Cabdan: "Ready up, boys! We've got quite the crowd out there today, so give them a show to remember, alright?!"

  Cabdan clapped his hands, pacing the arena's backstage as he addressed the fighters. The rumble of the crowd filtered through the walls, their excitement building. Cabdan's grin widened as he turned to Barr, who stood silent, wrapping his hands in bandages.

  Behind them, the door leading to the slum streets creaked open.

  Tyssa: "Mister Cabdan! I'm glad I catch you here... may I have a word?"

  Cabdan turned and opened his arms as though greeting a long-lost relative.

  Cabdan: "Tyssa! Good morning, sweetheart."

  He opened his arms, and Tyssa walked into his embrace. Her posture was relaxed, but her face carried a shadow of something deeper.

  Cabdan: "What brings you here so early? Shouldn't you be back at the orphanage?"

  She nodded slightly, breaking the hug.

  Tyssa: "I would be, but there's something I thought you'd want to know."

  Cabdan's grin shrank by a fraction.

  Cabdan: "Oh? Do tell."

  Tyssa: "It's the new boy. Virno."

  Cabdan: "... What about him?"

  Tyssa: "He overheard some of the girls talking on their way home from... work. He's asking questions."

  Cabdan's smile didn't falter this time, but his eyes narrowed.

  Cabdan: "I see. Do you know which girls were speaking?"

  She shook her head.

  Tyssa: "No, I don't. Still, I thought you'd want to hear about it..."

  Cabdan rubbed his chin as though in deep thought, then chuckled softly.

  Cabdan: "Well, it seems I'll need to remind some of our employees about the importance of discretion... but thank you for letting me know, Tyssa. You're always so reliable."

  He patted her head gently, grinning.

  Cabdan: "If only the other girls were as devoted as you...!"

  She smiles, happy to have pleased him.

  Tyssa: "After everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do, mister Cabdan."

  Cabdan pulled her into another hug, holding her for a moment too long.

  Cabdan: "That's my girl!"

  Barr's gaze lifted from his bandages to the scene unfolding in front of him. He said nothing, but his jaw tightened. There was a slight hint of disgust in his expression.

  Cabdan: "Tyssa, Barr is fighting next. Won't you wish him luck?"

  Tyssa turned to Barr. Their eyes met, both gazes empty and devoid of warmth.

  Tyssa: "Good luck, Barr."

  Barr: "Thank you, Tyssa."

  Her words were cold, his reply equally detached.

  Cabdan: "Alright, sweetheart, you should head back now. This isn't the kind of show a lady like you should watch."

  Tyssa nodded, bowing slightly before leaving the room.

  The door closed behind her, and Cabdan let out a wistful sigh.

  Cabdan: "Ah... they grow up so fast. Feels like just yesterday we first met her, doesn't it?"

  He turned to Barr, who was tightening his bandages.

  Cabdan: "You remember, don't you?"

  Barr's hands froze, his knuckles whitening around the bandage.

  Cabdan: "I'd wager that day was even more special for you than it was for me..."

  Barr kept his gaze low, clenching his teeth as Cabdan clapped his hands and turned toward the curtains.

  Cabdan: "It's showtime!"

  He shoved his arm through the curtains, giving the announcer a thumbs-up.

  As the announcer's voice called his name, the roar of the crowd faded in Barr's ears. His thoughts drifted to the past, to the night he first accompanied Cabdan on one of his "collections."

  Cabdan: "Ready for the next family, kid?"

  Barr, barely a teenager at the time, nodded hesitantly, following Cabdan through the dark, labyrinthine streets of the slums. Eventually, they reached an old, rotting home.

  The smell of decay hit him like a sledgehammer before he even reached the door. It wasn't just unpleasant -- it was suffocating, cloying, a mix of rotting meat and damp earth that made his stomach churn. He gagged, turning his head to the side to breathe, but the stench clung to him, persistent and inescapable.

  Cabdan: "Deep breaths, kid. You'll get used to it."

  He grinned as though he were offering sage advice, while Barr struggled to keep the bile down. Cabdan's nonchalance only made it worse. How could he act so unfazed?

  Standing outside the door to the dilapidated house was a tall, broad-shouldered man in a patched scarf and newsboy cap. His round sunglasses hid his eyes, but his face betrayed nothing. He stood with his arms crossed, his back straight, like a sentinel on guard duty.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Cabdan: "Jargen! What's the story?"

