"If you push yourself too hard, Ren, you will die one day. That is the reality of being a Twist Maker," Dante said, his voice cold and serious. "Now, it's time for your training."
Dante opened the heavy steel door and stepped out first. Ren followed him, with Carlos walking right behind. Ren noticed that Ali was staying back in his wheelchair.
"Is Ali not coming with us?" Ren asked, looking back.
"Let him rest for now," Dante replied. "He needs to pray; he is a Muslim. It's his time for worship."
Ren nodded, thinking to himself about how different everyone in this group was. They walked through a long, dark tunnel until they reached the yellow Hummer. Carlos, looking as cool as ever, jumped into the driver's seat. Dante took the front, and Ren climbed into the back.
As they started moving, Ren's eyes caught a strange, glowing button on the side of his seat. "What does this do?" he asked.
Carlos glanced in the mirror with a flashy smirk. "Why don't you press it and find out, kid?"
Ren pressed it. Suddenly, his seat hissed and shot upwards! Before he could scream, he was sitting on the rooftop of the moving Hummer. Another button appeared in front of him.
"I'm pressing this one too!" Ren shouted.
"Wait! Don't—" Dante started to yell, but it was too late.
Ren pushed it. Suddenly, a massive, high-tech machine gun slid out from the roof with a loud metallic clink-clank. It looked incredibly dangerous, with rotating barrels and glowing sensors. Before Ren could even process the weapon, his seat dropped back down, slamming him back into the cabin.
"Who told you to touch that?!" Dante screamed, his face red. "We are lucky we're still in the Parking lot and there was nothing besides us. If we were on the main road, the police would have surrounded us in seconds!"
Ren looked down at his feet, feeling like a little kid who just got caught breaking a toy. "I... I was just curious," he whispered.
"Just drive, Carlos," Dante sighed, rubbing his temples. "We're already late."
Carlos chuckled, his hands spinning the steering wheel with style. "Hold on tight, boys!"
He floored the gas. The Hummer roared out of the parking lot and onto the highway. Carlos was driving like a madman, cutting corners and overtaking cars at insane speeds. Ren felt his stomach drop every time they zoomed past a truck.
"Why are we in such a hurry?" Ren asked, clutching the seat.
"You'll see soon enough," Dante replied, looking at his watch.
Carlos suddenly swerved into a narrow, abandoned alley. The Hummer barely fit between the old brick walls. He parked the car right against a solid dead-end wall. Ren was confused—where could they possibly go?
Carlos leaned out of the window and punched a specific brick in the wall. Suddenly, a small mechanical bird—a robot—flew out from a hidden slot. It scanned their faces with a red laser.
Identity Confirmed.
The ground beneath the Hummer began to shake. The entire floor turned into a giant elevator, slowly lowering the massive car into the earth. Ren's jaw dropped. As they went deeper, the darkness was replaced by bright, flashing lights.
When the elevator finally stopped, Ren couldn't believe his eyes. They were in a massive underground basement, but it looked like a stadium. There were thousands of people in the audience, screaming and cheering. High above, commentators were sitting in glass booths, their voices booming over the speakers.
"The second player is finally here! What an entry! I expected nothing less from these guys!" the commentator shouted. The crowd went wild, the sound hitting Ren like a physical wave.
In the center of the stadium was a huge fighting ring. Standing there was a thin boy, about 17 years old, looking annoyed that he had to wait.
Dante, Carlos, and Ren stepped out of the Hummer. The car automatically drove itself into a nearby parking slot. Ren's mind was spinning—he was terrified, but his heart was racing with excitement. He loved this kind of energy. He felt like he had seen a place like this before, but he couldn't quite remember where.
Carlos didn't wait. He stepped forward, his right foot hitting the ground with power. He started running toward the ring, and with every step, the ground seemed to vibrate. The crowd's cheering reached a deafening level. Carlos took a massive leap, flying through the air and landing perfectly inside the ring. He raised his arms, soaking in the lights and the noise.
Ren and Dante walked slowly to the side, sitting among the crowd. Ren kept trying to remember. Where have I seen this before?
The commentator's voice boomed again, loud enough to shake Ren's chest.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... THE FIRST BATTLE BEGINS NOW!"
[TO BE CONTINUED...]