Levi stood at the precipice of the arena, the air clotted with malevolent intent, he beheld the abomination that would soon seek to rend his soul asunder. The creature's visage was a blasphemy, a twisted amalgam of bulging, pulsing flesh, its skin a deep, arterial red that seemed to throb with an otherworldly vitality. Eyes aglow with an infernal light, the beast regarded Levi with a calculating intelligence, its maw agape, revealing jagged teeth stained with the residue of countless victims.
This scene reminded Levi of an earlier conversation he had with some other captives.
*flashback* *flashback*
As he gazed upon his fellow captives, Levi's thoughts had assigned them names, a futile attempt to impose order upon the chaos that surrounded them. There were many people but most noticeable of all were hulking man, his face chiseled from granite, his eyes burning with a quiet, unyielding determination whom Levi termed as giant. Beside him sat, a frail, elderly figure with eyes sunken into the depths of his skull, his face a topographic map of wrinkles and despair who was also termed old man. And then, there was , a waif-like young girl, her eyes wide with terror, her tiny hands clenched into fists as if in a futile attempt to ward off the horrors that lurked beyond the cell's rusty bars.she was termed as child.
As the days blended together in an endless, despairing haze, Levi had watched as the others began to open up, their words dripping with a mixture of fear, resignation, and desperation. It was the Old Man who had first spoken of the place they were in, his voice a low, gravelly whisper that sent shivers coursing down Levi's spine.
"Let her be scared" Old Man said, his eyes glinting with a mixture of sadness and knowledge. "She's right to be scared. We're all right to be scared. Infact all those who value their lives and still have all their marbles in check should be scared."
Giant looked at Old Man, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern. "What do you mean, geezer?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling through the cell.
Old Man's eyes seemed to cloud over, as if memories long buried were rising to the surface. "This place, which I'm guessing you've never heard of," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "It's called the Carnifex. A place of blood soaked agony , where the damned and unfortunate alike participate in twisted games of survival. Only the winner or very rarely winners get to live or so I've heard."
Child's eyes went wide, her face pale with grim resignation . Giant's expression turned grim, his jaw clenched in a stifled curse. Levi felt dread creeping up his spine as he listened to Old Man's words.
"What kind of games?" Levi asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Old Man's eyes seemed to bore into Levi's soul. "A game where the strong devour the weak," he whispered. "Where the very concept of sanity seems to take weird forms before one's eyes. And we,all those in this cell are just food meant to be used to feed those monsters. There is no hope for any of us in here. After all even monsters need to eat otherwise they won't be energized to entertain their audience. Bunch of crazy fuckers."
The cell fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the captives. Levi felt a sense of despair wash over him, a feeling that he was trapped in a living nightmare from which there was no escape. But he was determined to survive even against all odds or at least put up a decent fight."
~~~~~~~~~~
Levi's eyes locked onto the creature, his heart racing with terror. The crowd's deafening roar was nothing compared to the unspeakable horror that stood before him.