Hours passed quickly, and after a while Aelon received his food.
The aroma of it made his mouth water.
'Non-synthetic food? Yes!'
Tears flowed once again, this time not because of frustration, but because of happiness and elation.
Synthpaste was a staple food in the outskirts. And even that he barely got, only being able to eat one tube every day–– if he got lucky. Most weeks he only got five.
It was real meat... with something that looked like fruits. Fruits were rare, and something only reserved for the people in the city. Next to the piece of meat and the green apple, there lay a piece of stale bread. It did look better tasting than that damn synthpaste though.
First grabbing the meat by the bone, and biting into it, he was enveloped in pure bliss.
"Damnation! This food is really worth dying for!"
Then Aelon laughed about his own joke, and finished up the tray. The last time he had eaten until he was full was... a long time ago.
The short boy still had many hours before his fight would start, so he sprawled down onto the ground, and let the sleep he avoided the past few days enthrall him.
Sleeping with a full stomach really was something great.
***
When Aelon woke up, he noticed that the cell before him was empty.
The man had not returned from his fight, as it seemed.
With clenched fists, he simply stared ahead. Into nowhere. Nothing was keeping him company, but the surrounding wailing, and cries for food.
Eventually, after gods know how long, a familiar presence came close with a candle in hand.
"Ready yourself."
Immediately, Aelon stumbled onto his feet, making sure not to trip over the chains that bound his feet.
The bars were opened, and the guard stepped in. Now that he came closer, Aelon could see him better.
He had a weathered face, seeming to be in his thirties. His hair was ash gray already though–– probably not something caused by his aging, but some other cause.
'Maybe he's an awakened, and his aspect did that to him?'
It wasn't unusual that the appearance of awakened underwent a drastic change after surviving their first nightmare. Generally your appearance changed every time you ascended the ranks.
Aelon felt himself being released from the chains that bound him to the metal ball. Now he was only shackled by the hands, feet finally free.
His bare feet were cold against the stone floor.
The guard grabbed him by the neck, like a kitten, and then walked him out the cell.
As they entered the hallway, Aelon could finally see the countless people that were wailing in their cells. All of them looked... broken. Dirty hair, skin and bones, and the rags that they wore around their body wet from their own piss.
He gulped.
'This would've been me if I didn't offer myself up to fight.'
Relief washed over him, but when his thoughts returned to the fact that he was walking towards his own death right now, and that the guy in the neighboring cell didn't return from his own fight, the unwavering anxiety came in it's stead.
It was really dark. The candle was the only thing lighting up the seemingly endless hallways, and even then he could tell how boney some of his inmates were.
Finally they reached the end, where a brown wooden door stood.
Grabbing a big metal keychain from his waist, his fingers tightened around one specific key, and opened the door.
Immediately light entered Aelon's eyes, causing him to squint. A big staircase stood, with multiple candles held by candleholders, that were integrated into the wall to light the room up.
Eyes shut closely, he slowly lifted his eyelids, eyes adjusting to the blinding light. After a few seconds it was okay again.
His headache had intensified.
Seeing that Aelon was done adjusting, the guard proceeded to lead him towards the stairs, and ascend them with him.
Once they were at the top, another wooden door stood in the way, which the guard opened again.
They walked through multiple hallways with all kinds of things inside, and reached a room that looked like an armory.
"For your first fight, you'll be allowed to pick one weapon here. If you win, you'll gain soul shards. The more soul shards you have, the better armor, and other things you can buy. Depending on your enemy you'll gain according soul shards. When you have one hundred awakened soul shards, you'll be allowed to buy yourself out. You're also allowed to take your opponents gear and soul shards."
'I think that's the goal for this nightmare. Get out of here. Soul shards seem to be the currency.'
In the prior ages, it made sense for soul shards to be used as a currency, after all, as far as Aelon knew, Nightmare Creatures were crawling everywhere.
Aelon looked around. There weren't any bows or weapons that weren't melee focused on the wall. He had to get in direct physical contact to fight–– which made sense, since someone shooting you without you being able to do anything at the start of the battle seemed unfair.
