Skymint's POV

  The blazing sun scorched the sand as they freed me from my cell. It's extremely hot here, sweat dripping through my fur. Chains still wrapped around my wrists, gripping tight. My ankles still felt the ghost of the cuffs.

  Before ending up in this oppressive place, something hard hit my skull.

  I walked with the guards, didn't fight back. They had whips on their sides. Those would hurt. I worried about where Arie and Carrie were. Are they suffering in the heat too? But what confused me more: why did Ellie bring us to the island? I'd like to believe she didn't expect the Sunstarians to invade it. Otherwise, I don't know how to feel. I don't want to be angry with Arie.

  The arena, layered in coarse sand, was enclosed by a towering square structure made of dark metal. Each cell was visible, only railings supported the floors. Behind the prison rose elevated seats made of sandstone, their tops shaped like a castle. This place could easily be mistaken for a fortress. I'd heard there were many here, along with the pyramids. That means rescue would be difficult, if possible at all.

  We reached a corner and the guards stopped. We faced the Sand King. Jamaico. His lips tugged into a smile.

  "Your Princess wants you in a well-ventilated cell." He said, gesturing to the guards.

  We moved again, entered an archway, and climbed a straight stairway. Inside, the metal walls dividing each prisoner's cell were solid, save for a small window frame that let in light. It must be torture for Sunstarians, who thrive on sunshine. Judging by how it's built, this place was likely made for citizens who defied the Sand King.

  We climbed more stairs, again and again, until we reached the fourth floor, the highest level. They opened a cell, and I entered. My hands were bound again in cuffs. All at once, the frame shut, and the dark swallowed me whole again.

  There was nothing I could do. My ice abilities had expired. They must've taken our fruit cubes, stored somewhere far from reach.

  I felt cold seeping into my skin. The ventilation worked, but I saw no turbines. Maybe it was magic. That would explain the cooling.

  There were several more cells after mine. I hoped Arie and Carrie were on the same floor. In the same building.

  But the leather satchel I had containing the leaf bills I'd won from the Horse Racing Competition was still close with me. Very close, hidden snug against my lower back beneath my tunic. The vest layered over it helped press it flat, and the belt over both kept the hems pinned tight.

  If I'm going to be imprisoned, let me at least keep my acquired wealth. My sister would no longer need to work if I make it out alive, back to our village. I may not be able to clear my bounty now that the bastard Guardian is punished by Felipe, but I could use these bills to travel to different kingdoms to hide and find the cure for Arie's curse.

  My stomach was still full from the desert rabbit. It was okay, but not what I'd choose. I missed tuna. Suddenly, Llanova flashed in my mind. He's a Sandman, he could be here.

  I hoped not.

  I really hoped he's not here.

  Suddenly, the frame opened. The clank echoed through the prison. What's going on?

  The grandstand is littered with people, mostly wearing desert cloaks. There were only a few before. And the herald, whose face is draped in scarves, stood in the center of the arena.

  "Good morning, Sunstarians! Let's get our day interesting by starting with a hot fight between two of our rare gladiators!" He announced.

  I have a hunch that this will be bad. They intentionally opened the frames for us to watch. To prepare us. But my feelings outweigh the potential knowledge I'll obtain.

  "From the scorched craters of Ashfall, undefeated in five fiery battles—behold the brawler of brimstone… Cannonball!"

  A dark gray bear flanked by three guards came out from a gate. An Ashman. A shower of applause radiated in the stadium.

  "His blood runs hot and cold, half Sandman, half Polarman, and five-time survivor of the arena… Llanova of the Polarmen Islands!"

  My heart pounded in my chest. The noise outside blurred. No way. I'm looking for my best friend, but why here, in this harsh place, did I find him?

  He came out from the opposing gate flanked by guards, his pale fur made orange by the sunlight. He has been given a fruit cube. I didn't know he had one. Unless he bought the dark elemental Magical Fruit from the Wolfmen traders.

  "Steel your souls! Let the flames of battle begin!" The herald declared as he jumped really high and left a gust of flowing dust. He must be a wind elemental fruit master.

  Llanova summoned his Magical Fruit first, and it confirmed my suspicion. It's a passion fruit glowing with a dark aura. He took a bite and hid his fruit cube.

  So did the Ashman. He bit a flaming, large round fruit. No, the glowing aura is too dark of a red. It's a lava elemental fruit. A terrifying element to encounter.

