Kian Emris [5]

"Let's start with Pride."

Neo sighed, locking eyes with me as he spoke.

"You've probably heard the name thrown around, but you don't understand. No one really does."

I could feel my chest tighten with each word.

"Lucille. She controls one-third of this kingdom. Her region, this region, is filled with those who want nothing but more power. And that's the reason behind this arena. But Lucille is just an image figure. There's a person that controls her very move. A person who loves bloodbath, feeds off it, like a king presiding over his court of sycophants."

Neo paused. His voice tremble as if he was afraid of what he spoke.

"That old hag is powerful. Probably the most powerful among the other six Zeniths. And yet, she bowed to him willingly. That's why…"

He stopped, running a hand through his hair.

"Forget it."

"..."

"Then there's Envy. Envy is worse. It wants everything, but not for the joy of possession. It takes because others have. Nothing is enough. It never will be."

I swallowed hard, and felt that my throat was dry. I don't know why, but his words brought a strange sense of excitement into my soul.

"And that's why this is the worst Kingdom out of the three Kingdoms. Wars. Disputes. Disagreements. They often happened here because of those two. Still, it's no doubt that this Kingdom is the strongest out there."

The way he spoke of them, these beings, these Zeniths, it was as if they were more than mere rulers, but forces of nature, devouring each other.

And in their world, in this world, I...

A stray?

An outsider?

"And that's it! Next would be the Sloth, the one who controls the Southwest of this Kingdom. Eell, he's different. Its land is slow and kethargic as if verything moves like it's stuck in time."

Neo's voice grew quieter still.

"But it's not peaceful. No, there's a danger in that stillness. He's waiting, always waiting for something. And when it comes, it'll… swallow the world whole."

The silence that followed his words was suffocating. I could feel it pressing in on me, the vastness of this world, the depth of the unknown stretching out before me like an endless chasm. Most of all, the…

Excitement.

This world is full of unknowns. This world cannot even be compared to a repetitive cycle of Earth.

'More…'

'Tell me more…'

I wanted to ask him more, to press him for details, but my voice felt trapped in my throat, tangled in the confusion and fear that had taken root in my chest.

Neo chuckled, but the sound was empty.

"And then there's Gluttony. This one's different. Every desire, every craving, he devours it all."

His eyes darkened, and his words trailed off, leaving a cold, biting emptiness.

"But that's off limits, Kian. Gluttony is not within this Kingdom."

"..."

"The same goes for Lust. It's not within this Kingdom. Lust… is beyond explanation. She… it… whatever it is, doesn't…."

He stuttered. I didn't ask. I didn't want to know. Not about Lust, not about Gluttony. But I was lying. Really, I wanted to. But just because I wanted doesn't mean I should. There should be a limit, or else I'll…

I exhaled, almost the same time as Neo did. This time, his demeanor shifted, as though he'd shed the weight of his words and returned to his usual, carefree self.

"But hey, that's enough of that stuff, right?"

He clapped his hands together, a sharp sound that echoed in the small space, breaking the tension for a moment.

"You've got more important things to worry about. Like surviving."

"Surviving?"

Neo flashed me a grin, the gleam returning to his eyes.

"Yep! You've got a debut match to schedule."

He gestured toward the old woman sitting at the far end of the hall, her quill scratching against parchment.

"She'll handle the details. One month from now, you'll be in the ring."

I blinked. "Debut match?"

"Of course! You didn't think I brought you here just for the tour, did you?"

He stepped closer.

"You've got potential, Kian. Real potential. Unlike the man who bored me to death earlier."

"But I…"

"Old Blood? Hardwork? Who cares about them? Talent is all it takes to win in this place? And that's what you have."

He smiled. His expression gave off the "Ah! I… I can't wait to see it" vibe. Slowly, he tapped a finger against his temple and grinned.

"It's all up here, Kian. Trust me. You've got what it takes."

Neo's grin widened as he stepped back.

"Well, I've got things to do. People to see, and chaos to cause."

He winked, turning toward the exit.

"I'll be watching."

"..."

"You'll keep me entertained, won't you?"

I watched him go, as his laughter echoed through the hallway until he disappeared around the corner. Now, the room felt colder without his presence.

