《Cultivating Mass》 Chapter 1: Ged In a realm far removed from the eyes of reality. Located in a vast ocean of myriad grey nil. An unborn entity was battling to exist. It started as a bulging blip of plausible something¡ªa light black blob in a cradle of grey. In this space, it fought desperately to differentiate itself from its surroundings. Eventually with effort it completed its evolution, now resembling what appeared to be a black sphere. Overcoming this difficult step, It moved on to the final stage, emerging itself into the fringes of reality. This, although not a difficult task leads to the most difficult part in the cycle of existence: and that is existing. Finally it reached the surface, eager to explore, it sped off into the distance. It didn''t get very far, however, in these fringes many predators lurk. The black ball as quickly as it left was spotted and consumed by a passing by creature. Thus completing the cycle of existence of the black ball. The creature was a strange existence, with a frame painted with a rainbow of colors and a shape that contained the transpositions of many life forms. The creature journeyed aimlessly atop the fringes of reality searching for something. After what could been an eternity or a mere second the being aimlessly hunted the black balls that escaped the waters, before it found itself in front of strange glowing green orb obscured by the hazy grey waters. Curious of the object the creature crept closer, revealing the orb to be that of severed human head. Coming to a halt, in courtesy of the object, the being transformed into a shape closely resembling that of a human. From within the strange swirling humanoid creature a multi-channeled voice emerged, uttering, "I have questions." In response, the severed head shook violently, its eyes opening wide, emanating a vibrant display of green light. The head grew a body dressed in a green robe. Conversely the spiraling entity transformed into the appearance of a woman adorned in red robes. Between them, a strange chessboard of white and black appeared out of thin air. It had game pieces that looked like glowing spheres that floated right above its board. The grey surroundings had turned into a multicolored swirl and after a moments time, the colors settled, the scenery now evolved into a lush green mountainous landscape. Amidst this vibrant scene, the two now were now seated on chairs as black as shadows. Their bodies seemed to meld into the surroundings, blending with swirling spirals. Once the environment settled the woman moved one of the orbs on the board. In response the environment shifted once more and a sandy beach replaced the mountainous view, leading out towards a grand ocean. "The weather is nice," she said, her hair now dancing in the ocean breeze. The man frowned, his arms crossed, he stared off into the horizon. He then went to take his turn in the game moving one of the game pieces he declared, "the weather IS." The world rumbled insistently; the beach melted into a red hue revealing a land filled with hellish scenery. The air became filled with the cries of anguish. As headless demons stabbed and ripped apart strange intangible creatures. The woman observed the man, her eyes filled with questions, inquiring. "The peak of existence. Have you found it?" The man gave a pained look, replying. "I long have wandered the endless expanses of the valley of nil, scaling many mountains but never reaching their peak." The man sighed, as he looked at a scene where a human shaped figure was being stabbed in the chest by a demon with a trident. "The cycle... Its end is already defined, but its beginning is always obscured." The man concluded. Intrigued with the mans response, the woman moved her game piece. The scene changed again, this time to an empty void painted with a gradient of green. "The future is green," she declared excitedly. There was an air of silence as the man looked around at the changed scenery. The woman sat patiently, eager to hear the man''s answer. "Green brings the end to the cycle of existence." The man moved one of the game pieces and the board disappeared and the scenery returned back to murky grey ocean. The woman heard the man''s answer and frowned. After a moment of stillness and frustration a golden scimitar appeared within her hands and without warning she swung it aiming at the green robed man''s neck. *** Thwack. In the fields of a vegetable farm, a boy worked tirelessly severing broccoli heads from their stem. His stature was small, with a head of green bushy hair. A knife gripped firmly in his hand, he wiped a droplet of sweat from his brow. "Ged, the broccoli heads you are cutting are too small! I''ve told you numerous times only cut them if they bigger than the palm of your hand" scolded Ross, the owner of the farm. Thwack. Ged moved to cut another stem of broccoli. Ross smacked the wheel of the tractor in frustration. "BIGGER THAN PALM OF YOUR HAND." He yelled out. Ross was an older man, fit with a deep tan and a robust build. He sat atop a loud, red tractor, fuming with anger. He pointed emphatically to the palm of his hand to drive home his message to the boy cutting broccoli below. Trailing behind the tractor was a platform holding a basin filled with freshly picked broccoli. Overseeing the basin was Ged''s sister, Brit, a tall young woman with a fair complexion and fiery red hair. Attached to the platform was a conveyor belt that transported broccoli from the ground to the basin. "Boy, are you listening to me? It is EXTREMELY important that you follow my instructions," Ross continued to yell. His words, however, were largely drowned out by the tractor''s noisy engine and the boys ignorance to his surroundings. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I wonder what meat tastes like," Ged thought, his mind drifting as he continued to cut several more broccoli stems with his knife. Thwack, Thwack, Thwack. "TOO FUCKING SMALL!!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING???" The tractor screeched to a halt as Ross pulled violently on the parking brake. Swiftly taking the keys out of the ignition, he leapt out of the driver''s seat, and with his hand raised he sprinted over to Ged... Smack. "Useless child. How many times do we have to go over this?" "Give me that knife." Ross commanded. Ged, snapping back to reality, handed over his knife. He grumbled with frustration as he rubbed the back of his head in pain. Ross gripped hold of Ged''s knife approaching a nearby broccoli plant and skillfully severed its stem. "Look, Ged. No smaller than this," he emphasized, handing the broccoli over for Ged to inspect. "We can''t go any smaller than this. If we deliver shit quality produce, the government might shut down our farm." Ross moved in close, squatting so that he was face to face with Ged, handing back Ged his knife. "You need to focus. Quit losing track of what needs to be done," he advised sternly. Ged nodded with understanding but internally he cursed the actions of the farm owner. Not dwelling on it further, Ross walked back to start up the tractor and finish up the morning''s work. In what seemed to be a form of retribution, when Ross turned the keys in the ignition, no movement came from the vehicle. After a few fruitless attempts, Ross closed his eyes in silent frustration. Then, grabbing a large metal crank from the passenger side, he approached the front of the tractor to attempt to do a manual startup. Attaching the crank to the front, he gave a few forceful cranks, and the engine started up fine. However, as Ross was removing the crank, it sputtered and died. Ross'' eyes twitched in anger. Once again, he cranked the engine. However, unlike the previous attempt that held some promise, this time the engine barely made a sound. Furious, Ross yanked the crank off the front of the tractor. Sensing the danger of Ross''s temper, Brit hopped off the platform and moved far away from the tractor. Gripping the crank in his hands, Ross swung at the metal tractor with powerful force. CLANK. The tractor went flying, a noticeable dent now marring its side. The platform toppled over, spilling broccoli all over the fields. The two children stood still, their gazes fixed on the now lifeless tractor. "What are you two standing around for?" Ross spoke furiously, "we still have a lot of work to do." "I''m going back to the house for a bit. Go grab some buckets and start moving today''s produce to the shed. Don''t forget today we are supposed to go to market." Ross didn''t waste any more time. Dropping the crank on the ground, he began walking back towards the distant farmhouse. Once Ross had moved some distance away Ged and Brit went to check out the now-defunct tractor. "Wow, I''ve never seen him that angry. After the tractor, I thought he might go after you next," Brit remarked, approaching a frowning Ged. "I''d like to see him try. It''s just another typical performance from Raging Ross. The dumb bastard is always yelling at me over everything I do," Ged retorted with a flush of frustration Brit laughed, teasing, "Because you keep screwing up, dumbass." Ged grimaced, his face turning red, and replied, "Whatever, let''s go get the buckets. I want to finish this quickly." Walking swiftly, the two made their way to the storage shed. Picking up cleaned-out paint buckets, they began the tedious task of manually ferrying the broccoli from the fields. After two hours, they had unloaded the final bit of broccoli, but Ross was still nowhere to be found. Ged, in the meantime, was taking a break, lounging between two discarded tires. Brit had already moved on to the next task¡ªpacking and weighing the produce. Ged looked over at Brit, irritated by his sister''s diligence. "Why don''t we take a break?" Ged protested. "Ross hasn''t come back yet, and he only said to move the produce. Let''s wait before starting on any more work." "No chance. I''m not going to wait around with you just to face discipline later when he returns. Come on and help," replied Brit sternly. Ged reluctantly got up from his resting spot, walked over, and began to help out with little enthusiasm. "I don''t like it here." Ged complained. "I don''t like Ross, and I don''t like being a farmhand." "I know it''s not great work, here. He may be a bit strict, but Ross has been the best owner we''ve worked with so far." Brit replied. Ged frowned at Brit''s stifling words. "But its boring out here." "I am tired of eating stale bread and rice twice a day, I want to eat meat. Bundy told me he tried some once and it was greatest thing he''s ever tasted." "Also there is no one else to talk to in this stupid place. How am I supposed to meet my future wife when we are surrounded by several kilometers of farmland?" "Ged, your thirteen years old. You really don''t need to worry about these kinds of things." Ged pouted. "Well, what about you? Is there anything you want to do in the future?" Brit put down the tools she was working with. "I haven''t thought much about it. I am happy with what we have right now." She finally replied. Ged frowned, deciding not to press further. The two went back to work diligently packing boxes with various vegetables, organizing them into stacked towers. After some time, Ross finally showed up. He observed the two children working before giving a nod and joining in to help pack the remaining boxes. Despite not finishing their harvest, the weeks haul were enough to fulfill the orders from the market. Using his superhuman strength Ross loaded the towers of vegetables onto a platform attached to the back of a pickup truck, leaving Ged to look on in awe. Ross spoke flatly, "We need to hurry." The three tied down the boxes with string and a tarp, before all three squeezed into to the front of the truck. Without a word the truck rolled down the farmhouse driveway on its way to the market warehouse. The journey, though lengthy, was uneventful. Vast stretches of farmland, with little variation in scenery, did little to make the time pass. Ged broke the silence of the trip to ask. "Ross? How did you get so strong?" Ross let out a sleight smile. "It''s a workout routine I do. If you are up for it someday I''ll teach it to you." Ged was about to agree to Ross'' offer when an extraordinary moment occurred where a massive black dragon flew overhead, shaking the entire truck. "Wow a dragon!" Ged said excitedly. "That''s so cool." Brit and Ged stared at the distant dragon with great fascination, in contrast a worried look appeared on Ross'' face. Finally after several hours of driving amidst what appeared to be endless fields a large, unmarked white building came into view. The truck pulled up to the side of the building where a loading platform was stationed. Two burly men, dressed in casual clothing and each holding clipboards, stood on this platform. One sported a large twirly mustache, while the other had his face hidden underneath a mask. Ross rolled down his window and began to chat with the mustached man. "Here for inspection," Ross announced to the two men. He then reached into his shirt pocket pulling out a folded piece of paper handing it over to the two men. After briefly examining the paper''s contents, the mustached man folded it in half and passed it to his partner. "Go and help unload." Ross instructed to Ged and Brit. The two promptly got out of the truck making their way to the back to start undoing the knots securing the produce. The man with the mustache smiled at Ross inquiring, "Any incidents to report on the farm?" "Yes, my tractor," he replied. "It stopped working this morning during harvest." The mustached man made a note on his clipboard. "Can you show me your written report of what happened with this tractor." Ross swallowed nervously. Reaching into his second shirt pocket he pulled out another piece of paper over to the man. The man with the mustache gazed over the contents of the paper, letting out a deep sigh. "Ross, you''re timeliness for deliveries is admirable. You get along well with the neighboring farmers, and you even took it upon yourself to foster those two troublesome children." "I truly admire and appreciate everything you have done," the man spoke genuinely. The mustached man then signed the piece of paper in a grand gesture of a scribble before handing it back to Ross. "But I think you could do with a change of pace," the mustached man spoke softly. "Please do take care of yourself in the future." Ross looked over the contents of the letter, his eyes despondently digesting its contents. A mounting anxiety built up within Ross. He desperately pleaded with the two inspectors. "No, please. Is there any way to change this? I-I can fix the tractor with my own money. There is no need to get a new one." He held out the piece of paper in desperation, hoping the inspectors would take it and change its contents. "I''m sorry, but this is how it must be," the mustache man spoke apologetically. Ross massaged his face, trying to pull himself together. "How much longer do I have?" The mustached man spoke candidly, "Expect sooner, rather than later." With that, the two inspectors said their goodbyes, walking away from Ross and the truck. Ross sat alone in his truck, contemplating his next course of action. Strengthening his resolve, he exited the truck to lend Ged and Brit a hand with the final stage of unloading. After the produce was weighed and inspected, a group of strange featureless green men carried the boxes away and into the white unmarked building. Once the final box was taken away, Ross and the children got back into the truck and drove back home. Unlike the car ride there, the ride back was eerily quiet, with Ross rarely engaging in conversation with the two kids. The truck pulled into the driveway, the day already turning into night. "You kids fend for yourselves for dinner tonight. I''m retiring early," Ross announced, his face displaying a hint of disturbed paleness. After entering the house without another word, Ross vanished upstairs into his bedroom. "Do you think Ross is alright?" Brit asked Ged. "I''m sure he''s fine," Ged replied. An hour passed. The children had long finished their supper and each retired to their respective rooms for the night. Under the cover of night, a black dragon soared through the skies. It encircled a broccoli field before descending beside a toppled red tractor. From the dragon''s back, two individuals jumped off. Chapter 2: Knock at the Door There was a sharp knock at the front door. Seated in a weathered rocking chair, a packed duffle bag on his side sat Ross. He had an air of unease and fear, but his true thoughts were impenetrable. Knock, Knock, Knock. Another series of knocks echoed through the house. "No! It can''t be! It''s too soon." He whispered. Ross'' eyes remained fixed on his bedroom door, filled with hopeless despair. His hands clenched tightly around the drawstrings of his bag as he made no attempt to rise from his seat to confront the unexpected visitors. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. The house trembled under the onslaught of thunderous knocks. Ross stayed seated in his chair. His eyes watery and bloodshot, from his continued stare. His mind twisted and twirled with thoughts and ideas, but none of them seemed to move Ross in any way. The room around him melted and distorted due to the stress, he sat trapped, imprisoned by his own illusions. The burden of destiny lay on Ross'' shoulders, but still he refused to address it. From the commotion, Ged arose from his slumber. Emerging from his bedroom, he hastily dressed and headed to the front door to confront the late-night visitors. Opening the front door was two black and red uniformed men. Each wore dark tinted sunglasses and masks that hid their faces. Atop their head were red baseball caps with white lettering that said, "Ono." The leader of the pair was a thin man whose uniform appeared oversized for his slender frame. "I''m looking for the owner of this farm" the thin man announced. Ged, swayed by the authoritative aura of the two men, replied, "I''ll go see if he is awake." He ascended the stairs leading to Ross''s room and knocked on his bedroom door. "Ross, two people are asking for you at the door." Ged spoke frankly. Ross, hearing Ged''s words, closed his eyes, regaining some clarity to his thoughts. He spoke to Ged through the door, "Tell them I¡¯m coming down soon." Ged, upon hearing Ross'' words, returned downstairs to speak with the two important looking people at the doorway. "He said he''ll be down soon." Ged announced. This time the partner was the one to speak up. He was a robust figure with a filled out frame, his one distinguishing quality was his lone arm. But that one arm was so large that it dwarfed his large body. "No need to fear us, kid. We are just here to help with your move." The one-armed man spoke, softly. "Why are we moving?" Ged questioned. The two officers gave each other confused looks. "Never mind that." The thin man finally answered. "The owner should be able to clear up any confusion." After a moment''s time Ross finally left his room and had made it to the top of the wooden stairwell. Now with a closer look at the two strange visitors, Ross stood frozen. "Ono, officers." He mumbled. "You must be the owner of this farm," the thin man spoke to the frozen Ross. In a panic, Ross leapt over the handrail of the wooden staircase. He raised his hands high, forming them into a hammer-like shape, and then brought them down, striking one of the supporting pillars of the staircase. Afterward, he delivered a mighty kick that sent the stairs crashing toward the Ono officers. Capitalizing on this distraction, Ross then sprinted toward the home''s rear exit. The two officers jumped into action in response to the sudden turn of events. The one-armed man reacted first, using his towering arm he broke the momentum of the staircase. Then flexing the muscles in his arm, the shattered staircase changed direction now flying down the hallway towards a nimble Ross. Stolen story; please report. But, Ross did not stop, ignoring the rubble he continued down the hallway away from the two officers. In response the thin man finally took action flexing his body into a strange pose. A strange aura momentarily appeared around the thin man. A terrifying, agonized scream now echoed from down the hallway. Ged stood dumbfounded, unable to fully grasp the situation at hand he turned to the two officers to ask, "What''s going on?" "This farm has been assigned to a new tenant, and we are tasked with relocating you to your new home." The thin man spoke matter-of-factly. The loud noise of the exchange between Ross and the officers also brought Brit out of her bedroom. With her bedroom placed right next to the rear exit, she opened up her bedroom door. Ross was lying on the floor, his legs twisted at unnatural angles. Gruesome burn marks were spread over his entire body. Brit, seeing the gruesome sight, quickly retreating back into the safety of her bedroom. "He''ll be fine. Don''t you try your luck, running away as well." The thin man spoke with audacious assurance. ¡°We¡¯ll get him to a doctor.¡± The thin man looked toward the one-armed man, who had been standing idly by, and in response, he flexed into another strange pose. A strange air permeated around the one-armed man. Ross''s screams ceased and he was now encased within a strange, smoky white capsule. With a series of more complex flexing poses from the one-armed man, the capsule slowly rose from the floor. Then, with a final directive flex, it hurtled through the air flying out the front door at a remarkable speed. Brit and Ged stood in awe of the two officers'' bizarre performance. "Get ready and pack your belongings.¡± The thin man spoke to the two children. ¡°We are leaving tonight." Still in shock from the night¡¯s events, Ged and Brit retreated simultaneously into their bedrooms, slamming their doors shut. With the children now gone, the thin man inquired to his partner, "hey Dale, where did you put that farmer?" "I put him on the dragon," the one-armed man replied. "Damn it!" The thin man cursed. "You know the dragon is a rental, right? Don''t put that farmer''s corpse anywhere near it, I don''t want him bleeding on the thing." Dale, ignoring the thin man''s questions, spoke frankly, "I''m concerned about you, Carl. The flex you used against that farmer was rather extreme." "I didn''t think he would be so weak.¡± Carl frowned. ¡°I thought you had to be strong to get your own farmland." Dale gave a sour look, replying, "didn¡¯t you read the brief the boss sent? The farmer is silver ranked." Carl clicked his tongue. "Only a damn silver rank would be dumb enough to try and run away. These damn idiots think getting out of bronze is an actual accomplishment." Carl spoke in a mocking tone. Dale sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± He gave a final look around the destroyed farmhouse, before walking out the front door. Deep in thought, Dale stood outside looking towards the fields of moonlit vegetables. "At least that girl was kinda hot." Carl broke the silence. Dale gave Carl a disturbed glance, shaking his head. "Don''t act like you''re some saint," Carl retorted. Ignoring Carl¡¯s comment, Dale flexed into a pose, and an eagle-like creature emerged from within his bicep. "If I''m to take care of the farmer, you at least have to take care of the kids." Dale announced, jumping on the back of his eagle. With ruffling of feathers the eagle sped off moving quickly towards the fields of broccoli where the dragon was situated to pick up the smoky capsule Ross was contained within. A short while later Ged emerged from his bedroom with a bag filled with clothes slung over his shoulder. "Where are we going?" Ged asked as he approached the stationary Carl. Fighting hard to remember where he was supposed to take the children, Carl massaged his temple. "Shark Village. I think... First, though, we are going to Toto-ka to get you registered." Brit emerged from her room with a packed bag, glancing over at Carl, she was still stricken with a feeling of dread. "Where is Ross?" Brit questioned. "Don''t worry, the farmer is fine. He¡¯s on his way to get some treatment." Carl spoke dismissively. "Now that I have both of you, let''s not waste any more time," he finished with authority. Brit didn''t move a step, the haunting image of Ross still etched into her mind. "I would advise you to think carefully about the actions you take next." Carl spoke coldly. Brit gave into the provocation, hesitantly joining the two at the doorway. Leaving through the front entrance the three made their way toward the broccoli fields, where a black dragon awaited. The dragon was a large creature. With a long serpentine body covered in scales as black as shadows with two curved horns atop its head. It had both its eyes closed asleep, unphased by the humans which approached it. On its back waited a carriage designed much like a modern car, complete with windows and doors. "Get on," Carl instructed, climbing up onto the dragon''s tail. Still with some reservation the two children followed climbing the back of the dragon, opening the doors to the back seats of the car-like carriage.. Rolling down the window, Carl yelled out to the black dragon, "Bring us to the Toto-ka registration office." The dragon didn¡¯t respond, it continued to lay with its eyes closed ignoring Carl¡¯s commands. Carl grumbled in anger, opening up the door of the carriage he approached the head of the dragon. ¡°Wake up! We got things to do.¡± He commanded. The dragon stirred from its slumber letting out an annoyed roar. "Screw off." Carl retorted, stomping his feet with displeasure. The dragon in response elevated itself off of the ground causing the space around it to distort, as Carl scurried off into the driver''s seat of the carriage. The dragon elevated several kilometers above ground, flying quickly en route to the Toto-ka registration facility. Chapter 3: Brit Golden rays from the sun pierced the early morning sky, casting a warm glow over the landscape as Ged and Brit arrived at the registration facility. The building stood tall and imposing, dominating the horizon with its massive size. Its architecture hinted at a more significant purpose than just registration. The entrance to the building had a doorway so immense that even a dragon, whose size rivaled houses, could pass through easily. Surrounding the facility was an outer ring of green grassy fields where transportation creatures roamed about. As one approached the facility, a sprawling green garden unfolded, with intricately patterned hedges leading to the entrance. The hedges were being meticulously trimmed by strange green figures, lacking normal features. In a small section beside the building a car park filled with black vehicles stood, standing out sorely among the vibrant scene. Although Ged had spent the previous night with little sleep, he couldn''t help but be excited when he saw the magnificent sight. He turn towards Brit, who appeared more fatigued. "What do you think, Brit? A fresh start in a different place. No more farming, just freedom." Brit, gave a bittersweet response. "I don''t know Ged, I''m a bit worried at the thought of starting over again." Ged reassured her with a beaming smile, "No need to worry, Brit. I''m sure everything will work out fine." Brit managed a faint smile. Although she heard her brother''s words, she wasn''t listening. The constant shifting between different homes, the encounters with abusive and unsavory individuals, and the never-ending battle for stability had left her with a deep sense of pessimism about a future she felt powerless to influence in the present. The words "everything will work out" felt meaningless to her. "Could you ask Carl if he has any water?" Brit requested, feeling a bit parched. But, before Ged could act, the dragon began its descent. As they flew closer to the ground the creatures below made way for their landing, clearing a neat path. Carl opened the carriage door, declaring, "come, follow me." The trio disembarked from the dragon, traversing through the diverse scenery. Upon reaching the entrance of the registration building, Ged couldn''t help but crane his neck and admire its towering pillars. The lobby stretched out before them, its high ceiling imparting a certain feeling of significance. Sunlight streamed in through the open doorway and from the natural ceiling lighting illuminating the interior with a shiny glow. Inside was bustling with activity, with people forming lines at various reception tables. Amidst this bustling scene, Carl''s purposeful stride led them to a particular desk. There, a young and beautiful lady was immersed in her work. With a subtle lean, Carl modulated his voice to a more intimate tone, "Emily! it''s been quite some time since I last had the pleasure of seeing you. You always manage to bring a bit of life to this otherwise dull and monotonous building." Emily chuckled at Carl''s flattery and replied, "You''re too kind, Carl." She looked at Carl with curiosity, "it is a bit unusual seeing you in your work attire." She thought about something, before concluding with, "so, what brings you here today?" Carl glanced at Ged and Brit before returning his attention to Emily. "Nothing too complicated. I need these two registered in Toto-Ka." In response to Carl''s words Emily put on her work attitude. "OH, welcome to Toto-ka! Is this your first time registering in a fighting region, or are you transferring from another one?" She inquired warmly. "Yes, ma''am. This is our first time registering," Brit replied. As Brit spoke, the receptionist''s demeanor shifted, as she prepared herself to recite a well-rehearsed speech. "This is a Fighter Card," she held a glowing, white acrylic card in her hands in demonstration. "Every citizen in the region has one. This will be your main form of identification, make sure you do not lose it." "Registering as a fighter allows you to take part in ''battles'' at the arena," she clarified. "To take part in a battle, visit your town''s fighting arena, provide your Fighter Card, and they''ll match you with another fighter of equal skill. Your compensation depends on the outcome of the fight and the ranks of the fighters involved." Emily concluded by explaining the tiered compensation system. "Your earnings are determined by the lowest-ranked fighter involved. It is spread across eight tiers: rookie, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, master, and the elite 100. At the pinnacle of our system being the ''Strong King,'' His Excellency Yors." Ged''s eyes sparkled with excitement, and he couldn''t contain his curiosity. "Yors... How strong exactly is Yors?" Emily giggled at Ged''s childlike enthusiasm and replied, "Yors is rumored to have incredible strength. They say he can bench press the moon, squat a sun, and even deadlift our entire planet''s mass. He''s our planet''s top fighter." "How does someone get that strong?" Ged wondered aloud. "If one diligently trains hard enough to earn a place in the elite 10, they can then seize the opportunity to challenge the king. If they win, they have the option to become the next Strong King. Yors became king right after defeating the previous strong king, his highness Gustoff, after a ten year long rivalry." Emily answered in a dream-like tone. The idea of attaining the title of the "Strong King" brimmed Ged with ambition and exhilaration. In his mind''s eye, he dreamt of himself enthroned on a golden seat, draped in majestic green robes, his muscles flexed in an imposing posture. "You two will be starting in the Rookie tier, which will earn you 5 fit for a win and 2 for a loss," Emily informed them. "Now do either of you have any questions?" Emily continued smiling politely, her gaze shifting toward Brit. Brit didn''t quite share Ged''s enthusiasm. The adrenaline rush from the previous night had long dissipated, leaving her exhausted. The prospect of fighting for money didn''t hold much appeal for her. She felt disoriented, fatigued, and, above all, apprehensive about her new life as a ''fighter.'' "Is there any other way to earn fit?" Brit asked. Emily responded with, "While you earn fit in other ways, it''s advisable to take part in some fighting." Brit nodded, but Emily''s words did little to quell her concerns. Carl cast an enigmatic glance at Brit, his expression unreadable. Ged, spoke up with another question, his eyes wide with wonder, "Do fighters eat a lot of meat?" Emily giggled at Ged''s question replying, "Although meat is rare for most fighters to get a hold of. Generally its only those who are of the highest ranks who get to eat a lot of meat." