The Battle of the Warriors

Chapter 2

Of Rules and Changes

Third Person P.O.V:

The ten pink lights are now situated above an unlucky chosen one.

Hongki was illuminated by a pink light somewhere near him.  And suddenly Sungmin could feel his best friend’s anger, pain and agony. The elder looked like he was about to cry, too.

And the shape-shifter understood.

One of the lights was above Lee Sungmin.

The lights went on again, startling almost everybody.

“Crocells, and dear Gentlemen, I hereby pronounce, the twenty warriors who are chosen for the 250^th battle Leap Year Battle of the Warriors!” The chirpy voice boomed again, louder, and clearly more enthusiastic than the last time he spoke. The room was silent for a moment, collecting and rethinking through what Mir had said.

“What did he say? Leap year?”

“Eh? Twenty? I thought there were only supposed to be ten Players!”

“What the hell is going on?!”

“This is unfair, why is this happening?! God damned witches…”

The pink light, who in the world knows how or why, had made ten more of itself, and they were situated above another chosen one. The Crocells were pissed, more than pissed. They were super pissed. The rules clearly stated that only ten were to be chosen. Why in the world would there be another ten?!
 

The twenty chosen ones were visibly shaken, not knowing their problem at hand. So all of them were quietly sitting on their seats, letting the situation solve itself. And perhaps, say their last goodbyes for the last time.

The murmurs and whispers of distaste and anger grew louder, and louder, and things were getting out of hand. Sungmin just sat there, terrified for both himself, and Hongki. Sweat was starting to form on his forehead, and his eyes were glowing a dark turquoise. That’s the color it changes to when his feelings are overpowering, and somehow only Animal shifters have the trait. He looked into Hongki’s eyes, and immediately the latter saw the warm glow from his eyes, and the tears that were bound to fall out any minute.

The pink glow of light was just floating, barely moving above his jet black hair, causing him to panic even more. He knew what was going inside the mind of his best friend, and Sungmin wasn’t going to allow the elder to do as he wishes. He’ll kill him, andthen maim him, if Hongki dared to do what he wanted to do.

“Hongki… Don’t you dare…”

Upon hearing the low growl Sungmin emitted, the Runner backed off. He knew better than that, to intrigue the bunny further. He knew better than to take Sungmin’s place, playing the game himself instead of his friend. The green glow was brighter than before, and Hongki looked away, not wanting to meet those glares. If his eyes could kill, Sungmin would’ve killed him off a thousand times before.

As the grumbling and noises were heating up, a voice boomed out.

“Silence, the lot of you!” Another, much more serious tone voiced out. That Crocell spoke with the voice of authority, and right away, they knew it was their Leader, Joon.

Joon was just an ordinary Crocell, with no super abilities or whatsoever. But he had a very serious gaze, doing everything just the way he should, never failing any mission he accepted to do. Perhaps it was his power. Perfect leadership. He had good looks, too.

“Now, I know you’re all upset that this year, twenty of you were chosen. I am upset myself. I apologize, and so does our god, Mercury. It was set a rule as every 250 years, they would pick twenty Crocells, instead of ten. I do not know why, it is just the Goddess’s idea to do so. She sent a note earlier today, and we did not have time to warn everybody. My apologies.”

Boos and shouts from the angry Crocells were thrown in every direction. Some were even trying to use their powers. But they knew it was no use, the Building was made to control powers, not giving the Crocells a chance to use their skills.

Joon sighed in both annoyance and empathy, and continued with his duty.

“I said SILENCE!” He boomed.

At once, the hall was void of any noise. The tall leader smiled warmly, before continuing his speech.

“Now, I’ll announce the rules to the new rules. But first, the twenty chosen one, please come out.”

Sungmin’s heart flew, beating as fast as a hamster’s. He threw a terrified glance at Hongki, who could only wipe his own tears away. Hongki looked so damned… heartbroken that he felt rather guilty. The bunny didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to think anymore. He can’t leave Hongki just like that –he’d kill the both of them. When he finally stood up from his seat (made of gold), his legs felt like paper, both flimsy and weak.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get to stay here for a day before you must go for battle,” Joon voiced out, his tome softening a little. “I just need to tell you the rules to the game, and you may go home in peace.”

