Blood and chains

A voice came from the darkness.

“Hello.”

“Who could it be?” Haru muttered to himself, fear creeping into his voice.

“Hey there, little man. How are you? Do you like being here? Are you okay? Do you need something to eat?”

“Where is this? Why am I in chains? Where the hell is this place?” Haru shouted, tugging at his restraints.

“Well, well. You see, you’ve got something interesting in you. What was that black aura around you?”

“Aura?” Haru’s face twisted in anger as memories flooded back. “Wait… where the hell is that bastard? Yume Kui! And where am I?”

“Oi, little boy, it’s not good to scream in front of your elders,” the voice chuckled. “Well, let me answer your questions. You’re in the WHO—Worldwide Hero Organization. And my name is Yuuma Koizumi. You can call me Professor Yuuma. Right now, we’re in Tokyo.”

“What? The WHO? Why—”

Yuuma cut him off with a smirk. “I’d love to see your black aura again. But for now… sleep.”

Before Haru could react, Yuuma injected something into his arm, and his vision went dark.

---

“Yo, wake up.”

“Ugh… why does my head hurt?” Haru groaned, rubbing his temples. “Where am I?”

“Heyyyyyy,” a cheerful voice called out.

“What? Who are you?”

“Sato Arata,” the boy replied with a grin. “Well, you can call me Senpai.”

“Oh… where are we right now?”

“The professor already told you,” Arata said, shrugging. “But as for this place… it’s where we fight. To entertain VIPs.”

“VIPs? What are they like?” Haru asked, his voice shaking.

“I don’t know. They always wear masks,” Arata replied, his expression darkening.

“What? I never thought there would be something like this…”

Arata chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, this is the world we live in. To be honest, I don’t even know who’s a hero and who’s a villain anymore.”

Haru stayed silent for a moment before asking, “What element do you have?”

Arata grinned. “Fire.”

“Whoa, seriously? Fire? That’s cool! And your hair is red, too. It suits you.”

“Yeah,” Arata said. “You’ve got nice hair yourself. White on top—it’s unique.”

“White? No, I have black hair. Are you colorblind?”

“Nope. You seriously have white hair. Here, take a look.” He handed Haru a small mirror.

Haru’s eyes widened as he stared at his reflection. “What the heck?!” he exclaimed, touching his hair. “How did this happen? I still remember—I had black hair! How is it white now?”

Arata shrugged. “I don’t know. So… you got any friends?”

“No. I’ve never had any friends,” Haru said quietly.

Arata’s grin softened. “Well, what do you say? Wanna be friends?”

“W-What? Seriously? A true friend?” Tears welled up in Haru’s eyes.

“Oi, don’t cry! Boys don’t cry,” Arata scolded.

“Yeah… you’re right. I promise I’ll never cry again.”

“No, no,” Arata corrected him. “Crying is fine. Just cry once for something, then never cry for the same thing again. That’s what makes you a man.”

Haru nodded, a small smile forming. “Okay! Best of friends!”

“Oi, that’s kind of creepy,” Arata teased.

“Sorry. I just got excited,” Haru said, scratching his head.

“Well, let’s get back to the topic. What’s this place, and how can we escape?”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking, too,” Arata replied.

---

Suddenly, another boy approached them.

“Hey, how are you two?”

Both turned toward him. “Who are you?”

“Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ken Chiba, and my element is water.”

“Another element user…” Haru muttered, his shoulders slumping.

Arata smirked. “Bro, you’re the only one in the world without an element.”

Ken’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? You don’t have one?”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Haru said, rolling his eyes.

Ken grinned. “Well, can I be your friend?”

“What? Another person wants to be our friend?” Haru exclaimed, surprised.

“Well, you are the only abnormal one,” Ken teased.

“Oh, I see…” Haru muttered, his tone dropping.

“Don’t get upset! You’re the best,” Ken said with a playful smile.

“Really?” Haru asked hopefully.

Ken sighed dramatically. “Oh, God, forgive me for lying so blatantly.”

“You!” Haru glared at him, while Arata burst into laughter.

“Nice face you’ve got there!” Arata teased.

Ken’s face grew serious. “By the way, I heard someone say the fights are starting soon.”

“What?!” Haru exclaimed, panic rising in his voice. “I don’t want to die!”

Arata patted him on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you until I die.”

Both Haru and Ken looked at him in horror. “That’s fucking creepy!”

---

A loud bell rang.

As the fight began, Haru hid in a corner, his body trembling.

He watched the brutal world of elements unfold before him. People unleashed their powers, killing one another without hesitation. Blood splattered across the cage.

But one person stood above them all—Arata Sato. With an emotionless face, he dispatched his opponents one by one.

As he approached Haru, he crouched down and said, “This is a cruel world. You have to kill to survive. If you can’t, you won’t get your revenge. You’ll just die.”

Grabbing an unconscious man, Arata tossed a knife at Haru’s feet.

“Here. Kill him. This is your first step to revenge.”

Haru shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t… I can’t kill anyone!”

Arata’s voice turned cold. “Haru, pick up the knife. That man killed a child. Can’t you even kill a criminal? Just stab him!”

Haru’s hands trembled as he picked up the knife. He tried to stab the man, but his fear overwhelmed him, and he collapsed, crying uncontrollably.

Arata sighed. “You can’t kill now, but you’ll have to eventually. If you want revenge, it’s necessary.”

Haru stared at Arata in terror, watching as his first friend killed people without hesitation, without expression.

Is it really that easy to take a life? Doesn’t it hold any value? Haru thought, horrified.

---

To Be Continued.