Libertas puffed, blood stained his face. He leaned on his sword, standing in a pool of blood. The sword pierced the heart of a decapitated scrawny boy. The head laid in the blood, its fearful eyes kept staring at Libertas. A man on an elevated stand spoke into an embellished wooden globe.

"Congratulation, you who won a bet. For the others, try again in the next round! Maybe your luck will turn for the better."

The door from which he walked out opened. The same man in a suit stood there, waiting for him to come. Libertas threw one last glance at everyone here before he discarded the sword and walked through the door. The man frowned at him, then told, "Don't smile like this at the audience next time. It is creepy. Follow me back to your room."

During the entire walk, Libertas couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He couldn't feel any shred of remorse. There was only joy, a sheer delight. There were no words to describe, how he felt as he beheaded the scrawny boy before he ruthlessly pierced the heart. He won, he survived.

Reaching back to the room, the man closed the door, Libertas was left there, alone. Instantly he collapsed to the floor, grabbing his hair, pulling it. He was on the brink of crying. With a suppressed voice, he muttered to himself, "Aren't you a scum? Every day you lie to yourself, like the hypocrite you are. You deserve death. Didn't you seek it? Then, why are you clinging so much? Don't you hate suffering? Living is suffering! Just go, die! Die! Die, die, die…."

Suddenly the door clicked, slowly creaking open. Shocked, Libertas swiftly stood up while patting the dust from his clothes. By the time the man walked in, had Libertas once more become seemingly stoic. The man stated as he gave a bowl with a crimson liquid to Libertas, "Drink it. It will destroy your current law while granting you a new one. With each subsequent win, another drink will be given. It will then strengthen the new law."

Libertas glanced at the crimson liquid, it did reminisce one on blood. He took the bowl, looked up at the man, then drank it. It left a burning sensation behind in his mouth. Gradually his boy heated, the sight blurred, and the senses cut off. He fell to the floor.

There was the sweet metallic smell lingering in the air. It was very intense and assaulted the nose. Libertas almost puked. He looked around, it was his Imaginary World. The red veil was thicker and even heavier. The fuzzy form behind the red veiling was blurrier than last time. However, he didn't care. Even if it became even blurrier, it didn't matter. He didn't need to see, as he can sense the fuzzy form.

Before Libertas could once more sense out to the fuzzy form, the world shook. Unexpectedly, cracks formed. Immediately, the red veil tried to mend the cracks, but the world shook further, and more cracks appeared. Through one of the cracks, something crimson entered the world. Aggressively the crimson invaded the red veil, gradually, shifting the red to a deeper shade, crimson.

Suddenly, as a tenth of the red veil converted to crimson, the cracks swiftly closed without any forewarning. The crimson veil ceased to expand, but instead, converged, shrinking back to half of its former size. It trembled weakly as an inexplicable joy spread in Libertas. Similar to the red veil, the crimson veil hid a fuzzy form. Though, he couldn't sense it like the one from the red veil.

Someone shook Libertas forcefully back to reality. Libertas opened his eyes, the same man as before came in in his sight. The man said, "Get up. It is time for your next battle."

The walked through the same passage, to enter the same room full of weapons. Libertas was once more led near to the door. His hand stretched out, grabbing the same sword. However, as he grabbed the sword, his hand jerked back. One of the numerous blisters on his palm had burst.

Later, Libertas entered the colosseum again for another battle of life and death. Following, the same door opened. It slowly creaked open to reveal…

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

It can't be. Libertas' eyes widened. Wasn't the scrawny boy killed by his hand? Libertas could clearly remember how his sword decapitated the boy and then pierced through the heart. He trembled, the eyes glowed red with hints of crimson. Then, the words of the man on the elevated stand woke him up. It wasn't the scrawny boy he killed in his last battle.

"The opponent of His Highness is this time the child of a poor wandering knight. As the knight was desperate for money, he sold us his precious child. Isn't he a fine match for His Highness? Now, let the battle begin!"

