely stupid. He didn''t want to think about it but the thoughts just kept breaking in his head. "You''re not jealous, Kang", he muttered to himself.


    "Uh?"


    "Uh?"


    "Sorry, I thought you were talking to me", Crane said, as he faced the ground and posed for some push-ups. "Are you going to count for me?" "Yea, go on"


    He watched Crane go up and down and he counted every push, attentively. Crane probably had some potential after all. "You can try the punching bag. Your Shin Zhu must be attacking.... And destructive, hopefully"


    Crane walked over to the punching bag and Kang sat on the bench, reflecting on the dream again. After the training in his dream, Crane didn''t do much. Somehow, Crane had the ability to shoot some kind of wave, throwing Kang back against the wall. They should probably test that.


    Craneid on the ground, breathing heavily. "Forty minutes working out. That''s an achievement for me"


    "No, Crane. That''s child''s y", Kang replied. "Come on, get up. There''s this stuff I''d like us to try" Crane pushed himself up. "What''s that?"


    Kang walked up to him. "You should stand straight", Kang said, adjusting Crane''s pose to match the one in the dream. It probably didn''t matter but they should get it first. "Open your palm and put your fingers together... just your thumb aside" "Uh, like this?"


    "Like you''re going to push something", Kang said, and demonstrated with his hand. "Like this"


    "Right, so what?"


    "Uh, breathe in", Kang said. He was making that up. He definitely had no idea how Crane did it in the dream. He wasn''t even sure if the dream mattered or made any sense at all. "Close your eyes and feel the breeze around you" That was the same meditative thought he had when he survived a fight with Jae. "Alright. What-?"


    "Shut up. Don''t talk. Just listen and do", Kang said and continued. "Feel the breeze around you. Rx.... Now, push your hand forward and feel the breeze mimicking your move"


    Crane pushed his hands forward with great effort and concentration, pressing hard into Kang''s chest. He stood still for a second and opened his eyes, slowly. They both burst intoughter. "That''s it?"


    "Yea, whatever. It didn''t work", Kang said,ughing. "Fuck! It should have worked"


    "Well, the breeze didn''t mimic shit", Crane replied, walking over to the bench. "I bet the breeze thinks I''m an idiot now. Where did you get the idea from?" "My dream"


    "The nightmare you had today?"


    "Yea", Kang said. "Doesn''t matter now. It''s bullshit, anyway"


    "Tell me the scary part", Crane replied, leaning back. "What happened next?"


    "Well-"


    "Guys?", a voice interrupted.


    Their eyes darted at the door. Ana had walked in. "Oh, Ana", Kang said, forcing a smile. "You''re here"


    "I can see you guys are training", Ana said and stepped closer to them. "Hi, Crane. I''m happy to see you here"


    "I''m happy to see you too", Crane replied. "Kang was just about to tell me his nightmare. It will probably help me learn Shin Zhu well and early"


    "Uh?", Kang muttered. The rest of dream definitely didn''t help in anyway... in fact, he wasn''t about to tell them about the kiss they had in his head. They would probably sense his jealousy. "Trust me, Crane. It has nothing to do with your ability. It''s totally stupid"


    "You can tell us anyway. We can probably pick out hints from it so... spill it", Ana said and sat beside them. "Come on, I don''t have much time. Someone messed with the spin machine and they believe one of the fighters did something... besides, I must not be found here. I had to tamper with the cameras beforeing"


    "Go on, Kang", Crane prodded him gently.


    "Alright", Kang inhaled. "Alright, well, the dream was pretty short. We were training in the gym so Crane did something. He shot a kind of wave that threw me back against the wall. Then you walked in"


    "So what happened next?", Ana asked, clearly waiting for the part that made the dream a nightmare.


    "Well, he- uh.... He just kinda clenched his fists and pulled back his elbow.... Then his eyes turned red- totally red-like blood. He pushed his fists forward and the whole ce was consumed with fire", Kang said, slowly. "It was so horrible. He kinda burnt your head off. I had to wait"


    Ana nodded and smiled. "Alright, that has a lot to do with his ability", she said and stood up. "Start training him on fire, immediately... there''s going to be a spin before dusk. It''s going to be low-tiers and mid-tiers so keep him away till he gets full control of his ability"


    "You sure? They don''t watch the cameras anymore?"


    "Leave that to me", she said and winked at Crane. "You have no idea of the affinity between my family and theing war. Almost nobody knows... but I''ll tell you the secret when you''re ready"


    Crane nodded and stood up. "I won''t let you down", he said. "Let me see you off, will you?"


    "They must not see us together", she said, walking up to him, and hugged him. "I will check on you some other day. Don''t forget to stay away from the spin" Crane nodded. "Goodbye"


    "Thank you, Kang", she said, walking out of the gym. "Focus on the fire. That is the secret"


    "Where do we start?"


    "Uh?"


    "She said we should focus on the fire. Where do we start the training?", Crane asked,ying on the bed. "I''m pretty anxious"


    "I''ve been thinking about your name", Kang said, staring at the ceilings. "What''s it again?"


    "Uh. Crane... time flies"


    "That''s it. Thatst part; we still don''t know what it means", Kang said and looked at Crane. "I think that is the secret to your Shin Zhu. We should figure it out" "Why don''t we work on the dream first? It was pretty simr in a way"


    "It wasn''t simr in any way. I just made all of that up"


    "Uh? What do you mean by that?"


    "Well, there was no fire. When you pushed me against the wall, Ana walked in. She shunned me, walked up to you, and you kissed her"


    "So that''s the nightmare? You were just jealous about the dream?", Crane sprung up from the bed.


    "Yea, I was jealous, so what? The point is we are not focusing on the fire. I''m sure your Shin Zhu is somehow connected with your weird name"


    "You could have just told me you liked her, in the first ce"


    "Well, she likes you. It doesn''t matter, does it?!", Kang retorted and turned, facing the wall. "Sleep. We will train tomorrow"


    "That''s if I''m not still angry, then", Crane faced the wall too. "Good night!"


    "Hi.... Uh, hi"


    "Me?", Dan turned and looked at the mid-tier. "Do I know you?"


    He looked up. Everyone had their eyes on the both of them, as though they were expecting him to nail the mid-tier to the wall. They were probably expecting him to do it. He always did it.... But he wasn''t going to do it. "Uh, I think so. I''m Todd... I was on the arena with Jae before you stepped in"


    "Oh. It''s you", Dan muttered. "You need something?"


    "No. I just wanted to thank you for helping me beat him", Todd said.


    "Well, there''s no need to-"


    A loud ring emitted from the speakers, alerting them. It''s a notification for the next spin. "There''s no need to thank me", Dan continued and looked up at the fighters still staring at him. "What are you looking at?"


    *

 Jealous Trouble

    Crane walked up to him, reluctantly. Kang had slept off so quickly. "Hey!", Crane tapped him roughly. He stared down at Kang''s face, while the rm red in the hall. Kang had a mixed expression on his face. He looked rxed and, at the same time, angry. "Wake up, Kang! It''s time for the spin!"


    "What is it?! Leave me alone!", Kang blurted, shaking Crane''s hand off. "What do you want?"


    "Shut up, dummy. I don''t want anything from you", Crane retorted. "I should probably leave you to sleep while the spin goes on. Whatever the soldiers do to you; it''s your Christmas gift" "Idiot. It''s not even Christmas yet"


    "Well then, go ahead andy there like it''s some holiday", Crane said and walked out.


    Kang stared nkly at the wall for a few seconds. "Yea, fuck you, anyway", he muttered, as he stood up from the bed.


    He stretched and staggered backwards, almost falling back on the bed. He had only napped for a few minutes and it already felt like a daylong journey. He walked towards the door and took a short nce in the mirror. His eyes were red. He looked rough and beaten. He walked out and ran up the stairs, quickly.


    "Don''t stand beside me", Crane muttered, as Kang walked past.


    "I wasn''t going to", Kang replied, ring. He stood between Romeo and a strange mid-tier and pressed down the button.


    The spin began. Romeo nudged Kang, gently. "What''s up with the two of you?"


    "The two of who?", Kang replied, mindlessly staring at the screen. "I have no idea what you''re talking about"


    "Don''t y dumb with me, Kang. You''re both helpless and weak"


    Kang looked at him. "You had to say that, didn''t you?", he muttered. "I''m weak. I can''t get anything done on my own, right?"


    He clenched his fist, on impulse, and threw a punch at Romeo''s jaw. He kicked him down on the ground. The fighters stepped aside, quickly, giving them space, as the lights turned red immediately. The soldiers were definitely on their way. He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder and the scene erased in his face. He was staring at another fighter on the other side. The lights were just the same. He hadn''t punched Romeo in the face and the soldiers definitely weren''t on their way. "What are you thinking about?", Romeo asked.


    "It''s nothing, alright?", he retorted and looked back at the screen. The beep had stopped on the right side of the screen, while it was still moving on the left side. That was unusual. He stared at the face on which the beep stood. It was... Crane. He looked at Crane, quickly. Their eyes met and they stared at each other longer than intended. The anger in their faces had disappeared. Now, it was just fear.


    "You''re fucked", Romeo muttered, expressionlessly.


    They looked back at the screen and waited for the beep on the right side to stop. It had slowed down already. Kang''s heart beat louder as it moved from a face to the next. It moved from a mid-tier to Romeo''s... then it moved down again to a low-tier. No option was good. Crane didn''t have any Shin Zhu to fight with at all. The beep moved down to Kang''s face. His heart skipped a beat.


    He looked at Crane again. They weren''t going to fight. Crane''s eyes wereced with tears as he stared back at Kang. Kang wasn''t seeing that, though. He remembered the fight between Rico and Remi. It didn''t end well.


    *He opened the door slightly and peeped. Soldier walked through the passage and walked into a fighter''s room. Kang came down from his bed and walked to the door, staring too. Jin left him there and walked back to his bed. "They are going into a fighter''s room. Whose room is that?", Kang asked.


    "Remi and Rico", Jin replied, turning on his bed.


    "Why are they going in there? Come to think of it, I don''t think the two of them have returned after the fight", Kang said, still peeping. "They are bringing out their clothes and items"


    "They only bring out their items when they are dead. Come to bed and stop talking, man"


    "What do you mean by that? None of them died"


    "None of them died in front of you", Jin replied. Kang closed the door, staring nkly at the handle in shock. The lights went out, a few secondster. "Go to bed, Kang. There''s nothing you can do to bring them back"


    *


    * "Lucky you", Romeo nudged him and exhaled. "I almost lost it, for a second"


    "What do you mean?", Kang asked, as his eyes darted back at the screen. The beep had moved down from his face to the next. It was Todd again.


    "She told me to stay away from the spin", Crane muttered, loudly, in the room, panicking. "I forgot to stay back but you; you chose not to remind me?


    "Shut up. You can forget things but I can''t?", Kang retorted. "You think that''s all I got in my head?"


    "You sure have a lot in your head... like your silly jealousy. It''s all your fault anyway"


    "Push mes all you want. You were so pissed about me that you forgot something so important. Isn''t that the point?"


    "And you chose not to remind me because you were angry too. Isn''t that true?!", Crane retorted loudly.


    "Shout all you want, you''re still the one fighting on the Arena", Kang said and turned, facing the wall.


    "So what now?", Crane muttered. His voice broke, slightly. The argument didn''t make any sense to him, anymore. Kang was right. He was the one about to be sentenced to death. He stared, tearfully, at Kang''s back. "You''re just going to leave me to it, won''t you? You''ll let me die like the weakling I am"


    Kang rolled on his back, facing up, and exhaled. "I am a weakling but I won my first fight", he replied, calmly. "We just have to do the same thing I did... so you''re winning the fight. Come on, smile" Crane smiled. "Thank you"


    "You don''t have to. The fight really made no sense. We shouldn''t turn against each other like that", Kang said. "We are winning this"


    "I''m sorry", Crane nodded.


    "No. Say we are winning this"


    He smiled, widely. "We are winning this"


    "So what were you guys thinking?!", Ana howled silently. "Did you even realize what could have happened?... Or what has happened?!" Crane and Kang stared at each other, running their hands through their hairs.


    "Nothing?", Ana continued. "The spin was going to be between the both of you... what happened? You just forgot the warning I gave?"


    "Yea. I was pretty pissed with him", Crane replied, reluctantly.


    "And you forgot to remind him because you were pissed too?"


    "He was jealous", Crane blurted.


    Ana stared at the both of them, wondering what they were saying. "You forgot something so important because you were jealous and pissed? What were you jealous of?"


    He had said too much. His eyes darted at Kang who was staring back with a questioning look, his eyes literally asking Crane to shut up. "Uh...", Kang muttered, faking a carefree look.


    "You''ve forgotten?", Ana asked, staring at Crane.


    Crane looked away. "It''s really nothing", Kang replied.


    Ana nodded. "Alright. I think I understand perfectly well", she chuckled. "You already have a name, Kang.... If you step on the ring today against Jae or Dan, or even Jin, the gamblers may want to stake their money on any of them but they will rather cheer and praise you... and trust me when I say they would still love to see you win without using your powers. You Shin Zhu doesn''t change the sweet person that you are"


    "Alright. Don''t make it worse, Ana", Kang said. "For a second, I was going to cry"


    "Do all you can and make sure Crane wins that fight", Ana said and stepped back. "I have to go."


    They nodded and turned around. It waste already. Their eyes met and they burst into a silentughter, as they walked down the stairs. "She totally missed the point, didn''t she?", Crane asked. "Well, I''m d she did though. Else, I would be shoving a dildo up your ass"


    "Ain''t that stuff meant to give orgasms?"


    "You want to find out?"


    "I wonder where you''ll get one, though..."


    Kang walked into the room and closed the door behind him, slowly, like he was watching something in the hall. He walked to his bed, staring suspiciously. "You don''t want to sleep yet?" "No, I want the light to go off", Crane said,ying on his bed and staring at the ceilings. "It''s easier to fall asleep then"


    "Alright. Don''t forget to take the pills", Kang walked to him and added an extra pill to the ones on Crane''s palm.


    "And you''re sure this isn''t overdose?", Crane asked, counting the pills on his palm without looking. He was holding four. "How many pills did you take before your fight?"


    He walked to his bed and sighed, as heidfortably. "Jin rmended one"


    "And you took how many?"


    "I followed his rmendation"


    The lights went off. "You followed the rmendation but I should overdose?", Crane said.


    "No, dummy. Follow my rmendation, alright?"


    (Eight minutes earlier)


    Dan stepped out of his room. Gently mming the door behind him, his eyes fell on anky mid-tier. He was definitely waiting for him. "Uh? You want something?" "It''s me, Todd. I was the mid-tier you-"


    "I know who you are. We already talked about this", Dan said. "You don''t need to thank me. I don''t need to see you. I just need to use the toilet, right now" "Well, you need to help me", Todd said.


    Dan stopped walking and turned. "Oh", he muttered. "You''re the one going against Kang''s guy?"


    "Yea-"


    Kang stepped out of the bathroom, staring at them as he slowly walked to the room. Dan stared back for a second and looked away. "You don''t need my help for anything", Dan replied in whispers. "In here, we are all opponents so... fight your battle yourself"


    Kang had entered the room. Todd stepped closer, confidently. "You will have to help me because you saved me. I shouldn''t be scared but I have no idea what he can do. If he wins me, your save would be a waste"


    "Well, if you don''t stop talking now, I will waste that save myself", Dan said and turned.


    "I know your secret, Dan", Todd said. "I wonder what will happen when the Larger Figures know about it... or the fighters... but, just so you know, I already know your secret"


    *******


    **PLEASE, LEAVE AN HONEST REVIEW. [**

 Time Flies

    Kang stared down into the arena from where he sat. The confidence he had in Crane had just gone with the wind. The Gamblers definitely had no idea what either of them was capable of. They were just staring down and hoping they had staked their bets on the right one. "What is it, Kang? I can hear you breathe", Romeo said, tapping him roughly on the thigh.


    "I, uh", he muttered, breathing heavily. "It''s, uh, nothing"


    The fight had begun. Todd and Crane were moving around in circles, maintaining the eye contact. Crane took one quick long step towards Todd and took a quick low swing at Todd, withdrawing from his movement immediately after. Todd sprung backwards, as the sword cut across his stomach. He held the wound for a few seconds, keeping his sword in position. There was the same confidence Crane had on Todd''s face.


    Todd swiped his hand across, throwing a kind of wave. Crane bent his head backwards, quickly. Todd jumped at him, kicking him down. Falling backwards, he rolled back on his feet and ran at Todd, kicking him in the chest. He twirled his sword for a second and drove it into the ground, almost pinning Todd down. Todd had rolled away, quickly.


    Todd held out his hand and his dagger flew to his hand. He flung it quickly and Crane blocked the hit with his sword. Todd, still down on a knee, swiped his hand across, throwing another wave at Crane. Crane stabbed his sword into the ground and flipped off the ground. For a second, his legs iled in the air with one hand down, almost resting on the sword. Todd''s wave hit the sword, slicing it in two.


    Crane flipped back on his feet and kicked Todd''s face immediately. Todd sprung back up with the dagger back in his hand. Crane ran at him, swiftly, with his broken sword, and cut him by the side. He turned swiftly and raised the sword, going for the neck. He jerked back, as though he had been hit by something. Todd raised his elbow, hitting Crane in the jaw. Crane brought his face back down, still disoriented by the sudden hit. A short nce at Todd''s face and he could see a mischievous smile of victory. Todd swiped his dagger across Crane''s stomach, tearing his guts open.


    Kang gasped. Crane was down on his knees. That wasn''t what happened in the dream. The de didn''t tear out his guts and there wasn''t so much blood. Todd stepped back and raised his dagger, smacking his chest as the Gamblers howled and praised him. Crane fell on his face. That was pretty simr. That was part of his dream. Todd was going to turn, boast to the gamblers like a champion. Then, when the gates opened for him to leave the Arena, he would ce his left foot on Crane''s back, twirl his small dagger and try to stab Crane in the back again. Then Crane would hit Todd''s leg while raising his back swiftly, sliding Todd off the ground. He would disarm Todd and stab him in the neck with the dagger.


    The gate opened and Crane was still on his face, bleeding profusely and seemingly lifeless. Todd walked back to Crane''s body and ced his left foot on his back. He twirled his dagger in his right hand and stabbed Crane in the back, driving it up to his neck like he was going to pull something out. Crane didn''t stand up... or move at all. With his back turned, Todd moved towards the gate, smiling at the fighters'' stand.


    Kang nced at Dan. Dan was smiling back. "What have you done, Dan?", he muttered, silently. He had suspected a mischievous plot between the two but he never took it serious. "What have you done, Dan?!" Dan looked at him. "What are you talking about?"


    Kang''s vision blurred slowly. He felt his strength draining out of every of his holes. "What are you talking about?"


    He felt a sudden tap on his thigh, forcing his eyes back open. "Fuck! What?", Kang snapped, as he raised his back quickly. "Damn! Why hit me?"


    "Were you dreaming? You were saying some words", Crane replied, as he punched the air. "And it''s almost time for the fight"


    "Yea, I had a dream", Kang said and stood up. He couldn''t discourage Crane now. At least, not before the fight. Besides, the dream he had before his fight didn''te true.


    "It was a good one, I bet", Crane replied. "I had one too"


    "Uh, how did your dream go?"


    The rm red through the speakers in the hall. "I think I should prepare for the fight", Crane said, confidently. "I''m super-hyped, right now. I feel like I''ve had this since forever" Kang stared nkly, as Crane walked out of the room. "Alright", he muttered.


    As confident as he was in the pills, the dream gave him doubts. He cleaned his face with his shirt, as he looked into the mirror. "Well, we are not losing this fight"


    His eyes fell on Dan, immediately he stepped out of the room. Dan''s eyes were fixed on Todd who was staring back. That didn''t seem good, though it didn''t look bad. Crane bounced boldly and joined one of the two queues. Todd walked to the other queue and stood right behind Dan. Kang kept his eyes on their lips and he could swear they were plotting. All he had in his head was chaos, as he nced at Crane who seemed to have zero worries. He turned and headed quickly to the bathroom. He almost bashed into Romeo.


    "Are you alright? You look dazed", Romeo said, as Kang walked past.


    "Uh, I''m fine", Kang replied. "I, uh... gotta use the bathroom"


    He stormed in and mmed the door behind him, leaning back as he inhaled and exhaled slowly.


    **** (Crane''s Dream}


    "You don''t look like one of us", the old woman said, sniffing the air from the distance like he could smell nativity from every person. "Who are you? And where are you from?"


    "I am Crane... Time Flies", Crane replied and looked around. The people were definitely different. They were humans too but they didn''t look like the Larger Figures, neither did they look like fighters or gamblers. "I am from Dergon" The people raised weapons in the air, as though they were ready to fight to death to keep him away. "We are very sorry", the old woman said, calmly. "No one from any of the Arenas is allowed on the Crands. You might have to return to where you belong"


    "No one belongs on the Arena", Crane replied. "The Dergon Fighters will find their way out and they wille seek refuge in the Crands. If you resist, you will be forced to bow"


    "Millions of years will pass and no dark-blood stranger will be allowed in ournd", the old woman gritted. "You can go back to your masters now or you will be forced out"


    "No, ma''am", Crane said and took a step forward. "Time flies. Millions of years can go by in seconds. Don''t dwell on it.... ''cause in a matter of weeks, they will walk freely on the Crands and it''ll be up to you to remain free or be captives in your ownnd"


    The men rushed at him with weapons. A wry smile shaped across Crane''s face, as he pointed a finger. One of the men stood stiffly, in front of him, with a dagger pointed at Crane''s chest. Crane slowly put his arm around his neck and ced the dagger, staring at the others.


    "What did you do to him?", one of the men asked, as they watched their mate remain stiffly in one position.


    Crane walked closer to the old woman. She didn''t flinch. She just stared back at him with stone cold defiance in her eyes. "As I said earlier, Time Flies", Crane said.


    The men dashed at him, swiftly. He raised a finger and everything was stiff and silent again. They remained in their attack position, unable to move or blink. A gun fired at Crane from afar. He moved his head, slightly, as though he had seen thating.


    He actually saw iting. He snapped his finger and the gun was unable to shoot. "It''s your choice, Mera"


    "How did you know my name?"


    "A slight touch of the hem of your cloth and I am on a journey into your past", Crane replied. "A million years can fly past you in seconds"


    "What did you do to my people?"


    Crane turned. "Time may fly but every second has it''s moment", he replied. "They can''t move. They can''t breathe. They can''t blink. They can''t think. They are trapped in a time cocoon" "How did you stop the gun from shooting?"


    "It''s technology", Crane said. "I can disrupt it with a thought... the people you n to stand against can do simr things. Your force of mortal men won''t be enough... besides, when the Grimmse to war against you, you have nothing to fight back. This is a chance for you to have us on your side"


    Mera exhaled, blowing a white strand of hair away from her face, and smiled. "Set my people freew from your time cocoon", she said and turned. "We should have a talk"


    ****


    Kang sat on the toilet seat, staring at the door and thinking of every possibility. While he was on the Arena against the Night Hound, he was totally out of his mind. He definitely couldn''t do the same things again, unless the pills would take full control of him again. He was so confident and fearless during the fight, he didn''t even think about a possible defeat.... Even after the Night Hound stood on two legs and cloned itself into multiple versions. He was able to triumph with the help of Jin''s stunners. ''Stunners!'', the word rang in Kang''s head and his eyes brightened. It was toote to make it possible. The fight had started long ago and he definitely couldn''t walk to the fighters'' stand now. He would get caught. "I could have done it without the stunners", Kang said to himself. Crane wouldn''t need the stunners to win the fight.


    He had been sitting in the toilet for over an hour. The fight should be almost over, if not already over. He stood up and pressed down the flush lever, even though the toilet was empty. He opened the door and walked to the hall. It was still silent and empty. The fight must still be going on. His eyes fell on the clock on the wall. Two hours had gone past already and....


    The fighters stormed in, murmuring so noisily that he could barely hear his own thoughts. He walked up to Romeo, quickly. "Where''s he? Where''s Crane? Who won the fight?"


    "Crane... was overconfident", Romeo said, nkly. "He didn''t use his Shin Zhu. He probably tried to do the same thing you did?


    "He didn''t have a Shin Zhu", Kang muttered, taking a step back, and almost falling. "He had no defense"


    "I''m so sorry, Kang", Romeo said and held him. "He put up a good fight. He was strong. Respect him for it and move on"


    Kang let Romeo hold him and he just stayed there, letting the words flow in his head. Crane had died on the Arena. There was no second chance.

 Exposed

    He felt an itch, like a warm breath on his neck. There was definitely no one behind him. Once again, he was alone in his room with no one to chat with. The feeling was different, this time. It had never been his fault. This time was different. He was the killer. He tapped his neck, swiftly, as he felt a crawl. It was just the cor of his shirt. He nced in the mirror again. His eyes were still red. Many days had passed already. He needed to shake off the grief.


    He opened the door and stepped out. He could barely see anyone. Everyone was an enemy, once again. There was the forewarning, anyway. He would have felt more like a monster if he had been pitched against Crane... but there was no way to prevent that. The Larger Figures had all the cards and they- the fighters- were just pawns in a game. Ana could never be a friend.


    He pushed the door open and stepped into the gym. It was empty... no, Dan was in... Dan


    "Hi", Dan muttered. "I''m sorry about Crane"


    "You helped him, didn''t you?", Kang asked. "You helped Todd win the fight"


    "Why would I do that?"


    "It''s the question I should be asking you"


    "I didn''t help Todd win the fight, alright", Dan replied. "I didn''t even know him till he was pitched against Jae by mistake"


    "By mistake? Someone manipted the spin and I''m sure you have something to do with it"


    "How is that even rted to this?"


    "I heard the conversation, Dan!", Kang retorted. "I didn''t wait till the end because I thought you should be trusted. You would never turn against us... Now, I''ve realized everyone is an enemy. When he said he knew your secret, this is what he was talking about, isn''t it?"


    "No, it''s not... besides, it''s not even possible for me to disrupt the system operations from here. The investigation should be going on within the Larger Figures and the workers there"


    "What secret was he talking about?"


    Dan shrugged, walking past Kang towards the door. Kang held him roughly with his right hand and threw him on the ground. Dan writhed for a second and sighed. "I''m not going to fight you, Kang", he muttered. "I can''t tell you my secret either... but you can ask Romeo. He knows I didn''t help Todd in the fight. Crane''s overconfidence killed him."


    **** (A FEW DAYS EARLIER)


    "So what are you going to do?", Romeo''s voice weed him, immediately he stepped back into the room.


    He stared at Romeo''s bed for a second before replying. "Really? Almost scared me. I thought you were asleep", Dan replied and walked to his bed.


    Romeo sat at a corner of his bed. The lights were out already, making his still dramatic pose a lot creepier. "What are you going to do?"


    "What do you mean? I''m going to sleep", Dan replied andid on the bed. "You need something?"


    "I heard your conversation with Todd, alright. You''re not going to help him, are you?"


    Dan sighed. "I don''t know yet... it''s pretty personal"


    "You better know. I will keep my eyes on you", Romeo said. "If you help him, I will know... and just so you know, I know your secret too. If he dies on that Arena, you won''t have to worry"


    ****


    "Who was that other guy on the field?", Kwei asked, wearing an half smile. "What was his name again?"


    "Which one?"


    "The one who refused to use a Shin Zhu and got his ass kicked"


    Fred stared back at him and hid hisughter. "It''s alright. You want to mock me. We can get past that"


    "Oh no. Not so soon", Kwei said. "I can clearly remember you calling me ipetent for creating a fighter without a Shin Zhu"


    "I never called you ipetent. What were my exact words?"


    "Alright, I can''t remember clearly but you insinuated it", Kwei said. "For a moment, I thought the guy would actually start running around the field"


    "He was just overconfident. He should have just used his Shin Zhu"


    "The truth is he didn''t have a Shin Zhu", Kwei cut in. "Mine didn''t have a Shin Zhu so we disposed it. We can''t take the fighters past their levels" "Yea, al-"


    The door opened and Ana peeked in. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"


    "No. Come on in"


    Her eyes darted stylishly at Kwei, as she walked into the room. Kwei stared at her eyes for a few seconds before getting the message. "I''ll just be in the other room", he said and stood up, walking out of the room. "Is this about Crane? Things happen", Fred said and took a gulp of water.


    "Yes, and I want to know what happened"


    "I told you he needed some training to prepare his Shin Zhu", Fred said. "The power he had was one of a kind. It had to take a lot of time for him to learn control"


    "Well, he trained hard enough"


    "Were you having any contact with him? How would you know that?"


    "I always had my eyes on the camera, alright? I was just-", she paused and held her forehead. She was definitely not ready to make him suspect her interaction with any of the fighters; at least, not after she was almost caught with one. "I was just starting to like his character. What''s up with Alexa?"


    "She''s still conducting the investigations. Honestly, I think it''s totally unnecessary"


    Ana took her seat and sighed. "I was there with Thomas, that day. It just happened"


    "She thinks it''s one of us that manipted the results, since the fighters couldn''t have done it from the hall"


    "Isn''t it possible that the system just had a glitch? The machines might have malfunctioned and probably needed to be serviced."


    "Well, she''s not taking it easy. She thinks one of us is having contact with the fighters and trying to protect some of them. You stopped that, didn''t you?"


    ****


    He clenched his fist, throwing punches at the bag; each hit harder than the previous. He literally shut every real sound out of his ears. All he could hear was Jin prodding him.


    Sweat streamed down his face. He could see the bag and everything else in slow motion, inhaling and exhaling as if sucking energy out of the air and emitting fierce anger. "Fuck!", he howled, throwing the bag out of the ceiling mount.


    "Are you alright?"


    Kang turned slowly. That was thest person he wanted to see. He closed his eyes and straightened up slowly, fuming. "You shouldn''t be here, Todd"


    "Uh. Are you still mad about Crane?", Todd asked and walked to the treadmill. "That''s pretty bad ''cause... I got over it, long time ago."


    "I am not in my right senses now... please, leave the gym", Kang said and sniffed. "Leave the gym ande back in ten minutes"


    "You''re not in your right senses so why would I listen to you?... Besides, what are you going to do if I don''t leave"


    Todd left the treadmill and stepped closer, daringly. He had an annoying sheepish smile fixed on his face. Kang definitely wanted to punch hell out of that face. "Don''t make me fight you, Todd. Leave the gym? "You know what it''d seem like to me if that happens? It''d be like bullying an armless kid", Todd said, confidently. "I know your secret, Kang. It''s sweeter that the others don''t know it"


    "You always say that, don''t you?", Kang said, stepping closer fearlessly. "You think everyone has something to hide so you think you can use that against them. Sorry it isn''t working"


    "Wait! You think this is a joke?", Todd chuckled. "I know you don''t have a Shin Zhu"


    "How does that change anything?"


    "You probably think everyone already knows that.... They don''t. The moment they do, I bet the rest of your life here would be hell."


    "How did you know about my Shin Zhu?"


    Todd turned, walking towards the door. "I happen to be at the right ce at the right time when someone is about to spill the beans... just so you know, I only came here to let you know. I don''t do gym?


    ****


    He had nced at the second bed, about a billion times since he woke up. He almost called Crane to wake up, then he remembered he was alone. The Larger Figures were probably preparing a new roommate for him, at the moment.


    He slowly stood up from his bed and nced at the clock. He had fallen asleep early, the previous night, thinking of his Shin Zhu. It would be nice to get one now, while Todd thought he was weak. The realization of how possible it was to have no Shin Zhu; that was pretty disheartening.


    He fell on the ground and began push-ups.


    "Kang?", a voice called, from the hall, followed by a consistent knock.


    "25... 26", he grunted, as he pushed his body up. "Who''s there?"


    "It''s Romeo. You need to see this. I think we might have a problem"


    Kang stood up and grabbed a bottle of water. "What''s that? I''ming", he replied and gulped down.


    He pushed the door open and stepped out. "What were you doing?", Romeo asked.


    "Exercising. What''s it?"


    He didn''t need to hear an answer to that. It was ring back at him from every corner of the walls. "Someone managed to get red paint. Did you tell anyone about your Shin Zhu?" "Does it matter? Everyone already knew this, didn''t they?"


    "No, Kang", Romeo replied. "You are about to find out what they''ll do if they know about your Shin Zhu. You know who did this?"


    "It''s Todd"


    "He seems to know a lot... You''ll have to prove him wrong before they starting at you"


    "How am I going to do that?"


    "I have no idea"

 Man on a Mission

    "That true, man?!"


    Kang looked back, fiercely. He felt pissed and buzzed, and he seemed pretty ready to pick a fight with anyone. "Mind your fucking business, alright?"


    He turned and kept walking towards the gym. "Now I understand why Jin always had to be there for you!", the mid-tier yelled. "I heard Jae once smashed your head into the wall and you couldn''t fight back!"


    Kang stepped into the gym and closed the door behind him. He exhaled and opened his eyes.... But he wasn''t alone. He straightened up, slowly, and walked to the dumbbells, ignoring the fighters who all had their eyes on him. ''KANG HAS NO SHIN ZHU'' was bolded on every part of the wall.


    "So this is the guy? The BLANK guy?", a top-tier asked.


    "Yea", Todd replied.


    His voice was loud enough, pulling Kang''s attention. Their eyes met and Kangughed silently. "Hey!", the top-tier stepped closer. "You''re Kang, right?"


    "You''re who?", Kang asked. "Sorry. I like to know whichever motherfucker I''m dealing with"


    The top-tier looked back at the other fighters. He had the same vibe as Jae; just a bit calmer. Jae would have been a lot more annoying. "I am Dn. It''s nice to meet you"


    "Yes. You can fuck off now"


    "Are you referring to me? I don''t want to abuse you as the child that you are", Dn looked back and jested. "I don''t want to abuse you as the child that you are so you really should mind the way you speak to me"


    "If you jump at me, I''ll wipe the floor with your ass"


    "Todd?", Dn called. "Uh. Can you teach this guy a lesson on my behalf?"


    Kang saw thating... and he wasn''t ready to back down. He fought Jae to a standstill but, this time, he was ready to do more than that. He slid his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a pill. He had kept one there in case of a simr incident. He would probably be needing more pills against so many people. "Come on, Todd", Kang said, confidently, and swallowed the pill. "Let''s see who''s here to teach and who''s here to learn"


    Todd bent his head and swiped his left hand, swiftly. Kang flipped up, avoiding the wave, andnded on his feet. Todd threw a punch at Kang''s face. Kang caught Todd''s fist and squeezed it slightly. Every movement he made seemed to give him more strength and confidence, or it was the drug beginning to work. He mmed his elbow against Todd''s nose and kicked him back.


    Todd staggered backwards. He clenched his fist and swung his arm again, throwing another wave. Kang, on impulse, put his arms together and felt the wave bounce off. He took two steps closer and flipped, kicking Todd by the jaw. Todd fell on the ground and crawled backwards, ring at Kang suspiciously. "How did you do that?", he asked.


    "How did he do what?", one of the fighters asked.


    "There''s no way his bare hands could have bounced off my wave. He did something", Todd said and got up on his feet.


    "Shut up, Todd", Kang said. "I wasn''t called the nk for nothing. I earned it and I will take on any of you"


    Dn stared at him for a few seconds, smiling. He stepped forward, pping loudly. His loose sleeves rolled down his arms, revealing a metal brace on both arms. "That''s a pretty nice one", he said. "I''m not impressed but it''s a nice one still" "I''m not going to leave the gym for you", Kang replied and walked back to the dumbbells. "If you need anything else, you can tell me?


    ****


    "I have good reason to believe the enemy is in our midst", Alexa said, pacing with her hands folded behind her. "And NONE of you is trusted"


    Everyone in theb stared at the ground, hesitating to look at her face even when they were being directly referred to. Ana nced at her feet, picturing Alexa''s angry face in her head.


    "You don''t think it''s obvious, do you?!", Alexa continued, still pacing. "Of course, it''s not... but not everyone is an Idiot"


    Ana kept her eyes on Alexa''s feet, still wondering what her facial expression looked like. Of course, no one could tell. They were staring down, too scared to look up. She turned her face slowly and looked at the otherb workers. Maybe not everyone was too scared to look down, after all. "Matthias!", she whispered, quickly, ncing back at Alexa''s feet.


    Alexa had stopped walking already. She was standing and ring at Matthias, who had his head up staring back in her eyes. Ana looked up, wondering what was happening.


