The days passed in a blur.
Rash would come once a day during my training and ask for a duel.
I lost every single one of them.
Each time I thought I had somehow grown used to Rash's unpredictable style, he used another move and surprised me again, winning in the end. After every duel, Rash would always say a few words before walking away again.
I also stayed longer in the arena than usual and focused even more on my mana training during that time.
Not because I wanted to progress faster.
Or yes, that was also a reason.
But the biggest reason was him.
"I still can't believe it! You're only fourteen years old. Man, I almost lost to you today, and I'm four years older. It hurts my pride, you know?"
Rash.
He leaned against the frame of my bed while speaking with a smile.
Whenever we were in the cell, he would always stand there, resting his back against it while talking as I lay in bed. I never really said much in return and only asked a few questions about his fighting style, but he still kept talking and talking.
It was always the same.
He would talk, and I would ignore him or give short answers.
The signs were pretty obvious...
I didn't want to talk to him.
And yet, as if blind, he ignored every one of them and kept talking.
But at the same time—
He never crossed a line.
After a while, just as I was about to tell him to shut up, he would stop on his own and go to bed.
Like that, I had slowly grown used to his presence.
Today marked the fifth day since our first group fight.
I could already feel it.
That we would soon fight again.
Closing my eyes, I slowly drifted into sleep.
***
"29! 125!"
I woke to the sound of my number being called.
My eyes opened, and I turned toward it.
A guard stood at the threshold of our cell, waiting.
Haah.
Letting out a breath, I rubbed my eyes and climbed out of bed. Rash was already awake and walking toward the guard.
I followed them out of our cell.
Step.
Our footsteps echoed in the empty corridor as we walked.
Step.
In between our steps, Rash moved slightly closer to me.
"Which beasts do you think we'll fight today?"
Giving him a sidelong glance, I answered,
"Wolves."
Rash brushed a finger over his chin in thought.
"Hmm, wolves.. a good guess, but why wolves?"
Thinking back to everything I had seen beneath the arena, the answer was simple.
"They have a lot of them."
"You think so? I just hope we don't fight a group today. One strong beast would be better. As long as it's a Lesser Beast, of course."
Hearing something strange, I turned my head toward him.
"A Lesser?"
"Yeah. I mean the rank."
I blinked.
Beasts had ranks?
I had never heard of that. The only thing I had ever been told was that there were three categories.
Beasts.
Monsters.
Titans.
Lucien had only dived into this topic briefly, saying I would learn the rest when I was older.
I could more or less guess what Titans meant.
Some massive behemoths.
Maybe even dragons.
But the terms Beast and Monster made me struggle.
To me, those words sounded almost the same. All the beasts I had fought until now could easily be described as monsters.
Rash saw my confused expression and understood.
"You don't know about Beast Ranks, do you?"
Even the guard in front of us faltered slightly in his next step and twitched his head after hearing our conversation.
Rash placed one hand over his forehead and sighed.
"Where did you grow up to not know about that?"
Seeing that we had already reached the hall near the gate, he let out another breath.
"Haah, I'll tell you later about them. For now, we should focus on the fight."
I nodded, and we turned the corner.
There, in front of the metal gate, stood a group of teens accompanied by another guard.
It was the same group we had fought with before.
Number 74.
The girl with black hair, wielding a spear.
Number 158.
The short blonde guy who used two axes.
Number 86 and 92.
The two siblings with brown hair who used swords.
With Rash and me, we were six in total.
The guard accompanying us stepped away as we approached them. I stopped a few meters away from the others, while Rash stepped closer and greeted them cheerfully.
"Hey, guys. I'd say it's good to see you, but that wouldn't really fit the occasion. Hahah."
Chuckling, he continued, "Are you ready?"
The others greeted him back.
Some were more reserved, while others were more open toward him.
Like 86 and 92.
"Yeah, Rash. Good to see you too."
"Of course, we're ready. Didn't you see us train?"
The girl only gave Rash a curt nod before turning back toward the gate.
The short boy seemed the most frightened of all of us.
He whispered quietly to himself, "I will survive. I will survive."
I was a bit surprised by how familiar they all were with Rash. Curious, I wondered when exactly they had grown so close.
Rash casually threw his arms over the shoulders of the two boys who looked like siblings as they kept talking, while the rest of us simply faced the metal gate and waited for them to open.
And soon they did.
Thud.
The gate slowly opened as metal scraped against stone and light spilled through the widening gap.
Step.
The girl and I were the first to step into the arena.
My eyes drifted upward toward the crowd as they roared at our arrival.
The stands were filled to the brim like always.
Step.
After a glance, I looked away and made my way toward the weapon rack on the left, searching for my sword. Pulling it free, I lifted it onto my shoulder and walked toward the center of the arena.
Glancing back, I saw that the others had chosen the same weapons as last time.
The short boy still carried two battle axes. The girl held her spear. The others, like me, used swords.
Step.
Reaching the center, I turned my head toward the podium.
John was already there, dressed in his crimson suit and white mask as always, looking down at us and waiting for the right moment to begin.
Step.
The others soon joined me and formed a rough circle in the middle of the arena.
Our heads turned toward John as we waited for him to start.
"My dear guests."
John's voice echoed through the arena and silenced the crowd.
"You have waited long enough. And now, today, it is finally time for another spectacle."
A roar broke out from the crowd, interrupting him.
He let it continue for a few seconds before raising one hand and silencing them again.
"Our young lambs have rested enough. It is time for them to prove themselves once more. To show us that their group will remain standing until the very end."
John lifted his hand high as he looked directly at us.
"Let us not wait any longer."
His hand dropped.
"Unleash the beasts."
THUD.
The gates opened, and the crowd chanted.
"BLOOD!"
"NO MERCY!"
My gaze shifted away from John and toward the gates.
Only two of the four had opened. The same two as last time.
I tightened my grip around my sword as I stared into the darkness beyond them.
"Listen!"
Rash suddenly shouted behind me, making all of us turn our heads toward him.
"If it's a group of beasts, we form a defensive circle! If it's only a few like last time, we adjust our positions mid-battle!"
Each of us gave a short nod, understanding the plan before we turned back toward the gates, weapons raised.
Rash kept speaking, giving some last instructions.
"We need to communicate! We are a team, and it's easier to survive together than alone! Help each other! That's our only way to—"
ROAARR.
Rash's speech was cut short by a deafening roar coming from the gate in front of me. It was loud enough to silence the entire crowd and echo through the arena.
Then—
ROAARR.
Another roar answered from the other gate.
Hah.
My breath caught for a moment as I heard them. Then, I felt it. The mana imbued into their roars, crashing like a wave into the arena. It made my hands tremble for a moment before I forced them still.
To my left stood 158.
His shoulders were hunched, making him look even smaller than he already was. The axes in his hands trembled uncontrollably.
To my right stood Rash.
Even he had changed his stance. Instead of letting his sword hang loosely at his side like usual, he now held it raised and ready.
I locked my eyes on the darkness beyond the gate.
Only one thought remained.
Strong.
Whatever might come out of there was strong.
But—
I tightened my grip around my sword and raised it higher.
I will survive.
As I always had.
For her.