Chapter 12.2: First Match

The announcer’s voice cracked with disbelief at first, then exploded with the energy of a man carried by the roar of the crowd:

“AAAAAAND THE WINNER ISSSSS… KAISER VICTORRRRR!”

The coliseum quaked as the audience erupted, their voices clashing together into a deafening chant.

“KAISER! KAISER! KAISER!!”

The sound surged through Kaiser’s bones like thunder.

The referee grabbed his wrist and thrust his arm into the air. Kaiser staggered at the sudden motion—his legs still trembling from the strain of the fight—but he stood tall, chest rising and falling as he sucked in the smoky, blood-tinged air of the arena.

Up above, Kai floated with his arms folded. A small smile tugged at his lips as if he had known this moment would come all along.

“Do you see,” Kai said softly, his voice echoing inside Kaiser’s mind like a second heartbeat, “what you can achieve with your existence alone?”

Kaiser tilted his head back, sweat dripping into his eyes, and met Kai’s gaze. His lungs burned, his knuckles throbbed, yet his heart felt strangely light.
“Yes… I see it now. Everything I am. Everything I can become. And we did it.”

Kai’s expression softened. Slowly, he shook his head.
“No. You did.”

Kaiser’s grin widened despite the bruises painting his jaw purple. He raised his fists to the sky, injured but unbowed.
I won.

Outside – On the Walk Home

The arena lights dimmed behind them, swallowed by the night. The cheers of the crowd became nothing more than a distant echo, replaced by the whisper of wind and the steady rhythm of their footsteps against the cracked stone street.

Kaiser tugged at his collar, his shirt clinging to his back with dried sweat. His body screamed for rest, yet the aftershock of adrenaline still pulsed in his veins. Every shadow seemed sharper, every sound louder.

Kai floated at his side, silent at first. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by an expression colder, sterner. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of steel.
“I hope you learned your lesson. Never let your guard down, not even for a moment. And that primal instinct to destroy? That’s not something you should let run wild.”

Kaiser exhaled hard, ruffling the strands of damp hair plastered against his forehead. He looked away, shoulders hunched as if embarrassed by the lecture.
“Yeah, yeah… I got it.”

But after a moment, he let out a faint chuckle.
“…Though it did feel kinda—”