14 BeneV(i)olence ( 7 )

That blinding light pulled him out of his dreamlike state, leaving his constricted pupils quivering slightly as he barely made out the glowing mass in front of him and the vibrant rose dress out of the corner of his eye.

When the glow abruptly vanished, Kalani's vision grew dark with migraine-inducing spots, and he instinctively held his head in his hands. However, he began to make out the fuzzy figure of a man with brownish hair leaning in front of him.

The person then straightened his back, appearing to glance back at the rose dress before uttering, "He's awake now, but my men paid dearly for your request. I expect adequate compensation." His words and tone were laced with a warning near the end, as if to forewarn the woman of the consequences for not complying.

After a period of silence from the rose dress, Sofia's voice replied softly yet coldly, "I can assure you that I will reimburse Atlantis fully. You have my word." Kalani heard a murmur of affirmation coming from the man before he walked away.

As the wooden door of the building shut close, Kalani felt the cold fingertips of a pale hand touch his cheek. "Are you all right, dear?" the soft voice that could only be from Sofia cooed.

To her question, the emerald-eyed boy lowered his head silently, like a deadened doll with cut strings. Yet even after his silence, the woman smiled before exiting, leaving the boy alone in the shed. It was then when Kalani showed any movement.

'My fatigue is gone?' Kalani mused with knotted brows, 'But why? She would never go to such lengths for me...' A chilling feeling then shot up his spine, and he turned back to find Lucas and the others gazing at him from their cages.

Once they noticed he saw them, some cowered while a few even scuttled farther away as much as their cages would permit. This earned a raise of a brow from the boy.

Finally, a low voice broke the eerie silence. "Mute, are you feeling okay?" Lucas worriedly asked. No matter how one looked at it, Lucas appeared to be completely unfazed while the others acted like scared sheep in front of a wolf: the contrast being quite evident.

Kalani frowned as he tried to recollect if anything happened, yet all he could remember was fainting. 'I forgot something... important.'

However, Lucas interrupted his thoughts, "Do you have a headache then?" Wishing to confirm something, Kalani scrutinized Lucas for any hidden emotions. Much to his surprise and confusion though, Lucas appeared to be genuinely concerned.

Apparently, Lucas misinterpreted Kalani's thoughts as he remarked, "If you have a headache, sleep it off. I thought..." Lucas lowered his voice to a mutter, "thought I was too late..."

Kalani gazed at Lucas's slumped shoulders and could easily surmise what the guy didn't say. He counted their heads before allowing his eyelids to slowly droop.

'Twelve gone...'

...

With the clouded sun overhead, the wind gently caressed the trimmed leaves, giving the illusion from afar of a drawn picture. Until, the creaking of a swinging door ruined the stillness.

A knight stepped out into the open before holding the door, his noble figure bent slightly as a porcelain-like lady, dressed in red, walked out of the shed. A group of knighted women and men followed close behind the lady, forming a protective circle around her.

The last one had just locked the door when a woman's voice, tinged with frustration, called, "Miss! Come out this instant!" From the sudden disturbance, Sofia's guards drew their swords. That is when the woman saw the lady with her escorts.

"Lord S-sofia..." the caretaker stammered, bowing at the lady as a servant would do to her master. The lady remained silent, yet her aura didn't scream arrogance: if anything, it more resembled a sense of aloofness and nobility.

"Is something the matter?" the lady's hazelnut eyes narrowed as she spoke sternly.

"A young miss has disappeared, so I was attempting to find her. I apologize for any inconvenience I could have caused you," the caretaker replied respectfully while keeping her bow.

The guards finally sheathed their swords once Sofia signaled them with a wave of her hand. Then, she gave the woman a bright smile.

"Oh my, do take my guards to help you search for her," Sofia said, replacing her cold tone with a warmer one.

Yet, the hands of the caretaker appeared to tremble before she eventually replied, "It would be my pleasure, Lord." Upon Sofia's wave, all of her guards quickly dispersed, leaving the caretaker and Sofia alone.

Sofia let out an amused chuckle. "You don't need to worry about manners in front of me; I am human just like you." She lifted the chin of the bowed caretaker with a hint of mirth in her eyes.

"I do not enjoy looking down on servants like the others. In fact, this is the reason I dismissed the guards, so you can feel at ease," the lady added. The caretaker was quite taken aback; she had believed she would get beheaded right then and there, but reality proved otherwise.

When the caretaker hesitated, Sofia appeared to be slightly hurt. "Am I being a bother?..." Sofia uttered with a sense of loneliness, which tugged the other woman's heartstrings.

The caretaker hastily replied, "Of course I enjoy being with you." Her impression changed of this lady, who looked cuter and cuter as time went on. Something the kids couldn't pull off with her— the little devils.

Smiling shyly, Sofia took the caretaker's hand, pulling them together into the garden.

