With every passing second that my hand remained gripped around the shard of glass, imbuing it with magic, I could feel the power putting a strain on my body.
It was a tiring thing, which told me that I had to end things quickly.
And so, I dashed in once again.
My opponent was not afraid of my strike. It seemed he was more familiar with magic than I was.
I opened up with a wide slash aimed at his chest, but the man lifted a forearm to defend it.
The shard tore through his skin, creating a gash from wrist to elbow that squirted with blood the instant it was created.
My opponent winced from the pain but ultimately powered through, reaching both arms forward as if to deliver a bear hug.
But he was too slow. The wound in his leg had done more damage than he had expected, and the cut on his arm was bleeding endlessly.
I ducked underneath his arms, slicing him through the side of his stomach as I ended up behind him.
The crowd cheered at the sight of blood, but I hardly was paying attention.
As I lifted my glowing red shard of glass to deliver what I believed would be the final strike, my opponent fell to his knees, hands clutched to his stomach.
At first, I stood there frozen. But when I saw that his guts were spilling from the wound, I swiftly realised that the fight was over.
"Arghh!" The man spat, blood gurgling from his mouth as he fell face-first onto the ground.
A pool of blood gathered beneath his corpse, covering the pit in its glory.
I dropped the shard onto the ground and felt my skill wearing off. My eyes were focused on the dead man before me as I took in deep breaths.
'He's dead...' I mumbled under the sounds of rough cheers. "I've killed a man."
But before I could fully process the events that had happened, a heavy thud landed on the ground behind me.
I turned my head to see a new man in the pit with me, slowly applauding as he approached.
His hair was a bleached blonde, and he wore military pants and boots, with a black shirt on top. The materials clung tight to his torso, highlighting the man's athletic build. A red bandana was tied around his right bicep.
I had to focus on the weapon on his back because, at first, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Upon further inspection, I realised that I was seeing correctly. The man had an RPG strapped behind him, which was almost as tall as he was.
What the hell...
He also wore an army knife on his waist, but that seemed less impressive than the explosive.
"Congratulations kid. You've passed the initiation." The man said, with a smile on his face.
I wasn't sure why everyone called me kid. He was probably only a few years older than me.
With the man's words came another round of applause from the men above. They seemed to be proud of my bloody performance.
I wanted to ask questions like, "Where am I?" And "How did I get there?" but considering the circumstances, I felt that it wasn't appropriate.
From what I knew, gangs took their privacy seriously. If I started to act like I didn't know what was going on, they could take me for some sort of spy, and end my life.
They seemed more than capable of doing so.
"So, what do you want us to call you?"
The noise in the underground area died down, as they waited for my answer. But I was left confused.
Toby? Wouldn't they just call me Toby?
Right after the thought, I realised how stupid I was.
Gang members don't use their real names.
And so, I thought, and I thought. What sort of alias would suit me.
What sort of nicknames had I been given before?
The answer came to me shortly afterwards.
"Red."
The man looked at me with a raised eyebrow for a moment, before tapping at the red bandana tied around his bicep.
"A fitting name. Suits your red hair, as well as the colours of the gang."
His smile grew wider as he suddenly clapped a heavy hand down on my shoulder.
"Well, Red. You're officially a member of The Heartless. We're glad to have you among our ranks."
The Heartless.
It was a grim name for a gang, and I wondered why they had chosen it.
I could only hope it was hyperbole.
After one last round of cheers, the crowd of members slowly began to disperse from the area or lingered and chatted amongst themselves, leaving the me and the man with the rocket launcher alone.
I looked down at the dead corpse on the floor. Surprisingly, I was less bothered by taking a life than I had expected.
Perhaps it was because I had already died myself.
"Don't worry." The blonde man said, noticing my gaze. "Someone will come and clean him up eventually."
I nodded my head hesitantly, still on edge at the whole situation.
Then, the man held out his hand for me to take, which I did.
"Names Bleacher by the way. One of the Ten Pains of The Heartless Gang."
The long title meant nothing to me. But to be called a "Pain" suggested that they were someone serious. I made sure to treat the man with the utmost respect.
Idly, I felt my eyes drift upwards towards a spot in the distance. It was the raised platform from where I had spotted the shadowy man before.
The feeling of his presence still weighed down on me, lingering ominously.
I felt a chill run through my body at the memory.
"That man that was sat on the platform earlier," I said as I nodded towards the direction. "Who is-"
Before the words could even leave my lips, I felt a hand press heavily across my mouth, blocking me from saying any more words.
Bleacher was now close, with a finger pushed to his lips.
His eyes stared deeply into mine, a hint of worry lingering deep inside of them.
"Don't ever, speak of a man that you can't see. You don't know the power he has over you."
We stayed there for a few moments as my fear only deepened. It was clear that the veiled man was truly dangerous.
More so than I could ever imagine.
After making sure that I understood, he slowly released his hand from me.
Then, the man let out a sigh.
"That man is the Leader of The Heartless, and for now, your sole focus should be staying out of his way."
I swallowed a lump in my throat.
It sounded like good advice.
After all, what would the leader of such a gang be like?
After letting out a sigh, Bleacher slowly made his way towards the walls of the pit and began to climb out.
"Anyways, let me show you around." He spoke over his shoulder. "There's a lot you'll need to learn. And I think I've got a mission for you."