Chapter 21: Blood and Tears
The silence after the last match was not peace—it was the quiet before another storm.
Ryo leaned against the cold steel wall of the waiting chamber, his body trembling—not from fatigue, but from the heavy thoughts weighing down his soul. His fists were still bloodied, remnants of the brutal encounter with the Hollow Beast who had nearly torn him apart. He had won, but it didn't feel like victory. Not anymore.
He stared at the blood on his hands.
Is this all I am now? A blade to cut down others?
The door creaked open.
Ryo instinctively turned, ready to fight—but it was not an enemy. It was a boy. Young. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. Scrawny compared to the other fighters, but his eyes carried the weight of a lifetime's pain.
"I'm not here to fight," the boy said softly, raising both hands. "My name is Kael."
Ryo said nothing. His eyes lingered on Kael's tattered clothes and the bruises lining his arms.
"I saw your last match," Kael continued, voice trembling. "The way you fought... the way you held back even when you could've killed him."
Ryo narrowed his eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"
Kael took a breath. "Because I need to believe someone in this hell still remembers why we're here. Still remembers what we've lost."
That made Ryo pause.
"What do you mean?"
Kael stepped closer, fumbling with a small object in his hand. He held it up—a simple necklace with a cracked charm. A child's name was etched into it.
"My sister," he whispered. "They took her. When I refused to join the Maw, they… they killed her. Left that necklace by the door like it was some kind of message. I joined after that. Not because I wanted to, but because I had nothing left."
Ryo's heart clenched.
He had seen so much death. Caused so much himself. But something about Kael's raw honesty tore through the numbness.
"I fight to live," Kael continued, "but not just for me. For her. So they never forget what they did."
Ryo stared at the boy, words failing him. He thought of Ren, of how his brother had vanished into this same madness. Had he felt the same? Had he lost something too? Or had the Maw simply taken everything and twisted it?
Suddenly, the room's lights dimmed. A loudspeaker crackled above.
"Participants 317 and 412—prepare for your next bout."
Ryo's number.
He rose slowly. His body screamed in protest, but his mind was sharper than ever. As he passed Kael, he stopped.
"You shouldn't be here," Ryo said.
Kael smiled bitterly. "Neither should you."
The arena awaited.
Ryo stood under the artificial sky, the scent of fire and sweat thick in the air. Across from him stood a tall woman—muscular, scarred, her eyes shadowed with grief. Her name was Elya.
"Ready to die?" she asked coldly.
"No," Ryo replied. "But I'm not ready to lose either."
The bell rang.
Elya was fast—faster than anyone he'd fought before. Her fists were like iron, her movements precise. But it was her silence that struck Ryo the most. She didn't grunt or growl. She fought like someone who had already accepted her death.
Ryo dodged, countered, pushed her back. But she kept coming.
Until finally—he landed a crushing blow to her ribs. She collapsed to one knee, coughing blood. But instead of rising, she looked up at him and… smiled.
"You're different," she said. "You hesitate."
"I'm tired of killing," Ryo replied.
She nodded. "Then maybe we're not so different after all."
She removed a small photograph from her pocket, holding it out to him.
"My son," she said. "They told me he'd be free if I made it to the final round. But we both know that's a lie."
Ryo's breath caught.
"How many of us are here chasing ghosts?" she whispered.
He looked into her eyes and saw it—the same pain, the same fire. She wasn't just an opponent. She was a reflection. A mother who had lost, just as he had lost Ren. A soul trapped in a cage of blood and promises.
He stepped back.
"I'm not going to kill you."
The audience roared with disapproval. The announcers shouted, demanding a finish.
But Ryo stood firm.
Elya blinked, stunned. "Why?"
"Because if we keep doing what they want… they win."
She lowered her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Ryo turned away.
The crowd was screaming now. Alarms blared. Armed guards approached the arena floor—but Ryo didn't flinch.
He had made his choice.
Later, in the isolation chamber, Ryo sat quietly. His body ached, but his heart was light—for once.
The door slid open. It was Kael again, bruised and bloody from his own fight.
"They're calling you a traitor," he said, limping over. "You broke the rules."
"I broke their illusion," Ryo replied.
Kael dropped to the ground beside him. "You gave people hope."
They sat in silence.
Then, Kael asked the question that had been clawing at Ryo since the beginning.
"Why do you fight?"
Ryo hesitated.
"For my brother," he finally said. "For the promise we made to escape together. But also… now, I fight for everyone they've broken."
Kael smiled.
Blood had brought them together. But it was empathy—shared tears—that gave their fight meaning.