"You two come with me," the man said after Liu-Ken left the room.
"Before we go, there's something I'd like to know. It's about the battle," Aurora said.
"Hm, do it. I'll try to answer you," he said.
"How did you survive?" Aurora asked, the brown eyes turned amber in the chandelier's light, two of its candles already extinguished.
The man laughed, choking himself, eventually having to knock his fist in the chest about five times, "I shouldn't smoke these cigars," he added. " I think you have the wrong idea about the help we gave your father," he said.
"What do you mean by that?" Aurora asked, approaching the man. The other boy followed her, placing himself next to her, his left hand on the dagger stuck in the linen that he wore as a belt and hidden by his clothes two sizes above, ready to protect her if the situation went downhill.
"The goal was never to enter the battle but to provide a fair fight," the man said, breathing out for a long time, "We, a group of about fifteen men and five women, some former cultivators, other traveled traders, decided to help your father as soon as we realized that the Kaji school wanted absolute control over all the other schools. They did not believe it. They did nothing until it was too late. We helped your father with transportation, food, hiding him, everything we could. At the final battle, we were asked to make sure that the Kaji school groups who were returning did not meddle in the battle. We fought for hours. Only your father and the other necromancers made their way to the Kaji school. Them and their thousands of undead. Your father, with Yin's power on his side, could raise hundreds of them at the same time," the man said, stopping there. He did not dare to go on. Even though it was almost twenty years ago, he still remembered when the three men and two women who had survived heard the horn ringing throughout the forest that precedes the place where the Kaji school's volcano is located. They knew immediately that they had not succeeded. The image of one of the women, a close friend, long dark hair and green eyes, crossed over his head, being taken by a fire hand and pulled into the moonlit forest, as they were already near the exit.
"What happened to those who survived?"
The man hesitated before answering but ended up continuing, "I do not know if Liu told you this, but none of the necromancers survived There is only one alive besides you, but long before that he had already gone mad and isolated from the world. They even say that Yin respects him and doesn't dare challenge him, inviting him to chess matches in the underworld. But those are just tales… Anyway, from our group...at this moment only me and two others are alive. Of the four who survived that night, one of them ended up dying of natural causes. The other man and woman hid. I have no idea where they are. I ended up creating a martial undercover art fighting network. I became important enough that they could not just dispatch me. I survived as well as I could," he confessed.
Aurora thanked him. The man stood up, ready to guide them when a deafening sound reached the room.
"The fight is about to begin. We'd better hurry if you want to see him fight," Quan-Qan told them, slapping Aurora and the other boy on the back. "Come on, come on. I'm curious to see how Liu gets away with it," he said.
Chapter 30
They all left the room. They were back in the wide corridor full of metallic objects that gave access to the long narrow corridor where the rats gritted their teeth. Quan-Qan locked the room with two different keys, keeping one in each pocket. He walked past the kids and headed to a bookcase with an abundance of lined books. He removed one of them, pale brown and white pages with no folds, and a dark wooden door appeared on the opposite side. He kicked the objects in the path and opened the door.
He was received by the same two muscled men with an oval face, shaved hair except for a stuck ponytail, who had arrested the group. They bowed at him and each took their place beside him. The place where they were was the total opposite of where they had come from.
A blue and purple candlestick was spinning, lights flashing all over the place, different colored stripes glowing over random heads. The black brick ceiling was secured by wooden beams placed in the four corners. At the center, there was a hexagonal metallic arena, the sandy floor stained with blood. Tens if not hundreds of people, men and women, beggars in torn clothes and rich in the trendiest fabrics and silks, mixed up, exchanging opinions about battles, toasting with alcohol-filled mugs, the liquid sprinkling over the floor, shoes, boots, and sandals. A half-naked man, a toga covering his genitals, equipped with a metal drumstick with a tender leather tip, was preparing himself to hit a metal plate hanging from a frame of its own by two ropes. As soon as he did so, the ruff spread throughout the room, forcing many of those present, at least those who had no drink in their hands, to cover their ears. The sound dissipated into the air and everyone ran to the metal bars, clinging to them, salivating and howling, shouting for the next fight.
"Let's go. I have the best seats in the house," Quan-Qan said. He fixed his kimono and moved forward.
On the way, he greeted several people, all of whom coming from different types of backgrounds, all of them having the utmost respect for him, thanking him for some help or swap. To a few, he gave two kisses, one on each cheek, others just a slight handshake and a half-smile. He got tired of being constantly stopped and asked one of the security guards to work his way through, without any care or consideration for whom he was shoving. People stepped on others, drink leaped onto others' clothes, while some were unable to stand the crowd's push and fell to the ground, where they were trampled underfoot by the crowd that moved like ants to get a place where they could watch the fight without having their sight covered. It reeked of booze and blood.
They reached a corner of the room. A red ribbon had been placed next to two security guards, separating the standing places from a row of cushioned chairs. Women with short kimonos, exaggerated cleavages, and bare knees, rushed to satisfy customers. They carried trays of drinks and food, as well as letting them know that they were available for massages while they watched the fight.
