"Ugh." After what felt like days of traveling blindfolded, Tsuyoi finally opened his eyes in his cell.
And was, of course, greeted by a headache. An unbearable, throbbing headache. The first thing he did was look around the cell and get used to his new surroundings.
Now this place seemed more like a cell.
He was surrounded on all sides by these annoying, eye-straining white brick walls. The cell was meant for two people, and there weren't any bunkbeds, just a bed in each corner of the room. Then came the usual prison sink, toilet and… nothing else. "Not even a table?" Despite his bleak situation, Tsuyoi kept his smile.
His cellmate was nowhere to be seen.
He was wearing a white jumpsuit, one he didn't remember putting on. Yet among all this strangeness, he was wearing something familiar. His Treasure, still tied to his waist.
"What the hell? I still have my Treasure?" Tsuyoi gasped. "Why?"
This question wouldn't go unanswered for long, as his cell door opened for a guard to enter. Just like the guards in Hades, he wore full Manasteel armor. Except this guy's was a few shades darker, indicating a higher quality.
"PE-1991." The guard spoke in a low, cold and monotone voice. "You have been to other United Government prisons before, so you won't have those rules explained to you again. But in this prison, Jahannam, a rule not seen in any other prison is in effect. I will explain it to you once, and never again. From now on, it will be assumed you know all of this at any given point in time. As you may have noticed, we didn't take your Treasure from you, or from any other inmate. You are free to use and wield your Treasure at any time, under specific rules, unless said otherwise."
This was, and that was putting it lightly, unheard of. He couldn't believe that they would let him keep his Treasure, let alone use it, even under strict rules.
"You are free to fight, harm or endanger other inmates unless said otherwise. But you aren't allowed to kill anyone. You aren't allowed to harm guards or any employee of the prison, and inmates working in the cafeteria are included in this rule. You aren't allowed to use your Treasure to escape the prison or to fuel any agenda for escape. You aren't allowed to damage the structure of the prison or anything belonging to it, with items like toilet paper, plates, forks and such excluded from this rule. Do you understand?"
"…" Tsuyoi hadn't paid attention to half of it, zoned out as he was, but he nodded regardless. "I'm right there with you, man."
"Now, about the divisions. The prison is divided into four divisions, or quarters. They are referred to as Q1, Q2 and so on. You are in Q3. Unlike other prisons, you are allowed to leave your cell at any time, even at night. You're forbidden from entering other cells or harming people in your own cell, unless they are intruders. On weekdays, interaction between divisions is not allowed, and it is impossible, as the barriers between the divisions close. But on weekends, the barriers open, and divisions are free to interact with each other or even fight. Fighting is encouraged, provided you refrain from killing."
"…May I ask why?" He was a bit nervous asking, because it felt like every guard was allergic to questions.
"Of course. It is to prepare for skirmishes. On the last weekday of each month, a skirmish event will take place, with every member of the division fighting in events, tournaments or free-for-alls. You're forced to fight until you're knocked out. This is to rank every inmate in terms of power and to see who is the last one standing. And on each month's last weekend, a selected few will be taken on special missions outside the prison, working for the government. They will be rewarded with luxury food, beds and comfort in the prison, depending on their performance during the mission, and may even have their sentences reduced. Sentence reductions aren't allowed for inmates on death row like you, though."
"Aight." Tsuyoi nodded in acknowledgment. "Is… that all? How will I get punished if I break the rules? Also, where is my cellmate?"
"It depends on which rule you break. Minor offenses like damaging prison equipment may cost you a meal or something similar. Things like harming a prison employee or killing, however, mean harsh solitary confinement. As for your cellmate, he is in solitary confinement. It ends tomorrow, but if I'm being honest, stay away from him." The guard headed for the door. "Godspeed."
"Godspeed to you too, man." As the guard left, Tsuyoi took a deep breath and sighed. "He wasn't that much of an asshole, I guess." He lay on his bed and tried to relax. The only things distressing him were the memories of his fight with Erik and the change in environment. He had already gotten used to being in prison thanks to Hades, which still sucked. "Nine months, huh? I had plenty of time. This division stuff sounds bad, though. I bet it's hell out there." He thought about going out and looking around, but changed his mind at the last second. "Nah, I'll sleep."
And so he did, a sleep filled with every memory of the incident in Hades. Could he have done something different? Maybe if he had dodged every move of Erik's, they would have won.
But maybes, ifs and shoulds wouldn't cut it.
His nap lasted around three hours before he finally woke up, yawning. What woke him was the call to the cafeteria.
Feeling pretty hungry, he trusted his Treasure and headed for the door. He walked through the empty hallways, paranoid, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds, but nobody was there.
When he entered the cafeteria, the sight was anticlimactic, to say the least.
Nobody was fighting. People were sitting, grouping, chatting and doing everything they would do in a normal cafeteria. A few inmates looked at him and whispered to each other. The whispers spread, causing more to stare at Tsuyoi.
He wasn't intimidated, just weirded out. He got his plate and food and looked for a place to sit.
"New guy!" One of them called out and raised his hand, smiling. The stranger had a brown bowl cut and was a bit taller than Tsuyoi but leaner. He looked around Tsuyoi's age. "Come sit!" he added.
"Sure!" Tsuyoi, being Tsuyoi, trusted him instantly and sat at their table. Their group had two more people alongside the man with the bowl cut. "What's up?" Tsuyoi said, sitting across from him.
"You look really familiar. When have I seen you before?" The man leaned in, analyzing his face.
"I don't know. Never seen you before." Tsuyoi raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Aha! You were with the Infamy Pirates, weren't you? Man, you're basically a celebrity! I don't remember your name, though." The man laughed in disbelief at the realization. "That's crazy!"
"Yeah… crazy shit. The name is Tsuyoi." Upon being recognized, Tsuyoi avoided eye contact with the man.
"PE-1991, huh?" The man looked at the ID on his jumpsuit. "We're matching! I'm JD-1991." He pointed at his own tag. "I'm Tracy, by the way." He offered a handshake.
Tsuyoi took it and looked around the cafeteria in confusion. "I thought fighting was allowed. Why is no one fighting?"
"Fights are rare in D3. Almost all of us are from the gang Vermelhos. With a man like 'King' at our side, no one from Vermelhos fights each other… but we do spar." Tracy leaned back and crossed his arms. He looked genuinely delighted to see someone like Tsuyoi.
"Almost? Are there other gangs?" Tsuyoi's eyes darted to the corner. A group of around twelve people sat apart from the rest. They wore matching white headbands.
"Yeah." At the mention of other gangs, Tracy's smile slipped slightly with distaste. "They're the Imaginarias. The only other gang in D3. We're in a cold war with them because they're outmatched, but their leader, 'Y', is… something else." He sighed. "Anywho, which gang is your cellmate from?"
"No idea. Haven't met the guy. A guard said he's in solitary confinement." Tsuyoi shrugged.
Everyone at the table went silent. Tracy looked at Tsuyoi's jumpsuit once more. "…PE-1991." The dots connected themselves. "But PE-1991 is…" Tracy's eyes widened.
"…What?" Tsuyoi tilted his head.
"Dude, you're fucked." Tracy cackled.