  The two slowly paced around each other, their hands ready to summon an attack. And without hesitation, Cannonball shot a blast of lava directed at Llanova. The sand scorched where it landed, and Llanova became engulfed in darkness. A figure in shadow.

  He moved in extreme corners of the arena, while Cannonball fired shots anywhere he went. But the lava projectiles hit only after he had already moved to another position. He's at a disadvantage because of the blazing sun in the sky, the light dimming his shadow form. I wondered how he survived his previous battles.

  He threw a mass of darkness at the Ashman, blinding his vision.

  Cannonball hurled lava in all directions, and a scream tore, not in the battlefield, but from the bottom floor of the prison. A shiver ran down my spine. The frames are open, so it could have hit a spectating prisoner in their cell. The guards didn't care. Jamaico didn't either, unaffected in his podium, his face clearly savoring the ongoing fight.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  I felt grateful for being moved to the fourth floor. But the violence down there didn't lift the unsettling feeling in my chest, especially watching my best friend fight to the death.

  Llanova lunged forward at Cannonball, and the Ashman's back hit the hard metal of the prison. It caused a loud crash, enough to break a spine.

  After the flourishing sand winded down, Cannonball pulled himself up effortlessly, his body still fine. I remembered the fruit he ate. It's a melon, which means his passive ability is a hardened body too, like mine.

  Llanova had hidden through the shadows of the metal. He charged at Cannonball again, and Cannonball's back slammed into the opposite side, the metal clanging in my ears again, like a literal cannonball striking the ruined walls of a war. Again, and again, the prison walls banged loud.

  My stomach twisted. I felt bad for the prisoners down there.

  Cannonball ran through the center of the battlefield, avoiding being thrown again by the darkness. I would do that too, as a melon fruit master's weakness is being cornered. Llanova must have observed me really well during my trial-and-error self-training back in the village.

  The arena flashed in molten orange and red when Cannonball washed the battlefield in lava. Smoke billowed around, and the air smelled of burnt sand. To his surprise, Llanova leapt and perched on his back, gripping his neck tight. His shadow form was dwindling, and it wouldn't be long before he became vulnerable to the heat. Then anything would be able to penetrate him.

  A dark fog covered the whole arena, and the faces of the audience were swallowed by the darkness. I felt more nervous than ever. What if I saw Llanova's charred corpse once the fog cleared?

  After a stretch of sizzling sounds on the sand, the arena became visible. The lava had melted away. Cannonball lay on the ground, his neck twisted, while Llanova stood over him, his breath hitching.

  When a fruit master dies, the elemental abilities they summoned die with them.

  The herald came down to the center of the arena.

  "Victory to Llanova of the Polarmen Islands, breaker of beasts, survivor of the sun!" The herald announced.

  Outside my walls, the crowd cheered in triumph, while Jamaico simply smiled.

  This felt wrong. This is wrong. Llanova would never hurt anyone. He is a pacifist. He would've convinced his opponent to give up or found a way to stop the fight. What had Jamaico done to him?

  But he had no choice, so I understood him. He must have felt guilty about what he'd done. I'm afraid I'd have to do that too, rather than die.

  Maybe there's a way to escape before Arie, Carrie, and I are placed in the arena. I looked up at the bright blue sky, where the herald entered and exited the center of the arena. No visible barriers. They don't need barriers. The structure is high enough that no one would be able to reach that height to escape. Unless we go through the gate.

  Suddenly, a plant stem slithered into the frame, entering my cell. A flower was attached to its end, and I held it just as a sound came.

  "Skymint, can you hear me?" Asked Carrie.

  "Yes, clearly." I replied. "Won't you get caught for this?"

  "The Sand King is focused on the arena, so I don't think he'll notice." She said in an assuring tone.

  "Have you talked with Arie?" I asked.

  "Not yet. That's why I reached out to you first, because I have a concern."

  My eyebrows raised. "Is it… about her?"

  "Yes."

  "Firstly, are you okay in your cell?" I asked.

  "Don't mind me. I can even talk to you right now." She answered. "But don't you find it too good to be a coincidence? You know, bringing us to that island? I'm not pointing fingers at her. I care deeply about my actual cousin."

  "Me too. We don't know for sure, but we have to focus on surviving this place first." I stated. "Can you let me talk to her?"