    The fierce woman stepped closer to him and shot him in the head. Ana gasped, as he dropped dead. He fell on his side, dropping on Ana''s leg. She jumped back, immediately. "Are you alright?"


    Ana sprung back to reality. "Ana?", Alexa called, standing in front of her and staring suspiciously. "Is that guilt I sense there?" "Guilt? What are you talking about?"


    "What were you thinking about?", Alexa asked and turned.


    She hadn''t shot anyone. Ana was just hallucinating.... But she had done that before. One of theb workers argued with Alexa so she shot her. Whenever she came around, they felt like they were being led by a tyrant. She had some unclear sort of rtionship with King so she seemed pretty free to do all she wanted. Though King had some elements of a tyrant, there was a very clear difference between the two of them. "It''s nothing"


    "It''s alright", Alexa said. "I have my eyes on you now. Every of your movement will be watched...."


    "If I may ask, why are we not investigating the fighters?", Thomas asked.


    "Because they can''t do anything from in there. Only you can do something from out here and I have reasons to suspect you, since you were monitoring the spin, that day... unless you have created a fighter with an ability to manipte regr technology"


    "I don''t think that''s part of our Shin Zhu options, ma''am"


    "Since you know that, investigating their abilities and the moves they made will not help"


    "Sorry...", Ana muttered, raising her hand for permission. "Isn''t it possible that the system just malfunctioned?"


    "No, Ana", Alexa replied, ring. "It has never malfunctioned since it was created... it didn''t malfunction after the spin either. One of you is growing wings and standing in the way of our normal procedures. I will clip those wings before I leave.... Note; if you know who did this and refuse to speak, you will bear twice the allotted punishment for the crime"


    She turned and walked out of theb. Ana exhaled and looked up. No one looked guilty of the crime. If anyone looked guilty at all, she was probably the one.... And if Alexa was right about this being an act of one of them trying to protect a fighter, then another Larger Figure must be seeing a fighter. It was most possibly Dan but she couldn''t guess who the Larger Figure could be. Dea was no longer with them. Fred walked up to her.


    "Are you alright? You seemed shaken by her words"


    "No, I''m totally fine", Ana replied.


    "You did not do this, did you?"


    "I swear I''m not the one"


    "Then you shouldn''t be worried"


    ****


    He waited for thest person to walk out the door. He took a step closer and looked in Kang''s ring face. "I see nothing special about that fight, really", Dn said. "Todd has never impressed me in any fight. Even Crane almost beat his ass without a Shin Zhu"


    "What do you want, Dn? It doesn''t look like you are interested in working out", Kang replied.


    "I want to know the truth", Dn said. "I want to know if you are intentionally hiding it.... Or it''s a special one we can''t see?


    Dn raised his left arm, clenched his fist into a ball of ice, and swung it. A fleet of ice balls shot at Kang, sliding him off his feet. Immediately, Dn pushed his hands out, throwing a cold wave against Kang.


    Kang mmed his back against the wall, as the wave hit him. He felt cold and stunned for a second. Like walking out of the bathroom after a warm bath, he could feel the breeze streaming into his pores.


    "Get up and do the same thing you did with Todd", Dn said, loudly, and nced at one of the cameras. "There''s a reason they call you the nk, right?"


    The cold blue spread up his arms, as he clenched tighter. Three des sprung out on both fists, sharp and shaped from his cold ice. Kang got up, slowly. He was hyped.


    He dived at Dn, swiftly. Dn swung his ice des at Kang. Kang raised his arms, blocking the attacks impulsively, and punched Dn in the face throwing him back. Dn rolled back and bent on a knee. "That was a great hit", he said and sprung up, immediately shooting a ball of ice at Kang.


    Kang ran towards theing attack. He grabbed the ice ball and shot it back immediately. Dn pushed down the ball, walking towards Kang. He swung his ded arms at Kang. Kang dodged the attacks, blocking with his bare arms, like he had some armor on them. Dn grabbed him swiftly by the clothes. The blue ice spread up to his head and he nodded at Kang''s head.


    Kang staggered back. He rushed back at Dn and nodded at his head, throwing Dn to the ground. Dn fell on his face, stunned. He rolled on his back slowly and faced up, rubbing his forehead. He could feel a dent on his icy forehead. He sat up, ring at Kang who had his fists clenched tightly.


    Kang pushed one fist forward, waiting for Dn to get back up. Dn sat there, reluctantly, staring fixedly at Kang''s right arm. "Are you done?"


    "How can you do that?", Dn asked, still staring at Kang''s arm.


    Kang nced at his arm. It was covered in smoking ice, though he could barely feel it. The ice slowly disappeared from his arm, as he unclenched his fist.


    "How''s it going, Dennis?"


    "I told you to watch so I don''t have to tell you everything", Dn spoke into the brace on his wrist, as quietly as possible, holding the bathroom door tightly. "I''m not making much progress. I have my eyes on-"


    "You don''t have to waste your time. Just try to find out if any of the fighters can manipte technology"


    "How''s that even possible? That''s not a Shin Zhu option"


    "I know that. Just try to rte with every fighter and know their capabilities", the voice replied. "King has a mission for me on the other side so you have a short time"


    "How long do I have?", Dn asked, nervously. He tightened his grip on the door handle, as he heard voices of the fighters in the hall. "Alexa,e on. Let me know how much time I have"


    "Who the fuck closed the door on the inside?!", one of the fighters howled, banging the door.


    Dn let go of the door and the fighter walked in ring at him. "Sorry", he said. "I closed it on impulse"

 Power Braces

    He had flexed his fingers about a million times, since he returned from the gym. His hands felt just the same. There was nothing special. Nothing different. From the look on Dn''s face, he must have done something astonishing. The ice that covered his hand didn''t look like it was from Dn''s Shin Zhu. He sat up on the bed, leaning on the wall and wondering how it''d feel to have the ability to control ice, just like Rico.


    Kang stood up from the bed, still flexing his fingers. He needed to get the exact pose he had made with his hands during the fight. That was probably the key to activating his Shin Zhu.... If he wasn''t hallucinating.


    He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, concentrating his mind on ice. He threw his arms forward and opened his fist. He felt some energy leave his body, leaving behind a minor headache. He opened his eyes slowly to check out the possible "damage".... It was just the door and the room. Nothing happened.... And the headache was just him being weak and tired. He fell on the bed and slept off, quickly.


    ****


    "Hey, Dennis. Any info?"


    "Where''s Alexa?", Dennis asked, as he walked into theb.


    Ana stood up and walked closer to him. "I thought you guys weremunicating", she replied. "She didn''t tell anyone about nting you among the fighters" "And you guys didn''t find out? Even when I had to fight with one guy called the nk?"


    "That happened? Alexa''s sudden appearance was pretty stunning", Ana replied and nced at his arms, as he rolled down his sleeves. "What are those things?"


    "Power Braces. Alexa gave it to me", Dennis said and sat down, as he took of the braces on his arm. "She told me to join the fighters as Dn. The power Braces make me able to use a Shin Zhu" "You want to show me?"


    "No, I don''t want to. Where is Alexa? And why did you call me back?", Dennis asked. "Just yesterday, she told me to watch out for any fighter with the ability to control technology"


    "Let me guess; you didn''t find any ''cause it''s definitely not a Shin Zhu option?"


    "That''s a known fact and I wonder where she got her idea from"


    "King called her, this morning. She left for the Other Side", Ana said. "You said something about the nk. What happened? Is he alright?"


    "Why the interest? Is he your boyfriend?" "Just answer the question, will you?"


    "I used to wonder why the gamblers and virtually everyone loved him. I stopped wondering after the fight", Dennis said, wearing a look of admiration. "I think there''s something special about him. I can''t exin it but I''m sure there is more to be learned"


    Ana smiled for a second, toying with the golden bracelet on her wrist. Her smile slowly faded, as she remembered Crane. Fred had hyped his creation so much that she didn''t see the tragedying. "Ana? Are you alright?", Dennis asked. "You look worried"


    "No, it''s nothing.... Where is your gold strap?", she asked, as her eyes fell on his wrist. Every of the Larger Figures werepulsed to wear the gold straps at all time, so they could walk through the invisible barriers without revealing the secret of the breach.


    "My...?", he muttered, touching his wrist and trying to remember. He had taken it off, on the first day of his mission, when he got to the room. "I must have forgotten it. I should probably go back"


    "No. You can''t go back there. You should get another one", Ana said. "The soldiers will go get your stuff"


    ******


    Dan stood there, with arms folded, staring at the wall, as one of the fighters scrubbed paint off. "You see what I''m capable of, right?", Todd''s voice invaded his focus. "I was never bluffing" "You probably got Kang but you''re never going to try this with me", Dan said, threateningly, and moved his face closer. "You don''t want to"


    "You think so?", Todd whispered back. "Cause I think I really want to"


    "You can go ahead, Todd", Dan smiled, mischievously. "I will keep my eyes on you and if you make any suspicious move-..... if I just THINK it''s suspicious, trust me Todd, I will kill you like a coward" Todd giggled and walked backwards. "Alright, Dan.... Alright"


    ****


    "Dn?", Leon called, as he entered the room. He had been waiting for a perfect moment when Dn wouldn''t be nearby. Ever since Dn joined them, they hanged out almost everywhere. Leon could feel his hot breath against his neck, at times. "Dn?"


    He opened the door and looked out. The fighters moved about the hall. There was no sign of Dn. He closed the door swiftly and walked to his bed. He grabbed a small polythene bag under his pillow. He had kept it there for days, waiting for the perfect time to bring it out. He slid his hand into the bag and pulled out a golden bracelet. Simr pictures reappeared in his head, just like they did when Dn first came around. The bracelet seemed to have pulled his eyes. He could barely keep his eyes off it.... Till Dn forgot it on the nightstand. It fell on the ground, slid under the bed, and Dn had totally forgotten about it... Then Leon picked it up. Those pictures in his head; they were images of simr bracelets on the wrists of the soldiers. He had a feeling it wasn''t for the sake of fashion. The door creaked.


    He looked back, immediately, keeping his hand forward and hidden. "Who''s that?"


    "Where''s Dn?", Todd asked. "I checked him at the gym. He wasn''t there"


    "He''s probably in the bathroom. What do you want?", Leon replied, inly. "You really should knock, next time"


    "Sorry. I didn''t think you''d be busy... or need any privacy at all", Todd said and chuckled. "Wait! Are you masturbating?... And trying to hide your-"


    "Get out", Leon cut in, throwing an angry look. "Get the fuck out!"


    Todd left immediately, mming the door. Leon wiped off the sweat on his forehead. He was slowly running out of time and he needed to find out what the bracelet could do... and probably how Dn got it. He wore the bracelet on his wrist and flexed his fingers in front of mirror, ncing in. He could see himself clearly. There was no physical change in him. He didn''t feel different either. He pressed the bracelet tighter on his left wrist for a second. There was no difference. He clenched his left fist and felt something in, like he was holding a metal object. He looked at his left hand. There was a small golden gun in his hand, just like the weapons of the soldiers. He raised his hand, staring in awe. He opened his hand and the gun disappeared. It felt like his hand absorbed the gun, right back into the bracelet. He clenched his fist again and the gun was back in his hold. "Wow!", he said, gaping in awe. He pointed the gun at the mirror, as though he was going to shoot. "This can work as a secret weapon on the Arena"


    The door opened. He opened his hand quickly and covered the bracelet with his right hand, as he stared at a stranger who stood by the door. "Hi?" "Uh...", Leon muttered. "Can I help you?"


    "I don''t know", the stranger said, stroking the handle of the cross bag on his shoulder. "Maybe... which of the beds will be mine?" "Excuse me?"


    "Sorry. I mean which of the beds is yours so I''ll just pick the other one?"


    "Excuse me?"


    "Oh, my bad", he smiled and walked closer, holding out his hand. "My name is Dn and I am your new roommate. It''s nice to meet you"


    Leon stared at him, confusedly. The Dn before him wasn''t the Dn he woke up with. That definitely wasn''t the Dn he knew and no one could convince him Dn had just left. Leon shook his hand and forced a smile. "This doesn''t look nice though"


    **


    It was almost a week already and he hadn''t gotten a new roommate yet. Waking up alone seemed like a lot of stress. Kang turned on his side and looked at the other bed. The rough sheets reminded him of Jin. Hopefully, someday, he would meet Jin again. He sat upzily, resting his back on the wall. He could hear rushing movements, faintly, from the hall. An announcement had probably been made.... Or a spin was about to happen.


    He stood up from the bed and stretched for a second. He felt a lot stronger after standing. The sleep was a long and satisfying one, after all. If there was a perfect time for workouts, the moment was just it. He needed a lot of training, anyway. Not only might he get bullied for having no Shin Zhu but he had a fighting. Ana had warned him about that.


    He looked in the mirror, staring at his dull face. He touched his cheek and pressed it, as if admiring himself. The murmurings continued, like all the fighters had gathered in the hall for a show. He opened the door and stepped out. The fighters were walking up the stairs and probably looking at something. On the other side of the hall, a door opened and Dan stepped out. "What''s happening?", he asked.


    "I have no idea. I just walked out", Kang said and walked up the stairs.


    Dan followed him closely. "Is the spin happening? I always hear the announcement from my room"


    "Who knows if someone reduced the volume?", Kang replied, as he walked in the middle of the gathered fighters, gently shoving them aside.


    They had parted a way, already, staring at something probably new. Kang got to the front. There was blood all over the ground.... And the body of a fighter. "Fuck! What''s that?", Dan eximed, almostughing at the gore. "Thest time I saw this kind of horror, Romeo had gotten raped"


    "This is no Joke, Dan", Kang muttered, staring fixedly. The face of the fighter was brutalized and bloodied. No one could recognize him from the face but the cloth was a familiar one. Kang knew him. Dan should definitely know him. After an event that happened a few days earlier, most of them should know him. "You did this, didn''t you?"


    "Did what? What are you talking about?", Dan asked, staring confusedly. "Who''s that?" "That''s Todd"

 Who Killed Todd?

    "I swear I didn''t do this"


    Kang''s eyes bored into him. He didn''t believe that. "This happened after he revealed my secret"


    Romeo walked up to them. He had his usual dull look, staring directly at Dan. "This doesn''t look good at all" "Kang thinks I did this. That''s crazy"


    "You didn''t do it?", Romeo asked. He definitely didn''t believe that, either. He nced back at the body on the ground. "Your ability is a unique one. I can guess what happened in this scene... The dent on the wall shows he fought back. Your wires wrapped around his neck, pulled him around, mming his head on the wall and the ground till the whole ce gets painted in his blood... and till his head falls apart."


    "Whatever happened to him? I swear I know nothing about it", Dan repeated. "You have to believe me. I will never deny it if I did and, besides, I have no reason to kill him"


    "You do have a reason. You could have been scared that he would reveal your secret just like he revealed mine", Kang replied. "It''s okay if you did this. I would have just loved a warning" "If I did this, I wouldn''t be denying it"


    "What''s the secret, anyway?", Kang asked. "Come on. I need to know how much it needs to stay hidden?"


    Dan stared into his eyes. His lips sealed tightly. He nced at Romeo. "I know the secret", Romeo said. ".... And it doesn''t warrant this.... So I believe you. He didn''t do this"


    The white lights turned red, as though the Larger Figures just discovered what was happening. Soldiers rushed in, through the back entrance.


    "Go to your rooms immediately", the soldiers ordered.


    Romeo turned immediately. "Come on, Kang", he called.


    Kang stood still, staring towards the entrance. Ana was covered in the shade, staring back into his eyes. "Don''t worry about me"


    Dan and Romeo left for their rooms. "Go to your room, immediately", a soldier said, walking up to Kang. "Are you deaf?"


    "Leave him alone", Ana said and walked in. "I will handle him. Hopefully, we will get to the root of this through him"


    "Hi, Ana", Kang greeted, keeping his face straight and expressionless.


    "Hi, Kang", she said in a low voice. "Who did this?"


    "Crane is dead"


    She sighed. She should have shown up, long before now, but she had no choice. She had had eyes on herself after the incident with the mad Grimm dog. "We can talk about this, sometimester, Kang. I need to know who did this" "Crane is dead and it''s your fault", Kang repeated.


    "Stop being so difficult, Kang. All of the fighters are created to fight and many or all will die on the field, eventually. I couldn''t have prevented that."


    "They are all created to die, including me, right?"


    Ana''s eyes twitched, as she stared into his eyes. She could feel her hear beating rapidly. "That''s not what I meant, Kang", she muttered, fiddling with a pen. "That''s not what you wanted to say but it''s the truth.... Isn''t it?"


    She went numb immediately. He could feel it but he cared less. She was an enemy, after all. "Stop it, Kang", she muttered, slowly, and nced down, as if hiding her face. "You don''t have to make this hard. I wanted to be a frie-" "I thought so too... I am a fighting machine, created to fight till death. You are the Larger Figure. You will always be up there and I will be down here. Eventually, I will die and you will watch me till I let out myst breath", Kang said and smiled nkly. "Goodbye Ana.... Forget about me"


    ****


    King stood up and opened his hands. One of the soldiers pulled out a napkin and handed it to him. "Thank you, Lewis", King said, as he cleaned the blood off his hand with the napkin.


    There was perfect silence in theb. Everyone stood still, staring directly at the ground. King paced in front of them like he was about to issue a punishment. "Who did this?", he asked..... "Who murdered a fellow fighter, as brutally as this? You have no idea?"


    "We will find out who it is, sir, and we will get back to you, as soon as possible", Montero said, keeping his face down.


    "Why can''t you give an answer now? Did the cameras stop working?"


    "No, sir", Ana said, stepping closer. "We had a problem with the spin, some weeks ago, and we figured one of the fighters has the ability to control technology"


    "So he ruined the cameras?", King asked. "I don''t care, alright. Get me the fighter who did this and you only have a few days"


    "Yes, sir", they chorused, and King walked out with his guards.


    "I don''t understand. Why can''t we produce a footage?", Dennis asked, walking closer to her.


    They stared into theputer, watching the recording. A picture of the empty room stuck on the face on the screen for a few minutes and Todd''s bloodied body appeared on the ground. "It''s either Thomas switched off the camera for a few minutes or something else happened", Ana said.


    "Well, I definitely didn''t switch off the camera", Thomas replied, quickly. "I slumbered for a few minutes and I had to go the bathroom for a short while but, for the rest of the night, I was here"


    "I believe you, Thomas", Ana said and continued. "Alexa almost believed a fighter was disrupting theputer systems which was why she-"


    "Why she did nothing?", Dennis cut In, smiling at Ana for a second. "She told me of her suspicions and wanted me to watch certain fighters.... I think we need to connect the two situations. We''ll probably find a fighter in both ces. Then we can begin the investigation from there."


    "That''s a great idea", Matthias said, sitting in front of aputer. "The good news is I found one... and I don''t think he''s innocent"


    ****


    Kang could feel sweat streaming from his pores, as he punched the hanging bag. Each day he came back to the gym, the training seemed a lot easier and he wanted more.... Once, in his room, he had hoped to be as strong as Jin. Not only did his powerless body kill the dream but Jin''s status as a god-tier seemed impossible to meet, even if he had a Shin Zhu. ''He defeated two fighters at once, for crying out loud!'', he shouted in his head. He was literally having a conversation with his new invisible roommate who was yet to exist. He drifted backwards and rxed, as some cool breeze blew against him for a second.


    "If you had a Shin Zhu, you would be standing up to Jae in no time", Dan said, as he walked in, closing the door quietly. "That''s more work than any other person does"


    Kang walked to the bench, breathing heavily. "Crane worked just as much", he grabbed a bottle of water and gulped down.


    "I''m sorry about Crane", Dan said and sat beside him. "I really never helped Todd win that fight. To be honest, I really was hoping he would lose... having someone like him know my secret and use it at any time; that wasn''t good in any way... so maybe I could have killed him.... But I swear I didn''t do it"


    "I believe you, Dan", Kang said and leaned backfortably, yawning. "I''m still confused what the secret can be. If it''s not big enough, he won''t want to use it against you"


    "I can''t tell you, Kang. I''m trying to protect myself here. It''s what we are all trying to do", Dan said and looked at him. "The Larger Figures will always be enemies and they will always have control"


    "I wish Jin was still here", Kang replied. "But he''s out now. Hopefully, we''ll meet again"


    Dan looked at him. "Where do you think he is?"


    "I have no idea. He''s out of the Arena and I''m sure it''s a better ce"


    Dan sighed and shook his head. "The Crands should be a better ce but not for us.... I''m sorry I kept this from you but Jin didn''t leave the Arena"


    Kang looked at him. "That''s what Dea told me. How do you know that?"


    "Jin didn''t leave the Arena, Kang", he repeated. ".... He''s dead"


    The door burst open, pulling their attention immediately. Soldiers rushed in with guns pointed at Dan.


    The soldiers walked, one after the other, till Ana was left alone with Dan. He had his hands tied behind the chair he sat on. "What''s this about, Ana?", he asked, tugging. "Don''t call me by my name", Ana replied. "One of your fellow fighters was brutally murdered and we think you did it."


    "Why would I do that? You know me, Ana"


    "I know you which is why I have no doubts, at the moment", Ana replied. She grabbed a seat and sat in front of him, pulling aptop closer to herself.


    "I have changed. I didn''t kill him. You have cameras everywhere. Did they stop working or something?"


    "That brings me to my question", Ana said, ring at him. "You can manipte technology, can''t you?"


    "Really? Is that a thing?"


    "The spin was supposed to be Jae pitched against you. Somehow, the results changed"


    "I promise you. I didn''t do that", Dan said and lowered his voice. "Come on, Ana. What are you doing? You know I can''t do this. If I could, you''d probably be the first to know" "I don''t know anything about you, Dan. You are a fighter. I am a Larger Figure"


    "Yea, I know that", Dan muttered and smiled. "You will always be an enemy, I know that.... So what now? You have a way to check a fighter''s Shin Zhu so just check mine"


    "Yes, we do... but if it could detect this kind of ability, we wouldn''t have wasted so much time. Let me save you the stress of answering questions", Ana said and faced theputer.


    Dan looked down and smiled. The Larger Figures would always be an enemy. He had noted that, early, but he didn''t think Ana would ever be in that position. He looked up at theputer screen. There was a recording of him and Todd, standing in the hall. The camera had caught him while he was watching a fighter scrub Todd''s painting off the wall.


    Ana zoomed in and Dan''s face was boldly on the screen, as he whispered to Todd. She clicked a button and their voices yed out loudly and clearly.


    *"You can go ahead, Todd. I will keep my eyes on you and if you make any suspicious move-..... if I just THINK it''s suspicious, trust me Todd, I will kill you like a coward?*

 Who Killed Todd? 2

    *¡°You can go ahead, Todd. I will keep my eyes on you and if you make any suspicious move-..... if I just THINK it''s suspicious, trust me Todd, I will kill you like a coward"**


    "Are you going to deny that?"


    "I said that but I didn''t do anything", Dan said, quickly. "I swear"


    "King has asked to see who did this. He''ll soon ask for you and no one will be able to protect you from him", Ana replied. "I am really sorry"


    "Please, Ana. You have to believe me. I didn''t do this!"


    The door opened and Kwei walked in. "Well done, Ana", he said. "So he''s probably innocent, after all"


    Their eyes darted at him. "How do you mean?", Ana asked.


    "I was examining the bodies and I found a bullet in his head", Kwei said. "Whoever did that is definitely among us"


    The soldiers pushed him into the hall, through the passage. He nced left. The fighters were seated for Lunch already. "You are still being watched", a soldier said and took the cuffs from his hands.


    All eyes were on him. They definitely knew why he was arrested by the soldiers. Those faces had a glint of fear on them. As much as he wanted to change the perspective they had of him, he loved having the people fear him. "So you killed him?", Romeo asked.


    "Really?", Dan muttered and sat down. "I didn''t. They found a bullet in his head. It''s one of the Larger Figures"


    "I almost thought the cameras caught you", Romeo said, staring at a camera at a corner of the hall. "They didn''t bother checking the cameras?"


    "Apparently, the camera didn''t catch it", Dan replied. "At first, they believed one of us- actually, I- can control technology and affect the cameras... Turns out one of the Larger Figures might have turned off the camera while he did the act" "Alright. That''s totally weird and definitely not understandable but it''s alright"


    Dan nced at Kang''s table. It was totally empty. "Have you seen Kang since I was taken?"


    "Just once. He walked into the room and I doubt if he''s stepped out some then" "Oh", Dan muttered. "Alright"


    ****


    Ana walked in and closed the door behind her immediately. Her eyes met with Dennis''s. Dennis could probably sense the usation in her eyes.... Or probably not. "Is there a problem?", Dennis asked. "That look''s not perfectly normal" "Why did you do it?"


    "Do what?", he asked, casually. They stared at each other for a short while. He already got the hint. "Wait! You don''t think I did that, do you? How is that even possible?"


    "It''s possible in a lot of ways. They found a bullet in the fighter''s head. You are arger figure, Dennis, and you have a gun"


    "You have the gold strap. You could have done it too. What''s the usation for?", Dennis said, loudly, and giggled. "Come on. This is a joke"


    "I can choose to make this loud, Dennis. I''m sure you don''t want them investigating every move you made-"


    "Come on. If they do that, King will know I went into the hall and joined the fighters. He''s going to do something"


    Ana stepped closer and sat in front of me. "Well, you will have to say everything you know. You were the only that went among the fighters so you could have done that. I did some checking. The same dead fighter, Todd, was the one you hanged out with the most. You might have had a grudge which led to his murder. How about that?"


    "First, the person I hanged out with most often wasn''t Todd. It was Leon-", Dennis paused, abruptly. "Come to think about it, I forgot my gold strap in the room."


    Ana nodded slowly. She didn''t think about that, earlier. The fighters had a Shin Zhu with which they fought. That was the main damage on Todd. Whoever killed Todd had either used a Shin Zhu or brutalized his face and body with a knife to make it look like a Shin Zhu fight. "So anyone could have used the gold strap?"


    "No. Leon could have used the gold strap"


    "Alright", she sighed and stood up. "I will get the soldiers to-"


    "No, Ana", he stood up. "Leave it to me. I will get the gold strap from him and make him own up to the crime."


    ****


    "Kang?", Dan called, knocking gently. "Kang,e on. Should Ie in?"


    "What is it?"


    "Well, I think we should talk about this. You don''t have to sulk over it for so long", Dan said and pushed the door open.


    "I didn''t ask you toe in"


    "I saved you the stress", Dan replied, walking into the room, and sat on the second bed. "I''m expecting you to do the same thing Romeo did"


    "What did Romeo do?", Kang asked, staring up at the ceilings. His eyes were reddened and shadowed.


    "When I had the dream about Jae killing me, he told me to use the fear to fuel my strength.... He had fueled his strength with his anger"


    "I trusted too much", Kang muttered. "Even Jin trusted too much. This would never have happened. Dea betrayed him"


    "Who''s Dea?"


    Kang raised his back and sat up slowly. "When I got here, the first goal on my mind was to survive. That didn''t seem easy, meeting Jae for the first time.... Jin came in and he seemed like my only chance of survival... The goal changed. Jin was nning to get out of here and that became my goal too. Whatever he did and wherever he went, I just had to be there.... When Dea told me Jin had grown strong enough to be set free, I kept that at the back of my mind. I trained harder to get stronger."


    "It seems you are back to the start again. The goal is just to survive. Everyone but you is an enemy of you"


    A masked Larger Figure walked into the passage, followed by two soldiers. He looked around, shortly. The fighters stood still, staring at him angrily. He ignored them and walked to one of the rooms.


    "Stay out here", he ordered the soldiers, silently, and walked into the room. The soldiers held their guns firmly and stared back at the fighters.


    It was Leon''s room. He jumped up, immediately. "Who are you?"


    "No need for an introduction. You already know who I am", he replied and pulled off his mask. He nced at Dn, who sat on the second bed, staring nkly. "Dn?"


    "Sorry. The name is Dennis"


    "I didn''t think the name would be correct either", Leon said and sat on the bed. "What do you want now?"


    "The soldiers are waiting outside your door", Dennis said and stepped closer. "I''m here for the gun in your possession. The gold strap I left behind"


    "What gold strap? You didn''t give anything to me"


    "As I said earlier, there are soldiers waiting outside. I''m not here to beg you to return it", Dennis said and stepped back. "I know you killed Todd and the soldiers are here to arrest you. Come in, guys!" Dennis knocked twice on the door and the two soldiers rushed in with their guns. "You don''t want to do this, Dennis"


    Dn remained on the bed, calmly staring at the scene. "Seize him!", Dennis ordered.


    They held him tightly, cuffing his hands behind him immediately. "I bet you don''t realize what you''re doing. If you take me out there, I will make sure everyone knows the secret.... Including King" Dennisughed. "You really think that trick works for me? No, Leon. You have no secret of mine", he said and turned. "Come on"


    "You want me to say it to the hearing of the soldiers?", Leon said, loudly. "You really want them to hear me say it? ''cause I bet they''d be seizing you in no time"


    Dennis turned immediately. His eyes met with Leon''s and they red at each other. Leon definitely knew something. He had Todd''s confidence in him; the only thing Dennis really hated about Todd. "Uncuff his hands and leave the room, guys. Give us a minute"


    The soldiers removed the cuffs and walked out. "Sometimes, I wonder how Todd happens to know a lot of things about everyone. It''s a great gift. You could get so much out of it", Leon said. "I''m sure you don''t want the others to know you ever came here pretending to be a fighter.... Yea, Todd told me before he died. You hated him for figuring out so much. You probably killed him for it"


    "Shut up, Leon. You killed him and everyone will know it"


    "You can''t prove it", Leon said, wearing a wry carefree smile. "And you really don''t want everyone to know anything.... ''cause they will know it all. I''m not giving you anything. You can report whatever you want but I''m not going with you" "I will get you, Leon", Dennis nodded. There was nothing he could do, if he wanted to keep the secret safe. "It''s not now but I will get you".


    He wore his mask, as he turned and walked out the door. The fighters stopped and red at him again. He tapped the soldiers and followed him, as he walked through the passage.


    "So you killed that Todd guy?", Dn asked, with a confused look of terror all over his face.


    "Come on. I didn''t do that", Leon replied and dropped on the bed. "They don''t actually care who did that. He just wants his gold strap"


    "So you have his gold strap with you?"


    "Yea, whatever. It''s useless but he''s not having it"


    "You sure you didn''t kill that Todd guy?"


    "I swear I didn''t"

 Let Him Go

    He opened his eyes, staring up at the ceilings. He finally woke up strong, for the first time in a week. He titled his head, slightly, and nced at Romeo, who sat on the bed "You won''t go for the spin?", Romeo asked, staring stylishly.


    "Good morning", Dan said, as he raised his back and sat up. "Oh, yea. There''s a spin"


    "You forgot about it? What were you dreaming about?"


    "Funny story", Dan said andid back on the bed. "A bad moon rising. Kang turns evil and wipes out the Crands"


    "What''s the Crands?"


    "It''s a ce outside the Crands. They call them Ordinary people", Dan replied. "He impaled the god of the Crands and beheaded the god of Shin Zhu"


    "There''s a god of Shin Zhu?"


    "Don''t ask me. I have no idea... I think it''s Kang''s sleeping pill working on me. I stole one from him, at the gym"


    Romeo stood up. "The spin will soon begin. Come on?


    The door burst open, suddenly, startling them, as soldiers poured in with guns. A masked Larger Figure walked in, after them. "Hold your peace and stay still", he ordered. "This will be quick" "What is this? What are you doing?", Dan asked, as a soldier shoved him aside, pulling his sheets apart.


    "Stay silent and let them do their job"


    He stood still, staring at the Larger Figure. He could almost swear he had seen that one before, though the face was covered. Dan''s eyes met with Romeo''s. It was still about Todd''s murder, obviously.


    A soldier sprung up, pulling a small bag from Dan''s bed. "Sir!", he called, as he pulled a gun out of the bag.


    "Cuff him", the Larger Figure said. "You are arrested for the murder of a fellow fighter outside the Arena and you will be duly punished for the crime"


    "That isn''t mine!", Dan retorted, struggling with the soldiers and tugging at the cuffs. He flexed his fingers and muscles. He couldn''t use his Shin Zhu. "You nted it there"


    The soldiers pulled him out of the room and the Larger Figure walked after him. "He couldn''t have gotten a gun from anywhere", Romeo said.


    The Larger Figure turned and looked back. "It''s not your business, kid"


    All eyes fell on him, as he stepped out of the room. The fighters were about to join the spin, already. "Listen, Fighters! A gun was found in possession of a fellow fighter and he will be punished for it", he announced. "Whichever of you is found to be connected to the death of Todd; you will have your share of the punishment. No form of violence outside the Arena will be tolerated anymore"


    ****


    Kang turned on the bed again. He had been up for almost an hour already. The minutes seemed to be going by in just seconds. He nced at the second bed. It was still empty. It almost seemed like the Larger Figures were too busy to watch the hall and the fighters carefully. Probably the same reason they were finding it hard to get Todd''s killer.


    He turned again, facing the wall. His eyes opened widely for a second. He could almost swear he saw Jin''s face for that second.... It was just the paint on the wall, peeling off... and it really didn''t look anything like Jin.


    He could faintly hear the announcement from the hall. The spin was about to start. "Urgh!", he grunted, as he sat up on the bed. Dan''s voice echoed in his head.


    *Jin didn''t leave the Arena, Kang....He''s dead''*


    An headache struck him. He could see a hundred pictures in every blink, as he tried to get up.


    *''Hello, Jin. Looks like you are making progress''* He heard another voice. It wasn''t Dan''s this time. *''I think I''ll be the one regretting this since you are one of our bests''*


    He pushed himself up from the bed, staggering and almost falling back. He was pretty dazed but he wasn''t going to miss the spin. He wasn''t going to hold back in any way. He had survived an unbelievably long time already. Since Jin left, all the time he had was considered a bonus. He slowly tilted his head to the right. Any sharp movement of his head would probably hurt. He nced at his unclear face in the mirror.


    He reached for the door and pressed down the handle. **Don''t mind me.... Shoot him, guys''*


    A picture shed in front of his eyes. **Shoot him!**


    "King", he muttered.


    "I swear I didn''t do this", Dan said, as he was pushed by the soldiers. Dennis followed them closely behind, with the mask still on his face.


    They pushed him into a room and tied him to a chair. "Leave him with me", Dennis ordered and the soldiers left them immediately. Dennis took a step closer, staring at Dan, with his hands behind his back.


    "I''m not the owner of that gun. I know nothing about it. I-"


    Dennis punched him, shutting him up. "I don''t want to hear you speak. Criminals never give in to their crime so I''m not expecting you to say more than you have said already"


    "If you cared about the truth, you would listen to me"


    "What makes you think I care about the truth?", Dennis asked. He turned his back and paced. "I am not always here. I''m usually on the Other Side- you can''t know where that is- so I really didn''t know much about you when I got here. I learned about your ruthlessness and I saw your mark on the body.... The mark of true brutality"


    "I didn''t do this"


    Dennis smacked his face again. "I don''t want to hear you speak. You are condemned already so I can put a bullet in your head now if I wish", he said. "Now, back to my story, the first incident of you disrupting the spin machine didn''t just surprise me. Everyone was astonished. I mean, no one thought that was possible"


    "That wasn''t me"


    "I won''t warn you again, Dan..... why would you run from anyone? I mean, isn''t it the same ruthless Dan? I learned about Jae too. He was equally strong so I stopped bothering myself about that... when I saw Todd''s body, you were the first image in my head but we needed to be sure. The bullet in his head almost threw me off your back- I have to admit that was a great stunt- but I was too sure of my instincts"


    "Your instincts are wrong, this time"


    Dennis pointed his hand and a gun shaped out of his gold bracelet. "I warned you", he said and held his ear, almost immediately, like he had just heard something. "Hello?.... Is there a problem?... Alright. Give me a minute... alright" "I didn''t kill Todd. This is a set-up", Dan said, weakly, thinking deeply. Someone must have had ess to the room to nt the gun. It couldn''t have been Romeo... Could he have killed Todd?


    "I will be back for you", Dennis said and walked out, shutting the door behind him.


