"I thought this was going to be a good fight!"

"I wanted to see them struggling for survival!! I demand my money back!!!"

The people were becoming restless at seeing that the two children were not running at each other in a desperate attempt to obtain a weapon and slaughter the other in order to survive.

'I... I'm scared.... these people.... they want to see one of us kill.... and the other to be killed... that's all they want....'

Fina couldn't find herself at peace, knowing the situation she was in.

What could she do?

'I.... I have to stand.... I have to get up.... but... my legs.... they... they won't move....'

Fina wiped the tears from her eyes to see that the boy on the other side of the arena was stumbling around, trying to get his bearings.

'He... he's coming.... if I don't kill him, then I will be killed... I have to get up....'

Fina stumbled forward, barely even crawling on the ground before falling face first in the dirt.

The pressure was overwhelming.

She felt as if her heart was about to burst.

The screams pierced her ears, making her lose focus.

Fina clawed her hand at the dirt, scratching it in desperation.

'Why?'

'Why did I have to come here to this place?'

'Why did father want me to come here?'

'I wish I could be with sister....'

She looked up, and in front of her was the young ratling boy.

He was holding the knife above her, ready to strike.

The crowd seemed to jeer him on.

"Kill her!!!!"

"Slit her neck!!!!"

"Stab her!!!"

But others seemed to cheer Fina on as well.

"Get up!!!!"

"Get away and grab a weapon of your own!!!"

Fina looked into the eyes of the boy in front of her, terrified, but when she saw those eyes she realized something.

This boy was just as scared.... no, he was more scared than she was.

He was poised to stab her from above, but he was frozen in place.

Tears flowed down his face, and his mouth wrinkled with hesitation.

He could not bring himself to stab her.

The boy dropped the knife, falling to his knees in despair.

"I.... can't do it....", he whispered.

As he dropped the knife, many people reprimanded him.

"What are you doing!?!?! You could have won just now!?!?!"

"Why are you chickening out now!? You'll just die if you give up!!!"

Fina looked at the boy, glancing over to the knife, and others continued to encourage her.

"Now's your chance!!!! Kill him!!!! Grab the knife!!! He's mentally weak! Show him that you can overcome this trial and win!!!"

Fina found her hand instinctively reaching over to the knife.

She felt the warm handle. Some heat remained from when the boy had held it.

She lifted it up, and as she did a barrage of bloodthirsty cheers erupted from the crowd.

Fina couldn't even get up from the ground. Her legs trembled, shaking the very core of her being as the knife towered above the child.

But she too could not bring herself to stab the person in front of her.

He was too scared.

She couldn't kill a powerless child like this.

They were the same.

They were thrown into this hell. Told to kill each other.

Fina couldn't do it.

'I... don't want to kill.... I don't want to kill.... somebody.... anybody... save us....'

Fina looked back to the portcullis she entered.

The guard was standing there with a straight face.

She mouthed the words 'save me' quietly as she looked him in the eyes, tearing up.

The guard closed his eyes and nodded 'no', before mouthing some words back.

'The only person who can save you is yourself.'

Fina's eyes went wide as she saw this, understanding it's meaning.

The people of the crowd were becoming rowdier and rowdier by the moment, furious that they didn't get to see a bloodbath yet.

'Save... myself....'

Fina looked back to the dagger.

'That's it.... save myself....'

She threw the dagger to the side.

Fina's legs stopped trembling. She stood up, and held out a hand to the ratling with an awkward smile.

"Let's both survive."

The young boy was scared and confused, but saw a radiating angel in that crooked smile.

He grabbed her hand without thinking, and stood up.

Fina wiped her own tears, and then his, and held their hands up high.

"We will not kill each other!!", she shouted. "We refuse!!!!!"

Fina was scared to say this.

She understood that every single person in the arena would be furious.

They were overcome with a desire to see blood shed.

They would not simply leave without it.

However, the blood that would be shed tonight would not come from her, nor from this boy here.

'We're not supposed to be here. If they want to watch a slaughter, there are plenty of other fights. If we put on a show like this, they'll probably throw us out as useless! They'll tell us to never return, and that we will!!! I won't go back to father.... I will figure things out on my own....'

A pang then hit the heart of Fina.

'Wait a minute....'

Her face was filled with horror as she realized something.

There was a major flaw in her plan.

Even assuming by some miracle that they let her go free from this arena today, even assuming she made her way to somewhere safe in the city, there was something which she had completely forgotten about.

Her sister.

If she ran here, her sister would be put into her position.

She would escape with her life. But at what cost?

At the cost of her sister having to go through this?

"This is unexpected. It seems that the two contestants are refusing to kill one another. Fortunately, we prepared something in case of this event. After all, this type of fight is unprecedented. Two fighters who have never fought in the arena fighting one another did leave this possibility, and so it looks like we will be bringing out some equipment. I beg for your patience as we set things up."