Joon seemed to be pissed, as well. He looked like he could kill, and hell, maybe he could kill. He watched as the twenty chosen ones stood up from where they were seated, and he analyzed them, one by one. He started from the furthest left, going on to the right. The chosen ones were seated quite far away from each other, so he guessed that they didn’t have any sorts of relations with one another.

The leader swore silently before smelling the auras each of them had.

‘Power mimicry, superhuman strength, telepath, empathy, atmokinesis, hydrokinesis, teleport… animal morphing? That’s rare; they’ve never been chosen to play before… This time, they all have different powers. Minerva… what are you up to?’

He really hated sending off his own kind to the battle. God’s sake, he’d been in one before. It wasn’t the easiest task to succeed, actually. After that year where he played, Mercury knew of his ability, and took him under his wing. Joon was actually a very powerful one. Not physically, but mentally. He has the brain of steel and superhuman mentality. He was smart, with the maximum score of human IQ. He could endure it all, emotions, feelings, without batting an eyelid.

But it was his duty to send them off to battle. A duty he wasn’t proud with.

He smiled again as he watched the Warriors step out, one by one, and shuffled down the velvet carpet. They looked extremely anxious, and some were very unwilling to stand up. The pink light slowly faded, and soon, it was finally gone from their sights. Minerva’s irritating spirit was finally gone. It was dead silent in the building, and they could only hear the shuffling off feet as the chosen ones walked up to the stage, zombie like. A fraction of them were trying their best to hide their emotions, and a few were just plain… shocked.

Sungmin walked side by side with a rather handsome Crocell, who had an enchanting look. His eyes sparkled like stars, and he had a rather calming feel on him. Sungmin was glad he stood beside him, he felt calmer than he was three seconds ago. The Crocell tried to smile at the bunny, but it came out forcefully. The bunny understood, though. How could anyone smile under this situation?

As the twenty of them reached the stage, Joon walked pass them, trying to give each on encouraging smile. Sungmin could hear one of the chosen one whimper out in fear, and he decided to stand next to that person. He must be feeling what he felt.

The bunny walked up to the smaller Crocell and gave him a pat on the shoulder, with a smile to go with it. No Crocell should be handling all this. Curse the witches.

“Don’t worry...I know how you feel.”

The small Crocell looked adorable, as one would call it. He was a size smaller than Sungmin, and his face was much more angled. He had reddish-brown hair that was combed away to the side. And once he heard the Bunny’s words of encouragement, he gave a small smile, looking Sungmin in the eyes as he did.

“T-thank you…”

The Animorpher decided it was best to stay at his side, just because he looked like he needed the support most. From the stage, he searched for Hongki’s familiar face from the sea of Crocells. The bunny found him, and his heart shattered more as he watched the Racer’s tears running down at an inhuman speed, too. He looked so scared, so damned worried, and Sungmin was lucky he could control his tears well himself. He was this close to breaking.

“So, as you all know, this is the 250^th year we’ve played this game. And from now on, every 50 years, there will be a slight change of plans. Instead of ten, twenty will be chosen.  

The rules remain the same. They will have to fight off another, and do whatever it takes to survive. They will fight, and they might win, or die. You might all die, but still, try to win. This is, from now onwards, called a Leap year. And every Leap year, there will be two Victors. Two shall be crowned Warrior from the battle, and they each get one wish.”

The Crocells that were safe took in the information. So… they could have two Warriors who can come home? The chances were higher, yes, but think about the odds. It was strange for Minerva to suddenly change the rules like that, and the rules are rather stupid. But of course, their world is full of idiots.

Joon turned his head to the twenty, and stood in front of each one, analyzing their faces and called out their names, loud and clear for the rest to hear. He also did a little research on them, deep inside his own little mind, since he knew almost everything. AS the leader, it was also his duty to memorize the names of his citizen, which he had perfected. Upon meeting a face, he called out their names, loud and clear. 

“Kim Heechul.”

“Park Jungsu.”

“Kim Jongwoon.”

“Lee Donghae.”

“Choi Siwon.”

“Lee Hyukjae.”

“Kim Kibum.”

“Yong Jun Hyung.”

“Yang Yoseob.”

“Jang Hyunseung.”

“Lee Kikwang.”

“Henry Lau.”

“Cho Kyuhyun.”

“Yoon Doojoon.”

“Son Dongwoon.”

“Lee Jaejin.”