    "Who did you arrest?", Ana asked, walking towards him. "I thought we were going to investigate Leon"


    "I already did that. Leon didn''t do it", Dennis said. "He knows about my secret mission so it was better to investigate privately. He didn''t take the gold strap at all. I have retrieved it from the room" "I already proved Dan innocent"


    "Is there something about this guy and you? This is the same aggressive and ruthless fighter, isn''t-"


    "How do you exin the bullet in his head? Hm? ''cause that''s definitely from a gun"


    "This is the proof, Ana", Dennis replied, holding out the silver colored metal. "The soldiers searched the room and found it in his possession... Not all the cameras were disrupted, that night. I checked again and he wasn''t in his room.... Sorry, Ana, but every hint is pointing at this guy"


    Ana nced down and nodded slowly. "There is nothing to be sorry about... i- I just wanted justice", she muttered. "Looks like we got it"


    "We got it, Ana", he smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "I should get back to my business"


    She turned and walked back, staring at the silver colored gun in her hand. She had never seen one like it. At least, not in the Arena. She had never been out of there, anyway.


    She walked into ab and mmed the door behind her. She picked up a thick foam and pressed it against the tip of the gun. Her heart raced, as though expecting something shocking to happen. She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger, springing back immediately.


    The door opened. "Ana?"


    She looked back. "Oh.. uh", she muttered, breathing heavily.


    "What was that? I heard something", Kwei said, staring at her. The obvious fear on her face said a lot. He walked in slowly and closed the door. "What''s wrong? Talk to me"


    "Dennis arrested a fighter. He thinks it''s Todd''s killer"


    "Dan?"


    "It''s not about that", Ana said and looked at the foam. She tore it apart and pulled out the bullet. "The only proof he has is this gun"


    "What if it''s true, Ana? You have to let this go. It almost caused you harm, then. Don''t bring it up again", Kwei said. "Your uncle will be pissed if he knows you''re-"


    "Look at the bullet!.... The bullet in Todd''s head was golden. This one is silver.... It''s not from this gone. It''s from the gold strap"


    Kwei stepped closer and hugged her. "Let this go, Ana.... The more you fight for him, the more you raise the suspicions. Let this go..... let him go"

 Bad Moon Rising

    Kang stared nkly at the screen. His face stared back at him on the left side. On the right side, the beep had stopped on another fighter. He didn''t recognize that one... like many of the faces on the screen. "Are you alright, Kang?", Romeo asked, as he walked up to him. "You look like you are scared of this one"


    He wasn''t scared. He wasn''t even thinking of the fight. "Who''s that guy?"


    "You don''t know him?", Romeo asked, wondering. "He''s a top-tier bully. There''s no way you don''t know him... except you locked yourself in the room, throughoutst week"


    "I have to admit I don''t know many of those faces", Kang replied. "Where is Dan?"


    "The Larger Figures came to pick him up again. They found a gun under his bed"


    "Did he really have a gun?"


    "No. They put it there themselves", Romeo replied. "Come on, let''s leave here... That guy must believe you are weak now. However way you won your first fight, do it again" "Stop talking like I''m scared", Kang said and smiled. "The fights seem a lot of funtely. I will kick his ass"


    ****


    Dennis walked in and closed the door behind him. Dan looked up, slowly. It''s the same man he expected. "I know that look. It''s one of disappointment"


    "You need to believe me. The real killer is out there, still roaming freely", Dan pleaded.


    "Do I really care? We have you already, don''t we?", Dennis replied, smiling mischievously. "No one needs to search around when all we actually need is a scapegoat"


    Dan''s face dropped. Pleading with the masked idiot was a waste of time. "You don''t care", he muttered. "You know I didn''t do this but you don''t really care who did it"


    "Looks like you''re finally learning", Dennis said and pulled off his mask. "So let''s talk about what is NOT going to save you. The moment I walked in, I sensed you didn''t want to see me. Not just that, there is someone you really wanted to see... isn''t there?"


    "Where are you driving at?"


    "She''s not going to walk through that door because seeing you was illegal in the first ce", Dennis said in whispers. "I don''t want to expose her.... Since she''s not going to interfere in this case"


    Dan smiled disappointedly. "I know your face. We''ve met, haven''t we?... That''s why you had the mask"


    "I can''t recall... if you can''t recall, then it never happened"


    "Leave Ana out of this. What do you want with me?"


    "Sincerely, someone just had to bear the cross", Dennis said, stepping closer. "You could just confess your sin and make the process faster"


    "I''m not going to-"


    Dennis punched his face. That was about the tenth hit he had received since he got there. His face was sore already. "You can choose to resist till I break you.... The result is certain"


    Dan gritted his teeth, pulling his hand from the cuffs which clung tightly to his wrists. He had gotten weak already. He couldn''t even use his Shin Zhu.


    "So King wants to know whomitted the crime", Dennis continued. "I wanted to tape your confession but it''s really needless. I''ll just deliver your head to him"


    The door opened, suddenly. Their eyes darted at Ana''s face, as she brought her head in. "King wants to see the killer"


    "Oh... alright", Dennis said and nced at Dan, wearing an unsatisfied smile. "Looks like it''s your lucky day"


    "I didn''t do this, Ana. You know it"


    "Don''t say a word", she replied, pulling him with her. She was careful not to make an eye contact with him. They were heading to King. Dan probably didn''t know the horror ahead of him. She had had multiple interactions with King on many asions, mostly ufortable, but he rarely demanded to see her... whenever he did, it was never a good omen. She had to get prepared for every meeting. Her uncle had ordered her to keep her peace. They didn''t have a choice anyway. They weren''t in control.


    They walked into King''sir and she pulled him forward. "This is him", she said. "He is Dan; one of our best fighters in the Arena"


    "I didn''t ask you to speak", King replied bluntly. "I know who Dan is. I am a big fan myself"


    She had said that to probably get his mercy. The best fighters were able to get a lot of money out of the pockets of the Gamblers. King definitely wouldn''t want to lose one. "I was just saying-"


    "Quiet!", King said and stood up. His eyes were fixed on Dan. There was no anger in it. Dan nced at his face for a second. That was the first time they were actually meeting. The look on King''s face was a confusing one. You''d never expect to get that look from a fellow man. Thest time Dan ever saw that look, it was on his own face and he was staring at Ana.


    "I didn''t do it"


    "Quiet, again", King muttered. "Don''t kill the feeling... You can''t Imagine what I felt, staring at that body again and again. It would be priceless to the Gamblers... but I''m not going to share it. I wonder what I was thinking when I gave the likes of you out so cheaply."


    He pped and three soldiers walked in immediately. They seized Dan and pushed him into a cage, forcing him on his knees. They tied his limbs, making him unable to stand up. "Fuck!...", Dan shook his body violently. "What are you going to do to me?!"


    "That tug", he muttered, silently and seductively. "That''s the spirit"


    "What are you going to do to him?", Ana asked.


    "It''s not your business. You can leave now", he replied and watched her walk towards the door. "I am excited for tomorrow''s match. How about you?"


    She swallowed. "Everyone is excited"


    "Yes. The Gamblers are so eager to watch him fight again", King said. "I hope you are not pissed if he wins again. He will make me a lot more money than most of the top-tiers"


    "Enjoy your day, King", she replied, without looking back, and walked out.


    ****


    He still wasn''t thinking about the fight... but there was a need for some preparation anyway. His opponent had a lot of hype already. It waste. The lights would soon go off. He grabbed the nylon and counted the pills in it. There was just six left. "It''s just bonus life, right?", he muttered and poured all six into his mouth.


    He vomited it immediately, pouring the six pills on the ground. He spat. "Fuck!". He reached for a bottle of water by the nightstand and took a gulp, bending down to pick the pills. "You''re not going anywhere".


    He poured the six pills back in his mouth and swallowed them with another gulp of water. The lights went off, immediately. He stood up and fell on his bed, covering himself with his nket and expecting another motivational dream that definitely won''t happen.


    ....


    His eyes blinked open... well, he was very sure his eyes were open. He raised his hands and touched the wall, gently. He couldn''t see anything at all. It was as dark as the ck color. He touched his eyes gently. "What is happening to me?", he muttered.


    He could feel his strands of hair on his face. His hair was never that long... was it?


    A door opened. He could feel every slight noise and movement. That was totally unusual. A man stood at the door, staring at him. He could sense a level of familiarity. He definitely knew who it was, though he couldn''t see the face. "I didn''t believe the Bad Moon Rising would still be alive after ten years without air, food or water..... The Medium warned about this. I should have listened"


    He turned slowly and looked towards the door. He couldn''t see it but he was pretty sure where the door was. "Who are you?", he asked and took a step closer. He didn''t need an answer from him. The light wind was pretty clear. "The Shin Zhu God"


    "I almost thought you had forgotten me", the man replied, stepping closer to him. His voice was slightly changed. He sounded more like he was awed. "The Medium predicted this. The Bad Moon Rising will gouge out his eyes never to see evil again... then he will be the evil he strives to avoid"


    "I know you..... You killed her. You made me this. You made me a monster"


    The man shook his head. "No. You made yourself a monster... as long as you live, the future of humanity is threatened"


    The man pulled out a sword and swung it at him. He bent backwards, avoiding the hit. He could hear the swing sharply. He could feel the heat from the des. He could feel the strength of the man before him. He was really strong. "You are not going to kill me like you killed her"


    "Sorry, Kang. It''s you against a million souls", the man replied and pushed his palm forward, throwing a wave against Kang.


    Kang saw iting. He pushed back, throwing the man against the wall. "You don''t stand a chance against me"


    The man stood up and clenched his fist tightly. The earth grumbled beneath Kang''s feet. He could feel the walls cracking and the concrete above them would probably fall upon them in no time. "I will always be the Shin Zhu God", the man said in an hoarse voice, as huge stones rose up in the air around Kang.


    The stones darted at him swiftly and Kang raised a finger, turning all of them into sand immediately. "I will always be your Nemesis", he replied, as he walked directly to the Shin Zhu God, holding him up by the throat. "You are no god" A stick sprung out of the ground beneath the man, still held by the neck up in the air. "Kill me and a thousand versions of me will return for your head"


    The stick grew further, piercing into the man''s anus with it''s sharp edge and forcing it''s way up. The stick grew taller and went further up into the man''s body. "I will be waiting for a thousand versions of you", Kang replied and left the man, hanging up there on the stick. The stick grew further, forcing it''s way up till it shot out of his mouth, holding arge intestine at it''s tip.

 Cement

    "King!", her voice tore into his ears, startling him. "You said you''d stop! What have you done?"


    His pants fell down, as she walked in furiously. He bent and pulled it back up, fastening it back on his waist. "I''m sorry. It is hard to resist the temptation", King muttered. His pintle remained pointed, obvious through his pants. He was yet to reach the climax when Queen walked in.


    "You are weakening our fighters", she said, as she looked at Dan in the cage, already stripped naked. "You don''t always have to carelessly use our bests just to get an orgasm"


    King turned and walked to a seat. "It has happened, Queen. Let it go", he said and took a gulp of wine from an half-filled cup. "What do you want me to do now?"


    "The fight is about to start. It''s the nk fighting. The Gamblers want to see you", Queen said and turned, walking towards the door. "And take a shower beforeing out. You smell like rotten spunk"


    He leaned back on his chair and exhaled, sipping his wine slowly. His eyes met with Dan''s. Dan red back, angrily. Even if he could use his Shin Zhu at the moment, he probably would be too weak to control it. He had never imagined a fat man having his pintle forced roughly into his asshole. "She ruined my orgasm", King muttered, still sipping slowly and staring back into Dan''s eyes.


    Dan fumed silently, as he curled up. King had untied him during the sodomy. The only thing he had on his hands were the golden cuffs that clung to his wrist.


    King stood up and grabbed a coat. "I''m going to the Arena like this", he said. "She can''t tell me what to do"


    "Fuck!!", Dan howled and sat down, immediately King stepped out. He punched the steel cage and rubbed his fist. "Fuck!"


    There was no way he could sitfortably. Now, he knew how Romeo must have felt, having this kind of pain and trauma and having to fight on the Arena just dayster. He shook the door gently. It was tightly sealed. He couldn''t leave on his


    own.


    He sprung back swiftly, as he saw a shadow at the door. A Larger Figure walked in. "Ana?", he curled up, quickly. "What more do you want? Kill me already"


    "I''m sorry, Dan", she said and stepped closer. "This wasn''t my n. I couldn''t stop it from happening... but I can help you out now"


    Dan scoffed. "Shoot me, Ana", he muttered. "Shoot me!!!"


    "Don''t shout! They''ll hear you", she retorted. "If they do, they might just pass the judgment a lot faster"


    "That''s what I''m demanding, Ana", he replied and smiled. "You kept us a secret for a reason. I don''t know what''s going to happen if he finds out about what you''ve been doing but I''m sure it''s not going to be pleasant for you" "You don''t want to this, Ana"


    "This wasn''t pleasant for me. You let it happen"


    "Because I couldn''t stop it. I''m sorry", Ana said, genuinely. "But I can help you now"


    "Spare me that. You want something"


    "Yes. I want something", she replied. "He will believe you are dead. You will remain with Romeo in the room for as long as my n takes to bepleted" "What''s your n?"


    ****


    Kang smiled, as he walked into the arena with a sword in hand. His opponent was already in the middle of the Arena. The muscle mass was pretty intimidating,pared to Kang''s size..... But Kang was as confident as his first time on the Arena... this time, he was carefree.


    ''We have demanded it and now we have it. It''s the ultimate Kang, known as The nk. We don''t know his ability yet. He was able to win a fight without using any ability. Let''s see if he''s able to do the same against the top-tier brute, Brolly Brick Boy. You probably wonder what he can do. I wonder too.... Stake your bet. Sit back and watch the ultimate destruction.''


    "Hey, Kang", Brolly said, smiling mischievously. "I heard you killed a dog sometimes ago.... Good news is I''m not a dog. Bad news is I love dogs.... Whatever happens; consider it justice''


    Kang ran at him, leaping up into the air, and dropping back down with the sword. Brolly dodged the hit and their swords nged noisily and swiftly. Kang kicked him in the chest, throwing him back. "For a moment, I considered being scared", Kang said. "Turns out you''re just a regr one"


    "Regr one", Brolly muttered and smiled. He was definitely pissed off by that statement. He sprung up and clenched his fist, turning his arms into concrete. "Let''s see how you deal with this"


    He raised his arms and mmed them on the ground, causing an earthquake. Kang fell on his knees, disoriented. Brolly swung his arm, throwing a concrete ball at him. The ball smashed Into Kang''s face and he fell backwards. He rolled on the ground, quickly, groaning as he sprung back up. He was already bleeding from his mouth. He twirled his sword in his right arm, slowly advancing towards Brolly with his eyes fixed. Brolly shot another concrete ball at Kang. Kang dodged the ball and Brolly dashed at him.


    Kang swung his sword quickly. Brolly reached for the de, cementing it down to it''s handle. He held the sword and tightened his grip, grinning mischievously at Kang. The sword broke off into sand. Kang threw a punch at Brolly''s face. Brolly held his arm and cemented it, gripping tighter like he did with the sword. Kang growled, ring at him, as Brolly was unable to break off his cemented arm. Kang swung his arm at Brolly''s face, throwing him on the ground. He clenched his fist and the cement dusted off his arm.


    Brolly sprung back up, swinging his cemented arm at Kang. Kang caught the punch in his left palm. He clenched his right fist and it turned to concrete immediately. He threw a punch at Brolly''s chest, mming him into the ground. Brolly coughed, groaning and writhing on the ground, as he rolled away. "How- how did you do that?", he muttered, staring confusedly. "That''s mine"


    Brolly put his palm on the ground, staring at his sword whichid a few meters away from his reach. A concrete shot out of the ground beneath the sword, raising it up. It kept growing and turning till the sword was brought to Brolly. Kang opened his palm and the concrete from his arm shaped out a sword. "Come on. Let''s finish this"


    They dashed at each other. Brolly was quicker with his swing. His sword ran across Kang''s chest before Kang was able to bring down his sword. Kang swung at Brolly and the concrete sword broke Brolly''s weapon in two. He swung the sword again, aiming for Brolly''s neck. Brolly raised a concrete arm quickly, as Kang''s sword crashed into it. He threw a punch at Kang''s chest, making him drift backwards.


    Brolly roared and mmed his hands on the ground. A cemented path was created on the thick sand, heading towards Kang with sharp edged concretes shooting out of it''s surface. Kang stepped back a bit, as the attack approached him speedily. He mmed his palms on the ground too, creating a cemented path which headed back at Brolly. The concretes from Kang''s path were taller and sharper. It moved against Brolly''s cement, stopping it and continuing towards Brolly. The cement caught up with him and the sharp edged concrete shot out beneath Brolly, stabbing into his back and lifting him up. Kang walked up to him, as blood gushed out of his mouth. Kang held his head, turning it into concrete and tightened his grip on it, breaking it into sand.


    He walked out of the Arena, pridefully. He had just used the cement Shin Zhu so perfectly that no one knew how new it was to him. He could sense the amazement from the Gamblers. He doubted if they would be so excited for his next fight after knowing what his Shin Zhu was..... in fact, now that he was able to use a Shin Zhu, he was no longer excited about it. He had hoped for a much cooler ability, rather than cementing.


    "I have to say that was outstanding", King said, as the door closed behind Kang. "You just used a boring ability in such a cool way. The creativity and everything; it was perfect"


    Kang red back. ''You are a bastard!'', he was going to say that but he swallowed it. It would be a waste of time.


    "At this rate, I have to say you will be tagged god-tier sooner than any other fighter on the arena", King added. "You killed Jin"


    King paused for a second, staring confusedly into Kang''s expressionless face. "What are you talking about?"


    "Jin wasn''t set free like Dea told me", Kang said, boldly. "You killed him"


    "Listen, Kang. You have to believe me", King replied, genuinely. "I didn''t kill Jin. Jin is one of our bests no matter what he does, he would still be kept to make more money"


    "Then where is he now?"


    King paused for a second again. "He''s dead... Dea killed him", he replied. "Dea killed him and I had her executed for it... However way you figured out about who Dea is, you should probably be able to confirm it." "Why would Dea kill Jin?", Kang muttered, staring at the ground with a confused expression. *... Everyone but you is an enemy'',* Dan''s voice reyed in his head.

 The Traitor

    It was another boring day. He hadid on the bed, all through the morning. He sprung up, grabbed a jacket and stood in front of the mirror. He could see a strand of hair beneath his jaw. Generally, he was changing. His face was literally growing. He pulled the door open and walked out. It was time for lunch. He was hungry.


    "Hey, Kang", Romeo greeted him, immediately he stepped out of the room. They walked to lunch together.


    "Romeo. What''s up?", Kang replied. "Where is Dan? Is he back yet?"


    "He is back. He is not supposed to be", Romeo said, keeping his voice as low as possible. "He said he was going to be executed so he escaped somehow... but the good news is no one knows about his escape"


    "So he will have to hide forever?", Kang asked and they stopped walking. "I think there are cameras in our rooms. It won''t work"


    "He ims the only way he''ll stay alive is if he stays in the room throughout the day. There are probably no cameras in our rooms. If there are, that''s when we have a problem. I''ll just get him his food and he can use the bathroom in the middle of the night"


    "Good idea", Kang said and they walked to their seats. Kang still had no roommate yet. They were yet to rece Crane. Everyone else, except Romeo, had to sit with his roommate at the table.


    His eyes darted at a strange fighter, a few times. There was no hard feelings, literally, though he had a ring frown on his face. Jae used to sit right there. The fighter stared back and dropped his fork, wondering what the re was for. "Oh sorry", Kang muttered and smiled.


    A soldier walked through the passage, followed by Ana and another soldier. She was here to pick another fighter to be misused. The fighters stood up. Kang stared down at his te. Thest person he wanted to see at the moment was her or any Larger Figure.


    Ana kept her head straight. She was probably avoiding his face too. She walked straight to a fighter. "You. Come with me"


    The fighter looked around quickly. He was new but he could tell from the faces around him that no one would want to go with her. "Please", he muttered, fearfully, drifting back like he would run. "I''m new. Don''t kill me" The soldiers raised their guns at him. "Move!"


    "Leave the boy", Kang said, raising his hands. "He''s still new. Let him go"


    "And what makes you think we are supposed to listen to you?", Ana retorted, stepping closer to him with a fixed frown on her face. "Who do you think you are? You want to rece him?"


    "I''m not asking you to listen to me. I''m asking you to let me go for him", Kang replied. "I will go with you and please your gamblers. Let the boy stay"


    She stared at him for a few seconds, keeping her frown on. "Alright. If that is what you want,e with us"


    He followed her closely and the soldiers walked behind him holding their guns firmly. They cuffed his hands when they got to the passage and he was able to walk through. He nced at the cuffs on his hands. It reminded him of the golden bracelet he had taken from Jin''s bag. He would probably use it, someday when he had a good n to escape. He could clearly remember the narrow paths he had ran through when he escaped from the furnace. He doubted if any of the Larger Figures even remember he was a condemned product.


    Ana stopped suddenly and they stopped behind her. "I will take it from here. You can go now", Ana said, without looking back. The soldiers nodded and turned, walking away. "Come on, Kang".


    She kept walking and he followed her without saying a word. It was pretty awkward. He sensed she had a n to probably let him get out of the situation. He put the thought aside. She was an enemy anyway. She probably didn''t care what happened to him so she wouldn''t do that. She took a short turning and they stopped. She looked back at him and exhaled. "Listen, Kang! I don''t know what you''re doing but you have to stop right now." "I should be asking what you''re doing ''cause I could have killed you from the back", he replied.


    "There''s a dampener on your wrist. You can''t use your Shin Zhu", she said and smiled for a second. "Congrattions on discovering your Shin Zhu"


    He faked a smile and frowned again. That definitely wasn''t his Shin Zhu. Even he didn''t understand his ability yet, after trying to use the cement Shin Zhu in his room alone. "Are we going to keep going?" "Do you know what''s going to happen if you go in there? It''s hell"


    "You let a lot of us go in there, don''t you? Something tells me you are trying to get me to like you because you need me to do something for you... and when it''s done, you will dump me"


    Ana''s eyes twitched. She was the Larger Figure but she could guess how weak she seemed to a mere creation of theb. "Alright, Kang. You can have it your way", she replied. "But don''t get this wrong. It''s not my wish to bring fighters here... and I''m only being this way to you because of how I feel about you"


    Kang''s eyes twitched too. He stared down at her boots. He couldn''t let her get inside his head. Dea probably did the same thing to Jin... but there had to be a reason. "I want to ask you a question and I need you to be honest with me" She nodded. "Go ahead"


    "Where is Jin?", he asked, looking straight into her eyes. Her long pause could mean anything. He was already sure about Jin''s death. He just needed to hear theplete truth from her. "Is he dead?"


    "No... Jin is alive. He is safe and free", she smiled. "King really let him go"


    Kangughed. "Alright. I''m done here", he turned and tugged at the cuffs, breaking it immediately. "You think I''m a fool"


    "Wait!", she called. "You can''t just go. How did you break the cuffs? It weakens you and your Shin Zhu"


    "Well, I don''t have a Shin Zhu so you can stop wondering"


    "You used the cement Shin Zhu, out there. Everyone saw you and everyone talked about it"


    "It wasn''t mine", he said and stepped closer to her. "You knew I didn''t have a Shin Zhu. It''s no big deal. I know Jin is dead so you have to tell me the truth".


    "I''m sorry, Kang", she muttered. "I didn''t want you to get hurt. Jin is dead"


    "Who killed him?"


    "Dea killed him... and King had her executed for it"


    "Why did she do it?", Jin asked. "She couldn''t have done it just for the sake of doing it"


    "I have no idea"


    "Alright. You didn''t want me here so I''ll just go back to the hall", Kang said and turned, walking away. "Thank you"


    "You can''t just leave. The gamblers are waiting. They will be pissed if I don''t go in with someone"


    "So what am I supposed to do about that?"


    "I don''t have an idea... I was thinking you might"


    Kang sighed and turned, heading for the Gamblers'' room.


    ****


    "Kang? You''re back", Dan said, as Kang stepped in.


    "Yes. Where is Romeo?", Kang asked and closed the door behind him.


    "You can check him in the bathroom. He stepped out, a minute ago?


    "I actually came to see you", he walked to Romeo''s bed and sat down. "You can''t leave the room?"


    "Well, I got lucky. Let''s talk about you. What happened with the gamblers? You look okay"


    "I got lucky too.... The gamblers definitely won''t want to hurt their favorite fighter before staking their money on him", Kang replied. "Come on. I came for a more serious question. How did you know about Jin''s death"


    "I just happened to know. I can''t tell you more than that"


    Kang paused for a second. "Can you at least tell me why he was killed?"


    "Arger figure. She imed he betrayed her to King", Dan replied and stopped talking, staring wildly like he had said something wrong. "I can''t tell you more".


    He was probably about to spill one of his secrets. Kang nodded and stood up. The conversation didn''t seem helpful but it could help him understand other links to the murder. "Thank you, Dan"


    ........


    The lights went off. He was still staring at the ceilings, unable to fall asleep. He had probably heard enough hints to figure out why Dea killed Jin.... If Ana really liked him- as he was desperately refusing to believe- so much, Dea could have liked Jin equally... and Jin probably got the pills and the gold strap from Sea. It wasn''t making much sense to him, trying to put the pieces together.


    Dan said something about betrayal. ''Jin betrayed Dea to King''. That was probably the weirdest thing he''d ever heard. There was no way Jin could get to Dea.... Even if he was getting out, Kang would have figured it out. Jin was pretty open to Kang while he was alive. Unless Jin did something wrong.... Something Dea had warned him not to do.


    Jin once asked him to talk to Ana about Dea. Jin warned him not to mention her being a Grimm. He could remember clearly. That was the first time he asked Ana to see him at the back passage.... He had spilled it to her. Dea was a Grimm and he told Ana about it. He didn''t know what the secret meant or why it needed to be kept. He didn''t bother about it, even when Jin specifically asked if he didn''t spill. He just hoped Ana wouldn''t tell about it.... Well, Ana betrayed them. She must have told the secret to King. Kong must have confronted Dea about it, making her know her secret had been exposed. She must have thought she only told Jin and the secret must have gotten out through him. She must have feared the danger that King could bring to her so she decided to execute Jin first.... Then King killed her for being a Grimm and for executing one of the best fighters in the Arena.


    The door opened suddenly and someone rushed in, mming it close, swiftly. Kang sprung up quickly, reaching for his torch. "Shh!", the person said, with a hand across the lips. His face was covered by the darkness so Jin couldn''t make out who it was.


    He flicked on the torch and pointed at the intruder. "Crane?"

 A Second Chance

    The lights flickered for a second in the hall. That was unusual. Technical difficulty was a strange term in the Arena till the spin gave the wrong results for a fight. The Larger Figure, dressed as a Janitor, kept moving, pushing the truck, as the gate to the Arena closed behind him. The sound of the moving wheels on the ground filled the air. The soldiers were back to their original posts and the Arena was empty already. The fight had been over for hours already.


    The janitor nced at the body in the push truck for a second, as the lights flickered. He could swear he saw the body move for a second. He stopped pushing and stood still, staring at the body with the utmost attention. The lights gave him some support and stood still for a few seconds.


    "Soldier!"


    A voice startled him. "Yes sir!", he saluted. It was a soldier. The badge on his chest showed the soldier had an higher rank.


    "What''s in the truck?", the soldier asked, staring at the push truck from the distance. The flickering lights made it hard for him to discern what was in there. He looked up.


    "It''s the fighter that got killed on the Arena", he replied. "I''m taking it to the disposer"


    "Oh, that''s right. Sorry for the unnecessary question", the soldier said and looked up at the lights. "What''s up with the lights? It''s never been like this"


    "I have no idea. It started, about a minute ago?


    "Alright. Make a report to anyone at theb. They should check it out as soon as possible"


    "Alright", the Janitor replied and continued pushing.


    He headed straight to the oven. Every dead fighter and condemned equipment had to be taken to the oven and destroyed in the fire. "Carmichael?"


    The Janitor slipped, almost pouring the truck sideways. "Come on! What''s it?!", He retorted.


    "Oh. Sorry", the guard replied, staring up. "What''s up with the lights? It was still, some seconds ago"


    "I will inform the guys at theb", Carmichael said and drove the truck into the oven, pouring the body in. He wheeled the truck back out and mmed the door, walking despondently towards the lever. "You''ll forget to close the door again"


    "What''s the use, for crying out loud?", he got to the lever and pulled it down. "See? Nothing"


    The door burst open and a boy rushed out with fire on his back. He bent his lean body backwards for a second, revealing his ribs. "Get back!", the guard howled, raising his gun immediately.


    The boy flipped swiftly, kicking the guard back. He dashed down the narrow path, shoving Carmichael aside swiftly. "Go after him, idiot!", the guard howled and stood up, quickly.


    They ran after the boy. The boy was moving pretty fast so they had to follow the trail of fire from his back. The boy took a swift turning and they dashed towards him, almost losing sight of the trail. A soldier showed up ahead and they stopped swiftly. "Fuck!", Carmichael muttered, silently. "He must not know about this"


    "I warned you. It''s you in trouble", the guard whispered back, staring directly at the soldier and trying to keep any suspicious look off his face.


    "We are both in trouble. You could have prevented it. It was your job-"


    "What are you both whispering about?", the soldier asked, standing in front of them. "And what are you doing here together?"


    "Nothing really. We should get back to our post"


    "Yes. We are sorry for leaving our post", Carmichael added and faked a smile. They turned and walked back, slowly, keeping their paces as steady as possible. "We didn''t even lock the door before running after him" "You''re lucky he isn''t behind us to check", the guard whispered back and held his breath, as he slowly turned his head to confirm his guess. "Yes. He isn''t behind us"


    "What are we going to do about the fire boy?"


    "Let''s start cooking up an excuse before they find out"


    **** PRESENT


    "Crane?"


    "Shh", he mutters, putting a finger across his lips, as he quietly advanced towards the bed. "Be quiet. They are after me"


    "They cane in here. How will you hide?"


    "They don''t know which room I entered. They will turn", Crane replied andid back on the bed, breathing heavily. "Wow! That was scary and fun"


    Kang sat up, still wondering what was happening. "How are you here? How are you alive?"


    "I don''t know what to say, Kang. I guess I managed to heal from my wounds and now, I''m back again"


    "That''s a totally weird story", Kang replied, staring at him. Crane remained rxed on his bed, sleeping off quickly. "Crane?"


    Their eyes met, immediately he stepped out of the room. Romeo kept staring. He probably wondered if he was seeing the same person or a lookalike. Crane also stared back, with a simple smile on his face. "is this a good idea?", Kang asked. "Considering the fact that you were chased in here, they are probably watching you through the cameras right now"


    "Ana is backing me up, right now", Crane replied. "She will see me first and order that I be left alone"


    "You sound so sure of that"


    "Yea. I''ve been there- hey, Romeo"


    "Crane?", Romeo muttered, loudly, staring widely. "How are you here? What happened?"


    "It''s a pretty short story. I just woke up and started running for my life", Crane replied, as they walked up the stairs together.


    "Do you think it''s alright to join the spin again? Do they even know you are back here?"


    "They didn''t", Crane replied, confidently. He definitely looked a lot different. It didn''t even feel like he was the same person anymore. The doubt was written all over Romeo''s face like a tattoo. His usual frown stood as a camouge. "But they probably do now"


    Romeo and Kang stared at each other for a second before proceeding to press their buttons. Crane also pressed his and cracked his neck. "Are you sure about him? That was the same overconfidence I saw in him that day. I watched him die on the Arena."


    "You speak of his overconfidence. I don''t even know if I should believe he is the same Crane", Kang replied. "He looks the same but I don''t trust him. I think he''s a trap. He is a clone sent here to get something"


    "I should be the one saying that after watching Todd gut him in front of everyone", Romeo said. "No one could have survived that"


    The spin began and the beep started moving around the screen on both sides.

 Timeless Redemption

    "Crane? What if it stops on you again?"


    "Come on, Kang. Let''s hope that doesn''t happen", Romeo replied.


    "I know but what if it happens?"


    Crane smiled at the screen. The beep had slowed down and his face was sitting just right down the row. "So what happens if it stops on me?", He asked. "I''m very much ready for a fight. I''ll make sure I get redeemed, this time" Kang stared confusedly, taking frequent nces at Romeo''s fixed frown. "What''s the secret? You look like you have god on your side"


    "Have you met God?"


    "Uhn?", the two chorused, ncing at each other again.


    "Well, you just did", Crane said and stepped back. "I didn''t just meet god. I became god"


    "What was that about?", Kang asked, as he walked into the room. He was still perplexed. It was written all over his face. Romeo cared less. He sat down slowly, staring at Crane whoid back on the bedfortably. "What was what about?"


    "The beep stopped on your face. You are up against a mid-tier. It''s a brutal mid-tier"


    "What''s his name and what''s his ability?", Crane asked and sat up.


    "He''s Leon. I have no idea what he can do yet", Kang replied. "I don''t understand. Do you have a Shin Zhu now?"


    Crane''s face slowly shaped into a smile. "What do you think?"


    Is that a yes? Kang stared at him for a few seconds wondering what the smile actually meant. "You discovered your Shin Zhu? That''s amazing. What is it? What can you do?"


    "Can''t tell you", he fell back on his bed and faced the wall. "But you''ll see?


    "You want to sleep now?"


    "Yea. I need a lot of sleep before the fight..... See you tomorrow. Do you need me for something?"


    "No. Not at all. You won''t take the pill first?"


    "Thest time I did, a motherfucker tore my stomach open"


    "He''s dead now.... And trust me, his murder was a lot worse than yours"


    Crane yawned. "Don''t make meugh, Kang. You weren''t even there to watch me fight. I''m still pissed about that"


    "I''m so sorry. I got nervous"


    "I know about Todd''s murder", Crane replied. "I know who killed him and I know Dan was framed for it"


    "Uh?", Kang muttered, raising a brow. There was a number of specifics in that statement. There was no way Crane just figured that out in less than twenty-four hours. He hadn''t even spoken to anyone except Kang and Romeo. "How do you know that? Where have you been?"


    "I can''t exin it yet, Kang. Just let me...", he yawned loudly again. "Let me sleep now"


    "Will you, at least, tell me who killed Todd? Dan is in trouble for it and trouble might not be far from him if he''s not vindicated soon", Kang said andid back too. "He told me he had to escape to get back here. Now, he can''t even leave his room. We have to get his food for him. I wonder what he''ll do if he needs to use the toilet in the day.... Crane? You asleep already?"


    ****


    The lights would be out in a few minutes. Kang stepped out of the room with two bottles in hand. He rushed towards the staircase. "Kang! Wait up", Romeo called, running towards him. "What''s up with Crane? What do you think?" "I''m still pretty confused. I''m not sure if that is the same Crane but I think he has a Shin Zhu now"


    "You think? He hasn''t told you anything about it?"


    "No but he is pretty confident. That only happens when you have something to rely on", Kang said. "I used thest pills in myst fight on the Arena"


    "You have the stunners in ce?"


    "I don''t really think he wants our help, Romeo"


    "Yes but, just in case, we should be ready to give help when he needs it"


    "Alright. I still have the stunners", Kang said, ncing down the hall. "He won''t let us use it though"


    "Well, we are not going to listen to him if he says that", Romeo replied. "He managed to return to us, somehow, after dying in front of everyone. I believe he must have seen things out there" "Things like what?"


    "Things like a way out of here. This ce is hell, Kang. We only get closer to death.... I believe he must have found something. It will probably help us out of this ce"


    "Alright.", Kang exhaled. His eyes fell on Leon. "That''s Leon. Isn''t it? What is his Shin Zhu?"


    "I think he shoots some kind of sts; real powerful ones, I think", Romeo said, as his eyes met with Leon''s. "What are you staring at?!"


    Leon smiled and walked into his room. "That''s one hell of a confident smile", Kang muttered. "I bet he''s rxed to fight Crane, after watching the fight with Todd"


    "Or he believes in his strength enough", Romeo replied. "Where were you off to?"


    "I wanted to fill these bottles with water before the lights go off".


    The lights went off immediately, as though they were waiting for him to mention it. "Oops. Looks like that''s a good night to you", Romeo muttered and turned, walking away slowly in the thick darkness. Kang stood still in a. He heard a loud tter, as Romeo collided with something. "Oh. Fuck"


    "Careful there. I forgot to bring my torch", Kang took a step forward. He was in front of the staircase already. He traced the next step with a raised foot and moved up slowly. "Fuck. This ce is horrible"


    He raised his arm, holding onto the railings, as he almost slipped off the stairs. He pulled himself up to the top and moved slowly like a blind man without a walking stick. A light shed at him and he straightened up, swiftly, covering his face with an arm from the bright ray. He raised a bottle. "I''m just here to get water"


    Ana chuckled. "Come on. It''s me", she muttered. "Come on"


    Kang walked over to her. "Ana... what are you doing here?"


