The trio – Akito, Ryo, and Kai – had arrived at the Mutant Arena, hidden beneath the twisted depths of the mutant facility.
Akito's eyes widened the moment he saw it.
The circular chamber spanned nearly fifty meters wide, surrounded by jagged, concrete-metal walls stained with age, blood, and the echoes of suffering. The ceiling arched high above them, domed in blackened steel, lined with red blinking lights and ever-watching surveillance lenses that never seemed to blink.
At the centre of the arena, the floor was forged entirely of metal – scarred by scorch marks, jagged cracks, and dark pools of dried blood. The very ground was a battlefield, etched with the violent legacy of powers unleashed.
High above, along the encircling walls, windows were cut into the concrete – where other mutants, huddled behind reinforced glass, watched in forced silence as their own kind were made to kill or die.
And right now…
Two mutants were locked in a brutal clash. One was a man with sharp black hair and icy blue eyes. The other, a woman with long brown hair and piercing green eyes.
With a furious scream, the woman's hair elongated – twisting, sharpening into deadly strands that lashed toward her opponent like living blades. But the black-haired man moved with fluid precision, dodging and weaving through her assault.
Then, with a flick of his glowing hand.
FLASH!
A weapon materialized in his grip: a gleaming axe.
He swung.
SLASH!
The sharpened strands of the woman's hair were severed cleanly, falling in clumps to the blood-stained floor.
Akito stood at the viewing window among dozens of other mutants, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in shock.
"What… is this?" he muttered, barely above a whisper.
"This… is how they experiment on us, Akito." Ryo said grimly.
Akito snapped his head toward him.
"Experiment?! How are they experimenting?! They're making us kill each other!"
Ryo remained silent, his gaze cast downward.
I'm sorry, Akito! I wish I know the answer…
Then–
Aaaaaaaahhh!
Akito spun back to the arena floor.
The woman lay slumped against the far wall, gasping for breath. Her hair, now jagged and cropped short, barely moved. She was trembling, bleeding. Defeated.
And the man?
He stood above her like a god of death.
With a cold smirk, he raised his hand.
FLASH!
This time, a gun materialized in his palm – sleek, metallic, and aimed directly at her head.
"Goodbye," he said flatly.
BANG!
Her body slumped. Her hand fell limp against the cold floor, blood spreading beneath her head.
Akito's breath caught in his throat.
He just watched a mutant life snuffed out like it meant nothing.
"This…is sick," he whispered, eyes still fixed on the scene.
Then–
SLAM!
The chamber doors swung open with force, grabbing everyone's attention.
Akito, Ryo, Kai, and all the other gathered mutants turned to look.
Three figures stepped inside.
Two boys.
One girl.
And in that moment – the air shifted.
Akito narrowed his eyes.
"Who are they?"
He turned to Ryo and Kai – and his eyes widened.
Ryo, Kai, and the other mutants around them were all shaking in fear as they laid eyes on the three approaching figures.
"Guys?" Akito asked, confused by their sudden reaction.
"It's… him!" Kai stammered, trembling.
Akito furrowed his brows.
"Huh?"
"The Mutant Thief!" Kai managed to say.
Akito's eyes widened, and he turned back to get a better look at the trio.
The girl had long blonde hair and soft blue eyes. She wore cyan-coloured clothing marked with a tag on her chest: 'Mutant #214'.
Beside her was a boy with the same golden-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes – clearly her twin. He too wore cyan clothing, labelled 'Mutant #213'.
And in front of them…
A boy with glowing golden eyes walked silently. A strip of fabric was wrapped around his head, hiding his hair. His cyan uniform bore the number 'Mutant #170'.
Akito glanced at Ryo, unsettled.
"Ryo… which one of them is the Mutant Thief?"
Ryo turned to Akito slowly, his expression still gripped by fear.
"It's the one with the golden eyes," he said, barely above a whisper.
Akito returned his gaze to the golden-eyed boy.
So that's him. The S-Rank mutant everyone's afraid of… The Mutant Thief. But he's so young…
The golden-eyed boy scanned the room calmly as he walked toward he mutant seating area, the other two following closely behind him.
The moment they approached, the surrounding mutants scrambled to vacate the seats in fear, practically tripping over each other.
Without saying a word or acknowledging the others, the golden-eyed boy sat down, legs crossed with an air of royalty.
The blonde girl sat beside him, blushing faintly as she stared at him with quiet adoration.
The blonde boy stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes sharp and watchful.
Akito stared at them, his curiosity growing.
"So… that's the Mutant Thief, huh?"
"Yeah…" Kai murmured. "The one that no one wants to face in a fight."
Akito's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And the other two?"
"The girl is the Mutant Thief's lover," Kai explained.
Akito's brows shot up.
"Lover? That explains why she keeps looking at him like that."
Kai nodded.
"And the blonde guy? That's her twin brother."
"I see…" Akito said, then asked, "What rank are they?"
Ryo placed a hand to his chin thoughtfully.
"If I remember correctly, the brother is A-Rank. The sister… she's D-Rank."
Alop turned to him, confused. "The girl's a D-Rank?"
Ryo nodded.
"Then… what is her ability?" Akito asked.
"I think… her ability is… to give people good dreams," Ryo answered.
Akito turned sharply.
"That's her ability? Then how has she survived this long in a place like this?"
"It's because of the Mutant Thief's influence," Ryo replied.