Though the man said the battle begin, the battle didn't immediately start. The knight child walked up to Libertas but halted at a safe distance between them. Unexpected, he bowed to Libertas. He earnestly spoke, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. My father had a debt to your royal family, but I can't let you live. I wish to live myself. Please pardon me for my offence."

As the knight child straightened his back, his eyes glowed crimson. For a moment, a mark in the form of a drop of blood emerged on his forehead. It flickered, then vanished. Though Libertas was startled, he couldn't think about that any longer. The battle has begun.

Libertas glanced at the nearing blade. He slightly raised his sword, but then sighed and his arm slumped down. Why fight? Why live? Won't we all nevertheless die at the end? The sword neared his throat, an inch away from taking his life. In his glimmering eyes, marine blue floated up, spreading gradually over the entire eyes. Though, following, it was swallowed by the red and crimson.

Libertas' hand swiftly raised, seizing the sword between its finger. Something took over his body, throwing him back in his mind. It became hard to think, and he lost consciousness.

Libertas blinked, he regained his conscious. He dazedly looked around. He was in the colosseum. The audience and even the man on the elevated stand were gaping with mouth open at him. The knight child wasn't here any more instead several butchered pieces of meat laid around him.

The sword fell out of his hand, colliding against the ground. His hands, filled with blood. His clothes, drenched in it. What has happened? Like a broken dam, the memories suddenly flooded him. Was this him? Cruel.

He has stabbed the knight child, stunning him for a moment. It was enough time to slap the sword out of the knight child's hand. Following, he stamped the knight child to the ground. Then he slowly peeled the skin of knight child, gradually butchering him alive.

The man on the elevated stand found his words again, but it was overwhelmed by the shouts of the audience. Libertas clutched his head, collapsed, screamed. He realized, he has ruthlessly butchered the knight child. The door opened.

After seeing Libertas didn't move, the man on the elevated stand frowned, "Your Highness, leave now. Your current battle is over."

Libertas didn't move, the man scowled, "If you don't leave by yourself now, we will drag you out."

Libertas stood up, glared at the man before he walked listlessly out. He was led back to the room, and later another bowl with the crimson liquid was brought to him. He drank it, and once more were his senses cut off.

He was back in his Imaginary World. The sweet metallic smell lingered in the air, assaulting his nose. It didn't bother him, even if it was intenser than before. The fuzzy form behind the red veiling became blurrier, as the red veil turned thicker and heavier. The crimson one didn't change.

After waiting a while, the world shook, cracks formed, and something crimson entered again. Though, this time instead of invading the red veil, it rushed at Libertas. But the moment it touched Libertas, it hissed out and quickly hastened back to the crack. Unfortunately, it was already closed. It crashed before it fled disoriented into the crimson veil. There was again that inexplicable joy spreading in Libertas.

Libertas frowned, then he tried to sense the fuzzy form inside the crimson veil. However, the moment his sense touched the crimson veil, it trembled and fled out of his reach. Shaking his head, Libertas sensed out to the fuzzy form in the red veil.

Libertas sensed the butcher. He looked the same as the last time except for his cleaver. It dripped blood on the head under him. It didn't drip on the head of the pigs instead of the ones he killed. Under the cleaver of the butcher, laid the heads of the scrawny boy and the knight child.

As if they sensed him too, the eyes of the head moved to glare at him. They didn't do anything except staring, but it felt much more oppressive than them opening their mouth and start accusing. Suddenly, whispers surrounded him, muttering something Libertas couldn't understand. However, he knew it was the whispers of the ones he killed.

However, before he could think more, he was shaken awake. Libertas opened eyes to see the same man again. He spoke, "It is time for your next battle."

Though, the moment he reached the colosseum again for another battle of life and death, he realized it wasn't his battle any longer. The opponent came, the battle began, and that something else took over, throwing him back in his mind….