Fina's mind was so wrought with thoughts of what would happen to her sister that she did not pay attention to what was happening around her.

She let go of the hand of the boy, who was now looking around in fear as the people seemed to be booing the display.

However, metal walls extended downward from the ceiling.

They prevented the people in the seats from seeing what was happening inside the arena, and the portcullis gates were opened.

A couple of men rushed out with a number of tanks on carts, connected to piping. They set the tanks up, and the boy watched in confusion, wondering what was going on.

Fina looked around, infatuated with worry for her sister, but then saw that something was going on here and now.

'W-what's happening?'

The men finished setting up the glass tanks, and the walls covering the arena were lifted, so that the people could now witness what had been set up.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We present to you a unique game of chicken which our two contestants will now play. The bets from before are now null and will be returned, however if you wish you may place a new bet on this game. Tickets are now being passed out with three possible betting stances."

The men surrounded the two, grabbing them. Fina and the ratling both struggled, trying to escape the grasp of the men, but to no avail.

Their legs were tied together with ropes, and they were carried over to the tanks and placed inside. The hatches on top of the tanks where they entered were then closed, and the two banged on the glass walls, begging to be let go.

"From this point on, the tanks will begin filling up with water. In each tank is an eject button- namely, a button which allows the contestant to escape scot free. However, pressing this eject button will release a poison into the cage of the other person, so doing so will be the equivalent of killing them in order to save ones own life. Since the arena fight did not prove to be sufficient, we will introduce our contestants to a bit of danger to show them the gravity of the situation."

Fina banged on the glass hopelessly.

'I.... there's no way out?'

'There's no way out of this? It really is either kill or be killed?'

'No matter what I do, I can't escape this place? I can't be kicked out?'

However, a part of Fina nudged at her mind.

'But... if I die here... then sister will be the one going through this....'

She looked over to the ratling.

He was just as scared as before.

'He won't kill me. How could I kill him?'

Fina held her head in distress, unsure what to do.

'Why?'

'Why? Why? WHY!?!? Why can't a hero come and save us!?!? Where's the knight in shining armor!?!?!? Where's the figure of justice who shows up at the last minute and saves the day!!??!?!?!? Why do we have to go through this torment, choosing whether the other person dies or not!?!?!"

The mouthed words of the guard replayed themselves over and over in the head of Fina.

'The only person who can save you is yourself.'

"Now then, we will be collecting all bets now. There are three choices to bet on, as you have seen on the tickets. Will the young girl press the button first? Or perhaps the boy? Or will our third option be the result? Will the two- like martyrs- give their very lives for one another, refusing to press the button? Only time will tell."

The tanks began to fill up with water.

Fina looked over to the ratling, who was looking down in terror as the water gathered around his feet.

'The only person who can save you is yourself.'

Fina was not the only person at stake here.

She had a decision to make.

If she did not press this button, she would surely die.

If the ratling did not press his button either, he would die as well.

If they both did not press their button, then the two would die- but not only these two.

Her sister Gina would then be subject to this hell.

There would be not one.

Not two.

But three casualties.

By her inactivity, Fina would be effectively killing off her sister Gina.

Even if she gave her life here, another would be taken as a result of that.

No matter which way things went, Fina would have the blood of another on her hands.

'The only person who can save you is yourself.'

Fina watched as the water had now ran up to her waist, and the ratling was now frantically looking around, banging the walls of the tank- begging the guards for help.

To save him.

To help him.

'They won't save us.'

'The only person who can save you is yourself.'

Fina sighed as she watched the ratling crumble in fear.

The water was now up to the neck of the two.

'So he really isn't going to press it?'

Fina closed her eyes, and as the ratling was now sticking his head up to grasp the last bit of air left in the tank, she instead made no effort to get air.

The water from her own tank was now above her head, and with her eyes closed she reached for the button.

'I wanted to believe.'

'I wanted to wait until the last moment.'

'I wanted to give that boy a chance to survive. A chance to kill me.'

'But most importantly.... I wanted to give the hero a chance.'

'If there was a hero who would show up at the last second to save the day, I wanted to give them every moment to show up.'

The water in both tanks were now full.

If Fina didn't press the button, the two would drown and it would be over.

'But that hero didn't come.'

'Look? It's the last moment. I'm about to press this button. If you're going to show up, now is the time.'

Fina reached for the button with her eyes still closed, and pressed it.

The water in her tank immediately drained out, and the water in the boy's tank turned a discolored purple, before he could be seen spitting up blood and choking to death.

The hatch on the top opened up, and the guards helped her out.

"Ladies and gentlemen!!!!! Your winner!!!!!!"

The crowd burst into an eruption of demented cheers, delighted to see the young boy slaughtered.