  The man in the cap -- Jargen -- didn't move right away. His voice was low, slow, and deliberate when he finally replied.

  Jargen: "Two kids left. Rest of the family's gone."

  Barr's heart sank, but Cabdan's smirk only widened.

  Cabdan: "Oh? *Gone*, you say? Well... it's not like we haven't seen that before. Should make things simpler, no?"

  Jargen's lips tightened, but he said nothing.

  Cabdan: "C'mon, let's get this over with."

  Jargen stepped aside reluctantly, his boots scuffing against the dirt. Cabdan pushed open the door, and the stench inside hit them with full force. Barr staggered back, covering his mouth and nose with both hands.

  Barr: "Oh god --"

  Cabdan: "Get in here."

  Cabdan reached back, grabbing Barr by the arm and yanking him forward. The room was dim, with only a faint, murky light seeping through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. But even in the gloom, the scene before them was clear -- and horrifying.

  Near the far corner of the room huddled two children. The older one -- a boy, maybe ten-- had his arms wrapped protectively around a younger girl, no more than five or six. Their clothes were filthy, their faces streaked with tears and dirt. The girl clutched a threadbare doll against her chest, as if it were the only thing keeping her tethered to the world.

  In the center of the room lay the bloated corpse of a man. His face was barely recognizable, swollen and discolored, with flies buzzing in a grotesque halo around his body. Near the opposite wall was a crude pile of bones, arranged haphazardly—half-covered in dirt and scraps of fabric that might have once been clothing.

  Jargen: "...Fuck. That's worse than I thought."

  Jargen removed his sunglasses, revealing dark, weary eyes that stared at the scene with a grim understanding.

  Cabdan: "Well... it's certainly a situation."

  His voice was disturbingly casual, as if he were commenting on a messy room rather than a human tragedy. Barr, meanwhile, couldn't keep it together. He stumbled back, doubling over as he vomited onto the floor.

  Jargen: "For god's sake, Cabdan... let the kid go home!"

  Cabdan: "Enough whining. He needs to learn what life in the slums is really like."

  Jargen: "He's a fucking kid, Cabdan...!"

  Cabdan ignored him, stepping deeper into the room. His polished boots squelched against the rotting floorboards. He crouched in front of the children, his grin softening into something that might have passed for warmth -- if you didn't know him.

  Cabdan: "Well, hello there! Don't be scared. What are your names?"

  The older boy shifted, placing himself more firmly between Cabdan and the girl. His voice was trembling but determined.

  Boy: "I'm... I'm Yiel. And my sister's name is Tyssa."

  Cabdan: "Yiel and Tyssa... Nice names."

  He extended a hand as though he were meeting business associates.

  Cabdan: "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm mister Cabdan."

  Yiel didn't take his hand. Cabdan chuckled softly and stood back up, brushing dust from his coat.

  Cabdan: "Yiel, your mommy and daddy owe me some money. Do you know where they keep it?"

  Yiel's eyes darted to the corpse on the floor, then to the pile of bones in the corner. His voice was barely above a whisper.

  Yiel (boy): "We... we don't have any money."

  Jargen: "That's enough, Cabdan... let's take the kids to the orphanage and leave."

  Jargen stepped forward, but Cabdan raised a hand to stop him.

  Cabdan: "I'm not leaving here empty-handed, Jargen. You know that."

  Jargen: "There's nothing to take. Look around, for fuck's sake!"

  Cabdan's eyes flicked toward the pile of bones. He stepped closer, kneeling in front of it. His grin returned, but now it had a sinister edge.

  Cabdan: "Ah. And I take it this was... mommy?"

  Yiel clutched his sister tighter, his lower lip trembling. Tyssa whimpered softly, burying her face in her brother's shoulder.

  Cabdan: "Well, it seems your parents weren't the best at keeping their promises. But don't worry -- I'm willing to make a deal."

  He turned to Tyssa, his grin widening.

  Cabdan: "Say, little one. How about you come with me? If you do, I'll forget all about your mommy and daddy's debt!"

  Tyssa shook her head violently, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Tyssa: "No! I wanna stay with Yiel!"

  Jargen: "Cabdan...!"

  Cabdan's voice dropped, taking on an edge of quiet menace.

  Cabdan: "I told you to shut your mouth, Jargen... I'm the one in charge here."

