“Where am I?” Demian asked.
Demian was in a dark place made of stone, with large iron bars — it seemed to be a dungeon.
“How did I get here?” Demian tried to get up but—
Rattle.
“What? My hands are chained… It must have been that guy.”
“No, you’re wrong. It wasn’t me.”
Hearing a familiar voice, Demian looked forward and saw the person he had promised to kill. At that moment, he felt his blood boil.
“You bastard! What is this place!?” Demian shouted.
“First, let’s get something straight — I have a name, and it’s Louis. And second, I wasn’t the one who put you there.
The one who put you there was that weirdo. The only thing I did was sell you. You know, people who use magic are very rare, so they’re worth a lot.”
He sold me…
“Don’t talk about me so much, kid. Everything I did may have been horrible, but I was just sending you there. I also have my own circumstances.”
“You’re trying to make up an excuse for killing my sister!” Demian shouted.
“No, I’m not.”
But maybe I am, Louis thought.
A deep silence fell between them. Demian clearly didn’t want to keep talking to that man.
“So, I almost forgot — I came here for a reason.”
Demian stood in silence, staring at the man as he tried to think of some way to free himself from the chains that bound his hands.
Louis, realizing this, decided to remain silent. There was no way to escape those chains — they were made to block a person’s magic.
“So, as I said before, we are in a place called the Coliseum. And this Coliseum works like this—”
As Louis was about to explain, the sound of footsteps was heard approaching.
“Why don’t you let me explain this myself, since this boy is now my gladiator?”
“Look,” Louis said, taking a step back.
Coliseum… I think I’ve heard that name before, Demian thought.
Mira was a 24-year-old woman well known in Techno City for her high intelligence and creativity. She was often seen in the news as a genius.
Everyone who knew her said she was incredible, always an example to follow in her work and research. But that wasn’t the only reason she was famous.
Her appearance. Mira had long purple hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a white lab coat, a black sleeveless shirt underneath, and leggings.
All this combined with a body that made anyone look twice.
“Oh my dear Louis, why are you moving away from me?” Mira said as she approached Louis, running one of her fingers along his chin.
“I’m not moving away. I’m just keeping a safe distance,” Louis said, sweating coldly.
Mira let him walk away and said sweetly, “Wow, you make me sad. I thought we were finally getting closer.”
Louis gave a dry laugh, thinking, Many people are really fooled by this seductive appearance… but they have no idea what a sadist this woman is.
Mira, realizing Louis had already moved away from her, turned her gaze to Demian.
“Wow, you didn’t tell me the boy was so handsome. I would’ve paid you more, Louis!” Mira exclaimed as she licked her lips.
What!? I have a bad feeling about this woman. Demian shuddered.
“I didn’t think appearance would make a difference.”
“It does. A lot,” Mira said, not taking her eyes off Demian.
Looks like you’re out of luck, kid. You’ve attracted a monster.
After a few more seconds, Mira finally stopped staring at him.
“Right, back to what Louis was talking about before. The Coliseum.”
Demian started paying more attention — this might be important now.
“The Coliseum is actually quite simple. It’s a place where the most important and richest people in Techno gather to watch people basically kill each other — and they bet on the survivor.
In short, you’re a fighter. I put you to fight against another person, and then the spectators bet on whether you’ll lose or win. Simple, right?”
So this is like a dog fight, Demian thought, furious even if he didn’t show it.
Realizing the chance to get out of there, Louis began to walk backwards slowly.
“That’s right, Mr. Louis, I need to talk to you,” Mira said, not letting him leave.
“Well, I’d love to talk more, but I’m kind of busy right now, you know.”
Louis continued trying to leave, but before he realized it, Mira had appeared behind him.
“Don’t be like that. Let’s talk a little,” Mira said, hugging him from behind.
Is that her technology…?
“Sorry, Mira, but I’m really busy right now.”
Louis quickly pulled away from her and ran.
Letting Louis go, Mira walked toward Demian’s cell, looked at him, and asked,
“What year is it?”
“???”
“352 after the Revolution,” Demian said without thinking much.
“That’s good, because I had already forgotten.”
This woman is really a problem.
After Louis left, Mira entered Demian’s cell and removed his chains. Demian was surprised and immediately tried to escape, running past her — but Mira mysteriously appeared in front of him.
How did she appear here!?
“Don’t try to run away, little boy.”
Before Demian realized it, a needle pierced his neck, making him pass out immediately. As his vision blurred, he saw Mira giving a terrifying smile.
“I hope you entertain me a lot, Demian.”
Then Mira left the cell, leaving Demian on the floor.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Inside a luxurious room with a medieval touch, Mira sat in the middle of a large red sofa. Behind her was a huge bed that could fit four people, with dressers scattered around. But the main highlight of the room was the massive window in front of Mira, from where she could see the Coliseum.
The Coliseum was gigantic, circular, with a grandstand that could hold thousands of people. Mira’s room was right above it.
“Since I became the organizer of this Coliseum five years ago, no magic user has ever appeared. Now the guests are curious about this wizard. So I hope you don’t disappoint me in your first fight, Demian,” Mira said, looking at a small screen showing him.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Now inside a dark and dirty room, Demian was still unconscious. This place was different from his previous cell — at least it had a bed.
“Ugh…”
Demian slowly woke up. “Where am I?” Then the memories of recent events returned to him.
“What did that woman inject into me?” Demian asked, rubbing his neck.
“A containment plan,” Mira’s voice echoed.
But she wasn’t there. Demian noticed a small transparent window in front of him — and in it, he could see Mira.
“What is this!?” Demian exclaimed.
“A communication screen,” said Mira.
“???”
Seeing his confused face, Mira remembered something. “I think I forgot you’re from the Black Zone. That must not be very common there.”
Even though he was curious, Demian returned to the point.
“What did you mean by containment plan?”
“It’s simple. The Coliseum has an exit, and of course, some people try to escape. To prevent that, I developed a micro-bomb that I implanted in your neck. It will activate the moment you pass through the exit.”
Demian looked at Mira and calmly said, “I understand.”
Mira, as the organizer of the Coliseum for five years, had seen many different reactions before, but this was the first time she’d seen someone so calm. She couldn’t help but ask,
“Why are you so calm about this?”
“Complaining or begging you won’t change my situation at all.”
Hearing that, Mira gave a disturbing smile. Her face turned red, and she began breathing faster.
“I think I’m starting to like you more and more, Demian,” Mira said sweetly.
Demian shuddered. This woman has a screw loose in her head.
After a few seconds, Mira calmed herself and returned to the subject.
“Anyway, soon you’ll have your debut battle.”
“When?”
“In an hour, to be exact.”
“Why so fast? It hasn’t even been half a day since they brought me here!” Demian asked.
“Normally, the first battles only happen on the second day. But you are special.”
“Special!?”
“In the last five years, do you know how many wizards have appeared here?” Mira didn’t even wait for his answer. “Zero. Yes, zero. So the public is eager for your debut, and the stakes are high. I can’t waste time now.”
“So I hope you’re ready to put on a great show for the audience.” Mira gave Demian a thumbs up and a little peck before disappearing.
So now I’m a circus attraction, Demian thought, irritated.
But it doesn’t matter. She could have put a bomb around my neck, but if she knows how to put it in, she knows how to take it out.
So just wait, Mira. I’m going to make you take this bomb off me, and then I’ll get out of this circus of yours.
Now Demian had a clear and concrete objective: he was going to get out of that damn prison and then—
I will completely destroy the person behind my sister’s murder.
Since Louis is apparently just a subordinate, I don’t know who you are… but you will die for causing me this suffering.