They were mistreated; fat men with thick hands and thin men with long fingers took advantage of their status to grope, push, laugh in their faces, telling them that they would never be more than waitresses, offering them one or two gold coins in exchange for shameless pursuits. They wore black or dark blue silk suits and a matching tie. A recent fashion that had arrived from a distant continent that only extremely rich men had heard of.
"Why are some of the rich here and others near the arena? Aren't they as rich?" Bo asked, trying to make sense of everything he saw. Even though he had lived in the city since birth, he had never set afoot there. He had heard the stories, of course, but had never dreamed of the oddity of everything that happened there. It was a secret world within his city, one ignored by both the Kaji school and the governor.
"Some come for the violence. They like to feel blood splashing on their faces and the rattling sound of punches breaking bones, while others come for the complimentary service. The exotic food, coming from all over the continent, the dozens of different types of alcohol, and, of course, the women who serve them," Quan-Qan told him, "The champion of the arena is entering now. Quickly. Sit down," the man said, pushing the two forward.
The security guards next to the red tape removed one of the ends of the small metal pole to which it was attached. They gave them space to pass by and then reattached it.
Quan-Qan headed to the front row, the five seats still empty, and sat in the corner closest to the arena. Aurora and the new boy sat next to him. The rich men began to behave. No longer did they whistle at the maids, catcalled, or give wings to their imagination, their hands trying to touch where they should not. They drank silently and shredded the cakes with melted cream on the edges, soiling the corner of their mouths and wiping themselves with the sleeves of their suits.
"Better this way," Quan-Qan said quietly so that only the two young kids would hear.
"Did you know that they would respect them as soon as you ar
rived?" Aurora asked him.
"Of course. Just because they are my employees does not mean they deserve to be mistreated. I can't risk one of them simply deciding to run away or give up," he said.
"For a moment, I thought you were doing a good deed," Aurora replied, yawning as if she were giving up believing in the kindness that lurked in and around the world.
"Am I not? A good deed doesn't stop being a good deed because the man behind it doesn't do it with the best of intentions, does it?" Quan-Qan asked her.
Aurora hesitated. She tapped her fingers in her pants and thought of an answer that would defuse the man, but the truth was that she was not sure if he wasn't right. After all, why shouldn't he? Good deeds are done and help one or dozens of people. If the person behind it gains from it, isn't it just karma rewarding him? Even if he did not do it out of empathy and compassion?
"Girl," Quan-Qan continued as he realized that the girl had no answer. "You still have to realize that the world is more extensive than any dream you may have had about it. You will also find a myriad of people. Not all of them will have the best of motives, but that does not mean that they are bad people. Molded by the world, embracing the darkness that saved them... You, better than anyone, should understand that, shouldn't you? Just because darkness lives in you does not mean you are evil. You killed those men, the Kaji soldiers, and whether it was you or not, it didn't automatically make you a bad person, did it?"
"What do you mean by that?" Aurora asked, the voice submerging into the screaming wave that rose as the champion of the arena came along. Tall, his face covered in a thin red silk mantle, walked to the ring entrance. "I did what I had to do. The Kaji school is a poison in the world. I don't want to kill them, of course not, but I will if it's the only way to stop them all," she said.
Quan-Qan laughed. "You remind me of your father. He, too, believed that he could stop them. Liu-Ken was right about one thing, the more your father used his necromancer powers the less he was himself. His personality shattered. He went from avoiding bloodshed to taking the lives of hundreds of Kaji soldiers without even blinking his eyes. I know that Liu wants to preserve the beautiful image he has of your father, but it was not all a matter of roses. Already long before he accepted Yin's power that he had lost his love for the world, fighting for death, embracing it as his equal. Many nights he spent alone, away from our camp, talking to himself, playing flute all night long. There came a time when he hardly slept and dark circles filled his face. What I am trying to tell you is that the power you have is not an offering, it is not a gift, it is a bomb that is waiting for the right moment to explode. Use it carefully. Well, look now. The fight will begin," he said, finishing abruptly.
The champion of the arena entered the ring to the sound of the public's screams, hollow claps, prolonged whistles, and stunned faces, some surprised by his presence. He threw the red mantle onto the floor and raised both his arms, making poses in which he bragged about his muscular body. The brown hair up to the shoulders matched the same colored eyes and the two black diagonal stripes on each cheek. The crowd vibrated along with him, shouting his name, Van, even louder, the beams trembling with the sound impact and the sand and wood splinters stirring up in the air.
Aurora, once again, was lost in her flow of thoughts. The memory of the last battle, of that moment when she congratulated herself on having managed to tame the black chi, then killing almost a dozen young soldiers, not feeling the slightest empathy for them as she did it, was repeated. At the time, she had found it strange, but now she could see why. Every time she used the black chi, her personality lost a little bit of herself, the rottenness clinging to her. There would then come a time when she would no longer be her and her moral compass would be replaced by an insatiable thirst to wander through the realm of death.
"I believe in you," Bo said, laying his hand on Aurora's shoulder. "Just because the world expects you to be in a way doesn't mean you will be like that. You can't give up!"
"Do you really believe that I am good? Even though you know what I did? What I am?"