Not too long after they left, a stocking on a small leg poked out of the hedges.

...

By the time both women arrived back at the manor, the caretaker was absolutely enchanted by this lady, an epitome of a perfect woman.

"This won't take long," Sofia mentioned with a shy smile as she left the caretaker at the manor's doorway. Though as soon as she passed through the ornate doors, her smile vanished.

Once inside, Sofia treaded the decorated floors of the ball room while approaching an older aristocrat, who was currently talking to a shorter, bald man. The aristocrat was in the middle of laughing at the bald man's jokes before he spotted Sofia, beckoning her over.

"My friend, this is a well known figure in our social circle, my niece Sophia," he spoke to the bald man as he continued to gesture to Sofia.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Sophia," the bald man said as he bowed slightly towards her. Instantly, Sofia had a better impression of this man since most men would kiss her hand like she was some kind of delicacy, which was quite repulsing.

Sofia curtsied politely as she replied, "Pleasure to meet you too, sir. May I have the honor of knowing your name?" The bald man chuckled, introducing himself as the lowly merchant, Calvin.

"Although I'm glad to meet you, Sir Calvin, I need to talk privately with Sir Roland here. May we be excused for a while?" she inquired. Calvin nodded his head understandingly before sauntering off to the dessert section.

"What is it Sofia dear?" the aristocrat glanced at her quizzically after she had pulled him to a nearby room.

"Uncle, may we have a change of plans for the next event at Atlantis? I have a brilliant idea that would likely be the star of the show!" Her hazelnut eyes flickered with a scarlet tint before curving into half crescents.

...

Whoever was in the hedges must have been stuck because the small leg appeared to struggle before the person finally stumbled out, face-planting in the process. The girl groaned as she picked herself up and brushed the grass off her dress.

Looking both ways, she gingerly stepped onto the smooth pathway. Then, out of nowhere, she flopped back down onto the grassy ground and rolled around, letting out what seemed to be silent squealing while completely disregarding her poor clothes.

The girl then abruptly sat up as she cupped her cheeks with her hands, 'She was so beautiful that Lord! Would I be like her when I grow up? Ahhh, I can't wait!' It took a while before she calmed down, stretching languidly.

Gradually, she took notice of the building before her. It had similar ivory walls to the manor, yet it definitely appeared more rundown.

'Wait a second; wasn't I here this morning?' her cyan eyes roved over the familiar cracks near the tiled, black roof. 'It has to be!... But didn't Daddy say this housed the wild animals?'

The girl trembled a bit as she recalled those strange eyes; however, she couldn't contain the curiosity scratching at her heart. Stepping closer to the door, she tried to find a crack to look just a little.

'Found one!...' she grinned mischievously as her finger probed the tiny peephole. Placing one eye over the opening, the girl frowned.

'I can't see...'

Though before she lost interest, she noticed her vision improved, probably due to her eye adjusting to the dimness inside.

"..."

The girl tumbled back, landing on her butt. However, this was not the most concerning part: her entire face was ashen. Then with clammy palms, she gripped her dress tightly before running off into the garden.

Finally, after running for who knows how long, she collapsed on her knees, gasping heavily.

'W— was that humans?...' Sunken faces resembling skeletons flashed through her mind, making her bite her lips.

'But Daddy wouldn't lie...' she shut her eyes tightly in despair, 'would he?' While clenching the grass, the girl felt her eyes burning to let out the tears.

"Miss Adelaide! There you are!" those sharp words made the girl look over her shoulder with widened eyes. The caretaker froze once she saw the girl's disheveled yet frightened look.

"Miss, are you okay?" the sonorous voice of the rose lady beside her caretaker asked. Adelaide felt her nerves slightly relax before recognizing the lady as the person from earlier. The one who had stepped out of the shed!

Her muscles once again tensed up as a fear to run away welled up within. Yet the caretaker had already grabbed her arm.

"Come back with me!" the woman barked, pulling Adelaide's arm toward the manor... and the scary lady.

"NO!..." Adelaide let out a shriek as she managed to slip out of the caretaker's grasp. However, in spite of being several feet away, a veiny hand reached out and snagged her dress, effectively putting an end to her escape.

Adelaide almost screamed again, but another hand blocked her mouth roughly, making her shake all over till everything went dark.

...

With brownish hair covering his narrowed eyes, the man strode with clenched fists down the hallway.

Maybe it was due to how quiet the hall was, his hushed curses about Sofia echoed throughout the halls, yet the man didn't seem to really care. Finally, he reached a door and pushed it open with a slam.

Inside, a woman hastily turned around to see him at the doorway, "Spencer?..." Only when he heard her melodious voice did his clenched fist slightly loosen.

"Did something happen?" she pressed when Spencer didn't reply. Met again with silence, she approached him carefully and stroked his lowered face; this time, she stayed quiet.