Fina's ropes were cut, and she was helped down.

"So you decided to save yourself?", the guard asked as he assisted her.

Fina didn't reply.

She walked over to the tank with the young boy in it, taking a good look at his body.

His eyes were still filled with the fear he came in here with.

Fina carved this image into her mind, placing her hand on the glass.

"I didn't decide to save myself.", Fina said coldly, without looking at the guard behind her.

"I decided to save my sister."

----

Fina walked off the stage surrounded by cheers.

Even those who had not bet on her seemed to be highly satisfied with the result.

'I'll give them what they want for now. They want blood? They can have it. They want a slaughter? They can have it.'

Fina believed right now, that without a shadow of a doubt, she had once choice, and only one.

By choosing to lose- by choosing to die, she could have saved herself from the title of murderer.

But this very choice would result in the murder of yet another person.

No matter which way you cut it, she would either become an asset to murder who achieved nothing with her own death, or a murderer who saved her sister from the same fate.

'I won't let her come here'

'Loss means death. But there is something far worse than death if I lose.'

Fina resolved herself.

'I will not lose then. I cannot lose.'

She walked out of the stadium without giving so much as a glare to the disgusting fans who gaudily cheered her on.

'I won't give them service. That would be voicing my approval of this. I'll give them their entertainment, but I won't make it enjoyable for them.'

Fina was led through the dark hallways and at the end came across the woman who dressed her up.

"My!!!! You're soaked, my little Fina!! We'll have to get you a change of clothes before you attend the after party! The sponsors fell in love with you today!!! What a performance that was!!! You got their hopes down, making them think that you would just die without a fight, only to turn everything around and steal the victory underneath the nose of your opponent!! You've become quite the favorite, my little Fina!! Well done!!!!"

Fina didn't respond, and simply stared coldly at the woman.

"What's with that face, dear?! Don't tell me you've become this cold blooded after a single fight!?! My!! How the arena truly changes people!! Now, come come. Let's get you ready."

Fina was led back to the changing room where she adorned a new outfit- this one a fancy dress.

"You're just the most precious little thing!! I'm sure all the sponsors will be fawning over you!! Come come! Let's go!"

And just like that, she was led back to the VIP box which she had visited earlier this day.

Fina was greeted with the carnivorous stares of the sponsors, who had devoured every last moment of the performance she put on.

"There she is."

"Our little hero."

"Fina!!! You did wonderfully!!"

"We're thrilled that you won!!!"

"Absolutely!! Congratulations on your victory!!!!"

Fina was swarmed by a number of the sponsors, who put on the airs of being impressed and moved by her performance.

'Congratulations? You're happy for me? I'm your little hero? Haha.... as if. If that other boy did the same thing I did, you would have been rooting him on the same way you're rooting for me right now. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who it is. So long as you all get to see your little show.'

Fina didn't make a single comment, and glared off into space with a dull look on her face. She didn't show even a hint of emotion, nor did she say anything which would please these people.

'I'll win, and I'll do it quickly.'

One man in particular took a puff from his pipe before making his way through the crowd of people around her.

"Fina. I see promise in you. In those eyes. I would like to offer you a set of equipment for your future matches."

"Ok."

Fina responded quickly and coldly. She didn't give the people anything to fawn over, and followed the man to the back room.

"I'll be taking her with me for now. I hope you all don't mind.", the man said as the two walked off.

"Ehh..."

"Our little Fina is leaving already?"

"The party just started...."

"I wanted to get to know her better...."

Fina followed the man into a back room where he pulled out a set of leather gauntlets.

"These will be your weapon."

Fina looked at the two gauntlets, unable to make out how they could be used as a weapon, but made sure not to show any emotion or give him anything to work off of.

"Sure.", she said.

"Let me help you get these on.... you tie them like this, then connect this here..... and voila! Now why don't you grab this strap and pull?"

Fina looked at the gauntlets and grabbed the strap as the man instructed, flicking her wrists forward, and a blade came out of each gauntlet.

Hidden blades.

"And while we're at it.... why don't you take this."

The man slapped a cap on her which had a pair of goggles on it.

"What's this?", Fina asked.

"It will allow you to see heat signatures if you put those goggles on. Consider it a gift for promoting my gear. I've been working quite hard on these prototypes, you know. Getting them publicity in the arena is important to prove their usefulness."

'Ah, so a merchant inventor. Well, these things will help me to keep my sister alive, so I will take them gladly.'

Fina nodded seriously before turning back to the party.

"Fina."

"What?"

"Don't lose yourself. Not everyone here is a carnivore. You have a reason, right? Something you need to protect? Hold onto that. Never forget it, or you'll lose yourself in this place."

Fina nodded, and walked back out to the VIP box.

"Got it."