CLANG.
Astrid's blade clashed with Kuro's.
They moved like shadows between the pillars of the arena, their strikes ringing with purpose, but never desperation. They were too composed. Too measured. But every now and then, Astrid's voice would break the tension.
"What are you even fighting for, Kuro?"
He didn't answer.
He just deflected, spun, and struck — every motion flawless.
But somewhere inside…
Something shook.
Kuro's Thoughts (Past/Present)
What am I fighting for?
I used to ask myself that when I was a kid…
FLASHBACK
Age 7.Kuro's Home.A house with long hallways. And no laughter.
The only thing that echoed through that place was silence.
And the ticking of a grandfather clock.
Kuro used to sit by the window of his room — except his room didn't have one. His father sealed it shut with iron plates "to build mental discipline."
"A true warrior," his father once said, "must learn to see in the dark. If you need the light, you're already weak."
Kuro would sleep on the floor. Not because he didn't have a bed… but because the bed was nailed with shards of glass under the sheets — a "lesson," his father claimed, "to never trust comfort."
"The world doesn't care about your dreams, Kuro," his father said, standing over him one night with a candle."So stop dreaming. Start becoming."
Present - Arena
Kuro dodged another attack.
Astrid lunged again, breathing heavy.
"You don't talk much," she said. "Are you afraid I'll see what's really behind the mask?"
He smiled faintly. "No."
He turned, swept her legs — she flipped, caught herself.
"I'm afraid I'll start talking… and never stop."
FLASHBACK - Age 8
Kuro sat at the dining table. His father at the other end.
Dinner was cold. It always was.
"I saw you reading a book today," his father said.
Kuro flinched. "It was just a storybook."
Slap.
The plate hit the ground.
"No more stories. No more make-believe. The world isn't for boys who pretend. It's for killers who adapt."
"But… I like stories."
"Then write your own. With blood."
Present - Arena
Astrid pinned Kuro against the stone wall for a breath of a second. "Why do you smile when you fight?"
He didn't push back immediately.
"Because if I stop smiling… I'll start crying."
She paused.
"Then cry. You'll still be dangerous."
Kuro looked up at her.
"No. I learned a long time ago — if you cry in front of the world, it won't pity you.It'll punish you."
FLASHBACK - Age 10
He was stronger now. Faster. But never enough.
One night, after a long spar with no water, he collapsed. Bleeding.
His father stood over him with cold eyes.
"Weakness isn't forgiven in this world."
"I'm not weak," Kuro whispered.
"Then prove it."
His father dropped a dagger beside him.
"If you hate me so much… use this."
Kuro looked at the blade for a long, long time.
He didn't take it.
He didn't move.
He just said something that broke whatever was left between them:
"I don't hate you.I feel sorry for you."
That night, his father didn't say anything.
But he never looked at Kuro the same again.
Present - Arena
Kuro deflected Astrid's slash and finally spoke:
"My father trained me to survive. Not to live. Every lesson was pain. Every rule was blood. And every time I bled, he told me:'Pain is proof you're still alive. Suffering is proof you still matter.'"
He paused, breathing now heavier.
"He died a few years ago. Alone. Just like he taught me."
Astrid's guard lowered, just slightly.
Kuro didn't strike.
He looked toward the sky.
"I don't fight to win anymore.I fight because I don't know who I am when I'm not."
"The mask I wear isn't to hide my face.It's to protect the world from seeing my father's mistakes."
"I don't crave victory.I crave silence — the kind that doesn't scream like my childhood did."
"Some scars aren't on the skin.They're in the things you never got to say to the person who made you."
"They say time heals all wounds.But what if time was the thing that hurt you the most?"
They stood still once more.
The flag still untouched.
But this time, it wasn't about strategy anymore.
It was about truth.
And the first person to let go of theirs… would lose.
To be continued…