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Is meat that difficult to get a hold of." Ged felt a little defeated. "Meat is essential to all fighters, as one of the best supplements for building mass and mass is the essential building block for all great fighters." Ged followed along with great interest. "By working out diligently and eating the right foods, anyone can become massive." "And those who have the most mass, generally have the most benefits. If you work hard enough, build up enough mass, and earn enough fit you can eat all the meat you desire." A radiant smile illuminated Ged''s face. "Would you like to get your total mass measured?" Emily asked, "see how you measure against other Rookies your age?" Ged agreed without a moments hesitation, eager to learn more about the art of mass building. Brit, on the other hand, had reservations. Noticing Brit''s reluctance Emily added, "This test is not necessary to complete. Feel free to skip it, if you are feeling overwhelmed." Taking her advice, Brit politely declined the invitation. "No problem at all," Emily reassured her. "Why don''t you go ahead and fill out your rookie card while this young man and I head into the back?" Emily handed Brit the thin, white acrylic Fighter Card. On the front, a single line of text displayed, "Please enter your name." Ged and Emily left Brit by herself disappearing down a hallway to the side of the registration booth. Using a keyboard, similar to a mobile device, Brit filled out her name and a few more other personal details. After a short few minutes she had finished setting up the card, and was now alone with nothing to do. *** Emily led Ged down the hallway to the entrance of small glass room. Inside the room stood three different bars floating above the ground each raised to different heights. A small kiosk with a muscular attendant with his eyes closed sat by the locked entrance. The man opened his eyes, asking, "Is this one here to test the three holy workouts?" *** Brit sat on a bench next to the receptionist, her hands holding up her face. She tried her best not to fall asleep in the unfamiliar registration building. The hallway was drafty, and the open doorway did little to prevent a chilling breeze from entering, leaving Brit shivering as it washed over her. But, almost as if the world had transformed from winter to spring, the breeze suddenly ceased, and warm sunlight replaced it. A hand holding a flagon of water was extended toward the seated Brit. "Are you hungry or thirsty? I have water and bread," Carl offered, his voice light and spring-like. *** Ged gazed inside the glass room. Here, he could see three floating bars: one just about shoulders height, the second near the ankles, and the third floating above a velvet red bench. Each exercise was marked with a red mat and an accompanying floating white tablet used to adjust the exercises'' settings The muscular attendant explained, "Bench press, squat, and deadlift. By adding up your highest weight total for all three exercises, we can calculate your mass." He pressed a button, opening the door for Ged to enter and begin his test. Ged stepped into the room, and the attendant followed through a connecting door. "Hello, my name''s Viktor, and I will be your instructor. First, we are going to measure squats," Viktor explained as he approached the horizontal bar suspended in the air. "Watch closely," Viktor continued, manipulating the tablet, adjusting the weight. He then positioned the bar just below his neck, letting out a loud HAGH as he vaulted the bar up. He staggered backward, adjusting his knees and feet to form a slight "V" shape, before dropping down and powering the bar back up with a NNHE. Afterward, he staggered forward and rested the bar back to its original position. "Now, try it." Viktor commanded. Ged went to the tablet to change the weight, there he saw that Viktor''s attempt had been over 2000 kgs. Figuring that he might struggle a bit more than his instructor, Ged opted for a more modest weight, selecting 100 kgs for his squats. *** Brit looked up from her bench, her fatigue evident in her eyes, but a glimmer of gratitude shone through. She accepted the flagon of water from Carl''s outstretched hand with a small, appreciative smile. The cool water was a welcome relief, quenching her thirst and revitalizing her momentarily. "Thank you," she replied softly, her voice carrying a mix of weariness and genuine thanks. As she took a sip of the water, she felt a bit more energized and less overwhelmed by the new surroundings. Carl nodded in understanding, recognizing the strain Brit had been under. "I know it hasn''t been easy for you," he sympathized. "I''m not a fan of these sudden arrangements either. The Strong King has been cracking down lately on the lack of fighting, forcing more people immigrate to fighting districts." He reiterated his distaste, saying firmly, "I don''t like it. It shouldn''t be that way." "That boy should be fine, but I worry about you. People shouldn''t be forced to fight if they don''t want to," Carl continued, his tone gentle and empathetic. Brit appreciated Carl''s words and his gentle demeanor. They were words she didn''t realize she needed to hear. She set the flagon aside, gazing at Carl, who still wore his mask and glasses. "This whole experience has been awful," Brit confessed, her tears falling. "Seeing Ross... like that." Carl moved over, sitting next to Brit and putting his arm around her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I apologize for what my partner did to Ross. It was completely unforgivable and deplorable on our part as Ono officers," he said deceptively. "I assure you, he''s safe and sound now, receiving care from the best doctors in the Toto-ka region. They work swiftly too. By the time you arrive at your new home, he will have made a full recovery and long been settled in." Carl continued warmly. Brit wiped away her tears. The warm sunlight continued to stream into the registration building and in that moment, Brit and Carl shared a quiet connection. "Thank you," Brit repeated, her voice softer this time. She couldn''t deny the comfort and reassurance she felt in his presence. "Pretty lasses shouldn''t suffer alone. Here I have an idea, let me see your fighter card," Carl said softly, his voice filled with genuine concern. Fully trusting Carl''s words, Brit handed over her Fighter Card. Carl took the card and began entering some information onto it. "This is my contact information. If you ever find yourself in danger or just need a friend, give me a call, and I''ll personally answer and ensure that you get what you need," Carl assured her. He returned the Fighter Card, his hands lingering on it a moment longer than necessary. "How do I call you?" Carl pulled out his fighter card, fiddling with it for a moment, before a light buzzing came from Brit''s fighter card. On its display was the text "Carl" and the options "Accept" and "Decline." "Your name is Carl?" Brit asked. "Your name is Brit?" Carl responded with a playful smile. Brit giggled. "I thought you already knew." Carl smiled, pausing for a moment to let things sink in. "I''m sorry, but I must be going now. I won''t be taking you and your brother to Shark Village. I do wish you the best, however." Carl turned away walking towards the exit. Brit hesitated for a moment before asking, "Wait... How can I be sure I can trust you?" Carl turned back around to face Brit, pausing momentarily in thought. "I understand it''s difficult to trust a stranger," he responded charmingly. He took off his disguise and revealed his appearance. With his long flowing golden brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a strong appealing facial structure, he could capture anyone''s attention in the room. Carl was undeniably a handsome man. He smiled at the observing Brit. "Now, there are no secrets between us," Carl said smoothly. Brit found herself lost in a daze, as if she had been transported into a fantastical world. A whirlwind of thoughts swirled in her mind, but one feeling stood out crystal clear: for the first time since leaving the farm, she felt safe. Carl replaced his concealment and signaled to a standing by officer. They exchanged a few words before Carl headed for the exit. The officer was very large, wearing a red cap with white "Rua" lettering, with heavy steps he walked over near Brit. Brit remained in her dazed state, the peculiar turn of events with the enigmatic Carl still fresh in her mind. Her reverie, however, got interrupted by a familiar voice. Ged, walking alongside Emily, couldn''t shake the desire to retake the strength test. He pleaded with Emily. "Is there any way I can retake the test?" "A mass of 180 isn''t bad, Ged. It places you just above average for 13-year-old boys," Emily replied, attempting to reassure him. "I know, but I can do better. I wasn''t prepared. I want to retake the test," Ged persisted. "You can retake the test at the proper facilities in Shark Village. For now, let''s finish setting up your fighter card," Emily insisted. Ged reluctantly accepted Emily''s response and retrieved the fighter card handed to him. Then, turning to his sister, Ged innocently asked, "Hey Brit, is the fighter card hard to fill out?" Brit, still transitioning from her dreamlike state, felt Ged''s question pierce through her thoughts like a sharp jab to the skull. "It''s stupidly easy, Ged. Figure it out yourself," Brit responded with a trace of venom in her voice. Ged, stung by his sister''s harsh reply, pouted in response. While Brit completed her card in a timely manor, Ged took a bit longer, but with Emily''s help, he managed to fill out the card with the correct information. Ged, noticing the arrival of the new figure, couldn''t help but point to the new government officer. "Who is that?" He asked. "My name''s Greg, and I''ll be the one taking you to your new home," the officer spoke.
Ged''s Stats
Mass: 180kgs Rookie Rank: 0-0 Holy Lifts:
Flat Bar Bench Press 60kgs
Standard Grip Deadlift 80kgs
Bar Back Squat 40kgs
Chapter 4: Shark Village Ged, Brit, and Greg left the registration building en route to the car park filled with black cars. The great excitement they had felt during their time at the registration office had completely faded. They sluggishly moved toward what appeared to be a random car among the rows of monotonous vehicles. Greg opened the car doors and squeezed into the tight driver''s seat, with Ged and Brit following suit. The car left the lot, beginning its journey to Shark Village. The drive was fairly lengthy. Ged and Brit spent most of this time napping. The weather along the trip was mostly pleasant. However, as the black vehicle moved closer to its destination, a strange blue mist seemed to envelop the car and road. *** Inside what could be considered an office, an elderly man stood behind a large metal desk, engrossed in a document held within his hands. His well-defined, bulging muscles created a stark contrast with the liver spots scattered across his bald head. Lost in contemplation, he stroked his lengthy white beard. The old man paced back and forth, moving from behind the desk to the front, all while showcasing his unconventional outfit: a pair of short pink sweat shorts with a white button-down t-shirt, with only the bottom three buttons fastened. On a workout bench a younger man in grey slacks and a white t-shirt sat, diligently doing curls. His clean-shaven head and clothes stood in contrast to the older man''s more unconventional appearance. The younger man''s gaze explored the room, taking in the scattered gym equipment, well-drawn art pieces, and the tasteful rug, before finally catching sight of the pacing old man. "Ralph, please stop pacing so much; you''re bothering me," he remarked, still pumping curls. Wide-eyed and frustrated, the old man waved the paper in his hands before replying, "This damnable government seized my housing plots and turned them into immigrants housing. And now they want to take the city''s center and construct some grand government facility? This is utter bull-SHIT." He lamented. "They refuse to help with our arena''s mortality rate, yet have the gall to raise the cost of importing in food? The people are struggling to make ends meet as is. What a HEADACHE," Ralph groaned animatedly. "And now they want to do away with Angel''s cake shop AND Ernie''s grocery store to build this new stinkin'' facility. When will it stop?" "But that''s not even the worst part; they''ve even expressed interest in taking over Johnny''s pub. THE most popular spot in all Shark Village. If we demolish that, how can I ever show my face in public again?" Ralph exclaimed, holding his head in disarray. He then turned to the man, desperation in his eyes. "Fern, what am I to do?" Fern cast a sympathetic glance at the helpless Ralph. He sighed before responding, "We recently established a local government in this town. The people are still adjusting to the idea of change." "But if the people understand what''s best for them, they should be willing to endure these changes. This government facility could be a huge step forward for our plan to make a better town." Ralph nodded emphatically at Fern''s remarks, responding, "This. I know." Fern paused, before continuing his advice in a determined tone. "Let''s also not forget that we have yet to remove Geed and his gang''s influence from our town." "UGH, Geed. That filthy gangster. The Dirty Dogs have had a stranglehold on my beloved Shark Village for far too long." "I want to personally find and kill that man," Ralph exclaimed with vitriol. Changing pace Ralph continued, "Never mind all this fluff." "For now, I''ll address the issue of the immigrants," Ralph continued, speaking eloquently. "I shall quell the storms of my beloved people''s hearts and offer solace to those poor lost souls." *** Ged stirred from his slumber, Shark Village still a few kilometers away. He peered through the window out at a foggy tree filled landscape. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The black vehicle crossed a bridge, revealing a wide, muddy river with a milky brown hue. The journey had been smooth, with well-paved roads leading, making it easy to catch up on some much needed rest. As they got closer, the road conditions shifted and Greg was now swerving to avoid potholes, making the car lurch and waking up Brit in the process. Small gravel pits were scattered about, displaying the remnants of unfinished roadwork. A small community of houses came into view, featuring rusty and battered tin shacks. Each house was scattered across the swampy grounds in a sprawling layout. The shacks were empty and quiet, but the presence of hanging clothes out on lines indicated that these were homes people lived in. As the car continued down the path, they came across concrete shops and buildings, some adorned with colorful signage. People of various backgrounds and sizes were loitering about, sitting or standing near the curb. Some began casting suspicious glances toward the government vehicle. "Is this Shark Village?" Brit pondered aloud. Next in their view was a colossal fighting arena, a towering structure that dwarfed the nearby shops. In front of the arena, there was an empty lot with a few people coming and going through its entrance. Ged stared in awe at its grandeur. The car took another turn, winding down several side streets before stopping near a row of single-story homes. The houses were in decent shape, featuring multiple windows, doorways, and a front yard with lush greenery. Greg pulled over to the curb, parked the car, and announced, "Welcome to your new home." The three of them exited the black vehicle, and Greg led them to an unassuming house. In his hands, he held two keys on a keyring, which he handed to Brit before saying his farewells. Brit and Ged stood in front of their new home. Unsure of how to proceed. Brit took a key from the ring and handed it to Ged before unlocking the door. The house was mostly empty. With a main living room area, a bedroom with two made bed''s and a master bedroom. "I guess Ross must have already been here" Ged remarked candidly, peering into the master bedroom. "That''s good to know; I just want to shower," Brit replied, still groggy from her car ride nap. But, when she reached the bathroom to turn on the shower no water came out. "Well, that''s bullshit," Brit remarked. Ged went to turn on the kitchen sink tap, but just like Brit''s attempt, nothing came out. Ged frowned, asking, "Does this place not come with water?" Brit yawned before replying, "I don''t know; just going to wait until Ross comes back. He might know where to get water." Ged not satisfied with Brit''s answer replied, "I''m going to go and check with the neighbors, maybe they know something." Brit responded with a small grunt before retreating to the guest bedroom. Meanwhile, Ged left through the front door to inquire with their neighbors about solving their water problem. Knocking on each of the homes closest to his, Ged went door to door. However, not a soul answered. It was like a ghost town. Feeling hopeless, Ged pondered for a moment whether to return home or perhaps seek help from someone else. Recalling the people he saw by the shops, Ged decided to venture forward in search of someone who could assist. Ged travelled behind the line of homes into a marshy field with a light peppering of trees strewn throughout. In the center of the field a man was practicing kicks and punches on a tree. Ged curious about the man and his powerful moves cautiously walked over to catch a glimpse while he was practicing. Is he a fighter? Ged thought. He continued his gaze towards the man practicing a combo of moves. The man lead out with a lightning fast left jab, into a meteoric right, before finishing the combo with a dazzling circular kick. Afterwards he stepped over to a new spot around the tree and repeated. Ged observed for a long time, imprinting the order of the hits into his memory. After a while he got the courage to ask, "Excuse me, are you a fighter?" Instead of answering something strange occurred. The man delivered a final spinning leg kick at the tree, and in response, the tree began to spiral and warped into a swirling shape. The land rumbled as vibrant red spirals contorted the space around Ged. As the rumbling continued, the land lost its vibrant red colors, fading to a more grey tone. However, with a blinding flash of green, everything returned back to normal once again. The man was now gone, replaced by a body with green and red-tinted skin leaned up against a tree. Ged was lost in a daze taken aback by the surreal changes in the environment. With curiosity he moved closer to the body calling out to it to see if it would answer, but he received no response. Examining the man''s discolored skin made Ged feel uneasy about whether the fighter was truly alive. Suddenly, a voice echoed from the distance, "Brother, what are you doing over here? I saw you talking to that man''s corpse. Can you perhaps speak with the dead?" Approaching Ged was a tall, thin boy with jet black eyes and mop-like black hair. Ged responded to the mysterious boy, inquiring, "I saw this man practicing fighting moves not too long ago. Strange." Ged shook his head. The boy picked up a stick lying nearby and walked over to the deceased man, saying, "Do you think he''s still alive? Watch closely." He prodded the stick at the man''s face, confidently stating, "You see, I know a dead man when I see one." Ged still in a trance from the strange events stood vacantly for a moment before introducing himself. "Well, that''s that, I guess. I''m Ged, by the way." "I''m Brandon." Ged continued his questioning, "Did you know this man? Was he some great fighter or something?" Brandon casually replied, "Who? Oh, this guy?" Brandon inspected the body. "Hmm... this looks like Maurice. He must''ve been killed by some beavers." "Beavers?" Ged questioned, furrowing his brow. "Yeah, beavers, just look at that red hue on his body. My Dad told me there are three things in life to fear: women, the government, and beavers. You don''t want to mess with those territorial bastards." "Is that why you''re here? Trying to get revenge for Maurice?" Brandon continued. Ged furrowed his brow even further. He then clarified, "No, I was trying to find some help; the water at our house isn''t working." "Oh, water? It''s probably just a pump issue. Don''t worry; my Dad is an expert on water pumps. I''ll go get him." With that said, Brandon started to walk away from Ged. Concerned about the body Ged inquired, "Should we do something about this?" "Nah, leave him. Vick''s going to pick him up. He''s just lazy. Come, follow me; I''ll take you to meet my Dad," replied Brandon. Chapter 5: The Shanty Town Solidarity Navigating the muddy riverbanks of Shark Village, Brandon and Ged walked. Moving at a brisk pace the two strolled past rows of mostly empty tin shacks. Ged broke the silence of their journey, prompting, "is this where you live at?" Brandon replied, "Yeah, Ma and Pops own a place just south down the river." Brandon then continued, "are you from the opposite side of town? I don''t believe I have seen you around here before." "I''m not from Shark Village. I actually came from the farms, this is all new to me," Ged said in a candid tone. "Cool! A farm, I''ve never heard of anyone living on a farm before." Brandon spoke curiously, a strange glint now could be seen in his eye. As they continued they came upon a semi circle of tin shacks, where a short looking kid was posturing to toss a ball at a group of kids running away. "If this is your first time here, then there''s something you should really know." Ged responded ponderously, "What''s that?" "You see all these people here?" Brandon gestured to the people around them. "They are all my subjects, I rule over them," he finished with a grin, "Rule over them?" Ged observed Brandon with curiosity. Brandon continued, "The people in this town fear me. They refer to me as the God King." Ged smirked at Brandon''s self-proclaimed title, inquiring further, "God King? You must be really strong." Brandon, finding it hard to hide his smugness, replied, "Let''s just say if the current Strong King and I were to cross fists, it would be a close fight." Ged laughed lightly at Brandon''s innocuous declaration. Striding ahead of Ged, frowning, Brandon spoke, "What? Don''t believe me?" Brandon''s eyes sparkled with mischief. "Watch this." In a quick series of actions he approached the short kid who was gearing up to throw the ball. With a lightning-quick movement, Brandon snatched the ball from the boy''s hands. Triumphantly holding the ball aloft, he chuckled slyly, facing Ged, he declared, "behold, the power of the God King!" The short boy, was frowning deeply, shooting furious glares in Brandon''s direction. "Brandon, we already told you we don''t want to play with you anymore. You''re annoying. Give us back the ball," the boy said, slightly stunned by Brandon''s audacity. "No, I want the ball, Jessie," Brandon responded, his tone and pitch different from his conversation with Ged earlier. Jessie furious over his words, charged at Brandon, desperate to get the ball away from his grasp. Even with his best effort he was unable to come close, Brandon was a bit too tall for him. "Give it back!" Jessie yelled. Ged amusingly watched the show, not looking to get involved. The other kids playing the game now joined in, attempting to wrest the ball from Brandon''s hands. But, Brandon deftly moved his way out from the group of annoyed kids grasps, barely keeping a hold of the ball. "Brandon, why are you like this?" Another boy commented. After a few more fruitless attempts, a large framed child became frustrated now trying a more aggressive tactic. "You''re dead meat, Brandon," the chubby boy declared, giving a mighty shove to Brandon, finally loosening the ball from his grasp. Ged sighed with relief, now seeing the ball was out of Brandon''s grasp he was hoping that Brandon might give up and let the kids have their ball back. However... without hesitation, Brandon threw a brutal right fist at the chubby boy''s head. "What the fuck, Brandon?" another child called out in alarm. The small exchange between Brandon and the chubby kid escalated into a full-blown brawl, with six boys pitted against the lone Brandon. Ged sighed, now realizing he could no longer stay idly by. He raised his voice protesting the continuation of the brawl, attempting to peel kids off of the swarmed Brandon. It could have been due to the chaotic atmosphere or because he was helping the annoying Brandon, but an unexpected right hook came flying at Ged. A roaring pain engulfed Ged''s nose. In a moment of fury from the painful lesson. Ged turned to fight back, utilizing Maurice''s combo, Ged unleashed two strong punches, stunning the boy in place before landing a final fierce kick that crumpled the boy to the ground. Blood streamed from the boys nostrils, his hands clutching his waist where Ged''s kick had landed. Some of the kids stood by, their faces reflecting weariness from the now injured boy and the sight of blood. Ged peeled off another two kids from Brandon. "How about we stop here," Ged pleaded, attempting to deescalate the situation. Seeing that the ball no longer in Brandon''s grasp, and seeing him now in a sorry state Jessie decided to accept the peace offering, albeit with some fierce words thrown in, "Fine! Brandon, if you do that kind of shit again, I''ll beat you until you''re crippled." Walking away with a limp and a cut lip, Brandon retorted defiantly, "I''d like to see you try." Tch. Jessie gave an ugly sneer in response. After a bit of time most of the boys scattered, while a few more compassionate individuals stayed back to tend to the boy still wincing in pain on the floor. Adults had now arrived, attempting to piece together the clues about the recent fight. "Zen, what happened here? Who did this to you?" a worried adult asked to the boy lying on the ground. "Some foreign-looking kid punched me," Zen replied, getting up, trying to downplay his pain and injuries. By the time this investigation was underway, Brandon and Ged were long gone. Ged could still taste blood in his mouth, a reminder of the boy''s fist. While Brandon was in much worse shape, with the side of his mouth beginning to show signs of swelling. "You never told me you were so strong. Damn! I could''ve used some backup earlier there." Brandon complained, continuing the conversation about the earlier small brawl. "Why would anyone back you up when you do stupid stuff like that?" Ged replied brutally honest. Brandon frowned at Ged''s words. The two boys crossed a clearing and entered a small, well-maintained garden. Brandon continued with the conversation, saying, "Eh, whatever. It doesn''t matter. You got to share with me what workout routine you use." "Workout routine? I don''t have one," Ged responded. Wide-eyed in disbelief, Brandon exclaimed, "You don''t have a workout routine? Holy moly. Good thing we''re meeting Dad. He''s got the best workout routine in the Toto-ka region." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Brandon continued, "I''ve never heard of anyone not having a workout routine. How interesting." Ged and Brandon now stood in front of a large sized concrete building, adorned with large, beautiful ornate windows along the exterior. A large single spire jutted from the top, crowning the building, with openings to allow airflow inside. "This is where my Dad works," Brandon said, leading Ged inside the church lobby. Inside, there was an open area with the floor covered in soft moss. Inside people were performing various workouts using different sized rocks. At the back of the room, Ged noticed the familiar sight: a glass room with three metal bars, each divided by a red mat. "The holy workouts," Ged muttered before speaking louder, "Why aren''t people using the workouts in the glass room?" Brandon responded, "Those are the holy workouts, brought to us from the heavens. We show our piety and gratitude by only engaging in them on Sunday." "You can''t work them out every day?" Ged asked. "The holy exercises are too powerful; you can''t abuse them like that, or else you might destabilize your muscle foundation." Brandon explained. Navigating through the church''s chaotic, sweaty atmosphere, Brandon lead Ged in front of a man seated, smoking a cigar, next to an open window. He had long waist-length hair with the top of his head completely bald. He was a little portly and wore casual clothes indistinguishable from those of the other individuals in the church. "Brandon, what are you..." Brandon''s father put down his cigar, looking up toward Brandon and Ged. He continued to speak, his tone shifting, "Oh darn, your face! Which god-fearing individual would dare hit Reverend Large''s boy?" "Dad, I''m fine. You should see the other kid," Brandon replied smugly crossing his arms in front of his chest. Reverend Large roared with dragon-like laughter. "Excellent, My son! But, you cannot allow others to do this kind of thing to you." "Remember, Brandon; you''re the bowling ball, not the pins. Don''t let anyone knock you down," Reverend Large ended his metaphor by giving a beaming smile. "Never mind that small matter. This is Ged; it''s his first time in church, and he doesn''t have a workout routine. I was hoping we could get him started on one," Brandon said, putting his arm on Ged''s shoulder in a friendly manor. Reverend Large guffawed, his laughter echoing painfully through the church, eliciting annoyed and disgusted glances from a few of its goers. "He hasn''t worked out before? Is this some newborn child I am seated in front of?" Reverend Large continued his boisterous laughter. "What were you raised by, a pair of pillows?" Brandon had now joined in laughing at Ged through his father''s comments. Ged stood in silence, completely taken aback by the father and son''s loud and obnoxious demeanor. Finally calming down, Reverend Large looked seriously towards Ged. "Don''t fret, boy. As a member and the founder of this humble faith, you will gain some pittance. In this sacred place, anyone who is lost or just looking for a workout will never be denied access." Frowning he continued in a stern tone, "regardless of their background." Reverend Large looked scoldingly at Ged. "Brandon, go get a copy of the church''s routine from the back room," Reverend Large commanded. Brandon hurried off to a room in the back of the church, away from Reverend Large and Ged. Reverend Large picked up his cigar from the table and ripped a large chunk off it before exhaling a billowing cloud out of the open window. "Boy, you''re not from here, right? You''re one of those immigrants," Reverend Large calmly spoke. Ged responded starting to feel the pressure from the reverends words. "Yes, I came from the farms. This is my first time in Shark Village. Reverend Large let out a long sigh before responding, "Look, boy, in this shanty town, we only hold one thing in solidarity, and that is family." "Everyone looks after everyone, and one thing I don''t like seeing is when someone from the outside comes stomping around in our village begging for some of our water, food, and most of all kindness, its... well..." The reverend trailed off. Ged felt a creeping discomfort coming from beneath his words. Reverend Large shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, and swished his cigar around in his mouth before removing it entirely. "Now, I''m not trying to say that you and your family are bad people." Reverend Large gradually shifted his tone. "But you need to understand that just by virtue of being here, you are taking up precious resources that are, actually, rightfully ours." "I-I didn''t know... I had only just arrived. I was just looking for someone to help me with getting water at our home." Ged cut in emotionally. "Help getting water?" The reverends eyes opened wide. "Boy, my family is dying!" He paused ferociously. "You want to come here, to MY doorstep; and ask for some of MY kindness and pity?" "Aren''t you actually being cruel instead of innocent?" Reverend Large raucously questioned. Ged was struck dumb by the reverend''s question, recoiling away from his passionate words. The reverend warned. "One thing to realize is that although I might be tolerant of you, others in this town may not be so kind." Reverend Large gave out a guttered cough into his arm, as Ged stared on in fear. "Listen, boy, I don''t give free handouts." "I am not going to fix your water, and it would be best to look elsewhere because no one in this town will help you," he shook his head. Ged stood still, processing the reverends harsh words. The unresolved issue of his water, coupled with an uneasy feeling about a town who was looking to get him, put Ged in a precarious position. He looked around fearfully at the various churchgoers, wary of their ire and then back to the reverend. The reverend ignored Ged''s gaze now looking out the window back to chewing on his mangled cigar. Luckily, Brandon saved him from mulling in his thoughts for too long. Returning with the workout, and waving it in his hands, he ran towards Ged and his father. Reverend Large''s mood shifted at the sight of Brandon now beaming a bright, hearty smile. "Brandon, my boy, good timing! how about it? Since you told me you are looking to get ordained. Why don''t you be in charge of teaching this pillow boy over here how a member of St. Large''s lifts their weight." "Sure thing, father!" Brandon nodded. "How about it, Ged? First thing tomorrow morning, we can start with Exercise 1." Brandon handed the paper to Ged, rejuvenating some life into him. "Thanks, Brandon," Ged responded, attempting to smile as he looked over the contents of his workout.