    "I saw youing up the stairs so I came over", she replied, smiling. "Crane is back"


    "This is not a trick?"


    "How do you mean? I thought you''d be happy to see him again"


    "No, I''m just confused... I don''t know who or what to trust. Considering the lots of things we''ve done, it makes me imagine how brutal it''ll be if you betray us"


    "I will never betray you. I thought we were over this"


    "You are still a Larger Figure, Ana... and I am still condemned to die on the arena"


    "What do you expect me to do about that?!", she retorted, almost loudly. Her face had turned red. She took a step back, staring at the ground. "It''s alright. This was a mistake"


    Kang nodded and walked to the tap. She stood there, helping him with the light, as he filled the two bottles with water. "Thank you for the light, anyway"


    She nodded and walked away.


    ****


    ''It''s Leon on the field again. The mid-tier with a god-level st at the tips of his fingers goes against Crane. Crane has had a miraculouseback after being gutted out in front of everyone''


    Kang could almost hear the murmurings of the Gamblers from where he sat. Each of them had his mouth in another''s ears. They probably believed King was being dubious for keeping the fighters alive after showing a fake execution to them... or they believed the fights were nned.


    "We should let the fightst a while before using the stunners", Romeo whispered in Kang''s ear.


    "I hope we don''t have to use it. He said he would win the fight in less than ten minutes" "Uh?"


    "We had a bet on it"


    ''No one understands how the little Crane has returned but he is back with the same confidence!''


    The gate opened and Crane jogged down to the middle of the field where Leon was waiting.


    ''Crane remains a low-tier as his Shin Zhu is still unknown to us. Stake your bets on who wins this fight. Sit back and enjoy the fight''


    "Hi, Leon"


    Leon pushed his hands forward. A blue ray shot out of his palms, throwing Crane up in the air. Hended on his back and rolled back on a knee. "Whoa", he muttered and shook his head. "I saw thating. Didn''t think it''d be so fast" "You''re strong. That would knock out a regr", Leon said and clenched his fist. A blue aura swirled around his wrist, growing consistently as he walked around Crane.


    Crane held his sword, firmly. "You know what I like about cocky people? It''s fun to kick their asses"


    Leon threw his arm at Crane, shooting another powerful wave at him. Crane bent his head backwards, with his sword pointed up. The wave hit the sword and he swung the sword at Leon, throwing back a lighter wave. Leon drifted backwards, as the wave hit him. He shook his head and smiled. "Is that all you-?"


    Crane had jumped at him already, kicking him in the head, and throwing him back on the ground. Leon rolled back on his feet. His eyes opened wide, as he cleaned the bit of blood off his lip. He didn''t see thating. He threw a wave at Crane, quickly. The wave hit the wall. Crane had moved away, swiftly, like he wasn''t even standing there. Leon turned and threw another wave but Crane had dashed from the spot again. The speed was unimaginable and, if he continued, no attack would get to him. Leon turned round and round, shooting his waves sporadically. All he saw were images of Crane which disappeared immediately after he shot his waves. "What?!", he howled, maniacally. "Aargh!"


    Leon dipped his hand in his robe quickly and pulled out the golden bracelet, wearing it on his wrist quickly. He clenched his fist and activated the gun,ughing evilly. "Where did you get that?", Crane asked.


    Leon nced up at the Gamblers. He could see the amazement in their eyes. If he finally won the fight, the Larger Figures would definitely not take it easy on him for stealing the gold strap. He shot at Crane. Crane disappeared, quickly. "What?", Leon muttered and turned, slowly. Crane was already behind him,ughing mischievously.


    "Surrender, Leon".


    "Fuck you!", Leon howled and pointed the gun at Crane again. Crane raised a finger, swiftly. Leon jerked back, as the gun emitted sparking sounds and hot embers. He couldn''t pull the trigger. "What are you doing?.... What are you doing?!!" The gun exploded in his hand and the bracelet fell off his wrist immediately. He staggered back, holding his wrist and groaning in pain. "Surrender, Leon", Crane said again. "It''s thest warning"


    "You are so dead", Leon said and pushed his two hands at the ground, shooting a wave down. The wave hit the ground, shooting him up into the air. He shot multiple waves at Crane and Crane kept moving around. Leon was about to drop to the ground. Crane appeared in front of him, raising an hand with only his index finger and his middle finger raised, making Leon hang in the air.


    Crane walked around, looking up at everyone. He could sense the astonishment on all the faces above him. His confidence was finally justified. With his kind of ability, he could stay undefeated forever. He picked up his sword and walked over to Leon''s hanging body.


    "is he doing that?", Romeo asked, staring widely. His fixed frowny face clouded whatever emotion he had on his face.


    "Looks like it¡±, Kang replied, staring down at Crane on the Arena. He hadn''t imagined that. He didn''t even think that kind of Shin Zhu was possible. Stopping the gun from shooting was definitely a way of manipting technology.


    Crane raised his sword up in the air and closed his eyes. "The god of Shin Zhu demands a sacrifice", he muttered and brought down the sword, cutting off Leon''s head. Blood sshed over his face, as Leon''s head rolled on the floor. "And his will is done"


    Leon''s body dropped on the ground with a loud thud, as Crane stabbed his sword into the ground. He straightened and looked up at the Gamblers. King stood up from his seat, staring down at Crane with widely open eyes. Their eyes met and Crane could read the expressions from King''s face.


    There was confusion and amazement. There was also rejection.... And fear.

 Stopping Time

    He turned his head slightly and his eyes caught an image in the shadow. It was her. She was standing outside the hall, probably avoiding the light, but he was sure it was her. Kang walked to the tap and filled his bottle, ignoring her. He definitely didn''t want to do that but she didn''t seem much of a safe option to him anymore.


    "Kang?.... Kang?!", She called and stepped closer, almost walking through the passage.


    Kang looked at her. Her face was just as red as it was the previous night. They stared into each other''s eyes for seconds. He kept his face nk. She looked helpless. "What do you want?"


    Her eyes twitched. "King sent me to you", she said, with a frown. She was definitely clouding her emotion with the look. He knew it and it made him smile.


    But he wasn''t going to fall for that deception. Jin probably fell for it. "Alright. What does he want from me?"


    "Crane is now considered a threat to the Arena. King wants you to kill him"


    Kang stared back expressionlessly. "I''m sorry?"


    "I''m just here delivering his message"


    "Yea- a message you all agreed on. What did you even expect me to do? You thought I would just say alright and go in there and stab him?"


    "I didn''t agree to this, Kang", Ana cut in. Her eyes darted at the stairs, as she almost caught a glimpse of a shadow. Kang also nced back. There was no one there. "You don''t believe I have a say in most of these decisions, do you?" "Right now, I don''t know. One thing I know is you had a say in Jin''s death", Kang blurted, staring directly in her eyes. "You killed him, Ana! But guess what? Does it really matter? He was made in ab, right?"


    "I didn''t kill Jin", she muttered, as tears rolled down her eyes. "I swear I didn''t have anything to do with it"


    "You told King about Dea''s secret, didn''t you? She killed Jin because she believed he was the one who spilled the secret. You knew all of that.... But your side of the story spares you of the me" "I''m sorry, Kang", she said and sniffed.


    "You will say sorry to someone else when you get me killed too", Kang said and turned. "If you don''t mind, we have to celebrate"


    "You are different, Kang... I will never do that to you"


    "But you want to do that to Crane... someone who imed to love you"


    "You don''t know anything about me", she muttered.


    Kang scoffed and looked at her. She stared back at him with tearful confident eyes.


    "You probably think we are equal up there... but I''m not so different from you. I don''t want Crane to die or anyone at all but I have delivered the message", she said and walked away.


    She drifted along the narrow path, barely seeing the way. Her vision was literally clouded by the tears in her eyes. With her left hand over her forehead, she hid her face. She exhaled, swiftly brushing past a soldier. The soldier stopped and looked back, as she increased her pace. He could tell something was wrong. She didn''t need to look back to know the soldier suspected she was crying. She took a sharp turning and rushed into ab, mming the door behind her. She dropped her hands, leaning on the door and whimpering. The room was dark. It seemed empty enough so she sobbed loudly, banging the door gently with her hands. ''I keep messing everything up. It''s always my fault'', she thought. Her eyes opened, widely. ''I guess I''ve made the right decision after all''


    Countless shlights appeared suddenly, shining directly on her face. She raised an arm, covering her face from the ray immediately. She stood still, breathing heavily. It was too sudden. She wasn''t expecting anyone to be in theb.... Or she just didn''t think about it. They couldn''t have been anywhere else. ''Did they see me crying?'', she thought and wiped the tears off her face, as she straightened up.


    "Ana? What''s wrong, dear?", Fred asked, walking towards her. "Stop pointing the torches, alright?! Put the blue light on"


    They switched off their torches and a blue bulb lightened up at the top. "It''s nothing", she sniffed in and faked a smile. "I''m totally alright"


    "Guys? Can you give me the room, please?", Fred requested, loudly. "Just for two minutes. I will call you back in. Thank you"


    They walked out of theb slowly, leaving the two of them together. "That was needless", she muttered. "I am alright"


    "Not with the tears in your eyes, you are not alright", Fred retorted, as she sat down. He moved closer and lowered his voice. "We weren''t the only ones that came here but we are the only ones here. We are all we have for each other so you have to tell me everything"


    "Then why are we still here?", she retorted. "This ce is hell, Fred! You im to care about what happens to me but all you do is bury my head in your chest and let it go! You never do anything to get us out of this hellhole!" "Don''t shout, Ana"


    "They can''t hear us", she said and folded her arms. "It''s just everyone I go close to is always taken away from me by him. They all turn against me and, now, I''m the enemy"


    "This is not about one of the fighters again. Is it?"


    She nced at him and their eyes met. He got the hint. It was tattooed all over her silence. "He''s taking me as an enemy", she said, trying to hold back her tears again. Fred pulled her up from where she sat and hugged her tightly. "Please, let''s go home"


    "Home is greater hell, Ana", Fred muttered back in her ears, staring at a CCTV monitor. "We can''t go back there"


    He let go of her, slowly, walking towards the monitor like he had seen something. "What is that?"


    "That is Crane. He is out of the hall", Fred replied. "We have to stop him"


    "Wherever he''s going, just let him. If he gets caught, King will order his execution"


    "I know that but King is down the tunnel with some soldiers"


    "And he will get caught anyway. He is your creation. Don''t be the reason he dies"


    Fred ran his hand through his hair. "I created him and that''s why I know him more", he replied. "King and those soldiers can''t stop him. He will kill all of them and bring down the Arena''s defense"


    "I don''t understand you. How is that a bad thing?", Ana asked, staring widely. She didn''t believe they didn''t want the same thing.


    "You can''t understand till it happens, Ana.... And trust me, you don''t want it to happen", he said and nced at the monitor again. Crane was getting closer to King and the soldiers. They would turn against him and he wouldn''t give in to them. "Every Arena out there is an enemy to us. Be it Grimm, Imperia-"


    "And Addax?"


    "Yes, Ana. Addax is an enemy to us. I told you to always cover the locator on your wrist, for a reason. There are only two possible results if you keep mentioning Addax. It''s either King gets to know we are not from here and we get executed or we finally get back to Addax and we get tortured to death", Fred replied and faced the monitor again. They were wasting more time as they spoke but he was actively thinking of a way to stop Crane. "Let''s stop this, Ana... and make this ce home"


    "Why can''t the soldiers stop him? They have the guns", Ana said. She finally yielded. That was the only rtive she had, anyway. If he didn''t have her back, then she would have nothing.


    "Apart from centrally manipting time, he can control technology... like he did in the Arena"


    Ana''s eyes opened wide. "All this while, it''s been Crane"


    "No time to get amazed. Someone has to get through to him. We can''t win him in a fight"


    "I can''t go to him.... Kang has probably told him about my involvement"


    "Involvement? What does that mean?"


    "Well, Kang thinks we are all equal and in control. He believes I''m in support of Crane''s ordered execution"


    Fred exhaled. "You''ve gone too far across the borderline, Ana", he muttered. "Kang will have to do the job then"


    "He won''t"


    "Someone has to convince him"


    "That can''t be me"


    ****


    Kang sprung up, immediately he heard the knock. They were probably there to get Crane. He fixed his look, concocting a lie to buy Crane some more time. "Who''s there?"


    The door opened and a man walked in. It was Fred. "Hi... I believe you are Kang", he said and sat on Crane''s bed, directly in front of Kang. "I need your help"


    "I am not going to kill my friend for you. Do whatever you wish"


    "I like you", Fred said, smiling. "You have a good heart... but they might want you to kill your friend. I don''t"


    "What do you want?"


    "Crane is running towards a dead end... it''s not going to beat dead end for him but if he is not stopped, he will make it our end"


    "What do you mean by that?", Kang asked, staring in disbelief. Apart from his admiration for the charismatic man before him, he didn''t think he could sit in front of a Larger Figure andmunicate this way.


    "I created him" "You are her uncle"


    He sighed. "Yes, I''m Fred", he replied. "King and some soldiers are waiting at the end of the path he is taking. If they meet, he will kill them and destroy the Arena''s defense. The moment he does that, the other Arenas will be on their way here to im thend and they will kill everyone. They will kill the Larger Figures and they will kill the fighters... You don''t want so many innocent souls to die, do you?"


    "No one here is innocent", Kang muttered. "The fighters have to kill to live and you Larger Figures... You are all the same."


    "We are not, Kang.... Ana and I are not from here... but we choose to stay here because everywhere out there is hell. Now, no one else must know we are foreigners" "King doesn''t know?"


    "King knows but no one is spreading the news. King does a lot of horrible things to us but we can''t fight back.... He let my father have a home here when we were doomed so we owe him that much. Ana is just like you here. He does whatever he wants to us"


    "What do you want me to do? If the soldiers can''t stop him, what am I supposed to do?"


    "I''m not asking you to kill him"


    "If I capture him, they will kill him anyway. Won''t they?", Kang asked and stood up.


    "Don''t capture him", Fred said and stood up too. "If he is heading out of the Arena, then he has a n to survive. You just have to speak to him. He has to leave the Arena without causing any harm to King or the Arena"


    Kang stared into his eyes for many seconds. There was no point in doing that. He couldn''t tell if a person was lying but he hoped to find trustworthiness in those eyes. "How much time do we have?"


    "I hope we have more than a few seconds", Fred said and held out a gold strap to him.


    Kang smiled and pulled out his gold strap from his pocket, wearing it on his wrist. "Alright", he turned and pulled the door open.


    "Kang. You are basically going to stop a time maniptor. Don''t get caight in his sorcery", Fred called him, wearing a confident smile. "Thank you. I see why Ana likes you"

 Wolf Among Us

    He dashed down the narrow paths swiftly. Crane had told him of the way out so it was easy for Kang to find them. He nced down at his swinging arms, as he ran. There was a bit of self admiration. He had grown some muscles. He was definitely a lot bigger than he was when he first joined the fighters in the hall. The view was motivating. He moved faster and hoped no soldier would stop him on the way. From what Fred had told him, not all soldiers were aware of Crane''s attempted escape. A wry smile shaped across his fear, as he remembered he was about to y hero. He didn''t care what the results would be but he was doing.


    He made a sharp turning and felt a wave of heat beat against his face. He could see a bright light down the path. Crane had met King and the soldiers already. Kang dashed down the path, swiftly.


    "Crane!", King called, smiling widely. He raised his hand, as the soldiers behind him raised their guns. "We didn''t even know you would take this path. Looks like Fate already made a decision for you" "Get out of my way", Crane said, confidently.


    "Out of where? It''s the end of the road for you, Crane", King replied. "Shoot him"


    The soldiers shot at him. He stretched his hand at the guns and the bullets stopped in the air. "Not today, King", he said and clenched his fist, making the bullets drop to the ground. "Not today"


    His eyes met with King''s. The sudden change of expression was definitely satisfying. A soldier dashed at him with a rod, striking him by the shoulder. He pushed at the soldier, throwing all of them back.


    King raised an hand and bent his head, as the wave blew past him. He raised his head and ran into Crane, throwing him against the steel wall. "You silly!", he gritted and punched Crane in the face. "This is the day you-"


    Crane hit him in the groin. He staggered backwards, grabbing a rod with an hand. The soldiers had gotten up, ready to storm into him. He raised two fingers at them and his eyes turned gold. "That''s enough", he said. They stuck in a position unable to move.


    King''s eyes moved around, as he struggled to break whatever was holding him. "Looks like it''s you that dies today", Crane said and clenched his fist. "Crane?!"


    He nced down the hall. Someone was running towards him. He pointed two fingers at the narrow path and his eyes glowed again. He could still feel the person approaching. ''That''s impossible'', he thought and pushed his fingers forward, stepping closer to the shadow that dashed at him.


    Whoever it was; it wasing at him pretty fast. "Who is that?", Crane muttered, staring carefully.


    The person slowed down and walked closer to him. Crane still had his two fingers up. "Crane?", the person called. "We need to talk"


    "Kang? How did you do that?"


    Kang stepped under the light. His face appeared clearer, as he stared at the stiff soldiers. "How did I do what?", he muttered. "How are you doing that?"


    "Wow!", Crane said, staring with a look of astonishment. Kang was meant to stop, immediately the fingers were pointed. "He said it. He said there was someone capable of resisting"


    "What are you saying? Who said what?", Kang asked, mindlessly, as he walked around the soldiers and King. He cared less about the questions he asked. He was still astonished at how Crane was able to make them hang. "This ability is great... what are you going to do?"


    "We need to bring down this ce", Crane replied. "None of the fighters want to be here so I think we should set them free"


    "No, Crane. I can''t let you do that"


    Crane stared into his eyes. He wasn''t sure he heard that well. A few minutes earlier, he believed every fighter in the hall wanted the same thing: to get out of the hellish cage they were trapped in. "Come again"


    "I think you are making a mistake, Crane", Kang said slowly. "We don''t know the evil waiting for us out there. You might be leading us to our death"


    "What are you saying? We live every day because they let us. The moment they want us dead, we will be gone. They put us on the Arena and one of us has to die..... You don''t even have a Shin Zhu, Kang. What are you waiting for?"


    "I just spoke to Ana''s uncle. He created you so he knows what you are capable of", Kang said. "You will destroy the defense of the Dergon Arena and the other Arenas will storm this ce to take over thend. They will kill everyone, including the fighters"


    Crane gaped, staring at him. He swallowed and turned around. "You are right", he muttered. "You are right. Chaos mentioned it"


    "What''s Chaos?"


    "Chaos is a mad man beneath King''sir. He told me a lot of things, including what just happened. I couldn''t stop your time. He told me someone would resist", Crane said. "You should probably see him too. He helped me find my Shin Zhu. He''ll probably help you find yours"


    Kang nodded, slowly. "If we ever meet, I will take my chances", he said. "You need to leave before the soldiers find out you are here"


    ****


    "How do you know everything?", Dn asked, with an astonished glint on his brows. "It''s crazy.... Feels like a superpower"


    "It bes a superpower when you can use it", Todd replied with a smirk. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I don''t know everything though... But I know a lot of things" "What is Dan''s secret?"


    Todd smiled at him and stared down the hall. They were the only ones on the staircase. The other members of their "bully" pack were probably busy elsewhere. "I can''t tell you Dan''s secret", Todd whispered. "But I can tell you your secret.... Dennis"


    "Ana? Are you busy?"


    "No. What''s up?", Ana replied, closing the door behind her. They were the only ones in theb.


    Thomas sat in front of aputer, focused on the screen, like he hadnded a huge contract.


    "You need me for something?", Ana asked again, walking up to him. "What are you doing?"


    "I think you need to see something", Thomas said, and faced her. "I was thinking about the technology maniption thing and the strange happenings, recently"


    "You didn''t watch thest fight? Crane is the technology maniptor", Ana replied. "He was able to stop the gun from shooting"


    "I watched the fight, Ana", Thomas said and shifted the chair closer to her. "Crane died on the Arena, once before. Before he died, we had an issue with the spin machine. Checking the footage of that day, I have a reason to suspect he was behind it... but, when Todd''s incident happened, Crane had died"


    "If he died, he won''t be back among the fighters"


    "Alright. I''ll ept that", Thomas said. "He was able to hide away and he was definitely not in the hall.... Crane wasn''t behind the missing footage of that day"


    Ana was unsure of his point. He was definitely making sense but if he was going to say what she was thinking, then they would only end up asking the same question they started with; who is the technology maniptor? Who killed Todd?..... "Are you saying there is another technology maniptor in the hall?"


    "I am saying that technology wasn''t manipted. The footage was deleted by someone and the person is definitely among us"


    "If we can''t prove that, there is nothing we can do", Ana replied. "The whole thing has been pinned on Dan already but the bullet in the gun doesn''t even match the bullet in the crime scene."


    "But what if I can prove it?", Thomas whispered and moved closer to Ana. "I know who did it"


    Ana swallowed, staring into his eyes. She could see the surety in his eyes and she could imagine anyone among themmitting such a brutal murder. It reminded her of her conversation with Kang.


    *As long as you are arger figure, you will always be an enemy...''*


    "Who killed Todd?", she asked.


    "When Alexa was investigating the case of the spin, she had suspicions that you were going to the back passage to meet with a fighter so she made me install another secret camera right there", Thomas said. "I almost forgot about it when she was called to return to the other side.... No one else knew about the secret camera so I figured if one of us were to deactivate the cameras for any reason, that one would be left out. Whoever killed Todd deactivated the cameras at the back and did it"


    "Who killed Todd, Thomas?"


    "Dennis... Dennis killed Todd"


    Her eyes dropped. She wasn''t very disappointed. It only made her hate him more. "How about the marks on his body? It sure looked like a Shin Zhu attack", she muttered. She didn''t need to think much. The first thing Dennis took off of his body when he got back was the power brace on his arm.


    "I would have said he used a knife to make those marks but the video says otherwise", Thomas said and typed into theputer. "This is it... somehow, Dennis was able to give himself the Shin Zhu ability"


    That was no news to her. She already knew about the power brace. "Dennis framed Dan for his crime"


    The door opened, suddenly and they turned. It was Dennis. "Hi guys"

 A Grimm Attack

    "Guys? Is something wrong?", Dennis asked, as his eyes moved from Ana to Thomas and back to Ana again. Something was wrong and they were doing a very bad job at hiding it. It had to do with him and the look on their faces gave them away. He nced at theputer screen in front of Thomas. His eyes caught a quick scene before Thomas closed it. "Oh shit"


    "You did it", Ana said. She knew he had gotten the hint already. There was no point pretending anymore. "You killed Todd"


    "Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?", Dennis asked, confidently. "I know your secret too."


    "I have no secret worth hiding"


    "A lot of people know about Dan already. You probably think no one heard yourst conversation with him", Dennis said slowly. "I know where he is right now and how he is helping you. Trust me, King will kill you"


    Ana''s eyes twitched. ''How?", she thought. She didn''t think anyone could have heard her conversation with Dan. Her lips sealed tightly. If she tried to say anything, she would only blurt more than she intends to keep in herself. Thomas sat on his chair. His heart was beating rapidly, as he watched the two of them


    "Just so you know how, Chaos heard your conversation with Dan", Dennis continued. "He fears me more than anything so don''t be surprised a mad man gave you away"


    Thomas stood up, slowly. "I''m just going to step out-"


    "Stand back!", Dennis howled, pointing the gun from the gold strap. "Stand the fuck back!... I have nothing against you so I''ll have to kill you eventually"


    "Please, I swear no one''s going to hear about this-"


    The door opened, just in time. Dennis brought down the gun, as they turned to see who walked in. King''s bald head was staring in. He looked around, slowly, at their faces. He could tell there was something wrong. "I hope everything is alright?"


    "Everything is alright, sir", Dennis answered quickly. "We were just talking about the next spin"


    King stared at him for a few seconds and nced at Thomas and Ana. "Is that true, Ana?", he asked. "Everything is alright?"


    "Everything is alright, sir", Ana replied.


    "Alright. I should go straight to the point then", King said. "You are needed on the Other Side, Dennis, so you might have to leave the Arena. It''s urgent so I suggest you leave immediately" "Okay, sir", Dennis said and bowed his head. "I will be on my way"


    .........


    Romeo flicked the torch on, approaching Dan''s bed slowly. He was careful not to get caught making quick moves around Dan''s bed. Dan had just left the room a minute earlier. The lights were out already so he was pretty safe to go out and use the bathroom or do whatever he wanted.


    Romeo looked around the bed, quickly. He was sure he had seen Dan shove a polythene bag somewhere around. He pushed the flying bed sheets aside, repeatedly, as his eyes darted around. He could tell Dan was hiding something. His hand hit something underneath the bed. He pressed it gently and felt small balls in a kind of bag. It had to be the same polythene bag he saw. The bag was wrapped with the tail of the bed sheets and shoved under the bed at a corner. He heard footsteps and jumped off the bed swiftly. The door opened and Dan brought his head in, staring at him. Romeo stared back, nkly. His look wouldn''t betray him but he wasn''t very good at ying innocent either.


    ****


    It''s another day. Kang undoubtedly felt a lot better, after the incident with Crane. Crane was able to leave him a message about one Chaos under King''sir. It''d be nice to get himself a Shin Zhu but definitely not the cement type. King and most of the gamblers still believe that was his ability.


    "The spin is happening now"


    "I know that", Kang replied, staring nkly at her. "That''s why I''m up here. The others will join me in a minute"


    "You''re early. Then I''m assuming you know King''s n for you", Ana asked. "He likes you now. He is going to make you fight on the arena like Jin did"


    Kang scoffed. "I can see that definition of ''like''. It''s a weird one", he replied. "You and your king should go fuck yourselves"


    "King is a psychopath. He only believes what he believes. This wasn''t influenced by me"


    "I didn''t need to hear it from you though"


    Ana nodded. "Alright", she said. "Just be careful out there"


    "Ana", he called. "I''m never going to forgive you for Jin"


    "You don''t have to.... You''re never going to understand me anyway"


    The fighters rushed up the staircase, as though they were being chased out of the hall. Ana had disappeared, immediately. Kang turned and walked to his position. "Hi", Romeo greeted, walking up to him. "Where is Crane?"


    "He left the Arena, yesterday".


    They stared into each other''s eyes for an awkwardly long time. Romeo definitely didn''t understand that.


    "He left the Arena, yesterday", Kang said again. "He escaped"


    "So he found his way out and you know about it but you are still here?", Romeo asked, slowly, staring confusedly at the screen. "Why are there three lists on the screen?"


    ''Fuck! She said so'', Kang thought.


    He focused on the screen, counting how many times the beep ran past his face. He nced at the other rows. From the positions of the rows on the screen, he could tell which of them wouldnd on him. "Looks like they are nning another god-tier fighter like they did with Jin"


    The beep slowed down. Kang watched it closely. It wasing straight for him. He just knew it. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to shut out every thought.


    "Kang?..... Kang? Are you alright?"


    Kang opened his eyes slowly. A hand waved right in front of his face. He looked past the strange face in front of him and stared at the screen. The other beeps had stopped already. He was going to fight against one top-tier and one mid-tier. "My name is Gandhi", the fighter said, holding out his hand.


    Kang shook his hands, staring confusedly. "I think the other guy is your partner. Not me"


    "I know", Gandhi said, wearing an honest smile. "To be honest, I really respect you... and I''m scared too"


    Kang chuckled. "Now, that''s a joke. I''ve got two of you against me. I should be scared. Besides, you are the top-tier and I don''t even have a Shin Zhu"


    Gandhi leaned closer. "We actually watched you use the cement Shin Zhu"


    "Yea. I don''t think I actually did. I can''t control it", Kang whispered back. "You really want to socialize with an opponent? Once we''re on the Arena, we be enemies"


    "I get that. Everyone will do anything to survive", Gandhi nodded. "They always decide for us, turn us against one another whenever they wish. Then they make us fight to death.... The thing is we don''t have to be enemies. We are not on the Arena now so we can be friends here. On the Arena, we can fight to death"


    Kang stared nkly. As innocent as Gandhi seemed, he could be just as dangerous. Kang was definitely not going to believe that or get too attached. Gandhi was probably trying to use his emotions against him.


    ****


    He stood there on the field. His eyes were closed. He could hear himself breath. His heart was beating rapidly. That was the first time he was going to fight on the Arena with so much fear in him. Jin''s pills were exhausted already. There was nothing for him tobat his fear.


    Whoever was meant to introduce the fighters had done his part. Kang could almost hear amplified whispers. They were probably contemting whether to remind the fighters that they could start fighting. Kang stood still waiting for the first to attack. Hopefully, Gandhi would have mercy on him.


    "Fuck!", Kang muttered. He definitely shouldn''t think Gandhi really meant to be friends with him. He opened his eyes slowly.


    A strong blow struck his leg, sweeping him off his feet and throwing him up in the air. His eyes opened immediately. He could see Kabiring at him. Kabir threw his hands forward, shooting out countless darts from his bare hands. Kang rolled, quickly, turning his back. The darts stabbed into his back.


    He stood up, slowly, and clenched his fist. The darts slowly removed from his back. "If we go harder, you''d be dead in seconds, Kang", Gandhi said. "Come on, get up"


    Kang reached for his sword and twirled it. "Alright. Let''s give the people a show"


    Kabir threw a dart at him. He struck it down with his sword. "Alright. Let''s go hard", Kabir said and threw his arms forward again.


    Kang dropped his sword and ran towards the attack. He felt the waveing at him and grabbed the wind in his hands as though he could hold it. He turned around and threw the wave of darts right back at Kabir. Gandhi clenched his fist and erged his body size. "Whoa", Kang muttered. "That''s what they call the expanse demi?"


    Gandhi mmed his erged arm on the ground beside Kang, making the earth shake. Kang staggered and fell on his knees immediately. He threw his second arm at Kang, throwing him against the wall. "Get up, Kang", Gandhi said, approaching him. "Fight like the nk. That''s what the people want to see"


    Kabir threw another wave of darts at Kang. Kang raised an hand, holding the darts in the air. Gandhi clenched his fist, erging his arms. Kang swiped his hand at Gandhi, swiftly, throwing the darts at him. "How are you able to do that?", Kabir asked, staring confusedly.


    "To be honest, I have no idea", Kang replied and clenched his fist. Tiny darts protruded all over his wrist and knuckles. He shot the darts at Kabir''s leg.


    Kabir nced at his hit leg, still stunned by how Kang was able to use his Shin Zhu. He raised his head up, slowly. Kang''s leg flew at him, kicking him in the head.


    Gandhi had gotten back up. He erged his body, growing up to a giant size and towering above Kang. He put his two arms together and dropped it on Kang. Kang raised his arm, swiftly and impulsively, blocking the hit immediately as though it were nothing.


    He opened his eyes and pushed against Gandhi''s heavy arms. He could feel his body growing and expanding. He was increasing in size, just like Gandhi, as he pushed back effortlessly. Gandhi gritted, as he struggled to remain on his feet. ''How''s he doing that?'', Gandhi thought.


    Kang pulled Gandhi''s arms apart, slowly, overwhelming Gandhi with his strength, as he kept growing in size, now a lot taller than Gandhi. Kabir had gotten up on his feet. He fumed angrily. With his fists clenched, tiny darts protruded from virtually every part of his body, ready to storm at Kang. Kang pulled Gandhi and flung him at Kabir.


    Gandhi''s huge body dropped heavily on Kabir, pushing the darts back into his body. Kang stared at his hand for a few seconds, stepping back. For a moment, he had lost his mind and he couldn''t even tell what he was up to. ''How am I doing that?'', he thought. It was amazing but weird at the same time. Gandhi raised his back, slowly pulling himself away from the darts. He rolled on the ground and nced at Kabir on the ground. His eyes fell back to Kabir, staring with horror. There was blood all over the ground. Gandhi''s body had stabbed Kabir with his own darts. He killed Kabir with his weight. "Fuck!", he muttered and nced at Kang who still seemed awed by his own feats. "Does this count as your kill or mine? You killed him with my body"


    "No, man. Totally your fault", Kang replied. "You jumped on me"


    Gandhi chuckles. "You threw me, idiot."


    A loud boom sounded on the Gamblers'' bleachers, as fire erupted on the seats. The wave blew down into the Arena, throwing Kang and Gandhi on the ground. King and the Larger Figures stood up, quickly, getting themselves and the Gamblers to safety.... They were under attack.

 Infiltration

    The soldiers rushed down to the bleachers, ushering the Larger Figures out of the Arena. The fighters ran back into the hall, emptying the arena, quickly. The thunder rumbled, making the devastating attack a lot more dramatic.... The Arena wasn''t so empty after all. Kabir''s bloodied carcassid there in the sand, getting beaten up by the heavy droplets of rain.


    King nced back at the burning seats, as they all exited. There was no way the enemies had attacked from the outside without raising suspicions. King''s instincts rarely failed to give the right hints. He was almost sure someone had infiltrated and the attack was from the inside.... Or the attack is from the outside but someone is helping them from the inside. His eyes fell on an open space that had been created by the bomb. He stared closer. He could see a familiar symbol and he could feel a volcanic anger about to erupt. That feeling only came whenever he sighted the logo of an opposing Arena. "Grimm", he muttered.


    He could hear the sirens ring through the speakers. Everyone else could hear it too. He stared into the passage. He could see the narrow path and the soldiers moving around quickly. There was panic in the air. The lights turned red, blinking consistently in the hall and out there in the passage.


    "What do you think that is?", Romeo asked.


    "I think we are under attack", Kang muttered. Ana had once told him about it when she needed Crane to be prepared for it.


    "Who''s attacking who?", Romeo muttered, confusedly. "If they are going to bring down the arena, it should happens soon enough. I want to see the outside"


    Kang nced at him and swallowed. He was going to tell him just what he had heard from Ana''s uncle but, surely, that would lead to a series of questions. Thest time he checked, he and Ana should never have had any private meetings. Ana made that clear. "We don''t know what''s there. We really should be careful what we hope for", he replied and dipped his hand in his pocket.


    Romeo turned. "Whatever happens, it should meet me on the bed", he said and yawned, as he walked away. Kang moved his hand in his pocket. There was something in there. He pulled it out slowly, trying to recollect how it got in his pocket. It was a small knife.


    "Oh", he muttered, ncing at the pocket knife in his hand. He had taken it when he walked into the Arena. He didn''t get to use it though. He dipped it back in his pocket. A hand grabbed his hand swiftly. "Come on. Let''s get in the room", Gandhi said.


    Kang nced at him, turning his head back to the passage immediately. His eyes had caught an image down the narrow path. It wasn''t clear but he was damn sure he had seen that exact image before. He stared attentively, taking a step closer.


    "Come on!", Gandhi said, pulling his arm again.


    "Let go!", Kang howled, throwing his arm out at Gandhi, with his fist still clenching on the knife in his pocket.


    The knife shed across Gandhi''s throat, spilling blood all over the ground. "Oh my- ! Fuck! What have I done?", Kang muttered, quickly, staring back at Gandhi with horror written on his face.


    Gandhi held his neck, gasping for breath. Kang could see a small bubble of blood explode from the hole in Gandhi''s neck, as blood squirted out. Gandhi was going to die... and he would be the killer.


    He stared back in the passage, as Gandhi''s body dropped on the ground. The image was still there, seemingly blurred. He could see a huge man, dressed in red robes, with his rough long hair almost reaching his waist. The man turned slowly and faced Kang.


    Kang couldn''t see clearly. He could sense there was a message in what he saw, though he wasn''t sure. He stepped closer, staring back at the man that stared at him. There was a striking resemnce with someone he knew... someone from the dream. The full beards didn''t give Kang a clear view but the man sure looked like someone he had already met.


    King walked through the passage. Kang stepped back, immediately, almost falling down. The contrast was so sharp that it almost seemed like he had been hallucinating.... Or maybe he was. The passage was as dark as it always was and there was no man standing there. King nced at the body on the ground with a look of both disappointment and indifference.


    "I swear it was a mistake", Kang said, as he looked down at Gandhi''s body. For a second, he almost thought that was also a part of the illusion. He just realized what he had done. He was a murderer.