'A debut match in a month…'

I glanced at the woman behind the counter. Her eyes were fixed on me as if she was waiting. Slowly, I stood up and approached, my mind still raced with doubts and plans, strategies forming in the background of my thoughts.

As I reached the counter, I glanced over my shoulder once more, my voice barely a whisper.

"What are the Seven Zeniths… really?"

Then, unexpectedly, a small voice answered.

"Power. They're power."

Startled, I turned quickly, my eyes scanning the room for the source of the voice. But there was no one behind me. I was alone.

...At least, I thought I was.

Until I looked down.

There, just beside my feet, stood a small girl. She couldn't have been older than seven, maybe eight at the most.

Her eyes stared up at me with an intensity that seemed almost unnatural for someone so young. Crimson. Or maybe… pinkish?

I couldn't tell, not in the dim light of the hall.

But they held the same eerie hue I'd seen before. Lucille. Her eyes. The same strange, burning color that had unsettled me not long ago.

But this wasn't Lucille.

It couldn't be.

No.

The one standing before me was a child, her short, messy hair the same ghostly white as Lucille's, but there was a softness to her that Lucille didn't have. Her expression wasn't cruel, nor did it carry that sharp, cutting smile I had come to associate with the Zenith of Pride.

In her tiny hands, she clutched something. A chocolate bar. Also, another chocolate bar.

Just like Lucille too…

A shiver ran down my spine, though I wasn't sure why. The thought flickered in my mind, "Could this be her child?" It made sense. Same hair, same eyes, same eerie calm in their presence.

Yes.

It had to be her child.

Nothing else could explain it.

I straightened, shaking off the unease that had settled into my bones. I didn't have time for this. So I turned my back on the girl, pretending not to notice the way her eyes followed my every move.

I made my way toward the counter, where the old woman sat scribbling furiously on some worn piece of parchment.

She didn't look up as I approached.

She didn't even acknowledge me until I was standing directly in front of her.

It was a bit weird since it seemed like she was waiting for me earlier.

Without a word, she slid a list toward me. My name, Kian Emris, was scrawled at the very top, the ink still fresh and smudging at the edges. Just below it were a handful of empty slots, names that hadn't yet been filled.

For what?

I wasn't entirely sure. And before I could ask, the old woman's gravelly voice cut through the silence.

"Good luck."

Her tone was devoid of any real emotion or sincerity. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she turned her attention back to her parchment.

I stared at the list for a moment longer, unsure of what exactly it was I was supposed to be doing next.

Where was I supposed to go?

What was I supposed to prepare for?

I felt lost, like I was caught in a game where the rules were constantly changing, but no one bothered to tell me what they were.

And then, that voice again.

Soft, but certain.

"Why don't you go outside? The town?"

I flinched. My body tensed involuntarily at the suggestion, and memories of the street came flooding back—of the beatings, the kicks, the cold pavement beneath me as I clutched that stale bread in my hands.

My ribs still ached at the thought, and my head swam with the image of the vendor sneering down at me, his boot crushing against my side.

Outside?

No.

Not again.

I couldn't go back there.

But what choice do I have? It's not like I had anywhere else to go.

I was thrown into this strange world of Dinosaurs and Zeniths, and then left me to figure out the rest on my own.

The old woman behind the counter had dismissed me without a second thought. There was no guidance or direction. Just my name on a list and a vague notion of some battle that awaited me.

If I stayed here, I'd be nothing more than another ghost wandering through the arena's halls.

I turned slowly, my eyes drifting down once more to the small girl at my feet. She stared up at me, unblinking, as if she already knew what I was thinking.

The chocolate bar in her hands gleamed under the dim light, a strange, almost absurd contrast to the tension that hung in the air.

"Why don't you go outside?"

I hesitated.

The fear still gnawed at me, but there was something in the girl's gaze that held me in place. Something that made it hard to look away. A strange sense of calm that didn't belong here.

But I couldn't stay here, either.

Slowly, I nodded, as if the decision had already been made for me.

"Alright. I'll go."

The girl smiled, but it wasn't a smile of joy or relief. It was faint, almost imperceptible, as though she knew something I didn't.

But before I could dwell on it, I turned away, making my way toward the exit.

'Back to the streets, huh…?'