Sunday The Three Holy Workouts
Bar Bench Press 1 rep, 1 set
Bar Back Squat 1 rep, 1 set
Bar Standard Grip Deadlift 1 rep, 1 set
Monday Break
Tuesday Exercise 1
Rock Bench Press 12 rep, 3 set
Rock Squat 12 rep, 3 set
Rock Stiff Legged Deadlift 12 rep, 3 set
Wednesday Exercise 2
Pushups 30 rep, 3 set
Rock Step Ups 12 rep, 3 set
Rock Deadlift 12 rep, 3 set
Thursday Break
Friday Exercise 3
Flat Bench Rock Flys 12 rep, 3 set
Rock Lunges 12 rep, 3 set
Seated Rock Good Mornings 12 rep, 3 set
Saturday Break
"Let''s meet at dawn at the clearing where Maurice once was," Brandon said. Reverend Large''s brows furrowed at Maurice''s mention. Realizing he had forgotten something, he turned towards his father, continuing, "Pops, by the way, I saw Maurice''s corpse just outside the village." "What? Maurice is dead?!?" A trepidatious expression appeared on the reverends face. "I need to go find Vick, immediately! That wimpy good for nothin'' loser. I''ll kick his door down, wake his bony ass up!" Reverend Large vaulted from his chair, shaking his fist. "Brandon, you send Ged out on his way, I''ll meet you back at home later for supper." With that said Brandon and Ged left the church. As they exited, a colorful, expressive voice rang out towards them, "Brandon, is that you? Is the reverend still inside?" Chapter 6: Ross Just a few steps away from them, an imposing old man with a long beard and well-defined muscles was walking towards Ged and Brandon. His posture signaled that he was in a hurry, but upon seeing the two boys, he slowed down to a halt. "Oh, hello, boys. I''m glad to see you two here. Is the reverend inside?" the old man spoke. Brandon started to reply, "You mean Dad? He should be on his..." but he was cut off by a loud voice coming from behind. "Ralph?" Reverend Large gave a light chuckle before continuing, "What business does the big boss man have, for him to bless us with his presence on this fine day?" "Reverend! It''s great to see you in good spirits. I only have a small matter for you to help me with," Ralph responded pleasantly. "No problem at all. However, the timing is a little poor. Would you please excuse me for a moment? I just have this nagging errand I need to account for; afterwards, I''m all ears," Reverend Large responded, his arms crossed over his chest, smiling as he spoke. "An errand? Alright then. The boys here can keep me company. Do run along now," Ralph replied, clearly puzzled by the reverend''s hasty departure. "Ah! I really must be going as well," Brandon exclaimed, quickly trying to back away from Ralph. He pulled Ged''s arm, signaling him to follow. Ged looked quizzically at Brandon trying to wrest his arm away. "I see. Well, how about you, boy? Are you willing to give this old man company?" Ralph spoke, looking towards Ged with a soft expression. "Unfortunately, he must be going as well... We have training to do," Brandon spoke, shaking his head apologetically. "Come on, Ged, let''s go." Ralph shot a deathly stare towards the mischievous Brandon, flexing his muscles and creating a dense feeling of pressure that spread out, immobilizing Brandon in place. Ralph relaxed and turned towards Ged with a smile, speaking gently, "So your name is Ged? I don''t remember seeing you around in this part of town before. Where do you hail from?" "I''m not from this town; I-I came from the farms," Ged spoke cautiously. Ralph, alarmed by Ged''s fearful posture, knelt down so that he was level with Ged, face to face. "There''s no need to be afraid," Ralph shook his head, comforting Ged by rubbing his shoulder. "You must be from the first wave of immigrants that just arrived here. As the mayor here, I assure you everyone in Shark Village welcomes you." Ralph stopped rubbing Ged''s shoulder and vaulting up to a standing position, continuing, "Now, how did you end up so far away from home? This cluster of homes is a full 5 kilometers away from the town''s center." "He was talking to dead people," Brandon chimed in. Ralph stared bitterly at Brandon, clearly unhappy with his unprompted comment. "I left to look for someone to help my sister and I get water for our home," Ged finally responded. Ralph looked thoughtfully at Ged before speaking, "Your house doesn''t have any water?" He clenched his fist in anger. "That bastard George said he already took care of the bloody thing." He continued assuredly, "Ged, do not worry. I''ll make sure that gets fixed immediately." "Here, I''ll even make it up to you. You two said you are on your way out to go exercising?" Ralph stood tall, his chest puffed out and shoulders back, exuding an air of confidence and pride. With a warm smile, he continued, "How does it sound to train with the strongest man in Shark Village?" Crossing his arms in defiance, Brandon spoke, "No one wants to train with some weak old ghost. Don''t get too cocky of yourself." Ralph gave a crooked smile, giving Brandon a light smack on the head. "How about you, Ged? Do you want to train with this old man?" Ralph spoke, still a little irritated. Ged smiled and agreed with a nod. "Good, good," spoke Ralph, clasping his hands together. "I''m a busy man. How about we set this up for another time? Here, give me your fighter card; I''ll give you my contact info," Ralph said, lightening up, now in a more cheerful mood. After exchanging contact information, Brandon couldn''t hold himself much longer, speaking impatiently, "Mr. Ralph, we really do have to go. We can''t stay any longer." Ralph sighed at the insistent Brandon, giving in to his antics. "Well, I guess I''ll have to wait patiently beside myself then," he said, smiling wryly and looking warmly toward a still-smiling Ged. Brandon dragged the slow Ged as they made their way through the village back to the clearing where Brandon and Ged first met. "Ugh, that Ralph is always so annoying; once he gets going, he never shuts up," an irritated Brandon spoke, now some distance away. "I didn''t think he was that bad; he seemed nice," Ged replied. "Nah, he''s a poofter. My Dad warned me not to be around him for long periods of time under any circumstances," Brandon spoke warily. Puzzled, Ged asked, "Poofter? What does that mean?" Brandon paused, thinking carefully for a moment, before saying, "I have no idea. Probably nothing good though." *** Inside a small, unassuming grocery store stood a man, his face marred with charcoal-black burn scars. In his basket were a few root-like plants, a bag of salt, a bottle of milk, and a slab of bread. He approached an elderly man standing behind the register. "Ernie?" the bandaged man spoke. Ernie squinted at the disheveled figure before his eyes gradually readjusted to normal. "It can''t be. Ross? To see you again after 25 years doesn''t feel real; I never thought you''d come back." Ross smiled, a nostalgic grin playing on his lips as he handed his fighter card over to Ernie to use as payment. "It''s weird to be back. I just visited the arena for the first time in years. It was surreal fighting again." "Fighting in the arena is a bit odd." Ernie chuckled beginning to tally the price for the items, "well... did you win?" "Of course! Just look at these spoils," Ross said, grinning and gesturing at his groceries. He sighed. "Gosh, Ernie, we''ve gotten old." "I remember you as a kid. You were always standing by the ocean, gazing out at the waves," he chuckled, continuing, "You stood out there so often your mother was worried that your head had gotten funny." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ernie gave a quiet smile. "I''ve always loved the ocean waves, the way they crash on the shore, the sound they make. It''s always been a favorite escape of mine." "Recently, I went out there and looked out at the waves just like old times, but when I went out and stood on the sandy beach it was different; the ocean changed." Ernie handed back the fighter card to Ross before continuing, "Not even the ocean is the same as it used to be." Ross smiled politely, grabbing his things together, "I see... Well thanks for the groceries, Ernie." moving towards the door Ernie finally piped up again in a foreboding tone, "Watch your back out there, Ross. It''s a dangerous world." As Ross walked out onto the street, the sun was still out, though it was slowly dipping below the horizon. Outside the shop doors, groups of people were gathered, throwing dice onto the sidewalk pavement. In a brief exchange of eye contact with one of the members playing, Ross muttered underneath his breath, "Jules." A cold chill went through his body. He silently prayed, averting his eyes to the road, trying to leave the shop front without alerting the man playing dice. This was to no avail as three men stopped what they were doing and quickly caught up to the slowly fleeing Ross. "Ross?" A sharp snake like voice called from behind. "You''ve finally come back home and you haven''t had the time to catch up with an old friend?" Ross turned around slowly to see a smiling, older man with a medium build, a crooked nose, missing front teeth, and long curly hair. "Jules! It''s nice to see yo-," Ross attempted to speak, however, as quick as lightning, Jules kicked Ross straight in the crotch, dropping him to the floor. His groceries fell from his hands, scattering across the floor. Another sharp kick came towards the cowering Ross, this one aimed at his neck. Ross began gasping for air. "Twenty-five years away from home, away from your family, and yet not a single visit or even just a postcard? What a pitiable sack of shit you are," Jules spoke viciously. "I... was... in prison," Ross struggled to say, now holding his neck on the ground in pain. Jules pointed at Ross and signaled towards the two men beside Jules. They then moved beside Ross, holding him up so that he was now on his feet in front of Jules. A small crowd of people had now gathered, blocking passersby from looking in, watching soullessly at the display of violence happening in the center. Jules dished out more vicious attacks, sending punches and kicks towards the miserable Ross. After a bit of abuse, the two men dropped Ross to the floor again. Jules crouched to the floor, getting closer to the barely breathing Ross. "5 years in prison, Ross, not 25 years." He calmly spoke. "I know you got out early, 20 years ago in fact." Jules stared disparagingly at Ross. "Did you know Ross when you got sent to prison, the town was in shambles?" "I remember it vividly." "The town rioted for years just for your release. Several people died just from those protests alone." A dark expression appeared on Jules'' face. "WE all wanted you out. WE all thought it was bullshit that you got sent to prison in the first place; that government bastard you killed deserved death. WE wanted you back HOME, not in that HELL." Jules vaulted back up onto his feet, his voice dripping with contempt. "But you snitched." "You couldn''t keep your mouth shut." "Because of your words Angus, Harold, Jeremy, and even little Eustice from the north gang are all dead." "20 years of a government farming contract over your own family!?!" "How can you sleep at night?" Jules sent a kick straight to Ross'' ribs. "The government better have treated you well, fed you three meals a day, bathed, and pampered you." "For fucks sake, Ross, I heard you even have two kids now," Jules spat at Ross. "Meanwhile, we struggled for meals, fought with the government, fought with the beavers, all just to live another day in this cruel world." "I''m... Sor-GHH" Ross tried to speak but Jules stuck his foot in his mouth. "Don''t talk, you disgusting prick," Jules shook his head, thinking deeply for a moment. "It seems you like taking extra chances at life. How about taking one more? After letting off some steam, I''m actually feeling pretty good right now..." Jules walked over to Ross, holding up his drooped chin, continuing, "Ross, you''re weak." "It really doesn''t matter to me whether you live or die; however, Geed did put a bounty on your head for 50 fit. How about using that head of yours in a bet?" Jules dropped his chin, pacing around, before continuing. "How about it?" "If you can ''pass'' in a game of dice, you''ll get to keep your head, and I''m a fair man; I''ll even throw in 50 fit for your troubles." Jules held a handful of money in his hands, gesturing it toyingly in front of Ross. "However, if you lose, I''ll be taking your miserable head home with me. Doesn''t that sound like fun?" Ross, barely conscious, didn''t answer initially. After a moment''s time he finally craning his slumped neck towards the domineering Jules, speaking weakly, "How do I play?" "I knew you would be a fan of my idea. Barney, would you care to explain the rules?" Jules spoke sardonically. One of the younger men beside Ross spoke up, "Whoever''s playing rolls the dice. If the first roll is a 7 or 11, you win. However, if it''s 2, 3, or 12 its your loss. If the player rolls any other number, that number becomes the ''point.'' The player has to roll that number again before rolling a 7 to win. If a 7 is rolled before the point, however, the player loses. The loser forfeits their bet to the winner." Jules said, "Sound fun?" He handed a pair of dice over to the now kneeling Ross. "Go ahead, shooter." Ross held the dice between his hands, shaking vigorously, unsure whether he wanted to win or lose. Without any thought, he threw the dice towards the pavement. The dice rolled onto 1, 5. "Easy Six," the third unnamed gangster announced, crouching to the floor to pick up the loose dice. Ross thought back to his farming days, remembering the simple times. In his mind, he understood that he had left his previous life behind for a temporary 20 year distraction and was now paying dearly for it. The third man handed the dice back over to Ross. Ross shook and threw the dice again; they hit the pavement, bouncing around several times before slowing down again, rolling to 4, 4. "Hard Eight," the third man shouted again, repeating the same routine and picking up the dice. Ross went into a dream. He stood near the ocean, hearing the calming sounds of waves crashing. Standing at the edge of the beach he looked out at the horizon at a beautiful sunset. The third man handed the dice back over to Ross. Ross held the dice, shaking them around fiercely in his palms before tossing them out again. The dice hit the pavement, finally rolling to a stop at 3, 3. "Hard Six," the third man announced. There was a quiet air after his announcement. Jules frowned before finally breaking the silence with, "Looks like you''re a lucky man, Ross. You got another chance at life, and you''ve doubled your wealth on top of that." "Barney, Jimmy, give our lucky winner some space to celebrate." Jules continued, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Also, Barney, go help pick up that poor man''s groceries, for fuck''s sake; a man''s gotta eat." Barney, clearly displeased with his orders, slowly gathered the pieces of glass and spoiled dirty food, placing the bag in front of Ross'' slumped body. Jules turned around, facing the crowd. "Why are you sick bastards still here? Leave this poor man be. Don''t you guys have anything better to do?" Jules yelled out, as the crowd made way for the three men. Ross stumbled to his feet, holding onto his grocery bag, staring at the back of the retreating Jules. Jules stopped in place, a mocking smile appearing wide on his face. "You must be wondering about your money? Don''t worry, I would never go back on my word." "It pains me, really, since I really don''t like giving money to rats, but I guess I have no choice," Jules said, laughing. He then turned to the people on the street, announcing, "Any person who kills this man after today will receive 100 fit, 50 from me, 50 from Geed." Ross''s mind snapped at Jules'' proclamation. He felt utterly humiliated, surrounded by the familiar and unfamiliar faces of the villagers, people he grew up with. To be dressed down in such a way went beyond infuriating; it was an abyssal chasm so deep and wide that anger didn''t exist; only eternal stillness and sensory deprivation. He stood still, wilting in place like a blade of grass in a drought. In Ross'' dream, he could still hear the sounds of the ocean. However, as he looked out to gaze upon its waves, the ocean appeared gone, obsolete when compared to his grim future. Ross attempted to walk away from the crowd, his posture slumped. Quickly, he tried to leave the group of people and get to the safety of his home. A few greedy hands reached out from the crowd, aiming to claim his head and reap its reward. In no shape to protect himself, he was at the complete mercy of the bystanders. However, just as a hand was within reach of him... Crack. A sharp cracking sound came from a man not too far away from Ross. Jules had sprung into action breaking the man''s arm, "Don''t be too hasty, I just spared this man''s life. Give a man some face; let him at least wash up." The man held his arm giving out painful bellows. Ross took the opportunity that Jules gave him and limped away from the crowd of people, on his way back home. *** A bit of time had passed, and the trio of Jules, Jimmy, and Barney were once again crouching near the shops, playing dice. "Sheesh, Jules, why didn''t you just kill the poor man?" Jimmy asked, his hands poised to toss the dice for another round. "For 50 fit? I couldn''t even buy breakfast with that kind of money," Jules spoke lazily, shaking his head. "Ross used to be such hot shit back in the day. Looking at him today filled me with pity and rage." "He''s just some small sheep now, considering that he''s back in this hellhole; it shows how little of use he is for the government," Jules spoke crudely. "Also, don''t forget we still have big plans to take care of," he continued seriously. "Can I go and kill him? I could really use the 100 fit," Barney chimed in. "Fuck off Barney. You still owe me 300 fit; I ain''t paying you dick if you kill that bum." Jules said angrily. Chapter 7: A Battered Shell In the guest bedroom of their new home, a groggy Brit had just awakened from her nap. The silence of the house surrounded her as she checked to see if either Ross or Ged had returned. When she turned on the kitchen sink, her delight was evident as she found that the water was working. Disregarding their absence, she proceeded to the guest bathroom to turn on the shower. However, as she entered the bathroom, the front door swung wide open, allowing a droopy figure to enter and drop a bag onto the counter. "Ged?" Brit called out. The man didn''t answer; instead, he slithered past the kitchen and into the living room, collapsing onto the couch. Feeling nervous, Brit moved away from the shower and into the main guest bedroom. Peering through the open door she noticed the door was still wide open with no one nearby. Slowly, she crept out of the room. "Hello?" she said wearily. "I''m here, Brit," a weak voice rang out. Turning around, she saw a man sitting on a nearby couch. Ripped, dirty bandages were wrapped around his hands and neck. His face was swollen, one eye closed and the other a bloody red hue, making him almost unrecognizable. Brit stared in shock. "Ross?" An ice-cold chill ran down her spine; tears welled up as she looked at the pitiful sight before her. "Do me a favor. Grab me a bowl of water and a knife, then shut that door," Ross spoke, his voice firm. Brit moved quickly, wiping away tears as she closed the front door, then grabbed a knife and a bowl, filling it with water in the kitchen. "Follow me to the bathroom," Ross struggled to rise, his left arm hanging loosely, dried blood covering his face and shirt. Limping, he led in front of Brit, retrieving a shirt from his bedroom drawer before slowly making his way to the bathroom. With a solemn expression, Ross stared at his swollen reflection in the mirror. He took the shirt, dipped it into the bowl of water, and carefully cleaned his face. "I know we''ve never been too close," Ross said as he continued cleaning his face. "I understand that neither you nor that boy considers me much of a father figure. Maybe today is the day I start being one," he spoke grabbing the knife in his hands and holding it up to his face. Brit felt a strong sense of dread, awkwardly answering, "That''s not true I''ve always thought of you like a father." The knife stopped. A strained chuckle came from Ross, "Cut the crap," he said, "I don''t need your positive sentiments. I''ll just leave you with some advice. You aren''t cut out for this world. Only the strong have any agency here. Being weak, kind, or content in life ¡ª that is true death. "You either suffer or die suffering." Ross cut into his face, draining the buildup of bodily fluid from his swelling. Horrified, Brit backed away from the bloody scene, distancing herself from the emotional Ross. Ross dabbed his face with the shirt until it was soaking bright red. "Get me another shirt," Ross commanded. Brit walked to the still-open drawer grabbing another shirt from a stack before returning and handing over it to Ross. "What happened to you Ross, why did we end up at this place?" Brit spoke still shaken with tears coming out of her eyes. "That damn tractor," Ross exclaimed, slamming the knife onto the bathroom counter. "I should have seen the writing on the wall. Those government bastards look for any reason to fuck you over," he trailed off before continuing harshly, "Why does it matter how we got here? Do you think the government is going to take us on another farming contract?" Just outside, in front of the rows of houses, Ged had already said his goodbyes to Brandon and was now eagerly anticipating his return home. He felt both tired and hungry; the long, exciting day, coupled with his lack of sleep, had left him utterly exhausted. The street was still eerily quiet as Ged reached for his key to unlock the door. To his surprise, the door was already unlocked. Weary, he stepped inside. On the kitchen counter before him lay a soaked bag, its contents a mishmash of glass, bread, and chunks of yellow root. Ged looked at the contents with curiosity. Brit came rushing out from the master bedroom. "Ged, thank god you''re back. You have to help Ross," Brit spoke frantically, tears still lingering. "He''s in such bad shape; I don''t know what to do." Shocked and confused, Ged responded, "Where is he?" Brit pointed to the master bedroom. Ged walked in slowly, entering the bedroom before turning to look into the bathroom, where a grisly sight awaited. Ross, his face cut up and mangled, still stood, looking soberly at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "What, boy? You''ve come to pity me as well?" Ross spoke viciously, not even sparing a glance at Ged. Ged froze at the horrifying sight, only able to manage a simple, "Ross, are you okay?" If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I''m fantastic," Ross replied sarcastically. "What happened to you?" Ged asked, his concern audible. "Your face..." Ged''s words trailed off. "Ged, you realize you are hopeless," Ross bitterly responded, his tone sharp with disappointment. "You spend your days daydreaming, lazily completing the bare minimum, disregarding responsibility. "You live in a bubble, ignorant to your own weakness." He continued, his words cutting through the air, "What you don''t realize is that the strong control the world. When the day comes that you are trampled underfoot, don''t expect salvation." Feeling suffocated by Ross'' horrifying appearance and harsh abuse, Ged let out an emotional, "I''m not weak." "Ross, how come you ended up like this? We need to take you to a hospital." Ged continued to worry. Ross chuckled, "A rookie fighter, who hasn''t even seen a day in the ring? Thinks he can afford a trip to the hospital." He looked at Ged, his tone sharp, "You are weak." "Can you even feed yourself? Screw a hospital visit. Look at the table; that''s what one day''s work as a bronze fighter can afford." "Can you even survive until the end of this week? Don''t worry about me so much, boy, worry about yourself. My days may be numbered, but yours are too." Ross lamented. With those words Ged stormed out of the bedroom, his face etched with anger and frustration. Brit remained sitting on the couch, tears still wiping tears off of her face. "What are we going to do?" Brit looked up at Ged with hopeless eyes. Ged opened the bag of groceries again, this time with a more serious expression. He began to sort through the messy contents, picking out edible pieces. Ged stared intently at a thumb-sized piece of bread; bits of glass shone off it under the ceiling light. Every second he looked at the inedible piece of bread he seemed to mature a year in age. "I don''t think we should eat that." Brit finally broke the silence. Ged put down the piece of bread back into the bag. "Don''t worry, Brit, I''ll go to the arena and fight for some money, then I''ll go to the stores and buy some more food." "The arena''s closed; it closed at 5," Ross answered from the master bedroom, dashing Ged''s hopes more. "Fine, then I''ll stand near the people by the shops and beg for food," Ged said, determined to help resolve their situation. Ross let out a sinister laugh. "The same people who caused my torment are the ones you want to beg food from? I would love to see you try." Feeling disheartened and frightened by Ross'' words, Ged became desperate to come up with a solution. In a moment of brilliance, he remembered that he now had the mayor''s contact information. He swiftly pulled out his fighter card to contact Ralph. "I''ll-I''ll call for help then," Ged forcefully declared, his stress starting to become evident. After a few rings with no answer, Brit spoke up, saying, "Ged, that''s enough." The fighter card rang one final time before falling silent. "You tried your best. It''s getting late; once the sun''s out again, we can go out and look for food." She continued. Ged and Brit stood apart, both feeling lost. From the master bedroom, the sound of a shower broke their silence, prompting the weary youths into action. They took turns cleansing themselves before attempting to sleep, settling for water to curb their hunger. Although sleep didn''t come easy, it eventually embraced them nonetheless. The crack of dawn arrived, and Ged was already wide awake. Ged got up, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and left the house to meet Brandon at the clearing behind their house for their planned workout. When Ged arrived no one was present, he gazed upon on the distant landscape lost in thought and fantasy. After a few brief minutes, a familiar black-haired boy approached Ged from the distance. "Hey, broccoli head," Brandon called out, his voice vibrant. "You ready for your first workout?" Ged frowned at Brandon''s new nickname for him. "Brandon, I do still want to work out. However, would you mind waiting for a bit? I need to go to the arena and earn some money to buy food. I haven''t eaten anything since yesterday morning," Ged replied, his hunger biting. "The arena? No, that will take too long," Brandon said, shaking his head in disagreement. "If you''re desperate to eat something, you could always have some rivermud root." "Rivermud root?" Ged brightened up a little, continuing, "is it easy to find?" "Yeah, there''s plenty of them down by the riverbank. It sounds like you''ve never had one before. It''s unpleasant to taste and will lower your squat max, but in turn it replenishes stamina. I''ll show you what it looks like," Brandon said, leading Ged in the direction of the muddy river. Brandon pulled an small green shoot topped with a white drooping flower from the ground, revealing its dark brown curly roots. Breaking off the roots, he handed them over to Ged. "I worry about you, broccoli head. If you eat too much of this stuff, you''ll be dead before our first workout." Brandon spoke as Ged uprooted several more rivermud plants from the riverbank. Holding three roots in his hand he replied, "I need these to feed my sister and Ross." He held the roots up towards Brandon asking, "should I cook these?" "You can, but you''re better off just eating it raw. That stuff is disgusting no matter what," Brandon said, frowning, his arms crossed over his chest. Ged rubbed off some excess dirt from one end of the root before breaking off a piece and sticking it in his mouth. The taste was far from pleasant; a bitter, dry sensation filled Ged''s mouth, followed by a sour milky aftertaste. He struggled to keep it down. "Gaghck. That''s awful," Ged attempted to spit, but no saliva came out. "Oh yeah, it''s pretty terrible. But trust me, anything you eat after this will seem amazing," Brandon said. Ged frowned at Brandon''s harmless joke. He then managed to convince Brandon to make a stop at his house to wash off and eat the remaining roots. Ged made it back home quickly washing the roots in the sink, getting out the kitchen knife and a plate to serve his root dish. Just as Ged plated the first chopped root, a sleepy Brit arrived from within the guest bedroom. "Good morning, sis." Brit stared dazingly at the newcomer in the home, "this is Brandon," Ged introduced. Brandon gave a small wave before Ged continued, "He helped me find us some food to eat. Its taste is not great, but it will give you energy." Ged spoke, reaching out the plate towards Brit. "Brandon, thank you," Brit said, accepting the plate solemnly and examining the brown root. Brandon replied coyly, "Thank me? Nah, you really should try that stuff first. It''s truly terrible." Brit hesitated for a moment before taking a small nibble. Her eyes widened before she spat out the chewed remnants onto the plate. "Ged, water," she exclaimed. Ged filled up a glass of water and handed it to Brit. "I''m sorry, sis, but we have to make do with this. However. I promise after I go to the arena today I''ll get us something better to eat." Brit looked intently at her plate of root, responding, "It''s fine, I can get used to it. Thank you, Ged." Ged smiled wryly finishing preparing