Chapter 3: A Cage Made Of Flesh.

Here's a twist for you. For once, I didn't open my eyes, Err ok they are open, but I wasn't on the ground this time.

But I was in a dark tunnel with a light at the end sooo…

Shit, that sounded ominous. I'm not dead! Or at least I think I'm not dead… Holy shit, am I dead?

Oh, never mind, I hear the sounds of the crowd outside the tunnel.

I put a hand on my head, feeling a bit dizzy. Nevertheless, I walked forward into the light, "What the hell is this…?"

The words left my lips. I rose my arm to cover my eyes from the blinding sunlight. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I heard a voice, "The challenger has entered the arena!!!" I rose a brow, noticing that the arena itself was surrounded by waterfalls.

"But then, where is…?" I looked up and frowned, noticing stands for the audience seemingly floating in the air. I also turned around and saw my entrance gone covered by the waterfalls once more, the announcer's voice entered my ears.

"And now we introduce the raining champion! The one! The Only! Crimson ROSE!!!!!!!!" The waterfall opened ahead of me. I lowered my head and grabbed hold of my hood with both hands pulling it over my head.

For the first time I saw her, she walked out here, black shoes tapping on the white floor, a wolfish smirk on her face, crimson hair flowing elegantly, she waved with her right hand to the crowd her left hand clenched into a fist.

Brown shorts laid at her waist with a small red jacket around her top, her eyes locked with mine, "Well now, I have a busy day so let's get this challenge over with… Err, what's your name?"

Mj.

I wanted so badly to say that, to tell her who I was, what I am… But if Lighting was right, if he wasn't lying to me… Then I can't risk it.

"Hacker."

I uttered the name, the name of a liar, the name of a cheater, of the bastard son, A name that would haunt me for the rest of my days.

She rose her brow and shrugged, "That's a dumb name, but eh call me Crim." Lily spoke to me as if I was a stranger. To say it hurts was an understatement. It was as if a god descended and plunged my heart into an abyss.

But I shoved the feeling to the side for the moment, that was always a skill of mine, not one I mentioned, of course, but it was still there.

"Crim it is then, oh forgive me. I wasn't entirely listening to the instructions here… What are we doing in this arena, to be precise?" I questioned Lily.

She rolled her eyes in disappointment, "Fighting. Duh." Lily stated those words, and the waters suddenly began to slow, a fanged smirk appearing on her face, "A fight to the death, for the rush of adrenaline, for the time between the seconds for the blood the exits our bodies, we fight for the hell of it!"

I frowned at her words, it didn't sound like my sister, but I knew better.

She always was a violent type. It's not impossible for her to become like this… And I don't know how this world works, is it so unbelievable to believe that this world has been an arena for her to fight in the whole time she was sleeping?

Just thinking about it gave me no answers in reality. There was so much I didn't know about this world, so much I had to ask Lighting later.

But for now, we must fight for that is what we are here for.

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath spreading my legs apart and raising my fists up, causing Lily to raise a brow in confusion.

"Huh? An actual battle stance… Maybe you'll be a little more interesting than the rest of them." Lily got into her own battle stance, "I assume we are ready to begin then?"

I nodded, narrowing my gaze, only for my eyes to widen as Lily blasted forward, the stone shattering beneath her feet as the stone immediately gave way.

She pulled a fist back, causing me to panic and ducked on reflex. I could see the shockwave of power above my head.

That punch would have torn my head off!

The realization hit first, then the fear. I raised my arms up an in X in a desperate attempt to protect my vital's from Lily's second punch. I was sent flying across the ground stopping at the edge on the arena.

Smoke came off my arms, yet I felt little pain.

Perhaps due to adrenaline? I wasn't afforded the time to worry about that as Lily was relentless once again, she closed the distance.

This time I dodged to the left and slammed my own fist into her gut. To my surprise, it sent her flying. I looked down to my own fist, eyes wide in shock.

That was me? I'm not that strong…

A thought entered my mind causing me to smirk. I took a few steps forward in an attempt to keep my back away from the edge. Lily once more blasted ahead, throwing her fist to my head.

This time I grabbed her arm and flipped her over, her back slammed into the floor, the blood left her mouth, and her eyes widened the very ground cracked under her weight.

That settles it. For one reason or another, this place amplifies my strength.

