Voices blended together, distant and distorted. Virno’s vision blurred as pain and exhaustion dragged him under. He floated in darkness for what felt like hours until suddenly -- light.
The sound of rustling leaves. The warmth of sunlight filtering through the canopy of tall trees.
When he opened his eyes, Virno found himself in a vast forest, the world painted in the soft, golden hues of sunset. He wandered aimlessly through the trees, each step strangely weightless, a calm he couldn’t explain washing over him.
Then, a voice -- high-pitched and insidious -- called out.
Disembodied voice: “Why have you not come to seek me yet? Why do you wait?”
Black clouds rolled across the sky, blotting out the sun. A fierce wind howled through the forest, and the peaceful warmth gave way to a biting chill.
Disembodied voice: “Haven’t you lost enough already? Well, if that is the case... there is always more that can be taken.”
The trees began to wither and rot before his eyes. Black rain fell from the heavens, staining the ground like ink. Virno pressed forward through the decay until he emerged from the forest, arriving at the shore of a vast, eerily still lake.
He stepped closer, peering down at his reflection in the water.
Disembodied voice: “That’s not quite right... Is it?”
The reflection began to shift, morphing unnaturally. It showed an older Virno -- around thirty years old -- healthy, powerful, and dressed in fine, elegant clothes fit for a nobleman.
Disembodied voice: “Is this it, then?”
Virno stared at the image, a flicker of longing in his chest. But before he could reach out, the reflection twisted again.
Disembodied voice: “Ah, but reality may not be so kind to you, von Virtus...”
Now it showed him as he was, but gaunt and frail, his ribs visible beneath his skin. He coughed violently, and his right forearm -- missing its hand -- was clutched by his left one.
Disembodied voice: ”So many possibilities... Which will come to pass, I wonder...?”
The water shifted once more. This time, it wasn’t Virno’s face staring back at him. It was his father, Charles, holding two disembodied heads -- his wife’s and Virno’s.
Disembodied Voice: “Hahahaha…”
Horrified, Virno lashed out, kicking at the water and shattering the grotesque image.
Disembodied voice: “Come find me, von Virtus... Or soon enough, you will have nothing left.”
The lake roared to life, its water rising into a massive wave that crashed down on him. The cold hit him like a hammer, dragging him into darkness once more.
Virno awoke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat.
Virno: “THE LAKE...!”
The faces around him jumped in surprise, then quickly shifted to relief.
Cabdan: “Oh, thank god…”
Faya: “Virno! You’re awake!”
Standing near his side was a masked man, casting strange, glowing glyphs in the air. The broken ribs in Virno’s torso glowed faintly with a warm, greyish aura.
The Leopard: “Didn’t think he’d wake up so soon.”
Cabdan leaned closer, his relief already giving way to irritation.
Cabdan: “Alright, alright, he’s fine now! You can stop, doctor!”
The masked man -- bearing the mask of a Leopard -- shook his head.
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The Leopard: “If you think stopping early gets you a discount, think again. I’m holding his ribs together, Cabdan. Let me finish.”
Virno groaned, trying to shift, but the Leopard’s voice stopped him cold.
The Leopard: “Don’t move. Unless you want those ribs to puncture your lungs.”
Faya (frowning): “Shouldn’t we give him more elixir?”
The Leopard: ”Just another glass, halfway full... No more.”
Faya poured a glowing red liquid into a cup and held it to Virno’s lips.
Faya: “Swallow!”
Virno obeyed, feeling a rush of warmth spread through his body. His breathing eased, and the stabbing pain in his side dulled to a manageable throb.
Cabdan (grumbling): “Today is the day I go bankrupt...”
Faya (snapping): ”Save it, pig-man! You made plenty of coin with me, you have more than enough to pay for this.”
Cabdan sighs as the Leopard finished his spell, stepping back and brushing his hands together.
The Leopard: “This one’s on the house, Cabdan.”
Cabdan’s jaw dropped.
Cabdan: “F-for free?!”
The Leopard: “Not exactly... Next time I’m in town, I want to speak with this boy. Make sure he meets me, no matter what.”
Cabdan nodded furiously.
Cabdan: "Of course, of course! You can count on me!”
The Leopard turned to leave but paused at the door.
The Leopard: “And make sure he rests for a few days. No fighting.”
Cabdan: “Understood! Absolutely...!”
The Leopard: ”Hm.”
With a wave of his hand, the Leopard conjured a grey portal and stepped through, disappearing into it. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the portal vanished, leaving only silence in its wake.