    King sighed. "Cuff him", he said and turned his back. The soldiers walked up to Kang and seized him. They cuffed his hands and pulled him roughly through the passage, following King closely.


    "I swear I didn''t intend to do it", Kang said, crying. He kept his face down, hiding his guilt. For a second, he wished he could snap his neck. He tugged at his tied hands behind the chair he sat on. He wasn''t going to do that anyway. There was no way he would kill himself for it. "I- I''m a murderer"


    "Hey, listen. We need you now so you''ll have to put that aside"


    "Uh?", Kang muttered silently, looking up at King. They probably hadn''t arrested him for murder.


    "He would have died on the field, anyway. It''s the same way you killed Brolly on the Arena"


    "That was different. We werepeting"


    Kingughed. "No, Kang... You might call the others monsters for killing others outside the Arena but it''s the same soul you take in and out of that field... no difference. I am a monster. Killing that fighter doesn''t make you a monster.... You''ve been a monster since you were created to battle", King said. His look changed and he was a lot more serious again. "We are under attack. I''m guessing you know that already" Kang nodded. "Yes"


    "I need your help... what do you call your Shin Zhu again?"


    "I don''t know", Kang muttered. "I can''t do anything. It just happens"


    King gaped and leaned back for a second. Obviously, he was hoping for a better and more confident response. "Alright. I have noticed you always win. I need you to win this one", King said and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I don''t trust any of the people I work with anymore. There are infiltrators amidst us already so I will check on the Other Side-"


    "The Other Side. What''s the Other Side?"


    "The hidden Dergon Arena. I will be taking Queen with me and she will be staying there while I return to take care of this mess", King said. "There is someone in here with us and you need to find who it is"


    "How am I supposed to do that from the hall when the infiltrator has to be among the Larger Figures?"


    "Someone I trust so little ims this is a long scheme orchestrated by fate. I don''t trust him but I won''t ignore the hint", King said. "The enemy could be anyone. It could be a fighter and it could be a Larger Figure... which is why I''m giving you the strap"


    King handed the strap to him. ''Oops. Should I tell him I already have one with me?'', he thought.


    "Don''t give it to anyone. Any fighter caught with the gold strap or a gun will be executed or detained", King said and stood up. "I''m trusting you with this, nk. Don''t let me down".


    ******


    "Yea... and he wants me to do the investigation", Kang said, staring into Dan''s eyes.


    Danughed. "Come on,e on. Enough with that"


    "I''m serious, alright?", Kang added. "I don''t even know where to start from"


    "Okay. That''s a big responsibility", Dan replied. "But how can the hall be infiltrated? I think they would know if an outsider was hiding in here"


    "He says it''s gotta be someone that''s already here. He''s not sure if it''s a fighter or arger figure so he has given me ess in and out of the hall" "Alright. So what are you going to do now?"


    "I came to ask a few questions", Kang said and moved closer. "When you were picked up, did you see anything?"


    "Well, the guy that framed me", Dan muttered. "He was in a mask. He was hiding his face for a reason.. and when he tortured me, he took off his mask and showed his face. I have seen that face before and it wasn''t among the Larger Figures. It was among us" "Among us? What''s the name?"


    "They called him Dennis. I am very sure I saw him in the hall with us before he disappeared... I am sure he is something. If there is anyone to be investigated, he should be the first".


    Kang nodded. That sounded a lot suspicious. "Alright, Dan", he sprung up. "I should take my leave now. My regards to Romeo when he gets back"


    "Alright"


    Kang walked out of the room. He had been given ess so he was going to Ana next. "Kang?", Romeo called, immediately Kang stepped out of the room.


    "I just asked about you from Dan"


    "You look like you''re on your way somewhere"


    "Yes. King gave me a task", Kang said and held back. He shouldn''t be telling that to everyone. "He believes one of the fighters or therger figures may be helping the enemies. Fuck! I shouldn''t even be telling you" "What? You don''t trust me?", Romeo stepped closer. "You told Dan, right?"


    "Yes, I did. I needed some information from him since he was taken up there for a crime he didn''tmit"


    "But he didn''t say anything at all?"


    Okay. That sounded suspicious again. Kang stared at Romeo. "Is everything alright? He didn''t tell me anything about you"


    "Oh", Romeo muttered and nced at the door. "Alright... never mind"


    Kang watched him walk back into his room. He would have to go back to Dan. From what he had just seen, Romeo might be hiding something.

 A moment alone

    He was walking in the narrow path again. He doubted if any of the Larger Figures knew about his assignment, yet. He stared at a door, as he approached it, imagining a sudden confrontation. Arger figure could walk out the door, put him down quickly, seize his gold strap and throw him back among the fighters. Then his mission would be cancelled too soon. ''Funny'', he thought, almostughing.


    The door opened immediately. He stopped abruptly, waiting for someone toe out. He was going to exin his mission, show the gold strap as a proof and probably tell them to call King for a confirmation. The Larger Figure stepped out and mmed the door. It was Ana.


    Ana stood still, staring back at him, like she wasn''t sure if she was seeing what was before her. Kang stepped closer, and kept his eyes away. It was time to put his anger away. He was going to find her and ask her the questions since that was the onlyrger figure he knew but she was here already. "Kang?", she muttered. "What are you doing here?"


    "King gave me a task", Kang replied. "He believes the Arena is infiltrated and he wants me to-"


    "- do the investigation. He told me", Ana said. "I have to be the eye witness, in case the others try to undermine your ordainment"


    "So he trusted you with this?"


    "If there is no Larger Figure to back you up, none of them will believe King gave you any mission. I believe King made the right move by telling me about it"


    Kang scoffed. "You of all people. I believe no one should be trusted, especially you. How would he believe you can''t be the enemy here"


    Ana''s eyes twitched, staring into his eyes. She was hoping they would put all of the past behind them and focus on the problem they had. "I already apologized for what happened to Jin. What more do you want me to do?" "Nothing, Ana", Kang exhaled. "I just said the truth and you''re blurting again"


    "Blurting?", she cut in. "You call this blurting when you were tantly using me of-"


    "Listen, Ana¡±, Kang interrupted, as his hands reached for her shoulder. He felt his right hand brush against her bosom and he pulled his hand back quickly. "Sorry about that.... I really want to put this anger aside and focus on what we have now. Can we get a ce to sit and talk?"


    He looked up at her and their eyes met again. She nodded. "Come on", she said and opened the door, walking back into theb. Kang walked in after her and closed the door slowly behind him. "We can talk here" Kang exhaled and sat down. "Alright. We are alone"


    "This is the only ce we get to be alone", Ana replied, as she watched him look around the empty room.


    "We didn''t have to be alone though", he said and looked back at her. She nodded nkly and looked away. "But it''s alright.... Being alone is better"


    "So what are the questions you were going to ask?"


    "Dennis", he said, closely watching her reaction. Her face was just the same. Maybe he wasn''t special after all. "Who is Dennis?"


    "He is a Larger Figure. He stays on the Other Side"


    "Wait. King mentioned the Other Side. What is that?"


    "It''s an Arena headed by King''s older brother. He is a lot more ruthless than the King you know. We call it the Other Side because, unlike the Dergon Arena, it is protected from attacks from the other Arenas" "Alright. This Dennis guy; why was he here?"


    "Some Larger Figures visit from the Other Side, from time to time. Alexa, a mate of king, also resides there. She visited so Dennis came along", Ana said. "When Alexa left in a rush, Dennis chose to stay back... or so we thought. Turns out Alexa had nted him among the fighters. When she was called to return, she couldn''t call Dennis out of the hall so she had to leave without him".


    Kang listened attentively. That was the exact part he had came for and the part he was choosing to focus on. "is he still here?"


    "He returned recently", Ana replied and nced down for a second. "In case it helps, Dennis is not very innocent so I can''t vouch for him"


    "I doubt if he can vouch for you too", Kang muttered, casually, staring in the dark.


    He kept his eyes on the spot, saying nothing else. Ana didn''t reply either. She just stared back at him, hiding her frustration behind her nk face. Kang chuckled. "Come on. I was just joking, alright? Continue"


    Ana nodded, now wearing an unhappy look. "He was in the hall, bearing Dn", she said. "You had a sh with him after Crane''s death"


    Kang nodded, slowly, and snorted. He remembered Dn. Dn had disappeared and he didn''t even notice... and no one talked about it. "Oh", he muttered.


    "He had a device he wore on his arm. It gave him abilities like the Shin Zhu of the fighters", she added, fiddling with her fingers and staring down. "I called him out of the hall when I figured he was among the fighters and we kept it a secret from the others and King"


    "Ana?", Kang called, staring at her as she fiddled her fingers. Her sleeves had rolled up and he could see a kind of ck round tattoo on her wrist right over the gold strap she was wearing. What he saw wasn''t a tattoo; it looked more like a bracelet imnted into her wrist to merge with her skin. He definitely wasn''t going to ask for a confirmation. "... Ana?"


    "Uh?", she muttered and looked up. Her face was still sullen.


    "Cheer up, alright? I was kidding when I said that"


    She nodded and faked a smile. "I get it", she muttered and her eyes became teary, like he had just made it worse. He smiled and looked away. "He killed Todd" "Uh?"


    "Dennis killed Todd because Todd figured out the secret. He was getting to know too much so Dennis killed him"


    ''And you chose to punish Dan for it?!'', Kang screamed in his head but kept his lips sealed. ''Enough with the usations, Kang''


    "I figured out toote so...", she paused for a second and nced at him. "I couldn''t save Dan from getting killed for it.... When I was going to report Dennis for the crime, he had been called and he was out of the Arena already" ''She really doesn''t know he''s alive'', he thought and cleared his throat, as he stood up. "Wipe your face, Ana... when I said I wanted to put the anger aside, I meant it"


    He turned, walking towards the door. She stood up quickly. "Thank you, Kang", she said. "You have a good heart"


    "I''m not so sure of that", Kang replied. "I killed Gandhi today... and it was in the hall. He was just trying to help me but I killed him"


    "I knew that, Kang"


    He looked back at her and stared in her eyes. There was no way she would know that without judging him... or maybe she did and she just chose not to judge him.


    "I saw it happen and I know it was a mistake", she continued. "It was a mistake, Kang. That doesn''t make you less great... it doesn''t make you a monster"


    Kang nodded. "Thank you", he muttered, looking away. "I should leave now"


    He opened the door and walked out. She exhaled, as she watched the door m, and dropped back on the seat.


    "That was a cool moment. Really loved it"


    "Uh?", she eximed, as her eyes opened wide. She sprung up and stared into the dark part of the room. "Who''s there?"


    "Chill out. It''s me"


    "Fred?"


    "Yea... were you scared? It looked like you would pee"


    Ana exhaled. "You''ve been there the whole time?"


    "Yes", Fred replied and walked up to her, smiling. "And I heard everything. You guys really had a moment"


    "What moment? He just came to ask questions about the incident"


    "So you didn''t feel anything?", Fred asked, staring into her eyes. He knew how to catch if she was lying or pretending. She looked away and smiled. "I thought so?


    "It was nothing"


    "As romantic as that is, it''s still pretty forbidden", Fred advised. "That''s the nk, right?"


    "Yes, he is"


    "I like him too... let''s keep it that way. We like him as the nk and have nothing more. Alright?''


    She stared down and nodded, reluctantly. "Alright"


    ****


    He knocked gently on the door and pushed the door open, peeking in slowly. "Busted!", Dan said, suddenly, flinging a pillow at Kang''s head.


    "Fuck!", Kangughed and walked in. He nced at Romeo''s bed. It was empty. "What was that for?"


    "I had a dream. The idiot that picked me up the other day; he returned and he walked in just like that"


    "Hm", Kang smiled and sat on Romeo''s bed. "Then what happened after that?"


    "I flung a pillow just like this and it broke his neck"


    Kangughed. "Come on... where is Romeo? I came to ask some questions"


    "He''s been going out frequently, these days", Dan replied. "I have no idea"


    "When I told him about the investigation yesterday, he had a funny reaction.... It felt like he knew something and was trying to hide it from everyone. What do you think?"


    "I have no idea of what you are saying"


    "Come on. I know he keeps your secret but if his secret will threaten our lives, we shouldn''t let it keep going", Kang said. "When I told him I asked you some questions, he became very interested and uneasy... much more like you knew something and he was hoping you wouldn''t tell anyone"


    Dan''s eyes twitched, as he moved his eyes from Kang. He moved closer. "Listen. The truth is; I''m not sure but Romeo is really hiding something", he said in whispers. "I think he''s beenmunicating with someone" "You think?"


    "I leave the room when it''s dark so I follow Romeo when he tries to sneak out... he is out friend so you have to protect him", Dan said. "Please, just stop whatever he is doing.... But don''t give him up"

 The Creeping Voice

    "Hi, guys", Kang greeted, as he stepped into theb. He must have missed his way. "Sorry for barging in. I believe we should be making progress already."


    "This is the nk guy", Kwei said, walking up to him. He surveyed Kang''s appearance with his eyes, as if measuring his capability for the task he was given. He held out his hand. "it''s nice to meet you" "Same here", Kang smiled, shaking his hand.


    "You look familiar but I won''t talk about that", Kwei said andughed at himself. "We''ve definitely not met outside or inside so the question would be definitely stupid"


    "You could have met in here, though.... Probably when he was created", another Larger Figure replied. "Or you might have created him"


    "Nah. I have a list of my sessful creation"


    "Alright, guys. I need to see Ana", Kang said, staring at their faces.


    They became silent, staring at one another. "Ana for what?", Fred asked.


    "The investigation, alright? I need to see her and it has to be now", Kang said and nced at Ana.


    Ana stared back, brightly. "Alright", she said and stood up. "Have a great day, guys"


    They walked out of theb and closed the door behind them. "I thought you said no one stays in thatb", Kang said.


    "You entered the wrongb", Ana replied, leading him to the emptyb they were in. "And if you entered the rightb, you wouldn''t have seen me.... So what''s it? You wanted to see my face?" "What face? Let''s be serious", Kang shunned.


    "Are you kidding? This is something serious. My uncle said we had a moment yesterday"


    Kang stared confusedly. "How did he know we even met?"


    "Sorry. He was in the room. Turns out he also came to rest his head"


    They walked into theb and Kang closed the door. It looked a lot different than the previous day. More lights were on. "Oops. I no longer feelfortable here", he said. "It feels a lot bigger" "Well, it''s just the same. Say what you have to say"


    "It feels like we are being watched"


    "No one can watch us from anywhere. Just speak already, will you?", Ana said, chuckling. He looked like he was nervous. She was definitely nervous. She stood up and put out the lights. "You happy now?" "Come on. How am I going to see your face now?"


    "You really love to see my face?"


    "Really? Alright. How do I know if you are still in the room?"


    "You can hear my voice... or you could just hold my hand till the conversation is over"


    Kang closed his eyes and nodded. He wasn''t going to let her get in his head again. He stood up, found his way to her and pulled her away from the switch, turning one of the lights back on. "Now, that''s better", he said and smiled at her. "Now, let''s be professional or we will fail at this"


    "I really don''t see what we are failing at ''cause the explosion left a hint that it was from the Grimms. We just have to prepare to defend ourselves and fight them"


    "King believes there is someone working against us on the inside and so do I"


    They stared at each other again. "You''re not referring to me, are you?"


    Kang chuckled and punched the wall, cutting hisugh short. "Let''s be serious. I wasn''t referring to you. There is either an infiltrator or someone working against us. You should watch Romeo very well" "Romeo?"


    "The fighter who shared a room with Dan before Dan was executed"


    Ana nced at the ground. ''Dan must be hiding well enough'', she thought.


    "I don''t think he''s clean. Put your cameras on him every time he steps out of the room and watch him wherever he goes... when it''s day and when it''s dark"


    "What makes you suspect him?", she asked. "I mean if you have a hint that he''s the infiltrator, it might just be enough to nail him"


    "No hint... it''s just instincts", he replied. "Watch him and we might find something"


    "Alright", she nodded as he turned his back.


    He walked to the door and pulled it open. "The Grimm"


    "Uh?"


    "I remembered something... Were you there when Dea was killed?", Kang asked and turned. His eyelids pushed down, almost closing, like he was trying to see something. "I mean; do you have a proof that she''s actually dead? Did you see her body?"


    "I didn''t. I wasn''t there. King just said so", Ana replied. "You think she''s still alive?"


    "She''s the only Grimm I know. She might have felt betrayed- which is totally your fault- and, believing King would eventually kill her for being an enemy, she decides to call for help.... Then she gives the Dergon Arena out to her people" "That''s possible but, if King kills you once, you die three times before he confirms. He is too brutal for anyone to survive. They always end up in the oven?


    ''Really?'', Kang thought,ughing in his mind. ''Like Dan? She doesn''t have to know that though''. He faced the door again. "You just agreed that it''s possible. Let''s make sure it''s not what we are dealing with?


    ****


    "Hey, bitch!"


    Romeo paused. His hand remained on the door handle but he didn''t push it down. He was almost sure whoever was talking was referring to him. He wiped off water from his forehead. "You referring to me?" he asked, loudly, looking around. Now, he was sure he was the one being referred to.


    The mid-tier threw a bottle at him, staggering backward drunkenly, as his roommate, Dn pulled his cloth. "Come on. Stop being an Idiot, Craig", Dn muttered, jerking his clothes. He nced at Romeo. "Sorry, man. He didn''t have enough sleep"


    "Shut the fuck up!", Craig cut in, pulling himself away from Dn''s grip. "That idiot over there; I''m going to kill him"


    Romeo picked up the bottle and took a step closer. "Leave him alone"


    Dn let go of Craig''s cloth. Immediately, Craig jumped at Romeo. Romeo twirled the bottle for a second and swung his arm, striking Craig in the head and throwing him to the ground. Craig shot back up and ran mindlessly at Romeo. Romeo tilted sideways, as he grabbed Craig by the neck, and mmed his head into the wall.


    Two soldiers ran into the hall, through the passage, with their guns in hand. "Let go of him!", they howled, pulling Craig away.


    Romeo raised his arm behind his head. "I was defending myself"


    The soldiers seized him and cuffed his hands immediately, pulling him roughly.


    "What?", Romeo tugged wildly. "I was defending myself! He started the fight!"


    "I was defending myself. Weren''t you guys watching your cams?", Romeo asked, gently, as the soldiers left him in a room with Ana. His hands were tied behind his back.


    "Hold on", Ana said, without turning back. She was busy working on aptop.


    His eyes moved around, quickly. Dan already told him of theb. He had an unclear memory, though he was sure he had walked out of theb with Finn on the first day of his life. His eyes fell back on Ana. Whatever she was doing; she was pretty engrossed with it. "Is that so important? Why am I the only one in here with you when it takes two to fight?"


    "Well, they choose to pick only the stubborn one or the one that starts the fight-"


    "Were you watching with your butt?"


    "Excuse me?", she said, shooting an inquiring re at him.


    "Sorry. I understand I shouldn''t be introducing a girl''s butt but I''m pretty pissed"


    "Alright. You weren''t picked up because of the fight", Ana said, facing himpletely. "The fight is a coincidence. Fate set a trap for you. You could have avoided that" "Who''s Fate?", Romeo asked, staring down and listening attentively.


    "I meant destiny", Ana replied, almost chuckling. "Don''t bother thinking about that"


    "I''m not thinking, idiot", Romeo muttered, silently. "I know you"


    The door opened and Kang walked him. "Oh. You already have him"


    "Kang? Why am I here?"


    "Calm down, Romeo", Kang said and grabbed a seat. He held his head for a second. "I just have a few questions and we need honest answers from you before you can go anywhere" "What is all of this about? The investigation?"


    "Yes. It''s about the investigation. We have an enemy in our midst or there is someone giving out information to break through the defense of the Dergon Arena"


    Romeo scoffed. "What is King promising to give you? What makes you turn your back against us?"


    "Nothing, Romeo... my back is not turned on anyone. This is me protecting us from whatever we might have to face on the outside"


    "This wasn''t me, Kang... but, even if I found out who is behind all of this, I''m never going to give him up.... ''cause every fighter wants this ce to burn to the ground. We want to see the outside"


    "It''s war and chaos!", Kang shouted back and held his head again. "I need to get some rest, Romeo. This shouldn''t have been today at all so I''m sorry you have to wait here till it''s over..... we don''t know what is on the outside, Romeo. If this ce burns to the ground, the fire won''t spare us. The opposing Arenas will only show up to im thend and the fighters... unless they don''t find out about the smoke on the hill. That''s a chance I''m not willing to take"


    He walked out of theb, immediately. Romeo leaned back on his chair, staring at the ground. "This really happens, doesn''t it? One person sees salvation in the road, another one sees death in the road. It''s one boat we are tied to. We have to fight for what we believe"


    Ana stared at the ground too. "You are right. I guess that''s what is happening"


    "You seem to be understanding", Romeo said and looked up at her. "Do you think the fighters will survive outside here if you let them go?"


    Ana hesitated. "I don''t know. One thing that''s surely waiting outside is a team of Grimms that want to take down the ce"


    Romeo listened to the voice again. ''I know you'', he thought, staring at her. "Please, can you say that again? I didn''t get that"


    "I said there is a team of Grimms fighting to take down the Arena. Even if the fighters will get their freedom, we have to fight them off first or they will take down everything in sight... including the fighters that brought them in" "I know you", Romeo said.


    "Uh?"


    "You are the creeping voice. I know you"

 Hound

    Kang walked out, holding his head, and gently closed the door behind him. He desperately needed a bed toy on... or probably some drugs to fix his head. He nced down the narrow path and turned, facing the passage into the hall. His eyes caught an image for a second. The same man he had seen when he identally killed Gandhi in the hall. He ignored the image and kept walking.


    As if blown from a far distance by the wind, a thick eerie voice dashed into his ears worsening his headache. "Kang is dead!!",


    "Argh!", he groaned silently, closing his ears, as the voice echoed. He turned sharply and faced the image. It was still there, facing him directly.


    "It''s just me now!", the man said again.


    Kang took a short nce at the ground, as it seemed the environment had chained. It looked more like they were standing on train tracks and the man was very far from him, though he could hear him very clearly. "Who are you?", Kang asked, loudly, taking a step closer. The movement was worthless. He would never get close even if he ran. He just knew that. "Are you real?"


    "I am the Bad Moon Rising!"


    The train tracks shook, almost falling Kang on the ground. His eyes drifted from the man, as he staggered backwards. He tilted, pushing against the wall, and looked up again. The man was no longer there. "Hello?", he howled.


    The man had looked like an older version of himself, with long white strands of hair covering his face. "Hello?", Kang called again, turning around. He was now in the middle of nowhere. The passage to the hall was gone and there was no door back to theb. He was still on the train tracks. That ce didn''t look like a part of the Arena at all. ''Is this what the outside looks like?'', he thought.... ''No... no, it''s an illusion''.


    He turned his back, facing where he assumed the passage to the hall should be, then he started running down the path. A wave of heat hit him suddenly, sweeping his feet off the ground, and he fell forward.


    He shot up from the bed, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.


    "Easy, man. Are you okay?"


    His eyes darted at the second bed, immediately. "Who''s there?"


    It was dark already so he couldn''t see who it was. "Oh. Really?", the voice replied. "Sleep. When you wake up, we will make the introduction formal so you don''t forget again. Alright?".


    Kang just stared in the dark. ''Who can that be?'', he thought and nced around. ''Where am I?''.


    He couldn''t see anything so there was no point looking around. He touched his bed and pillow, then moved his hand to his nightstand. Heid back and reached under his bed for his empty polythene bag of pills. Everything was there. That was his room.


    "Wake up"


    He raised his back, quickly. "Get back"


    "Take it easy. Damn", the stranger said and sat down on Crane''s bed. "Sorry. I shouldn''t have woken you up. I needed someone to show me around... and you''ve really slept for so long-"


    "Who are you?", Kang asked, staring at the weirdly bright face in front of him.


    "I am Hound, your new roommate", he said and moved closer, holding out his hand.


    Kang shook his hands. "Okay, that''s alright... I didn''t think they would make new fighters, despite the situation at hand"


    "Oh. I think I heard of an infiltration. Is that the case?"


    "Yes. I am in charge of the investigation", Kang said and sprung up from his bed. "When did you get in?"


    "I was already in, when you came in yesterday. You seemed drunk... or probably just dazed, at the time. You said your name. I told you mine, then you fell on the bed. I was going to ask about your previous roommate and how the fighters rte here but you already slept off so...."


    "Srrrrk!... Skrrrrra!", Kang faked a snoring sound. Theyughed, loudly. "I got a load of work. I can''t waste it just yet so you''ll forgive me. You will have to find your way around by yourself"


    "Can I help you out in this investigation?", Hound asked, springing up immediately. "I''m really good at getting the truth out of people"


    "So how are you going to do that? Can you start with me?", Kang replied and folded his arms, keeping his face as inscrutable as possible.


    Hound rolled up his sleeves, excitedly. "Alright. Let''s start with questions. I can tell if you are lying"


    "Go on. Ask a question"


    "Do you think I will be better than your previous roommate?"


    "I sure do not think so?


    "Alright. That looks- that looks honest", Hound nodded with a smile. "Are you sure you want to take down this infiltrator, irrespective of the conditions?"


    Kang stared into Hound''s eyes, maintaining his facial expression. "Yes. I will catch the infiltrator and give him up no matter who it is"


    Hound kept mute for a while. "For a second, you imagined every possible situation that could make you keep a secret... and you acknowledged they would surely make you falter. You put the dearest ones in positions to be the enemy and you realized you would never give them up... but you kept your face as nk as possible so I don''t realize... you are good at that"


    Kang nodded and smiled. "I guess you are good at what you do", he replied. "But you can''t go with me now"


    "Are you in love?", he asked, as Kang turned towards the door.


    "Uh?"


    "Are you in love now? Is there a girl you are attracted to?"


    "I got my eyes on no girl"


    "That''s a lie"


    "How would you even know that?", Kang replied, indifferently, as he pulled the door open. "You can''t even see my face to know the truth. You guessing?"


    "There is a girl and you don''t want to ept the feeling because you think you shouldn''t trust her but your mind keeps betraying you", Hound said. "Her name is Ana. I can keep going but that would only waste our time. Let mee with you"


    "Wow!", Kang muttered. "Alright. That''s a lot but you can''te with me today. I need to see someone special for something I can''t tell you"


    "Alright. I''ll just sit back for the rest of the day"


    ****


    "I didn''t know you guys could create new fighters, despite the present situation", Kang asked, immediately he met Fred. "Good morning"


    "Good. I was going to hit you for that", Fred said, smiling, as he shook Kang''s hand.


    Kangughed. "Alright. Pardon me", he replied. "I woke up to meet a new roommate. I have no problem with that. I just didn''t think you would be making new fighters at this time"


    "We are not making new fighters. Whoever you saw must already be a fighter here"


    "He just resumed in my room, yesterday", Kang replied. "I''ve never seen his face and I''m pretty sure he''s new... in fact, he looks like a robot so he''ll definitely stand out among everyone and get noticed"


    "If you are sure about this, I suspect something wrong", Fred muttered. "I will check him out. Are you busy?"


    "I actually need to get somewhere. It has to do with the investigation. I will check up on youter"


    "Okay. That''s alright"


    Romeo tugged at the ropes that held his hands together, shaking the chair aggressively.


    "Fuck! Just stop the noise, will you?!", Ana howled at him, shooting a re of frustration at him.


    "When am I getting out of here?", he asked. "I know nothing about this and I''m being kept here. This shit is notfortable"


    "Kang will be here very soon. Once you are cleared, you will be out of here. That is a promise"


    "We have been waiting. Why don''t you just get your ass up and get to him?!", Romeo howled at her. She shot another angry re at him without saying a word. Romeo frowned back. "Yea, I mentioned your ass. I don''t care anymore. You can get your ass up. Guess what?! Mine is glued to a fucking chair!.... You know what?! Fuck your ass!"


    "You said what?"


    "Fuck your-" POW!!! [


    Romeo shut his eyes and glued his back to the chair for a few seconds. He opened his eyes slowly. Ana''s gun was still smoking. The muzzle faced him, as if warning of another shot. Ana opened her palm and the gun was sucked back into her bracelet. Sheughed at him. "I didn''t think you could ever be like this, you know? Expressive and crazy", she said. "Frustration really changes people, doesn''t it?"


    "You didn''t answer my question, yesterday", Romeo said, ncing at her. "You are the creeping voice, aren''t you? The one he calls Ada"


    "Ada? My name is not Ada"


    "What is your name?"


    "I have no reason to tell you my name", Ana replied and turned on her chair. "Ada is probably one of the Larger Figures from the Other Side whoes around here once in a while... just tell us what you know and we can move forward to the next stage"


    "Alright", he said and nodded. ''They will probably find this Ada'', Romeo thought. ''I will have to give him up if this shit turns on me''.


    ****


    Kang pushed the door open and rushed in swiftly, closing the door behind him. He was almost a hundred percent sure there would be no one in there. King was on the Other Side and so was his wife. The special gold strap on his hand gave him ess to the room. He looked around carefully. "Chaos?", he called gently, careful not to shout and attract the other Larger Figures. "Worthless".


    He walked around, staring at the ground for any door or passage that could lead to air underneath. He should have asked for directions from Crane. "Chaos?", he called again. "Fuck! This is hopeless"


    "Kang is dead!!", the thick eerie voice blew into his ear again. Kang turned around swiftly, like he had heard the soft breath beat again his neck. His heart pounded rapidly.


    "Chaos?"


    "It is just me now!", the voice said again. Kang turned around again and took a step forward, listening attentively to the wind, like he could hear directions from the air. The echoes was still in the air, getting indistinctly less audible every second. He was able to follow the echoes. He pushed a curtain aside, as he walked into another room. His eyes fell on a wooden door in the ground. He pulled it open, quickly.


    The inside was dark and eerie but he could still hear the echoes and it wasing from there. ''I''m not going to die. Crane came back alive, right?'', he thought. There was adder, already set for him to climb down with. He could barely see anything apart from the top of thedder he was climbing down with. "Fuck! I should have brought a torch", he muttered.


    He stepped down from thedder and took a step forward, carefully, with his hands reaching out, like that of a blind man, to prevent obstacles.


    The lights came on suddenly, startling Kang. He staggered back, almost falling down. For a second, he thought a torch was pointed at him from the top. That would mean he was busted. He looked around at the ground and saw bones and skeletons, cockroaches and spiders. He raised his head slowly and saw a dirty rough man hanging with torn clothes. His two hands were tighter with a long rope which hung on the top of the room and his feet wasn''t touching the ground. His hair was rough. His hand, feet and face were covered with dust.


    ''What is this ce?'', he thought, ring at the obviously dead man who should probably have to to the bones. ''And where is this Chaos?''


    "Chaos?!", Kang called, staring around.


    The man''s head moved up, immediately. Kang staggered and fell backwards. He stared up at the hanging man, with terror all over his face. "Who calls Chaos?!"


    "Jin?"

 Chaos

    "Jin?", Kang straightened up, staring closely at the hanging man. The only difference between the man and the Jin everything except the face. "isn''t that you? What are you doing here?" "Jin?", the hanging man stared back at Kang, like he had seen something too. "Jin? Is that you?"


    Kang stood still, petrified. He had no idea of what to say. He wasn''t even sure if that was Jin... but it was definitely Jin. With the face he was staring at, it just had to be him. "Jin? Come on. What are you doing here?" "Oh. Just spare me with the Jin thing. What are you here for?", the man blurted, staring irritatedly.


    "You''re not Jin? You look just like him!"


    "I am Chaos", the man replied and jerked the rope up, making himself turn. "These are my bony friends?"


    Kang faked a smile and waved shortly at the skeletons. His eyes fell on the cobwebs again. "When was thest time they checked up on you? This ce looks like it''s not been cleaned for a decade" "Fifty years ago"


    "Uh?"


    "Thest time I was checked up on was Fifty years ago", Chaos repeated. "I had to kill them so they can be my friends forever"


    "What?!", Kang frowned.


    "It''s no big deal. They actually came to kill me so that was justice", Chaos pulled himself up and swung forward, towards Kang, staring with scrutinizing eyes. "You are Kang" "My name is Kang- how did you know?"


    "I know a lot of things", Chaos said with a weird smile on his face. "I know many things and it''s very much easier to know that which is mine. You want to know why I look like Jin?" "Yes"


    Chaos pushed his head forward. "Come on", he whispered. "Come closer. It''s a secret"


    Kang stepped forward slowly. "This is close enough"


    "Jin.... Jin was created by me", Chaos said andughed maniacally. "I created Jin''s form, a hundred years ago. Someone found it and made him into a fighter" "A hundred years", Kang muttered, doubtfully. "How can you still be alive?"


    "That''s what they program you guys to believe now?", Chaos asked, frowning. "They only do that because you all die young on the Arena... but you... you won''t" "How do you know I won''t?", Kang asked, remembering what he actually came there for. "I don''t even have a Shin Zhu"


    Chaos giggled. "You have no idea what you are capable of, do you?", He asked. "Someday, you will stay in this dungeon with me for a hundred years"


    Kang stepped back. "That''s never going to happen", he muttered, staring around. "Not me. You''ve been here for how many years?"


    "A hundred years"


    "Who feeds you?... And how do you breathe when the door is closed?"


    "I don''t need all of that to survive", Chaos replied, casually. "My purpose is fulfilled when yours is fulfilled"


    "My purpose?"


    "Yes... your purpose. It''s not something you will understand... until it''s knocking on your door and you just can''t keep it from opening"


    Kang held his head, staring around again. There were a lot of questions in his head. He didn''t want one question to take all of the time so he should probably start from the one he considers as the least mind-blowing. "When will you leave this ce? I mean; how long do you n to stay here?"


    "I''m meant to be here for just a hundred years. It''s over already"


    "You''re going to escape?..... Or King will set you free?"


    "No... You will set me free", Chaos said, smiling mischievously. "You will set me free and I will walk over the ruins of Dergon Arena"


    ****


    Fred stepped into the hall, looking around. All eyes stared back at him. The fighters stood still, wondering what he hade for, with the utmost hatred in their faces; most wishing they could attack him. Fred stepped forward, walking past many of them, as he headed straight to Kang''s room. He pulled the door handle.


    "No one''s in there", Hound said, with a bottle in his hand. "You are a Larger Figure"


    Fred stared at him. It wasn''t hard to know he was the one Kang had described. Hound almost looked cartoonish, considering his eye color and the smoothness of the skin. "You are new here, aren''t you?"


    "I am. It''s nice to meet you, Fred", Hound held out his hand.


    "How did you know my name?"


    "Uh...", Hound stuttered, innocently. "Kang told me. Is there supposed to be some special prefix for it? Like Mister?"


    "It''s alright", Fred said, taking a step forward. "Who is your maker?"


    "Kwei"


    Fred''s eyes opened widely. No fighter knows his maker. "And who told you the name of your maker?"


    "Kang did", Hound said again, still confident. "Do you have a problem with me?"


    Fred nodded slowly. ''Wow!'', he thought, stepping backwards. "There is no problem at all, uh- what''s the name?" "Hound!"


    "There''s no problem, Hound", Fred said and turned, walking out of the hall.


    All eyes fell on Hound, like he had betrayed their trust. He took a sip from his bottle, walking to the door. A hand held the door handle before him. "What''s up? What were you saying to him?" "What was I saying? Whose business is that? Fuck off!"


    The fighter threw his heavy arm at Hound, throwing him on the ground. Hound rolled to Dn''s feet. "Just answer him. That''s Dicko. He''s a top-tier", Dn whispered.


    "Fuck the top-tier"


    Dicko grabbed his leg suddenly. Hound pulled back aggressively, kicking at the air. An heat st shot from his free foot, mming Dicko into the wall. Hound sprung up, immediately, ring with fury. Dicko had a burnt mark on his chest. He slowly detached from the wall and fell weakly on his face. Hound calmed down and walked into the room quickly, mming the door behind him.


    "You are breaking the rule", a voice spoke into his ear.


    He jerked away from the door. "Stop sneaking up like that", he gritted. "Fuck your rule. I told you to assume full control. That way, I feel nothing" "Sorry about how you feel. I can''t always hold the remote so I will assume control, only when I have to", the voice said again. "Alright?" "Alright"


    "Getting in fights will attract the Larger Figures and ruin our mission. You have to prevent that from happening"


    "If I get confronted again, I''m not going to care about that.... So you better take full control and protect yourself" "No, Hound. If you do that, you will bear the results alone"


    ****


    Kwei yawned and turned on the bench. The door opened, slowly, interrupting his sleep. "Who''s that?!", he howled, tiredly.


