Kairo's eyes grew distant, lost in memory.
"I was a murderer," he began.
"I killed for money. No questions. No hesitation."
Faces. Blood. Contracts.
"They were powerful people — politicians, businessmen… people the world feared."
He paused.
"One day… I made a mistake."
A small one.
But enough.
"I got caught."
Sirens. Gunfire. Chains.
"They threw me into prison."
His voice hardened.
"But it wasn't a normal prison."
Kairo clenched his fists slightly.
"The moment I stepped inside… someone attacked me."
No warning. No words.
"Just violence."
A large prisoner rushed him — fast, brutal, confident.
"But I fought back."
The memory sharpened — fists colliding, bodies crashing into iron bars.
"It wasn't easy… but I defeated him."
The entire prison had gone silent.
Watching.
"That's when I realized… something was wrong."
A man approached him afterward, older, cautious. His name was Raghu.
"You don't understand where you are," Raghu told him.
Kairo looked at Voss.
"This prison had a system," he said. "A ranking system based on strength."
He continued,
"The man I defeated… was known as a 100 Leader."
Voss frowned slightly.
"That meant he had the strength of a hundred fighters," Kairo explained.
Raghu had stared at him in disbelief.
"Do you even realize what you've done?" Raghu said. "No one defeats a 100 Leader on their first day. It takes years… if they survive that long."
Kairo's expression darkened.
"But that wasn't the worst part."
He paused.
"There was someone stronger."
The air felt heavier.
"'At the top of the prison,' Raghu told me, 'there's only one ruler.'"
Kairo's voice dropped.
"'The 1000 Leader.'"
Even the strongest prisoners feared that name.
"He heard about you," Raghu said. "And now…"
Kairo slowly raised his head, eyes sharp again.
"He wants to meet you."
To be continued…