  "No. I'd have to give you my Magical Item if you want to talk with her."

  "Oh, right. Our fruit cubes were taken away. Brilliant that you still have an item."

  "Well, I'll go check on her for you." She said, and the plant stem crawled out of my cell.

  I hope Arie's doing fine. That she's alright.

  ***

  Arie's POV

  The battle was over, but the scream that tore through the air still echoed in my mind. They were just a few floors directly below my cell. I wanted to go down there and heal the prisoner, any way I could, but these four walls blocked me from doing anything.

  I'd already searched every corner of my cell for my fruit cube. Nothing. Same with the others, I assumed. They must've knocked us out and only woke us once our abilities had worn off. I hoped King Jamaico had moved Skymint to this floor. It would make me feel a little less miserable, just knowing he was near.

  Suddenly, I heard whispers nearby. A familiar voice.

  "...you know, bringing us to that island..."

  Carrie. My eyes narrowed. I pressed closer to the wall.

  "...I'm not pointing fingers at her..."

  Her? Who were they talking about?

  Then, suddenly, a sharp sting struck behind my eye. It wasn't like a normal headache, more like a needle twisting just once and gone. I jerked back from the metal wall and held my head.

  What was that?

  Maybe I shouldn't eavesdrop that much...

  I sat still on the cold floor, trying to breathe. Then, a plant stem popped into the frame of my cell. I didn't know Carrie still kept that toy after all these years.

  Without thinking, I reached for the stem. The flower's petals unfurled and I moved it close to my lips.

  "Carrie." I whispered.

  "Cousin! Are you alright?" She asked.

  "Yes, how about you? And Skymint?" I asked.

  "We're both fine, he's beside my cell." She reassured. "We should escape this place to avoid the arena. Do you have any ideas?"

  "The sky. If we get our fruit cubes back, we could build up and up to reach the outside."

  "That's a good one." She complimented. "But we don't know yet where the fruit cubes were hidden."

  "Right, maybe one of us that would be first to fight could reach the top to check if there's any barrier."

  "I see. That's our only chance."

  "You should hide that now." I said, my tone urgent. "We won't be able to communicate for the following days if it gets taken away."

  "Stay safe, cousin."

  The stem plant crawled out of my cell and moved to the left side. It would be noticeable if we poked our heads to the door frame, so I did it quickly to confirm that the stem plant would go to the room beside mine. And it did. So Carrie's just beside me.

  The next hours flew by, and all I did was move around in my cell other than my futile attempts to remove the cuffs. More battles came by, and it was painful to watch them. After the last bloodshed from the arena, I had no stomach to consume my dinner. I didn't understand how King Jamaico could eat after watching such a thing. I just stared at the plate with squids.

  I heard footsteps approaching. I didn't know what would happen if the guard saw that my plate wasn't empty yet, so I hid it behind my back. The frame opened.

  "Plate." The guard stated, standing like a statue. He wore a serious expression, but I thought maybe I could find a way to repel him. I remembered my cousin Aice stating that I looked like a jerk when I'm not smiling.

  I put on a menacing look and squinted my eyes at him.

  He stared back at me, unmoving. His hands were folded in front.

  I squinted even harder.

  A few moments passed by, and the frame closed.

  I let out a sigh. I successfully got rid of him. My only companion here was silence. The chill of the room seeped through my skin.

  I heard footsteps again. Why was he coming back?

  But the person that opened my cell's frame was no other than King Jamaico. His yellow hair was dull because of the setting sun.

  "Arie, how are you?" He asked as though we're friends in the same sunlight.

  "Why do you ask?" I showed a dissatisfied look at him.

  "Because tomorrow is your day." He grinned. "I assume you already know what to do after watching the series of battles."

  "I don't want this." I frowned.

  "Oh, don't worry, you're not the only one. Your friends will fight tomorrow too."

  "Together?" My eyebrows raised.

  "Of course not." He chuckled. "That would be so boring."

  "Unless you'd like to kill any of them." He added.

  I kept silent. The battles that occurred flashed in my mind. Skymint's best friend is here, Llanova. I hoped King Jamaico didn't know that they had a friendship, or that he wouldn't accidentally make the two fight each other.

  "And by the way, the coward guard told me you look like you're going to give him frostbite." He smiled. "I must see that look tomorrow."

  Then he closed the frame, and all around me was darkness again. Only the slit in the ceiling provided a faint light.