It all started with a dream.
A battlefield filled with countless swords floating in the air... some piercing into the blood-soaked ground.
A lone figure sitting atop a slab of broken rock.
Mountain of corpses and rivers of blood surrounded him.
The stench of death felt so real.
I didn't know what it all meant until...
...
A group of teenagers sat huddled in a small hall. Their ragged appearance and malnourished frame barely fit into the oversized clothes they wore.
Amidst the group was a young boy in his late teens, sitting away from the others. His messy red hair covered most of his face. On his hand was a small kitchen knife, which he swirled across his thawed fingers.
His grey eyes never left the group who glanced towards his direction from time to time.
"That's the infamous Red. To think... to think we'll get placed with him." One finally whispered, his nervous gaze scanning the others.
"Well... what's there?" Another muttered with a confident smile. "I say he's just one measly boy... if we work together and eliminate him first, what's to stop us?"
He said, glancing at the red-haired boy.
At the same time, the red-haired boy stared right back, causing him to shift his gaze hurriedly, smile breaking off.
The red-haired boy lazily looked away, staring at the red moon shining brightly through the window before mumbling under his breath.
"Fools."
All of them were just fools trying to delay the inevitable. Why become close to someone you would eventually turn on later on?
The way they gathered together, he knew they had already decided. He was going to be the one to get eliminated first.
Swirling the little knife faster, he leaned back on the wall.
Well, he wasn't worried. The arena would decide their fate... including his.
That's how it has been right from the beginning.
If he were to end here today, then it would be fine. If he'd survive.. that was fine also.
Nothing really fazed him again as a matter of fact.
Rumble~
Just then, the door at the end of the hall was pushed open by a large man with a scar running down his eye.
The distant echoes of cheers and roars filtered in through the open door for a moment before it faded.
"Alright, brats! You lot are up." He said with a grin, revealing yellow teeth.
The kids slowly rose, following behind the man through the door and into a narrow passage.
Staring at the red-haired boy at the back of the lot, he let out a chuckle.
"Today is your last day, Red... give them hell. Not just him, all of you. If you want to be free, you better give it your all!"
By now, the cheers and roars were getting louder as they approached the end of the passage.
Taking a deep breath, Red's expressionless face slowly hardened as he walked through the passage.
The opening led to a large circular field, an arena built in a colosseum-like manner. The excited roars from the audience crashed into him, causing him to stop for a moment.
His eyes scanned the lot, muscles twitching rapidly in his jaw. 'Animals.'
'Bloody animals.' He thought, clenching his fist tightly.
"Move it, brat!"
He felt a shove from behind, causing him to stumble forward.
The young boys slowly gathered at the front in a row. The man stood before them, allowing the cheers and roars to die down before addressing the crowd.
"Welcome to the main event of the day," he said, raising his hands with a bow as if he were a stage performer.
"As usual, we've prepared something special for our special guests." With a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, he turned to the kids before looking back at the crowd.
"Just sit back and enjoy the show!"
With that, he made his way out of the arena and back to the passage. With the signal given, a lever was pulled, shutting off the opening with steel bars.
The moment they had all been waiting for was finally upon them. A large gong was rung signalling the start of the event.
Red immediately distanced himself from the others, hand gripping his knife tightly.
"So what's it gonna be, huh?" The so-called leader of the little group, Jared, muttered with a grin.
"The easy way or the hard way?"
Taking a step forward, he flipped his knife with fluid motion catching it each time mid air. His gaze was fixed at Red the entire time.
Red stared at the group of ten who were slowly encircling him and then at the audience who were slowly chanting 'Kill him'.
This had been his entire life. The sickening roar and cheer of the crowd, the serious yet petrified faces of the challengers. He had come a long way.
But after today, it will all be over.
Fuck it all.
With that, he took a step forward, eyes flaring with madness. Nothing was going to stop him today, not even if hundreds gathered against him.
Red was the first to act. Turning in one smooth motion, he flung his knife.
The guy close to him never expected it, nor did the others.
The knife swirled througg the air before lodging deep in the middle of the guy's eyes.
A faint groan escaped his lips as the guy slumped to the ground, blood forming a pool underneath him.
"He has no weapon! Get him!" Jared yelled, causing the others to act on impulse.
The sudden death of one of them had shaken them and at the same time activated their fight or flight system. In their case, they had no choice but to fight.
Also what made him dangerous was currently far away from him... or so they thought.
Red charged forward at the same time, hands hanging limply by his sides.
The first guy with a cruel grin etched on his face had the greatest shock of his life when they clashed.
Red movements were fluid and crisp. Meant to inflict the most damage in the shortest time.
His hands shot upward in a claw-like manner, hooking into the sockets of the guy's eyes and, with one ruthless twist, ruined his sight.
A wild, throaty scream erupted from the assaulted guy, blood dripping from his eyes.
The sight caused the others to freeze in their tracks for a moment.
Red didn't give them much time to digest the visual before grabbing the guy's hand and violently slamming the knife he was holding on his throat.
Pulling out the knife, his gaze was already fixed on his next prey, not paying attention to the guy who had already collapsed on the ground, drowning in his blood.
He had already accepted the cruel, cold world he was born into a long time ago. To him, killing was as easy as breathing.
Meanwhile, the cheers of the crowds reverberated across the area, shaking the very foundation.
Charging forward, Red appeared before a young girl who was too late to react. Her neck was slashed cleanly, blood gushing out like a fountain, a bit smearing his face.
Monster! Fucking monster! Jared muttered in dread. "I can't die here. I've come this far. I cant fucking die here!"
"Quick! We attack at once! H–he's just one human!" He yelled, gripping his weapon tightly.
Not having a better plan, the others charged forward, forcing themselves to accept Jared's reasoning.
Jared, careful enough to stay in the back, was glad he did.
The next minutes were a ruthless blood bath and Jared who watched from behind finally saw an opportunity.
And so, he struck.
Red, so caught up in his desperate fight, wasn't quick enough to react. Jared had timed his attack perfectly and the end result was nothing short of terrifying...
His victory was assured.