Night had settled quietly over the prison-arena. The soft glow of enchanted torches flickered down the stone corridors, casting long shadows across the walls. I sat at the edge of the bunk, eyes drifting to the small barred window. From here, the stars felt almost close enough to touch.
Everything was still. Peaceful, even. Until I heard her voice, soft and distant.
— John...
I turned slightly, surprised she was still awake.
— Yeah?
— Do you mind listening for a bit?
— Not at all.
Ciny lay facing the wall, her voice barely louder than the whispering wind slipping through the bars. There was something different in her tone—fragile, hesitant. Vulnerable.
— I don't like opening up, but... I feel like I owe you an explanation. The reason I don't want you to see me fight is because... when I fight, I'm not myself.
I blinked, unsure of what she meant.
— What do you mean?
She took a breath. A long one.
— A long time ago, I had a friend. Someone really close. We were like siblings. But he changed... fell into crime. He started killing people for fun, got into trafficking, and lost all sense of humanity. A true monster. I tried to stop him, but...
Her words trembled, just slightly.
— We met on a cliff, hoping to talk things out. But instead, he attacked me. Tried to... do things. I resisted, and he cut off my arm. In desperation, I shoved us both off the cliff. I only survived because I landed on his body.
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't even imagine.
— But after that... something inside me started to change. I felt this... hunger. A thirst to kill. And it only got stronger. I don't know if it was a curse, or maybe my mana core broke somehow. I couldn't afford a witch or a healer to find out.
She paused, her voice now filled with quiet shame.
— One day, I lost control. I killed the prince of the kingdom. That was it. I became "Ciny the Mad." I embraced it. I had nothing left to lose. That's how I ended up here. In this arena. Fighting because I have no other choice. Not for fame, not for money—just survival. And... if I don't kill someone in the ring, the thirst becomes unbearable.
I looked down at my hands, fists tightening.
— Do you really have no idea what caused it?
— None. Maybe it was something done to me. Maybe it's something I became. I don't know. But... once I gained the title of "madwoman," I stopped trying to fight it.
She turned slightly, and I caught the gleam of her eyes in the dark.
— But something changed recently.
— What was it?
— You.
I froze.
— I'm scared of losing your friendship, John. I know it probably sounds strange, but... I think you're a good person.
I chuckled softly, trying to break the heavy air.
— I know, right?
She scoffed, half-laughing, half-annoyed.
— I'm here pouring my heart out and that's your answer?
— Hahaha, sorry. But seriously, Ciny... I promise you. I'll get you out of here. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But as long as you're alive—I swear, I'll find a way.
She was quiet. Then... she smiled.
— You're going to make a lady blush.
— I have that effect.
— Idiot...
She rolled over, and within moments, her breathing slowed.
For the first time since we met, Ciny fell asleep... smiling.