"You saved me without knowing who I was or what I did. Why shouldn't I believe you now knowing what or who you truly are? You don't have to be satisfied with being just that. Don't think I'm going to let you give up. I have my sister and my friends to save. I am not going to be just an orphan who spends his life being punished for something I did not do, someone who is thrown into the hands of vile men who rejoice in making others suffer. I want to be more than that and I want your help for that."
"Thank you," Aurora replied, smiling at the boy. "Let's both reach our dreams. No matter how difficult they might be and without ever losing our identity," she said, reaching out.
The boy squeezed her hand, smiling too, "Look! Liu-Ken!" he added, as he saw the man who had offered two gold coins to his sister being taken into the arena, his arms being held by two other muscled men.
"He'll make it, don't worry," Aurora told, seeing the boy by the edge of his seat, leaning, his hands closed, and his fingers swollen.
"Do you think so? He's badly injured, he can't use chi and he's against the champion of the arena. I've never seen him before, but I heard that he once defeated three men at the same time," he said.
"Trust me. He can do it," Aurora answered him.
"I like to see the confidence you have in him, girl. Let's see if he's as good as you think he is," Quan-Qan said and laughed.
The two men carrying Liu-Ken tossed him into the arena. He fell on his knees, his hands plunging into the sand. He still wore the same tattered clothes, the burns and scars still lingering. The security guards removed two metal bars from the sheaths and banged them on the arena's structure until the whole arena trembled and the audience fell silent.
Quan-Qan stood up and clapped. "Welcome again. Today we will have fights all day long. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Van, the reigning champion, usually only fights in the final fight but I have a surprise for you. A former Mizu school cultivator, a man of countless talents and rumors say he fought alongside the infamous necromancer who dared to revolt against the Kaji school," he said. The crowd cheered him up, some going further and throwing pieces of food or alcohol at Liu-Ken. "I ask you to control yourselves or you will be expelled. The rules are simple; the public respects the fighters and they, in return, offer a great entertainment experience. You know, anything but chi is fine. The one who can keep the other on the floor for ten seconds wins. Are you ready?"
"YES!" the audience shouted ecstatically, the fighters moving around the tight space they were confined to.
"Make the gong ring!" Quan-Qan shouted, "Let the battle begin!" he added and sat down, tweaking the kimono.
The same man from before, still with only a toga, hit the gong again. The shrill sound spanned throughout the ample space from one end to the other. The fight began.
The champion was the first to move forward. He stepped out at high speed, using his body to knock down Liu-Ken and throw him to the ground. He punched him nonstop, Liu being only able to use his arms to cover his face. The crowd vibrated with Van's demonstration of brute force. Aurora bit her lower lip and the boy next to her stuck his nails in the palm of his hand. Sweat ran down their cheeks and chests, gluing their clothes to their bodies.
Van got up, giving Liu-Ken room to finally breathe. The champion paced around the ring, reaching into the hands of the fans who stood at the front line, their faces stuck against the metal bars, and the women who saw him as a human Adonis, displaying and swinging their sumptuous breasts. Blue and purple stripes continued to lighten the whole place. Even some of the men in the VIP area had risen in the meantime to talk to the slender boy, his messy hair covering his entire forehead and his brown eyes, who handled the bets. He was writing down the quantities and names in a small notebook, collecting the money and delivering it to the two security guards who accompanied him everywhere.
Liu-Ken got up. His arms were bruised, and his breathing was irregular, but he quickly mo
ved, jumping left and right, not stopping for a second. Van focused on him again, not taking a step forward.
"You can attack me. Don't be afraid," Van said, waving his right hand so that Liu-Ken would come closer, "a man as small and thin as you can never hurt me.” He laughed shamelessly, flashing the few teeth he had left.
"Overconfidence is a problem," Liu-Ken replied. "I don't want to win with offered advantages. A fair fight is all I ask.”
"Everyone can lose however they want," Van answered him. He closed his right hand, clenching his fist until the blue veins resembled a bubble about to burst.
They moved towards each other, swinging sideways, circling the arena. The public screamed, asking Van to destroy the opponent.
The champion took the initiative again. He tried to move stealthily, hoping to take Liu-Ken by surprise and punch him. However, this time, Liu did not let himself be captured. He danced across the arena, his feet dangling like a delicate feather, straying, and rolling across Van's arm until he braked near man’s back. Van's left eye followed Liu through the corner. Having such a heavy body, the champion found himself unable to change his attack direction in mere seconds, becoming easy prey for Liu's flying kick that hit him right in the back of the head and flung him against the iron bars. Silence fell upon the crowd. Only murmurs and whispers survived the amazement.
"Not bad. Nobody had hit Van for a long time. I'm afraid it'll only irritate him more, though," Quan-Qan said. "Now let's see how good Liu-Ken is. I don't know if he ever told you, but the truth is that he was regarded as one of the great promises of the Mizu school. A prodigy, even. Some already had him considered as one of the school leader's private security guards' successors. Perhaps he could even become one of the few immortals who roam this continent. But he gave up everything for your father. Love makes bravery foolish.”
Awakening: (The Necromancer's Legacy Book 1) Page 18