Cabdan, now visibly relieved, let out a shaky laugh and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Cabdan: “Well! That’s one headache gone. Faya, you’ve got this, right? I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to...”
Faya (snapping): “Just go, Cabdan.”
Cabdan grabbed his top hat and shuffled toward the door, muttering under his breath.
Cabdan (grumbling): “Ungrateful little brats...“
As soon as the door slammed shut, Faya let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping. The tension in the room lifted slightly, but not completely.
She turned to Virno, who was still sitting propped up on the cot, his breathing slow and labored.
Faya: “You scared the hell out of us, you know. You’re lucky your match came after mine! The doc’s always here for my fights, since... well, you’ve seen what happens to my opponents.”
Virno tried to laugh, but it came out more as a cough.
Virno (hoarsely): “Rel... is he okay?”
Faya: “Rel is okay, he's been through worse. Says he wants a rematch, though.”
Virno’s lips curled into a faint smile, stained with dried blood.
Virno: “Yeah... same here.”
Faya leaned closer, her expression softening.
Faya: "Don’t get any ideas, tough guy. You need to rest. If you so much as stand up too quickly, your ribs will pop like a cheap barrel.”
Virno didn’t respond immediately. He stared at the spot where the Leopard’s portal had been, his mind turning over the strange encounter.
Virno: “That man... the doctor. Who is he, really?”
Faya shrugged, sitting down on a nearby stool.
Faya: “He’s part of some big-deal group. Cabdan knows him, but he’s tight-lipped about it. All I know is that he usually takes his payment and leaves. This is the first time I’ve seen him do something for free -- or whatever ‘favor’ he’s cooking up for you.”
Virno’s gaze sharpened.
Virno: “He’s never done this for anyone else?”
Faya: “Not once. And trust me, plenty of people have left this place worse off than you. If Cabdan had to pay full price, I’m pretty sure he’d rather have let you bleed out on the arena floor.”
She hesitated, then handed Virno a small pouch.
Faya: “Here. Your cut from the fight.”
Virno opened it, tipping the coins into his hand. Twenty-five coppers. His expression soured immediately.
Virno: “This is it? Twenty-five fucking coppers?!”
Faya: ”Well, he pays pretty bad....”
Virno: ”Like you can complain, you got a whole silver coin!”
Faya: “That’s because the arena’s packed whenever I fight! People come to see me, not some newcomer getting his ass kicked. And besides...”
She smirked, leaning forward slightly.
Faya: “I’m worth every penny. You, on the other hand…”
Virno rolled his eyes but winced from the motion, clutching his side.
Virno: “Fuck me... at this rate, we’ll never make enough to pay rent.”
Faya’s teasing expression faded. She sat back, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
Faya: “It’s just you and your mom, isn’t it?”
Virno nodded.
Faya: “If she’s unemployed, maybe she could help out around here. We could use the extra hands at the orphanage. And before you ask -- yes, this place doubles as a hospital. Lucky for you.”
Virno frowned.
Virno: ”We...? You work here, too?”
Faya: ”I actually live here. Been here since I was a kid... Don’t even remember anything before that.”
The room fell into a brief, uncomfortable silence. Faya broke it with a sharp exhale, standing abruptly.
Faya: ”So, and what will you be doing when you can stand on your own two feet again?”
Virno: ”I haven't a clue... guess I'm going right back to fighting.”
Faya: ”Are you crazy...? Didn't you hear the doctor?!”
Virno (gritting his teeth): “I don’t have a choice.”
Faya (angrily): “Oh, don't give me that...There’s always a choice!”
Virno: “Not for us, alright...? Cabdan’s cutting our rent in half as long as I fight for him. If I quit, we’re basically out on the street. What else am I supposed to do?”
Faya growled, punching the wall so hard it splintered.
Faya: “That bastard... I’ll deal with him.”
Virno blinked, caught off guard.
Virno: “Wait -- what does that mean? What are you going to do?”
Faya was already halfway to the door. This seemed to have been the last straw for her.
Faya: “Don’t worry about it. Just rest. Sleep if you can. I’ve got this, alright? I've been meaning to tell him a couple of things I've been bottling inside for a good while now...”
Virno (reaching out weakly): “Faya, wait --”
The door swung shut behind her, leaving him alone in the room. Virno sank back against the wall, exhaustion overtaking him again.
As he drifted off, his mind returned to the voice from the lake.
Virno (thinking): “So... soon I’ll have nothing left, huh?”
His fists clenched.
Virno: “We’ll see about that.”