After a while, the man remarked through gritted teeth, "Sofia ordered some of our mages to enter her slave's mind." He grimaced as he recalled their bloody heads caving in before continuing, "And they died."

"..."

Her crystal blue eyes flickered while her lips drew a thin line. She finally let a sigh as she hugged him.

"Spencer, I know that this is unfair, but we have to bide our time. Once we have enough power, we can finally be free." She hugged him closer as her voice lowered to a whisper, "We just have to wait..."

Spencer appeared to be in pain as his face scrunched up. However, his creased brows smoothed out the more he held her.

Then a ring interrupted the calm silence. Running his fingers through her onyx strands of hair, he reluctantly parted from her, and with a slight bit of impatience, he picked up a device and held it near his ear.

"Hello?..." Spencer questioned, his voice somewhat grumpy. Grabbing his calloused hand, Natalie slipped her hand into his while gazing inquisitively at him.

"WHAT?!" his shout startled her. Spencer glanced at her, disbelief written on his face.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a surprise event this evening. It won't be like the waves of wild animals that you have seen before, but an entirely new concept! I hope you will enjoy it!" Spencer's voice loudly proclaimed over the loudspeaker.

Many of the spectators leaned forward in their seats with anticipation, hoping to see the stadium a bit better. However, to the disappointment of many, the arena had the same setup as before. Despite this, the clamorous crowd still filled the seats.

As Sir Ben seated himself, the youth made eye contact with the esteemed merchant Calvin not too far away. They quickly looked away, but if one payed close enough attention, they seemed to recognize each other.

"Now that everyone is seated, let the event begin!"

Right then, the lights dimmed above the stadium seats while the lighting over the arena grew brighter until the whole stage was fully displayed under the light. Above the silence, the door at one end of the arena creaked open before a blindfolded boy was shoved through it into the arena.

'Kalani?' thought Ben as he stared intently at the small figure, who had ripped off the blindfold.

...

Tearing off the blindfold, the boy shied away from the blinding lights above him. After adjusting to the brightness, he scanned the stage warily, only to find it empty.

"What the— what is going on here?..." Kalani tensed as he contemplated. "Where are all the kids?"

And as if someone answered his questions, the door opposite of him swung open to reveal another teenager. After being pushed out, the boy scrambled to his feet before pulling off his blindfold as well. It was Sam, who was now staring agape at Kalani.

A chill crept up Kalani's spine as a dreadful thought formed.

"Now is the time to showcase the strengths of our contestants in what we call the ultimate deathmatch! By random, ten contestants will fight for their glory in five rounds; however, there is a catch: one fortunate person will be able to skip directly from the first round to the finals!"

A loud cheer erupted from the stadium, yet Kalani felt his blood run cold as he fixed his gaze on Sam, who grew pale as his wolf ears pinned back.

"And as a reminder to the chosen contestants, if there are those who don't finish their battle within thirty minutes or those who refuse to fight, we will be forced to eliminate you both."

Both of them remained silent until Sam let out a nervous laugh and remarked, "Mute, you are my friend..."

Without a weapon in hand, the teen slowly walked forward with a conflicted expression. Internally, Kalani understood killing was the way to survive, but seeing no signs of resistance from Sam made the guilt eat away at his heart.

Once a few feet away, Sam suddenly began to sprint toward Kalani, whose heart lurched at the sight of the hidden dagger in Sam's palm.

"But please die for me!" Sam yelled aloud. The dagger gleamed in the light as it swung and slashed at Kalani; however, his body reacted faster than his mind as he sidestepped, leaving him with only a bleeding cut near the eye on his forehead.

The reddish blood trailing down his face felt feverishly hot, and Kalani's emerald eye stung from the blood as his vision overlapped Sam's figure with a blurry image of a blond-haired boy.

Seeing his ambush had failed, Sam began to wave the blade recklessly, but Kalani merely grabbed Sam's wrist and punched the teen in the gut, making him bend over gagging. Sam let go off the dagger, but instead of it falling to the ground, Sam used his free hand to reach out for it.

A hand grabbed the dagger midair and sliced the other's throat. Clutching his bleeding neck, Sam met Kalani's bloodshot gaze. Yet, instead of revealing pain or reluctance, Sam used his last moments to give Kalani a slight smile before he fell limply onto his knees.

The crowd's loud applause ringed like a quiet background in Kalani's head as his eyes stayed glued at the crimson blossoming on the body. With the previous blond figure rapidly vanishing, Sam's dead body seemed to take on a new form: familiar, chestnut hair covered the lowered head as the deep crimson painted his clothes a new color.

Transfixed, Kalani remained still until the cloaked employees dragged him back into an isolated cage in a rundown room. Curling up in it, the boy hugged his knees as he allowed his head to droop.