“Song Seunghyun.”

“Choi Jonghun.”

“Kim Ryeowook.”

“Lee Sungmin.”

Heads snapped up upon hearing their names being called, but they didn’t really pay attention to that.

With the last name mentioned, the lights in the hall shone brighter. Joon paced in front of each one of them, walking in a slow tempo. His eyes seemed to glow black onyx in color. They were so black, that midnight black was a pale white, compared with it. Without warning, he stopped completely in the middle of the beautiful stage, back facing the Players and cleared his throat.

“Does anyone of you Crocells, wish to replace your friend and play the games yourself?”

The room was silent, just like it was before. A few were looking around curiously, wanting to find out who would be so stupid to volunteer to play.

When that was said, Sungmin watched Hongki intently. He glared so hard that even the latter got his message, loud and clear in his mind.

“Raise your hand, and I’ll kill you.”

Hongki looked at anywhere but Sungmin, knowing well that the latter’s burning gaze was fixed on him. The hall filled with people seemed to be void of any emotion. They must’ve had it pretty bad; they had to send twenty of them this year. Why must life be so cruel to them? Why them, when they are much, much better that those twisted Kaymises?

Joon inwardly sighed, knowing well that this would be the actual outcome. It’s been years since there were volunteers.

“Alright. The rest of you, please go back, and have a good night. Players, I want to see you in my room, immediately.”

::::::

He watched as the twenty shuffled into his room. They were at the highest level of the 60 stories high building, his office, to be exact. So far up, you were above the clouds. It was how you’d think it’d be. Luxurious, spacious, beautiful. They even had the whole entire view of Sapphire, which were the best features about it. Sapphire had the most beautiful sceneries, from dawn till dusk. Even during midnight, it was the most splendid sight. Their world was just beautiful like that.

He welcomed his guests, and sat them down on the couch in his humble home. The seats were beautiful, nonetheless. They felt cozier, despite their situation.

Sungmin was still, well, nervous. Not as nervous as he was, but still. Hongki was smart, and strong, he’ll give him that. The rest of the Crocells got out from the suffocating building, waiting to tell their friends the good news. The friends of the Chosen ones could only gaze at them from far and left, waiting for them to come home for their last day. It’s either they come home a Victor, or they end up dying. Hongki gave one more look at Sungmin’s way, and left the building, without ever uttering a word.

When the twenty Players were ordered to use the lift to reach the top of the building, they didn’t speak to each other at all; no interaction, nothing. They just walked, side by side with their own enemies, trying to figure out each of their powers. It would be better this way, try not to make any connections before they got betrayed.

He knew what was next. They will be sent home for a day, and then a vehicle would be there in exactly 24 hours, in front of their house, ready to pick them up, and back into the capitol. They would be trained for a week, given vitamins and what not. A ship of their own would bring the Chosen ones away from there, and finally, into the arena.

The Kaymises were probably feasting, eating like pigs over the other side at Ruby.
 

When the twenty of them reached the top, all of them gasped at the sight right on front of them. A sight for sore eyes, as they would call it. The room was… how do they describe it? Beautiful.  Much, much beautiful than any Crocell could imagine. Not to mention up-to-date and modernized. Joon even had a 60 inched flat-screened Tele!

“Please, sit,” ordered Joon, who was standing in front of the window.

They acted to the command, not wanting to upset their leader. They awkwardly found a place to sit, trying not to use their powers and flee for their lives. Sungmin found that he sat with the Crocell… what was his name? Henry, was it? Anyhow, the bunny found himself sitting with Henry, who didn’t seem to be able to accept all of this.

Joon, who snapped out of his trance, walked over to the twenty.

“I personally want to apologize for this. This should not be happening, I swear. We’ve tried to reason with the Woman. But, as you all know… Well, I’m not going to dwell on that point.

As I’ve said, the rules remain the same, it’s just that this time, two of you will be crowned Victors. And no, I do not wish for the only two Surviving to kill each other off, as well.”

A few chuckles were heard, but that didn’t last long. They knew their leader was trying to be friendlier, give some reassurance. But, that reassurance wasn’t all that reassuring. Joon smiled dorkily, a smile that he’d never shown in front of his comrades before, and continued.

