Reubend

Adachi, an orphaned boy who was adopted by a mountain hermit, is afflicted with a curse that makes him unreasonably heavy. His adopted father tells him it's a blessing in disguise, but will he ever learn to control it? 

Adachi will leave home, discover new lands, and discover things he never knew about himself. Follow his adventure for purpose and understanding!

Updates: Everyday @ 5 PM PST.

N O V A

The room erupted into a mixture of applause and outrage as I successfully lifted the bar. Even Paul, who I'm competing against, couldn't keep completely quiet. 


I secure the bar back into place and sit up, obviously exhausted from what I've just done.


Adachi: "Okay, Paul. For my event, I choose a race."


I chose a race randomly, but Paul does have incredibly long legs. If he's surprisingly speedy, I might find myself in trouble.


Paul nods his head, and we both move to one side of the arena.


Paul: "First to touch the other side of the arena wins?"


I shrug my shoulders and nod my head, then one of the other fighters starts a countdown.


I let Paul get a head start as I run back and jump against the wall we started at. My feet plant on the wall as I bound back towards our goal. I soar past Paul and reach the other wall in moments. Again, I won without using any midst. 


Despite Paul's musclehead appearance, he was actually quite fast on foot. Not to mention, he almost lifted as much as I did in the last challenge. Finally, Paul catches up to me and sits down in exhaustion.


Paul: "Okay. You win, Adachi. I believe that you can beat The Torturer."


Adachi: "Why do you think that? Because I was able to run a little faster and lift a little more than you could?"


Paul: "If that were only the case, I wouldn't have so much faith. However, you were holding back, weren't you?"


I'm taken aback by Paul's intuition. For a meathead who thinks that muscles alone win battles, there's more thought behind those eyes than I had previously thought.


Paul: "You remind me a little bit of this guy who used to fight here. It all started a little bit after that Lord Gishie took over this city, and the people grew desperate for money. He fought because he had a kid sister at home, and his parents had both died. He never told me how they died, but I assume It had something to do with this terrible economy created by Lord Gishie."


It's been a common theme since I arrived here, but it seems that the rich are only getting richer, while the poor must do unspeakable things to survive.


Adachi: "I'm new to town, but I plan to stick around for a while. Everything would be a lot better without Lord Gishie, wouldn't it?"


Paul looks shocked and leans in to talk.


Paul: "Watch who you say that around! Also, I don't think you have a choice on whether or not to stick around. As long as you have that collar on, you're a prisoner here."


I lean in as well for the utmost secrecy.


Adachi: "What if I told you that I would bring this entire place down within the week and dethrone Lord Gishie in the process."


Paul stands up, terrified of my words. But, as scared as he looks, I can see a glimmer of hope in his eye. Of course, he won't tell anyone about what I just said, and even if he did, nobody would believe him. 


The bell rings once more, and training time is over. As I exit, I walk past a group of kids huddled together with collars on. I won't fail to save them like I did my cellmate.


Chapter 37 - Prison Life Part 2