— "You are my gem... our little treasure..." —

These ethereal words flowed through his mind, but it only seemed to torment the boy as his breathing turned uneven. For the first time, Kalani questioned his life.

In his state of delirium, Kalani couldn't recall what he was doing, but at one moment in time, he could faintly make out the handle of the dagger as it protruded out of the snake girl's chest. With a face contorted with pain, her ragged breathes grew quieter till it ceased to exist.

Hands that he knew was his lifted to reveal bloody stains on them, yet Kalani felt like it wasn't him... the one who was doing all this. Stabbing and more stabbing— more and more crimson...

As he stepped into the arena for the last round, his body reeked of pungent iron, but Kalani felt nothing, as if a machine doing its work.

"Mute...?"

Kalani glanced up... to see Lucas on the other side; his facade of being a bystander finally cracked.

With a short sword in one hand, Lucas gazed at him in disbelief, whether it was his appearance or something else, Kalani couldn't tell.

"Now, welcome the best veterans representing Atlantis! Don't you just feel the tension? The fervor!?..." the announcement excitedly blared. Amid the roar of applause, Kalani could hear the calls of many bets being placed, but both stood rooted, as if time had stopped for them.

Seeing their hesitation, the announcement added, "Five minutes remaining, contestants."

Hearing this, Lucas took a first step forward. Seeing the red on Lucas's shirt, Kalani realized Lucas intended to kill him. His heart heavy, the boy lowered his emerald eyes, which clouded over as he lost hope.

Gripping the dagger till his knuckles turned white, Kalani scoffed internally, 'Hah, trust is such a fragile thing...' Digging his heels into the ground, Kalani sprinted toward Lucas.

In no time, Kalani was in front of Lucas and mercilessly plunged the blade into his opponent's abdomen— or at least this is what he planned to do. Just before the attack connected, the dagger stopped only a few centimeters away.

Kalani hoarsely spoke first, "Why are you not attacking?..." He stared as Lucas slightly tilted his motionless face toward him. Like a mirror, Lucas's hazelnut eyes reflected Kalani's bloodied self.

Lucas finally parted his chapped lips, "I cannot kill anyone..." The young man's words stumped Kalani, who then showed a cold sneer.

"You're lying... How could you have passed the first round without killing your opponent?"

Lucas, however, didn't seem taken aback, if anything, there was a hint of sadness instead. Lucas shifted, and Kalani immediately jumped back, afraid of a sword strike.

Then Kalani's eyes widened. The silver blade of the sword sunk into Lucas's stomach, yet the young man kept a calm face, as if he wasn't the one impaling himself. Lucas flashed Kalani an apologetic smile before his body doubled over.

However, before Lucas hit the ground, he felt warm arms hold him up.

"You..." Lucas heard Kalani mutter, "you bastard." Lucas wryly grinned in response.

"At least talk politely you brat— khoff!..." Lucas said until he began to cough. Kalani panicked, placing him down on his lap to avoid aggravating the wound. The overwhelming urge to cry welled inside Kalani as he fought to hide it.

But the constricting pain stemming from Kalani's chest left him breathless in spite of digging his fingernails into his palms. Finally, Lucas managed to stabilize his condition, but the glaring stain on his shirt only grew larger.

Seeing this, Kalani made his choice. He reached to the side for his dagger, but Lucas was one step ahead and managed to snatch it away.

In spite of Lucas's apparently weak grip, Kalani glared at Lucas, "Give it back..."

"Only a fool would give it to you," Lucas mumbled, "And I am not one of them." Kalani carefully tried to pry off Lucas's fingers; however, Lucas applied more force on his grip, making him cough heavily from overexertion.

"If you just give it to me, you will live!..." Kalani finally shouted at Lucas angrily, his eyes bloodshot from restraining the tears. Lucas grimaced.

"I didn't choose this to let you kill yourself!" Lucas snapped back with a snarl. "Who do you think I am doing this for?!" Kalani knotted his brows, but before he could retort, Lucas grabbed Kalani's shirt with his fist. "I. Chose. This."

Lucas loosened his hold once Kalani loosened his.

"Heh, I win," Lucas eventually chuckled amid shortening gasps as his blood pooled steadily onto the ground. Though his vision was beginning to blur, Lucas couldn't mistaken the stricken expression on Kalani's face. This was the first time Kalani displayed such emotions to him, and yet this was also the last. How ironic...

"Promise me, Mute. You will live to see the world outside," Lucas's voice faltered for a second as he mustered up the rest of his strength to continue, "for me..."

Lucas gazed Kalani dead in the eyes while saying this. With no despair or regret, his deep hazel irises left a lasting mark on Kalani's conscience.

When Kalani nodded slowly, Lucas grinned as his lids drooped, finally allowing himself to succumb to the fatigue overtaking his body.

...