*Flashback*

Jinki was in his early teens when the attack had happened. As soon as he heard the warning shouts from those who acted as lookouts, he ran and hid behind some rocks, hoping to stay alive. It had been weeks since the last attack, and though it had ended with them routing their enemy, the little village had lost a lot of their best defenders. Orphaned at an early age, Jinki had always been forced to steal or fight for what he wanted, even if it was just some food. As a result of this, he was probably one of the strongest and most skilled people in the whole village. Darting from his hiding place to save a woman from being impaled, Jinki used all his strength to shove the warrior away. Dodging the sword that was pointed towards him and grabbing a spear, Jinki fought like a tiger, as his life depended on it. Soon, he found himself kneeling and held at knifepoint, with five soldiers surrounding him. Knowing that this was most possibly the last minute of his, Jinki glared as the leader of the warriors approached him. Instead of being beheaded as he had expected, Jinki was pulled to his feet rather roughly and tied up. Thrown into what resembled a cage, Jinki, with a sinking feeling, knew that he would never see his village ever again.

Alone and frightened in the dark cage, Jinki cried as though his heart would break in two, but was stopped by the leader who had ordered him to be captured.

“Don’t cry, boy. I saw you fight and instantly knew that His Highness needs someone like you. You will be trained and once you’re ready, you will be our champion”

All Jinki knew for sure, was that he wasn’t going to die anytime soon.

*End of Flashback*

It had been years since that day, yet Jinki couldn’t stop wondering if his life would have been different if he hadn’t been taken. Donning his armour, Jinki entered the arena for the first time in a week. Since he was strong, he had joined the Secutos, a gladiator who was armed with a sword, shield, armour covering one hand and a heavy helmet. Though it hardly made sense for him to have only his head and arm covered, he was able to move with such swiftness and agility that it seemed as though the sword and shield were a part of his hand. He was so used to fighting, that he never got close to any of the other gladiators he had trained with. It was somehow much easier to just pretend as though they were just another one of the enemies who were currently holding him prisoner. Fuelled with rage, Jinki looked around to see the group of gladiators he had to fight. This time there were a few Retiarius, with their nets and tridents that he had to dodge. The only good thing was that these weren’t fights to the death, but to him, they were exactly that. Breathing evenly so that he wouldn’t get tired easily from his heavy armour, Jinki dodged and fought like a pro, effectively shredding their nets into pieces. Looking up to the seats where the Emperor sat with his counsel, Jinki felt a wave of revulsion towards him. There was nothing he would enjoy more than just severing the neck of that pompous windbag from his shoulders, but all he could do now was just bide his time and wait for the right moment. Now that he had cut up all their nets, the Retiarius couldn’t do anything. With a roar, Jinki used all of his strength to disarm all of them, one by one thereby winning the match as always. Without even looking, he knew what exactly was happening in the stands. Though this wasn’t an ideal way to spend his life, Jinki couldn’t help but feel happy when he heard the cheers from the audience. As a child, he had always been pushed aside, but now he had something that made him stand out from everyone else. He was a fighter, and he wasn’t going to give up just yet.

*************************************************

Jonghyun couldn’t take his eyes off the warrior in the arena. All through the fight, his eyes had never strayed away from that majestic man wearing the helmet. This was his first time watching a fight between gladiators and he just loved it. Only those who were in the Emperor’s favour were invited to the stands, and Jonghyun thanked his lucky stars for being able to witness the event.

“Once again, the winner is our champion, Jinki”

Jinki. That was his name. Jonghyun watched with bated breath as Jinki slowly removed his helmet to reveal a face that didn’t match that of a gladiator. He had expected a tired face, worn out from years of battle but what he saw instead was a fresh and young-looking face. Jinki’s bright smile as the crowd cheered, seemed to fill Jonghyun with warmth. Though he couldn’t understand why these strange feelings were being evoked within him, Jonghyun couldn’t stop looking at him and hoping that Jinki would look at their stand, just once. When he did, Jonghyun was shocked to see the hatred in those deep brown eyes. Looking at the Emperor on his left, Jonghyun saw him slowly make the thumbs-up sign. Although the gladiators no longer fought to the death, the Emperor had never stopped using that archaic sign that determined if they lived or died. Back in the day, if the loser had displayed a great deal of skill and managed to impress the Emperor, he would give the thumbs-up sign for the gladiator to live another day. If he’d got a thumbs down sign, it meant that he would be killed swiftly by the victor.

*****************************************************

Jinki removed his helmet to the sound of the audience screaming his name. Soon the crowd had begun to chant the name of Ares. Being compared to the God of War was a compliment in itself, probably the greatest praise he could ever hope to get. Although he was formidable and ruthless in the arena, Jinki possessed a heart of gold that he had kept hidden from those around him. After each fight, he would go back to his ‘quarters’ and make a mark on his wall. He would then distribute whatever money he got after the fight to the families of the other gladiators. All of the gladiators had been taken from their villages when they were young and had been forced to train for 18 hours a day. The best fighters amongst them were given perks like more food, extra free time and better living conditions. By now, Jinki should have been living somewhere else, but to him, the prison where they were held was his new home. It had started with them being chained to the walls, but over the years, they had been allowed a proper room with a bed and access to baths. Times had really changed from them being treated as vermin, to now being looked at with respect. Walking out of the arena, Jinki turned around to take one last look at the Emperor and his lackeys, when he noticed an unfamiliar face. Fighting against his curiosity to know who that was, he went back to his quarters and made a mark on the wall to signify that he had been to the arena again. In all these years, he had fought a hundred times and had lost only ten matches, when he had started training.

