Chapter Text
Tommy wasn’t the praying type. Actually, that was unfair. Tommy just didn’t think it was worth it to pray if it wouldn’t be answered. His mother prayed often to their goddess but Tommy had yet to see anything come of it. That didn’t mean he didn’t believe, he believed in and respected his goddess greatly. He just didn’t think she loved him like his mother claimed.
If she did, she would have saved them by now.
Tommy wasn’t the praying type, but he prayed now. He prayed as he watched them drag another bloody corpse from the fighting ring. The sand that had been packed deep from years of battles, but loosened by a desperation for survival, was painted a horrific red. It was splattered onto the walls too and joined the layers before it in a testimony to all the life lost. Tommy couldn’t even tell what the original color was.
Now though, he prayed to his goddess his blood wouldn’t cover those walls. It wasn’t like Tommy hadn’t fought in the ring before. Most of his first memories came from the ring and his own desperate attempts to survive. Him standing here was proof of the victor, in his wake, the bloody pile of people he’d cut down to reach where he was now. Tommy was afraid to fight this match because of who he was fighting; the Wraith, the best fighter in their age bracket. He was the reigning champion and known for his cruelty to his opponents. He prolonged their suffering and wouldn’t kill them quickly; which was an unspoken rule in the ring.
Tommy did not easily admit to fear, knowing it was a weakness, but he was afraid now. He understood the implications of this fight. Knew the odds of his survival. So, maybe that’s why he prayed for one of the first times in his memory. The irony was not lost on him, praying to the Goddess of Death for survival. He trusted his mother though, who had told him to pray to her if he needed aid. So he clasped his hands and looked down with closed eyes, and he prayed. He spoke his native tongue, which would get him beat if caught, and hoped his goddess would listen to his pleads.
“ Hi, I know I don’t pray often. I know that, but I just need help right now. I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m… I’m scared. I just want my mom and I don’t know what to do. Please, please help me, my Lady. ” he whispered. Tommy waited for some great moment where he would feel warmth encompass him or some great light explode or hear that the Wraith had a sudden heart attack, but nothing came. He waited with clasped hands as people screamed above.
A hand roughly grabbed his shoulder and he gasped. His head whipped to see a guard looking down at him with small, hateful eyes. A sneer crossed his face as he pushed Tommy forward. “No need to pray, kid. Not like anyone would answer a brat like you.”
Tommy felt anger wash over him and he desperately held onto it so he could protect himself from what was coming. His anger made him feel bigger and stronger, like he could fight off anyone. He liked to imagine his anger would give him claws and sharp teeth to scratch at the men who ripped him from his mother and the Wraith who stood opposite to him.
He looked at the boy across from him who looked calm and collected across from Tommy, but he could see the malicious glint in his eyes. Tommy swallowed as he took in the height of the other boy and the slight muscles he had -no one had any real muscles with how little they were fed. Only the winners were given food and even that wasn’t promised, but it was still used to figure out who the current top dog was.
“I hope all your bets are in because this is going to be the fight of the year!” the announcer screamed into his mic. The crowd lost it. “On one side, our reigning champion, undefeated legend, THE WRAITH! ” The crowd was almost louder than the announcer. “On the other side, our underdog who had been climbing the ranks and making a name for himself, THESEUS!”
The chanting was deafening.
Tommy walked out from his underground passageway and into the ring. The heat scorched him and he was convinced he’d be blinded if the sun could pass through the layers of smoke and ash. Tommy’s sensitivity to heat -a side effect of being born in his homeworld- was an extreme disadvantage for any fight. It made him sluggish and slowed his reflexes to an almost deadly amount, not even accounting for how he exhausted quickly. Today though, he would have to rise above it.
The Wraith walked out of his passageway, raising his arms to the crowds who screamed his name. Tommy knew it was only a ploy to endear himself to the crowd which he could respect, but the crowd wouldn’t save him if it came down to it. The crowds loved the strong and would throw out anyone who showed any sign of weakness. So, Tommy squared his shoulders and faced the Wraith head on. It felt like looking death in the eye.
Are you ready?? No, he wasn’t.
Three! Tommy wanted to go home.
Two! He missed his mom.
One! He didn’t want to die here.
Go! He had no choice in this.
The Wraith immediately sprinted at him and Tommy flung himself to the side. He rolled through the sand and sprung up, turning quickly to keep his enemy in his view. The Wraith snarled and swung at him. Tommy ducked under his swing and landed a solid throat punch. He gagged and stumbled back, but Tommy didn’t let up. He landed three more punches before the Wraith had recovered and managed to start blocking. His eyes were wild as blood poured from his nose that Tommy was sure he had broken.
Tommy dodged swing after swing and scrambled across the floor to get away from the hits. He knew if he took one, he would be in deep trouble because this guy could obviously pack a punch. The Wraith swung left and Tommy went to dodge, but then he switched his punch and Tommy couldn’t move in time. A solid hit to the jaw and Tommy was down in the dirt. His eyes watered from the hit and the sand, and everything felt slightly too bright. He was almost convinced he could see the sun even though he hadn’t seen it in over a year. The crowds screamed around him; yelling at him to get up and yelling at him to die.
“That all you got Theseus? I thought you’d have more in you.” The Wraith taunted. Tommy tried to push himself back but a foot on his chest stopped him. His hand weakly smacked against it, but it did nothing. Tommy was so disoriented that he barely could process what was happening around him. “Damn, you really are pathetic.” Then the punches started raining down.
Punches slammed into his skin which broke and bled under the abuse. He felt blood in his teeth from where he’d bit his tongue and he could barely see around swollen eyes. Tommy’s brain lagged behind and he couldn’t seem to get a grip on what was happening. Everything was too bright and too loud. He could barely tell up from down.
His head dropped to the sand below and it wasn’t lifted up again. He distantly felt relief at it being over, then hands wrapped around his throat. Adrenaline kicked in anew as the hands tightened and he was unable to breathe. He bucked and kicked, but the boy above only chuckled and tightened his grip. Desperation flooded his veins as black spots flooded his vision. He choked around air that wasn’t there and felt his lungs spasm. This was it, he was going to die.
He was scared. He didn’t want to die. He was supposed to live and escape. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die .
Then you won’t.
He felt something primal awaken in his chest as his vision went black.
We won’t let you die.