Akito narrowed his eyes.
"Influence? What do you mean?"
Ryo sighed.
"The Mutant Thief has controls who fights in the arena. He made sure that his lover is never chosen to fight in the area."
Akito turned his attention back to the trio.
"I… I see..." he muttered.
Then–
"THE NEXT BATTLE!"
Akito, Ryo, and Kai all turned back toward the arena floor.
The arena was empty, but a loudspeaker crackled overhead with the announcement.
"I wonder who's up next," Kai said, curious.
"Yeah," Ryo agreed, smiling faintly.
"MUTANT #271!" the speaker boomed.
Akito's eyes widened in horror.
Ryo turned to him.
"That's you, Akito."
Kai grinned.
"Your first fight!"
Akito swallowed hard and nodded slowly.
Then the speaker continued–
"FIGHTING MUTANT #271… WILL BE…"
Akito's heart froze in his chest.
"MUTANT #170!"
Akito, Ryo, and Kai's eyes widened in unison.
"Mutant #170?!" Ryo exclaimed in shock. "That's the Mutant Thief!"
"How is that even remotely fair?! An E-Ranked Mutant shouldn't be fighting an S-Ranked Mutant!" Kai said, his voice rising with outrage.
He immediately turned to the guard standing near the door, the one supervising the group of mutants.
"Hey!" Kai called out as he stepped forward, his brows furrowed. "Can you do something about this? This is absolutely unfair to him!"
"Kai…" Akito muttered quietly, still stunned by what he was hearing.
"The higher-ups have already made their decision," the guard replied flatly, not even turning his head. "There's nothing I can do."
"B-But that's insane! He only just arrived here!" Kai argued, growing more desperate. "He doesn't even kno–"
Without warning–
BAM!
Kai gasped, breath stolen from his lungs as the guard drove a fist into his stomach. He dropped to his knees instantly, coughing and clutching his abdomen in pain.
"KAI!" Akito and Ryo shouted, eyes wide in alarm.
The two of them rushed toward him.
"Are you okay?" Ryo asked, dropping to his side.
"Y-Yeah…" Kai groaned, still clutching his stomach. His face was pale and drenched with sweat, the shock of the hit clearly lingering.
Meanwhile, across the room ,the blonde-haired boy glanced over at the trio of Akito, Ryo, and Kai. His expression was bored, even mildly amused.
"I wonder what's wrong with them," he muttered under his breath.
Then–
The Mutant Thief stood.
Every single mutant in the room instantly turned to face him, their fear palpable. The weight of his presence shifted the air like a storm cloud rolling in.
The blonde girl blinked, surprised.
"Hubby?" she said softly, gazing up at him.
The Mutant Thief turned his head to her, smiling gently.
"I'll be right back," he said in a calm, almost tender voice.
The girl smiled back, eyes shimmering.
"Okay…" she replied sweetly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Meanwhile, Akito – still kneeling beside Kai – stared at the golden-eyed boy as he made his way toward the arena.
His stomach turned. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.
Is this… really the end for me?
In the Arena…
Akito now stood face to face with the one they called the Mutant Thief.
High above, behind the reinforced observation windows, Ryo and Kai watched anxiously from the gallery.
"I… really hope Akito will be okay," Kai said, his voice trembling.
"Yeah…" Ryo murmured, his hands balled into fists by his sides.
Down in the arena, Akito scanned the battlefield. The metallic floor still bore the scars of the last fight – blood smeared like paint and the remains of the woman's severed hair scattered like broken threads.
His entire body started to shake. The cold grip of fear coiled tighter around his chest.
He slowly looked up – and there he was.
The Mutant Thief.
He stood motionless, radiating power. His very presence distorted the air around him, a suffocating force pressing into Akito's lungs.
How… am I supposed to beat an S-Ranked mutant that everyone fears?
Akito stared again at the golden-eyed boy, and something twisted in his gut. That aura – it wasn't just overwhelming. It was monstrous.
He began stepping back, trembling, sweat dripping off his brow.
I… I want to go home!
Then–
"Don't show any fear, friend!"
Akito blinked, startled. "Huh?"
It was the Mutant Thief. He hadn't moved an inch, but his voice echoed clearly across the arena.
"Otherwise, I will see you as a useless mutant, and I will just have to kill you with no mercy."
Akito froze in place, heart pounding.
Don't show any fear?
How? I'm literally fighting a mutant that even the guards are afraid of!
"If you show me bravery and give me a good fight," the Mutant Thief continued, "I will spare you. And perhaps… I will let you join my team."
Akito's eyes widened.
Join his team?
Is he being serious, right now?
"I know you are an E-Ranked mutant, and you just got here," the Mutant Thief said. "But that doesn't mean you should fear me just because I'm S-Rank!"
Akito stared at him, the words ringing in his head.
He wasn't taunting him. He was… challenging him.
That's right.
I must not show fear.
You never know what might happen… if you don't try.
Akito took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Then–
FWOOOSH!
He shrank, his body compressing down into the size of an ant – barely visible against the metal floor of the arena.
Up in the gallery, Ryo's eyes widened.
"He shrunk?!"
In the arena, the Mutant Thief's golden eyes followed the tiny figure. Then–
He smirked.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Suddenly–
His golden eyes turned crimson.
"Let the battle begin."
TO BE CONTINUED!!!