Garth's figure receded from view, but his cruel laugh still echoed in their ears. Jonas didn't hesitate any longer and leaped into the fight pit. With one swift movement, he slid to his knees at the side of Theo, whose face was swollen, brutalized, and drenched with blood.

Jonas' stomach hurt when he saw those gruesome wounds up close, but he bit back his feelings, slid his hands under the young paperboy, and swept up his tiny body. As an expert in bad beatdowns, Jonas knew that Theo would eventually heal, as the bleeding wounds weren't enough to kill the boy. However, the emotional wounds would have trouble recovering, and there was a good chance that Garth's 'little lovin' had scarred Theo for life.

"He's breathing," said Simon, but he grimaced at the raspy sound of Theo struggling to breathe. "We need to give him first aid immediately."

“Let’s go to the infirmary,” Jonas' voice was low and sounded a bit depressed.

“Slaves can’t use it,” said Johnson, but he stopped talking as soon as he saw the foul look on Jonas' face.

“Today, they can use it,” Jonas headed towards the exit while his group followed behind him with heavy footsteps. They gave off an intense atmosphere that caused the other fighters to back up and move out of the way.

When they arrived outside the doors of the infirmary, Johnson pulled open the door and led them all in. It was rare for the infirmary to have anyone in it because there was no point in visiting when there was no doctor, medicines, or painkillers. The Hurts gang would not waste medicines or first aid supplies on their fighters, especially when those fighters would eventually heal on their own.

Jonas gently laid Theo on a blood-stained infirmary bed. For a split second, he wished he could see Old Louie just one more time because even if he hated him to the bone, Jonas knew that the old quack could have fixed Theo up in a few minutes. However, after a few seconds of self-pity, Jonas realized there was a magic solution to helping Theo, and he turned his head to give his group a heavy glance. Although they were close, Jonas had only ever shown his Sin Sorcery to Yuki. It wasn't because of a lack of trust; he didn't want the information to accidentally reach the ears of Howard Hurts, who would see Jonas' abilities as a threat to his empire.

"Listen," said Jonas, and he kept his voice steady. "There are some things about me that I haven't told you guys—things that I keep hidden because they could bring me great harm," no one replied, and they all gave Jonas their full attention. "You might already know I've touched upon my Original Sin, right?"

"Of course," said Ahmed. "It's a small start, but it's something that only Howard Hurts has been able to do. I'd estimate that the number of people in Sun City who've unlocked their Original Sin would be less than twenty."

"That's why I have to keep what I'm about to tell you secret. It could be very harmful if Howard Hurts or the other Sinners of Sun City found out that I was capable of Sin Sorcery. If they found I had a powerful Original Sin, they'd find me and kill me."

First, there was silence. Every member of Jonas' crew needed a moment to contemplate their feelings on the situation, and they stared at their leader.

"So you've been hiding the extent of your Original Sin?" Ahmed's dark eyes narrowed.

"I have, and I'm sorry." Jonas gave a wry smile. "I did what I thought was best for me."

"Don't be sorry," said Simon. "You've been taken advantage of way too many times, and who knows what would happen to you if Howard found out about your abilities. I'm curious, though, how will you help Theo?"

"Like this," Jonas pulled a small piece of metal from the inside of his pocket. Simon thought it looked like half a razor blade. Jonas dug the sharp metal blade into the soft skin of his palm, punctured deeply, and allowed thick, warm crimson blood to begin seeping out. Jonas didn't grimace, nor did he show any signs he was in pain, as he sliced across his hand and allowed the blood to flow. Then, he began using his freshly wounded hand to rub Theo's face and body.

"My blood has special properties," said Jonas, and he applied a generous layer of crimson over Theo's broken nose, split lip, and swollen eyes. "It carries my will. If I want to heal Theo, I can use my blood."

"Just like how you heal yourself?" Ahmed seemed to be one step ahead of the rest of the group. He was the most experienced Sinner in the room, even if he wasn't the most talented.

"Exactly," said Jonas, and as he finished wiping blood over the last of Theo's injuries, he wiped his hand on his shirt and held his palm out for his group to see. He concentrated for a moment, willed his blood to heal his hand, and they witnessed the skin begin to stitch back together until there was nothing but reddened skin with no wound in sight.

"I've never seen you heal that fast," Simon looked impressed. "You've hidden your abilities very well," Jonas was also impressed with himself. Perhaps, it was because his Pride enjoyed showing off in front of his friends, or maybe he just felt good about being honest with them, but he had never been able to heal himself so quickly. Jonas had always been able to focus on healing himself, but that was more in a general sense. It was the first time he had actively focused on a specific wound and willed it shut within seconds.

"Theo won't be able to heal as fast as me, but he'll start to get better within ten minutes."

"Are you serious?" Simon was the first to ask. He knew Jonas was learning Original Sin, but he was surprised to learn that his friend could heal Theo within minutes; it was almost unbelievable.

"Very serious," Jonas sighed and stepped away from the bed. "To be honest, I've never tried to heal wounds as bad as these on another person; however, I already know it will work. If I'm being honest, my Original Sin is quite powerful."

"By all means, toot your own horn," Johnson stepped forward, grinned, and clapped Jonas on the shoulder. "On a serious note," he felt satisfied after seeing his friend lighten up. "I don't blame you for hiding anything, and I think you should remain low-key with your abilities. Healing yourself made Howard Hurts drool with Greed. Now, imagine if he learns you can heal other fighters too. He'd treat you even more terrible than he does now."

