Felix made another mark with the now small chalk piece on the wall of his cell. Two weeks had passed since he partook in that foolish plan. If he had kept his mouth shut about the grenade, maybe he would have escaped with them, but he wasn’t sure he would have liked the company of a guy who was trying to blow up a tower full of people. Now he won’t escape, and he won’t fight anybody, as most probably they’ll execute him one of these days.

His cell was made of four thick stone walls, with a low ceiling, which kept heat inside in the day, but cold seeped through the cracks at night. There was only a stool, a rag to cover himself, and a hole big the size of his arm of which he couldn’t see the end.

He spent the remaining fourteen days staring at the rays of the sun filtering through the small window, if he could call it one, as it was just a small hole drilled on top of the wall. The other cells were empty, or at least, he never heard a human sound, but there plenty of animal ones, like flies buzzing around him, impossible to see and to catch, rats squeaking, and the crickets chirping outside, which tormented him every night.

Every day, the jailer, an old hunching man who never talked, filled a bucket and left it at the entrance of the cell of some weird soup with brown cubic bits which looked like something much less desirable.

In his days of loneliness, he had the time to think about himself. And it was in one of those sleepless night, lying on the stool, that a thought had crossed his mind: if Sam and other people who died had been resurrected, could his wife and his sibling be alive now too? And if they were alive, they couldn’t be too far from here.

That small hope who was born three night before pushed him into trying to find an escape. He had pulled the handle of the bucket and had dug in a place where the floor was cracked for a week, only taking some breaks to eat. As the jailer always arrived at evening, he had the time to put it back before he arrived again.

Maybe it will be all useless, but he wasn’t going down without trying everything. He gasped, as steps were moving towards his cell, followed by the ringing sounds of keys. This was strange, as it was only noon. He covered the crack with the stool and ran to put the handle back into the bucket. As the jailer’s lantern was reflecting itself on the wall, Felix ran back to the stool.

The grate slid in its place, and a pair of dark long boots moved towards him. Felix gasped, and moved backwards at the sight of the Young man, illuminated by the harsh light of the lantern.

“I bring good news”, he said, “It seems you aren’t going to be burned alive. You’ve been lucky that a powerful healer saved all the injured civilians and none of them died, or things would have gone much worse for you”.

Felix sighed in relief. He didn’t fear death but getting burned alive was another story.

“But”, he continued, “Helping a terrorist and injuring directly two of my men is a pretty big crime, don’t you think? But, as I’m one of the most magnanimous and forgiving people of this country, I will give you an opportunity to be pardoned of all your wrongdoings”

“What I need to do?”, said Felix with a raspy voice.

He grinned, “Fight in the arena and win”;

“Do I have any other choice?”;

“You can still remain here forever”, he looked around, “You won’t be the first one, and that’s not a bad place to live in. A bit rough I’d say”;

“But why you’re making us do all of this? What did the others do to deserve all this?”;

“You’ll be given explanations after you’ll win. Until then, you’re only cattle. Now, follow me, as time’s running out and you’re not the only nuisance I have to deal with today”.

Felix pushed himself up, following the Dark guy inside an elevator. “We are gentlemen”, he said, “So I won’t get you tied up”. The jailer closed the grate, and pulled a lever downwards, making the elevator move.

The HUD adjusted the sensitivity of his eyes to avoid being blinded by the outside as the elevator was rising along the arena walls.

“First time looking on the other side of the Great Wall?”, said the Young man, “Remember it because it could be the last”.

Felix grunted at his words. Part of the arena was underground, and he could only see the opposite side of the wall. Guards were positioned on a walkway, interrupted by tall towers with beacons on the top.

The elevator stopped and a soldier opened the grate, greeting them inside an office. The first thing Felix saw was a massive painting of the Young man riding a prancing black horse

He sat behind his long ebony desk and turned the chair to grasp a black cat with a white spot on his nose, looking like a moustache. He made him sit on his lap and it started purring to Felix.

“I’ll ask you some questions”, he said, “And you’ll answer them as clear as possible”. Felix nodded as other two soldiers entered the room and stopped at his sides.

“Good. Name, age, and something about you”.

