It's been two days since he got here and honestly the boy likes this better than where he was originally, the lady he's here with spoke to him in a nice manner but was always confused why the young child didn't respond back, thinking of multiple possibilities she tossed one idea half hazardly out her mouth.
"Can you not understand what I'm saying?" the woman said
still not getting a response."What to do..what to do..ah, that's an idea," the thoughts of the woman brought a smile to her face as she got up and made her way to the cell door.
The boy heard the woman whisper to the guard with a pale bright smoke coming from her lips and into the guard's ear, the guard let out a choked noise before walking away into a room out of their sight, sitting down with a smile of warmth the woman thought of something to pass the time until her task, finally after some time she began to hum a tune, remembering a specific tune that once calmed down a little one just like this boy.
The noise was pleasant, it was soothing and warm, he doesn't know why but he began to nod his head side to side moving with the humming, until it was interrupted by a loud bang coming the cell door, the woman with brisk haste made her way to the door and grabbed something from the guard, his eyes glowing with a pale color and stiffly made his way back to his original post.
The woman sat down again but this time had a stick in her hand, the boy began to shake again remembering that object was thrown at him, feeling him shake in front of her the woman began to hum the same tune from moments ago to calm the young child.
Sitting down next to the boy who watching her in curiosity the woman became to carve something into the dirt "Laylana."
The woman said turning her head to the boy who was now fascinated by the word on the ground "my name is Laylana, what's yours?,"
the boy didn't respond much to Laylana's slight irritation, something crossed her mind from earlier "Can he really not understand me?"
The thought now making sense as she ponder the idea, even though she asked the same question she really didn't think that notion was possible.
"By the code, who could do this to a child? It sickens me finding another child scorned by this wretched land," Laylana grimaced but switched her face like a mask when the child turn to look at her.
"La..lahha." the boy tried to say the noise
he just heard but failing horribly, giggling in her hand Laylana decided to help the struggling child "Lay....la...na," she pointed at herself.
"La...ha..ha," the boy tried to mimic the movement of her lips but without ones of his own, it was futile effort.
An idea went off in her brain but before she could put idea into fruition someone interrupted her.
"OI, Shut the fuck up!," the harsh words echoing inside the room making the boy begin to shake again "Memzuki, I know that's you, just wait until the grand fight."
The words Laylana said made the man who was still grumbling under his breath stop, the sound of breathing and small chatter slowly enveloping the silence "Now let's try this again little one."
"Lay..la..na," pulling the side of her lips to show her teeth Laylana said, the weird action from the woman made him giggle, finding her face funny. This brought a warm smile to the tan woman's face hearing him giggle in a place like this.
* * *
Sixteen days has past with the boy being taught how to speak and understand the language, he knew how to speak but not by much, although he can understand what is being spoken to him, along side leanering how to speak he and Laylana grew close. Laylana was happy that he can finally communicate albeit not to her level but nonetheless, her fondness grew as the boy reminded of her.....She shook her head to rid those thoughts.
"Lay..lana, what's free..ek?" The boy said still trying to grasp talking,
"Little one why would ask such a thing?" Laylana asked.
"That's wh-whaat he said i was."
Pointing to the guard sleeping on the job and not caring for the noise around him "Little one, not matter what." Clasping her hands around his face "You are you."
"HEY LET ME GO! I WAS BEING HONEST, WAS THAT SO WRONG?" That voice, that noise, that same tone, "No...no...no no no no NO NO NO!" The boy held his head in his four hands, clenching his hair nearly ripping it out "Little one? What's the matter?" Laylana was quickly by his side hugging him, four arms wrapped around her in a vice grip, she didn't care that her ribs and back were crushed under his strength, it was his face.
Pure unadulterated fear "IT WAS A COMPLIMENT I SWEAR, SHE WAS SHORT AND ROUND LIKE A BUNSAI IMP!" the voice got louder as footsteps could heard on the other side of the entrance, the door slammed open waking the sleeping guard.
Three people entered, two guards carrying a middle aged man with raven colored hair, no whistle was needed when the man was shouting constantly, deciding to not pay any attention to the clearly drunken fool as he was shoved into a cell Laylana started to hum.
Upon hearing the comforting noise the boy's fear and shaking slowed down until he was asleep in her arms, tears running down his face "What caused such...terror in his eyes?" Laylana thoughts were cut as a hand bell was rung waking the sleeping boy.
"ALRIGHT YOU FILTH LISTEN UP!" A guard with adorned in more of the copper armor and a cape with a symbol of a circle, "Tomorrow will be the Grand fight, so say your prayers or think back to your old times."
And with his announcement finished he walked away with arrogance the door slamming behind him.
"I pray they graze over and ignore the child, he doesn't need this." Laylana stroked his hair while the boy rested in her lap, the sound of two people snoring hits her ears and forms a small smile on her tan face "Eri." A memory of child matching the same description as herself flashed in her head.
"Be strong little one." She didn't know why she said this, it was an random thought after all, but she didn't know that boy was listening, the words not making any sense but felt important.
* * *
"YOU CAN'T HE'S JUST A BOY!" Standing in front of the boy Laylana had an unnatural snarl aimed towards the guards "Move it fangs, he's the first fight," the guard on the left said with a baton an arc of electricity at the end "He's just a boy."