  Barr: "I-I'll look for the money!"

  Barr's voice broke as he spoke. He couldn't take the tension in the room -- the suffocating stench, the children's tears, the growing rage in Jargen's eyes... he just wanted it to stop.

  Cabdan: "That's a good lad! Get to it."

  Barr began frantically searching the room, tearing through drawers and overturning furniture. At that point, his memories begin to blur and skip ahead. There was something he didn't want to recall... though the aftermath of that night remained.

  Cabdan: "Attaboy! You did what you had to. Your father would be proud..."

  Barr looks down at his hands. They were bloody and shaking. He felt horrible inside, yet he had a terrifying smile on his face. Jargen was nowhere to be seen anymore, neither was the young boy. Only Cabdan and the little girl were with him.

  Opponent: "Wake the fuck up!"

  An uppercut hit Barr square in the jaw, snapping his head back and jolting him out of his haunting memories. His feet stumbled, his vision swam, but not for long. His opponent pressed forward, emboldened.

  Opponent: "You're pathetic, Barr. Just a washed-up thug! You think you're hot shit just 'cause Cabdan keeps you around --"

  The opponent's sneering voice was cut off by Barr's fist, which crashed into his ribs like a sledgehammer. The sheer force sent the man staggering to the side, gasping for air. Barr didn't wait -- he advanced with cold, mechanical precision.

  Barr: "Shut up."

  His voice was low, almost a growl, but it carried a terrifying weight. The crowd, oblivious to the storm brewing inside him, roared in approval.

  The opponent tried to block Barr's next punch, raising his arms, but it didn't matter. Barr's fist smashed through his guard, landing on the side of the man's head with a sickening thud. Blood spurted from his nose, and he stumbled again, dazed. Barr didn't stop.

  Barr: "Shut. Up."

  Another punch. This one hit the man's cheek, splitting the skin and sending a spray of blood into the air. The opponent cried out in pain, but Barr barely heard him. His mind was elsewhere, consumed by the echoes of his past.

  Opponent: "I --"

  Barr grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the ground with a force that rattled the arena's floor. The opponent's head hit the dirt, and he groaned, his movements sluggish. The crowd erupted into cheers, but Barr wasn't finished.

  He mounted the man, pinning him to the ground with his knees. His knuckles, still wrapped but already bloodied, crashed down like hammers.

  Barr: "Die."

  The opponent raised his arms to shield his face, but Barr's fists found their way through. They always did. One punch connected with the man's temple, snapping his head to the side.

  Barr: "Die."

  Another punch. This one hit his jaw, sending a tooth flying. Blood poured from the man's mouth and nose, staining the dirt beneath them.

  Opponent: "P-pleash --"

  Barr: "DIE!"

  The bandages on Barr's knuckles tore from the force of his blows. He ripped them off entirely, letting his bare fists do the work. His knuckles cracked against bone, each punch harder and faster than the last. Blood splattered across his face, his chest, his arms.

  The crowd was going wild, chanting his name, screaming for more. But Barr didn't hear them. He didn't see the arena or the faces in the crowd. He was back in that rotting house, staring into Tyssa's tear-filled eyes. He saw Cabdan's grin, heard his smooth, mocking voice.

  Cabdan (in his mind): "Did what you had to..."

  Barr's fists kept falling. The opponent's face was no longer recognizable -- a bloody, pulped mess of skin, bone, and muscle. The man beneath him had stopped moving, but Barr didn't stop.

  Barr: "DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE --"

  His hands were raw, his knuckles split and bleeding, but he didn't care. Every punch was an attempt to obliterate the memory, to erase the guilt and shame that had haunted him for years.

  The announcer finally stepped in, his voice cracking as he shouted into the chaos.

  Announcer: "ENOUGH! That's enough, end the fight!"

  Two men from Cabdan's crew rushed into the arena, pulling Barr off the limp, bloodied body. Barr resisted at first, his fists still swinging, but they managed to drag him away.

  He stood in the center of the arena, chest heaving, blood dripping from his hands and splattered across his face. The crowd's cheers washed over him, but they didn't fill the hollow void inside.

  Announcer: "Your winner... BARR!"

  The crowd erupted, chanting his name, but Barr didn't raise his arms in victory. He turned his back on the bloodied mess he had left behind, walking slowly toward the exit.