Yet I felt tired. Two punches wouldn't typically tire me out so much. Maybe it's due to how much force I'm now releasing.

Much to my distaste, Lily returned to her feet groaning in annoyance, "You have one hell of a throw…" she muttered bitterly, climbing to her feet.

"Hacker…" She let the name pass her lips, "Your strong, I'll give you that, but your stamina isn't that great from the looks of it." Lily tilted her head to the side, examining me, "...I predict you'll scream in the next three strikes." a maddening smile appeared on Lily's face as she threw her left fist forward.

I ducked under it, ready to grab her arm again. However, my plans were cut short as her right fist hit my face, I could feel the bones in my nose shatter.

And then I hit the ground but no before a tearing sound came from in front of me.

What… Was that?

I attempted to move my left arm and reach out.

I felt nothing, but why?

I looked down to my ar-

"Ah…" My eyes widened, my head bulged, and I let out a scream, "AGH!!!!!!!" I screamed and fell to the ground clenching the stub that was once my left arm.

Lily smiled in her right hand, was part of my arm, drops of blood still leaked from it, and she laughed at my face, "WHAT NOW!?! IS THAT ALL!?!" She screamed.

It was terrifying looking into those eyes, and yet beneath it all, there were still the eyes of my sister.

...I guess I could accept dying to her hands.

I gritted my teeth in pain and closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

This caused Lily's eyes to return to a normal state, and her smile to fade, "Oh. So that is all you have."

(Didn't you come here to save her?)

My eyes slowly opened the world around me ground to a halt.

I heard a set of footsteps walking towards me from out of the waterfalls, "Gatherer…?" I muttered the name slowly, getting up.

"You'll never win like that. You keep looking at her as flesh and blood; it's why you can't strike with the intent to kill." Gatherer looked to Lily and frowned, "Insanity, brought out by bloodlust. Such is the human mind.' Gatherer reached into his cloak and tossed a dusty pocket watch to my feet along with a knife.

"Take up your weapon Mj, you know the rules. And you want to win. So instead of looking at her as a family member. Look at her as the prison, keeping her away from you." Gatherer smiled as I reached down and picked up the weapon.

Time resumed, and Lily rose a brow at the fact that I was already standing, "How the hell…?" Lily felt the smile tug at her lips, "Not bad…" she walked forward, clenching her fists, "Push through the pain… and bring forth a real battle!" She yelled.

"Shut up." I growled, eyes closed, "I don't give a damn about the battle. What matters to me is the end. If I just sat there and died, I guess I'd go against everything I am." I stated, "In other words, I intend to beat you by any means necessary."

Lily smiled, "Ah, there's the bloodlust. Perhaps I was too quick to judge." Lily leaped into the air, "I promise I'll be the one to kill you!" She yelled. I grabbed the pocket watch from the ground.

"And I promise.��� I hold out the pocket watch and open it, "I'LL SAVE YOU!"

My energy was restored, even stranger. My left arm reattached itself.

Well, I say reattached by it's more like it grew back.

The floor of the coliseum began to rumble as me and Lily clashed the waterfalls vanished, and a shockwave blasted outward as fist met steel.

Lily lept back that smile never leaving her face, "Impressive, it's as if you had all the time in the world to react to my fist." She smirked.

Well, she wasn't entirely wrong. When I opened that watch, time just kind of… stopped. It only lasted for five seconds.

But it was enough for me to get my bearing and prepare to block.

"And you have a hell of a right hook." I complimented her, "Honestly, it might make me sad when I kill you."

Play her game. Don't give her an inch of thinking space. Get into her head. What's her next move.

Lily sighed and raised both of her arms, shaking her head, "I'm afraid you don't have what it takes to kill me… But I am getting rather bored of this scenery, wouldn't you agree, Hacker?"

I frowned, "I think it's dramatic enough."

"Well, that just means you have no taste, you want to see drama?" Lily smirked, pinched her fingers together, preparing to snap a red glow came from her chest, "I'll show you drama."

SNAP

The world around us shifted in an instant. It was as if the world was paper as it pealed away into a whole new environment.

We now longer stood on an arena but a snowy mountain. The cliff was at my back, and in front of me, Lily smirked a wall of rocks behind her.

I frowned, looking at it all, and uttered the only words that came to my mind, "God damn it."