Thunderous war drums pounded in unison, combined with the sharp blare of battle horns that cut through the air—like a call for war. The ground pulsated with every beat, the atmosphere was filled with the promise of blood and battle.
As the beats of the drums continued to send pulses of excitement within the civilian audiences, it had also sent a shiver of fear and despair deep within the veins of the slaves—especially the weak and vulnerable.
Some fell to their knees—accepting their fate which was to die, accepting the fact that it is better to die now than a prolonged and painful death.
Yet some stood prominent, shining through the despair—Jinn was one of them.
Jinn's face hardened as he steeled himself for what was to come, he stood his ground on the pulsating ground, as he will once again fight against destiny—for his own and for the ones he holds dear.
The roar of the crowds continued—almost deafening, until they softened as the announcer spoke again.
"Let's not waste any time shall we?" the announcer smiled before moving his hand to press a button in front of him.
"Let us proceed as usual."
A subtle click came from the button before a deep rumbling echoed throughout the arena as multiple gates opened.
A hefty group of soldiers poured out of each gate, their boots subtly hitting the stone floor as they headed towards the group of slaves.
"Let the sorting begin!" exclaimed the announcer, prompting the soldiers to begin sorting the slaves.
The young were taken from their parents and sorted at the other side of the arena—while the adults were herded at the opposite side.
"No! That's my daughter!" screamed a parent as her child was taken away from her grasp.
Mocking laughter coming from the civilians filled the air, cruel and unrelenting as each child was taken elsewhere—their fates grim.
Wait, I could use this chance to meet with the others, perfect, Jinn thought as he was taken towards the location where the other children were herded.
"Show them what you're made of—Boy!" exclaimed Biyo his loud laughing cutting through the noise as he cheered Jinn on.
Jinn shook his head and sighed, yet a smirk curled from the corner of his mouth.
===
Meanwhile, in the viewing spot of Venedix, murmurs began to erupt as they saw Jinn.
"Look at that boy…he has crimson hair!"
"And he's a Rinari? How odd!"
Venedix tapped the bottom of the hilt of her sword, making subtle taps as she narrowed her eyes towards Jinn.
"Crimson red hair…from afar, you'd mistake him as a child of Sorellia."
The man's voice were regal as he took a step forward, before turning to look at Venedix.
"How odd indeed." his eyes narrowed at Venedix.
Venedix crossed her legs as she stared back. "Your sword is blocking the way." her tone—cold yet she had an unbothered expression.
"Mhm." The man scoffed before moving out of the way.
===
With the last slave being sorted to their respective place, the ground began to emit sharp clicks—subtle at first, then grew loudly.
Kain looked around. "W-What's that sound!?" his eyes filled with anxiety.
Jinn, bothered by the noise, also noticed the machine-like sounds filling the area—as the ground they were stepping upon, rumbled subtly.
Then catching a spark from the corner of his eye, he turned his gaze to find multiple small vents emerging from the ground—covering the area separating them and the adults.
What followed was a series of synchronized hisses from the vents, before erupting to blazing flames—an inferno covering a large part of the arena.
Jinn's eyes widened to the sudden eruption of flames covering the arena and a wide circle around them.
Whatever stunt the Zeraf would force them to do, Jinn realized that escape is death.
As the vents continued to surge with roaring hot flames, multiple container boxes emerged inside the safe area where the slaves were contained.
The containers clicked and groaned as they emerged from the ground, before bursting open to reveal its contents.
A variety of weapons were contained inside, from all assortments of melee weapons and ranged energy weapons.
From the other side—in the adult's area, Biyo smirked at the sight of the weapons in front of him.
"Hah!" he scoffed as he gazed towards the announcer, his eyes narrowed in seriousness. "They want us to cull ourselves."
"Each side will fight, children against children—and adults against adults." The announcer then held up 10 fingers. "10 minutes of carnage, until the strong are left to stand!"
Cheers from the crowd erupted, followed by the terror filled faces of most of the slaves. Some feared for their lives, while some feared for the lives of their children.
"Yeah, kill yourselves—you fucking slaves haha!"
"Look at their faces—look! Hahaha!"
The mocking words of the civilians rained down on the civilians like acid, each taunt burned deeper into their already broken spirits.
"5 minutes from now, the carnage begins—so grab your weapons!" The announcer added as he projected a timer on a large screen for everyone to see.
The time was ticking, so Jinn did not hesitate to immediately grab a weapon—for himself and Kain.
