Rash was leaning against the edge of my bed as usual.
He kept talking about becoming famous after we left this place. It was something that had started during training and somehow carried on until now.
"No, you don't understand, Adonis. Being famous isn't about fame itself. It's about being remembered."
I squinted my eyes as I looked at him.
"Yes, yes. So it's not about fame, but about being remembered, right?"
He almost jumped on the spot.
"You got it. I want people to remember my name. Maybe even some travelers singing about me. Nothing too grand. Maybe one or two girls—"
Click.
Rash was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
Both of us turned toward it at the same time.
A guard stood there, holding the door open.
His voice was cold as he ordered.
"Come out."
Rash and I exchanged a glance before I climbed down from the bed. Together we walked out of the cell.
The guard stepped forward and led us down the familiar corridor.
He didn't need to tell us what to do. We just followed a few steps behind him.
It didn't take long before we reached the hall.
A familiar dragonkin stood there waiting in front of the gate. He was the same guard who had escorted me to John's office last time.
But as my eyes drifted around, I realized something.
We were the first ones to arrive.
The others from our group weren't here yet. Only the two guards stood there with us.
I halted in front of the gate, and Rash took a spot beside me.
As usual, he threw out the same question.
"What do you think it'll be?"
I answered, "Maybe wolves?"
"Hmm... I think today it's more on the bigger side."
"Bigger would be better."
"Hey, don't say that. What if it's a drake?"
"We would still kill it?"
"Ah, and you think we can?"
The conversation was casual. We always guessed what kind of beast they would throw at us.
If Rash happened to be right, he would speak about it for days.
If he was wrong, he acted as if he had never said anything.
It was our way of calming down.
Then—
Thud.
The gate opened.
I glanced back, but there was still no sign of our other team members. Rash and I exchanged another look before he shrugged and stepped inside.
'Guess we will see.'
I followed right behind him.
Step.
The first thing I noticed was the sound.
It was loud.
The crowd shouted and cheered much more than usual.
"Survivor!"
"Little sun!"
I let my gaze drift over them before I walked toward the weapon rack at the entrance. Pulling my sword free and resting it over my shoulder, I walked toward the center.
Rash had taken his weapon as well and walked beside me.
His eyes were on the crowd, and he waved his free hand back at them, which only made them cheer louder.
My gaze moved upward toward the platform.
John was already standing there.
His hands rested on the podium, posture straight. The red eyes showing through the slits of his white mask seemed to stare directly at me.
Something about it gave me a bad feeling.
Step.
Rash and I reached the center.
Standing side by side, I finally voiced what had been bothering me.
"Why is it only us?"
Rash answered while still waving.
"Why ask me?"
My lips twitched.
"Don't you also have a bad feeling?"
Rash stopped waving and turned his eyes toward me.
"Adonis, we're about to fight a beast. Of course, I have a bad feeling. That's normal. Calm down."
He was right.
I was likely just imagining things.
Haah.
I took a deep breath and calmed myself before looking up again.
John lifted one hand.
All focus shifted toward him.
The crowd stopped cheering and turned toward him in anticipation. Even Rash had stopped moving and now stood quietly beside me.
A moment passed before John lowered his hand back to the podium.
His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed through the arena.
"Tonight is... a special one."
The crowd almost cheered, but stopped as he continued.
"In recent days, many of you have grown fond of certain faces. Some names have begun to linger."
His gaze drifted through the arena.
"Rising stars. Future warriors. The crowd's favorites. Whatever you may call them."
My grip on the sword tightened slightly.
"Our young warriors, as well, had started to grow fond of each other. They fought together, shoulder to shoulder, against ferocious beasts. They trained and taught one another."
A pause.
"Bonds had formed."
I didn't know why, but my throat suddenly felt dry, and I had to swallow. Beside me, Rash still wore a faint smile as if nothing was wrong.
John's gaze shifted toward us, red eyes staring down as he went on.
"But survival… is not meant to be shared forever."
He spread his arms wide.
"This arena exists for one purpose."
Then he lowered one arm and pointed toward us with the other.
"To decide who moves forward."
My body tensed, and my eyes flickered toward Rash beside me. His expression had shifted, too, and the smile disappeared from his lips.
John's voice lowered.
"Tonight—"
He let the word hang.
"—there will be no beast."
For a moment, the arena did not react.
Then realization arrived.
The crowd erupted.
My breath caught.
No beast?
Slowly, I turned my head to the side.
Rash's hand tightened around his sword, and ever so slowly, he turned toward me as well.
John raised a hand, and the noise began to settle again, though not completely.
But neither of us cared.
We didn't look away.
Our eyes remained locked on each other.
John's voice came again, colder now.
"Tonight, two survivors will enter."
My chest tightened.
"Only one will leave."
Another roar rose from the crowd and crashed over us like a wave.
I stared at Rash.
He stared back.
The noise faded.
The crowd blurred.
Only those sharp brown eyes remained.
Then John spoke the final word like a verdict.
"Begin."
Boom.
A drum thundered through the arena, marking the start of the fight.
Boom.
Boom.
Another pair followed. Their heavy sound matched the pounding in my chest.
Then—
Very slowly—Rash's lips parted.
A soft voice left them.
"Well… I think that's it, Adonis."
His words didn't fully reach me. I only watched the movement of his mouth.
Then, with a slow turn of his head, he broke our locked gaze and turned completely away.
Step.
The next thing I saw was him walking away from me.
His steps were slow and heavy.
Clear imprints from his boots stayed in the sand like a tail.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
...
Step.
After ten steps, he stopped.
And maybe that was the moment I finally understood what was happening.
I stumbled over my own words, not even knowing what I wanted to say.
"What? Wait.."
But there came no answer.
Rash turned around and faced me once again.
His expression was blank as he stared at me.
There was no trace of his earlier smile.
It had vanished completely.
Then, slowly, he raised his sword and pointed the tip directly at me.
"Won't you go into stance?"
His voice sounded almost cold.
But I still didn't move.
I was just too confused.
Everything—
Everything had happened too fast.
My mind couldn't keep up anymore.
In the end, all I could do was stare at Rash.
Seeing that I still didn't move, he spoke again.
"You heard it already. There is no running away, Adonis."
His cold voice sent a shiver down my spine.
"Only one of us will walk out of here alive."
He paused.
"This is it."
His voice echoed across the arena.
I still couldn't understand what was happening.
But one question settled firmly in my mind.
Why?
Why now?
Why against him?
My body grew weaker with each passing second. It felt as if the strings keeping it moving had been cut.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't speak.
I could only stare at the tip of the sword pointed at me.
It was his sword.
Rash's.
We had fought countless times.
Our blades had clashed so often that they had left marks on each other.
But—
Right at this moment.
Why?
Why did the sword in my hand feel so heavy?
I had done it countless times.
Raised my sword and pointed it at him.
I was familiar with it.
But right now it felt foreign to me.
Step.
The sound of sand shifting broke me out of my thoughts.
It seemed I wasn't even allowed time to think anymore—
Shing.
A sword was already coming for me.
Rash pushed himself off the ground and sprinted forward. His sword was raised high, then came down in a wide arc aimed directly at me.
My hands moved before I even realized it.
Clang.
Our swords clashed.