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Chius.
Just the name sent shivers down my spine.
He was a legend in the prison pits.
Towering and built like a fortress, he was as much a part of the pits as the sand and the crowd.
Every fighter knew his reputation.
Many had tried to best him, few succeeded.
And yet, I knew he had to have a weakness too, like everyone else.
But what?
As I mentally readied myself for the upcoming match, a sharp knock on the anteroom door broke my concentration.
I hesitated for a moment.
Visitors were a rarity, especially on the day of a match.
Curiosity piqued, I approached the door, my senses on high alert.
The handle felt foreign against my grip as I slowly opened it.
A guard stood outside, his posture stiff and face unreadable.
His hand extended, clutching a folded piece of paper.
Without a word, he thrust it towards me, waiting for me to take it.
“From one of the Prizes,” he grunted, his voice rough, like gravel.
The note was slightly warm from his grip.
I nodded, silently accepting the message, too wrapped up in curiosity to question its origins.
As swiftly as he appeared, the guard turned and retreated, leaving me with the mysterious note.
I unfolded the paper, revealing a simple doodle.
The creature sketched upon it was familiar but foreign.
A long, serpentine body with scales that seemed to shimmer even in the dim light.
Three sets of eyes stared back at me, equally spaced along its head.
This was a Trioculus Serpens — a mythical creature from folklore.
Even on my planet, we were told tales of this creature’s cunning and intelligence, its ability to hypnotize its prey with its mesmerizing gaze.
Why had Grace drawn it?
And what did it have to do with my impending match?
I traced the outline of the creature with my fingers, trying to understand the message behind it.
The texture of the paper was coarse and I could feel the subtle indentations where the artist had pressed harder with their instrument.
