Silence settled between us.
First, it had been because of Rash's story.
Now it was because of mine.
Rash was likely occupied with his own thoughts after listening to my story, while I stayed silent because memories I didn't want had resurfaced once again.
We both stared blankly ahead, and nobody spoke.
Then, shattering that silence, came a small chuckle.
It wasn't really a laugh, nor was it mocking, and as soon as it came, it vanished again, replaced by Rash's calm tone.
"Seems like we both went through shit."
That was all he said after hearing my story.
I didn't really answer and just nodded at his comment.
Then, like a receding wave, the silence came back and enveloped us.
A few minutes passed like that.
Before—
"Wait, so you mean to tell me you were a noble? One of those that live in castles and have their own servants that dress them?"
Rash suddenly spoke up, shattering the silence again.
Hearing his question made my thoughts settle.
Tilting my head to the side, I looked at him only to see him smiling at me. And somehow that smile made all the bad memories vanish.
I even almost chuckled.
"Yeah."
Rash's eyes widened at my answer, and his smile deepened.
"Wow, so you had people who clothed you and fed you? Kinda strange if you ask me. Just dress yourself, you know."
I squinted my eyes at him.
"No, we didn't have guys that clothed and fed us… at least I didn't."
I had to stop midway and add the last part hesitantly.
Rash picked right up on it.
"Oh, others did it? But you? You were too good for it? Wow, how benevolent. Am I even allowed to speak to you, or should I call you 'my lord,' your highness?"
He bowed his head as if in respect, which only annoyed me.
"I am fallen now."
Rash countered.
"I'm not blind. I can see that you sit, but how should I call you?"
I could swear I felt a vein pop up on my forehead, but I still kept my cool.
"Idiot, ´fallen´ means I'm not a noble anymore."
I didn't know if he was teasing or if he really didn't know, so I explained.
But that backfired as well.
"Wow, your majesty, I am grateful for your humble explanation, but I already know that, you idiot."
That made my jaw clench out of nowhere, and I really thought about proposing another duel just to beat him up.
"Just because I'm from Labet and don't know what the color green is doesn't mean I know nothing about the—"
Rash kept going, but then he suddenly stopped and broke out into a wide smile.
"Wow. Wow. See what we have here. The little boy who doesn't even know what a Sahari looks like or what beasts are tries to explain the world to me. Tsk. Seems like I am the fallen one."
Thud.
That was enough.
I pushed myself off the ground and stood up.
"Let's duel."
Rash only smiled as he heard me and reached for his sword.
'Oh, I will beat that smile out of him.'
***
Back in the cell, I was lying in my bed.
"Hey, Rash."
Rash and I had come back from training a little earlier than the others and were alone.
"Yeah."
He was lying in the bed below me. We were both too exhausted and just lay there resting.
"Why do you always say you don't know what the color green is?"
Hearing my question, Rash answered in confusion.
"Because I don't know?"
As if something had occurred to me, I asked back,
"So you want to tell me that in your eighteen years of life you have never seen the color green?"
"Yes?"
Something felt off, so I kept asking.
"So you don't have things like a cactus in Labet? Aren't they green? And what about the crowd? I have at least seen a bunch of people wearing green."
Rash let out a heavy sigh as if my question was stupid.
"Hey, how should a person know that something is green if they've never seen it, you genius?"
Surprised, I asked again,
"Wait, so you really don't know?"
"Yeah."
"Wow."
I was surprised by his answer.
Did he really not know what the color green was?
Oh, wait.
Isn't that the same as with the Sahari and me?
I also didn't know that he was a Sahari and thought he was human, while he clearly was a Sahari. I just didn't know what they looked like.
Did he mean it like that?
Then, as my thoughts raced, a soft sound spread through the cell. It felt like someone was holding in a breath or a cough.
Feeling something strange, I asked,
"Rash, are you—"
"Hahaha."
Only to be interrupted by his laughter.
He laughed for a few more breaths before settling down and speaking with a chuckle.
"Wow, you really believed it! How stupid! As if I wouldn't know what the color green is. Hahaha."
A vein started to pop up on my forehead as he broke into another laughter.
'This bastard.'
He did it again.
Rash laughed a bit more before settling down.
"Wow, I would have loved to see your face. What an idiot."
Another chuckle broke out of him while I gripped the mattress even harder with my fists in an attempt not to lash out at him.
'Be calm, Adonis.'
'Breathe.'
"Hahaha."
He laughed again and even tried to mimic my voice.
"Do you really not know what green is?"
"Hahah."
I clenched my hands tighter.
'Okay, that's enough.'
Not being able to hold it in anymore, I almost shouted,
"Let's duel!"
***
Rash and I were sitting on the floor. Our backs leaned against the wall as we looked forward at the groups of teens. We had been dueling for some time now and were resting again.
Looking at the teens in front of us, I began to count almost by reflex.
Less than twenty.
That was the number of teens still in the arena.
"Three groups left."
Rash's voice came from beside me.
He was right.
About three groups remained, one of them being ours. All the others had already died, and soon the numbers would shrink even further.
Until only one group remained.
And then...
I didn't know what would happen then.
But if it went like this, I would at least not be the only one who survived.
I cast a glance at Rash as I thought that.
Rash, not noticing it, continued to talk.
"We only have to hold out a bit longer, then…"
But he stopped midway and glanced at me. As if choosing his words carefully, he waited a moment before speaking again.
"Adonis."
"Yeah."
"You arrived here over a year ago and are still here."
"Yeah."
"You were the only survivor."
"Yeah."
They weren't really questions but more like statements, yet I answered them nevertheless.
Then, as if finally reaching a conclusion, he spoke.
"Wait, doesn't that mean even after being the last group, we will still be trapped here?"
He himself seemed surprised by his own question, which made me kinda confused.
"Yeah. Surviving this Blooding doesn't mean it's over."
I had always had that hope before.
That if I won and survived the Blooding, I would be set free or sent somewhere else outside the arena.
But each Blooding, again and again…
Nothing changed.
It felt like a never-ending cycle.
A sort of punishment in hell.
To fight.
Gain hope.
Survive.
And then everything again.
It didn't matter how often we survived the Blooding.
We would still be trapped here.
That was the conclusion I had come to.
But at the same time, there was still that small hope inside me.
That if I survived all the Bloodings they placed me in, I would one day be set free.
It was more of a thought than hope.
But enough to make me keep going.
Enough for me to survive.
The only question was how Rash felt about that.
Then came his answer.
"Wow, that's a scam."
Hearing his words made me turn my head sharply.
"What?"
Did he really just describe this hopeless situation as a scam?
It wasn't that I was angry or anything. I was just confused by his thought process.
"I mean, they make it seem like we'll be set free after winning, but in the end, they send us straight into the next Blooding. A bloody scam."
I almost let out a chuckle at his words.
"Yeah, feeling the hopelessness?"
Rash waited a moment as if choosing his words before answering.
"No."
His voice didn't waver one bit.
I asked, surprised.
"Why?"
He answered without hesitation, his tone calm and certain.
"In Labet, kids learn to run before they learn to walk."
The words only confused me.
I frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
Rash didn't even twitch.
"I know."