The Lion's Mask

Zain’s body twitched in shock. His mind was barely able to think straight as it was, and he still had to deal with a pursuer hot on his heels with an annoyingly long range. Dodging the cracking whiplashes to the best of his abilities, the young man had no option left but to keep moving forward.

Damn it! Zain thought. This stupid rule prevents me from attacking these guys! Or else I’d have… Wait…

“Where are the others?” Turning around just in time as the whip grazes his cheek, Zain took a glance around the battlefield.

Even with his dulled senses, Zain could realize the only one that was actively attacking him from the start was Rose alone, with a couple of WARDEN bots on the side to form a surround. If they were preparing for an ambush, he was still confident that he can take care of it, but if it was the other idea that he had in mind, things would be at a whole other level of difficulty.

And just as he feared, the warden in front of him wasn’t shy to waste more of his time.

“You mean my comrades, little lion?” Chuckled Rose as she cracked another whip at the inmate. “They’ve left this zone ages ago.”

“Shit!” Zain exclaimed, but before anyone else, he knew that he couldn’t stay in this place any longer. Immediately ending the conversation, the young man resumed his vacuum swimming at the best speed he could muster. And naturally, his opposition wasn’t someone to let him go that easily.

A swarm of robots formed an iron wall, blocking off Zain’s path in front. While from the back, more whiplashes rained forward as if having a mind of their own, hunting down the prey before them.

“Get out!” Zain didn’t have time for any of it. But the environment once again proved to be his greatest adversary, as his punch once more lost its speed and force due to the vacuum, only managing to knock away some of the bots, not destroying any of them.

Meanwhile, Rose’s whips had found their target again.

Another shock of electricity ran through Zain’s body, numbing his senses. And this time, a playful touch on his forehead sealed the deal for his first official penalty.

The warden smiled. “Now it’s really one.”

“Challenger Zain has received a Stun!” Shouted AIDE above to confirm the punishment. “As per the rules, he’s now unable to move for the next five minutes! But in exchange, warden Rose and the WARDENs cannot touch him within the allotted time!”

“Well, seeing now that we have some time to kill,” Rose put away her whip and waved to signal the bots to move away, before flying forward to float face-to-face before Zain, “wanna chat for a while?”

Replying to her was only silence, but Rose could certainly feel the boiling anger just waiting to burst open. However, it only served as more amusement for her, as she let out a snicker before continuing her point:

“Why are you mad? It’s all part of the games, isn’t it? And besides, I’m sure you’d survive anything we throw at you, so…”

“If you have nothing else to do, then beat it.”

“Hah… always the angry one, isn’t it?”

Rose paused for a moment, before forming a devilish smile.

“Or is it just what you wanted to show people?”

“What are you talking about?”

It was a bold-faced lie. The young man knew exactly what his opponent meant, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“You know what I’m talking about, little lion,” answered Rose, her grin not leaving her face. “Remember the first year this event went?”

“Like it was yesterday,” Zain gritted his teeth. “Cross-climate marathon, underwater escape, minefield navigation, motorcycle football… Nine thousand perished after the first game. Nine hundred after the second, and ninety-nine after the third.”

“And what happened in the second year?”

“… I was the only contestant.”

“Correct,” Rose nodded. “But we, as organizers, were always puzzled by that decision. For what it’s worth, freedom is a much more tempting reward than this meager result.”

“You’ll be surprised,” as if waiting for the reaction, Zain formed a grin. “The prison life isn’t as bad…”

“If you think you can use that lame excuse to convince me, then forget it,” Rose’s smile disappeared from her face, as, for the first time, the warden revealed actual anger. “As head of information, I of all people should know exactly the kind of things we do.”

“… Then why join in the first place?”

“Because it is the right thing to do,” answered the female warden, gone was her playful attitude. “No matter how much blood has to spill on my hand, it is a sacrifice I’m willing to take, for it is to serve justice. In a way, you and I are the same, little lion.”

“Don’t lump me with you.” Zain spat to the side, disgusted by the words he had heard.

“But it is true, isn’t it? How every year from the second onward, the number of hospitalized inmates skyrocketed. What’s strange was that it only happened around the time of the games, and the injuries were only major enough for a month’s recovery at most… just after the games had started.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“And you as well, little lion. You were never the type to actively engage in conflict in your first year. And ever since the second, you were quiet for the whole year, and burst out during that exact time frame. Every single case was your doing. Did you honestly think we wouldn’t notice?”

Zain was silent, for he knew the warden was right. But he had one more card left to play.

“Who wouldn’t want to get rid of a few competitions?”

“Not you, at least,” and as if waiting for that exact response, Rose answered with a question of her own. “Did you honestly expect me to believe that someone with your strength was afraid of a few small-fries?”

“…”

“Face it, little lion. Your words and looks might be able to fool the inmates, but not us. You can’t play protector for them forever… And that’s why I have an offer for you.”

“An offer?” Zain asked in surprise and confusion. Never before had he imagined a warden actually talking things out with him for once.

“Yes. An offer. Give up on this year’s games, and in return, I’ll do the best within my ability to ensure safety for everyone partaking next year. There will be no more senseless deaths. Everyone will be able to compete fairly and freely. Sounds like a good deal, isn’t it?”

Fairly and freely. Those were the words that Zain would never have expected to hear from anyone within this wretched place, let alone the wardens he so detested. For him, the concept of “fair” and “just” didn’t exist here, and yet it was offered to him right then and there. Disregarding the fact that the one before him might still betray him any time, the fact that it was mentioned at all was already big enough news as it was.

However, Rose had miscalculated one thing.

A deafening scream echoed through the virtual space, waking Zain up from his train of thoughts. Immediately, he knew what the right thing to do was.

“Sorry, lady,” Zain’s eyes flared the fires of confidence. “No can do.”

“What? Do you want all your hard work all these years to go to waste? If you win, then the inmates…”

“But if I give up now, I’ll end up betraying his expectations,” answered Zain. “You were right. If I were alone, I could have accepted the offer. But I’m not alone anymore. I have someone who entrusts their life to me, and I entrust my life to them. If I give up now, how am I gonna face him when we get back?”

“The five-minute penalty is up! Challenger Zain can once again move!” AIDE’s announcement tore through the vacuum just in time to interrupt the conversation, serving as the perfect signal for Zain to once again swim forward with all his might.

The young man was filled with strength and determination, so much that Rose, even with her extra range from her whips and the extra speed from her jets, was struggling to keep up.

“Think about it for a moment!” With no way to catch up to the revitalized Zain, Rose could only shout from the back. “Do you honestly want to sacrifice the lives of thousands only for a single person?”

“The moment he’s on my team, he’s my responsibility!” Shouted Zain in return. “And I swear to do it all! Ensuring the others’ safety, and ensuring that he escapes this place with his life! For I am Zain, the greedy tyrant of the Infinite Prison!”