Lunas Corzon’s
I could hear the ragged crowd grow louder outside of our viewing box as the lift rose back up.
The next match was about to begin.
There stood two figures; one being the previous winner, Droug Shen, and the other, his next opponent, someone I’d never seen. A boy with strange blue hair stood there, looking no older than myself. He was wearing one of those dingy orange jackets that I’d seen on the engineers of this vessel. It made me wonder.
Strange.
Usually, children are not allowed in these brutal matches. I guess father must have implemented harsher sentences to keep these animals in check. Unfortunate for this boy, though.
His life was about to end. There’s no way he could beat the monstrous man in front of him.
This was a match that would be over before it even started.
A dink on the glass from something small hitting the outside of the window of the viewing box startled me for a moment, and I heard a giggle from behind me.
“What's so funny, Aeris?” I questioned my twin sister.
I knew it was her without having to turn around. Who else would dare mock me?
I spun around to see her leaning against the closed door of the viewing box. I must’ve been so caught up in my thoughts about this peculiar boy in the Arena, that I didn’t hear the door open and close.
Her hair was an ash blond — like my own — that draped down her back. For some reason, she was wearing a dingy white and blue jumpsuit that gave off the impression that she was a novice pilot from some backwater guild.
“What are you wearing?” I questioned.
“Oh, this old thing? I found it when I went exploring in the east-“
“That area is restricted,” I cut her off. “Did you ditch your guards again? You know we’re not supposed to go there by ourselves.”
Her eyes were already rolling, disinterested, as she sauntered confidently into the room.
I continued, “What if there was another accident? Or worse, what if one of these ingrates found you and had their way with you?”
“Oh, I would have had you accompany me if I knew you would be so worried,” she teased.
She danced her way into a cushioned seat, and I slumped in the one next to her.
“You’ve been here all afternoon. Were you looking to learn something about fighting from watching these Antarin? –a name we referred to the inhabitants of the Antaris.
My sister always knew how to get under my skin. She was always mocking and teasing me, because I could never best her at anything. My entire life back on the Spartan; from grades to chess games, to combat sparring, I never could win. I had missed my old life, my friends, the ship was much cleaner, and the food –oh god, the food– didn’t taste like flavored dust.
Then one day we were brought here to this giant, floating piece of junk.
The Antaris wasn’t as pristine in design but it did its job. I was surprised they were able to survive this long, in such poor conditions. The overbearing amount of people onboard and heading into space above the capacity? What were they thinking?
They were foolish.
“Ouuuuch!” my sister winced.
I barely glanced at her. She was probably just being over dramatic as usual. My attention was fixed on the Arena below us, where two fighters were about to face off.
The match had already started, but I barely paid attention to the other contestant's name being announced. It didn't matter anyway.
I watched as the first fighter, a boy my age, took a blow to the stomach and fell to the ground. He struggled to stand up, but his guard was weak, clearly showing no signs of training.
Pathetic.
That brute, Shen, wasn't so terrifying. I could take him down in two seconds flat. I could already see his weaknesses, even from up here.
I blinked, and the boy suddenly broke into a frantic sprint, circling his opponent and running towards the closest side of the caged arena. He leaped onto the wall of the cage and attempted a sloppy roundhouse kick, but there wasn't much strength behind it.
What could he be up to? He was no match for his opponent.
He was rather quick in his movements, rarely hesitating but there wasn’t much strength behind his attack. When Shen barely budged, he grabbed the boy's leg while he was still in the air and tossed him aside like scraps. The boy tumbled across the metal platform and lay on the ground motionless.
“Is it over?” Aeris sighed next to me.
“Looks like he lasted longer than you” she mocked.
Ignoring her, I turned my focus back to the match. The boy was still moving, trying to get up. He pushed his upper body up a few inches off of the floor, and his determination drew cheers from the crowd.
He pushed his upper body up a few inches off of the floor, enough for his eyes to glare down at his opponent. The determination in his eyes to get back on his feet set the crowd in a cheering frenzy.
He didn't give up despite his condition, and for that, I admired his tenacity. But it was all in vain. There were only two minutes left, and Shen was hungry for blood. I wasn’t even sure if killing this boy would satisfy that man's bloodlust.
He walked over to the boy with a twisted smile as if he’d just won a trophy. lifting him by the throat with one arm.
“This is my punishment!?” Shen boomed with a smile, looking towards the Viewing Chamber.
In a swift motion, Shen slammed the boy to the ground, picked him back up, and tossed him across the arena floor once more. He began his victory walk towards the boy but as soon as he was no more than two feet away he stopped.
Before I could finish the thought as to why I felt a radiating pressure cover my body. The air felt heavy, and I began to feel sluggish. I looked down to see that the crowd had fallen silent, most of them hunched over or on their knees.
This feeling…?
“Aeris, is that-” I started to ask, but she cut me off with a bone-chilling stare. Her eyes were locked on the arena, and I could tell she was feeling it too. At first I thought she was the source of this power.
She wasn’t.
She was focused on the arena.
Her lips formed a slight smirk. I glanced back towards the Arena, and to my surprise, the boy was standing, like he was preparing for an attack.
“When did-“
Before I could finish my words, a blur of cyanic blue flashed before my eyes.
The entire arena fell silent as they watched one of Shen’s severed arms fly through the air.
What the-
It can’t be.
“Yes,” she said abruptly.
An intriguing smile crept across her face as she stepped forward to the glass. This boy, a nobody from a no-name family, was just like my sister.
An Awakened.
Finally.
Here we were witnessing a nobody display that same cyanic light that our elder brother, a noble, showed.
A form of rage and angst began to rise.
Someone of his status? How?
“We have to inform our father, Lunas.” Aeris said, failing to hide her excitement.
I didn’t respond.
“Are you listen-“
“I agree, let’s inform him right away.” I cut her off, my eyes still trained on the Awakened boy, who was now lying unconscious in the arena.
“It’s best we leave before the crowd begins to panic,” she said.
After all, the news of an Awakened was no longer hidden amongst the citizens of the Antaris.
I could see the confusion on everyone's waking faces, and I knew this discovery was going to lead to chaos. I stood up and turned towards the door, where our guards stood waiting on the other side.
"Let's go, brother."
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