As he lay down to rest, Jinki heard the sound of someone entering their space but continued to stay in his position on the bed. After all, he had just won the match and was owed a few hours of rest, at the least. Closing his eyes, hoping they had come to see someone else, Jinki jumped as his door was opened with a clash.

“Hey you, get up”

“What do you want, guard?”

“The commander of the army is here to see you”

“I don’t want to see him”

Dodging the kick that was aimed at him, Jinki sat up on his bed in anger.

“Alright, just send him in”

“You’re getting too big for your boots, gladiator”

Still glaring, Jinki sat up on the bed, wondering who on Earth had thought it was alright to disturb someone in the middle of their nap. Since it wasn’t the Emperor, he had no reason to mind his manners. Looking up, he saw that the visitor was the man he had been looking at earlier in the arena. Not only was he a lackey, but he also happened to be the army commander. It was almost as though he was begging to be hit on the face. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t do a thing except to sit silently and listen to what the man had to say.

“Jinki, I was told that you’re one of the best we have, and after watching you fight today, I must agree with it”

“So?”

“There is a tournament held next month and I’d like you to represent our country”

Jinki almost spat in his fury

“Our country? This is your country, not mine. I don’t belong here”

“I assure you that you’re important to us”

“Rubbish. I was taken from my home for the sake of your pleasure. Do you think any of us enjoy what we do?”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I really wish you’d agree”

“Over my dead body”

Jonghyun was slowly starting to get annoyed and snapped right back at him.

“That can be arranged. I will only ask you nicely one more time. If you dare to refuse even then, I promise that you’d live to regret it”

This sort of empty threat was something Jinki was very used to, but he didn’t like that evil gleam that he saw in the man’s eyes. Although his visitor seemed soft and kindhearted at first, it was obvious that appearances were definitely misleading.

“Get out”

Jonghyun hid a smile as he solemnly walked out of the room. He had definitely gotten under the gladiator’s skin, which was exactly what he had meant to do. Challenging someone like this, made them do their best, even when they had anger coursing through their veins. However, he did plan to rile Jinki even further, by dropping a quick word into the Emperor’s ear. Someone like Jinki would only learn his lesson if it had been drummed into him.

Baulking at how the army commander had spoken to him, Jinki was beyond annoyed. Off late, he was being treated extremely well by most people and had become used to the feeling. The next morning when Jinki went for his training, he was stunned to find that he had been barred for a week. Grabbing the collar of the guard in his anger, Jinki saw red.

“How dare you bar me from training?”

“I’m sorry, Ares. You are the best gladiator we have, but this order has come directly from Jonghyun. I dare not disobey”

“Who the hell is this Jonghyun?”

“Jonghyun is the commander of the army”

Jonghyun. That was his name. Not only had he threatened him, but he had also stopped Jinki from doing the one thing he loved. Though it pained him to admit it, Jinki truly loved fighting in the arena. It wasn’t just the feeling of removing all of his frustration, but it was the pride and thrill of having the audience chant his name when he won. No one knew how hard he had worked for all these years, and there was no way he would let this Jonghyun ruin everything. Turning around in utter fury, Jinki strode towards the palace grounds, where he was sure Jonghyun would be.

Jonghyun smiled to himself as he heard the gate to the grounds crash open, startling the workers. Without even looking, he was sure that this was Jinki. The only surprise was the fact that he wasn’t expecting to have to face an angry gladiator so soon. It was amazing how handsome he looked even when his eyes were shooting fire.

“How dare you try to stop me from training?”

“Try? I succeeded. I assume that you’ve heard”

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re the guy who refused to participate in the tournament. Why should we waste money for you to train?”

Feeling the familiar fury rise from the pit of his stomach, Jinki picked up the nearest thing, which turned out to be a vase, and threw it to the ground, shattering it to pieces.

“You’re going to have to pay for that, Gladiator”

How could someone be so flippant? At that moment, all Jinki could feel was immense hatred for the smirking man in front of him. All he wanted was for Jinki to fight, and fight he would. For now, all he could do was sit in his quarters and stew, as he had too much pride to go and beg Jonghyun for anything, let alone his practice time. As he had expected, he was approached by a different lackey and this time, Jinki agreed to participate in the tournament and was allotted additional time for his training. He had been given the option to change his fighting style, but he was very comfortable the way he was. Jinki was a Secutos, through and through. Before he started his training though, he had a score to settle with Jonghyun. Though it was the stupidest idea to have ever been formed, Jinki was impulsive and waited in his quarters, to be approached by Jonghyun, as he knew he would.

“Why haven’t you resumed your training? I have removed your ban”

“You really think it is that easy, don’t you? For us to jump when to tell us to? You know nothing about us, and if I do end up winning this tournament, I want something in return”

Sighing a little as Jonghyun wondered what this person wanted this time, he didn’t expect to be surprised.

“What do you want, Jinki?”

“Freedom. I want the gladiators to be free. When we’re in the arena, we are respected, but at the end of the day, we are merely slaves. I’m not asking for us to be allowed to return to our respective countries or villages. but can’t we be treated as though we belong? Will you promise me this if I win?”