    "Oh. You were sleeping?", Fred walked in. "I''m sorry to disturb you. The Arena has be depressing, hasn''t it?"


    "I don''t even know what to do. All our activities have been suspended", Kwei replied and sat up. "Come on. What have you been up to?"


    "Nothing, really. Kang is taking care of the investigations and I hope he''s making progress. I''m just helping him out in areas I can lend my assistance. How about you?"


    "As you could see, I was going to sleep... and when I wake, I sleep again"


    "There is a new fighter in the hall. I was wondering who created him", Fred said, stylishly staring at Kwei. Kwei blinked frequently. Fred could sense he was going to deny it. "I found your signature on him. How did you even get the time to create a fighter while my head has been heating up so badly?"


    Kwei smiled. "I had a fighter nned before all of this happened, alright? I wouldn''t have gone ahead with it if I didn''t already have the body in the invention machine.... I remembered I had a body there so I let it out. I''m not even sure if I actuallypleted him. If you look closely, he still looks like a machine"


    "Yea", Fred muttered... but that wasn''t right. ''I checked the invention machines, before, and they were empty'', he thought but kept his lips sealed, with his false smile still on his face. ''You are up to something and I will find it''.


    ****


    "It is your destiny to pull down the walls", Chaos said, with a mischievous grin. Kang stared with a weird look on his face; a mixture of horror and disbelief.


    "The walls of this Arena?"


    "Every wall you walk by"


    Kangughed in disbelief. "Sounds like I''m meant to be a badass or something", Kang replied, walking around indifferently. He had obviously lost track of time. "Oops. I don''t even have a Shin Zhu"


    "How do you think you win all your fights?", Chaos asked


    "Luck, isn''t it? I mean I feel myself using the Shin Zhu that my opponent uses. That isn''t an ability, is it?"


    "It is an ability that will destroy a lot of things, Kang... and a lot of things will stand in the way of your true purpose"


    "If my true purpose is to destroy, why would I want it at all?"


    "It''s the Bad Moon Rising, Kang. The Bad Moon Rising is a riddle", Chaos replied. "You want to see with your eyes?" Kang stepped closer. "How am I going to see it?"


    "Come closer, Kang", Chaos said. Kang stepped closer to him. "Come closer and you will see"


    Chaos pulled at the rope that held his hands, and threw his legs up, wrapping it around Kang''s neck.


    "Whaaa!", Kang screamed, as he felt himself falling forward.

 Bad Moon Rising 2

    Fred peeks into theb, hoping to find Kang. He was expecting Kang and Ana to be a lot closer, especially now that they had their chance.... Even though he wasn''t in support of the rtionship. "Why are you peeping? Juste in already, will you?", Ana said, as she caught him.


    Romeo woke up and raised his head slowly. He hissed and closed his eyes again. "Wake me up when Kang gets back"


    "Yea. Where is Kang? I thought I would find him here", Fred asked.


    "He''s not here. We''ve been waiting too", Ana replied. "He''s probably working on the investigation somewhere"


    "I met with him earlier and he told me of a new fighter in the hall"


    "A new fighter?"


    "Yes. His new roommate-"


    Romeo cut in. "Is that a crime too?"


    "Shut up, Romeo", Ana retorted, shooting a terrifying re at him. Fred walked over to a table and grabbed a bottle of water, as he sat down. "So what were you going to check on him for? Do you have news?" "Why should I tell you when you could be the enemy we are trying to stop?", Fred teased.


    Ana red at him. "Stop that. Anyone can tell that he chose me to be his partner in this. I''m going to be seeing more of him than you will so you can just tell him and I can deliver the message to him"


    "I actually came here just to see you two together. That thing you''ve got for each other can be a very stubborn one"


    "Keep your voice down. He might hear you", Ana muttered, silently. "And we got nothing for each other. He hates me"


    "I didn''t see hate in his face, that day", Fred replied with a smile. "And you definitely can''t deny what you feel for him. I didn''t see it in you when Dan was around"


    "I was helping Dan and he was helping me", Ana said. ".... Thest time you spoke to me about any rtionship with a fighter, you were against it. Did something change?"


    "Nothing changed, Ana. I''m not in support of whatever you have for Kang", Fred replied, bluntly. "I''m d he hates you, already. It''s your turn to hate him back or you might be diving into King''s execution"


    Ana''s eyes twitched. She stared down at the table, counting the seconds, as they both kept mum for the next minute. "What were you going to say to him?", Ana asked. "It''s not this, is it?"


    "No... no fighter should be created in this period. I confronted the fighter and he imed Kwei created him"


    "That''s not possible. No fighter knows it''s creator", Ana noted and sprung up. "That is definitely not a fighter. It''s probably an Infiltrator with some information. We have to bring him in"


    "We should probably do that but he''s a fighter and Kwei actually created him", Fred said. "Before you ask how I know, I know every work of Kwei, not because he tells me, but because he has a special signature on everyone of them." "That could be a fake. Have you asked Kwei about him?"


    "Yes. He admitted it. He said he already had the body in the invention machine before the explosion happened so he chose toplete his creation"


    "Oh", Ana muttered and sat back on the chair. "That solves it then"


    "That doesn''t solve it ''cause I checked the invention machines, after the explosion, and I didn''t find any body in them", Fred added. "He created the fighter newly and, with the weird information he gave to this fighter, he must have a n" Ana leaned closer. "But if he is the enemy we are trying to stop, will you give him up?"


    Fred nced in her eyes. "I''m not going to do that to a friend", he muttered. "But we will have to protect our asses, whatever happens to these walls"


    ****


    He could feel himself falling slowly, with countless faces floating past his head. He couldn''t tell how many people he could see at once. Neither could he tell who exactly they were.... But, just like the weird familiarity he had with the man in his hallucinations, he knew them all.... He just knew them all.


    "What can you see?", Chaos'' voice creeped into his ears.


    "Faces... different people. Who are they?"


    "You won''t know them all... but they will know you. Look further"


    Kang tried to take a step forward. He fell forward, stumbling on nothing. He raised his head up again. A man was on his knees, staring back at him with hatred all over his face. A de thrust right through his chest, from behind. Kang gasped in horror, as blood gushed out of the man''s mouth.


    ''Kang!!'', Ana''s voice startled him from behind. He turned, quickly, and saw Ana stretching out her hand for him to grab.


    "Ana?" he muttered, as he reached out to grab her hand. The image moved far from his reach swiftly, like she was being pulled by something.


    ''Aah!'', she screamed loudly, fighting back at the hand that pulled her. A man without a face appearedz with a machete in hand.


    "Ana!", Kang screamed, as the man brought the machete upon Ana, hacking her into pieces. He jerked back in horror. "This is not real, no... no"


    He stepped on something, almost sliding and falling to the ground. He turned around and he was already standing on the field. A terrifying scent of blood and red meat filled his nose, as he stared down at a bloodied body of Jin. There were a pile of bodies around him. Staring down at the faces, the striking resemnce of each face with someone he knew sent a shiver down his spine. "Ana", he muttered, silently.


    "What can you see?", Chaos asked again. "What are you scared of?"


    "I can see everyone... Everyone is dead"


    "Look up"


    Kang raised his head up. He was standing on a different field. He could see uniformed warriors with weapons, approaching slowly and casually. They walked towards him like he wasn''t there. They couldn''t see him but he didn''t try to confirm that either. Kang turned around, as they walked past him. He stiffened, for a second, petrified by the sight before him. He could see countless bodies, each vertically and brutally impaled on a stick. The warriors had stood still too, terrified by what they saw. It wasn''t a natural incident. Kang stepped closer to one of the bodies.


    "Look!!", one of the warriors howled, startling Kang. Kang jerked back immediately, before he could even see the face he was about to check.


    "Look up, Kang", Chaos said. "Look up at the cause of all the deaths that havee and are yet toe"


    Kang stared at the face of the man approaching from the distance. The bright sun prevented him from seeing clearly. The man held a head in his left hand, walking viciously towards them. From the man''s build, Kang could tell he knew who it was. The familiar feeling made him a lot more anxious to know who it was. Whoever it was; he was definitely responsible for the deaths of every impaled body on that field. "Who do you see, Kang?.... Look closely"


    Kang stepped closer. It was the same man he had seen in his weird visions. The wide shoulders were just the same. The grey hairs appeared the same way. The long hair almost covered his facepletely. "This is the Bad Moon Rising?", Kang asked, staring confusedly. The closer the man got, the more familiarity Kang felt. Hepared every feature he could see to every face he could remember.


    "That is the Bad Moon Rising... but that is not what you have to see", Chaos replied. "Look, Kang.... What do you see?"


    Kang took another step forward. A soft wind blew against the man''s face, pushing a few strands of hair aside and exposing his face for a second. Kang''s eyes opened wide. "That is me!"


    His knees fell forward and he dropped weakly on the ground. "That is your purpose, Kang", Chaos said to him. "You will run from it. People will fight you and try to prevent you... but you are the basic riddle for the apocalypse. You are the ride for the doomsday.... And no matter how hard we try to fight, the end will always find it''s way back to haunt"


    "The Bad Moon Rising?", Kang muttered. "What is the Bad Moon Rising?"


    "It''s not a what, Kang. It''s a who.... And I believe I''m staring at him"


    Kang looked up at him. None of it seemed like a joke. "How is that possible? .... Why am I sitting at the top of a prophecy that ends humanity and good when I don''t even have a Shin Zhu?"


    "If I don''t know the answer to that, no one does.... Every other fighter was created with a solution. You were created with a riddle. I am confused of what you really are- what your purpose really means-..... you are aplex creation and, if you are not fixed in time, you might be the enemy after all"

 From The Other Side

    Kang grabbed thedder with both hands, clenching tighter and pulling himself up, speedily as though he was being chased. For a second, he had sensed something was about to happen. It was just a feeling... like he had to leave there before the ''tragedy or whatever it was'' would strike.


    He rushed up to the top of thedder, about to climb back up into the room. He nced back at Chaos, who was still hanging on his rope. His face was down and he was stiff again, as he had appeared when Kang first went down. "Are we going to meet soon?" "We will meet soon", Chaos replied. "It''ll be a different world then"


    There was no time to understand what that meant but they would meet soon. That was what Chaos said and that was what Kang would hold onto. Apart from the fact that there was a dark prophecy concerning his existence, he still had no progress concerning his Shin Zhu. He pulled himself up from the hole, rolling into the room weakly but quickly. He closed the door and got up. "Uh?", he muttered, staring at the wall clock. He couldn''t tell how long he had been down there but it was definitely over twenty-four hours. He pushed the curtains aside, dashing out into King''s main room. He drifted, as his eyes met with that of a soldier.


    "Stop!", the soldier howled, raising his gun barrel at Kang immediately.


    "That''s enough", King''s voice interrupted, as he stepped into the room. He waved two fingers at the soldier, gesturing for him to leave the room. The soldier did that immediately.


    Kang stared quietly at King, trying hard to hide his fear. He failed woefully. His sweaty forehead proved that. "You are back"


    "I am back", King replied, walking to the couch. "I hope the investigations are going... and we are getting closer to the answers we need"


    "We are", Kang said, slowly calming himself down, as he took a step forward. "I have interrogated many suspects and I believe we are already creating a chain to the current incidents" "Really?", King muttered, tiredly.


    Kang shuddered at the minute hint of doubt in King''s voice. "Uh-", he stuttered. "Turns out we may have enemies on the inside... and we may not actually be fighting Grimms"


    King looked up at him. "That wouldn''t mean they tried to deceive us", King replied. "Go ahead with the investigation and give me answers soon... but you should rest for the remaining hours of the night. Everyone needs rest" "Alright, sir", Kang said, nodding respectfully, as he walked towards the door.


    "Kang?", King called, as Kang pulled the door open. "Whatever you heard in that hole, it''s what he wants you hear. Remember he is insane. Don''t dwell on his words"


    ****


    Kang walked down the narrow path, slowly. He felt a weird emptiness in his stomach. He had been down in the hole with Chaos and he didn''t even realize how long he had spent, neither did he feel tired or hungry while he was down there.... But Chaos was insane. King had made that known. His words should not be leaned upon. Crane''s matured face sprung up in his head, as if trying to push out his ''sphemous'' thoughts against Chaos. Chaos had helped Crane find his Shin Zhu. That mustered a lot of faith in Crane.


    Kang stared at the passage ahead. The door to theb was on his left. He should probably say bye to Ana before going to bed. He pulled the door open and peeked in. Ana was seated, with her head on her desk. She had fallen asleep already. Kang brought his head further in and looked at Romeo, who had his chin parallel to his chest, deep asleep in his sitting position. That didn''t lookfortable in any way. ''I should get Hound in here. We''ll probably settle this quickly together'', he thought and nced at Ana again.


    She was now facing him. Her eyes werepletely shut and her head rested on her folded arms on the desk. That didn''t lookfortable, either. Kang walked closer to her. A strand of hair fell across her face. Kang picked the strand and pushed her hair from her face, exposing her bare cheek, like he would bend over and kiss her. He took a step back from her, still staring at her, as he shook his head slowly. He was losing his guard. Ana killed Kang and Dea. She could not be trusted... as far as he was concerned, she could even be the enemy.


    He turned and headed towards the door. He should get some sleep. After impulsively telling King that much, he needed to solve the problem or King would ask for a proof of his initial report.


    Fred yawned, as he dropped sleepily on the mattress. Hisptop stayed on, sitting on the table. He had essed the camera in Kang''s room just to watch Hound.


    The door opened gently. Fred jerked awake. Whoever was behind the door was being sneaky. Fred reached for a torch, as he got up slowly. He heard the door close, just as gently as it had been opened. He raised his head up and flicked on the torch.


    The intruder jerked back quickly, raising an arm to block the bright ray from hitting her face. It was a girl. "Hello?", Fred muttered, rolling on his gold strap.


    "Hello?", the girl replied, quietly. "Please, it''s really bright.... I just need to get some sleep"


    "Who are you?"


    "This ce is only essible to Larger Figures. That should answer your question", she said. "Will you put out the light now?.... Please?"


    "If I put out the light, how will I know you are not nning to attack me with an hidden weapon?"


    "Why would I want to attack you? Are you not a-?", she stopped halfway and moved her head, trying to see the face of the man who held the torch. "Who are you?"


    Fred stood up and put the torch aside. "I am a Larger Figure. My name is Fred", he walked to her and held out his hand. "You are from the Other Side. Am I right?" "Yes. I''m Le", she shook his hand and sat down. "I guess everyone''s asleep already"


    "Yes. I was about to do the same", Fred replied. "Why are you here? I mean we are under attack at the moment. I didn''t think we would be having visitors that are not soldiers"


    "I was already condemned so Bane had no problem with meing here. If I die, it''s no loss", she said, wearing a weird smile. "King won''t let me sleep in his chamber"


    "This is not a very good time for him to be alone in his chamber"


    "He''s with Queen, though. She refused to stay on the Other Side", Le replied and adjusted on her seat. ''Tell me about the present situation. I can probably help"


    "Well, we''ve had series of attacks. All of it came in the style of the Grimms. They go further to leave their mark on each spot. These attacks are not from the outside. Someone is helping them from the inside and that is what the investigation is about. Once we take out the insider, we can take down the Grimm Arena"


    "Let me guess; you don''t know who the intruder is yet"


    "If we did, the atmosphere would be better and King wouldn''t want Queen to stay back on the Other Side", Fred replied, staring at her. He needed to admit she was beautiful. He had never acknowledged beauty in any other woman since the death of his mother.... Not even in his niece. "Let''s talk about something else, should we?"


    "You don''t want to sleep anymore?"


    She already stole away his sleep. "Well, I feel a lot sleepy but there might be a lot of work through the day. This is all the time we have"


    "That''s alright", she smiled. "You are alone here"


    "Yea. I''m actually working secretly so I had to choose this ce. I needed thepany so I''m d you came around"


    "It didn''t look like you were d to see me. You seemed ready to shoot me or something"


    "Yea. I was ready to shoot if you were an enemy", Fred smiled back. "I was hesitant, though. We rarely see cute viins.... If I may ask, why would a beauty like you be condemned?"


    "My father was a thief. Bane had him publicly executed", she said. "Bane''s wife prevented him from killing me and she adopted me.... When she died, I was left alone to Bane''s cruelty. Whenever I looked at him, all I saw was hate.... Then, one day, he tried to have his way with me"


    Fred snorted. "I guess that runs in the family then"


    "Uh?"


    "It''s nothing. King tried the same with my niece", he replied. "What happened next?"


    "He seeded, the first time... I hated myself for not fighting well enough but there was nothing I could do. I couldn''t even run... He tried to do it again, then I fought back and kicked him in the groin. He ordered his soldiers to seize me and I was thrown in a cage. He was going to execute me, along with other criminals, and his wife wasn''t alive to stop him anymore.... Then the medium told him I should not be executed... They say it was Bane''s dead wife who spoke through the medium.... Since then, I only saw anger whenever he looked at me. When I asked toe here with King, he was more than willing to let me go? "I''m sorry about that"


    "Who''s fault is it?", she asked, jokingly, wearing a wide smile


    "It''s definitely not my fault. How are you able to keep smiling, after going through all of that?".


    "There is no time to be sad, is there? I believe how I feel is determined by myself", she smiled again and pressed her cheeks gently. "Also, a frown on my stupid face won''t look good. The smile makes people think I''m cute" "Oh. That''s why I couldn''t stop staring", Fred teased. "I knew it! That beauty didn''t look smooth"


    "Stop it", she cried, covering her face andughing at herself. "I''m not that bad!"


    "I was kidding. You are beautiful", he replied. "With that face, I''m sure you will get every man begging for a night with you.... Looks like I''m getting it for free"


    "What?", she raised an eyebrow, like she''d dash out if he stepped closer. "I''m going to leave, right now"


    "You mmed the door. It can only be opened from the outside", Fred said and smiled, seductively. "You are stuck with me"


    She got up quickly and advanced to the doors pulling it open. She exhaled and smiled. "That was a joke, wasn''t it?"


    "I didn''t think you would try to open it", Fred said and walked to his mattress. "But who would want to force his way on a pretty chick like you?"


    "It really sounded like you were flirting"


    "Flirting is meant to be enjoyed, though... From your story, I doubt if you''ve ever experienced it..... but it''s really nice. You should try it with me, sometime", Fred raised his nket. "Will you be returning to the Other Side after this investigation?"


    "I''m not sure. I wish I don''t have to"


    "Me too. Come on, let''s go to bed"


    "With you? On the same bed?", Le asked, naively. "Doesn''t sound safe to me"


    "You won''t sleep on the hard ground, will you?", Fred asked and fell on his mattress. "I have my back turned. You have nothing to fear"

 Cameras

    Fred exhaled and rolled on his back, facing up.


    "I can hear you breathe", Le mocked him, walking around the room. She was fully awake already and dressed up. "It''s like you just fucked something or someone"


    "Really? You came in looking innocent", Fred smiled. "And it felt like I was going to corrupt you"


    "I feel like you already did", she replied. "For a while, Bane restricted me from speaking to anyone... I had my eyes on a fellow prisoner, then?


    "Fellow prisoner? What does that even mean?", Fred grunted, standing up. He staggered. "Uh. I think I actually fucked someone"


    Theyughed. "I was literally a prisoner, then. He tried to make my life worse, keeping more guards around me to make sure I don''t say anything"


    "Speak to anyone'' or ''say anything''? I think that''s two things"


    "The punishment was to keep my mouth sealed till he gave me a permission to say anything", Le said and sat down. "I can''t say my life was worse than the prisoners there. They believed he would forgive me since I was royal." "Well, I''m lucky you are alive then"


    "No, not so lucky... As I was saying, I had my eyes on a fellow prisoner then", she narrated. "The guards were lenient on me. They allowed us chatter as much as we wanted. Then, Bane showed up"


    Fred tripped, turning back to face her quickly.


    "What?", she howled, mocking him. "What was that for?!"


    "Sorry. I thought I saw him, for a second. Continue"


    "Bane showed up. He was so furious. His fat face squeezed in, like he was going to explode"


    "That must have been funny"


    "You weren''t there. It was horrific.... For someone who had put me through so much hell without being half as angry as that, I wondered what he was going to do.... He ordered the guards to be executed publicly. He was used to this weird ritual whenever he killed people for the flimsiest excuses. He would gather the priests around each of the bodies and im to offer them as sacrifices to postpone the Bad Moon Rising"


    "What''s the Bad Moon Rising?", Fred leaned on a table and folded his arms.


    "No one knows. He made me watch the execution of the guards and the prisoner. He impaled them on a stick"


    "What?!", Fred gasped. "What the fuck!"


    "What?", sheughed at him. "You''re a bitch"


    "Your eyes were open through all of that?!"


    She forced a smile. Her eyes glimmered, like the lenses would roll off. She turned around and slowly pulled her blouse down to her waist, revealing multiple healing cuts and scars on her back. "For every time I closed my eyes, I had ash on my back", she said.


    Fred swallowed. That was no longer a funny moment. He took a step closer but he held back. He wanted to put his hand on the scars but she wasn''t wearing brassieres. She probably wouldn''t want him running his hands on her bare back. She pulled her blouse back on and faced him. He caught a glimpse of her breast, before she couldpletely button up, and moved his eyes away quickly. "What do you think?", she asked, keeping her smile on. "I''m sorry about that", Fred muttered and stepped closer. "You''ve been through a lot"


    "I know that", she said. "I need a change of clothes. I found these freshly packed clothes under the desk. Looks like someone''s nning to travel"


    "No one keeps clothes here", Fred stepped closer, as she pulled out the bag. "That is Terra''s bag"


    "Who''s Terra?"


    "She was one of us. She died in the first explosion", Fred answered, checking the clothes. They looked so familiar. "Ana?" "Uh?"


    "These are Ana''s clothes.... She''s my niece", Fred muttered, staring at the cloth. ''Where are you going, Ana?''


    ******


    "Where did you even get all of these clothes?"


    Hound zipped up his jacket and wore his sses, staring into the mirror. "You guys didn''t get this? I guess I got the special treatment, after all"


    "Alright. You done?", Kang straightened up, secretly admiring Hound''s detective appearance. "You are only going a few meters from the room and you are dressed like you are going to pick up girls" "There are no girls there"


    "The only girl there is technically mine"


    "Yea, Ana", Hound smiled and turned. "Let''s get going"


    They walked out the door, majestically, with one hand in a pocket and a serious nk look on their faces. Kang had to y along with Hound''s genteel style, as they walked along the hall. As expected, they had all eyes on them and Hound led the way. He had Kang''s gold strap on his wrist so he confidently walked through the passage. Kang gantly followed, leaving a shocking awe on the faces they had walked by. The fighters stared at one another, as if confused. They approached the passage slowly, still watching one another. "How did they get through?", Dicko asked, leading the way.


    He dashed swiftly at the passage, mming his face into the invisible barrier. He bounced back. The others bounced back with him. They couldn''t walk out of there. They didn''t have to try.


    "Hi, Kang. I''ve been looking for you", Fred said, walking up to the two of them, with one eye focused on Hound.


    "Good morning", Kang shook his hand. "This is Hound. He has the special ability of reading people"


    "Oh. That''s great", Fred said, with no hint of surprise. "Where are you off to? I think there is someone you have to get to"


    "I was going to check on Romeo and Ana. What''s the news?"


    "I need you to interrogate Kwei", Fred said, stylishly watching Hound. He held out a camera. "He might not tell you many things. You will need to watch him"


    Kang took the camera. "Is there a reason to do this? I think it might just be enough to nail him"


    "No one should be exempted from your investigation, right? I''m just following the slightest hints", Fred said and leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "Does this new guy have to go with you?" "He will help with the investigation... I also can''t tell him to go back now", Kang whispered back. "Do you have a problem with him?"


    "No, Kang. You''re good to go", Fred said.


    "Looks like there''s a new chick in town", Hound muttered, smiling at Le who stood timidly behind Fred.


    She blushed and held out her hand. "I''m L-"


    "She''s taken", Fred cut in, with a smile.


    "Your name''s Taken?", Hound replied. "I''m Hound, by the way"


    Kang pulled him away and they walked past the emptyb.


    ****


    "We don''t have to do this first, do we?"


    "We didn''t", Kang replied, standing on his toes, as he tried to hook the camera somewhere on the ceiling. "But, now that we know he isn''t here, we do" "Alright. Be quick with that"


    "I''m almost done", Kang muttered.


    Hound stood at the door, watching every possible way Kwei could show up from. "I''m getting nervous", he said and turned. "Whoa!"


    Kwei was standing in front of him. "Do I know you?"


    "Sorry, uh", Hound stammered, as Kwei dashed past him, pushing the door swiftly.


    "Kang", he muttered. Kang was down already, seated in the rightportment. "What are you here for?"


    "I have a few questions for you", Kang replied. "I''m hoping you will give us the time"


    "Who''s he?"


    "He''s going to tell if you are being truthful or not"


    Kwei hid a smile. It sounded ridiculous but the smile was mostly because he was never going to get caught if he lied... at least, not by his own design. "Alright. I got nothing to hide so let''s get this over with" "Tell me the truth, Ana", Fred asked, pulling Ana away.


    Le sat down in the room, staring at Romeo, who stared with a carefree angry look. Her smile remained on her face, as though someone had carefully carved it in. Romeo took a few nces at her, frequently staring at Fred and Ana. "They are just clothes. What do you think? That I''m nting a bomb in a travelling bag?"


    "You have a wardrobe, Ana. Those clothes were recently packed", Fred replied, keeping his voice as low as possible. "If any other persones across that, it could pass the wrong message"


    "What wrong message?"


    "Come on, Ana!", Fred retorted, almost howling, as he stamped his palm on the desk beside him. Le and Fred nced at them.


    "Don''t break the table", Romeo said, nkly. "It''s not my business but don''t break it"


    Leughed. "You''re funny"


    "What do you want me to say?", Ana whispered back. "We are not making any progress. These walls will be down in no time. We only have two options; we either go down with Dergon Arena or we make it out while we can" "You sound like you already found a way out"


    "No", Ana said and swallowed. "But it''s better to be prepared"


    Fred closed his eyes. "I know we don''t want to fight for a ce like this but.... There is no life out there, Ana... No life"


    ****


    "What do you think about that Kwei guy?"


    "You said he was being honest, right?"


    "Yea, he was. You don''t see any links to anything?"


    "It looks like he''s clean... if your prediction is true, then he is"


    They both stared into the thick darkness, on their beds. It waste and the lights were out already. "Good night", Kang added and turned his head. There was no reply. Hound was already fast asleep. Kang sighed and rolled on his side, pulling up his nket.


    Toc! Toc! Kang raised his head slightly. He had heard a knock on the door. Toc! Toc! He reached for the torch and flicked it on, ncing at Hound. He was really asleep. Toc! Toc!


    He stood up, slowly, and stood still, hesitating to move closer to the door. "Who''s there?", Kang asked.


    "Come on. It''s Dan", the voice whispered back.


    Kang walked to the door and pulled it open. A hand held it back from being open wide. "Fred?-"


    "Shh!", Fred said and pulled Kang out, swiftly. "Come with me"


    Kang closed the door gently, dashing after Fred, as they went up the stairs. "What is it? You found something?"


    "I want us to find something", Fred said, holding out a small palmtop. "You see this?"


    "What''s that?"


    "It''s a monitor. I fixed another camera in Kwei''sb so you can watch with this"


    "We already have aputer for the one we fixed. Is this another one?", Kang asked, staring confusedly.


    "It''s another one. Don''t tell anyone about this. Not even Hound"


    "Why?"


    "Don''t tell Hound", Fred insisted. "Just watch the other one with him. Watch this one alone. Alright?" "Alright"

 Vacation Over

    Hound yawned for the umpteenth time, stealing another nce at Kang who still focused on theputer like he had just seen something suspicious. "Really?" "What?"


    "What''s up with the face? There''s nothing here. The man is clean", Hound said.


    "How do you know that? He has only been in his office for a few minutes. He has left for hours now. Who knows what he is doing outside?"


    "Well, stop looking like you just spotted something we could nail", Hound said and stood up, walking back to his bed. "I just woke up and it feels like I never slept at all" "Maybe he''s not the enemy after all"


    "You thought he was the enemy?", Hound asked. "I mean; you didn''t even consider asking him any questions. That seems like you didn''t even think he could be the enemy" "I wasn''t nning to interview the enemy. I just wanted to establish a link from the ones I''m closer to", Kang replied and sighed, as heid back on his bed. There was really no time to bezy. He remembered the palmtop Fred had given him the previous night. "And, yea, I didn''t think he was the enemy at all. From what Fred said, Kwei might be actually hiding something... and that ''something'' might be hiding the truth"


    ****


    She followed King closely and meekly, as though her lips had been sealed before they walked out of the chambers. She wore a distorted face behind her clear eyesses, in fear of the man in front of him and what he was about to do. He led her down the narrow path, without saying a word..... that reminded her of Bane''s coldness. Bane barely said anything. He just did horrible things.


    A sudden click of the door jerked Le back to life. They had gotten to a door and King had pulled it open. She was so busy wondering where they were off to that she didn''t realize. "Fred", he called, as he peeked into the room. He pushed the door open and nced at Le.


    She walked in immediately, staring down to avoid arousing his annoyance in the littlest way. She raised her head slightly to meet Fred''s stare and smiled for a second.


    "This is Le. You can keep herpany on my behalf", King said and walked out, closing the door behind him.


    She chuckled, keeping her lips close so herughter remained silent. Fredughed too. "See that?", Fred said. "King just brought me a wife. He doesn''t know we''ve met, does he?"


    "I doubt", she replied, walking up to him. Her eyesses made her look like a nerd at theb. "What are you up to?"


    "A lot of things. I''ve been investigating someone secretly. I have nothing yet but I know there is something to find"


    "I caught that strange look on your face, when King opened the door. You looked like a poltroon who got caught masturbating"


    Fred smiled and turned his chair, facing her. "And what if I am a poltroon who got caught masturbating? You nning to help me out?"


    Le approached him slowly, taking one step after the other. "Sorry, I didn''t get you", she acted, adjusting her sses with a seductive look. "Help you out with.... What did you say?"


    "Oh. You know what I said", Fred said, smiling back and breathing loudly. Whatever she was doing to him; it was working. "You know what you are doing"


    "I''m just... I think I''m just talking", Le bent closer to him, wearing a deliberately innocent look. Her wide busts pushed forward, as she ced her hands on the armrest. She stole a nce at the sudden movement in his trousers. She gasped. "Wow!"


    "Get out", Fredughed and turned his chair, hiding his erection. "You knew what you were doing"


    "What? You started it", Le replied, stillughing. "There''s nothing bad with that though"


    "I did not start it. You brought up the topic", Fred said. "You spoke about masturbation, remember?"


    "Alright. But you were going to flirt with me, weren''t you?"


    "Yea, and you turned it around. Then it became seduction.... You''ve only been here for two days and you''re already good at this"


    "You taught me", Leughed.


    "Well, it''s good you stopped or you would have taught me to fuck"


    The door opened, almost immediately. "Uh...", Kang muttered, peeking in. "I didn''t hear a thing"


    "How long have you been there?", Le asked, covering her face andughing at herself. "What did you hear?"


    "Just a few words", Kang replied. "Can Ie in? It''s pretty important.... Than fucking, right now"


    "Yea,e on. What''s the matter?", Fred asked, getting up.


    Kang nced at Le and muttered to Fred. "Is she in on this?"


    "On what? Oh, yea.. she can be trusted", Fred replied. "You can be trusted, right?"


    "I think I already know what half the matter is about. You can trust me"


    "Alright", Kang walked in, holding the palmtop he had been given by Fred. "You need to see something"


    Fred walked up to him, quickly, wearing a bright confident smile which howled, ''I knew it'', as silent as possible. "Let me guess. You watched the other monitor with Hound and you didn''t find anything" "Exactly"


    "And this one appears to be giving you something different from what you saw on the other"


    "Yes, and I wondered how that was possible... then I saw this", Kang said and tapped on the keyboard, ying a footage for the two.


    Le adjusted her sses, staring nkly into theputer. They could see Kwei in theb in front of hisputer. He had waited forte night when no one was watching so he was using a torch light to find his way around the room. He climbed a desk, directly beneath the camera Kang and Hound had installed. Kwei had found out about that, somehow. He took the camera in his hand walked back to hisputer. He worked on it for a few minutes and reinstalled it, exactly where it was.


    "He erased the part where he picked the camera and did all of that and all we can see after he leaves the room is just a picture of the empty room", Kang said. "More like he put a picture in front of the camera"


    "I saw thating", Fred smiled, while Le stared nkly at the duo.


    "How did he know about the camera we installed? How didn''t he get to know about yours?"


    "I am working on something. I can''t answer that question now but when I''m done, we should be able to point out the enemy... or the enemies"


    Kang nodded, pointlessly, and smiled at Le. "Alright", he muttered. "You can keep fucking"


    "What are you going to do now?"


    "I''ll interrogate Romeo and draw a conclusion with Hound''s help. He''s been tied down for too long?


    "Alright", Fred muttered. "Alright. We will be there"


    ****


    "Do you go out,te at night, when your roommate is asleep?", Kang asked.


    "Is that a crime? Did he tell you I did something?", Romeo responded, ring at the newbie in front of him. "Yes, I do whenever I need to pee or get something" "He''s saying the truth", Hound nodded slightly.


    Le and Fred sat down, watching the show. Fred kept his eyes on Hound, mainly. He wasn''t sure what he was looking for, at the moment, but he knew there was something to find by just watching him. "Alright", Kang muttered. "Have you beenmunicating with someone who is not a fighter?"


    "How is that possible? No?


    Hound stared at him for a second. "He''s lying"


    "Lying? Who''s this cartoon guy?"


    Kang stepped closer and sat in front of him. "He has the ability to tell when someone is lying and when someone is not?


    "Really? Have you even given him a test?", Romeo scoffed derisively.


    "Yes. We have. Let''s show you. I will ask a question now and I need you to just say the truth. Alright?"


    "I don''t see how that works but it''s alright"


    "Who was your first roommate?"


    "Everyone knows that. Jin", Romeo said, quickly.


    "That''s a lie", Hound replied.


    Kang cleared his throat. "Alright. Who was your first kill on the field?".


    "Everyone knows that too. Leon"


    "Saying the truth"


    Kang nced at Romeo for a second. "Which female Larger Figure did you like first?"


    "Ana", Romeo muttered, ncing up at Hound.


    "He''s lying"


    "Ok. Who''s your roommate now?"


    "Dan"


    Fred chuckled on his seat. "Come on", he muttered.


    "That''s a lie"


    Romeo looked up at Hound, expressing all of his doubts in the prating re. "You have no idea what you''re saying"


    Le leaned on Fred, almost falling asleep on his shoulder. "Come on. Don''t sleep off while it''s getting interesting", Fred pushed his shoulder up. "Stop. My eyes are heavy"


    "You just made my shoulder heavy", Fred replied. "You could use myp as the pillow"


    "And if something starts to rise?"


    "Then we will have a situation"


    Le nudged his shoulder. "It feels like vacation here", she said, drunkenly.


    "It feels like I''m making it a lot of fun for you"


    "Hmm... you''re trying your best"


    The door opened, swiftly, and they paused like people getting caught in the act. King brought his fat bald head in, wearing his usual terrific frown. Le raised her head, straightening up swiftly. She was still new in the arena. She had no idea what their rules were. Intergender rtionships were probably prohibited... or no cking in the day? Bane always surprised her, despite spending a great percentage of her lifetime in the Arena with the man who made the rules. "Le", he called in a thick charismatic voice. "Bane called"


    She stood up and approached him slowly. Her lips remained shut. She dared not speak whenever she stood before Bane. King was probably the same.


    "In case you have unloaded, you should pack your bags", King said. "Your husband wants to see you before the weekend"


    ''Husband?'', her eyes twitched, as she screamed in her head. Her lips remained tightly sealed. She couldn''t guess what was going on in Fred''s mind. They all heard King.


    "I told him you will leave immediately", King added, expressionlessly, opening the door widely.


    She nodded, staring down with tears building up in her eyes. She understood the gesture. There was no need to look back or say goodbye. Fred was definitely betrayed. ''Husband?'', she yelled again in her head, walking out the door. ''He won''t let me leave. He won''t let me stay. Why?''


    King red at Hound. He didn''t recognize the newbie. "Who are you?"


