The sun had barely risen over the high stone walls of the arena when I found myself being violently woken up.
—Hey—! Ngh... what the hell—?!
Ciny's cold mechanical fingers were suddenly clamped around my neck. I could feel the chill of metal and something else—pure warning.
—If you tell anyone what I said last night, you can consider yourself dead, John.
Her voice was calm. Too calm.
—W-What? That "Crazy Ciny" got all soft and sentimental? Hahaha—
She squeezed tighter, cutting off my laugh—and most of my oxygen.
—Okay! Okay! I'm joking! I'm joking!
She let go with a grin, as if she hadn't just nearly killed me.
—I'm joking too. Haha. But seriously... thank you. For this.
She raised her arm slightly. The new prosthetic glinted in the morning light, the joints clicking softly as her fingers curled into a fist.
—Of course. You better thank me. That thing cost me, like, zero money. Premium gift from an old geezer.
—Idiot.
She smirked.
—Anyway, we'd better go. Apparently the Organization's got some kind of announcement.
—Announcement?
—Yeah. Nobody knows what it is exactly.
She turned and started walking out of the cell.
—Come on, stud. Unless you want to be left behind.
—I'm coming, I'm coming...
Sometimes... it really felt like we were married. Disturbingly so.
The central yard was crowded. Every fighter, every criminal, every miserable soul from every bracket had been herded here. There was tension in the air, like a storm about to break. Murmurs buzzed across the space like insects.
Then, the host appeared.
He was dressed like a lunatic—gaudy colors, too many feathers, and that wide, manic smile.
—LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WARRIORS AND MONSTERS! LISTEN UP!
He raised his arms dramatically. The crowd fell silent.
—THE ORGANIZATION HAS GONE ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!!!
Someone in the back let out a confused "WOOO!"
—NO MORE BRACKETS! THAT'S RIGHT! FROM NOW ON... IT'S A BLOODY BATTLE ROYALE!!!
Chaos.
People started shouting, some cheering, others cursing.
—EVERY CONTESTANT FROM ONE SIDE OF THE BRACKET WILL FIGHT—AT THE SAME TIME! ONE GIANT MATCH! AND WHOEVER'S LEFT STANDING AT THE END...
He paused for dramatic effect.
—GETS. THEIR. FREEDOM!!!
The crowd erupted. This wasn't just a match anymore. It was a war. And the prize? A clean slate.
—All crimes forgiven...?
I whispered it without thinking.
—This is insane... —Ciny muttered beside me.
—Yeah... I already had a hard enough time against one person. Now I have to survive ten? Or twenty?
She crossed her arms.
—Looks like we've got training to do. Lots of it. And I'm not even worried about the arena. It's before we get there that will be the real bloodbath.
—You're not helping me sleep better at night, Ciny.
She casually threw her metal arm around my shoulders.
—What are you talking about? With this gorgeous girl guarding your back, you're in the safest hands in the world.
—Hahaha...
The announcer's voice boomed again, snapping us back to reality.
—YOU'VE GOT TEN DAYS TO PREPARE!! DON'T DIE BEFORE THEN!
And so we trained. Ten days of brutal, exhausting drills. Every muscle burned, every nerve screamed. We didn't stop. We couldn't.
At night, we took turns keeping watch. Sleep was a luxury. Trust was all we had.
Then... the day arrived.
Ciny was already up. She looked serious, her usual smirk replaced by something harder to read.
—Well, looks like I won't get to watch your battle royale after all. They scheduled mine for the same time.
—Good. Last time, it was pretty embarrassing.
—HEY! I heard that!
We both laughed—loud and careless. It felt good to laugh, even here. Even now.
Then the moment passed.
She turned her back to me, metal arm flexing slightly.
I did the same.
And without looking back... we walked.
Each to our own arena.
Each to our own battlefield.