Chapter 5: Chapter 4

After Kan's parents left, the two of us sat in silence. I knew better than to get Kan to talk to me. When he was ready, he knew I would be there to listen and talk to him about it. So instead, I watched as people gathered in the King's box. As I did, I soon realized that almost all were members of the founding families.

I found a sense of dread slowly flowing through me. David had said something about how there was going to be a special guest here today, and now almost all the founding families were here. That only meant one thing – one of the children fighting here had an ability that had caught the Underworld's attention. And that was never a good thing.

Kan must have sensed it too. “Something big is going to happen here today.”

Just as I was about to respond, the sound of trumpets filled the whole arena. Looking at the holograms above the arena, I saw them showing a tall man with a black mask covering his right eye. He had jet black hair, blue eyes and a black suit with a matching black cape. As he walked, the cape flowed behind him, almost like a superhero’s cape. Not that he was a superhero, rather he was the furthest thing from a superhero. As for the black mask, it hid the face of the man I hated most in this forsaken world.

Lord Malum.

Kan grabbed my hand, pulling me up. It had been ages since I’d last seen him, but his face was still the same. A charming, smiling face that made you want to do anything he asked. A face that always smiled in glee when…

“Runa, please snap out of it.” Kan said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “Now’s not the time, okay. I know how you feel, but you need to calm down. You know he likes it when…”

Kan trailed off not wanting to say it aloud, but I understood what he was trying to say. Blinking slowly, I tried to focus on what was happening. Lord Malum climbed the steps to the King’s Box.

He walked to the front of the King’s Box, where a podium had been set up. When he finally reached the top of the podium, a drone flew to him, handing him a small microphone. Grabbing it, he shouted to the crowd below. “Welcome everyone to the 380th Games of Styx.”

People around us roared with excitement and clapped their hands. He let them cheer for a second, before raising a hand for silence. In an instant, the whole arena went quiet, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

“As you all know, today is the last day of the Games. And as it’s a huge anniversary today, I believe we can’t just end the Games of Styx without a little fun.”

I caught a spark of glee in his eyes. Nothing good ever happened when his eyes got like that. He was planning something terrible for today. I didn't have to wait long to know what he was planning.

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“So, for today’s special event to celebrate the 380th anniversary of this wonderous festival, we will be holding a special match at the end.” he declared, watching the crowd. “All the match winners will have the special privilege of fighting the Grim Reaper together. And for those that manage to put a single scratch on her, well they’ll get the honor to work directly under me.”

Turning around to look at everyone standing in the King’s Box, his eyes quickly scanned the Box. They finally stopped when they met my eyes. Locking eyes with me, he gave me a hard look before turning back to face the crowds, a fake smile plastered on his face. “And with that, I officially announce the start of the 380th Games of Styx. May the strongest prove themselves in battle.”

The crowds roared and cheered, sitting back down. Lord Malum meanwhile walked over to his seat at the center of the King’s Box. Soon, the sounds of drums filled the arena. One by one, the children ran into the arena. Their faces all gleamed with excitement as they probably thought about what Lord Malum had said.

As for me, I felt like puking. If Kan hadn’t pulled me into my seat, I think I would have fallen onto the floor. I just couldn’t believe what had just happened. The b*stad had really done it. He was going to make untrained kids fight against the Grim Reaper.

Kan squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me, but it didn’t help. If Lord Malum hadn't been watching me, I would have run out long ago. I just couldn't take it. He was going to put kids in harm’s way just to entertain people for a few minutes. I couldn’t. I couldn’t handle it. I…

“Deep breathes, Runa.” Kan whispered into my ear. “You need to calm down. Everyone’s watching. You can’t ruin everything now, not after everything you’ve done.”

I looked at Kan, letting him the dread that had filled my eyes. The fear that was attacking me inside. “I…”

“Breath, Runa. Just take deep breaths.” he interrupted. “Remember why you’re doing this all. You can do it. Just breathe and try to calm down.”

But, I couldn’t. I couldn’t calm down. Not when I knew I was going to be the one to harm those kids.

All because I was the Grim Reaper.

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