Ahead, a man looked at him.
The same cold glint that had slowly creeped into Aelon's expression had fortified itself in that man's face. When he saw the thirteen year old vomit, he grimaced.
He seemed to be in his twenties, around 5'8, and had decent muscle. Unlike Colossus though, his muscle didn't seem to affect his mobility in the slightest.
All that was what Aelon could tell with his first look at him. Analyzing his opponents was a ability he possessed already, but now after countless battles, he was able to tell way more than the ordinary human.
Casting his gaze downwards, to look at the weapon in the man's hand, Aelon nodded. It was a longsword. Most people here used longswords. After they piled up in Aelon's room, he asked the guard if he could sell them, and he just gave him three soul shards for fifteen swords, that all probably cost the combat slaves two soul shards each.
In the end, he didn't have a use for them either way. They were too big, heavy and difficult to wield for someone of Aelon's stature.
To the battle Aelon wore light armor, that did the job pretty well. He still wore the spiked boots, and chainmail armor, but now he also possessed a pair of metal gauntlets, and a helmet. Heavier armor would be in his way.
The man in his twenties looked up at the announcer and then back at Aelon. Aelon seemed to be around ten years old, even though he was thirteen, so it wasn't a surprise that the man looked visibly disturbed.
With a honk the match started.
The man's name seemed to be Corcus. Corcus dropped his sword.
Aelon's eyes widened.
'Why would he do that?'
Then he walked towards Aelon, who got into a combat stance, and tightened the grip of his hands around his weapons.
"Don't be so cautious child. I have given up on this life, once I saw that I had to kill you."
The boy's heart skipped a beat.
'He won't?'
"All my opponents so far were dishonorable fellows. They got sent into this arena due to committing crimes. I was quite lucky. My conscience allowed me to kill them. But what sin could a boy your age have committed?"
Aelon stayed silent for a few seconds, and then answered solemnly.
"I was born an orphan."
The man shook his head at that.
"Fate is cruel. It judges us all with it's own biases, and gives us circumstances that are unavoidable. So before Shadow embraces me, may I ask you to do it first?"
Suddenly all previously crept up guilt arose. Aelon felt obligated to do it.
It was stupid, but when he looked into Corcus' eyes, they were pure. No hostility was in them, just softness.
'His face looks just like Ly-'
'No. She left. I promised myself that I wouldn't disturb her.'
An outskirts rat like him had no business talking to her after she was adopted.
At least not yet.
Aelon approached Corcus, and stood before him.
The man spread his arms out, tears now glistening in his face.
"T-thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."
With his own tears creeping up, Aelon returned the embrace. It was warm.
It reminded him of her, after all she was the only one who had showed him such kindness.
"I'm sorry Aelon. I'm sorry you have to live through this at such a young age."
For once. For once Aelon felt like he was genuinely safe.
For once he felt like he could put trust in someone.
Stab.
A sharp pain came from Aelon's side.
"I'm sorry that I have to do this, but my life is more valuable to me than yours."
A dagger was embedded into Aelon.
"I'll end it quickly, I promise."
Corcus was actually crying. He was crying into Aelon's shoulder.
'Why?'
'Why did I have to trust him? How could I have been that naive? In the end she left me as well. Why would it be different for him?'
'I am stupid. I am an idiot.'
'But a prepared idiot.'
Out of Aelon's sleeve slipped a knife. With a swift motion he cut through Corcus' spinal cord, paralyzing him.
Aelon left the dagger in. He didn't have anything to stop the bleeding right now.
Corcus was shocked. You could see him try to move, or attack, but nothing more than a grimace came from his efforts.
"...I understand that you genuinely wanted to end it quickly for me, so I'll return the sentiment."
The boy's voice was cold. The previously slightly cold eyes now seemed empty.
In a swift motion he grabbed the hatchet from his waist, and put Corcus down to rest on his back.
"I'm sorry too."
Corcus stared at him.
Not with anger.
Not with fear.
With realization.
"You... you knew?"
Aelon didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Because the worst part was that he hadn't.
With a clean strike, he severed Corcus' head off.
Throughout this entire encounter the crowd remained silent.
Now they all screamed in excitement. They screamed in joy, and entertainment.
All Aelon wished for was to make them disappear.
***
The fire was hot, as was Corcus' longsword, which was now sitting in it, heating up.
Slowly, it gained a orange color, that eventually turned golden.
It hurt. Adrenaline had worn off, and so nothing was left to suppress the pain.
'This is gonna hurt.'
Aelon grabbed the hilt of the dagger that was inside him, and at the same time the hilt of the sword, whose blade was heating up.
In his mouth was a rag, which he bit on.
With one swift motion he pulled the dagger out, and his jaw immediately tightened. His teeth felt like they would snap against the rag.
The wound... had yellow pus seeping out from it.
Infected.
Then the more arduous part came. Before blood could seep everywhere, Aelon brought the blade of the impossibly hot sword against his own wound... and burned it shut.
Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and evaporating, when they dripped down and came in contact with the hot blade.
After two seconds of holding it against the wound, he let it fall down, against the stone floor, and kept gritting his teeth.
Moments later, he knew the pain wouldn't fade any time soon. But slowly he got used to it enough to finally take the rag out of his mouth.
Letting out heavy breaths the thirteen year old let himself fall on his back, making sure that the wound wouldn't make contact with the floor, and just rested.
He knew it. He was damned.
The wound was infected. He doubted there were any antibiotics in the nightmare, so if he wanted to survive any longer than a few days, he wouldn't have the means for it.
Aelon couldn't fight with a fever. He had to end it soon, and fast.
But he lacked the soul shards.
Tears were still streaming down, and he swallowed down the endless lump in his throat. The pain was unimaginable.
A guard came and escorted him back to his room.
"Guard. I have decided who I want to fight tomorrow."
The guard looked up, then shook his head in disdain. Aelon could swear he saw some guilt in his expression.
"Who is it?"
"Awakened Minos."
If he wanted to secure enough soul shards to gain his freedom by the next few days, he had to defeat an awakened.
It was either that, or death.
'I can't handle this any longer anyways. I'd rather die now, than continue fighting in this disgusting pit with these sadistic immoral wretches watching.'
Aelon was sure.
Even without the wound, sooner or later, he would have done the same.
He wanted to end it quickly, and now he had to end it quickly.
Killing an awakened gave a mundane combat slave fifty soul shards. Aelon currently had fifty-two–– all gained through corpses. That meant if he defeated the awakened, it would be a guaranteed exit.
And honestly? He would rather die, than continue killing any more people.