another plate heading over to the closed door of the master bedroom. He knocked softly, but there was no answer. Ged slowly twisted the knob and entered. The room''s smell was nauseating, with all the curtains drawn. Curled up on the mattress a small silhouette of a body could be seen. "Ross? I found us some food," Ged said determined. A small grunt could be heard from within the blankets. Ged took it as a pass for entry and set the plate of root on the bedside table. Pausing for a moment, Ged then moved back out of the room, sparing the depressed Ross a second glance, before closing the door. Ged finally cut up a root for himself, recoiling with each bite. He swallowed half the plate, washing it down with water in a hopeless attempt to make the taste more palatable. After saying their goodbyes to Brit, Ged and Brandon then left the house, heading on their way to where the outdoor gym was situated. After the boys left. Brit was now seated on the couch. She pulled out her Fighter Card, and after a moment, a flash of light appeared. In response, she held the card to her ear and gave a gentle smile. In the safety of the silent home she listened to a pleasant voice speaking to her through the card. Chapter 8: Working Out Outside of a small pub a distinctive looking character stood. He had long, curly grey hair which fell loosely by his shoulders, and two front teeth conspicuously absent. Despite his disheveled appearance, he wore an impeccably tailored black suit and tie. Lighting a cigarette, he patiently waited by the locked front door. Just as he was taking his first puff, a young girl opened the door. "Where''s John?" the man spoke, frowning as he looked at the young girl. "John''s in the back. You can come in, Jules, but don''t smoke inside," said the girl, disgusted. Tch. Jules flicked his cigarette angrily at the ground before stamping it out. He walked past the girl inside leading towards hallway located at the back of the bar. On the hallway''s side, there was a large wooden door with a lion pattern on the knob. Jules rapped loudly on the door. "Hey, come on, John. What are you doing? We''ve got a major fucking problem here. This is ridiculous," Jules said angrily. After a brief few seconds of silence, Jules aggressively turned the doorknob, swinging the door wide open. "Fuck you, John," he exclaimed loudly. Inside the room, a man was seated at the far end, scribbling with a black pencil on a large mat of paper. His canvas was filled with excessive amounts of spirals, creating a mesmerizing and chaotic pattern. "Hey, calm down with your art project for one second. Talk to me, John. All the boys are waiting for us to announce the news," Jules said, his facial expression trying to contain his impatience. John sighed, not bothering to look up at the annoyed Jules. With a wave of his hand, he drew a ginormous spiral on his canvas. "What''s bothering you, Jules?" he asked casually. "You haven''t heard? Geed is dead, John. Vick found his body yesterday," Jules said, shaking his head in mourning. John stopped his pencil for the first time, turning around in his chair. His eyes, glazed over in an uncanny emptiness, fixed on Jules. With an eerie calmness, he spoke, "What significance does it hold if Vick stumbled upon a mere body? Geed still endures." Jules furrowed his brow, twisting his hair into a knot as he contemplated John''s words. "If he''s not dead, where is he?" He asked. *** Ged and Brandon arrived at the outdoor gym. The "gym" had two sections, an open clearing for leg and back exercises, and a scattering of rock benches where people performed chest exercises. Most of it''s goers were on the younger side being about ages 5 to 18. In the opposite corner of the clearing, there was a small shelter on the side of a hill containing an array of different sized rocks. Close by to where Brandon and Ged were stationed two children were working out. One was laying on a bench, performing rock bench press, while a smaller child, hovered nearby. Ged recognized these two from the fight the other day. The smaller boy, Jessie, shot an angry glare at the passing Brandon. Brandon, with mischief in his eyes, walked up to the two boys. Jessie, regretting his encouraging glare towards Brandon, pleaded for a reprieve, "Brandon, I''ve had enough. Please, leave me alone for today. I just want to work out, I don''t want to deal with this nonsense." A large smile hung on Brandon''s face as he responded, "Don''t worry, fish lips, I''m busy today. Ged over here is working out for the first time." Zen had at this point put down his work out rock and was staring daggers at Ged. Ged now recognizing that the other boy working out was the one he had hit the other day. "Ged, huh? That punch from the other day was weak, could barely feel it," Zen spoke up, his eyes gleaming with fervor and challenge. Ged scowled towards Zen, speaking fervently, "your punch was also, seriously weak." A small standoff occurred between the two children, a still air developed, as both were waiting for the other to make a move. Breaking the silence, Jessie exclaimed, "Zen, stop it. Don''t go around challenging other people, save it for the arena. Don''t forget yesterday you had to get help from an adult to walk home." Zen embarrassed by Jessie''s comment, scratched the back of his neck, speaking a bit shyly, "I-I wasn''t trying to fight at all Jessie. I just wanted to tell him his punch was weak, that''s all." Tch Brandon spoke emphatically, "Another fish-eyed flounder wasting our precious lifting time. Come on, Ged, let''s ditch these children." But, before they could leave Jessie, spoke up, warning them, "I hope you weren''t planning on hitting legs today. Arfunk and his minions are taking up all the rock squatting space." "Arfunk''s here?" Brandon knitted his brow, squinting off into the distance. Where he spotted a group of black-clothed children working out all with oversized rocks, with a man standing in front of them. The man had black greased-back hair and wore a leather biker jacket depicting a fighting tiger on its back. He exuded an aura of indomitable strength and power. "Ah, nuts. You don''t want to mess with that man; he''s strong," Brandon complained, shaking his head in disappointment. "Who? Arfunk?" Ged asked curiously. Zen replied strongly, "You probably don''t know, but Arfunk is the only personal trainer here in Shark Village. He selects up-and-coming talent and trains them to be stronger fighters. His crew has the strongest fighters in town." Jessie chimed in, "Yeah, he might train you, but at the cost of all your earnings. A full 10% of your winnings, just by him standing there, goes to Arfunk''s pockets." Zen raised his voice with passion, "Jessie. You''re telling me that if a gold-ranked fighter gave you HIS workout tips and martial arts secrets, you wouldn''t give him a LITTLE of your earnings?" Zen smugly smiled, finishing triumphantly, "Also, he doesn''t take from your losses, which shows how much confidence he has in you being a winner." Jessie massaged his temples in annoyance before replying, "Yeah, whatever, Zen. I''m sure with your talent I''ll be seeing you soon on the leaderboards any day now alongside those Arfunk cronies." "True." Zen thought deeply at Jessie''s harsh words. "If I want any shot of getting on the boards, I need to get back to training," replied Zen, picking up the rock from the ground to continue his rock bench press. "Switch! We need to switch. You already did your set; stop! It''s my turn now," Jessie complained. Brandon and Ged had already moved away from the duo as soon as they started arguing, moving across the gym until they reached the rock shelter. "Alright, pick out a rock; we''re starting with chest," Brandon said, picking up a medium-sized rock. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Ged fumbled through the rack of rocks, lifting different-sized ones and thinking deeply about his rock choice in an attempt to find the right one. Growing impatient, Brandon asked, "Ged, what''s your power stat? I''ll tell you which rock you should pick based on that." Ged looked quizzically at the frustrated Brandon. GAH, Brandon smacked his forehead, clearly upset over Ged''s confusion. "Hopeless. Take out your fighter card. You''ve done the three holy workouts before, correct?" Ged went through his pockets and pulled out the acrylic white card, nodding in response. "Is my power on this thing?" Ged then fumbled around on his fighter card, struggling for a moments time to find the information that Brandon was looking for. AGH, "STOP! Here, let me do it," Brandon said, growing impatient with Ged. He snatched the fighter card away from him, deftly navigating to a stat-like display screen before handing the card back to Ged. Ged looked at the card in his hands.
Ged Rank: Rookie Record: 0-0 Power: 60/60
Endurance: 80/80
Vitality: 40/40
"Oh! Is power related to my bench press?" Ged pondered out loud, still engrossed in looking at his fighter card stats. "Yes. Power is your chest muscles, endurance is your back muscles, and vitality is your leg muscles. And how you score how strong your muscles are is through the holy lifts. Bench press works out your chest muscles, deadlifts workout your back muscles, and squats workout your legs." Brandon replied. Brandon held his chin in contemplation, glancing over Ged''s shoulder at his stats before speaking, "hmm... your stats are fairly imbalanced. Your power and endurance are quite good, but having a squat of only 40kgs is a problem. In the Toto-ka region, legs are considered the most important muscle group." Brandon shook his head, continuing, "Having such a low squat max is truly shameful." Ged hung his head low at Brandon''s words, embarrassed from his poor squatting performance. "I could have done better, I swear, it was my first time!" Ged pleaded. Brandon nodded understandably at Ged''s statement. "However, with a 60kgs bench press, your power is actually quite high. For what rock to pick, I''d choose this one." Brandon pointed to a rather sturdy-looking rock, slightly larger than the one he was holding. Ged grabbed the rock from the shelf, and the two boys walked off to an open bench in the clearing. Taking turns, they spotted each other for their rock bench press. [1] They repeated this exercise 12 times each, switching places after every set. After they both finished their three sets, the boys carried their rocks back to the rack. Their next workout was rock squats. Ged picked out a rather small rock from among the choices. Giggling at Ged''s choice, Brandon selected a much larger rock, and the two walked over to an overcrowded squatting area. Brandon made a face with frustration, exclaiming, "Damnit! No openings. We''ll have to wait until someone leaves." Ged looked around the clearing and noticed an open area in front of a tall brown-haired girl. She was dressed all in black, with a face showing serious focus and determination. Squatting with a rock almost double her size, she was working out alongside the group of kids supervised by Arfunk. Brandon was now sitting on his workout rock with his hands placed under his chin. Ged pointed towards the spot near the girl exclaiming, "Look, there''s an opening." Brandon winced at Ged''s suggestion, "In front of Polka? Not in a million years would I work out near that vicious beast. If you want to try, be my guest. That girl is pumped with so many muscle-enhancing plants that her personality is near demonic. Don''t say I didn''t warn you, though." Ged thought for a moment, deciding that he wanted to improve his leg strength as much as possible. Gingerly, he approached the working-out female, attempting to perform rock squats in the cramped space in front of her. Making sure he had enough room to do the motions, he was completely oblivious to the volcano of anger building within Polka. Ignoring the impending explosion, Ged went on to perform a few rock squats. [2] Polka had just finished her set. With Ged in her space she could no longer place her rock down in front of her. In frustration, she staggered back holding her rock, before letting out a GRAH and dropping her rock on the ground. Not wanting to share her space, she calmly asked, "Hey champ, mind working out somewhere else." Ged stopped squatting, holding his rock, he looked innocently at the stressed Polka. "But, this is the only spot open; is there any way we can share?" A bulging vein appeared on Polka''s forehead. "Listen, shortstack, Arfunk reserved us this spot. Beat it! Go squat somewhere else." Ged glowered at Polka''s comment, not immediately moving from his spot. One of the other kids from Arfunk''s group walked over, commenting, "Look at this kid, trying to squat next to the Arfunk crew with THAT measly weight." He then laughed obnoxiously pointing at Ged. Ged''s face grew sullen at the boys taunting. "Hey, both of you leave. Please, I''m trying to work out here," another vein appeared on Polka''s forehead. "look at the size of that kid''s rock. Polka, you seeing this man?" he wheezed before continuing his unpleasant guffaw, slapping on Polka''s shoulder repeatedly in a joking manor. Finally, Polka couldn''t take the annoyance anymore. She looked violently at the man, exploding out in fury, "FUCK OFF, Brad!!!" Brad ceased his laughter, clearing his throat. "Jeez, princess, I was having a giggle. No need to get so mad." Polka was on the verge of another eruption about to dish out some serious verbal abuse towards Brad. But, before she could, a man approached. He was wearing a near-permanent sneer painted across his face. His walk was quite peculiar, with bowed legs and emphatic arm movements. Wearing a leather jacket and slicked-back hair, he shuffled over toward the three children. He stopped right before the kids, crossed his arms, standing intensely. Brad, recognizing the looming threat of the man, retreated out of sight, no longer goofing around. Polka had also cooled off and was now in a panic. "Arfunk! I swear I was doing my exercises; it''s the kid''s fault. He was working out in our space," pleaded the now anxious Polka. Arfunk turned his glare towards the now nervous-looking Ged. He shuffled over close to him, speaking in vicious whispers, "What? You think you''re some tough guy? Trying to work out in Arfunk''s space?" He pointed emphatically at his chest. "Listen squirt, I don''t recall seeing your face on any leaderboards." Raising his voice, he finished with, "Only LEGENDS work out with Arfunk, so GET LOWST!" Arfunk stood tall above Ged, sneering menacingly, waiting for him to leave. Realizing he had no other choice, Ged retreated back to where the seated Brandon was, defeat evident in his eyes. "See, I told you. Those people are impossible to deal with," Brandon said cathartically. Ged took a moment to regain his bearings. Eventually, a couple of spots opened up, and Ged and Brandon were able to finish their squat routine. After returning their rocks to the rack, they moved on to the final exercise¡ªrock stiff-legged deadlifts. Ged picked up a large rock, while Brandon chose a smaller medium-sized one. With rocks in hands the two walked over to the deadlifting area. "How did that girl get so strong?" Ged questioned Brandon, thinking about the massive rock she was lifting so casually. "Simple, she''s juicing," replied Brandon. "By combining certain types of grass and fruits, you can create a potent drink that can enhance your workouts." Brandon shook his head. "But I wouldn''t even think about it. It''s too expensive to make, and most of its ingredients are found up north along the muddy river." "It''s not worth the risk, either; up the river is an extremely dangerous place. Up there is the beaver''s territory." "There''s no reasonable way to get a hold of the stuff. Just think about how Maurice turned out," Brandon warned. Ged thought for a moment, before declaring, "I see. I guess I''ll have to earn lots at the arena to get my own muscle enhancing plants." Brandon had a dark foreboding look on his face, warning, "don''t go expecting the arena to be such a great place to go and fulfill your dreams. The arena is a truly terrifying place, a good number of people die per year coming from it, even fewer make a living." Ged tried his best to brush away Brandon''s warnings, instead finished the remaining sets of his rock stiff-legged deadlifts. [3] The two boys then finished their routine by returning their rocks to the rack. Completing the final exercise. Ged felt accomplished, triumphantly looking over at the crowded clearing where others were still hard at work. Brandon congratulated Ged on completing his first workout before then parting ways. Once Brandon was gone Ged headed north up the river in the direction home. Trying hard to repress his excitement and anxiety, Ged went off to check out the arena. 1. Rock Bench Press: Laying down flat on a bench with you feet planted firmly on the ground. Raise a rock up over between your chest and abdomen area. Guide the rock down slowly until it almost touched your torso and then, in a single explosive motion, raise the rock back up again 2. Rock Squat: Start by holding onto the rock in front of your chest with your hands placed underneath the rock. Straighten you back as much as possible before bending through the knees as far as they allow. Then push through your heels and lift yourself back up again. 3. Rock Stiff-Legged Deadlift: Keeping a slight bend in your knees and straightening your back, hold onto a rock near your abdomen. Hinging at the hips, gently lower the rocks as far as possible down towards your ankles without rounding your back. Finish by rising back up to the starting position. Chapter 9: The Arena Walking through the winding streets of Shark Village, Ged arrived at the arena. The arena had a concrete bowl-like structure with a clean, polished finish, its design greatly contrasting the derelict shops that surrounded it. Ged walked up near the entrance, where two large doormen dressed in black halted entry to a line of people. They wore red baseball caps with "Rua" lettering and were checking the Fighter Cards of the people entering. After a short wait Ged reached the front of the line and presented his Fighter Card, entering into the arena. The interior featured a high ceiling and a spacious circular clearing that led to several branching hallways, each leading to a different fighting arena. Each hallway had a locked gate and was marked with a different sign at its top: "Rookie," "Bronze," and "Silver." Nearby and off to the side, there was a small glass shop selling vibrant-looking plants and suppliments. In the central area, a small kiosk stood, occupied by a bald and overweight man, wearing a red baseball cap with "Rua" lettering. He seemed to be oblivious to the people around him and was smoking a pipe and reading a book. There above him a sign in bright red font which read "FIGHT." Ged walked up to the man and presented his Fighter Card. Without even looking, the man took the card, swiped it through a reader, and then returned it. He took out his pipe from his mouth, glazing over the waiting Ged. "Your name''s Ged, huh? You injured anywhere?" Ged shook his head in response. "Good, go to the lobby and talk to the lady inside to set up your next fight." The man replied. He then got comfortable in his chair again bringing up his book to his nose ignoring Ged once more. Ged looking lost, questioned to the man, "Which way is the lobby." "Rookie fighter hall," mumbled the man in response "Where?" Ged asked in clarification. "Rookie. Fighter. Hallway." The man put down his book and pipe looking sharply at Ged. "Go down the hall," he grumbled, exhaling in annoyance. He pointed towards the hallway marked with the "Rookie" sign. Ged grumbled over the man''s poor attitude. He moved onwards towards the hallway the man pointed towards. There a gate with an electronic display beside it showing a red ''X'' was stationed. He pushed on the gate in an attempt to enter inside, but to no avail it didn''t budge Ged spent a few minutes pushing and pulling but still nothing, it wouldn''t open. Embarrassed and frustrated Ged scanned the gate trying to figure out how he could get inside. He looked back over to the kiosk, annoyed, he contemplated walking over and asking the man for help. A stroke of luck came his way as a woman appeared from behind the gate. She looked at the boy with great amusement. "You seam to be in great distress," she remarked, opening the gate with ease. Ged turned around to see the voice of the person that taunted him. Her appearance was slightly older than Brit with glasses and brown put up hair in a red "Tolu" baseball cap. She gave off a comforting aura of knowledge and intelligence. "You have no idea." He shook his head. "I was losing my mind over this stupid door. Couldn''t they make it a bit more obvious? How do you even open this damn thing?" Ged pointed at the gate to emphasize his frustration. Laughing, the girl moved over to Ged''s side and shut the door. She pulled out her fighter card and held it up to a black scanner. With a ding sound it opened and the display now showed a green ''O.'' Ged felt foolish as he looked at the demonstration of the simple procedure. The girl smiled at Ged. "This must be your first time here. I''m Jen, and I run the rookie fighter hall. Why don''t you step inside?" "I''m still trying to get used to everything. I''m Ged, by the way," Ged responded shyly, enamored by her charm. "Okay, Ged, why don''t you follow me inside?" Jen said. She then walked down the hallway, with Ged following, passing by a giant wall listed with names... 100. Zerna 99. Bunchez 98. Hugo 97. Thighwave 96.... Ged scanned the wall with great interest. Jen interrupted his focus to say, "This is the Rookie leaderboard. It has the names and faces of the strongest Rookie fighters in town, the pride of our younger generation! Maybe someday your name will rank on here as well." Ged stared at the board of names making a mental note of the fighters listed. At rank 28 he recognized a name... "Brad..." he muttered to himself. The two walked further down the hallway until they reached a list of names encased within a gaudy frame: the top ten rookie fighters. Most of the list had fighters he didn''t recognize, but in the number one spot was someone a bit more familiar... "Polka..." he muttered. I have to get stronger and someday crush those two rude people! Ged thought to himself, nodding with determination. Jen interrupted Ged''s internal thoughts, speaking, "The rules of the arena are quite simple." "Lower your opponents vitality to 0 or knock him off the arena platform." "But, before you prematurely enter your first match, you should watch a few fights to get a feel of what they are like." She pointed towards set of stairs leading to the arena seats. Ged nodded in agreement to her suggestion. "Once your ready come back down and I''ll get you queued up for your first fight." She said smiling, as she stood by a hallway blocked by a red rope. "In the meantime, if you have any questions I''d be happy to answer them." Ged paused to think before asking, "Why do all the people here have ''Rua'' on their hats, but yours has ''Tolu''? What''s the difference?" "Those are just ranks used by the government to distinguish the strength of its employees. ''Dua'' is rank one, ''Rua'' is rank two, and ''Talu'' is rank three. There are ten ranks in total, each corresponding with their fighter rank. With ranks 6-10 being split up between the Diamond and Master tiers," she responded. Ged pondered for a moment, remembering the officers that brought him here. He asked, "What rank would ''Ono'' be?" "''Ono'' is a sixth-ranked officer. They are a pretty darn rare sight to see, and their strength would be around that of a lower Diamond-tiered fighter," Jen replied. Ged felt a little discouraged, realizing the gap in strength between him and the mysterious officers. With no more questions, he said his goodbyes to Jen before making his way up the stairs to the arena seating. He followed through a short hallway to an opening, where rows of seating offered a panoramic view of a deep pit in its center. Floating high above the ground in its hollow center was a well-lit concrete platform. There, two fighters with red and green pinnies engaged in heated exchanges of martial arts. Above them, a giant 360-degree screen displayed their names and three bars marked to their stats. The seats were sparsely filled, and the viewers exhibited a strange aura of focus and intensity as they watched the fight before them. Zerna was a behemoth of a woman, with large rippling muscles and a bowl-like hairstyle. She attacked with slow but deadly kicks. Hugo was a medium-built fighter, with long rippling sideburns. He chipped in with small combos of rapid punches during short openings. Ged watched closely, trying to soak in as much of the fight as possible. Attempting not to miss too much, he searched for a seat among the spectators. Among the crowds of people he spotted two familiar faces seated in the back row of seats above the entrance. It was Jessie and Zen! Zen looked on to the arena with fiery passion, while Jessie looked a little bored. Ged ascended the steps leading to where the two were seated, looking to join them and watch the fight. Jessie not caring too much for the fight was the first to notice the approaching Ged. He turned to Zen to say, "Oh look Zen, it''s that kid from earlier, what''s his name? Greg?" Zen also looked up to see Ged ascending the steps. "No, that''s Ged. That''s the chump who thinks he''s stronger than me," Zen spoke, frowning, before adding, "Do you think he''s on his way to sit with us?" "I don''t know him all that well," Jessie replied. "Do we really want to sit with him?" "I don''t care; at least he doesn''t have Brandon with him," Zen replied flatly, his focus returning to the fight. Jessie sat beside himself in thought. The one thing that Jessie desired more than anything, was a friend whose interests went beyond battling in the arena and working out. He contemplated the possibility that Ged, being an immigrant, might have different interests from the others. Could Ged be a charming man with many girlfriends? A perfect wingman for Jessie, who struggled to get a date. Could Ged be wealthy? Someone who takes his friends on luxurious vacations and provides them with expensive gifts. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Ged continued up the steps, and when he reached the row near the two boys, he gave Jessie a sharp glance. Feeling the intensity of Ged''s stare, Jessie cracked under the pressure. "Ged, right? I didn''t know you would be here. Why don''t you come sit with us?" Jessie spoke up, realizing he wanted the answers to his questions. Ged smiled and thanked Jessie, moving to sit beside him. Jessie was not a patient man. He bluntly asked Ged, "I heard some wealthy farming families came to our town. Are you from one of them?" Ged replied a bit shyly, "Although I did come from the farms, I was just a farmhand, and it''s hard to say we were ever rich." A cold sweat dripped down Jessie''s forehead. Zen this time spoke up, asking, "Hey Ged, do you like to fight?" Ged replied, "I haven''t fought much. I just like the idea of being strong. When I heard about the strong king and his weightlifting achievements, I thought he was the coolest!" Zen looked at Ged with fervent agreement, while Jessie held his head in deep disappointment. Zen moved out of his seat, now sitting on the opposite side of Ged. "Brother, I''ve misjudged you." "To think there was another person on this planet who understands me..." Zen spoke with passion, his eyes watering with tears. "Strength truly is the most important thing a man can have in his life." Jessie rolled his eyes. Ged nodded at Zen''s words. "I just wish I knew where to start. Although I felt fulfilled after my weight training, I don''t get how it all relates to actual combat in the arena," he replied. Zen''s face turned serious; he pondered momentarily over Ged''s comment. Jessie, meanwhile, had completely lost interest in their conversation, now fiddling around with a piece of paper he found on the ground. Zen looked out at the arena platform; the two fighters were standing at its center waiting for the other to make a move. "You picked a good fight to learn. Zerna and Hugo are some of the best fighters in the entire Rookie division." "Most fighters can be categorized into ''fighter archetypes.'' These help define the kind of style they use in combat." Zen continued. "Hugo is a ''Pressurer.'' He uses his quick speed and reflexes to execute fast combos of punches and kicks to quickly reduce his opponents vitality." "While Zerna is a ''Controller.'' She uses attacks with high knockback and fights to control her opponent away from the center of the platform and off the stage." "Power dictates how you hit and how much you hit for. There are three main ways to hit your opponent: stunning, knockback, and damage. Watch closely at the fight and take note of how they hit each other." The fight started to heat up as Hugo sprang at Zerna.
Zerna
Power: 700/700
Endurance: 150/300
Vitality: 300/600
Hugo
Power: 300/300
Endurance: 400/400
Vitality: 500/500
Hugo unleashed a stunning right fist at Zerna, depleting a small amount of his power. In response, Zerna flexed her muscles, making Hugo''s fist seem as if it hit an invisible wall. Zerna then countered by swinging a heavy punch at Hugo, depleting nearly half of her power. Barely managing to crouch to avoid the fist, Hugo swept at Zerna''s feet from the ground, using the remainder of his power. Zerna flexed her legs, managing to block some of the impact, but her vitality still dropped from the outcome, causing her to stagger. Regathering herself, and before Hugo could get too far away, Zerna utilized the remainder of her power to deliver a brutal kick. Hugo was sent flying to the outer edge of the platform, taking heavy damage to his vitality as he staggered back up to his feet.