“I don’t know what they’ll do this year, nor do I want to know. Remember, once I let you off, tomorrow, exactly the same time as now, we will send a driver to your house, and pick you up from there. Please, don’t try to run. It will only make things worse for the both of us, and we’ve got skilled hunters here,” he said, checking their expressions, which they weren’t showing.

“When you are picked up, you will be trained here for a week, by one of our own trainers. You will be given food, clothes, a warm place to stay, and daily medicine, which you all will take. I’m not giving you a choice here.

The players are going to sleep on the floor right below mine, and trained on level 40. And don’t even try to sneak out of this building while you’re here, we’ve prepared something.”

A group of elder males entered the room without raising any alarms. There were 10 of them, with the same looks.

Clones. How nice.

They were masked, with just a pair of sparkling eyes to show. Even the hair was covered, but you could still tell that they were the same being. Each of them had 2 needles in each hand, so they had twenty all together. They stood there, waiting for the leaders rightful orders. The twenty of them looked up, rather unfazed by the situation. It was bound to happen, anyway. They needed tracking chips in all of them.

“Once you’re done with the shot, we’re just about done here. Feel free to ask me anything after that,” Joon said, leaning against the wall, and gave a nod to the clones.

The ten clones walked up to two Players, and each of them got a shot on their neck. None of them feel the pain of it; they had better pain resistance than that of a human’s. And they are not humans.

The clones are finally gone, and Joon started the questioning.

“So, do we have any questions here?”

A timid Yoseob raised his hands and glanced at his surrounding enemies.

“Do I have to kill them?”

Joon chuckled, but shook his head for a no. He stopped his chuckling and smiled sorrowfully at the Crocells way, who was earning more than a few glares. “No, you don’t necessarily need to kill them… Sadly, the Kaymises will come up with ways to kill you, and in some point of time, they will get bored and perhaps then, they will make situations where the Warriors must engage in real battle, and kill each other off.”

This gave a new wave of grief to the twenty’s hearts. So, they had to kill one of their own, whether they want to or not. Most of them were having the same line of thoughts, willing to be killed off by monsters than they could fight, rather than fight with one another. They were just too damned caring of the other’s feelings to hurt them.

Another hand was raised, this time by Jaejin.

“What does it feel like, to be in the battle, sir?” He said sheepishly, and put his hand back down.

It was a question all of them would like to know, too. Sungmin was half-heartedly listening, while a part of him was just worrying over his friend. Who knows what in the world he would do to himself while he was in the arena, with his life always hanging on the line? Hongki had the patience of a five year old; he can’t ever stay still. He’ll most probably be running circles, from the end till the other end of Sapphire. Oh, what would he feel when he’s watching the bunny fight, on television? During the Battles, televisions will only broadcast what’s going on in the arena, nothing more. They don’t have a chance, and must watch their loved ones suffer, whether they liked it or not.

Sungmin snapped out of it when Joon started speaking again, and decided it was best to listen to the past Victor’s speech.

“Hmm… The battle I’ve been in… wasn’t pretty, I suppose. It wasn’t the hardest they’ve given, but it wasn’t easy, either. You’ll have to hunt, if they gave you a forest. You have to be resourceful, keen, and witty. Don’t trust what you see, it may all be an illusion.” The leader looked at them cautiously, giving them a hint that may be useful.

Jaejin nodded, not quite satisfied with the answer, but dropped the topic. Joon gave one more look at all of them, and decided it was best to let them rest for what lies ahead. So, he stood up from his seat, and gracefully turned back around to the Crocells.

“You are dismissed. And if there are any more questions, don’t worry. I’ll be personally training you.”

::::::

Sungmin was finally home, tired from all the flying as an eagle through the night sky. Their place was situated quiet far away from the Capitol. Although flying was his best forte, and he absolutely loved it, he couldn’t feel the bubbly feeling he always got when he flew. He changed into Crocell form again, he walked to his house, not knowing what to expect. It was almost dawn, and the sun was a few minutes to rising, signaling that there wasn’t much time left. The bunny had almost another half a day left.

He felt real nervous when he opened the doors, and tried to smooth out his jet black hair. He opened the door quietly, just in case Hongki was sleeping. And to some of his surprise, the elder wasn’t.