The rest of Jonas' crew nodded their heads in agreement. Not only did they share Johnson's sentiment, but their smiles acted as evidence that they were not upset with their leader. They preferred Jonas hide things about himself if it was to protect his well-being.

The feeling in the room had lightened considerably, even though Theo was still gravely injured and unconscious. Jonas' smile soon turned into a frown when he saw the mangled, blood-splattered face of the young paperboy.

“I let him down,” Jonas sighed. “I should have tried to stop the fight much sooner.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Jaden was the first to speak. “I know you hate to hear it, but Theo is a badass who took one for the team. That should be admired, not pitied.”

“I agree,” Simon patted Jonas gingerly on the shoulder. “Be honest, would you have done the same thing in his position?”

“Of course, I would, but that's because I'm a reckless idiot.”

“Don’t hold people to a standard lower than what you hold yourself,” Johnson clicked his tongue. “Unless you're fine with your friends living in your shadow.”

“Of course, I’m not,” Jonas argued. “If I wanted you to live in my shadow, I wouldn’t push you so hard to become fighters; I would have rather you stay locked away safely in your cages until I had the strength to break you out.”

“Sorry,” Johnson looked embarrassed. “You're right. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Nah, you have a point,” Jonas shook his head because he knew his poor mood was controlling his words. “Theo is a grown man, and I'll respect his decision. I can’t beat myself up over it.”

“Garth got what he wanted,” said Ahmed. “Regardless if he tells Howard, Theo made the right choice, as did you. This situation could have become a lot worse very quickly. The way you both responded to the situation showed high emotional intelligence.”

“So what now?” Jonas asked. “We just sit around hoping Garth keeps his word? What if he comes back tomorrow for round two, only this time he wants to bash Pete’s head in?”

“Then, I let him,” said Pete. “As long as he doesn’t kill us, we’ll escape this bitch together, no matter how many ass-whoopings we have to take.”

“Hell yeah, OG,” Jaden pounded Pete’s knuckles. “Fuck Garth. We can always pay him back once we’re out of here.”

“Young blood has a point,” Pete said. “Take all that hate inside, turn it into Pride, and save it for when you can give Garth what he deserves—after we escape.”

“Alright, alright. We'll eventually pay Garth back, but the mission remains our biggest priority, and we can’t let anyone fuck that up, especially not me or my ego.”

“That's going to be quite hard for you,” said Johnson. “That ego you have is pretty fucking massive,” and his joke earned a bout of good-natured chuckles.

“I thought your Sin Scars were going to explode for a moment,” Simon said. “They kept flickering on and off, and I thought you might've been having a sin seizure or something.”

“That's the downside of being a Crusader,” said Jonas. “You aren’t allowed to tap into all that rage. It’s hard to remain confident and level-headed when you just feel like lashing out in anger.”

“I know,” Ahmed nodded. “You did well, and I think it was a valuable learning experience for you.”

“What lesson?” Jonas looked bewildered. “Watching my friend get beat up and not doing anything about it?”

“No,” said Ahmed. “Showing respect and integrity to a person that is weaker, less privileged, and much more vulnerable than yourself. It’s easy to make this moment about you and your angst, but it’s much more difficult to put down your ego and make it about Theo.”

“I see,” Jonas spoke slowly. “Sort of.”

“I’m saying that it would have been easy for you to disregard Theo’s request, and it would have been easy to lose your cool and attack Garth, but you didn’t. I’m saying that you didn’t look down on Theo’s sacrifice and didn’t make the situation about getting revenge or letting down your companions. Instead, you stood there and watched. It was nothing more than respecting Theo's resolve."

“We barely know each other,” said Jonas. “We only met a few days ago. Why should he do that for people he barely knows?”

“Time is a fickle thing,” Ahmed said while gazing calmly into Jonas’ young face. “I’ve been down here for so long that I never once considered I might sacrifice myself for someone else. That was until one year ago, and in the blink of an eye, I’m willing to give it all for the young man I look to as a leader.”

“Why?” Jonas felt his face turn hot. “What about me changed your mind?”

“Because for the first time since I died at the hands of my comrades,” Ahmed said slowly. “I care about someone’s well-being more than my own. At one point in my life, I had thought being a slave wasn't so bad. Right after, I became a top-five fighter and earned my private room. I had forgotten my self-worth, and I had completely abandoned everything that I stood for. I only lived to please my masters, and to break bones for the amusement of others, just so I could indulge myself in pleasures that gave my life no meaning at all," Ahmed took a deep breath and brought himself to his full height. His long ashen hair fell like a waterfall down his back, and his majestic beard gave him the look of someone wise and powerful. His entire being emanated the spirit of a warrior. “That man no longer exists, and as of now: Ahmed Al Fallah is a man who will break free from his chains and lead his friends toward freedom."

“I’m proud of you,” Jonas had goosebumps, and he was impressed by the aura given off by his old friend. “Does that mean that you long for the outside world?”

“Long for it?” Ahmed flexed his knuckles, and the flame-like Sin Scars on his hands began to glow. “No, I don’t long to be part of the outside world. My friends, however, belong there, and I’ll make sure that I give everything I have to see them walk under the red sky of Hell.”

Suddenly, a cough caught their attention, and they all turned to look at Theo, whose breathing had regulated and was stirring in his bed.

“Theo?” Jonas called out. “Can you hear us?”

“Hear you?” His voice was weak and broken. “How could I not hear you? That was the gayest conversation I’ve ever had to sit through, and I’ve heard some pretty gay stuff,” and he flashed them a toothy smile. For a second, no one said anything, but then the silence was broken by heavy laughter.

Their new brother-in-arms was okay. Everything was okay.