Zerna
Power: 000/700
Endurance: 000/300
Vitality: 130/600
Hugo
Power: 000/300
Endurance: 200/400
Vitality: 300/500
Ged pondered the fight. "That''s strange. It seemed like sometimes their hits did nothing, like with Hugo''s initial hit on Zerna." "That''s because Zerna ''shielded'' Hugo''s hit," Zen explained. "By flexing your muscles in a specific way, you can utilize some of your endurance to defend against a hit. And if you manage to defend against the hit in its entirety, it''s called a ''shielded hit''." Ged nodded at Zen''s explanation and was now flexing some of his muscles to try and mimic blocking and shielding hits. "Your power and endurance deplete with every hit or defending exchange, and although they regenerate, you need to be strategic about when you use them." The two fighters spaced out, recovering from the earlier exchange. Hugo made the first move again. Using his speed to get close to Zerna, he executed a 4-hit combo. The first hit was an uppercut fist, knocking Zerna airborne. Following it up, he threw a hard left, sending her diagonally. Then, he sprinted closer, delivering a brutal elbow that knocked her down to the ground. He finished the combo with a decisive kick, sending the hulking Zerna towards the edge of the platform. "C-C-COMBO!" Zen got excited over the fighters exchange. Ged looked at him curiously. "What Hugo just did is what''s called a combo. With the proper training and if your combo starter isn''t countered, you can execute an uninterrupted array of attacks onto your opponent." Zen explained. Ged thought about the three consecutive attacks he learned from Maurice. "Would the attacks I used yesterday be a combo?" Ged asked. "Technically, yes, but only because I wasn''t expecting it. Had I been more prepared, I would have easily blocked the first hit and countered back with my own attacks," Zen replied smugly. Ged gave a wry smile in response to Zen''s remarks. Hugo moved in for another round of punches, but before he could get close, Zerna released a charged fist, using all her power. Hugo blocked, sliding backward on the platform and taking heavy damage.
Zerna
Power: 000/700
Endurance: 180/500
Vitality: 060/600
Hugo
Power: 200/300
Endurance: 000/400
Vitality: 050/500
Hugo and Zerna looked at each other from across the platform, hatred and battle fervor was in the air as the two caught their breath. Ged started to get excited looking at the intense match. "What happens when your vitality get to zero?" He asked. "Muscles protect your entire body and when your vitality reaches zero, you enter a state known as ''muscle death'', rendering you vegetative." "One thing that can get dangerous is when both fighters are low like this is... because of... the platform..." Zen stopped his train of thought caught up in watching the fight. Hugo rushed in to Zerna circling around him with attacks desperate to try and finish her off. 60... 40... 20... 10... Zerna''s vitality dropped dangerously low. Hugo jumped in to deliver a final blow. But before he could reach, Zerna gripped him within her pincer like arms, immobilizing him for the time being. "NO WAY! A GRAB!" Zen stood up from his seat caught up in the moment. The crowd began to cheer loudly over the sudden change in events. Even Jessie had woken up from his stupor, putting his full attention on the spectacle happening in the arena. Ged watched the scenes unfold. Hugo tried to shake off his hulking opponent''s grip, but to no avail. Hugo began to panic as he was carried close to the edge of the platform. With a desperate effort to not be thrown off, he gripped onto Zerna''s arms tightly. Zerna had a dark expression on her face as she tried to shake Hugo off. In a heroic effort to turn around his fate Hugo released the grip of one of his hands to try and throw a punch and finish off Zerna. But, in response Zerna jumped off the platform with Hugo still in grip... "NOOO!" Zen held his head in shock. He leapt out of his seat, sprinting as close to the center of the arena as possible peering down below the platform and into the pit. The crowd erupted in anger and horror. Jeers and boos could be heard throughout, as the people screamed at the conclusion of the fight. Ged also got up out of his seat, joining Zen to see what was happening. "MURDERER" A person called out. "KILLER BITCH" another screamed. Below the platform a gory sight could be seen, Zerna was now seated in a puddle of flesh and blood atop of which was formerly Hugo. Zerna struggled to her feet, standing tall. She looked up towards the crowd of people with empty eyes, not bothering to reply to their outrage. A couple of Rua officers were now present, escorting the blood-splattered Zerna away from the crime scene. This didn''t seem to calm the people down at all. Several objects were now being thrown down below the platform at the retreating killer. Strange green men arrived soon after with buckets and mops as they began to clean up the gory sight. Zen spoke out with a melancholic tone, "Hugo..." Ged was in shock over the terrifying outcome of the arena match. Ged tried his best to comfort Zen, suggesting he sit back down. However, Zen remained glued to the sight of the deceased fighter, not budging an inch. Not wanting to be around the aftermath any longer, Ged returned alone to sit with Jessie. After the fight was over, Jessie was back to folding the paper he found, completely oblivious to the heavy atmosphere and outrage that had developed in the arena. Ged sat down beside him, lost in contemplation. "You ready to give up being the strong king yet?" Jessie asked nonchalantly. Ged didn''t have the words to answer. Jessie sighed. "Although it is taboo for fighters to do it... death is way too common in this arena. That move that Zerna used is what''s called the newbie killer." "One piece of advice that imbecile probably forgot to mention to you..." "Do not, under any circumstances..." "get grabbed." Ged took the advice to heart, mustering a response, "I-I see." Jessie and Ged thought to themselves for a moment before Jessie broke the silence. "Hey Ged. Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Ged took a moment to think. Shaking his head, he responded, "None. To be honest, I haven''t really even spoken to many girls besides my sister." Jessie was devastated yet again by Ged''s hopelessness. But suddenly, he came to a realization. Although Ged might be another strength junkie, he has a sister! And she might be hot! A big smile came to his face. Meanwhile, the tension building in the arena finally came to a boil as a few of the spectators were now engaged in a roaring brawl. Chapter 10: Suckered A fight broke out in the arena. Initially, it involved just two people, but rapidly escalated into a brawl with four participants. What made the brawl peculiar was that all four of its members were young boys, and each of their hits was aimed directly at the others'' groin. Dressed entirely in black, they appeared to know each other well. Amidst their hard kicks and punches, leading to shielded blocks, they laughed and smiled while desperately guarding their privates. Among the four, a notably short boy stood out, barely reaching the others'' waists in height. He seemed to have an advantage in the brawl, landing several upper cuts at some of the other participants'' sensitive areas. Jessie and Ged watched from a distance, observing the chaotic exchange, while Zen was still grieving the death of the deceased fighter. "Arfunk''s pledges must be bored," Jessie remarked, his hand propping up his face. In a sudden turn of events, one of the shorter boys'' hits managed to connect. On the floor, a bald teenager was now keeled over, holding his groin in pain. The other three stood beside him, taunting and laughing at his unfortunate position as he rolled about in agony. "Looks like that bald idiot got suckered out," Jessie snorted. Two Rua officers appeared at the entrance to the arena seating platform, gesturing for the bald teen to come over. Frustrated, the teen got up from the ground and made his way toward the officers, who escorted him down the stairs. Meanwhile, his three other friends continued to laugh, as if they had seen the funniest thing in the world. Zen having taken notice of the fours game came out from within his stupor and was now on his way over to join Ged and Jessie at their seats. Ged confused about what just happened, questioned to Jessie about the situation. "Those idiots just finished playing a round of ''suckered'' and just pray that dumbass doesn''t want to join in on the fun." Jessie pointed towards the approaching Zen. "Cause otherwise you might be joining that baldy and getting kicked out of this place." "Why is he getting kicked out in the first place?" Ged asked. "If at any point either during your fight or while watching the fights once your vitality gets below full, you get escorted out" Jessie explained. "Those government bastards are tracking your stats as soon as you enter in the building. It''s supposed to help prevent idiots like those four from fighting each other. But, see how effective that is." "In the arena are some of the stupidest fucking people you will ever meet on this planet, only total morons would want to..." Jessie paused momentarily, frowning he stared up at a now smiling Zen who was now standing in front of them. Zen reached out to punch Jessie in the nuts, before quickly pulling back in a cheeky move. Jessie flinched and covered his crotch with his hands. Causing Zen to roar with laughter. "Screw off! You do that shit again, I''m leaving," Jessie stared at Zen with a dark expression. "Come on, Jessie, I was just joking around," Zen said, sitting down between Ged and Jessie with a mischievous smile. Jessie had a crooked look on his face. "Hey, Zen. Did you have some history I didn''t know about with that fighter Hugo? Why were you moping so long looking at those pits? By now, you should know how it is here." Zen looked down towards the pits with a stiff expression on his face. "To be honest, I really didn''t know much about him. I think I only saw him a couple of times outside of the arena. But without fail, every time I was at the arena to watch a match, he was there, either spectating or fighting on the platform himself. He seemed to think of nothing else besides ranking up at the arena." Zen continued with melancholy, "You know, I was always curious how he did it. Getting up every day. Fighting on that platform." "Seeing him around so often made me think... you know, that he was going to be around the arena forever... And seeing how he ended up... well... it was kind of tough to see." Zen choked up a little, finishing his sentence. Ged and Jessie were taken aback a little bit by Zen''s mourning speech. Breaking the still air, Ged attempted to comfort Zen with some empty-sounding words. "He was truly an excellent fighter, and I''m sure he would have appreciated your words." Zen pulled himself together, replying sarcastically, "Oh yeah. I bet he''s in the great gym in the sky right now, crying his eyeballs out over my sentiments." As he spoke, he moved in an attempt to hit Ged in the nuts. But, before his hand could reach, Ged flexed all his muscles as hard as he could, shielding himself from the attack. "Well done, greenhorn. But, that shield of yours could still use some work; you used way too much endurance to block that hit. The power I used there was less than a tenth of what you shielded with. Now that your endurance is depleted, if I wanted to, I could sucker you out right now," Zen teased. Ged frowned at his statement and, in quiet retaliation, he went to smack Zen''s nuts. Zen barely managed to shield as he got up from his seat. "Damn it, farmer! Hitting with your full power off the bat? What were you trying to do? Trying to make me infertile?" His face was red with anger and embarrassment. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Ged smiled wryly at his comment. Jessie chimed in to defend Ged, saying, "Zen, since when did you start caring about having children? I thought you wanted to become the strongest fighter? I don''t remember there ever being a strong queen to the strong king." Still embarrassed, Zen replied, "Maybe I will want to settle down later in life. I just want to keep my options open." "Isn''t it kind of abnormal just how strong Ged is?" "Yeah, it is a little strange, I can''t imagine just working on a farm would result in that kind of strength either. He might just be a natural talent, but I would have to see some of the other immigrant children to know for sure," Jessie added. "I never thought I was very strong," Ged admitted, thinking about Ross and how he could easily move a thousand kilos of produce. "Compared to the other people at the farms, I always felt I was pretty weak." Zen, intrigued, replied, "Ged, care to swap fighter cards? I''m curious to see how I''d match up against you if we were ever to meet in the ring."
Ged Rank: Rookie Record: 0-0 Power: 60/60
Endurance: 40/80
Vitality: 40/40
Zen Rank: Rookie Record: 0-0 Power: 40/40
Endurance: 30/60
Vitality: 50/50
Zen furrowed his brow with frustration while looking at Ged''s stats. "Was this your first attempt ever? An 80 kg deadlift and a 60 kg bench press? How old are you, even?" Ged replied, "Yes, that was my first attempt at the holy lifts, and I just turned thirteen this year." Jessie and Zen were stunned. "Three years younger than me and can already bench 20 kg more than me," Zen hung his head in embarrassment. "I thought you looked a little young, but you seem a too mature to be thirteen," Jessie commented. Ged was examining Zen''s fighter card, "I mean, your squat is pretty go-." Ged was cut off. While Ged was preoccupied with the fighter card, Zen took the opportunity for another attack at Ged''s crotch. However, Ged reacted quicker this time. Instead of waiting to defend, he opted for an immediate counter-attack, striking with full force at the unsuspecting Zen. A wailing cry echoed through the arena. Zen was now a row down from them, clutching his privates in pain. Jessie was momentarily stunned by the quickness of the interaction. However, he soon snapped out of his stupor and pointed, howling with laughter at the keeled-over Zen. "Serves you right, sucker," Jessie taunted. Ged joined in, hiding his amusement at Zen''s painful lesson. "Ged, mark my words! I''ll make sure you pay back this humiliation eleven times over," Zen declared angrily. The same two Rua officers who had taken away the bald teen now appeared, demanding Zen to leave. Holding back tears, Zen got up on his feet and made his way down the steps, shooting furious intermittent glances at the two boys. The chatter died down among the spectators as a strange humming permeated from the center of the arena. In response, the platform in the center began to lower down to the floor of the pits, and a glitzy, enthusiastic voice filled the arena, announcing the next match of fighters. Ged stared at the setup with nervous anticipation. He was beginning to feel the pressure of what it meant to be a fighter at the arena, and just the thought of registering to fight gnawed at Ged''s subconscious. "I plan on fighting today in the ring, but right now, I''m a bit nervous to go and register..." Ged spoke up in a serious tone. The humming sound returned as the platform slowly hovered into view. Two fighters were now stationed a few car lengths apart, seemingly bound in place by an invisible force. Jessie sighed, "I''m sure you saw on his card, but Zen and I have never actually fought in any official Rookie match. Although some people our age have fought, you aren''t required to until you turn eighteen." "Further down the hallway is the practice arena. Zen and I usually sit and watch the fights here before going over there to test out combos, practice sparring, or shield training. There is no chance of death at the practice arena. The platform can be lowered to whatever height you want, and you will never need to worry about your opponent killing you by lowering your vitality beyond zero." "Give up on fighting at the arena for now. The people who fight here are mostly adults in their physical prime; it''s not a place for people as young as us." Jessie shook his head. Ged looked out at the floating platform, watching the ongoing fight. The two fighters seemed to be in their late twenties or early thirties, with stats in the triple digits. Ged slumped in his chair, realizing what Jessie was trying to tell him. "With only forty vitality, registering for a fight on that high of a platform is close to suicide. Although we only just met the other day, and I will admit you are certainly talented, I''d prefer not to see your corpse this soon." "Why don''t you spar a bit with me and Zen, then register for a fight another day?" Jessie suggested. Ged sat there, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing heavily on his mind. Fighting for a meal was one thing, but to die just for a meal wasn''t something he could afford to do. He remained seated in his stadium chair, gazing out at the exciting match in front of him, lost in contemplation... Chapter 11: A Pair of Curtains The more Ged thought about his options the more hopeless he felt. His path to ruin and his path to happiness ran shoulder to shoulder leading to his own death. More than anything he wanted to take up Jessie''s suggestion and spar with him at the practice arena. But, when he saw Jessie and Zen, who were three years older than him, still practicing and still unable to make their arena debut, he realized that this would only delay his inevitable problem. He was hungry, the energy he got from the rivermud root was beginning to dwindle and although he might be fine with eating another meal of the disgusting plant, he also had two other people he was tasked to provide for. Practicing combos didn''t bring in money to buy groceries, but fighting in an arena match did. Ged anguished over his present situation. With his sister refusing to fight and Ross having forfeited all his responsibilities, Ged shouldered the burdens of their futures in their stead. In his mind a cup was being filled with the stresses that came from his reality. It had every moment Brit called him useless, every single scolding from Ross, but more than anything else it was filled to the brim with his own self made frustrations. Ged saw the arena as his only way out, his only way to survive. Now on top of Jessie''s claims that this path will lead to his early demise, Ged''s cup of reality was beginning to show signs of spilling over... In front of him he no longer saw the dancing colors of the red and green as the two fighters pirouetted around on the arena platform floor. Instead their red and green pinnies began to swirl and his eyes... they became obsolete... Ged attempted to break free from his chains of reality. The swirling colors scooped his eyes out of from within his sockets and hid them away, far removed from the harsh gaze of reality. Ged was now looking at a dusty gray wall, staring vacantly at the billowing moving backdrop. Behind the wall he heard a voice call out to him. Ged focused his gaze into the abyss-like smoke, trying to see the owner of the voice from beyond it''s smoky interior, but to no avail. Suddenly, the sounds of trumpets played and the wall in front of him transformed into a pair of curtains. The trumpets ceased, and the curtains peeled themselves back, revealing a world of uniform green. In its center were three television-like screens. In the first screen, he saw Ross, Brit, and himself all seated around a dinner table, laughing and eating a large buffet of delicious meat. Within the second screen, he saw himself in front of a vast field of crops, where two children happily played with each other. He was smiling warmly at the scene while a beautiful woman was wrapped in his arms. In the final screen, he saw himself as a king dressed in billowing green robes. He moved toward a balcony, gazing down at an uncountable number of people all lined up, cheering loudly at his presence. The gray curtain closed, and a brand new pair of eyes settled into his sockets as he returned to reality once more. To escape his situation, he created eyes that could see the known and the unknown, with a dividing line of curtains which separated the two distinct realms. These eyes rendered him blind to the present, and instead gazing only at his three unrealized futures which hid behind the curtains. With these new pair of eyes, Ged no longer cared about the reality of his own life or death. "I''m going to fight" Ged announced. Jessie looked at Ged with pitiful eyes; he saw Ged as just another Hugo, a hopeless individual who would choose an early grave over their own well-being and happiness. However, when Ged looked at Jessie, he didn''t see him at all in his eyes. Instead, all he saw were curtains. "I guess we''ll have to spar another time," Jessie replied, shaking his head. "Try not to die," he finished Ged nodded and thanked Jessie before moving toward the arena''s exit. Descending its steps, he felt completely calm. Standing in front of the red-roped entrance was Jen, the person in charge of the Rookie hall. Jen didn''t care whether Ged lived or died; she only cared whether he was fighting today or not. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. When they first met, she was an attractive figure filled with knowledge and intelligence. However, seeing her a second time, she had changed. Her appearance now resembled that of a headless demon holding a sharp trident. Ged looked closely at the demon as it stabbed its weapon into the neck of a figure that seemed to resemble him. But, he didn''t see the violent scene, instead all he saw were curtains. Jen had a big smile on her face. "Back so soon? Did you come here to sign up for a fight?" "Yes, I''m ready to fight," Ged responded. She looked at Ged with a seductive smile as she slowly peeled back the red rope leading to the waiting lobby for the rookie fighters. "Take a seat in the lounge, and we''ll call you when it''s your turn to fight." She stepped aside, allowing Ged to enter. Ged walked past the red rope and proceeded down the hallway of the arena entrance. Its blue walls were adorned with portraits of fighters and descriptions of their past accomplishments. He passed numerous empty blue couches with side tables holding fake plants until the hallway finally led him to a doorway adorned with the sign, "Fighter Lounge." The fighter lounge was a large room with rows of seating lining its walls and center. On the opposite side was the entrance to a hallway adorned with the sign, "Arena Entrance." Ged walked into the room and took a seat, preparing to wait for his fight. Some people in the lounge were talking cheerfully amongst themselves, but the majority wore a vacant stare. As Ged looked into the eyes of the different people, he realized something... The fighters at the arena were all blind, just like him. ***. Jen stood beside herself, feeling bored. After Ged had entered, the arena seemed to quiet down, both its participants and spectators. She mindlessly fiddled with the red rope that blocked the entrance, passing the time. But she knew this dullness wouldn''t last long. Ever since Hugo''s death, it was as if there was a ticking timer in the rookie fighting hall, counting down to the arrival of a man and his headache-inducing speeches, leaving a trail of disgruntled government employees in his wake. As Jen treasured her last few minutes of boredom, a strangely dressed older man and a young, fit man were talking to one of the two guards at the entrance. "Goose... I came as soon as I heard the news," the older man mourned. "Ralph, it must be very hard for you. Death is much too common here," Goose replied, shaking his head thoughtfully. "Hell, counting the one today, that will total four different deaths just this month." "It is really too much," Ralph paused. "I''m here to talk with your rookie fighting coordinator. I hope you don''t mind giving Fern and me entry in." Ralph then attempted to move past the guard and enter the building. However, he was stopped by Goose''s arm. "I''m sorry, Ralph, I know you''re the mayor and all, but you have to abide by the rules just like everyone else," Goose said, gesturing for Ralph to hand over his Fighter Card. Ralph''s face turned angry and red before he quickly hid his frustration, replacing it with a warm smile. "You are absolutely right; I forgot. Fern, would you please hand over our Fighter Cards?" Fern reached into a bag wrapped around his shoulder and took out two Fighter Cards, handing them over to Goose. Goose scanned the cards with a red light before returning them to Fern. "I''m sorry about this, Goose; you know how we are. We just want things to get done," Fern spoke up, burying the cards back into his bag. "Please remember to also check in at the central security point when you get in as well," Goose replied flatly. Fern nodded, and the two entered the building, walking toward the center kiosk. "Those arena guards are absolutely heartless," Ralph complained. "Here we are dealing with somebody''s untimely demise, and still, they only care about security. What would happen if a mother doesn''t have a Fighter Card when she comes here to mourn her son? Would they dare to refuse entry, even to her?" Fern frowned at Ralph''s words. "That''s just the way things are run here. Every arena I''ve seen has this same policy." "Don''t speak like you and I are the same as these people. If four people had died in a month on a property either one of us owned, we would be absolutely devastated and would be doing anything and everything in our power to get it solved. This laxness and the lack of awareness demonstrated by the people working here is appalling," Ralph replied, continuing his tirade against the government workers. They approached the small kiosk with the portly man, who had given Ged a hard time the first time. As soon as Ralph and Fern approached, however, he immediately put down what he was reading and set aside his pipe. "It''s good to see you again, Ralph! Don''t worry, I''ve already entered you and Fern into our system. I''m sure you two are extremely busy; feel free to use any of the three hallways," he flattered Ralph. "Thank you, Vetch," Ralph replied. Without spending a moment longer, he and Fern walked over to the Rookie gate. "At least some of these mongrels have a sense of duty," Ralph continued his criticism. Fern was starting to lose hope in fixing Ralph''s attitude as the two of them opened the gate and began to walk down the hallway to where Jen was stationed. "Please, do not lose your temper with Jen. She''s one of the few people who will help us get food for the town by directly negotiating with the Agriculture and Food Department. You''ve made your points about this topic last time; let''s keep it brief with her, pay our respects to the deceased fighter, and then leave," Fern warned Ralph. "I understand what you''re saying, but when I speak, it always comes from my heart. I will never filter out what my heart says because I know it''s always singing a song for a better and brighter future," Ralph spoke eloquently. Fern furrowed his brow at Ralph''s meandering comment. Instead of reiterating his worries, he decided to offer a small prayer before they approached the now-smiling Jen. "Jen! How are you? You look absolutely stunning today, might I add," Ralph spoke with grand gestures, laughing heartily as they approached. "I''m sure you already have an idea why I''m here." "Ralph, right on time. I was growing impatient waiting for you to arrive," Jen spoke, her face plastered with her patented smile. She placed a sign near the red rope that read, "Be back in a minute," before gesturing to the two. "Come on, follow me. Let''s go and see Hugo." Chapter 12: Ged vs. The Killer Jeb Jen, Ralph, and Fern found themselves in a room tucked away within the arena''s winding hallway system. In the center of the room, a sleek, all-black rectangular casket rested. An orange towel was strewn beside it, with Ralph and Fern kneeling on top of it. As time passed, two streams of tears rolled down Ralph''s face. He opened his eyes after finishing his prayer. "An early death is truly life''s greatest evil," Ralph said, using his hands to wipe away tears. "How many more young, beautiful humans must die before we put an end to this evil practice?" "We warned Zerna. We told her that what she was doing with her grabs was dangerous and that she was going to get someone killed one day," Jen shook her head. "She wouldn''t listen to us, and now she''s paying the price for her actions. It''s a damn shame what happened to Hugo." "It''s not enough! Has the Arena Safety Department given their response regarding my proposition about lowering the arena platform for the Bronze and Rookie divisions?" Ralph questioned. Jen maintained her smile, but behind her mask, she sighed heavily. "Ralph, I explained this to you last time. It wouldn''t be fair if our arena had a lowered platform. The reason it is at that height in the first place is to deter people from purposefully jumping off the platform and throwing matches. The arena is the government''s way of showcasing and incentivizing the strength of a town. If we relax the rules here, it would undermine our efforts to create a stronger world." "But why is it only our town that has this ridiculous death rate? Even Goodren, the town just north of here, with more than twenty-five times our population size, has fewer deaths than ours. Why is it my people who are dying? Can''t you agree that something is wrong?" Ralph asked. Jen couldn''t help herself anymore and let out a sigh. "Shark Village has just become recognized as a part of the Toto-ka fighting region. We''ve already talked about this. Once you approve our fighter facility plans, we can provide education for new and aspiring fighters on how to safely fight in the arena. The facility is what sets this town apart from Goodren. If you want fewer deaths, approve our building permit." "I understand that, but the people are vehemently opposed to the idea. Just the other day, I was berated for hours by the local reverend just at the mention of your ''school'' for fighters. There''s no way I can make the changes you have outlined. The people do not want it! We must protect the lives of the people now; later, we can talk about this facility once more." Jen returned to smiling. "Well then, I''m sorry, Ralph, but there''s nothing more I can do. Just know that immigrants are already starting to come and fight at the arena, and without proper instruction, I fear for their safety." "Immigrants? Only eight families came here with the first wave, and most of the adults were silver fighters. None of their children are even close to adulthood either, so we won''t have to worry about that either... well, at least for now," Ralph responded, brushing her innocuous statement off as nothing. Jen''s smile grew even wider. "Oh, I''m not so sure about that. I saw one of those children register for a fight just today. He was about this tall," she gestured, using her hand to show the boy''s height, "and he had green eyes and bushy hair. I believe his name was Ged." Ralph''s eyes grew wide with shock and terror. "Ged???" *** Ged was sitting between two rather burly-looking men, their attire and hair in complete disarray, their faces callous and devoid of any emotion. The room was filled with a dense cloud of smoke as most of its participants had lit up cigarettes or cigars. He scanned the room. Near the entrance to the arena, a man with a mohawk and cowboy boots was practicing combos in anticipation of his match. Ged observed each move, attempting to mimic the patterns in the combo he practiced. However, unlike when he had seen Maurice''s three-hit combo, he found it nearly impossible to visualize himself performing the same feats. Ged pondered, Why can''t I visualize his combos in the same way I could with Maurice? He couldn''t dwell on the thought for long, as every so often, an announcement would blare from the loudspeaker, announcing the next two fighters. "Ged and Jeb, please make your way to the ''Fighter Waiting Area.''" Ged focused when he heard his name, standing up from his seat, he made his way over to the arena entrance. There, he entered into a large circular concrete room illuminated by torches hanging on the walls, with its ceiling obscured by the fighter platform. Opposite to him was a hallway marked with a sign that read, "Exit." To his right, there was a small glass box with a door labeled "Fighter Waiting Area." Inside, two chairs marked with red and green were placed, and leaning against the glass wall was the mohawked man he had noticed earlier, Jeb. Jeb was gazing up at the distant platform, eagerly anticipating his next fight. Ged opened the door to the fighter waiting area. Jeb glanced over toward the doorway, wearing a strange expression upon seeing the intruding Ged. "You''re Ged?!? Fuck me, you can''t be bigger than a toddler," Jeb said, scratching his head as he looked at the small and seemingly weak Ged. "Given your age, you must be one of Arfunk''s brats. This at least should be interesting." Ged looked up at the man, and now that they were close to each other, he fully grasped the difference in size between the two of them. Standing almost three times Ged''s height with bulging muscles that filled out his frame, Jeb looked to be almost 30 years of age. Initially shocked, Ged''s surprise quickly faded back to neutrality as he walked to one of the two seats in the waiting area, ignoring Jeb''s question and taking a seat. Jeb was startled and frustrated by Ged''s haughty attitude. "All you Arfunk kids fight the same way. This match should be over quickly," he bragged, expecting to get a rise from the seated Ged. Ged remained as still as air, staring vacantly at one of the lit torches on the opposite side of the room. He paid no mind to Jeb''s talking as he watched the flames of the torch dance about. Jeb frowned at Ged''s continued ignorance and moved over to sit in the opposite chair. "AGH! I hate the silent ones. What fighter archetype are you then? I''m a Grappler," Jeb tried to make conversation with the silent Ged. Ged finally turned to the hulking Jeb and gave a brief response, "I don''t have one." "An All-Arounder then? HA, you guys are my favorites to fight." Jeb had a big smile on his face, continuing, "I haven''t been to the arena in a few days, and now all of a sudden new-faced children are coming down from the trees, begging for a lesson from this grandfather." Jeb pointed to himself in a smug manner. Ged ignored the man''s taunting, redirecting his attention back to the flaming torch. Suddenly, a humming sound could be heard as the platform lowered itself to the pit floor. From the floor to the highest point the platform was raised towards was around the height of the statue of liberty or about fifty meters. As the platform descended, a solitary man came into view, wearing a green pinny stained with blood on his face and hands. Beside him lay another man, dressed in a red pinny. Emerging from the exit hallway, five strange green men appeared, positioning themselves near the room''s edge, waiting for the platform to reach the ground. The platform landed with a thud, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the corners of the room. Two of the green men, carrying a stretcher, carefully lifted the injured man and moved him toward the exit. The green-clad fighter followed suit, leaving the arena and being led by one of the other green men. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Jeb stood up from his seat, and Ged followed, both making their way out of the waiting area and onto the platform. Upon the platform, two circles were marked in yellow, labeled "p1" and "p2." These circles were positioned at opposite sides of the platform. Jeb confidently stepped onto the platform first, maneuvering over to the "p1" circle. Ged subsequently moved to the area marked "p2." Once they both stood inside the circles, the two remaining green men hopped up on the platform to distribute the colored pinnies to the fighters. The green man walked over to Ged, holding a green pinny. Upon closer inspection, the green man had a simple but unrealistic-looking face with dots for eyes and a semi-circle for a mouth. He wore white clothes, and his skin seemed to radiate a lime green glow, making it difficult to see his face and body clearly from a distance. He handed the pinny over to Ged before retreating off the platform shortly after. After both fighters put on their color-distinguishing clothing, the platform radiated a strange white light as the humming returned. Ged found himself unable to move a muscle as the platform slowly lifted them up the fifty meters to the top. Written around the top of the pit, wrapped around the arena in a repeating pattern, were the stats of the two fighters.