Even if there were bows, he wasn't sure if he could use one.
He walked around the room. There were single armor pieces too.
'I think a weapon is the better option here. I doubt I'd be able to kill anybody with just my fists.'
Aelon continued browsing.
'This... this may work.'
He grabbed the weapon.
"Is this your choice?" The guard looked at him with a confused stare.
"Y-yes I think so."
"Very well."
In Aelon's hands... was a hatchet.
Hatchets were lightweight, and he doubt he could handle swinging an axe without stumbling over his own feet.
There was one other reason why he picked his hatchet–– it was a huge gamble though. One that if he failed... it would most likely all be over.
The guard grabbed him, and led him to the next room. The next room wasn't a room at all though.
Blinding lights descended on him once again, but this time they didn't come from candles, nor from any other source of artificial light. It was the sun.
Surrounding him were loads of people. More than he could count, and more than he wished to know. They were all sitting on seats elevated from the main arena. The main arena was pretty big, and not to talk about the ridiculous crowds that settled on the watcher's seats.
To Aelon's surprise the guard patted him on his shoulder. "Good luck kid."
Then he walked away.
Suddenly a ridiculously loud voice resounded through the whole colosseum.
"Everyone, welcome to this fight! Prior to the awakened fights that will commence, we wanted to humor you with a little more entertaining one. This little boy, is Aelon. As you can see he probably won't hold up, a good warm up for our new combatant Colossus!"
The door on the other side of the stadium opened. On the other side... a man.
Aelon wasn't sure if he could even be called a man anymore. He stood at around seven foot, with huge bulging muscles, that would make Aelon vanish if he stood next to him.
'I... I'm supposed to fight that?'
This... thing hadn't even chosen a weapon. Just one armor piece.
A guard for his crotch.
'At least he got his priorities set– shut up! You're gonna totally die! Didn't he say the awakened came after? This guy cannot be mundane.'
Slapping his own cheek with his free hand, Aelon gathered his thoughts.
'Come on. You need to see this positively. He's a bigger target, perfect for your plan.'
He wondered if his hatchet would even penetrate that behemoths skin.
Aelon tightly grasped it with both his hands. They were trembling.
The guard that took Colossus out, excused himself too, and now they were all alone in the arena. That ugly beast of a man stared him right in the eyes and... licked his lips.
An incredible disgust waned over Aelon.
'Come on. You got this. You got this. You got this.'
Repeating it over and over in his mind, he tried manipulating himself into actually believing that statement.
"Everyone! The fight starts when the horn gets sounded! Fighters get ready!"
Aelon's grip tightened even more, which seemed impossible at this point. His heart seemed to be beating so hard, that he was afraid Colossus could hear it. His breath sped up. He felt his face heating up, and his knees were shaking.
To his inconvenience... he wet himself.
Aelon didn't notice it though.
And then it happened. The horn sounded.
Immediately, the bald head of the Colossus came closer, his massive body dashing towards the half-grown boy.
Aelon's mind went blank. He was frozen in place, and the Colossus came closer and closer.
But something else took over. Adrenaline, and pure instinct.
It was well known, even to an Outskirts Rat like Aelon, that Adrenaline amplified your physical abilities by a lot. It made people able to achieve superhuman feats, like lifting PTV's with their bare hands, or running at inhuman speeds.
The pupils of his grey eyes contracted, and his body seemed to move on it's own.
Adrenaline got released when your body sensed it was in danger–– and this danger... was something that would guarantee Aelon's death.
The black haired boy took a step forward with his right foot, holding his hatchet in his left hand, and raised it.
Then he rotated his body, and transferred the center of gravity forwards, towards the head of the behemoth.
The hatched left his hand, and rotated in the air, flying right towards the middle of Colossus' face.
It planted itself in there perfectly.
The screaming crowds silenced, and Colossus stopped with his sprint towards the boy, now falling forward.
Blood was seeping out from the place the hatchet entered his head.
A moment later the crowd erupted.
"It seems we got a winner! Against the odds the little boy won!"
'I won?'
Aelon's confusion was higher than his pulse.
'I actually won?'
'I ACTUALLY WON!'