BeneV(i)olence ( 1 )

After several hours ticked by, a low groan escaped Kalani's lips as he woke up. Rubbing his eyes groggily with one hand, the boy reached over with the other to grab the basket next to him; however, instead of the usual coarseness, he felt something soft...?

Kalani squinted in that direction and made out the figure of a large wing, Nyx's. With her body curled up inside, the girl had used one wing as a bed and pillow while the other draped over her like a blanket.

He couldn't resist ruffling the feathers and mused on impulse, 'Reminds of Whistle—' Thinking of that made him pause, and his gaze darkened.

His trance was then interrupted by the quiet clanks of chains outside. Kalani clenched his hands into a fist. 'You have stuff to do Kalani; no time to waste,' he inwardly berated himself before cramming a bread into his mouth.

Rushing out of his 'abode', Kalani sneaked past the sleeping crowd and reached the entrance. Inspecting the three guards standing outside the bars, to his surprise, he recognized the badge reserved only for the captain on one of them, but the current captain was clearly different from the previous one.

'Was about time that bastard was removed...' he finally concluded as their eyes met, sharing a look of tacit agreement. Maybe it was due to the dim lighting, but Kalani couldn't quite make out the man's face, as if it was clouded on purpose. However, he didn't have enough time to examine as the captain deftly blindfolded him, evidently prepared.

Kalani felt his arms being twisted behind him painfully, yet he didn't wince and allowed them to handle him roughly. It was only after the gag and rope was Kalani freed from their death grips, but the group wasted no time as they half walked and half dragged the boy into the winding tunnels of the cave.

Yet, no one noticed a few pair of eyes watching the whole exchange.

...

"Tweep... tweep!" the crisp singing of a bird entered Kalani's ears. With his vision compromised, his other senses were magnified, and he could feel the cold wind tickle his cheeks.

Relaxing his brows, he inhaled the refreshing but damp air and sighed wistfully, 'It is morning...' Inside his chest, many emotions made it ache with deep longing: to be there for just a while longer.

Yet the tranquility was broken as Kalani heard a man, who was probably the captain, report to someone.

The boy couldn't help but stiffen slightly once a woman replied, "Good work." Kalani hung his head low, hoping she would pass by him. But reality was cruel as he heard lithe footsteps approach him.

"Good morning, Kal~" the woman's voice softened; Kalani could tell she was standing in front of him by now, and he flinched as he felt cold fingertips caress his face.

"If you had agreed, you wouldn't be like this..." she remarked with a sigh. The words itself seemed reasonable, but Kalani knew better. She was a snake, a wily one at that.

After no response from Kalani, the lady motioned over to a guard. "Send him there," she ordered and left them, presumably to board her own carriage. Once the guard saluted, he proceeded to drag Kalani somewhere, and the boy smelled hay along with a semi-sweet fragrance waft up before all went black.

...

Inside, a drooling Nyx abruptly sat up and pointed to the wall in annoyance while rambling, "Brother, you—!..." She then fell silent, blinking multiple times in the darkness before she lowered her arm.

Curling up her legs, Nyx covered her face with both hands, her face turning a bright crimson hue.

'Wait... he—' she hurriedly turned to look to the side. 'Oh right, he said he would be gone.' She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly and wiped her mouth of the shameful traces. 'Thank goodness...'

The rattles of chains echoed loudly, and Nyx's head jerked upward.

'Just in time,' she mused before taking bread out. Munching on some, she saved the rest for her friends and waited until groups were called.

...

Kalani's emerald eyes fluttered open, but the sun's light made him squint.

'The gag is finally off...' he thought as he licked his chapped lips.

"Nice timing to wake up~ We have just arrived!" a lady's voice chirped beside him, making Kalani glance over.

With hazel irises, she was a thin, fair woman with vibrant, red locks of hair. The rose-colored dress hugging her curves with a fur coat draped over her shoulder was a stunning view, but this person wasn't as pure and fragile as she appeared.

Kalani turned away and realized he was being taken through a garden, which was dotted with the blooms of snowy-white flowers. The pathway of flat stones they stepped on was also surrounded by low, trimmed shrubbery.

'Well maintained,' he mumbled inwardly. 'Guessing it is at a mansion this time.' As he thought this, the group reached a small shed, which didn't look too shabby. Although once the door opened, a musty smell greeted them in full force.

The lady stopped at the doorway; her delicate face creased into a subtle frown.

Turning toward Kalani, she then gave him a smile and a 'kind' reminder, "I've bet my money on you, so don't disappoint me my dear."

Waving her hand, she gave her escorts the signal, and they pulled Kalani into the shed full of cages, large enough for only one person.

Already several children were present in this place, huddled and shivering in fright. But the escorts didn't care and tossed Kalani into a random cage. The impact of their push caused Kalani to grimace in the cage as they locked him in.

And after their job was finished, the escorts promptly left, giving the children here a feeling of relief. Yet that didn't last long as the shed's door burst open with several guards dragging in a male teenager, who was being whipped by a chubby man, his clothes indicating he was a wealthy aristocrat.