"And my paycheck if he dies so...move." the guard stepped forward, with her not moving and inch the guard got tired and shoved the baton to her abdomen to stun her, whistling was the only he heard as a fist buried itself in his face his helmet flying off "SON OF A-" The guard grabbed her wrist as she tried to punch him again, Laylana felt her body went numb as she fell to the ground "Listen here you vampire skank...my role is paralysis, just remember that next time."
The guard spat on her paralyzed body and finished his fit with a kick to her stomach, being done with the woman the guard with a bloody nose forcefully grab the child by his hair. The boy trying to protest got a punch to his head for troubles "Stop that useless shit and walk." The other guard said as they walked out the cell.
One thing echoing throughout the boy's head is what Laylana said before he was dragged away "Survive."
* * *
People cheered in a coliseum like arena, a roof adorn with light shined on the sandy arena, the cheering got louder as a fat man dressed in a fancy suit and tie walked up to a podium "WELCOME GOOD PEOPLE OF THE APEX, IM YOUR HOST FOR THIS EVENT AND TONIGHT, WE HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL JUST FOR YOU!"
The roar of the crowd egged the obese man to continue "A FATHER AND HIS SON, SELLING HIS OWN CHILD FOR JUST FOUR GOLD ONLY TO END UP HERE WITH HIM." Laughter rang throughout the arena.
"So little."
"Only four? he must be one of the lower layers."
"After he sold his son he got dragged here also, that's so pathetic ho ho ho."
"LET THE FIGHTERS ENTER!" The man waved his hand as the father walked out in the area from a large gate that opened, a dead look in his eyes as he held a sword in his left hand, dressed in nothing but black shorts the reaches to his knees, stitched vertically to the waist was multiple strips of the same color. "Huh? It seems the boy is not coming out." The fat announcer said looking at the gate opposite from the father's, leaning over the podium.
"Use the wall." A guard said
The boy was up against a wall not wanting to leave until the wall moved on its own now pushing him into the arena, The entire arena silent as the four arm boy was shoved by the wall into the sandy terrain, wearing the same outfit as his father the boy was blinded by the overhead lights.
"DEAR CHIME HE'S HIDEOUS!" The roar of disgust made the boy shiver, the father staring his child down with cold dead fury, the reason why his beloved is gone "you fucking abomination, you took everything from me, first my wife, my sons and now....IM HERE BECAUSE OF YOU!" The Madden look in his metallic colored eyes shook the boy.
The red hot sand below his feet burned but the boy couldn't care less as the man in front of him was giving him a look he never seen before, and wished it continued that way. "READY...FIGHT!" The father shot forward dashing to cleave the boy in two, seeing this the boy only thought of one thing to do.
Run.
He ran for his life as the people crowd laughed and pointed at him saying things like,
"Such a coward."
"Like a rat.
He didn't know those words but the tone of them was hostile, still running the boy didn't see the incoming rock his father threw at his head, his vision went blurry as the rock collided with his cranium, the roar of the crowd was drowned out as ringing was all he could hear.
"KILL IT."
"GET RID OF THAT THING."
The crowd's words went unheard as the father stood over the thing he believed destroyed his life "My love, if only you were here." He whispered as he brought the sword over his head, the tip pointed at the 'thing' poised to strike.
His vision returning back to normal the boy saw the shadow over his form and turned quickly to see the sword coming down, the memory of Laylana picking the dirt in their cell and blowing in the air to entertain the boy, he remembered some got in his eye and it didn't feel nice.
Picking up the sand from the ground he threw it at his father's face blinding the man, "YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT." The man rubbed his eyes trying to get the sand out, "St-stop please." The boy said slowly crawling backwards "Don't you...DARE TALK TO ME!" eyes red from the sand or insanity the father discarded the sword and jumped on the boy, his hands around his neck.
The roar of the crowd being the last thing in his mind as he choked the abomination planning to rid this land of its existence, he was scared, the boy didn't know what was going on as air didn't reach his lungs and the pressure on his neck tighten every second, his vision was getting dark, he was getting weak.
"Be strong little one."
"Survive."
Those words, deep down he knew instinctually but he didn't know how or why, wasn't it the right thing for him to perish?
no.
No.
NO.
Something primal clawed its way to his conscious something he never he had, The will to survive, the boy felt something in his chest as it burned, he grabbed the wrist of his father and felt something snap, "AH FUCK, WHAT FUCK THIS YOU JUST DO?" those words fell on deaf ears as the boy pushed his father to ground and has now on top of him.
Rearing the top and bottom fist back like he saw Laylana do and swung, cracking could be heard as for the first this event started the crowd was silent except the wet thuds coming from inside the arena.
"Survive."
One Thud.
"Survive."
A second.
"Survive."
And a third.
This kept going for several minutes until the boy stopped, he couldn't keep the feeling in chest any longer as he let out primal scream, but with his duel voice it sounded like a roar of monster.
* * *
Tears leaked out of unseen holes in the scars across her eyes, she heard the roar from her cell, the raw emotion in that single roar made her shed tears she thought lost long ago.
Misery.
* * *