Every step he took sent a mini heart ache to his chest. Hongki was on the couch, sitting there, hugging his knees, rocking back and forth. If it wasn’t for his good eyesight, he wouldn’t be able to see the dried tears on his smooth facial features. Soft whimpers were heard, clearly belonging to his best friend, which made the guiltful bunny ten times guiltier.

He didn’t really know how to approach his friend in this state, but Sungmin knew that he had to stay strong. For the both of them.

“Hyung…”

Hongki turned around, not fazed at all by Sungmin’s sudden arrival. Fresh tears were already forming, and all too soon, they rolled down his face for the umpteenth time that day. The brunette could hear his own heart breaking, and he could see that Sungmin was on the brink of tears himself.

They needed no words, all Hongki did was wave the younger over, and Sungmin knew of his needs. The bunny waddled over, into the elder’s warm embrace, with Sungmin tucked into the brunette’s wider figure.

They sat in silence, enjoying the moment for a little while longer and just trying to ensure themselves that everything was going to be okay. Their breathing was in sync, and Sungmin just sat there, listening to Hongki’s slowing heartbeat. There’s nothing to worry about, it’s all great. They will always be the pillar of the other, and nothing will ever come between. As tears continued their downpour, the sun was rising, breaking into the horizon.

“Minnie.”

Sungmin looked at him with turquoise eyes, and saw that Hongki was grinning. The bunny tried to clear his throat, but it slipped his mind.

“Yes, hyung?”

The elder Crocell in a sharp intake of air, and huffed it back out. His heartbeat was increasing in tempo, and it wasn’t the normal superhuman speed of Hongki’s. Hongki’s grin faded, and all that’s left was a smile. He recalled the days where he first met Sungmin, and back then, times were much, much different than they were now. They had built the house, a log after another, and when they were rather awkward with each other, not knowing what to do around the other. Now, just look at them, cuddled up, snuggling. But all that moments might disappear; if Sungmin made one wrong move, it could be the end of his life. A life without Sungmin; how would that feel?

“Sungmin. I want you to listen.”

The bunny already sat up from his position and perked his ears at Hongki’s sudden seriousness. He was never like this before, and he guessed that he should take it seriously, since it was what Hongki seemed to be doing. He looked at the elder with a familiar green glow in his eyes, and waited patiently for Hongki’s unsaid words.

The Crocell stared into thin air for a minute before smiling again.

“You know how much I love you, right?”

The Morpher was surprised at the question, but decided to answer with all honesty. He didn’t know of the double meaning behind it, and he was sure that there wasn’t a double meaning behind the words. He grinned at his hyung and smiled sheepishly.

“I know you love me. Everybody loves me, hyung-ah.”

The brunette slapped the younger’s head and rolled his eyes. True, he loved Sungmin as a brother… was there something else? He wasn’t sure. But surely, this isn’t the right time to tell him if he had… other feelings, despite brotherly love.

“And do you love me, you dumb bunny?” He asked, voice filled with curiosity.

The ‘dumb bunny’ looked up in disbelief, and mock pain, the glow in his eyes softened. “How could I not, silly? You’re the only one I have left. Of course I love you.”

Hongki wasn’t sure of what he felt when Sungmin said those words. It wasn’t his first time hearing it, but he definitely didn’t want it to be the last. He was damned grateful to have Sungmin as a friend, a comrade in battle. They’ve spent every waking morning together, making their lives worth living together, wishing good night to each other together. Now, one of them was damned, cursed to play the stupid game, entertainment to the witches. How will the other suffer, watching by the borders, unable to help? Sungmin was the only person he could ever turn to; how can he endure it all while his friend is suffering?

More tears came, and so did the heartaches. Sungmin smiled warmly and wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

“Yah, Hongki, listen carefully. You’re my only best friend. How could I ever not love you?” He said, trying to cheer the elder up.

Hongki decided it was best to stop crying, and perhaps cherish the moments left he had with the Chosen one. There were only a few hours left, and he really didn’t want to spend it crying his heart out, not doing anything to be of actual help for Sungmin.

He smiled when the younger said those words, and pushed against the emotions and tears, locking them up and saving them for later. He grinned and pulled the bunny up by the hand, and with a sudden urge and determination, he led the bunny outside and planned on what they can do within this short amount of time.

He grinned when he finally figured it out.

The perfect place.

“It’s our last race, bunny. Let’s go!”

And the two were off, again.

*****

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P.S.: Sorry if it was a crappy update.