    "Uh... I''m Hound", Hound stuttered, dismayed by the towering stance before him. "I-"


    "He''s helping out with the investigations", Kang cut in. "He has a way of reading people"


    King brought his face closer to Hound, intimidating with his re. Hound began to sweat. "Well, he smells of suspense", King muttered. "Work without him. I don''t want him outside the hall, ever again.... Leave now"

 Surrounded

    "Let her pack her bags. If Bane asks, we let him have it his way"


    "Did she really assent to a union? Your brother has that incorrigible obstinacy" "He ns to sell her"


    Kang leaned on the door, listening attentively. He could tell King was standing somewhere in the middle of the room, just by listening to the voices. He would know whenever anyone approached. "And you will let him do it?"


    "I have a lot on my hands, Queen", King replied. "It''s his choice"


    "And it''s your choice to do something about it. What happened to your new resolution?"


    "It''s right where it is. I am not going to interfere in my brother''s business", King retorted. "Let it be, Queen... Bane is not something to mess with?


    The interrogation just had to stop where it did. Hound was back in the hall, immediately. Even if Kang wanted him back in theb, Hound was probably trembling in the room. Kang remained leaning on the door to King''s chamber. His focus had drifted from the voices. All he could hear was his own thoughts. Fred was in one of the emptybs, sulking. Kang guessed in his head. The expression he caught on Fred''s face was disappointment. It was improbable that he would see Le again before she left for the Other Side.


    "You''re done?"


    The voice sneaked back in his ears, a lot louder than they had been. Kang jerked up immediately. King was probably about to leave the chamber.


    "Leave the bags", King said softly. "You can stay the night... and leave in the morning. Is that alright?"


    There was no response. She probably nodded. King''s description was pretty different from what Kang saw, most of the time, - or what he heard..... or this was what Queen meant when she mentioned his NEW RESOLUTIONS.


    Kang walked away, swiftly. He had heard enough for the moment. Le didn''t betray Fred''s trust, neither did she y with his feelings. She didn''t even know she had a husband till King spoke about it. She wasn''t in control of her life. Fred needed to know that.


    ****


    He knocked gently on the door, pushing it open. That was needless. Kang peeked in. Fred sat before aputer, focused on the screen. "I was waiting, Kang"


    "Yea, I was looking for you", he walked in. "How are you feeling?"


    "I''m totally alright", Fred replied, quickly. "There is something you need to see"


    "Yea, I also need to tell you something about Le?


    "Forget about it. Hound is being used to spy on you"


    "What?", Kang muttered. That didn''t sound right. "Hound?"


    "Come on", Fred said, adjusting theputer. "I nted a camera in your room when I met with Hound. I knew he wasn''t the usual type of fighter. He knew too many things."


    Kang stared into theputer screen. "That''s just Houndying on the bed"


    Fred closed the window and switched to a different tab. Now, they could still see Hound on the screen.


    ''He has not been saying anything. I will go with him to interrogate the suspect,ter in the day''s, Hound was speaking alone. ''What makes you think he will hide something?.... He doesn''t look like someone with something up his sleeves, though. I will watch out''


    "Who is he talking to?"


    "It''s Kwei", Fred nced at him. "I am not sure what n he has but I think he created Hound specifically for you."


    "For me?", Kang scoffed, silently.


    "I was in hisb and I came across your DNA sample. Hound has been built to understand you"


    "That''s why he is able to read me but he couldn''t read Romeo"


    "That reminds me. What''s your conclusion about Romeo?"


    "I told Ana to take him back to the hall before night. He is innocent", Kang muttered, still reflecting on situations where he should have suspected Hound.


    On the first day, Hound was able to guess he liked Ana. Kang never mentioned the word to him before then. No fighter was given the inbuilt knowledge of the names of the Larger Figures. Hound turned out to be specific. Kwei must have been watching him for a long time. Ironically, Hound seeded in winning Kang''s trust with that, then Kang obliviously gave him a chance to know more about him. Kang fumed, as though suddenly realizing how angry he should be, storming towards the door.


    "Where are you going? What will you do?"


    "Someone''s got a lot to exin"


    ****


    He was literally blinded by rage, storming down the narrow path with his heart pounding heavily. He could almost hear himself fuming. He stormed into the hall. His hand was pulled, suddenly but gently. He turned swiftly. "Come on", Romeo said.


    "What''s it?"


    "Dan is the enemy", Romeo said. "He has been talking to someone for a while. I wasn''t going to say anything about it but he obviously gave my name to you to save himself"


    "And you are sure he''s beenmunicating with whoever this infiltrator is?"


    "It''s been happening for a while. He is always sneaky with it so I tried to find out what the meetings were about without letting him know"


    Kang stared nkly. Dan was truly uneasy. He had guessed Dan was trying to protect Romeo. Romeo was also uneasy. Either of them could be hiding something. Even at the moment, Romeo could be trying to frame the man who exposed him.


    "What are you waiting for?", Romeo asked, staring back at Kang.


    "I don''t know if you are being honest or not", Kang replied. "I will-"¡°


    "Don''t take me to Hound. He''s a fake and you know it"


    Boom!!! The floor shook beneath their feet and they staggered, almost falling to the ground. That was an explosion, obviously. Kang''s eyes darted around the hall, as if trying to find where the explosion was from. The whole ce still seemed to be shaking from the impact of the boom. He could barely hear anything than the phantasmal echoes in his head.


    "Get in the room", he said, gesturing to Romeo.


    Romeo nodded and walked back to the room, immediately. Kang turned, staring back through the passage. The explosion had toe from somewhere outside the fighters'' section.


    ****


    The soldiers appeared suddenly. He had been focused on the narrow path. "Two Grimms have been spotted heading towards the 03 Power Source", a soldier said, as they dashed past him, heading straight in the same direction he had focused


    on.


    "Is this the shortest route to the power source?", Kang asked, running after them.


    "Juste with us"


    They didn''t need him to follow them but Kang was dashing after them already like someone with a n. He followed them, impulsively, with the gold strap on his wrist and an image of the infiltrators in his head.


    The whooshing sound of their speed resonated down the pathway, as the raging beasts rammed past one another like a jumbling steel container. The soldiers took a sharp turning, raising their guns immediately. Without thinking, Kang dashed in after them. The beasts looked nothing like the one that had ran into the hall. "Bring them to the Purgatory. Dead or Alive!"


    King''s voice echoed. The soldiers brought their guns down, immediately, pulling out another weapon. Kang stared nkly at them. The beasts wereing towards them. "That doesn''t look like two", Kang muttered, as two beasts took a sharp turning towards another pathway. Two other beasts kepting at the soldiers.


    A beast jumped up at the soldiers. They swung their electroshocking rods at it, mming it against the wall. Another beast was heading right towards Kang. He stretched out his arm and shot the beast in the head.


    "King said don''t shoot!", one of the soldiers said.


    "There are two others and they are getting away", Kang replied, heading towards the turning ahead.


    "That is a dead end. Catch them quick... and don''t shoot"


    The beast swung it''s tail, swiftly, whipping the soldier by the face. He pulled out his gun shot it''s head immediately. "King wants them alive", the other soldiers chorused, judgmentally. "There are two others. Let''s catch ''em before they get away"


    Kang stood still staring at the two beasts who seemed to have nowhere to go. He should have grabbed one of the stunning weapons from the soldiers. All he had with him was the gun. "Fuck!" he muttered, as he rolled the gold strap off his wrist to avoid the temptation of using the gun.


    A beast dashed at him with a punch, mming him against the wall. He sprung up, quickly. ''Weak punch'', he thought. The beast swung it''s arm at Kang again. Kang raised an arm, catching the attack, and swung a punch at the beast. It squealed and roared at Kang. Kang flipped, kicking at the beast''s chest. It fell against the second beast. They sprung up together, diving at Kang. Kang pushed back against the air, throwing the two back against the wall on the other end. He approached them slowly, as they appeared to be weak. The beasts raised their necks, as though adjusting toyfortably on the ground where they were. Kang stared nkly. They looked a lot different from the first ''Grimm'' he had seen. They were probably a different specie. The beasts tapped on their left wrists. A kind of imnted device rolled for a second and protruded slowly.


    Pow!!! A gunshot sounded. Kang jerked back, quickly, as blood sshed all over the wall. Pow! the gunshot sounded again and the two beastsid dead on the spot. Kang turned slowly. "Why did you do that? They were the only leads we had!"


    "You see that device on their wrists?", one of the soldiers said, as the others cleared the bodies. "It''s amunication device"


    "Amunication device?", he muttered. "I have seen that before"


    "You have? Where? It might help the investigation, at least"


    "I can''t remember clearly", Kang replied.


    "Well, if we had left them, they would have sent a message to their home Arena. We don''t know what secrets they''ve managed to gather so we shouldn''t take such risks"


    "And they are Grimms?... Thest time I saw one, it was on four legs and it didn''t look like this"


    "Oh, yea. They are not Grimms, after all.... Grimms don''t havemunication devices on their wrists", the soldier replied. "They might be Addax beasts"


    "Addax beast", Kang muttered again, watching the soldier walk away. That device looked like the one on Ana''s wrist. He had seen it more than once, when she had been careless. She was definitely hiding it. It had to be the same device jumped. Ana was hiding something.

 The Kang-hound

    ''It''s Ana'', his head rang. He could hear Ana''s name echoing in his heard. Fred had hinted that they weren''t a member of the Dergon Family. They weren''t born in either of the two Arenas but they had found their way into the Dergon.... Probably hiding from their own people. It only made more sense that Ana had features that were peculiar to her own people.... And maybe Fred did too. The attacks weren''t from the Grimms. ''She''s been staging the attacks and making it look like they were from Grimms'', Kang thought. ''A Grimm was able to hide in the Arena before getting caught and killed. There could be another one. Nice idea''


    ''But. Why Ana?''


    He had betrayed himself again. He was getting to like Ana after his immense mental efforts to keep hating her. He dragged his feet into the hall. It was dark already but he didn''t need the light to find his room. He barely even looked up. He pulled the door open and walked in. "Kang?", Hound''s voice muttered, as though he had been waiting for him.


    "You''re awake"


    Kang fell on his bed and yawned. He needed to take Ana off his mind, if he would have a good sleep.


    "I had to wait up. I heard the explosion. Did you find the culprits?"


    "What culprits?"


    "I just had a feeling you would have caught whoever was behind the attacks and everyone will be free again", Hound asked, with a pestering voice.


    Neither of them could see the other''s face- Kang believed- so Kang didn''t need to worry about Hound catching his lie. His eyes opened widely. Before the explosion, he was going to fight Hound for spying on him.... But it didn''t matter anymore. Ana was the enemy. "How does an explosion guarantee that we catch anyone?"


    "So you didn''t catch anyone?"


    "No. We saw a kind of beast and it was shot dead", Kang replied. His head still rang loudly, ''ANA IS THE ENEMY!''. He swallowed and closed his eyes. "It was a Grimm, I think"


    "And there was no hint to anyone who might have called them?"


    Kang stared into the darkness at Hound''s bed. ''What''s he trying to do? What''s he trying to find out?'', he thought.546


    "Kang?", Hound called again. "Are you there?"


    Kang kept silent, keeping his breath as steady as possible. ''You have a mission. I''m not letting you have it your way''.


    **** EARLIER


    Romeo pushed the door open. Dan sprung up, immediately, as if hiding something under the bed. "Romeo?", he muttered, feigning excitement. "You''re back"


    "Cut the act... what are you hiding?"


    Danid on his bed,fortably. "It''s my bag. I''m d to have you back, man. I was worried"


    "What did you tell Kang?"


    "Uh?"


    Romeo walked to his bed and sat down, facing Dan and keeping a stern angry look on his face. "He spoke to you. He probably asked you some questions... then you told him some things. Then he came out and arrested me. What did you tell him?"


    "He asked me questions and I answered him. There was nothing about you", Dan replied, sitting up.


    "You expect me to believe that?"


    "Did he say I told you something?... There was nothing I could say about you and, even if I knew something, do you think I would ever rat you out?"


    "No... but you could lie just to cover your own ass", Romeo stood up, threateningly. "I''m going to ask you questions and you will answer me, right here, right now"


    "Whoa!", Dan snorted, forcing aughter. "You really should go easy on yourself"


    "Who''s Ada?"


    "Ada?"


    "The girl you sneak out to meet in the middle of the night. I''ve caught you, a couple of times"


    "I don''t-"


    Romeo punched his face, pulling him up by the cor. "I can kill you now and they won''t care. All I have to do is prove that you are helping the infiltrator" "And how are you going to prove that?"


    Romeo jerked him up with an hand, as he balled his second fist and shot a blow into Dan''s chest, throwing him against the wall. Dan dropped on the ground, holding his chest and gasping. He threw wires out of his hand, grabbing Romeo by the leg, and tugged, sliding Romeo off his feet. Small metal des spiked out of Romeo''s balled fist. He flung his fingers at Dan, shooting darts at him. He sprung up quickly and grabbed Dan, mming him on the ground. He raised his spiked fist up. "Let''s worry about proving it after you are dead"


    "Hold on, alright?", Dan said, quickly. "Her name is not Ada. It''s Ana?


    "Alright. That makes sense. What''s you deal with Ana?"


    "When I was framed for killing Todd, King was going to kill me......"


    Romeo stared nkly at Dan. He''d had his suspicions, long before the murder incident. "What are you saying?"


    "Hold on! Alright?!", Dan retorted. "King was going to kill me. Ana helped me escape and she promised to check up on me every night. That''s why I leave the room"


    "That''s all?". Romeo punched his spiked fist into Dan''s shoulder, immediately.


    "Aarrh! Fuck!", Dan screamed.


    Romeo punched Dan''s face against the ground. "You''ve been going out and seeing her before Todd died"


    "Yes... that''s because she liked me", Dan said. "She gives me hints about my fight. That''s just it, Romeo"


    Romeo sprung up. "If you make any weird move, I will pin you to the wall", he threatened, walking to Dan''s bed. He leaned over and pulled out a bag underneath the bed. "What''s this?"


    "Take it easy, Romeo", Dan said, sitting up, as Romeo tore the bag open. "It''s not what you think"


    "What do I think, Dan?", Romeo brought out small balls from the bag; unactivated explosives.


    "I''ll tell you the truth", Dan stood up. "King was going to kill me... he, uh... he probably had a meeting so I was alone... tied up in a cage in his chamber. Ana walked up to me with a deal. All I had to do was to keep her bag of explosives for her. Some nights, she would show up to collect some of the explosives. ording to her, the whole n should bepleted within now and two days. Her people-she said- will break in and they will get us out of here.... All the fighters" "Well, that doesn''t sound like a possible fate for any of us so you will walk up to Kang and tell him all you have told me?


    "I can''t do that", Dan replied. "You know I can''t do that. King would probably know I''m alive and he will have me executed" "You didn''t care if I''d die. I don''t care", Romeo sat down andid back. "I give you two days"


    ****


    He heard a beep. He could have sworn he heard a beep... sounded much more like a breathless whisper of ''Wake up''.


    Kang sprung up from the bed, immediately. It was still pretty early but the light was on already. He needed to find Ana before she would suspect his approach.


    "Why the haste?", Hound''s voice startled him. "Are you off to somewhere?"


    Kang closed his eyes for a second, breathing heavily. He had almost fell back on the bed, hearing Hound''s voice. "I need to see Romeo"


    "For?"


    "What do you mean by ''for''? I want toplete the interrogation and get him back in the hall", he replied. "We are running out of time"


    "Uh... but I''m pretty sure I saw Romeo in the hall yesterday", Hound replied, innocently.


    "Fuck!", Kang muttered, as silently as possible, clenching his fist for a second.


    "What are you hiding from me, Kang?"


    Kang turned and faced him. "Stay in your bed, Hound. I have a job to do and it''s not your business to interfere."


    "Uh oh", Hound scoffed. "Didn''t I see thating?!"


    "See whating?"


    "You could have been the enemy but King was too blind to see that. He chose you of all people", Hound howled, as if out of his mind. "A bloody fighter, who probably wants the Arena to burn down. I didn''t think you were the culprit but I had a feeling you would help whoever was behind this if you found who it was"


    Kang stared, surprisedly. He was truly amazed at how much Hound knew, despite being new. Fred was right. It wasn''t Hound speaking. It was Kwei.


    "It''s your girlfriend now, isn''t it?", Hound continued. "You are going to protect her, won''t you?"


    "Stand back, Kwei. I don''t know what you are talking about but I''m going to do my job"


    Hound pushed his hands at Kang and his arm transformed into cylindrical machines, sting Kang through the door.


    Kang mmed against the wall in the hall. He pushed himself up, quickly. ''It''s a machine'', he thought. ''I will tear your face apart''


    Hound flung an hand forward, throwing three small balls at Kang. They rolled past him and exploded, throwing him forward before Hound''s feet. "King doesn''t mind whether you are dead or alive. Your reign is over", Hound kicked at him. He held Hound''s foot. "Not today"


    Hound punched his face into the ground and pulled him up. "Come again"


    Kang mouthed, weakly. He balled his fists but he couldn''t feel anything. He had no Shin Zhu... Hound wasn''t using any Shin Zhu, either; just machines.


    "I saide again!", Hound howled at him, throwing a punch at his face again. The fighters walked out of their rooms slowly, wondering what was happening.


    Kang dropped on his knees, slowly. The whole ce turned blurry and loud, as he mmed his face on the ground. His eyelids closed. #ckout

 The Kang-Hound 2

    ** Earlier **


    The door opened and everyone stiffened immediately, as though they were expecting King to show up. Well, he was there and he wasn''t smiling. "There has been another explosion", he said, holding his hands behind his back. Kwei raised his hand slightly and slowly. "What''s it?", Fred whispered.


    "If he gives me a chance, I can get who the culprit is in just a few weeks", Kwei replied. "It''ll be easier once the orderes from him"


    "Looks like none of you have a thing to say. Well, I do", King continued. "I have chosen someone unusual to look into the explosions and find the enemy. He has earned my trust but you- you haven''t.... being a lot freer than they are. It''s the nk. Respect him"


    King turned his back immediately and walked to the door. "No objections", he said and walked out.


    "He definitely ignored me", Kweiined. "He-"


    "You could have easily said you had something to say", Fred replied, indifferently. "I''m only worried about how quickly it is to earn the man''s trust. I hope he doesn''t forget we have to look into the ones he trusts the most"


    "I''m pretty sure he saw my hand up, though.... Someone has to fill the gap he''s leaving or he''ll end up handing the arena to the one who burns it down"


    **Present Day **


    He held Hound''s foot. "Not today"


    Hound punched his face into the ground and pulled him up. "Come again"


    Kang mouthed, weakly. He balled his fists but he couldn''t feel anything. He had no Shin Zhu... Hound wasn''t using any Shin Zhu, either; just machines.


    "I saide again!", Hound howled at him, throwing a punch at his face again. The fighters walked out of their rooms slowly, wondering what was happening.


    Kang dropped on his knees, slowly. The whole ce turned blurry and loud, as he mmed his face on the ground. His eyelids closed.


    "King was quick to trust", Hound said, walking about Kang''s weak body. "I saw iting; this whole favoritism. You trying to cover up the case because of your dumb machine feelings. I almost thought you could be the one... that is nearly impossible, truly, since you are restricted. I''m d I didn''t dwell on that doubt"


    Hound kicked him by the side, forcing Kang''s eyes back open. "Say something, dummy!", he continued. "You''re weak now!?"


    Kang groaned softly. There was very little strength in him. There was no way he was going to win the fight against the machine. He had no shin-zhu. He pushed his body up slowly.


    Hound kicked him back on the ground. "I am not going to kill you... yet. It''ll be the enemy first", Hound said. "You''ll hear herst scream before you take yourst breath" Kang''s eyes opened. "No"


    "What did you say?"


    "I said no", He pushed himself up easily, feeling new strength in himself. "Ana is mine"


    Hound chuckled. "Funny", he raised his left hand and shot another st at Kang.


    Confidently, Kang pushed his two hands against the st, drifting back slightly. He pushed forward, throwing it back. Hound bent slightly, avoiding the hit. Kang dashed at him, vigorously, grabbing him by the neck. He clenched his fist, swiping a blow at Hound''s head. The head detached from the neck immediately, thudding on the ground.


    All eyes were on the fighters. Norger figure came around. They were probably aware of Ana''s involvement already.... But he needed to see her. Kang limped out through the passage.


    ****


    He found her in no time. There was no escape for her, anyway. He pushed the door open and she jerked back immediately. "You''ve realized, I guess?"


    "Uh... realized what?", she asked, trying to keep her head straight. She was obviously nervous.


    "I knew you couldn''t be trusted. I should-"


    "I''m sorry, Kang", she cut in. "It happened too fast and I couldn''t control it anymore"


    "I don''t want to hear you, Ana. You''ve seeded in deceiving me, multiple times. I''m delivering you to King, today"


    "That''s necessary", she muttered, staring down and fidgeting. "I just want you to know something... before you take me"


    "I''ll let you know something too"


    They stared at each other for a few seconds, without saying a word. Every little sound from the outside made Kang uneasy but he had to speak, though the words weren''t going toe out straight if he rushed. Ana smiled. "What''s that about?"


    "You''re not talking already", Ana said. "You feel it too, don''t you?... It was never fake"


    Kang walked to a chair and sat down. "I doubt that though"


    "I''m being honest, Kang", she sat beside him. "I don''t need you to spare me. I messed up but... I don''t regret it"


    "Why d''you do it?"


    "It was really a mistake. King has had carnal knowledge of me countless times against my will and I can do nothing about it", she said. "The Dergon Arena harbored my grandfather, after we got exiled from Addax." "How did you get the Grimms to work with you?"


    "The Grimms were never involved", she turned and faced him. "I don''t want to die, Kang. I''m sorry"


    She pulled out a needle and injected Kang on the shoulder. "What''s that?!", Kang jerked back.


    She sprung away from him. "I''m sorry, Kang. You''ll be okay!", she ran out.


    Le closed the door gently behind her. King was still engrossed with the news from the soldiers. He probably wouldn''t have her time for the next few hours. She walked sneakily down the hallway, peeking into eachb. She chattered excitedly in her head, as she searched for Fred.


    ''Didn''t think you''ll seem so carefree to see me go?''


    ''Yea, I-''


    She paused and hid herself, as she found Fred in ab. Ana was with him.


    "What have you done, Ana?"


    "It was a mistake", she replied, quickly. "I was just ying with the device. I had no idea what it was and what it could do. I... I found out I wasmunicating with Addax and they offered to help"


    "Oh, damn!", Fred held his head, unable to think. "So what happened next? You nted those bombs, didn''t you?"


    "Yes, I did", she replied. "We have to go, Fred. We''ve been through a lot in this ce"


    "This is home, Ana", Fred muttered, softly. "We... we can''t survive out there"


    "Come on!", she retorted. "I have been through a lot at King''s hands. I told you of everything, didn''t I? He RAPED me!... Not once, Fred! Not twice!... You did NOTHING"


    Fred fell on a seat, fidgeting and breathing heavily. "We have no power to fight, Ana"


    "We can go. We can just go, Fred", Ana sat by him, keeping her voice as calm as possible. "Addax is willing to help us and the n is almostplete"


    "Addax wants us dead, Ana... They also want Dergon down. Once the n ispleted, they will hold us captive till the execution and they will control the Dergon Arena", Fred replied. "If they have been cooperative with you, it''s not without a prize"


    "Why would they want us dead?", Ana asked. "They were- they were nice to me"


    "Our grandfathermitted a crime. ording to thew in Addax, it was worthy of death and the punishment had to be meted out to the culprit or a rtive. When he escaped, an order was given to wipe out the entire family... He told us the truth before he died. Addax wanted him dead because of the secret he had with him"


    "What am I going to do?... King is going to have me killed"


    "King doesn''t suspect you. No one knows it''s you... yet... unless you''ve told someone", Fred replied, staring at her with a bit more confidence. He had an idea that would probably solve the problem. "Have you?" "Yes... some people already know"


    "You have to take care of them, Ana", Fred said, sternly. "I don''t know how you are going to do it. You''ll stop giving information to the Addax beasts and your aplices must be kept mute, however way you can. You understand?" She nodded and walked out quickly.


    Fred sighed and rested his back. Rxing was going to take a lot more effort than usual. King would learn of the Addax connection ande for another investigation. As long as the Grimm involvements are not erased, it''d be hard to pin the attacks on Ana alone.


    A p jerked him up, almost shooting his heart out of his chest. He turned swiftly, as Kwei pped, walking out of the dark. "I saw a lot of thingsing, including the trusted ones stabbing us in the back. I didn''t think you would try to hide your niece''s crime, Fred"


    "It''s not what you think, Kwei", Fred said, standing up. "She didn''t do it intentionally. Please, Kwei. You have to help me. We have to help her"


    "Help? I didn''te here to help, Fred", Kwei said, bluntly, raising his gold strap. "I came here to kill"

 Revolution

    "Ana. I think we have a problem", Dan said, walking to the back passage. There was literally no need to hide anymore. Therger figures were still overwhelmed by what hit them. "Yes, we do", Ana stepped closer, holding a gun to his head. "You spoke to someone, didn''t you?"


    "I swear I don''t know how he got to know. He just came at me", Dan took a step back, wearing a disappointed stare. He didn''t think she would turn against him so easily. "I didn''t tell him" "Sorry, Dan. I have to eliminate everyone who knows about this... including you"


    "Me!? You-.... I thought we were friends?!"


    "No. All you ever did was to stay alive when you needed to?


    "You coerced me, remember?! You came to me. I was going to die and you took advantage of me"


    "Well, you have to die, okay?!", she retorted, now seeming a lot weaker than she had appeared at first. "It''s time I made a decision all by myself"


    "This is a bad one, Ana. You know you need me. Don''t do this?"


    "Sorry, Dan. This is the best I can think of if I''m going to stay alive"


    ****


    "I came here to kill", Kwei stepped closer, holding up the gold strap.


    Fred''s eyes travelled around the room, picking up ideas. He kicked the table in front of him, swiftly, pushing it against Kwei''s legs. The gold strap dropped on the table and Fred reached for it.


    Kwei grabbed his hand, throwing a punch at his face. He was obviously stronger than Fred. "I always believed there would be a fight between therger figures", Kwei said. "I didn''t think we would be the ones on the field" "Apparently, you chose this", Fred replied, standing up to the gun pointed at him. "You don''t have to do this"


    "You didn''t have to betray the arena, Fred... the annoying part is where King trusts you and trusts the nk, while still thinking I am just cunning"


    "You created Hound to watch him, didn''t you?"


    "I created Hound ''cause I saw thising", Kwei replied. "Kang was going to hide his lover''s little secret. We should put the arena first"


    "No, Kwei", he replied, giving up. He was no longer scared. "We should put family first"


    "To damnation with your family!"


    "Different people, different ideologies. To damnation with your arena"


    Fred pulled the trigger. Le gasped, as though she had been hit, still hidden behind the backdoor.


    She jerked back, as the rms red suddenly. The lights turned red, repeatedly. There was another emergency.


    ****


    The soldiers rushed towards the chambers, swiftly, as the rms red loudly. There was no message on what triggered the rm so King probably wanted to see them. "Intruders in the arena! I repeat, Intruders in the arena!"


    The soldiers moved swiftly to the given location. There were more Intruders to deal with, this time.


    Le snuck back quickly, through the back, finding her way into her room. She erased the horror on her face, keeping herself steady as she walked to King''s chambers. "Where have you been?", King asked.


    "I- I was in the room", she replied, quickly. He had never walked into her room, while she was there, so he probably wouldn''t know.


    "There was so much noise. You didn''t hear?"


    "I was... asleep", she replied, wondering what happened with King. His face was sullen and he definitely had more than Le''s travel in his head. "Did something happen?" King pointed at something on the ground. She stepped closer to take a look. Her eyes opened, widely, almost falling back unsteady. It was Queen on the ground, dead. There was a knock on the door. "Who''s there?"


    "It''s Kang"


    "Open", King muttered softly and the door opened to Kang. "My misfortune has befallen me, nk"


    Kang saw Queen''s body immediately. "What happened?"


    "Intruders. It''s Addax beasts again", King replied, taking his seat and rxing on the chair. "I guess Ana hase after me, then.... She is going to pull the walls down and subject us to the mercy of the Addax. They are going to kill us all. Everyone!"


    "You''re not sure it''s Ana, are you?", Kang asked, just for confirmation. Ana would have been seized already. Le nced at him quickly and he caught the look.


    "She is my doom. Queen was going to show me a new life... I was going to make up for my past but Ana was going to pull me down to dust... I saw iting" Le walked up to Kang and whispered in his ear. "Fred is dead. Kwei killed him"


    That was impossible. Kang stared at her, suspiciously. He nodded and stormed out of the chamber.


    "What did you tell him?", King asked.


    "Where to find Ana"


    ****


    "You haven''t told him", Romeo said, immediately Dan stepped in.


    "Hold on, alright!", Dan sat on the bed and sighed. "He already knows"


    "How do you know that?"


    "Ana. She came to me and was going to kill me. She believes I have told someone", Dan said. "It''s definitely not you. If it''s anyone, it''s Kang. She''s been pretty close to him" "That''s not-"


    "I understand you, Romeo. I had to survive too, you know?... If I didn''t agree to the deal, I would have died. I don''t know how we''ll fix this but I''m sure we can? "Kang will know something", Romeo replied andid back. "But whatever he brings, you better be ready to do it"


    ********


    She moved hastily, pushing the clothes roughly into the back. She had very little idea of what she was doing. She could not control what she had started obviously. Once the Intruders were able to seed, all she had to do was dash out with her bags. She breathed heavily, thinking of what Fred had told her. If he was right, she would be taken as a captive by the same people he had called to save her. If she refused to leave, she would be executed in the Dergon Arena.


    The door opened and Kang walked in, closing the door behind him. "How do you always find me?", she asked, pointing a gun at him.


    "I guess we have a kind of connection. It always leads me to you... always"


    "Don''t step closer", she said, almost stuttering. The nervousness was obvious, as her hands trembled. "I''ll- I''ll shoot"


    "No, you won''t", he replied, taking one step closer. They were still pretty far from each other and she really had more than enough time to shoot. "If you didn''t shoot Dan, then you can''t shoot me" "Why don''t you just-?!", she howled, frustratedly.


    Kang put a step forward, shooting himself quickly to her in a split second. "Easy, Ana"


    "How did you do that?"


    "I don''t know", he muttered. "King would probably find out about your involvement and kill you before you walk out of here"


    "Then kill me already!", she retorted, crying weakly, as her head fell on his chest. "I''m so tired... King doesn''t even deserve to live but... he''ll always win. To him, I''m just one scared little girl"


    "It''s okay, Ana"


    "Whatever we do ends up in doom for me", she said. " Tell Fred I''m sorry for all the troubles I have caused. Tell him I said I''m d he tried to help me. I wish his idea actually worked so I could fix my mistakes. Tell him I''m happy I''m free from King. Tell him I said he should probably do whatever makes him happy"


    Kang left her and walked to a chair. "If the n works, what will be waiting for us on the outside?"


    "The Addax beasts", she replied. "But Fred says all they want is the Dergon Arena. They will take me and him for execution at the Addax arena while everyone else is killed here"


    "That doesn''t sound like a good end for anyone... it''s ironic the ones who should have been your heroes will turn out as viins"


    "I guess so. None of the options before me gives me a happy ending"


    Kang stood up. "Let''s make an happy ending", he said, staring at her.


    "Uh?"


    "Let''s make a new n that gives us a happy ending", he said. "We have a team willing to survive and die fighting at the same time"


    "I don''t understand yet. Let''s get Fred"


    "Ana", he sighed, walking closer. "Fred is dead. I''m sorry"


    ****


    "You''ve gone soft, King"


    Bane''s voice creeped into his ears, jerking him out of his lonesomeness. "Queen is dead", he muttered, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He was slowly going mad.


    "Get up!.... You''ve always been the weak Mama''s boy"


    "But there''s nothing I can do", he stood up, submissively.


    Le stared at him, hidden behind a curtain, wondering who he was speaking to.


    "You wage war, King. That''s what we do?


    "War?"


    "You stop running from power. Whoeveres against us must bite the dust"


    "They''ll bite the dust", he muttered.


    "We kill them all!"


    "Kill them all", he kicked back the chair behind him, gritting his teeth. "Who dares to plot against me?!"


    The soldiers gathered in front of him. Some others were still handling the Intruders.


    "I saw this waring before it started", King said. "Now, I see something elseing. They will call it the revolution... and you- you''re going to break it down, first. Once that is done, we are storming the Addax arena and we are taking it all. Find the nk. Bring him before me"

 Origin

    He had given the orders and the soldiers had been dismissed already. He stood there for a few seconds more, confident, angry and thirsting for a fight. Faint images of his origin appeared before him, carving his face into a wry smile. He had


    forgotten his wife''s death... or he had just gotten over it. He turned, walking back into the chambers, and closed the door behind him.


    He could see a figure behind the curtains from where he stood. It wasn''t an intruder. He approached the figure slowly and pulled the curtain aside quickly.


    Le jerked back suddenly. She had been lost in thought since King walked out. "Looks like you had a n against me, Le. Didn''t you?", King asked. "Spill it. What was the n?"


    "It was nothing", she said, staring nkly at him for a few seconds. "What are you going to do to him- the nk?"


    "Oh. You are concerned about him now?", he asked, scanning her body with his eyes. "Have you won his heart already? With those hips of yours?"


    Le could sense the lust in his eyes, as he approached her slowly. She took slow steps backwards, keeping the safe distance between them. "I- I was just asking... if he was the one plotting against you"


    "No, Le. He is my worthy soldier. He is going to stand by me and bring down the revolution", King said, still approaching her slowly. "For now, let''s deal with what is before us- this beautiful hips"


    She stumbled, as she tried to run into her room. King dashed at her, grabbing her swiftly and holding her. "Please, don''t do this. Bane won''t be happy with it", she pleaded.


    "No, Le. This is going to please Bane. He always wanted me to dare him", King said, pulling her up roughly. "I''m going to go slowly and smoothly."


    He carried her into the room and mmed her on the bed, holding her down. "Please", she cried, trying to escape his strong hold.


    "I didn''t see these perky boobs of yours", King said, pulling up her skirt. "It''s my fault. You could have gotten used to this"


    King stopped suddenly and rushed out of the room, as if sensing a strange presence in the chambers. Le got up and closed the door, quickly, curling up in her bed and hoping he doesn''t force his way back in.


    King remained in a position, staring into the mirror and fuming. He could feel the plot against him; he had had the same ominous feeling before the explosions and intrusions began. Queen was there to keep him sane. He was made to ignore the premonition. He wasn''t going to do the same thing now, not after the Addax arena had seeded with their infiltration.


    ** {Back to the Origin} **


    King, a smaller and younger version, stood in the middle of a field before another boy with extremely long legs, three times taller than King but just as young. King charged at him, throwing his full body weight at the boy''s leg. The boy held him, quickly, throwing him back. "I''ll kill you, Ro", King said, getting back up.


    "Run home, boy. Even Bane wouldn''t daree at me", Ro replied. "He would regret it"


    "You say that against my brother. I will tell him and he will make you pay for it"


    "Go ahead, King. Run home"


    King ran at him again and slid down, trying to get Ro''s feet off the ground. Ro remained still and unmoved, sniggering. He kicked King by the side and walked away. "Tell Bane", he said. "I handed your ass to you on a tter of sand!"


    Defeated, the little King ran into the castle with tears and anger.


    "Hey, watch where you''re going, little one", Bane said, as King walked into him. "What''s wrong with your eyes?"


    "An ordinary plebeian insults you and all you do is walk around the castle?"


    "Be careful how you speak to me, King.... Now, tell me what happened"


    "It''s Ro", King said. "He beat me and rubbed my face in the mud. He kicked me by the side"


    "Who picked the fight?"


    "How does that matter?"


    "Who picked the fight, King?", Bane repeated. "You don''t pick fights you can''t win... you are a disgrace to me" "He cheated"


    "I don''t care. You should be prepared for every fight", Bane said. "You haven''t even learned your shin-zhu, have you?" King shook his head.


    "I bet he didn''t use a shin-zhu against you because he believed you don''t worth the stress", Bane added. "Even in a fight you picked"


    "Are you just going to stand there and scold me?!", King retorted. "He insulted you and said you can''t do anything. He said he would have your ass handed to you and rub your face in the mud. You''re not going to do anything?"