“Felix. Seventeen. Cadet of a military Academy”. The Dark Guy wrote everything on a thick book, making long flowery strokes of black ink. He left a dirty mark on the ‘D’ of ‘Academy’ and put the quill down, sighing and closing his eyes as his nostrils flared.

“What Academy?”, he said, “Does it have a name?”;

“It’s the Academy”;

“Yes, but what’s its name?”;

“I don’t remember it”;

“It doesn’t seem a good one then”, he said, and dust burst out of the book as he slammed it shut, “We’re done”. A wide grin appeared on his face, “Good luck, as you’ll need plenty. You look like a corpse”;

“You made this to me”;

“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t help a terrorist”, he laughed, “And you’ve learnt how quick they dispose of people who question their actions”.

The Young man tracked him with his gaze as the soldiers escorted him out of the room. The next room was made of shelves full of daggers, rapiers, straight long swords, curved ones, and two-handed broadswords. He wasn’t going to pick a heavy weapon, as he was too small to wield it. If he knew what his opponent was going to choose, it’d make his job much easier.

He pulled a long straight sword from the shelf, reflecting his face on the steel. He already knew how to use something similar to this.

“Hurry”, said the guard at the door, “You don’t have much time”;

“For real?”.

He turned back to the weapons. In another room there were axes, maces, hammers, and spears. Spears, why didn’t he think about them sooner? He picked one from the shelf. The shaft was made of wood and ended in a diamond-shaped blade. After what happened two weeks ago, they must have removed all the long ones, so he settled with one a bit taller than him.

“Your time has ended”, said the soldier, “Go to the elevator”. As Felix moved towards the grate, one of the soldiers blocked his way.

“What are you-”. The punch in his abdomen kicked the air out from his lungs and made his spear fall to the ground, “This is for what you did to Dan”, he said. Felix didn’t even have the time to collapse that the other soldier grabbed his long hair and twisted them, bending his spine and neck towards the right. A burning pain came from the top of his head, as the soldier’s pull was so strong that he felt he was going to rip the skin from his skull.

“We have to teach you a lesson”, said the soldier behind him, “We can’t kill you, but we can sure make your life hell”. He closed his eyes as the second punch landed on his belly.

“And this is for Rick!”;

His head flopped on the chest, and spit drooled from his mouth. He was seeing three soldiers in front of him, until the HUD kicked in and corrected it. The soldier opened the grate, and the one who was holding him pushed him inside.

“Your opponent will finish the job down there”, said one of them.

The grate closed behind him, and, after one of them pulled down the lever, the elevator went down rattling, leaving him in the dark.

“Bastards”, Felix muttered. He coughed, gripping his belly to ease the pain.

The elevator stopped in front of a dark circular room. The only source of light was coming from a rectangular gap at the top of the blue door. He wouldn’t have expected to find spectators after all that happened two weeks ago, but the stands were still full of people drinking tankards of ale and meat skewers as if nothing happened. Even the same servant was pouring wine in the rich attendants’ goblets.

“She’s fair as an edelweiss”, said the announcer “More innocent than a new-born lamb, doves come from the sky to bring her gifts, and her voice can turn even the most wretched creature into one made of faith. The golden maiden’s show will start soon!”, the public cheered, “But first, we’ve got a duel!”. Their cheering turned into a groan.

“This’ll be the one you’ve all been expecting to! I swear it!”, said the announcer, “On the blue side we have Felix, the one who helped a terrorist kill many of our brave soldiers! Show your contempt towards him!”. The blue door opened, and the public booed at him.

After a pebble hit him in eyebrow, he had to shield himself from the barrage falling upon him.

“Red side. He's nine-teen years old. I don’t know why he has been chosen, as he’s looks more dead than alive, but, if they did, there must be a reason!”. The red door opened.

Colin was limping out of the door, hunching and holding his hands on his thighs. His knees buckled, and he fell on his elbows. He coughed and spat a dark green mercury dense liquid which slithered on the sand.

Felix’s hand left the spear and he had to catch it again. This couldn’t be happening to him. His gaze went towards the balcony he had been on the day of the escape, and, zooming, he found Alice looking at him. She shook her head and retreated from the railing.

Colin’s irises and pupils disappeared, replaced by a translucent dark green coat. A small green appendix ripped his shirt from his back.

If he didn’t act quickly, there was no way he was going to survive. Felix charged.