"You stay here Kain, I'll grab a suitable weapon for you." said Jinn before stepping forward to walk to one of the containers near him.
As he walked, he could see the already defeated faces of the children, their tears running down their cheeks as their bodies shivered in fear.
Jinn felt a slight pang in his heart—pity, as the futures of these children were robbed for the petty reasons of warfare and cruelty.
Yet he still walked forward, eyes filled with determination.
The cruel truth of the reality Jinn lived in, the strong will always conquer the weak—he realized one thing when Venedix slaughtered the Rinari at Leran and when her friend—Nevi was killed.
He must be strong for his own and for the ones he loved—he must be strong so that he has the power to protect.
With a tight grip, Jinn grabbed one of the swords from the container, along with a light energy pistol.
Jinn inspected the sword as he swung it around briefly. The sword was moderate in weight, yet not too heavy that it would make him unbalanced.
Jinn nodded before heading towards Kain's location, yet he paused from his tracks due to what he saw from the corner of his eyes.
It was the rest of his friends, Hector, Ophelia, Vox, Verhedyn, and Orin—just a few meters away from him.
Jinn's eyes widened in realization, before he ran towards Kain with a sprint.
"Come on Kain—I found the rest of our friends!" Jinn exclaimed as he shook Jinn's shoulders.
"R-Really!?" Kain replied, his mouth open in awe.
Jinn then beckoned Kain to follow him. "Yeah, Follow me!"
The two then ran together to rendezvous with the rest of their friends.
And there, the group of friends had successfully reunited after a not so long time.
"Hect…" "Hec..or!"
Orin nudged Hector. "Do you hear that?"
"HECTOR!"
Hector and the rest then turned their heads almost instantly to the source of the sound as they heard Jinn's familiar voice.
"H-Hey guys, It's Jinn—and Kain!" Vox exclaimed as he saw Jinn and Kain's figure amongst the other children.
"Now that's a sight for sore eyes." Verhedyn smirked.
"Jinn! Great timing, the event's just about to start!" said Hector as he looked at the monitor up above—1 minute left.
Ophelia tightened her fingers on the mace within her hands. "Good, let's use this chance to stick together—as a team." her eyes fixated on Jinn.
Jinn nodded as his face hardened with resolve.
"Ophelia's right."
Meanwhile, Verhdeyn nudged Orin with his shoulder, before whispering. "You gonna do it or not?"
Orin's face turned red as she scratched her head—her footsteps slow as she walked towards Jinn.
Catching movement from the corner of his eyes, Jinn turned to Orin.
"Orin…:
"U-Uh… J-Jinn…about the time when we were on the ship…" Orin stuttered.
"I'm sorry for slapping and lashing out on you…"
Putting his hand over Orin's shoulder, Jinn reassured her. "Don't worry Orin—besides, I seem to have already found your necklace."
"R-Really!?" Orin's eyes widened.
"Mhm." Jinn nodded. "But it's on someone's hands—and I'll have to retrieve it."
Orin paused for a minute before nodding, her expression tightened. "I trust you Jinn."
Jinn nodded once again. "But first—Let's survive this shithole we're in." his eyes narrowed as he looked at the rest of his friends.
Series of nods came from the rest of Jinn's friends, their fingers gripping tight on the weapons they had in their hand.
"Allrighty! 30 seconds and we'll begin the bloodbath!" exclaimed the announcer through the microphone—before being followed by the intense cheering of the civilians.
The flames coming from the vents became even more powerful—escape is no longer an option.
Gripping the longsword he has on his hands, Hector exclaimed. "I'll cover our flanks, Jinn!"
Jinn nodded before turning his gaze on Vox who was poking him.
"What's the plan Jinn!?" exclaimed Vox, sweat started to run down the side of his head.
"Stick together and attack only those who attack us—that's the plan!" Jinn replied.
Verhedyn's finger gripped the hilts of the daggers on both of his hands, sweat started to drip along his hands.
"The suspense is killing me—just get it on already."
The group of friends then huddled close to each other, each person covering each direction for impregnable defense.
A few more seconds passed, and a loud boom came from the multiple horns across the arena—it's howls were almost deafening.
"5 Seconds!!!" the announcer exclaimed.
"Here we go," Jinn muttered under his breath as he closed his eyes momentarily to perform a series of breaths that calmed him down.
With a powerful exhale and a tightened grip on the sword on his hand, Jinn opened his eyes.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Culling Begins!"