"How dare you! Urgh..." the man was yelling before the pungent smell hit him, making him gag. He hastily escaped to fresh air and looked back with a glare.

In spite of the whippings, the strapping young teenager grinned cheekily and gave the chubby man the middle finger, which drove the person mad. However, the aristocrat couldn't come in and was already running late, so he had to bear with it.

Similar to Kalani, the teenager was thrown roughly into the cage, slamming into the bars before the guards locked him in and left.

The young man groaned but still curled his lips into a wry smile.

"You are a masochist aren't you, Lucas..." a girl with a snake tail said, loudly enough for the teenager to hear.

The young man's dark-chestnut eyes glanced over at the girl, and he spoke matter-of-factly, "I ain't smiling though..." That comment triggered a shake of the head by her, saddened by his obliviousness.

Kalani stayed still, not trying to gain the guy's attention, but there was only one problem...

His cage was literally situated right next to Lucas, and Kalani could feel a headache coming his way.

As expected, Lucas instantly found Kalani. "Hey Mute! Long time no see!" he waved while grinning widely.

'I wish it was longer...' Kalani ruefully thought, but Kalani still nodded his head to Lucas to show he had heard, wishing the guy would let him off now.

However, he had underestimated the chatterbox. "What have you been up to?" Lucas asked. To this, Kalani turned his back toward Lucas.

"Oi, don't ignore me. I get lonely over here," the young man blurted out with a huff, yet the snake girl laughed.

"How do you expect Mute to say anything so complicated? You know he can't speak," she said.

Lucas raised a brow and replied, "I believe he can speak." Hearing this nonsense, she rolled her eyes.

"Sure... After annoying Mute for the longest time, he still hasn't made a peep."

"Well, I—" Lucas was cut short by the sounds of shuffling and crying outside. Finally, the door creaked open, and they saw several kids in a cage being hauled by several men into the building.

The newcomers appeared to range from the age of twelve to eighteen, and they huddled together inside, trembling as tears streamed down their faces. Lucas turned solemn watching the scene, and his eyes squinted with anger when one man hit a child for crying too loudly.

"Hurry up!" a man's haughty voice came from outside. The men who carried the cage quickly set it down and hurried off. Through the briefly open doorway, a young woman and her daughter were seen strolling in the garden toward the shed.

The young girl giggled and then jumped into her father's outstretched arms, and through the closing wooden door, she made eye contact with Kalani.

Those beautiful but deadened eyes made her involuntarily shiver; however, the door shut then.

"Dad, what is inside?" she asked, her pupils trembling slightly as she looked up at her father.

Unlike the irritated voice from before, the man gently responded, "No dear, just some wild animals. But they can be dangerous, so don't come here. Understand?" The girl bought his story and nodded obediently.

Kalani, Lucas, and several others near the door could hear their conversation, and some scowled while others appeared to not care or tried to. Although they could scream for help, they understood that no one here would help them.

Facing away from the door, Kalani hugged his knees and closed his emerald eyes, his expression indecipherable.

...

The bustling crowd of well-dressed, masked ladies and men sat down in the seats of a spacious arena. Their chatter filled the whole building, giving it the scene of an important event.

Just then, a low, staticky sound echoed throughout the place, which quieted down the crowd.

A man's magnetic voice transmitted over the crowd, "Welcome to Atlantis, ladies and gentlemen! Most of you probably expect what is going to happen, but to the newcomers, this is a fight to the death! Humans versus animals; who shall prevail? Don't you want to see their tenacity or... their savageness? Shall we find out?"

His announcement triggered roaring applause from the crowd. Many were on the edge of their seats, peering at the arena lined with an assortment of sharpened weapons on the walls.

Then a woman's sonorous voice rang out, "Let's welcome our first contestant!" As soon as her words faded, a rustic door on the side was pushed open, and a young girl tumbled into the arena.

With tears threatening to spill over, the girl shook like a leaf, and the gazes boring into her wasn't helping either. She cowered next to the door and kept crying out her sister's name, as if in hopes her sister would save her.

But right then, a door opposite of hers was opened with a bang. A small dog stepped out; its steps were cautious and slow. However, once it spotted the girl, it didn't hesitate to bolt to her with fangs bared.

Watching the dog rush at her menacingly, the girl banged on the door and tried to scream at the top of lungs, but the sheer terror sealed her throat. Then the dog reached her, and it bit down fiercely on her calf.

Finally, the girl found her voice and cried out, attempting to kick the dog off with her other leg. One kick eventually connected, and the dog slammed into the nearby wall with a thwack. But in its mouth, a piece of skin dangled out of its drooling mouth before the dog ate it whole.

After steadying itself, it then pounced on her once again, but this time, the girl instinctively snatched a wooden bat hanging on the wall behind her and swung it with all her might.

"Crack!!!" the crisp sound of bones breaking reverberated as the dog's limp body flew and hit the stage with a thud. Twitching, the small dog heaved with great difficulty before death finally embraced it.