    "I have already done a lot of things and... the Ro you speak of is not going to say that to me", Bane sighed and smiled. "Not after I beat him three times on the field"


    "I went for the leg, like you said", King said. "He didn''t fall. He''s just too strong"


    Bane sighed and shook his head again in disappointment. He turned his back. "He''s not too strong. You are just thinking too weak"


    "How am I supposed to go against him? He is three times taller than I am. He has more durability and I don''t even have a shin-zhu"


    "You think, King", Bane replied. "When you face a bigger opponent, you think just as big. When you face a smaller opponent, you think just as small... if you can''t do that, then, even your shin-zhu might not help you win a fight" Bane walked away, leaving King in his still position. Before walking out of the castle, he added. "If I go back to Ro now, he''s just going to keep running... Build yourself, King"


    ** Present **


    A knock on the door jerked him back to reality. "Who''s there?"


    "It''s uh... it''s nothing", a soldier said, stuttering. "I thought we were having a meeting. I''m sorry for disturbing you, sir"


    "Wait!", King said and walked to the door, opening it. "Where were you?"


    "I was handling an intruder. It''s an Addax beast. It''s dead"


    "They came to retrieve their kind", King said. "Make an announcement. I want Fred and Ana captured. The nk should report to me, immediately. There is a revolution building up against the arena. We are going to fish them out and have them executed"


    "Taken, sir", the soldier saluted and walked away.


    ** {Back to the Origin} **


    "Where are the kids?"


    The king was seated on his elevated throne, with his four wives beside him. His children only saw his face once in a while. There was an undisputed myth surrounding the fierce king and his extraterrestrial throne. Whenever he sat on his throne, he always put a veil over his face, for whoever dared to behold the face of the king while he sat on the throne would be stone.


    The guards brought his children before him. Bane and King stood prepared, as if already sure of what his father had to say.


    "I choose the arena in Skull-and-Crossbones", King blurted.


    "Silence", The King cut in. "You were not asked to speak, King"


    "Sorry, sir"


    The King looked at Bane, who stayed calm. "You''re the older one, Bane", The King said. "Do you agree with him?"


    "I can''t let him have it, Father", Bane replied. "He can have the one in Home of Arenas. I''ll have crossbones"


    "But you already have a lot of things", King said, quickly. "Why don''t you just let me have this one?"


    "Because I am older and you don''t actually deserve what you desire", Bane retorted. "The crossbones will scare you to death"


    "Why do you want the one at crossbones?", The King asked. "I''ll hear you first, King"


    "It is a lot bigger than the one in the Home of Arenas. It also holds more power, like you said"


    "Let''s solve this in a fight, Father", Bane suggested. "I have taught King how to use his Shin-zhu and how to win a fight. If he is able to beat me with this skills, I will let him have Crossbones. If he can''t win, then he will have Home of Arenas"


    King raised his head to stare in his brother''s eyes. His brother was taller but he was confident. He had been able to defeat Ro after taking his brother''s advice. "I''m going to put you down, Bane"


    "You can''t beat me, King. You are weak", Bane replied, smiling mischievously.


    "I have shin-zhu now... and you taught me how to take down bigger people, remember?"


    "Well, I wonder how big you think I am", Bane said, slowly expanding in size.


    King stepped backwards, staring in disbelief. He had never seen Bane do that before. He clenched his fist and rolled up a ball of energy. Bane blew air at him, quenching King''s shin-zhu in a second. He bent closer to King and held his head. "You lose", Bane whispered.

 Three-way

    "We are all going to die", Kang started, staring into the eyes of each of the fighters in the hall. They had gathered there on his request, some reluctantly. He still had no socialization with most of them, as they were probably new fighters before thest fight or they just never met in a fight. "It''s time for us to choose what we die for... if we stay here, they will put us in the Arenas and make us fight to death. We can fight against them now. Some may die fighting but we will win this... a lot easier now, after the heat of the Intruders has engulfed the whole of Dergon"


    "Sorry but why is she here?", one of the fighters asked, staring at Ana. "She doesn''t look like a fighter; more like what we''re fighting against"


    "1-"


    Kang interrupted her. "She''s not a fighter but she is a victim... like every one of us", he continued. "So I want to know. Who is ready to storm the Larger figures and get out of this ce?"


    "I heard there''s no way to survive on the outside", another fighter said. "I don''t know if this will be the right thing"


    "We survived here somehow, right?", Kang said, unsure of the right answer.


    "There is a ce", Ana said. "The Crands. They don''t ept anything or anyone from the arena but we can prove to them we are harmless. We can manage to cut a deal with them" "Why should we trust you?"


    "Because I am striving so hard to escape this ce and escape King too. I''ve been through hell in his hands, not being a native of Dergon", Ana said. "I was the one who caused the infiltration and if it had worked, I would have survived on the outside."


    "Ok. That''s it. Is everyone ready?", Kang asked. "Signify if you are"


    All hands were raised except one. "Come on, Otto", one of the fighters urged. "Together, we can seed and survive this"


    "I''m scared, Eddie", Otto replied, taking a few steps backwards. "Besides, I''m always messing things up. You guys should go without me"


    "Alright", Ana said, addressing the rest. "Be ready to kill them as they''ve killed us for centuries. Give it your all. Fight like your lives depend on it... ''cause your lives actually depend on. If I know King well enough, he probably senses the plot against him already. We should act fast"


    Three soldiers rushed into the hall, quickly. The fighters attacked them, immediately. Dan flung his wires, grabbing the gun from one of them and pinning him down. The other two soldiers were dead already. "What did youe here for?" "King knows about your plot already", the soldier said. "He asked us to search the entire hall and bring you to him"


    "So he doesn''t know about my involvement yet", Kang muttered.


    "You can''t win this fight. Do you know how big Dergon is?", the soldier said. "There''s a whole other section where the women lead.. Once they send their soldiers here, you will be overwhelmed. There''s an even bigger arena somewhere in the darkest parts of the universe. Once King calls them, they will tear you apart. There''s no winning for you"


    "King is too proud to call Bane for help so we won''t worry about the second arena", Ana replied. "We can also be out of here before the other section find out what''s happening"


    The soldierughed at them. "King knows you called the Addax arena. He ordered us to bring you and Fred to him... I''m sure Fred is before him now... or dead already"


    One of the fighters shed his throat with a de. "There''s no use keeping him alive"


    ..... (Somewhere Behind Arena: Gates)...........


    "Do you think they''ll be able to get in now after the new gate?"


    "It''s adamantine. Unless it''s not properly installed, it can take full sts from even Bane", another soldier replied and there was a short pause. "We are rebuilding now. Do you think the Arena can ever regain it''s glory?" "We better hope so", the first soldier sighed. "For the sake of my family, I hope we rise again. It just never feels right"


    "Yea. Just necessary"


    "Exactly. Not right but necessary", he affirmed. "I heard there''s a plot to tear down the arena"


    "King says so... and he thinks it''s the fighters"


    "What? They can''t even leave their hall", the first soldierughed. "That sounds like an old man''s insecurity"


    "I hope it''s just that though. Those fighters are pretty strong"


    "Not stronger than these", he said, raising his gun. "With this, you can get them from the distance"


    "Sometimes, I try to think like those fighters", the second soldier replied. "They are forced to fight to death just so the arena makes some money"


    "Not right but necessary if we''ll survive... We can''t stand against King; not if we''ll survive"


    "Uh", the second soldier muttered, staring up at the gate. "Can you see that?"


    They stepped closer. The gate seemed as though it was being pushed back by a force. There was no way the wind was able to push against it. "It looks like we might have a problem. Alert King and the other soldiers" Strange warships shot in, right through the gate. The Addax beasts had arrived in troops.


    ******


    The fighters formed a line, being unable to walk through the passage in the hall. While Kang and Ana stood in front, each one touched the other. They all followed Kang, as he walked through the passage.


    "We are going to have to split up since we will need to take out all the soldiers andrger figures", Kang said. "Once you take down a soldier, make sure you take his gold strap. Having one in both hands gives you a better chance in taking the soldiers down from a distance. Good luck?"


    "Good luck", they chorused and they all chose sides.


    Ana walked into one of thebs. As she had expected, somerger figures were there. "Where have you been, Ana?", Thomas asked, immediately she stepped in. "King thinks you led the Addax arena to us and gave away information"


    "I think so too", Montero added quickly. "You are the only one from Addax here, ording to what I just heard. You put a lot of efforts in keeping that a secret, didn''t you?"


    "King knew from the start. I was born here and I grew up here", Ana replied. "Hi, Pete"


    "Sorry, Ana", Pete, the third person, in the room raised a gun quickly. "Many of us have died so you lost my trust"


    She shot him down, quickly. Montero raised his gun too but she was faster, shooting him twice in the chest. She faced Thomas, who just had his hands up. "You didn''t have to kill them, Ana", Thomas said. "They were going to kill me... besides, there is already a n to get out of here so I''m going to have to kill you too"


    "Fred is dead", Thomas cut in.


    "Wh- what?", she stuttered, almost losing her bnce.


    "I don''t know who killed him but it didn''t look like an Addax beast", Thomas added. "King might have ordered your execution... but I want to get out of here. I can go with you. We can help each other out, Ana"


    Dan stood in front of one of thebs. Most of the ones he walked past were empty. He had a different feeling about this one. He also wasn''t willing to walk in to a crowd of armedrger figures or soldiers. He moved to the side and pushed the door open, gently. There was no reaction, no sound except the one he had made with the door.


    He slowly came out of hiding and walked in. Right in front of him were seven pods; the invention machines that the fighters were created with. He walked closer and stared into them. They were active and working, with a robot in each of them. "She sent her butler, didn''t she?", a voice jerked him back to consciousness. Kwei walked in, slowly, and closed the door behind him. "I actually figured that you were alive... I figured she spared you for a reason. I figured she had something to do with the intruders. I also figured you both weremunicating for a reason. I figured you''d believe you owed her and you would do anything for her... then I figured you were keeping the bombs. She could never keep it here. Neither can the intruders set up the explosions from the outside"


    "You''re going to die, right here right now", Dan said, shooting his wires at Kwei immediately.


    Kwei twirled his sword swiftly, cutting the wires down. "That''s pretty ironic but you''re right. One person is not going to leave here alive", Kwei said. "And, as you said, it''s YOU"


    One of the robots shot it''s hand out of the pod and pulled Dan from behind. He shot his wires up, pulling himself away with the ceiling hooks. He flung himself at Kwei, kicking him against the wall. The sword dropped immediately. Dan shot his wires, wrapping around Kwei''s neck and jerking him closer. Kwei pulled out some knuckle des and swung his arm at Dan, slitting his throat.


    ****


    "What is the news, Kwei?", King asked. "I am yet to see The nk. I am yet to get a report about the plot"


    "I came with something more than just that", Kwei said. "There are intruders again. They havee with warships from Addax and this time, with amander"


    "So Ro really wants a war with me?", King muttered,ughing at his thoughts. "It''s going to be a three-way battle then. Ana and Fred must have realized Addax is not here to save them" "Fred is dead. I think the nk killed him"


    "The nk? He must be really devoted to our cause"


    "He''s not. He is leading the revolution against you", Kwei said. "The nk is the enemy"

 True King

    {Earlier)........


    Kwer walked into the hall, angry and confident. "I knew it!", He kicked against the wall, as he saw the bodies of the two soldiersying on the floor. He nced at Otto. Otto hadn''t seen himing till he walked through the passage so it was toote to run. "You didn''t do this, did you?"


    "N- No... I didn''t. I swear", he blurted, trembling with fear. "It wasn''t me"


    "Oh, I know but you will pay for their sins. You understand that, right?", Kwei said, staring around. "It doesn''t look like they are in here either. First, who did this?" "It''s one of the f- fighters", he stuttered.


    "Where are they hiding?"


    "There is a plot to attack therger figures and the soldiers while the arena is busy fighting the intruders"


    Kwei smiled. "Good boy. Whose idea was it to do this? And you, why did you stay back?"


    "I- I was too scared. I knew it wouldn''t work", Otto replied. "It is the nk. He and arger figure are leading them out


    "That is Ana. I''m d you think straight, at least", Kwei said and turned, walking back through the passage. "We''ll need a new batch of fighters anyway*


    He nced back and shot Otto in the head.


    *** ***


    The soldiers were blown up in mes, as the warshipsnded on the arena. Addax soldiers trooped out of the ships, armed and uniformed. They stopped and organized themselves in queues, facing the Dergon Arena and remaining at alert. A man walked out of the ship, gant and rxedly confident. He towered above all of the soldiers and the warships, having extremely long legs. He was themander. "Hmm... Nice scent, it is", he sniffed in. "King is going to be happy to see me"


    The soldiers remained behind him, silent and attentive. They were to wait for his order before making a move unless any of them sensed an iing danger. Two soldiers rushed out through the passage. Themander stretched his hand and contracted his fingers. The soldiers dropped to their knees immediately and their guns. They groaned in pain, unable to control their muscles.


    Themander gestured at two queues, sending them to the second section of the arena. He gestured at the others, sending them into the main section of the arena, while he waited out there. "I trust you guys are doing well, down there", he said, referring to the Dergon soldiers who were still under his spell. "Doesn''t look like it. Sorry"


    He turned his hand, quickly, making their necks snap. They dropped dead at his feet.


    The soldiers showed up ahead so Ana hid behind Thomas. They weren''t sure of how many soldiers they''d have to deal with so it''d be better not to attack head-on. With a closer view, they could see only three soldiers approaching them. They both had two gold straps on both hands already. Ana jumped out and they put the soldiers down. "That was easier than I thought", Thomas said, as they took a sharp turning, colliding with a person.


    "Le?", Ana muttered. "What are you doing here? I thought King had taken you back to the Other Side"


    "Well, he''s been too busy with the matters of the Arena. I managed to sneak out of the chambers", Le replied. "What are you guys doing now?"


    "We are going to take the arena down... You should join us and get free from Bane and King"


    "Where are we going to go? The Crands?", Le replied, doubtfully. "You know how much they hate the Arenas"


    "We can work things out, Le. If we don''t do it now, we may never be able to try again"


    "What''s the n?"


    Three fighters walked in to them. "Guys. Who''s the man?"


    "I''m helping you out", Thomas said.


    "Alright. It won''t be nice to leave the second section of the Arena", one of the fighters said. "The fighters there are probably wishing for a way out too while trapped in the hall"


    "We can''t try that", Ana shook her head. "We are going to have to deal with therger figures there too"


    "And I think there are more Intruders now", Le added. "In both sections"


    "We can still try it", Thomas said. "You and I will go in. I will have to dress you up as arger figure. I will go into theirbs and make an announcement within the hall. They will gather where you can see them. Once they are there, you go in, tell them what is happening and lead them out with the gold strap in your hand"


    "That sounds easy to say", Ana replied. "You didn''t mention the part where we deal with the intruders"


    "They are soldiers too; no difference. All we have to do is watch our own backs and stay alive", Thomas said. "What''s your name, please?"


    "Grill", the fighter said..


    "Alright, Grill. Are you going to do this?"


    "It was my suggestion. Let''s get on with it"


    The two of them ran along, leaving Ana, Le and the other fighters. They would get Grill a costume of the Larger Figures before proceeding.


    ****


    "It''s so boring, waiting for King here", the Commander muttered. His body emitted light for a second, like a glitch, and he took a step backwards, leaving a figure of himself in the same position. He had be two. "You know what to do" "Well, don''t tell me what to do", the second version of themander, who seemed to be invisible, said and walked into the Dergon Arena. "Wait for King"


    "Oh. I''m so proud, aren''t I?", themander muttered, silently, to himself. Staring in through the passage, it was too dark to be sure but something seemed to be approaching. He smiled. If it were the soldiers, they would be running towards him with their guns or they would have shot already.


    "I was thinking Ro should have the decency to show up", King walked out, with his hands behind him. "But he sent you. What''s the name again?"


    "Zayde. You must have heard of me, I believe", themander replied, confidently. "Just so you know Ro respects you, he sent me?


    "It still feels like disrespect, though. I can remember beating him up, back in the days"


    "Well", Zayde smiled confidently and bent into abat position. "I''m not Ro.... And he''s not me"


    King clenched his fist and expanded in size, almost as tall as Zayde. "This is about to get interesting"


    "What is happening, Kang?", Eddie asked, staring surprisedly at armed soldiers in different uniforms. "Who are those people?" "They are the intruders", Romeo replied. "Soldiers from Addax. We have to take them out as quick as possible"


    They walked behind Kang, moving stealthily. "Say nothing", Kang muttered. "We have to know how many they are and take them out immediately"


    They crouched to the soldiers who remained still in a position. Romeo and Eddie had their guns ready, as Kang stood up straight. He pushed the soldiers gently, as if suspecting something else. "They are not real", Kang muttered. "They are mannequins. It''s a trap"


    The invisible Zayde walked down the passage, not so sure of where to go but he kept moving. He walked past many soldiers andrger figures, unable to be touched or seen. He walked through the passage and entered the fighters all. "Wow!", he muttered. "It''s a lot different here"


    His eyes fell on Otto, who had a gunshot wound on his head. "Wow! They kill people too", the invisible Zayde added. "Our designs are definitely nicer"


    "Who''s there?", a voice alerted him. He turned slowly. It was the same dead body on the ground. Otto''s neck straightened and he raised his back slowly.


    "You can hear me speak", Zayde muttered, making himself visible to Otto. He stepped closer.


    "Who are you?", Otto asked, timidly. "Please, don''t kill me"


    Zayde sneezed and stepped back. "You emit great power yet you have great fear", hemented, staring with awe. "The fear... it''s holding back your true capabilities. I smell fire. What''s your shin-zhu?"


    Otto showed his palm and his hand burst in mes. "This is my shin-zhu"


    "I will teach you", Zayde stood up straight. "We won''t win this fight but I''m taking spoils with me"


    ****


    King mmed his two huge arms on the ground, creating an earthquake. Zayde''s leg sank into the ground and King shot a ball of energy at him, throwing him out of the trap. Zayde rolled back on his feet, still smiling and confident. "You really have a strong hit", he said.


    Zayde straitened his palms, turning both into long des. He rubbed the des together, shooting a wave. King drifted back, heavily, pushing against the force. Zayde, with his extremely flexible body and long legs, sprinted behind King within a second, sliding King off the ground.


    He created a shield, quickly, as King bounced back on his feet,ing at Zayde with an heavy blow. King broke through the shield, making Zayde stagger backwards. King extends his leg, kicking Zayde across the arena. King stamped a foot on the ground and a mound of earth propelled him into the air, towards Zayde. Zayde swiped his hand, throwing King back down with a wave. His des went back into his palm, as he threw his hands forward. A rope shot out, grabbing King by the neck. He tugged at the rope pulling King closer to himself.


    "You really are tough, King", Zayde said. "But-"


    King expanded further, breaking out of the rope, and threw Zayde back. "This is going to be a long fight"

 King vs Kang

    King had a knee to the ground and a hand touching down, as if genuflecting. He huffed wearily, taking frequent nces at Zayde''s body, whichid before him. He stood up slowly and staggered backwards, almost falling back down. "I told you I was going to win, Zayde", he muttered. "That was one crazy fight you gave me?


    He opened his right palm and it glowed. He rubbed his numerous wounds, gently and slowly, and he regenerated in seconds. His wounds closed up quickly and he exhaled with satisfaction, as he got his strength back. "Now, it''s time to face Kang", he said and turned, walking towards the passage. "There''s something about that boy that makes me not want to hold back" .....(Earlier)


    Zayde held him by the neck and mmed his back against the ground. He straightened up, as King appeared to be too weak to get back up. "You are not strong enough to face Zayde, boy", Zayde said. "I wondered why Ro sent me here. Now, I''ve realized it''s not to beat up a little boy. It''s to see the glory that is about to go down. I won''t be the only one winning this, King. I can see your own people are fighting you. From the looks of it, you''ve already lost this fight" Zayde raised his feet and brought it down against King''s face. King caught it and threw his second arm at Zayde''s second leg to fall him down. Zayde''s second leg bent back but he didn''t fall. He just remained there in the air, as if levitating. King got up swiftly and threw a punch at Zayde, throwing him against the wall. There was no point holding back against such a strong opponent. King stepped closer, summoning an enormous strength of shin-zhu into his hands. He shot at Zayde''s head, knocking him out immediately. King stepped closer, staring with disdain. If he left Zayde there, he would recover again. If he killed Zayde, Ro woulde out for a real war. By then, he would be ready. King pulled out a sword and drove it through Zayde''s chest.


    ****


    "Look''s like you wereing at me too, Kang", King said, with a smile, as he walked through the passage. He didn''t expect to find Kang so close.


    "Oh damn!", Kang muttered, silently, while keeping his courage. He had hoped to find his mates before meeting with King.


    "I trusted you, Kang", King said. "Today, you''ll die" ....... (Earlier)


    They crouched to the soldiers who remained still in a position. Romeo and Eddie had their guns ready, as Kang stood up straight. He pushed the soldiers gently, as if suspecting something else. "They are not real", Kang muttered. "They are mannequins. It''s a trap. Bend down!"


    They bent down and Kang turned swiftly, rather instinctively, as the Addax soldiers showed up behind them. A kind of shield came out from his raised hands, as the soldiers shot repeatedly at them. "How are you doing that?!", Romeo asked.


    "I have no idea but we can''t win from this angle!", Kang replied. "We have to find a way around!"


    "Looks like I got one", Eddie said and left them.


    "Find the others, Romeo. Make sure they are alive", Kang said. "I''m going to fight King and... I have a feeling this ce won''t survive"


    // "You''re going to escape?.... Or King will set you free?"


    "No... You will set me free", Chaos said, smiling mischievously. "You will set me free and I will walk over the ruins of Dergon Arena" //


    ****


    There was


    very thin space so King''s expansion had to be limited. "I''m going to make it quick", King said, as he pushed a wave of energy at Kang.


    Kang raised his hands, like he did against the Dergon soldiers. The wave burst through his shield, throwing him back on the ground. A strong ache struck his head, almost unable to stand up. He shook his head and pushed himself up. He pushed his hands forward on impulse and his shield drove quickly at King, pushing him out back into the Arena. King grinned, "You just signed your death warrant, sending us here"


    ''If I could get close enough, I should be able to absorb his Shin-zhu", Kang thought, walking closer.


    King mmed his heavy hands on the ground, attacking with an earthquake. Kang flipped backwards andnded on his own shield, covering up the hole in thend. He shook his head, wondering how he''d beat someone so strong. His shield shot him up, he had no idea what he was actually up to. He threw an arm forward and a rope shot at King. King grabbed the rope and tugged Kang to himself. "Someone actually tried this on me earlier. I intend to have his head on a stick", King said, ncing at Zayde''s dead body. "Your shin-zhu copy can''t work against me. I am a god and your level is not strong enough. You should have thought well about this"


    King threw him up gently and mmed his second palm against him, throwing against the wall of the arena. "I''ll give you a proper burial", King said, walking towards the passage.


    "It''s not over yet", Kang said, weakly, pushing himself back up. His headache was gone and he was slowly regaining strength. "I''m guessing that should have killed me" King''s eyes widened, as he stared at Kang. ''How could he have survived a hit from a god?'', he thought.


    Kang clenched his fists, ring at King. His fear had suddenly disappeared. He could feel a different ball of energy growing around his hands.


    ''How?... How is he able to use my energy?'', King wondered. ''I have underestimated the kid''.


    Kang threw the balls at King and shot himself up into the air. King bounced back, as the ball hit him. He expanded again. Kangnded on his head, with a ball of shin-zhu in one hand. He drove the energy into King''s nose and flipped backwards. King''s head exploded. The wave mmed Kang into the ground.


    "That worked", he muttered to himself, as heid weakly for a couple of minutes.


    He limped in through the passage. He could smell dangering. They needed to get out of there, as soon as possible. "Romeo! Eddie", he called, running towards them. "Where are the others?"


    "I haven''t seen anyone. It looks like the Addax soldiers might be winning. There are very few left though", Romeo replied.


    "Uh", Eddie muttered. "I saw one of therger figures. He had seven robots with him. He took down most of the Addax soldiers by himself... including the ones I went after"


    "I''m guessing you didn''t take him down"


    "What? He would have killed me. He had ultimate control of the robots. He might be a threat to us" "Alright", Kang said. "Let''s check thebs for the rest of the fighters. We need to get out of here"


    .......


    They walked into one of thebs, looking around swiftly. Their eyes fell on a body. "Dan?!", Romeo rushed to him. "He''s dead"


    Kang could see the seven pods. The heat gave him the idea that they were recently used. It was probably Kwei. "Kwei did this", he muttered and walked closer to Dan''s body. "I''m going to fight Kwei" An orange light traced Dan''s veins and passed into Kang. "What''s he doing?", Eddie asked.


    "I''m not sure", Romeo replied. "I think he''s borrowing power"


    Kang stood up. "Punch me, Romeo", he said. "Make it hard"


    Romeo clenched his fist and threw a punch at Kang''s face. "You should have been careful with that", Eddie muttered, silently.


    Kang straightened up and looked at Eddie. "Punch me", Kang said again. "Make it your hardest"

 The Final Fight

    Kang straightened up and looked at Eddie. "Punch me", Kang said again. "Make it your hardest"


    Eddie clenched his fist and threw an heavy punch against Kang''s face, almost throwing him off his fist. "Sorry about that" "I need you to find the others", Kang said to them. "Once you gather them, get them out through the gate. King is dead-" "King is dead?", Eddie interrupted.


    "Yes. King is dead and there is no one guarding the gate. That makes it easier for us", Kang continued. "I will fight Kwei and I will join you outside the gate. Something is going to happen here. I don''t know what it is but it must not meet us here" "There''s no hint or something?"


    "No hint but once it happens, you''ll know", Kang said. "Once you feel that something has gone wrong. You have to start heading for the Crands. Ana will lead you there"


    "Are we even sure she''s still alive? I haven''t seen her since we went different ways"


    "She can''t die... she''s still alive. Make sure you find her and find the others", Kang ordered. "Get out of here"


    Romeo nodded and left with Eddie. "They are probably in the second section", Eddie suggested.


    "We should check it out"


    "He''s going up against arger figure controlling seven super strong robots. How is he going to win?"


    "Have you ever heard of the nk?", Romeo replied. "I trust him"


    ****


    "Kwei!", Kang howled his name.


    "Wow!", Kwei muttered. "I was thinking I would be the one to find you. Looks like you are really ready for a fight"


    "I got your message in thebs", Kang said, calmly. "Fred and Dan"


    "My condolences, dear... before you jump at me, you should know there is no shin-zhu for you to steal here"


    "Oh, I came prepared", Kang replied, stepping closer. "The beautiful thing is anger fuels my strength. Thanks to you; I''m at my strongest"


    A robot shot a missile at him, exploding right in front of him. Kang put his hands around the fire, containing it in his fist, and shot it back. It hit the robot and quenched, having little effect. "My robots have great resistance to shin-zhu", Kwei said. "Good luck fighting them"


    A robot hit him from behind, falling him to the ground. Kwei walked away, leaving him to deal with the robots. Kang looked up. He should have counted the robots. There were three behind him. "Aah!", he howled and exploded with energy, throwing the robots back and flipping back on his feet.


    The robots, coordinated, shot their missiles at him, at the same time. He contained all of the fire again, amplifying it in his hand, and poured it all over one of the robots. The robot fell and melted immediately.


    Another robot dashed at him. Multiple wires sprung out of Kang''s body and held almost every part of the robot. He was going to do what he once watched Dan do. The robots behind him were going to attack so he created a shield, blocking their attacks. Kang clenched his fist and sharp thorns sprung out of the wires, stabbing into the robot. The wires tugged suddenly and pulled the robot apart. Kang smiled. He was going to put all three powers he had absorbed to test. The wires ran back into his body. He was literally running out of time, though he was yet to realize it.


    He shot out another wire, having an ice ball with sharp thorns at it''s end. He brought down the shield and faced the rest of the robots. He swung the weapon, taking out a robot with one hit. The next robot tried to jump at him. He swung the weapon again, smashing it against the wall. "Chaos!", the thought hit him. He was running out of time.


    // "You''re going to escape?.... Or King will set you free?"


    "No... You will set me free", Chaos said, smiling mischievously. "You will set me free and I will walk over the ruins of Dergon Arena" //


    He clenched his fist, piling up a lot of energy, and shot at the robots. It went through the two robots, smashing down the walls of Dergon and opening a path to the second section. He staggered backwards. He had never used so much energy on an attack.


    ...... (Meanwhile)


    "You want to get out of here, Otto, don''t you?"


    "Yes", Otto nodded, standing up.


    "I just realized the true purpose of meing here", Zayde said to him. "Do you want to reach the peak of your powers and never be afraid of anyone?"


    "Yes.... Teach me?


    "I am going to teach you", Zayde replied, staring through the passage. "But, first, you are going to get us out of here"


    ****


    "Where do you think you are going, Kwei?", Kang called. "Looks like your robots weren''t so resistant to shin-zhu, after all"


    Kwei smiled, mischievously. "I saved the strongest for thest", he replied. "I imagine how much energy you must have put into that fight"


    "You can''t win, Kwei. Your King is dead"


    "Thanks to you, you saved me the stress", Kwei said. "You have no idea how much power is hidden on the throne of Dergon... Now, I''m going to fulfil my promise to you. Ana is going down"


    Kwei turned around again, walking away, while a bigger robot approached Kang. "And I told you", Kang said, confidently, as his eyes glowed with anger. "Ana is Mine!"


    He pushed out a shield of energy, mming into the huge robot. It consumed the robot, immediately, leaving behind ashes. "How?", Kwei muttered silently, rmed by the powerful wave. "That robot was created against King" "You underestimated me", Kang spoke in a distorted voice.


    Kwei stared with horror. It wasn''t Kang speaking anymore. He had created a monster.


    .... (Long Time Ago}


    "What are you doing?"


    Kwei nced at his colleague. "An experiment, alright?"


    "It''s going to be weak as hell. If King finds out, you''ll get punished", Kwei''spanion warned. "What''s the point of this anyway?"


    "Well, this says ''Bad Moon Rising''. It was left behind by the lunatic in King''s chambers", Kwei replied. "Apparently, this one should be capable of ending the world"


    "The form there leaves out the basic things that empower the fighters. How is this supposed to work, logically?"


    "I have no idea. It''s probably beyond logic", Kwei said, smiling. "Come on. Who''s going to tell King anyway?"


    .... {Present}


    Kwei could see a monstrous aura around him. "The bad moon rising is real"


    Kang didn''t look like he could control himself anymore. Large ice thorns grew out of his arms, as he jumped at Kwei and cut off his head. The aura slowly went back into his body and he fell weakly on the ground. ''What happened to me?'', he thought. ''I couldn''t control it''


    He could feel dangering and it was there already. There was a storm of fire burning down the arena and it was spreading fast. He nced down the passage. He couldn''t wait any longer. He turned and ran down, heading for the gates of the arena. The heat of the storm was chasing him, closely.

 The Cradlands

    Tyrone banged on the drum, suddenly, raising the tension in the people with the percussive noise, as the King of the Crands was meant to step out. There was an awful silence waiting for the king in the open fields. King Crane nced at the people from his pedestal. He had gotten their support in a short time after the wars. They had easily sumbed to his power. He raised an arm for a continuation of the ceremony, then a celebratory noise ensued. "What happens next? I''m still new to this", Crane said to the female priest standing close to him.


    She looked back and smiled. "Sit back and watch", she replied, as two men with chained hands were led into a field, bound by extremely low walls. "They are going to fight, aren''t they?"


    "I guess it''s obvious" she replied. "They are prisoners. It''s their execution day so one has to be killed on the field... and the other is just killedter"


    "Hmm... I will build us an arena, someday, where our soldiers will train and test one another", Crane said, staring at the woman with sincere admiration. "I told you of the war, right?"


    "I remember and I asked for the Snowpiercer", she replied. "You said you would get it for me"


    "I will... but you''ll promise not to fight in the war"


    "Why?"


    "It''s for your defense only and we stand a better chance if you''ll just be the guide"


    The prisoners walked into the field and got unchained. The gate was closed, even though it was needless. If either of them was going to run, he could easily walk over the low walls. "You said there was a way out of here, Fred", one of them said angrily.


    "I said there was a way out of here if we worked together", the second replied. "I''m sorry, Stan. You should have agreed to it in time. Now we just have to-"


    Stan dashed at him, mming his body wait into Fred and throwing him in the air. "We just have to fight, Fred"


    Fred grunted, as he pushed himself up. "That''s what I was going to say", he muttered and stepped forward,nding a kick on Stan''s chest.


    Stan staggered back a bit. He had just enough stamina and confidence to win the fight. He rushed back at Fred and swung a punch. Fred flipped backwards andnded on one knee. He closed his eyes and pulled back his right arm for a second. He pushed his hands forward, as Stan ran towards him, shooting Stan up. Stannded back on his feet again. Fred got up, quickly. "This is not going to be easy for either of us", he said.


    "They want us to fight till one of us is dead", Stan replied. "Hopefully, the other one will be left to live"


    Fred jumped at him, kicking him in the chest. He pushed another punch at Stan''s face and kicked his legs, Sliding Stan off his feet. He finally made his opponent fall. Stan pushed himself up, quickly, as he threw a punch at Fred''s chest throwing him on the ground. Fred rolled away from Stan as quickly as he could. He couldn''t stand so many heavy hits. Stan had almost everything to win the fight. He needed to be tactical and careful if he would stand a chance. Fred got up, slowly, as Stan approached. "Breathe, Fred", he whispered to himself. "Father taught you this"


    He closed his eyes and did more of listening. Stan swung another punch at his face. He bent backwards a bit and kicked Stan in the groin, mming his knee into his face. Fred kept his eyes closed, moving around his opponent. Stan straightened again and dashed at Fred. Fred sprung forward, going below Stan''s attacking arm. He elbowed Stan by the side and pushed his hand at him, throwing him on the ground. He opened his eyes and moved his hands slowly in the air, as if trying to clear fumes. "How are you doing that with your eyes closed?", Stan asked, as he got back up.


    "Father''s lessons brought me here. Father''s lessons will probably bring me out"


    "That''s a nice one but you''re going to have to try that again", Stan said. "If you can put my back on the ground again, I will surrender to you"


    He threw a punch at Fred. Fred guided Stan''s hand across his chest and hit Stan by the side. Stan kicked with the back of his leg, pushing Fred back. Fred rushed at him, throwing an heavy kick at Stan''s chest. Stan bounced back,nding on his feet again. He rushed back at Fred. Fred exhaled and rushed towards Stan, bending swiftly and pushing Stan by the chest. With as much ease as pushing against the air, he mmed Stan''s back on the ground.


    "Finish him! Finish him!", the people howled repeatedly, as Stan wasn''t getting back up. "Finish him!..."


    Fred walked to the gate and knelt down. A guard walked up to him. "It''s either you kill him or he kills you"


    Fred looked up at him. "Whatever''s going to happen, I won''t be a murderer"


    ****


    "Take me to him"


    The guard opened the door and led the king into the cell. "There he is", the guard said. "To be executed by dawn"


    "He is the winner, right?", Crane asked. "Why does he have to be executed?"


    "The two were offenders. They were going to be executed anyway"


    "I was thinking he did well on the field", Crane said. "And we might need more men in the army"


    "He''s not from any of the seven tribes... and he only came to The Crands to steal from us"


    Crane smiled. "I get it now. Can you give us a minute?", he requested. "I want to have a little chat with the young man?


    The guard walked out of the cell. "I just wanted to find Bedi''Odom", the prisoner muttered.


    "What''s your name?"


    "Fred Odinson"


    "You have a family name", Crane muttered. "You are not from the Crands but you are not from the Arenas either. That''s fine by me. What was your offence?" "I stole... my parents are dead. I have no money to find Bedi''Odom", Fred replied.


    "Bedi''Odom?"


    "Yes. It''s the paradise where flowers speak... where darkness is caged and light prevails", Fred said, enthusiastically. "I have to find Bedi''Odom. Please, you have to help me? "Your fighting skills; who taught you?"


    "My father"


    Crane nodded. "You will help me in a way and I will help you too"


    "I will do anything. I need to get out of here"


    "Alright. I am going to make you a soldier. You will fight with my army", Crane said. "In return, I will help you find Bedi''Odom"


    (To Be Continued in THE CRADLANDS)


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