Ged
Power: 000/060
Endurance: 080/080
Vitality: 040/040
Jeb
Power: 300/300
Endurance: 500/500
Vitality: 700/700
"FORTY VITALITY?!?" The arena spectators were stunned. They stared at Ged''s stats in disbelief. "How could someone even think about fighting with such low stats?" "How did he even register? Is there not a minimum total stats requirement to fight?" Another spectator pondered aloud to the person sitting beside them. Jessie and Zen were seated in the far back row, both wearing solemn expressions. "To get matched against Jeb ''The Killer'' in his first match, what kind of awful luck is that?" Zen said, shaking his head. Jessie looked apprehensively at the platform. "One half-strength hit from Jeb, and Ged is gone, vanished from this world." Zen frowned at Jessie''s comment but couldn''t disagree with his words. Jeb was just as stunned as the crowd, if not more so. He looked across the platform at Ged. "Kid, do you not care for your life? With those stats... No, not even Arfunk would allow one of his kids to fight with stats like that." He raised an eyebrow in confusion, examining the numbers in front of him. "Do you think fighters are all soft-hearted people? I might just kill you," Jeb continued, his face showing deadly seriousness. Ged stared back at Jeb, his expression devoid of worry and emotion. "I''d like to see you try." Jeb frowned momentarily before a giant grin covered his face. "Good! It''s nice to see kids these days still have spirit." The platform stopped moving, and a strange stillness overcame the arena as the lights keeping Ged and Jeb in place vanished, allowing Ged to move once more. Entering the fight, Ged didn''t have a plan. He had hoped to rely on his three-hit combo and quick feet, possibly squeaking out a win against an opponent who tripled him in stats. However, seeing Jeb, who had six times his power and endurance, and more importantly, a whopping 17 times his vitality, threw his ideas out the window. Despite his unfathomable disadvantage, Ged remained calm, his eyes directed at his opponent who sat across from him as he crept slowly forward to the middle of the platform. Jeb was not as calm. Although he had the title ''The Killer,'' it was not something he was very proud of. He met Ged at the center of the ring, trying to steel his resolve, because today he might just kill again. Ged opened up first, charging directly at Jeb for a frontal attack. Jeb, not someone who liked to play defense, attempted to grab, but he completely missed the shorter and quick-footed Ged. Jeb immediately noticed a problem with this fight, sighing as he realized it wasn''t going to be as simple as he had hoped. Ged charged in at the opening, sending out a fist, using all his power to try and whittle down his opponent''s large numbers. Jeb barely flinched as he shielded the small-powered hit, quickly re-establishing his footing. He attempted to go for a sweeping kick, hoping to catch the shorter Ged, but by the time his foot had fully swept across the floor, Ged had already backed out. Jessie and Zen watched the fight intently. The bored expression on Jessie''s face had now completely vanished as he soaked in every movement of the fighters and the three bars displaying their stats. Zen piped up, "He''s using the same tactic as Hugo, except instead of a combo, he''s relying on just a single punch." Jessie responded, "With that size difference alone, he has a pretty easy target to hit. The advantages of using combos lie in the lower power depletion when they miss, but with such a large gap between his stats, I think his strategy is spot on." For the next few exchanges, it appeared one-sided. Whenever Ged''s power bar regenerated to full, he went in and delivered a punch. Meanwhile, he spent the rest of the time dodging the attacks of the hulking Jeb. Suddenly, a turning point came in the fight...
Ged
Power: 060/060
Endurance: 080/080
Vitality: 040/040
Jeb
Power: 150/300
Endurance: 050/500
Vitality: 700/700
"Wow, is Ged actually going to win?" Zen pondered. "It''s a bit too early to tell. Although Ged is doing well with landing hits, he''s losing the battle of positioning. He''s getting pushed further and further to the ledge with every exchange. If he doesn''t fix this immediately, then he won''t have the room to dodge one of Jeb''s hits, and with him being so close to the ledge... you know how that usually goes." Zen''s face turned pale at Jessie''s proclamation. Ged went in at Jeb for another punch, and for the first time in the fight, Jeb''s vitality dropped below its starting number, down to 690! Ged didn''t waste any time, quickly backing up to avoid retaliation from the slightly injured Jeb. However, unlike before, his foot slightly dipped off the platform. Ged''s heart leaped out of his chest as he tried to reposition himself and avoid falling, but a pair of hands had a different idea... Jeb grabbed hold of Ged, gripping him tightly as Ged desperately tried to escape by flexing his muscles and wiggling his body. Zen and Jessie stood up from their seats in terror, anticipating what was about to come next. Not a sound could be heard in the arena as they watched the outcome of this deadly match. Jeb looked at the struggling Ged with pitying eyes. "I''m sorry, kid, but you really shouldn''t have expected a better outcome." Without another word Jeb threw Ged off the arena platform... Chapter 13: Geds Enlightenment In a realm far removed from the eyes of reality, there stood a man wearing a green beanie, his gaze fixed intensely upon a billowing wall of gray smoke. However, to say that he was ''standing'' wouldn''t be entirely true, nor would it be accurate to call the ''gray smoke'' a ''wall.'' In this realm which physics and laws dare not touch, the orientation of objects and the positioning of its scenery are all thoroughly distorted. Depending on what kind of lens you use and from where you view the scene will create what kind of scene you see. This space is known to all who have come across it as the ''barely defined.'' It is known for its un-fleshed out concepts and ideas that seem to fluctuate rapidly between ''existing'' and ''not existing''. Surrounding the barely defined is a perimeter wall known as the ''primordial gray,'' believed by many to be what created the entire known universe. This defining feature led some to simply refer to this realm as the ''gray,'' and its primordial gray exterior the ''cycle of existence.''" Within this distorted realm of sporadic existence, a boy with a leather jacket adorned with red stripes appeared seemingly out of thin air, walking over to the man in the beanie. "Father, what are you doing? Why haven''t you come home yet?" the boy asked, tears starting to show in his eyes, showcasing the long journey he had traveled just to get here. The beanie-wearing father didn''t even give his child a glance. "Son... How does our home compare to a wall?" He shook his head with dreadful disappointment. "If I went back home... How would you make it up to me?" He finished the sentence, raising his voice to a roar-like shout. "How could you EVER repay me for missing a glimpse of what is behind THIS WALL!?!" The leather-jacketed boy cowered at his father''s words, tears streaming down his face. "QUIT your CRYING!!!" The father barked, still steadfast with his stare at the gray, "Straighten up and stand next to your father." He pointed to the ground next to him. The boy''s tears stopped, and they disappeared like they never existed, he moved over swiftly to stand next to his father. The father began to teach his son. "Stand tall and gaze at the wall with me. Over time you will understand why one looks beyond this smoke even over their own existence." The boy peered into the primordial gray, trying to understand his father''s words, but all he could think about was his family. "Father, I''m sorry. I see nothing. I couldn''t see beyond the gray swirls, my only thoughts were when you were back home with Mom and I." The father didn''t respond to his son''s thoughts. "Father, I need direction! Tell me what I am supposed to see," the boy insisted, his tone filled with urgency. The father remained silent, his eyes dry from a stare that seemed to have lasted an eternity. "It''s impossible to know exactly what you will see when you look behind the wall," the father said slowly, closing his eyes for the first time before opening them abruptly. "But I can tell you what is hidden from you." "For behind the primordial gray lies the answers to life''s greatest mysteries, all the travel logs for the unexplored universe, and an incredible mountain. Where if you scale its summit, you can see all of existence ¨C the legendary peak of existence!" "But, above all else, this wall hides a pair of curtains to your own personal ambition and future!" The father raised his arms emphatically, giving a deep and cosmic laugh at the end of his speech. "Currently, you live within the definable red. You can''t see beyond the wall because you are too attached to your own existence. Your eyes are blinded by thoughts of your family, your lifespan, and, most of all, your self. You need to realize that today''s you is obsolete to tomorrow''s you, that your entire existence will one day become a thing of the past and fade back into the primordial wall, completing your existence''s cycle." The boy became terrified from his father''s words. The father looked at the child for the first time since they started their conversation. "Fear not, child, for although your existence is fleeting, there is one thing that will never disappear, no matter how much time passes, something that is truly immortal." The boy looked at his father with curiosity. "It is called the undefinable GREEN! In it holds our very own future, and as long as we look to it... it will never disappear; and it too is behind this very wall!" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Together, one day, as father and son, let''s venture forth and explore the green... let''s become its first pioneers and behold the indescribable landscapes offered from this undefinable expanse." The father finished by laughing uproariously. The son smiled for the first time at his fathers proclamation, and his father returned to looking at the wall. The boy thought to himself about the green; he imagined a never-ending field filled with green grass and trees. In that scene, he and his father stood smiling hand in hand, each carrying backpacks and walking sticks, as they trekked across the unfamiliar fields. The boy turned to look at the wall and instead of gray swirls, he saw a pair of curtains which were peeling back to reveal the vision he saw exploring the green with his father. "Father! Father! I saw a glimpse of what''s beyond the wall. I saw the undefined green! It is real!" The boy spoke excitedly. Sharing this moment with his father, he felt a strong sense of happiness for the first time in his life. "Good job, son. I knew you could do it." The father smiled warmly, his eyes still fixed on the wall. "But, child don''t get complacent because looking at the wall is only the first step. You need to understand the truth about life and its ladder of obsolescence." His tone turned serious as he slowly explained. "Those who lived in the past are obsolete, those which live in the present are temporary, and those which will live in the future are immortal." "By staring at the undefined you have only managed to push yourself into the fringes between being temporary and being immortal. But to take the second step... it can be quite the leap." The father frowned at his own words. *** In the Rookie Fighter arena, Ged, a small boy with bushy green hair fell quickly towards the ground. Ged observed the arena ceiling growing more distant and felt the air ripple beneath him. "So, this is how I die?" Ged thought to himself. A profound relief washed over him, as if a colossal weight had been lifted from his chest. His mind relaxed, realizing that all his current worries had vanished. However, in this calm, he noticed something ¨C a hidden chain situated inside his eyes connecting his future desires to his present circumstances. Unfettered by consequences, Ged scooped his eyes from their sockets, crushing them within his palms, and breaking his connection to reality. In that moment, Ged became enlightened. The chain broke, and his present and future split into two. His future became an emerald green body, which escaped into the gray curtains, while his present body continued its descent to the ground. His future body sat motionless behind the curtains surrounded by billowing gray smoke. He looked through the unfurled curtains to catch a glimpse of the opposite side, but instead of reality all he saw was red. With a painful, splattering sound, Ged''s body hit the ground. *** In a darkly lit room located somewhere in the Rookie arena hallway, three people stood by a table where a human shaped figure was covered with a white sheet. "I''ve met this child before... He was one of the few people who immigrated to this town and actually cared to get along with the locals." An old man with a white beard stood over the white sheeted individual. "You know when I met with the reverend... you know what he told me? A man who hates to see even the changing tide, had a smile on his face, and he told me that he was happy that his son finally found a friend... His son who was shunned by the other village children found his first friend and he didn''t even grow up here." A tear rolled down his cheek. "You know he tried to call me the other day..." He choked up a little, "late at night he called, but I was too busy to pick up the phone." He sniffled. "I apologize for all I said today, my demands for how you should run your arena, I always thought my duty in life was to make this town a better place, a place for children to grow up and thrive in." "But, this boy was in trouble, and I ignored his cries for help; I''m the true monster here." The old man kneeled to the ground next to the sheet as he gave out an ugly sounding cry. "Ralph... You need not blame yourself; I''m sure he had his reasons," a young man with combed hair and business casual attire replied. "BUT IT IS MY FAULT!!!" Ralph screamed at the top of his lungs. "Fern, you don''t understand, you didn''t meet him. You didn''t look at his life filled eyes filled with the hope of the future, like I did. I denied him his future, he came to live in this town and I left him to rot as a corpse. How can it not be my fault?" A beautiful woman with oval eyes, tied-back hair, and dark-rimmed glasses quietly smiled off to the side. Not a hint of emotion could be seen in her eyes, but it wasn''t that she wasn''t affected by the sight of the broken Ralph; rather, she chose not to show it. She sorrowfully lowered her head. "It is truly a shame what happened to poor Ged. Just before he entered the arena, he told me that this is where his dreams lay. But, to see him like this..." "Children are truly too cruel too themselves. They will stop at nothing to realize their dreams, not even taking into account their own lives." She shook her head. "I''m sorry for my earlier rudeness, Ralph, I''ll put in another request to get the arena platform lowered." Jen then began to walk away to the door. "I have to return to my work, it''s been my pleasure, but I''ll leave you two by yourselves." "Wait!" Ralph called out. "I''ve been truly blind to this all, I''m the one who should be apologizing. I will make sure this fighter facility gets built and find a way to make the people understand, I don''t want to see another child under this sheet. Please, Jen, if you have any way to revive this poor child, I''m willing to pay any price. Even stripping away my title of mayor." Jen had a hidden smile underneath her face, an apparition of a headless demon appeared behind her as she spoke. "That won''t be necessary, this child, I will make sure he is taken care of personally." She then continued to leave out through the door. "Oh! I almost forgot," she stopped herself. "The second wave of immigrants are about to arrive, I believe forty-five families will be coming here soon." "With five gold fighters, with the influx of silver and gold fighters coming to this town, the government is sending several trucks filled with supplements and food. Please look over the papers that we sent you so you can approve of the contents specified." With that she left through the door leaving Ralph and Fern by the motionless Ged. Ralph looked at the sheeted boy pondering, "Was this the right path?" Fern looked on to Ralph with pity on his face, "You did your best. Although the people might criticize your decision today, in the future they will understand." Chapter 14: Exploring the Primordial Gray Floating within the barely defined, a glowing green boy with bushy hair and emerald eyes drifted in an aimless direction. Just before his death, this boy escaped his body, becoming a spiritual-like being. Afterward, he passed through a pair of curtains to enter this strange place. However, the moment he stepped into the billowing gray, he lost his eyesight and his memories from when he was alive. Blind and unconscious, he was swept away by a stream of gray, leaving the curtains and his previous life behind him. Time passed; a year went by, and the boy''s vision improved. He could now vaguely discern the different shades of gray in his surroundings and his thoughts progressed closer to being coherent. A decade passed, and the boy remembered his name: Ged. He observed the smoky surroundings, seeing the swirling gray spirals of the smoke. He remembered how he died and his final moments falling from the arena platform Time passed once more, and a century went by. Ged''s vision had improved beyond what it had been in life. Within the dusty gray clouds, he could now perceive the outlines for strings about, each tinted with a hint of color, either red or green. Ged watched inquisitively as the smoke danced around him. When a green and red particle intersected, it vanished from his sight, disappearing entirely. Ged''s mind was sharp; he could now reflect on memories he didn''t even realize he had and replay moments from his life that he would have barely remembered otherwise. However, even with his sharp mind, strangely, he couldn''t recall what his life was like before he turned seven. He reminisced about the past. He thought about his life in the orphanage, recalling how happy he felt surrounded by plenty of toys and other children his age. It seemed like paradise, but with his sharper mind, he realized it wasn''t as great as he initially remembered. He saw Brit, the older of the two, shouldering their responsibilities for finding a new home. He observed the adults of the orphanage, who cared more about moving kids to new or existing homes than ensuring their stability. He remembered the approval to work on the farms, the relief and happiness in Brit''s eyes contrasting his own downtrodden spirit. Arriving at the farm he saw how dull and monotonous his days were. Waking up at six every morning, he prepared breakfast and then worked tirelessly until he collapsed into sleep. The farm owner''s strange face lingered in his mind, a smile that seemed to connect his mouth to his eyes. What he didn''t notice initially was the change in his sister. At night she no longer slept; during the day, she hid herself from sight. Ged saw those things and remained oblivious that she was suffering. Looking back with a clearer mind, he could see the abuse his sister faced and her desperate yearning for control, comfort, and freedom from fear. He recalled the change in his sister once they left for Ross'' farm. Ross was strict yet kind, who helped with cooking meals and with chores. It was the closest thing to a true family Ged and Brit had experienced in their lives. He saw his sister''s smile and Ross''s energetic focus with his chores, and he saw his scolding when Ged made mistakes. With his sharpened mind, Ged now noticed the anguish hidden deep within Ross; his subtle desperation to hide from his past. Ged felt nostalgic. Now that his memories were back, he longed to return home. However, bound by this strange river of gray, he begrudgingly continued on. Time passed once more, and a millennium went by. Ged''s vision had sharpened, enabling him to discern the peculiar, string-like objects in greater detail. He observed closely as a green and red string danced, gradually converging. Two arm-like lumps could be seen coming from the green string, advancing toward the red string. Upon contact, the red string shifted slightly forward before both the red and green strings disappeared entirely. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Studying the particles, Ged had an epiphany; the motion of the strings resembled that of a bench press. Except this motion seemed to contain the purest essence of the workout, utilizing the most optimal form for the lift. Attempting to replicate the motion he had observed, Ged tried to set up his arms in the same position, but he couldn''t get them in the same strange position as the green string when he pushed against the red. With his sharpened mind, he attempted to devise a solution, considering various perspectives and outcomes, but found no answers. His mind became overloaded with the information of his life and his surroundings. A painful stabbing sensation began to surface Time passed, and a million years went by. Ged was in agonizing pain. His eyes perceived particles with near 360-degree vision, and his memories contained the sounds of grass and the surfaces of atoms. The space around him transformed; the once-gray abyss now resembled a forest of trees. In his anguished state, he rose from the forest floor and sprinted through the trees, hoping to find relief. Strangely, he felt the grass and bushes cut at his skin as he moved through them as he felt pain for the first time since coming here. After pushing through dense underbrush, he tripped and fell onto the dirt floor of a clearing. Ged clutched his head in agony, writhing on the ground. Finally, he looked up for the first time to see what awaited him at the center of the clearing. There, he encountered a tree that seemed to defy the laws of physics. It had a small, twig-like trunk with gnarled branches twisting and turning skyward, seemingly extending endlessly. These fractal-like branches cast eerie shadows, denying even the slightest bit of light. Ged looked up at the tree, but even with his sharpened mind, he couldn''t see its end or the full mysteries contained within. However, he found that gazing at the complex pattern dulled his mind and restored his sanity. Sitting down on the dirt floor, he studied the tree with great relief. Suddenly, one of the dark shadows moved, and Ged shifted his gaze to one of the branches as a small silhouette emerged from its shadow. Ged squinted to see what appeared to be a small beaver, its fur a deep mystical shade of brown, with a touch of blue. It stared at Ged with eyes that carried the wisdom of one who had seen the secrets of the universe. "Human immortal, you must be quite lost for you to stare so longingly at the Tree of Mysteries," the beaver spoke, his voice carrying an otherworldly volume. "For such a thing to exist in this never-ending abyss, I wasn''t sure if I would ever think clearly again," Ged replied, his eyes teary. Puzzled by the beaver''s use of the word ''immortal,'' he asked, "Strange blue beaver, how do you know me to be immortal? I don''t want to live forever. I''ve been searching for a way to return to reality." "Stupid human, it is too obvious you are someone''s ambition. Only an immortal wanderer would feel relief looking at these branches." The beaver gave out a sharp laugh. "You want to return to reality?" The beaver had a strange smirk. "You deserve your fate. Enjoy your time as you suffer assimilating with eternity." Ged furrowed his brow at the beavers attitude and extremely cryptic response. "What? Ambition? Am I not human? What do you mean assimilate with all of creation? Why would I feel relief looking at those branches? Assimilating with eternity?" Ged had way too many questions. The beaver sighed and became slightly annoyed, "Toddler. I''m not some human sage here to coddle you with answers." Ged stared blankly, speechless over the beaver''s words. The beaver shook his head, "You humans are all alike. Always with your questions and never helping provide your perspectives. Is there not a redeemable quality hidden deep within any of your species skin?" Ged thought carefully about his response. "I wish I didn''t have so many questions. This place is too strange. Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, my name is Ged." "Ged?" The beaver shivered at his own words, "What a terrifying name." "For what to call me..." The beaver shuffled his tail in thought. "Those in the greater unknown do not refer to me using a mere name, but since you are just a fledgling, you start by calling me Manduka." "Manduka. I have a lot of questions, which I hope you will answer. But I don''t want to be unfair to you, how can we make this exchange?" Ged asked the stubborn beaver. The beaver hopped down from the branches. "You want answers to questions, and I want deeper perspectives on life." Then a black and white chessboard appeared between the two of them with glowing colored orbs for game pieces. "Why don''t we play a few rounds" The beaver became excited. Chapter 15: A Beaver and a Boy Standing next to a strange tree were a beaver and a small boy with green, bushy hair. Between them lay a black and white chessboard with floating colored orbs serving as chess pieces. "The game of perspectives isn''t about winning or losing but rather something that is mutually beneficial to both players. By the end of the game, the first player will gain a higher understanding of their perspectives, and the second, answers to their questions," Manduka explained. Ged listened intently as Manduka described the rules of the game of perspectives. "The beginning player declares a statement and an accompanying perspective that goes with it. The secondary player then takes the first player''s statement, simplifies it to its core components, and displays a corresponding perspective to match. If the starting player believes the second player''s perspective helped them understand their point of view to a higher standard, then they can allow the second player to ask a question." Ged fixated his eyes on the strange board game, experiencing a familiar feeling akin to when he gazed at the Tree of Mysteries. Manduka observed Ged''s curious gaze and responded, "This board is made from wood taken from the original Tree of Mysteries. All these mysterious objects are known as ''dings''; they are objects where no matter which direction you look at them from or if you slice them in half, their shape or size won''t change." Manduka then conjured a golden scimitar seemingly from thin air. With a ginormous arm emerging from within his tail, he swung the scimitar at the board, slicing it in twain. Astonishingly, instead of two halves, two equal-sized boards remained. Ged stared, dumbfounded by the magical act, while Manduka gave a mocking smile. "Silly human," he laughed at the still-shocked Ged. "Take this board with you. You never know when you might need to get your questions answered by an old beaver like me again." Ged walked up and held the enigmatic board in his hands. Using his improved vision, he tried to study its secrets. "Does this work with all ''dings?'' I would love to study the Tree of Mysteries as well if possible," Ged asked. "Now, now, boy. Don''t get too hasty asking a question. I''ll save you an answer for when you provide me a unique perspective." Ged was starting to get a bit frustrated with the cryptic and unhelpful beaver. "Well, lend me one of your scimitars. I''ll go and find out for myself." Manduka was pleasantly surprised by Ged''s forthcoming change in character. "Good attitude, boy" he remarked. "Here, why not take your own." Manduka then conjured an identical scimitar out of thin air and sliced his original in twain. Manduka stared at the two scimitars in thought. "I guess you might need another scimitar just in case you need to sever your scimitar." He severed off another scimitar and handed two scimitars over to Ged. Manduka''s scimitars vanished, and a sleek black chair replaced them. Manduka sat on the chair and closed his eyes as if he were asleep. "Now you can find the answers by yourself." Ged held the two scimitars; they both felt as light as air in his hands. Putting one of the scimitars on the ground, Ged walked up to the Tree of Mysteries. With a fierce slash, he cut into one of its twisting branches. Now there were two Trees of Mysteries. Ged looked at the pile of strange loot he had received from the beaver and felt quite pleased with himself. However, as he stared at the enormous-sized tree, he couldn''t fathom how to move with his newly acquired items. Manduka called out in a mocking tone, "You''d best put away all my precious gifts. You never know when some burglar might come along and snatch them." Ged looked at Manduka pleadingly, "Please, guide me. I don''t know how." Manduka laughed loudly. "Guidance is what you want? I can give you guidance." Manduka cleared his throat. "A ''ding'' fluctuates rapidly between existence and non-existence. To turn an object that currently exists into one that doesn''t, or vice versa, is as simple as flipping a switch." "Through your journey to get here, you must have at some point seen this creation. Did you at any point come across the colors of green and red colliding and creating something new?" Ged remembered the bench press of creation he saw while traveling with the gray stream. "I did see something similar. I observed it as the two surfaces pushing off each other using a motion like that of a bench press." "Yes, precisely, and that very form of motion is the key to solving your issue. The ''pressing motion'' at the beginning of a bench press is how things are created from nothing, while the second half¡ªthe ''pulling motion''¡ªreturns the creation back to nothing," Manduka explained. Ged pondered Manduka''s words and considered how they could be applied to put away the Tree of Mysteries he had created. Approaching the tree, Ged attempted to ''pull'' it back to nothing. However, when he held out his arms in what he thought was the ''pulling motion'', the tree fluctuated out of sight before returning back into existence. Ged frowned at the tree, he utilized his heightened sensitivity to try and understand where he went wrong. With nothing conclusive he attempted another ''pull.'' Still, the tree fluctuated between existence and non-existence. However, in that last attempt Ged realized something important. Whenever he was performing the ''pulling motion'', he was performing the act in tandem with an accompanying ''pushing motion.'' Canceling out all the ''pulling'' done in each step. How can I pull an object without pushing out first? Ged thought to himself. He looked quizzically at his arms before pleadingly glancing over at Manduka. "Don''t get too down on yourself. This step is usually difficult for beginners," Manduka offered a pitying remark. "Here''s a hint, think about why performing a bench press is different here than it is in reality." Glancing gratefully at Manduka and his guidance. Ged immediately went to try out a bench press rep to cross reference what he experienced when he tried it back at the registration office. Ged lay on the dirt ground, holding out his hands shoulder-width apart, attempting to do a bench press. He extended his hands skyward before returning his elbows back to a ninety-degree position. He repeated the motion several times, and after hundreds of attempts, something clicked inside his head. Ged''s eyes lit up. "There''s no resistance when I perform a bench press here." He realized, "When I was doing the bench press back in the real world, gravity ''pulled'' the weight down to my chest, and I ''pushed'' the weight up. If there was a force similar to gravity here, I could use it in the opposite way and have it ''push'' before I ''pull.''" "No. Not quite..." Manduka shook his head. Ged felt like a bolt of lightning had struck him. He couldn''t understand how his insights could have been wrong. "But you are on the right track. Why don''t you take a break from this for now so you can join me for our game? Maybe it will broaden your horizons and refresh your mind with some new ideas," Manduka remarked. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ged begrudgingly got up from the ground and walked over to Manduka. A second chair popped up at the opposite end of the two game boards. "I guess I''ll put away my board and tree, and we can just use yours," Manduka spoke, doing a strange motion with his tail before one of the two game boards and the Trees of Mysteries disappeared. "I will begin the game first. To make a move, simply visualize an environment in your mind''s eye, move one of the game pieces, and speak aloud your statement." "Let''s begin with something easy," Manduka said, using his tail to move one of the glowing colored orbs. "My existence is revenge," he declared. The scenery around them changed as everything besides the ''dings'' shifted. They were now playing in a battlefield, where beavers were fighting a war against humans. Strange elemental-like abilities were flying across the battlefield, as the humans seemed to be on the retreat. Ged stared at the battlefield with a lost expression. Manduka spoke up with some helpful guidance, "Look deeply around at the scenery. Ponder to yourself what meaning does this perspective and scenery have to do with my statement? Then, based on that meaning, respond with your own perspective and statement." Heeding the advice, Ged looked around at the brutal scenery. What he saw shocked him; it was a one-sided massacre of the human army. He heard the terrifying screams of humans as they ran in fear, and the squeaking war cries of the beavers who were marching ferociously towards them in chase. He saw the disturbing sight, and although it shocked him initially, he felt completely detached, as if he was missing the part that would feel outrage. Yet, instead of dwelling on his thoughts he tried to solve Manduka''s perspective. However, even with his enhanced vision and lacking empathy, he could only think of one thing that could relate the scene with his statement. His own existence. He saw Manduka as an entity like him who once saw only the world through gray curtains. This vision reminded him of his three futures that led him to leave reality itself to pursue. Ged then created a perspective in his mind which he thought best resembled himself before announcing, "My existence IS." Ged moved his piece on the game board, and the world changed. It was now an expanse of green and red separated by a wall of gray. Manduka looked at the changing scene with a slight hint of intrigue in his eyes. "The known, unknown, and a wall..." Manduka thought to himself in contemplation. "Your perspective is passable... I will allow a question for it." Manduka spoke. "Am I a human and are you a beaver?" Ged asked. Manduka squinted his eyes towards Ged and his strange question, answering, "I am not Manduka the beaver, and you are not Ged the human." Ged heard the answer, but he wasn''t surprised; rather, he felt relieved. "Although I can''t speak for what exactly you are, I can expand upon who I am. I was once a part of a being named Manduka, who had an ambition to kill all of humanity. In a losing battle between beaver and human, the beaver Manduka severed this ambition in hopes for humanity''s death, letting me loose to explore the primordial gray." "This is why most explorers of the primordial gray do not have names," Manduka sighed. "It really is a confusing mess, isn''t it?" Ged pondered Manduka''s words carefully. His words made him grasp that he was the ambitions of his previous self, and not his whole self. The feeling of not being whole tugged at Ged as he thought to himself how he might return back to reality once more. Manduka saw Ged''s understanding and moved on to the next round in the game. "Pain is what I see." Manduka moved one of the orbs on the board. The expanse changed to reveal a new perspective. It was now an advanced city-like landscape with tall skyscrapers. Blue-outlined people were walking around on concrete sidewalks, and the streets were devoid of vehicles. Ged looked at the new perspective with confusion. Never had he seen something quite like it; the city landscape felt magical in his eyes. But in sharp contrast was the statement from Manduka. Ged pondered what the core meaning of it might be. Looking beyond the buildings and the blue-tinted outlines of people, Ged could see the remnants of an older building hidden behind the newer designs. A product of a changing dynamic between the old and the new. On some of the newer buildings, he also noticed cracks in the walls left from the passage of time. He guessed the perspective of Manduka''s was like that of a reverend who saw the pain in the world brought about through the passage of time. Ged visualized a scene which he thought best represented this concept and moved one of the pieces on the board. "Time is what I see." The background around Ged and Manduka shifted, and in its place, an image of the erosion of a stream''s bank due to the passing of time emerged. As the two sat on the chairs, Manduka looked at the eroding bank with narrowed, disappointed eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that this cliffside has changed due to time?" Manduka asked. Ged nodded at Manduka. "I don''t like that perspective. Not one bit," Manduka shook his head. "Consider to yourself why the stream erodes the bank, and why the bank lets the stream run its path. Is it because time allows it too? Time itself becomes warped when it is near massive objects like black holes and distorted when an object travels at high speeds. If time itself can change, then how can you be certain it dictates change in the real world?" Manduka stared expectantly at Ged. Ged looked at Manduka, attempting to answer, "How else would you document the change in things?" Manduka frowned. "Time is truly a concept made by humans." He rolled his eyes. "Why must someone document the present? What, so he can predict the future?" Ged stared blankly at Manduka. "The humans are so amped up about their time that they have documented their entire worthless history. They have tricked their minds into thinking that the past is the present, and they are now living in the future. What they don''t realize is that the future is different, the present is now, and the past is obsolete." "I''m sorry, but I will be stealing your question for this round." Manduka took a serious face to ask, "What do you think the future of humanity is?" Ged took a second to fully understand the obscurity of the question. He thought quietly to come up with a possible answer. After a brief deliberation, all he could think up was perhaps humanity''s future was like his. He pondered to find a binding element that made up his future to be his future. But he couldn''t find anything that was concrete enough for an answer. The question was too vague to understand. His best guess was just that the future would be "different." "The future of existence is to be different than the present," Ged finally answered. Manduka stared longingly at Ged. "Your answer is too vague to be correct. For the future and end of humanity..." "Is to become obsolete," Manduka finished with a wicked grin. Manduka explained his reasoning. "The fundamental law governing everything is to become obsolete. Animals procreate not for the pursuit of happiness, survival, or adherence to the ''law of the fittest,'' but rather as a means of replacing themselves. The future of the future is the present, the future of the present is the past, and the past is obsolete." "This is what''s called the ladder of obsolescence." "Even if humans stood at the very peak of existence and controlled all of creation, understanding its every single nook and cranny, they would still find themselves to become obsolete." Ged thought to himself quietly, pondering over the truth of such a statement. Manduka made the next move on the chessboard. "The cycle of everything," he announced. Ged and Manduka now sat by a vast, spiraling whirlpool in the ocean. Ged looked out at the spiraling waters to ponder its meaning. In the ocean spiral, he saw floating debris spinning at various distances away from its center. The debris seemed to follow a uniform circular pattern as it spiraled around the eye of the vortex. Ged looked closer at the center point, trying to understand where the spiraling began from. Peering deep within the eye, he found what seemed to be an even deeper spiral. Ged frowned at the spiraling ocean image. Initially, he perceived the floating debris as a representation of reality, and the rest of the spiral symbolized the cycle of everything. However, after observing the deeper spiral, he doubted the accuracy of this interpretation. Drawing from the lesson of his previous judgment in the game, he resolved to consider the perspective more carefully. He scrutinized the debris more closely and noticed that with each rotation around the swell, it curved inward toward its center. In contrast, he observed the water at its center moving at impossibly high speeds. The water flowed in the opposite direction of the debris, escaping toward the edges of the whirlpool. Continuing his pondering, he considered his own place in the perspective. It was at this point that he took a closer look at one of the pieces of debris¡ªits appearance a simple wood chip, yet on closer inspection, Ged discerned faint lines of disintegration along its edges. This wood chip was once much larger than it appeared now, but where did it go? Ged reflected on his own mortality, contemplating his journey into the great unknown gray, the splitting headaches he endured, and Manduka''s use of the words ''assimilating with eternity.'' As a piece of the wood chip broke off and dissolved deep into the waters, Ged finally had a revelation. The wood chip merged with the ocean much like his own existence had begun to merge with eternity. The ocean represented everything, and Ged''s enlightened being was akin to foreign debris within its waters. Ged finally made a move on the chessboard. "Everything," he declared. The background transformed from a smudgy backdrop of a spiral of reddish-gray smoke, with specks of greenish-gray slowly merging with the red to create a representation of the present. The closer to the center, the faster the rotation speed. Amidst the merging gray swirls were emerald-green specks of debris rotating in the opposite direction, gradually losing their emerald color and descending toward the central swirl. Manduka looked at the perspective with praising eyes. "Much better. Your perspective has improved considerably since your first move," Manduka praised. "It was all thanks to your guidance that I could reach this conclusion," Ged smiled, looking at Manduka thankfully. "However, I still feel like something is missing." Manduka considered Ged''s comment before responding, "That is simple. You are missing mass from your perspective." "Now, Ged, I have enjoyed our time together, but let me be frank. I will not be making another move on this game board. After your question, our time together will end." Ged nodded in understanding. "Now, ask your final question." Manduka commanded. "How can I return to reality?" Ged asked. Chapter 16: The Bench Press Rebirth Inside a plainly decorated home, a casually dressed woman with fiery red hair sat on a small couch. A couple of hours had passed since Ged''s passing at the arena. She held a white, acrylic-like card to her ear, engaging in a casual conversation with someone on the other end. "What is it now? Can''t I get a moment of peace?" she spoke quietly through the phone in a playful manner. A groan of annoyance emanated from the other end as a manly voice responded to her question, "You claim to me that you are always bored, and that I should talk to you more. But, when I take a break from work to call you, you give me this attitude?" She muffled a laugh. "Brit, you claimed to me that you were on the verge of death last time we spoke. But, I guess now you must be doing quite well then," the male voice continued. Brit smiled warmly, "No, no, Carl. I really am dying. I haven''t eaten anything since the morning... if you can even call what I ate food." She made a sour face. "My brother still hasn''t come back from going out this morning. I''m starting to get a little worried," she responded. "Your brother? He should be fine. It''s a guy thing; us men just sometimes gotta leave for hours and do stuff. I''m sure he''ll come back once he''s finished," Carl reassured Brit. "Did you get a chance to think about my idea of moving out of Shark Village and joining me in Hamville?" Brit hesitated for a moment before responding, "I did. I''m still uncertain about whether I want to or not. My brother seems really adamant that we can make it work here. But with Ross the way he is now, I have considered it. I want to at least wait until I speak with Ged before giving you my decision." Suddenly, a sharp ringing of knocks echoed through the door. Startled by the noise, Brit rose from the couch. Still holding the card to her ear, she spoke a little louder, continuing into the phone, "I''m sorry, Carl. I have to go. Someone is at the door." Carl bid a brief goodbye, and she ended their call, stashing away her card into her pocket. She fixed her hair and put on shoes, yelling out to the front door with a simple, "I''m coming." Once Brit felt she was properly presentable, she walked over to the front door and opened it to see who was waiting on the other side. Standing behind the door were two men. In front was a tall, older man with a white beard and a bald head, and behind him, a well-dressed younger man with combed-back hair. "Oh my! Hello there, beautiful young lady," the older man opened up with a bright smile. "My name is Ralph; I am the mayor of this humble town, and this is my assistant, Fern. Would someone by the name of Ross happen to be around?" he continued. Brit was startled by the mention of his title. She couldn''t imagine why the mayor would visit their household of all places, given the horrible state Ross was in. A cold and creeping feeling dripped down her spine. She didn''t respond and instead looked blankly towards the two men. Fern cut in. "Please don''t misunderstand us, ma''am. There has been a terrible accident at the arena, and we rushed over as soon as possible to discuss the event with the owner of the household." When Brit heard mention of the arena, she was startled, and then it clicked in her head. Something must have happened to Ged. "This event at the arena," she tiptoed through to say, "Does it have something to do with my brother, Ged?" Fern and Ralph went momentarily silent, carefully choosing their words in response to her question. Ralph broke the silence to say, "Yes, ma''am. This is about Ged, and it''s fairly serious. I''m sorry, but it would be much easier to explain what happened once I have your entire family present." Brit''s heart shook, but at least she had reason to believe that these men weren''t responsible for what happened to Ross. She cleared her throat before responding, "Ross is... Well, he''s not doing very well at the moment. Let me go check to see if he is able to come to the door." She left the men at the front door and walked over to Ross'' room. Ralph turned to Fern and said, "What a sweet girl. She must have been worried sick as soon as we said the arena. She knew immediately. I do hope that Jen keeps her promise and helps us bring that boy back." Fern gave a slight nod, reminding Ralph not to be too hopeful. "That boy''s heart had stopped completely, and his body is near irreparable. Even if Jen kept her word, as I said earlier, it will be easier to just tell them the truth and say he is dead." Ralph frowned at Fern. "Perhaps you don''t know, but in this world, if one pays the right price, even death can be escaped. If Jen keeps her promise, that boy will escape his fate. I am a little suspicious of her intentions, however." Fern shook his head. "Even if she was being completely honest and had a lot more money than I think she has, I still don''t think she would be able to conjure up something like that so easily. Do be mindful of your expectations." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. While the two talked, Brit knocked on Ross'' door. "Ross?" she called out. But the bedroom gave no answer. She hadn''t seen Ross at all since her terrifying encounter the night prior, and he hadn''t left his room once. Although she could occasionally hear the stirrings of the man, he never made much of a sound otherwise. Brit opened the door a crack, and a foul stench wafted up to her nose. Holding her breath, she opened up the door. Seated on the bed with his back against the headboard was Ross. His bed was in shreds; during the night, he had ripped up his bedsheet, and part of it was now wrapped around his face, while the rest was blood-soaked and discarded on the floor. Brit had already braced herself for the morbid scene, but even still, the sight was nerve-racking. But she felt relief to see that he was awake. "Ross? The mayor is here, and he told me that he has some bad news about Ged from the arena," Brit spoke, trying her best to hold herself together through the nauseous atmosphere. Ross barely blinked. He had one eye covered with the bedsheet, and the other lazily stared at Brit from his seated position. Ross opened his mouth to speak, but only a gasping cough came instead, for his throat was too bruised to speak. He looked at Brit with empty eyes, his thoughts unclear about her announcement. Brit stared at the motionless Ross with a look of panic and worry. She fled from the room, shutting the door behind her. Trapped between two doors bearing bad news, her panic and fear heightened. She pondered the possibility that her brother was badly hurt or worse deceased, but the idea was too terrifying to accept. She steeled herself as best she could before meeting again with the two men behind the door. Brit stood in front of Ralph and Fern, saying, "Ross can''t come to the door. He got beat up so bad last night that he can''t even speak." Brit began to tear up as she finished her words. Ralph and Fern looked at each other with confusion. *** Deep within the primordial gray. A green-haired boy named Ged and a beaver named Manduka stood by a strange board game, unaffected by a cyclone of gray smoke that whirled soundlessly in the background. "You want to return to reality?" Manduka gave out a hearty laugh. "That is only natural; we are representations of the future, boy. We all want to go to the present." His voice rang. "But the return to reality is near impossible, and even when we do return, once we get there, the path ahead is a long and harrowing one. Let me ask you something, are you presently dead?" "I didn''t see myself die, but likely I am dead," Ged replied. "Then consider yourself lucky; your return to reality has some legs to stand on," Manduka said. Ged was ecstatic upon hearing those words. "But, even if you return, it will not be the same as when you were your present self. That''s because we are representations of the future. We are like debris in the ocean; eventually, we will merge and become one with the waters, losing ourselves and our minds to this great beyond. The present is temporary, where the living and the unliving look to get replaced." Ged remembered the years of madness and his days spent wandering around the primordial gray without coherent thoughts. The thought of losing his mind, learning about the intricacies of everything, and spending his days in excruciating pain was a solemn but alarming concept that Ged really didn''t want to be a part of. He pleaded with Manduka, "Please, is there any way to stop the assimilation and return back to being temporary?" "Yes, there is a way. You must become the present. You were once an ambition of yourself, correct? You must realize that ambition to completion, only then can you become the present." "Realize my ambition?" Ged thought. He contemplated his three futures that he wanted more than even his own life¡ªRoss, Brit, and him eating meat together; a slow country life with a wife and kids; and becoming a strong king. Those three futures were something he already planned on following through to completion, so he was hopeful about his return. "But the precedent of returning is extremely difficult and has never been done successfully before. It has only been documented half-heartedly in one of the perspectives shared by a single explorer," Manduka explained. Ged, not hesitating, said, "Even if it''s incomplete. If it can help me, then I would like to know about it." "It is called a Bench Press Rebirth," Manduka explained. "By bench pressing your present body''s total mass, you can eliminate your present existence and replace it with your future existence." "However, be aware, as an enlightened existence, we have given up on the path of mass building by discarding our bodies. So, in order to complete this lift, you will need to create yourself a brand new set of chest muscles," Manduka continued. Ged nodded, thankful for Manduka''s helpful words. "But how to create those chest muscles. I''m not really too sure; my best guess is to get closer and study the gray closer to the beginning of everything," Manduka pointed at the eye of the gray cyclone behind them, "see if you can''t get lucky in finding some stable mass from which you can make a chest when you''re there, then train it to lift enough to be able to lift your body mass." Ged pondered Manduka''s words, but he wasn''t sure which direction was toward the eye and which was toward reality. Manduka looked at Ged''s confusion and continued, "You seem to still have your doubts. I don''t blame you." Manduka shook his head. "If you are worried that billions of years of your ''time'' are gone, you won''t have to worry. Reality and where we are located are at much different points along the cycle of everything." Manduka thought to himself for a second before he reached into his eyeball and pulled out a small red dot. "This is the pupil I use to see reality. It was created by an explorer many years ago who just wanted to gaze at reality''s majesty one more time," Manduka said. Conjuring up his scimitar, he sliced through the pupils with two quick slices. A second and third hand grew from his tail as they caught the red dots and carried them over to Ged. Manduka then put the remaining red pupil back into his eyeball. Ged, mimicking Manduka, used his fingers to fit the pupils into his eyes, and thankfully they went in just as easily. Ged looked around at the world; he could now see small particles of mass floating in the world around him. "Ged, I feel we have experienced many insights in each other''s company. But this must unfortunately end. I am also on my way to the center, but I do not wish to travel together. While sharing perspectives is great, insights are best gathered alone. I hope you understand." Ged felt saddened to part with Manduka; with his ever-flowing knowledge, finding a chest muscle of creation would be much easier. "Thank you for everything, Manduka." Thinking that Manduka may be going to the center of everything to look for the chest muscle of creation as well, Ged continued, "Are you also going to the center to look for your chest muscles?" "After only providing a single perspective, you ask me three questions," Manduka chuckled. "But I will also answer this one. No, I will not return to reality, despite my desires to return. That is because I am still alive in the real world, and to complete the Bench Press Rebirth would be the obsolescence of the present me, which is not something I wish to do." Manduka stared off solemnly. Manduka said his final farewells before drifting off along a river of gray towards the center of everything. Leaving Ged all by himself next to a bunch of ''dings'' he still hasn''t figured out how to put away. Chapter 17: The Flow of Everything In the primordial gray, Ged, a small green boy, sat beside a strange-looking tree, lost in thought. Ged was visibly frustrated as he tried to figure out how to use the pull motion to put away the strange new objects Manduka had given him. Now back in the dirt clearing, he attempted multiple positions in hopes of storing the objects, but he was starting to run out of good ideas. He had long realized why his idea of gravity being what directed the push was incorrect. There was already a force flowing through all of the primordial gray, the reason Ged was able to stand even with the absence of gravity in this strange place. This force, Ged surmised, was the ''flow of everything,'' originating from the eye of the swirl. Now, with his newfound eyes that could see mass, he noticed something interesting. For his own body and the ground, the flow of everything passed through them like water entering a tube. However, when the flow of everything encountered mass, it resembled water hitting a large rock in a stream. It dispersed the flow in all directions, barely moving the mass that resisted its surface. Ged observed this absorbing force with wide eyes, noting, "That small piece of mass is absorbing the force of everything, much like planets do to produce gravity!" Ged continued to gaze at the atom with great interest, wondering where all the absorbed force went. He studied the atom curiously before picking up a scimitar from the ground, attempting to swing and split the atom in half. To his surprise, nothing happened. "Huh, I guess this thing can''t interact with mass," Ged talked to himself. Pondering this for a moment, he then tried to grab the atom and study it up close. However, like the scimitar, his hand went straight through. His existence seemed akin to that of a ghost. He pondered how he could interact with the rare floating bits of mass scattered among the gray. Inspecting his body closely, he tried to understand how he could stand without a force similar to gravity. Although he couldn''t see the flow of everything, he could feel it entering through his head and escaping through his feet into the ground, where it dispersed away. Using his existence as a rudder, he experimented with where the flow entered and exited through his being. No longer standing on the ground, he attempted to emulate what he observed with mass, absorbing the flow by cycling it¡ªallowing it to enter through his head, diverting it into his chest, cycling it a few times, and releasing it later through his arms at the atom. In response, the atom moved slightly. He floated to the ground in realization. "This is ''power''! This is what is released when I throw out a punch. The body is like a valve; the flow is absorbed naturally inside it, and when released, the flow is directed outward with the hit. However, what''s strange is that based on how much flow is being absorbed from that single atom, it should be able to release a lot more flow than its total power would indicate." He decided to conduct an experiment. Though he couldn''t interact with mass directly, he could temporarily store the flow of everything. Utilizing this flow, he cycled it within his chest until it reached astonishing speeds. Ged''s mind started to unravel, falling into madness reminiscent of his state before meeting Manduka. With his final sane thought, he released the flow at the atom, directing it towards a larger atom that was further away. Desperately, Ged stared at the Tree of Mysteries, hoping to regain his sanity. The atom was launched at an astonishing speed toward the larger atom. Upon collision, the larger atom split into two smaller atoms, triggering a violent explosion as the absorbed flow of everything spread out in all directions. The gray, massless strings danced wildly as the intense flow passed through them. Even Ged found himself caught up in the explosion''s crosshairs, staring in disbelief at the incredible power contained in a single atom. "Based on my memories, I was made up of seven billion billion billion different-sized atoms, yet my total power was only 60? Shouldn''t it have been much higher?" However, as the gray strings settled around him and the environment returned to the dirt clearing in the forest, Ged saw something that shocked him. Had the Tree of Mysteries reduced in size? The Tree of Mysteries had indeed shrunk; its canopy no longer extended far into the distance, and Ged could now see its end. An icy chill ran down his spine. "What would happen if this tree reduced to nothing? Would the pain and insanity of assimilation return?" The thought scared Ged. When he first discovered the Tree of Mystery and its insanity-curing powers, he was ecstatic that he could continue thinking coherently. But this shrinking tree felt like a very bad omen. He realized that it was likely due to the cycling of the flow of everything that he had ended up in this state. However, from this harrowing experience, an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Is existence just a container that cycles the flow of everything?" Examining himself further, Ged realized that, even though he was doing it in a minimal amount, the waters of everything flowed deeply within his existence. It swirled deep in his chest in a light spiral before exiting through his skin. Ged attempted to block off the flow from entering his body, but it proved akin to cutting off air from a person''s lungs. His vision went black, and he passed out. Upon waking, Ged found himself naturally cycling the flow of everything within him once more. "It seems that, although this flow speeds up my assimilation, it is a necessary part of existence, something I cannot avoid doing. But if existence is just a container for the flow of everything, then the pull of existence would break this container and merge it to be a part of mine." He looked up at the Tree of Mysteries. Utilizing the pattern he observed with the red and green strings, he directed the flow of everything, creating two lumps extending toward the Tree of Mysteries. With a mighty pull, the tree disappeared from sight. Now floating within his mind''s eye was the Tree of Mysteries. Using the flow of creation, he generated arm-like lumps and pushed the tree out from his mind, completing its circuit of existence to stand on its own once again. Ged nodded with satisfaction over his newfound discovery. Utilizing the pull of existence, he integrated all the dings given to him by Manduka, making them merged parts of his existence. With this accomplished, he moved on to his next task... Creating a chest muscle capable of performing a Bench Press Rebirth. *** In a room located somewhere in the Rookie Arena. Brit knelt beside a knee-high table with a human-shaped body covered by a white cloth. Her face, recently dried of tears, expressed a profound sorrow as she prayed with her eyes closed, leaning against the corpse table. Behind her, Ralph and Fern stood with their heads bowed in mourning. Beside them stood a beautiful woman with glasses and tied-up hair, displaying a strange smile as she joined the two men in grieving. Brit''s prayer came to an abrupt halt, and she couldn''t hold back her emotions any longer. She held her face and wept once more in front of her motionless brother. Ralph turned to Fern, saying, "This has been the toughest day I have ever had to endure as the mayor. I don''t know if I will be able to look at my own children the same way." Ralph shook his head, reflecting on the situation. "To think that these kids were in such a situation. As adults, how did we let things get this far?" Ralph lowered his voice to a growl. "That man, Ross, how did we let him fall to such a degree to those damnable gangsters?" Fern, feeling the weight of the long day, his hair losing its gleam, looked at Ralph with tired eyes. "It has been a rotten day," he admitted, massaging his temple with his fingers to feign a headache. "Once we get that man admitted to a hospital, I suggest we call it a day. If you keep on working tirelessly like this, it will begin to affect your health." Ralph frowned at Fern''s comment, responding, "I don''t need your concerns. This is but a preamble to come, Fern. If we do not work tirelessly, then who will? Now that we know the Dirty Dogs are targeting the immigrants, we need to make our move to protect them from harm''s way." He turned over to Jen, who was still hanging her head in mourning. "Jen, thank you again for letting us into this place after hours. I know you must have been busy, but obliging this personal request, I''m sure it means a lot to her," he spoke, gesturing to the desolate Brit still kneeling and sobbing next to her brother. Jen looked at the sad sight and shook her head, "For a grieving family member, even if you woke me up in the middle of the night, I still would have come here to let you in." Ralph smiled at her sentiment. "Jen, your compassion is almost as boundless as your beauty. Your sentiments hit me deep within my soul." Jen smiled at Ralph, saying, "You''re too kind, Ralph. I hate to repeat things, but I agree with your assistant, Ralph. You can''t go around trying to fix everything in the town all at once. You''re really going to burn yourself out. Why don''t you take a rest for today, and I''ll look after the boy''s sister." "You would be willing to stay and look after her?" Ralph put his hand over his heart. "Jen, if you are willing to go this far, then I can''t possibly refuse your words. I will make sure your efforts will not go unnoticed," he promised. Jen gave Ralph a smiling nod. Fern sighed with relief, calmly straightening his hair in anticipation of leaving. "Fern, how much budget from the immigrant relief fund can we spare to give to this poor grieving child? Five hundred fit?" Ralph asked. Fern turned red at Ralph''s estimate, "Ralph, if we are going to provide relief, I would only start with three hundred, and I would recommend giving it in installments, not all up front." Ralph frowned. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and took out five hundred fit bills, walking over to the grieving Brit. He kneeled to the ground next to her with his hand gently placed on her shoulder. "Brit... How are you holding up?" Ralph asked. Brit looked up at Ralph with puffy red eyes. "It doesn''t feel real. I-I just saw him this morning; he told me he was coming here to fight. But if I knew that coming here would mean he would never come back," she sniffled, "I would have stopped him from leaving in the first place." Ralph shook his head, tears streaming from his eyes. "Don''t shoulder this burden yourself. This entire town had a hand in your beautiful brother''s untimely demise." Ralph wiped away his tears before placing the five hundred fit inside Brit''s hands. "This is but a small repentance from my part; I hope you will accept it." Brit looked at the money with hollow eyes; her once-starving appetite had dwindled with the news of her brother. From her daze, she nodded and thanked Ralph for his kindness. "I''m sorry, but Fern and I must leave to make sure your foster father gets admitted to the hospital. Jen over here is one of the kindest people I know. Stay here as long as you feel necessary, and if you need anything else, do not hesitate to ask," Ralph spoke. Brit thanked Ralph once more, prompting him to vault up to a stand, walking over to where Jen and Fern stood. "Jen, thank you so much for everything; you are being way kinder than you should," Fern spoke jokingly. Jen smiled before leading Ralph and Fern out the door, thanking them and saying goodbye. She looked at the backs of the two as they left down the dimly lit arena hallway with a secret smile plastered on her face. Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her. She turned around to see who the voice belonged to. Brit had spoken up to ask, "Miss Jen, is there any chance that Ged is coming back?" Jen looked at her with heartfelt eyes, "Brit, darling. I would prepare yourself for the worst." Chapter 18: Inching Towards the Beginning of Everything Located in the primordial gray, a glowing green boy with red and green eyes floated along in a gray stream. Taking Manduka''s advice, Ged moved even closer to the center of everything to observe the chaotic mass being created. As he approached the center, the volume of gray smoke increased several-fold. The increasingly abrasive flow began to pick apart at Ged''s mental state, prompting him to use the Tree of Mysteries at frequent intervals. Newborn pieces of matter formed in large quantities, zipping around Ged and combining together. Ged observed the strange happenings around him. He saw various forms of failed matter, different from a bench press motion, created and destroyed in an instant. Contemplating how to build his newfound chest muscles, Ged thought the simplest option was to brute force it. Surveying his surroundings, Ged focused on some newly born matter popping into existence. Utilizing Manduka''s pulling method, Ged drew in the matter, threading it into his being much like the absolute objects. Initially, it seemed to be a success; the mass attached itself to him like a bead on a necklace. However, as the turbulent flow entered the piece of matter, it caused some residual flow to cycle inside of Ged''s being. Ged howled in pain. In a flash, he expelled the mass back into the primordial gray, where it sped off into the current. Desperately, Ged took out the Tree of Mysteries, shrinking the tree another few meters. Putting away the tree, he gazed at the chaotic gray with solemn eyes. "How am I supposed to create muscles if I can''t even attach matter to my being?" Ged pondered despondently. Looking for answers, Ged ventured deeper to examine the more chaotic created mass. He attempted to thread all sorts of unstable matter into his being, but all it did was quicken his assimilation into the unknown and shrink the Tree of Mysteries. "Perhaps Manduka was right." Ged hung his head further in defeat. "Is the road back to reality impossible?" "Was all this a waste? Have I spent all this time pursuing something that I cannot even obtain?" "Surely I am not the only wanderer out there who wanted to return to reality. If even they cannot succeed, then what am I?" Ged stared blankly at the raging gray vortex as it flowed past where he stood. Ged shook his head. He had already died once, and the thought of wasting another life in pursuit of an unreachable future weighed heavily on him. What was eternity compared to his ambition? He looked off into the thick clouds of gray dust, nodding in satisfaction, and moved deeper into the violent gray. After covering some distance, something strange came into view¡ªan isolated log cabin amidst the chaotic flux. It had a small green lawn, and the gray flux seemed to funnel into the doorway, causing it to open and close violently. Ged cautiously observed the home from a distance. After a few hours of nothing out of the ordinary, he approached the lawn of the house. He stopped in place, observing the grassy expanse. The grass remained unmoving, even when trampled by Ged''s feet. Pulling out his scimitar, he slashed at the stem of a blade of grass, cutting it in two. However, the blade of grass seemed unharmed; now, two identical blades of grass were growing out of the ground. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "An absolute object!" Ged exclaimed. "But why would someone leave something like this out here?" Putting away the scimitar, Ged approached the flapping door of the cabin. Placing his hand on the door, he brought the swaying to a halt. Attempting to push the door open, he suddenly felt a typhoon of sensations in his mind. He keeled over, quickly removing his hand from the door and cradling his head in pain. Images of the swaying door played nonstop in Ged''s mind. Years seemed to pass as Ged processed the mental barrage, until finally, he stirred from his daze. Opening his eyes, Ged gazed upon the cabin door with understanding. "What just happened to me?" Ged looked into his subconscious towards the Tree of Mysteries, and it once again shrunk. A solemn expression appeared on his face. Ged cursed his impulsiveness. "What is with this door?" Ged calmed himself down, attempting to approach the situation more empirically. Sitting on the floor in contemplation, Ged stared at the swaying door, trying to unravel its mysteries. He saw the grey mist pushing against the door with mighty force, escaping into the home. He observed the total flow within the house rising to a high level, and as the pressure reached a certain point, it attempted to escape from the building. However, with no open windows, the only exit for the flow was the same place where it entered¡ªthe doorway. With numerous different flows entering and leaving the cabin, the door seemed to be in a chaotic state, fluctuating rapidly between various degrees of openness and closure. Ged stood up, gazing deeply at the swaying door. "I see." "While most forms of matter swirl from one end to the other, this door swirls flux from one end to the other in conflicting directions and rotations." "Unlike a rock that displaces and diverts a stream, this door is like a river diverting another river flowing in opposite directions." Ged scratched his chin in thought. "To disrupt the flow of the door is like trying to swallow a river." Ged shook his head. "To enter this cabin, I need to go inside without disrupting the flow of the door." Ged looked deeply at the opening door. "I need to time my entry when the flux pushing the door open is much larger than the returning flux shutting it." Ged examined the door, watching closely as it fluctuated rapidly. After a month and many cycles, the pressure within the house was low, and a large wave of gray mist had slammed against the door. Ged observed keenly. The door swung wide open to a manageable degree. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ged made his way through the opening. He walked through the turbulent flow, moving to the side of the stream to look at the cabin interior. Inside the cabin, the walls and floor were painted bright orange, with no sharp corners anywhere throughout its walls. Finally stopping in place, he observed the gray expand throughout the house, taking over the corners of the room. But suddenly, like someone sucking in a deep breath, all the gray traveled to a room located in the back of the cabin. Concurrently with a deep exhale, the flow was sent out through the doorway back into the torrential currents that surrounded the home. Ged observed the strange phenomenon, realizing that there must be something extraordinary for such a thing to occur. Ged pondered the phenomenon. The breath-like motions seemed to hint at something alive. A chill seeped into his soul, and for the first time since his separation from reality he felt genuine fear. Ged realized something was wrong. He tried to move his feet and turn around and walk back towards the cabin doorway but found himself unable to. In fact he couldn''t move at all. As soon as he stopped moving he was picked up by the strange current originating from the back room. Ged struggled mightily to free himself from this helplessness. But it became increasingly apparent to him that he was at the mercy of the current, being pushed and pulled between the door and whatever was lurking in the backroom. A hopeless, creeping dread washed over him as he tried to calmly judge the situation. "Unless I can find my footing, I am at the whim of this current. If at any point whatever is in the back room exhales more than it inhales and pushes me towards the door, if it is not opened far enough then it is my death. This leads my survival completely up to chance." Ged frantically looked around at the house. There were no windows in the cabin and the ground lacked foot holds, the back room concealed by the violent smoky current. pushing out the scimitar from within himself he slashed at the closest walls and floor in a desperation. New tiles were created from each slash, but in the strange turbulence they vanished as quickly as they appeared. A startled facial expression appeared on Ged. He tried to pull his scimitar back inside himself, but it was too late. The scimitar vanished into the gray. Ged frowned. With only one scimitar left, and absolute objects being completely useless at stabilizing himself, there was only one object with any possible hope of saving himself. The door. "This door has to be at least in part regulating the flux entering and exiting from this place. So I wonder what would happen if two were regulating it instead?" After a bit of time, Ged moved to just half a meter away from the door. Using his final scimitar, he slashed the door in twain. Chapter 19: Demortality Two doors now stood at the entrance of the cabin. One door swung disorderly against a stream of gray smoke, billowing in and out of the building. The other door was wedged in a semi-open position, immobile against the tide. Ged swiftly sheathed his scimitar and gazed solemnly at the newly formed door before him. After a brief moment, the copied door dissipated into the gray tide, vanishing into dust. "Interesting," Ged pondered. "This door functions very differently from the items given to me by Manduka." "Duplicating it with the scimitar seemed to copy only a single state of the door rather than the door in its entirety." "Or maybe my understanding of what an absolute object might be is off." Ged shifted back and forth, and after a few moments of deliberation, he could not come to a conclusion, nor did he want to ruin whatever was left of his scimitar. Ged looked hopelessly at the door, then turned his attention to the back room. It was at this point that Ged gave up, allowing himself to be at the complete mercy of the current. For many months, Ged drifted back and forth within the tide. Initially, he struggled to maintain balance, resisting the constant shifts assaulting his body. Eventually, he surrendered, allowing the tide to flow through him at its whims. The multi-directional flux induced subtle changes in his soul. Typically, the flow from the center of the unknown universe would move from one end to the other. However, the turbulent back-and-forth motion of the flow caused some curious changes to the structure of his soul-like body. In the blink of an eye, another million years passed... *** In the realm of reality, nestled in a hospital in Shark Village, lay a man whose face bore the disfigurement of numerous scars. Clad in a hospital gown, he rested in bed, the room around him cramped with only a single window allowing a stream of sunlight through. If missing the room''s pristine white walls and smooth tiling, it could easily be mistaken for a prison cell. The man was shriveled and weakened, a consequence of countless nights spent lying in bed. Occasionally, his tired eyes cast cursory glances toward the room''s door, suggesting an anticipation for someone''s arrival. Periodically, he fell asleep in his watch, forcing himself awake each time, maintaining a resolute stare at the door, patiently waiting for this unknown visitor. As the sun dipped behind clouds, the room darkened, and the man gave in to sleep once more. Abruptly, the edges of the door emitted a blue glow, casting a warm, blue light throughout the room. The doorknob turned noiselessly, and the door swung open, revealing an angelic woman outlined in a brilliant blue light. With flowing blonde hair and a tight blue dress, she walked noiselessly toward the fatigued man. Extending her hand, she flexed a pose, and in response, his scars vanished, replaced by a healthy tone of skin. She stood above him, patiently waiting for him to stir. As she waited, the sun emerged from behind the clouds, once again illuminating the room and dispelling the blue light and darkness. The man stirred from his slumber, recoiling upon seeing the ethereal figure before him. "Angel?" he stammered. "What are you doing here?" "Are you here to kill me?" "Kill you?" Angel giggled. "Don''t worry. I care very little about your life or your death. I came only to seek an understanding of something." She smiled charmingly. Ross had known very little about the local town beauty known as Angel, only interacting on occasion to pick up bread from her bakery. She was an unshakable beauty, seemingly indifferent to worldly affairs. Besides baked goods, little was known about her, even by those who worked closely with her. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But all those closely related to the Dirty Dogs knew one thing. She was the gangster leader Geed''s woman. Her authority within the gang was unparalleled, her position above even the four regional lords who directed activity in the four corners of Shark Village. He felt his face in disbelief. The scars he thought he would have to carry for the rest of his life were now gone, and the weakness of his body cleansed. It felt almost too good to be true. "A 2nd cycle healing stone!" Ross spoke in shock, his face filled with confusion and suspicion over the woman''s generous actions. "I have nothing of value that would be able to pay the debt for you to use such a precious item." Angel ignored Ross'' surprise and was now staring out the window at the sun, which was shining through. "What do you think about the sun?" she asked curiously. Reserved in his posture, Ross asked, "What about it?" Angel frowned, ignoring his question and continuing her stare at the bright sun. Feeling the pressure, Ross quickly conjured a response. "To me, the sun is life. The plants, the trees, nothing would exist without its warmth." Angel smiled. "Time is a strange thing. It flows endlessly throughout the entire universe, traveling from its center in a grand swirl. In the beginning, this flux was uninterrupted, and the universe was filled with a volatile, yet calm non-existence." "From the perspective of ''nothing,'' the idea of there being ''something'' was an impossibility. Why would time ever bend to anyone''s will?" "Existence was initially but a dream." "But this impossible dream eventually became a reality. The beginnings of swirls appeared in the waters of the ocean of time, and the ''something'' that seemed impossible was now disrupting the flow of time." "Generations passed. Matter fought viciously with the currents, trying to create swirls that lasted longer than a few seconds." "Atoms greedily tried to take in more flow, attempting to make complete swirls, but failed every time. These atoms didn''t last very long; in the turbulent waters, the atoms returned to non-existence almost as quickly as they were created." "But matter didn''t give up; they got smart and teamed up into clusters, allowing them to control more and more time. Eventually, the first one swirl was created." Ross narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of her words. "Two swirls, three, ten, fifty, a hundred swirls. Existence consumed more and more of the water around it, swirling within its boundaries, and with this success, it only became more greedy." "It wanted it all; it was jealous of the infinity of time. Larger and larger mass appeared in the universe, thus spawning the first indefinite swirling existence. For as long as it consumed, it existed." "Larger masses swirled more flow, removing time from its usual currents around the universe. The universe became cold, and the heat congregated around these supermassive creatures who roamed around the universe looking for their next meal." Angel finally stopped looking at the sun, shutting her eyes for the first time. She turned to Ross. "Ninety-seven trillion swirls," she shook her head. "With such an old body and such a small mass, your sun''s future is assuredly a grim one." Ross heard the unfathomable amount of swirls and saw her strange mannerisms, and his brain spun with questions. "An otherworlder. Y-you must be an otherworlder." Angel shook her head. "To say that I call any planet my home wouldn''t be correct. But for a single spiraled existence to understand who I am would be impossible." "But maybe you will learn something from this small demonstration." She pulled out light from within her chest, its blinding white light covering the room. Ross felt a searing pain as his skin burnt off, swirling towards the object which Angel was holding. Eventually, his blood and even his bones became crushed before joining in the swirl. Angel pushed the light back into her chest, and with a flex of her arm, the swirling pieces of Ross converged back together. Consciousness returned to Ross; he stood dumbfounded by her display of unimaginable power. "As I said before. As long as you can help me understand something, you will not die." Ross didn''t hesitate, nodding his head in agreement. "The peak of existence. To those that pursue it, know it as the infinity swirl," she continued. "A timeless existence, without leaks and cracks, who need not eat nor sleep. For the past trillion years, I searched for a way to reach this state of existence." "But while I was out fruitlessly searching for this, recently I came across a man who went down a path that I have a keen bit of interest in, and I''m sure you will be the one to help me gain some insight in this detour." Ross cowered like an ant before a god, unable to speak or move. Angel continued. "Ross..." upon hearing his name he snapped out of his reverence. "Do you want to die?" Ross stared blankly, a primordial scream came from his soul, "No, I don''t." "Do you want to live?" Ross looked less sure; he paused momentarily as he mulled over the past few weeks. He slowly answered, "Yes, I do." "Why do you want to live?" Ross fell into a melancholic daze. "I don''t know. I truly have been miserable; I feel as if my days are filled with nothing, and the prospect of my future seems impossible to find. Even still, I just know I don''t want to die." "What if there was another path? A path that is different from living and dying. Would you take it?" Ross fell deep into thought. He thought about his life, his time at the farm, Ged and Brit, and then he thought about his death. The weight of his life and death versus a mysterious third option, but deep down within him, he knew what his answer was. "Yes, with no regrets." Angel smiled a brilliant smile. "I had a feeling you would agree." "From today forward, you will follow the path of demortality. By discarding your life and giving up your ability to die and become the second demortal!" Chapter 20: Green Far removed from the eyes of reality, a boy in a red-striped leather jacket stood next to an older man wearing a green beanie. Both gazed off into a gray, smoky wall that seemed to stretch endlessly in front of them. Judging by their stillness and composition, one could infer that they had been standing in the same place for some time. The boy smiled happily as he dreamt of something, looking into the gray, while the older man wore a face full of confusion. His confusion heightened and eventually turned to panic as streams of tears rolled down his cheeks. "NO!" He frantically yelled out, straining his neck closer to the wall. "It''s gone! My future has disappeared." "The future was supposed to last forever. How could it suddenly just disappear?" Concerned by the man''s frantic disposition, the boy tugged on his arm in an attempt to calm him down and get his attention. "Father... Please calm down. Are you sure it''s gone?" The man calmed down upon hearing the boy''s words. "No, I am certain," he lamented. "I saw it dissipate right in front of my own two eyes¡ªthe secrets of the universe, the peak of existence, the vast green. It''s all gone." He shook his head, wiping away tears from his face. "What is my life without a future?" he wept. "My son, I don''t know if I can continue with my life like this." After speaking those words, the older man''s body began to dissipate, and his skin became see-through, showcasing a bright light in the core of the man that was gradually growing dimmer. The boy witnessed his father''s destructive and defeating words and panicked. A bright light illuminated from within the boy''s chest, pulling together his father''s body and reigniting his life''s light. "Father, stop, don''t be so rash. You may have lost your future, but I still have mine. Why don''t we share it together?" The older man thought about his son''s words. "But without the future, where can I look to? Although you may have a future, I am not you. I cannot see what you see," he disparaged. The older man once again grew transparent; it seemed like words would not deter him from self-destruction. The boy, once again, pulled his father back from the brink. "Father, please. You may have lost your path, but that doesn''t mean you should give up on life. Why not spend the rest of your time looking around, enjoying the present? Why not allow me to create the path for the two of us to follow?" The older man went silent, his son''s words sedating his destructive thoughts. He was a man who wanted to explore the unknown and uncover all of life''s secrets. To give up on all that and live vicariously through his son was a difficult thing to accept. He turned himself away from the wall for the first time in an unfathomably long time, staring out at a vast and beautiful star-filled sky, each blip a galaxy he had explored when he was younger¡ªa person with memories of the entire known universe. He let out a deep sigh, then turned to look at his son. His innocent face was filled with inexperience and adventure, in great contrast to his tired eyes. The background of stars folded in on itself, transforming before him into a cosmic blue book, its pages filled with all of his life''s experiences. He went to open the book and glance through its contents, but he found it difficult to read. His naivety mixed with his youthful inexperience made the words on the pages hard to relive. He shook his head and closed the book again. He looked deeply at the blue book before an idea emerged. He flipped the book upside down and opened it from the back, rereading passages that detailed the events of the past few years of his life. After finishing the page, he ripped it out of the book and performed a simple two punches and finished with a spinning kick. After the simple fighting routine, small specks of darkness formed around the center of the page, emanating from the darkness present in the area. Eventually, the page collapsed in on itself, and all that was left was a floating black ball. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The man took out a large white ball of fire from within his chest. The ball was impossibly large, shining with a glorious white light that contained the entire known universe. The boy watched his father''s actions with many questions in his eyes. The black ball merged with the white light, where it became lost within the great orb, shrinking and dimming its glow ever so slightly. The older man put away the glowing ball back within his chest and turned to face the boy. "Thank you." He stretched out his arms and hugged the boy. "I was too selfish. I''m sorry for frightening you." "I have decided to take your advice and learn to live in the present." Happy tears rolled down the boy''s face as he held onto his father. "But, I will not share your future. I want you to pursue your own and reach even greater heights than what I could achieve." "I have lived a long life and have many regrets." "I have been through many hardships. I realize this is just another roadblock for my life, just one more thing to overcome." "If the universe refuses to show me its secrets, then I will be damned if I let it get to know mine." "I will retrace my steps and destroy these watching eyes of the universe that record my existence, eventually reach the goal of eventually destroying my book of existence." The boy felt inspired by his father''s words. "I have always been inspired by your life and your actions. Father, if you want to hide your life from the eyes of reality, I support you. It is you I follow, and only you I respect." The older man nodded, giving a warm smile. "Then witness me, for this path will be going directly against the will of everything." He gripped his fist tightly in excitement. "I will hide my life from the universe and live as my own future." *** Located in a strange cabin, far removed from the eyes of reality, Ged was floating further away from the entrance of the cabin. In his soul-like body, time now freely flowed in both directions, swirling both clockwise and counterclockwise. Within his mind, he was looking at the Tree of Mysteries; it had shrunk to the size of a baseball bat. Ged was anxious. Ever since his initial brush with the cabin door, he had drifted slowly towards the back room of the cabin. Now floating in front of him was the silhouette of a blue rectangle; flashes of black and white light sparked behind it in sync with the back-and-forth flow of time. Ged slowly inched forward, mere inches away from the strange phenomenon. Resigned to whatever fate had been given to him, he reached out to grab the mysterious object. It was the front cover of a bound blue book. It looked as if it once had many pages inside of it; now, all that was left was its binding. As he held the book, it melded into his body, and the room melted away, replaced by a gorgeous green field with a gradient covering the sky. In the distance was a green tree with red-colored fruits. Ged fell into a euphoric daze; the pleasant smell and sight of the strange green expanse made him have an exaggerated smile on his face. He laughed with joy as he skipped around, his thoughts as light as clouds. He danced tirelessly for a few hours, and just when it seemed he had truly lost his mind, he got closer to the tree and its red fruits. "What amazing fruits," he exclaimed, making his way closer. Impossible two-directional spirals were drawn on its surface; Ged observed the surface of the fruit, imprinting the pattern into his mind. He picked a fruit from the tree and took a bite. The pieces of fruit went through his body, swirling in both directions before settling in his chest area. Ged was giddy with excitement as he went through the motions of a bench press. For the first time since he died, he felt like he had strength in his body, like he had gained a bit of weight in his movement. "This is true mass!" he exclaimed with glee, picking up more fruits from the tree. "Better yet, this incredible mass does not cause me any pain when I thread it through my soul." He consumed the fruit like a madman, savoring every piece until the tree was picked clean, and the result was an illustrious red chest muscle that floated around in his chest. "I can do it now!" he laughed maniacally. "The bench press of life!" "I can return back to reality and live once more!" Ged gazed up proudly at the green gradient sky, his face filled with triumph. The wind picked up, causing the grass to move wildly around Ged. "Live once more?" a voice whispered softly. Ged paused in his tracks, a cold chill crept up his spine. "You are holding your book of mortality. Don''t be so stupid to think you can hide that from me." Ged looked down at his hands; he was holding the blue book in his hands, his eyes locked on the cover, refusing to look towards where the voice was coming from. "Begone." The sounds of nature filled Ged''s ears, the chirping of birds, the sprinkling of rain all played at once. Ged''s vision turned black before finding himself once more in the primordial gray near the beginning of everything, lying on the floor of the back room of the cabin. He looked around the cabin, his chest still containing the red multi-swirling mass, his madness still present. He let out a chuckling laughter. With the flow that once pervaded the cabin now gone, Ged vaulted up from the ground, smiling as he felt the weight of the floor walking towards the door to the cabin. He gazed curiously at the door to the cabin. Barely considering the possibility of consequences, he executed a pulling motion, threading the door into his soul. He sighed with relief, looking deep within his soul. Threaded within him was a golden scimitar and a strange chessboard; Ged thought of Manduka and smiled. Next to them, a blue book cover, bright red chest muscles, and once fluttering about, now completely still. "I can finally return back to life," he exclaimed, admiring his newly created chest muscles. Finally, at the end of the thread, a doll-sized tree lay; it was stationed at the core of his soul. Ged looked at the tree and frowned. "I''m running out of time." He anxiously stepped out of the cabin door, back out into the torrential gray waters near the beginning of everything. He took one single step before he was swept away by the current. A current carrying Ged full speed on his way back to reality.