Watching it made her stomach churn, but since she hadn't eaten anything, the girl could only gag and collapsed to the ground with a blanched face.

The majority of the spectators cheered, yet there was a distinct booing mixed in.

"Bring out the bigger dogs!" a random person yelled aloud, and there were hums of agreement rippling through the crowd.

"This is only an appetizer, dear guests! We shall show you in the next round what Atlantis really has to offer," the female announcer said soothingly, calming the disgruntled guests.

During this, several cloaked people arrived to the stage and dragged the bleeding girl into her cage. Then they opened a secret, underground passageway leading to the shed. On the way, one of them took out a tiny bottle full of a glowing liquid, which when applied, staunched the blood. But the gruesome wound still remained.

After the cloaked people dropped her off in the shed, she leaned against the bars, sobbing at the pain beginning to appear after adrenaline wore off. Kalani stirred from his rest, furrowing his brows at the noise.

"Young girl, it's okay; it's over," Lucas spoke up softly. "You only have group fights left, but we will protect you."

"There is also healing potions in the group fight, so we can use it to help your wound recover," another person piped up. Kalani listened with lowered eyes to their comforting words.

'If 'he' was like this; maybe it would have been different,' Kalani mused.

Then the passageway door slammed open, frightening everyone. The cloaked people paced the room, scanning the children before standing in front of Kalani and Lucas, and after exchanging looks, they towed Lucas's and Kalani's cages into the dim passageway.

'Weren't we supposed to participate later?' Kalani contemplated with a frown. The platform on which their cages were set on then moved forward into the darkness, and although it was silent save the rattling of the wheels turning on the rails, Kalani knew they were behind him, monitoring his every movement.

...

The crowd gazed in anticipation as two boys and a cage filled with five wolves were brought out. The cloaked people struggled pulling in the cage as the wolves kept attempting to bite them through the bars.

"Damn," Lucas cursed under his breath, "easy my ass..."

After finishing, the employees rushed back, leaving the boys and the feral animals in the arena.

Then the man's voice announced to them all, "Now, for the poor entertainment earlier, we of Atlantis have decided to give you folks a teaser. Enjoy!"

Using their time advantage, Kalani picked out a pair of raven-hued daggers while Lucas grabbed a silver longsword. Once the wolves were released, they both were ready for combat.

A wolf decided to aim for Lucas, but when it lunged toward him, Lucas swiftly side-stepped and swung his sword, creating a deep gash in its shoulder. Howling in pain, the injured wolf retreated; its venomous gaze fixated on Lucas.

Growling impatiently, the other four wolves then turned their attention to Kalani, who appeared weaker than his companion. A wolf then charged toward Kalani.

Alternating between forward and reverse grip, Kalani fiddled with his daggers before, to the wolves' shock, sprinting toward them. The running wolf faltered for a split moment, intimidated.

Holding the blade forward, the boy slashed down on the first wolf but missed his target, which ran away.

Seeing how unskilled the boy was, the wolf grew confident. Turning around to face him, it then froze. Where was its prey?

Sudden yowls came from behind.

Glancing back, it saw the boy slice the neck of its companion while effortlessly stabbing the reverse-gripped dagger into the head of another.

Filled with rage, the third wolf sprung onto the boy, aiming for his neck. But then a sword intercepted, cleaving off its head. Blood gushed out, coloring the ground red.

The wolf shuddered. Were we the prey all along?...

Terror gripped it, and the remaining wolf turned to flee. However, a strange pressure radiated from behind, preventing it from escaping well. Looking back, it spotted a dagger buried in its hind leg and then a glint before a bloodied sword fell down on its skull.

The whole arena was deathly silent; even the announcers hadn't spoken a word. Then a clap echoed followed by another... and another until even the deaf would be able to hear.

Snapping out of a daze, the announcer found his voice, "WHAT A ROUND!!! Give it up for these two for their excellent performance!" The crowd went wild.

Someone patted his back, and Kalani turned around to see Lucas grinning.

"Nice throw, Mute!" Lucas gave him a thumbs up. Kalani shrugged, as if saying it could have been better.

...

Amid the chattering crowd, an older man with sparse hair lining his head stumbled out. Despite a mask covering the majority of his face, he couldn't conceal his paleness, and after asking for directions, he rushed toward the nearest bathroom.

As he hastened, the bald elder accidentally knocked into a young man, and he apologized before hurrying away.

The hazel-eyed youth furrowed his brows as he straightened his crumpled suit. Muttering something about people these days, the young man chose to stroll in the garden.

The tall trees carefully trimmed into large mushrooms and other forest animals gave the landscape a unique perspective: maybe this is how insects view the world.

This was his thoughts as the youth examined the tree rabbit, whose lifelike eyes appeared to stare right back. Turning around, he surveyed his surroundings before unclenching his hand.

A crumpled note lay in his palm, and the man lowered his eyes to read the message. Then a gust of wind shredded the paper, leaving nothing behind.

As he gazed upward, his expression softened, replacing the immature arrogance from before.

'Please be alive...' he mumbled.

...