“Of course!” The man rummaged through his pockets, eventually pulling out a small card and squinting at it. “My name is Aras. I’m from the Flaming Tomb Alliance.” He said slowly, carefully enunciating each word. “The fastest growing alliance in the Second Chance Coliseum. Say with enthusiasm.”

Aras didn’t seem to realise that he shouldn’t have said the last sentence. Barely stopping to breathe before soldiering on through the flashcard. “I would like to invite you to meet with our leader of E grade recruitment. It will be a great opportunity for you to learn more about this new situation you find yourself in.” Aras looked at Jay's hand for a moment before glancing back at his card.

He grabbed Jay’s hand and shook it surprisingly gently.

“Let’s go now.” Aras said, not waiting for Jay to respond.

Aras seemed nice enough, but Jay didn’t forget Akira's warning, and he definitely wouldn’t forget his fear. But Aras, and the Flaming Tomb Alliance, might tell him more about the coliseum, and Jay needed answers more than he needed safety.

The journey with Aras didn’t take long. Jay jogged to keep up with the giant’s huge strides as they passed through a few more narrow alleyways. Jay scanned his surroundings, trying to memorise the path they were taking, but they didn’t pass anything too notable.

Canyon-like buildings stifled any scenery. Jay tried to discern their purposes, but most of them only had a simple sign in a language that Jay couldn’t read out front. The shadowy alleys and serpentine streets reminded Jay of the gothic old towns of Naples or Barcelona, although the faded stones felt far more austere.

They emerged from the labyrinth of alleys onto a slightly wider street. Although tall buildings still flanked either side. Most were made of the same tan stone, with only slight differences in their design. Jay saw a stoic beauty within their uniformity, but the one Aras stopped by stood out from the crowd.

Instead of a façade, he stood in front of a multi-storey cast iron gate. The colossal structure boasted a network of intricate runes, smelted into the metal and adorned with golden filigree. The imposing black gate looked down on its neighbours’ uniformity, proud to be different. Proud to be more.

Aras closed his eyes and laid his palm onto the gate.

Cold iron blazed orange around Aras’ hand. He grunted with exertion as he pushed with all his bodyweight.

The building sized gate, which Jay couldn’t even fathom the weight of, swung inwards. Aras cracked it open just a sliver before waving Jay through.

Jay felt as tiny as an ant the moment he entered the sprawling courtyard. Grey stone tiles spanned an area far larger than the width of the gate on the street. The neighbouring building tops peeked over the perimeter wall surrounding the courtyard. Just looking at the warped tan stones gave Jay a headache.

A shadowy castle, plucked straight out of a grim fairy tale, towered at the far end. Far taller than the gate and buildings either side of it.

How come I didn’t see any of this from the street?

If Aras noticed Jay’s confusion, he didn’t show it. He plodded forward, gaze fixed on the castle ahead.

The heat rose with each step Jay took towards the castle. Jay's throat dried up again as another wave of the same stifling heat washed over him. Beads of sweat rolled down his back and he tugged at the chafing elastic waistband of his boxing shorts.

Aras, as idle faced as ever, pressed his hands into a set of slightly smaller metal doors. The orange glow filled almost half the frame as he swung them fully open.

Jay followed Aras into a grandiose hall lined by enormous stone arches. Red, black, and gold banners hung from the rafters, each displaying the symbol of a flaming tomb. Flying motes of fire fluttered across the ceiling, illuminating the hall from above and casting flickering shadows that danced across the grand hall.

Pockets of people stood throughout the atrium, some turned to look at Jay, but most didn’t spare him a second glance. Each time Jay met someone’s eyes they hurriedly looked away and busied themselves.

While Jay stared at the room and its residents, Aras took his slim opportunity to wander out of sight. Jay flicked his neck side to side, but his guide was nowhere to be seen.

Great.

Trying not to gawk, Jay walked further into the atrium. He scanned the hall for a helpful face, but everyone he approached turned their shoulders and found something more important to do the second he opened his mouth.

“Don’t they have ‘no shirt no service’ where you’re from?” A gruff, raspy voice coughed from beside Jay.

Jay snapped his neck to the side. The point of a blade hovered inches from his face, reflecting a harsh glint of light directly into his eyes.

The sword’s wielder sneered at Jay through a face marked with a battlefield of scars. His emerald green eyes, squinted like a predator locked onto his prey, just dared Jay to reply.

Jay sent back a cold stare of his own.

A nicer delivery could’ve earned a laugh out of Jay. They did have no shirt no service where Jay was from after all.

The man’s scornful smirk and punchable face pissed Jay off, but he clenched his fist and stayed silent. He recognised the bait, but that didn't mean he had to bite.

“Don’t play with the fresh meat dear, it’s not his fault he has no idea what he’s doing.” A slender woman stepped out from the shadows behind the swordsman. Her soft voice somehow more infuriating than her partner’s. A midnight purple hood concealed most of her face in shadows, leaving only a set of smirking red lips visible to Jay.

The rest of the room barely acknowledged the standoff. Some people glanced at the man’s outstretched sword, but they quickly returned to their business like they’d seen the same encounter a thousand times before.

“If you’re looking for your little tour guide, he went that way.” The veiled woman said. Jay's head snapped to the side unwillingly, as if pulled by a puppeteer’s string. A small doorway next to the entrance burst open. Aras’ hulking form ducked through the frame, and he frantically looked around the room.

“Why’d ya go running off like that for? You’ll get lost!” Aras huffed as his eyes locked with Jay’s. His eyebrows raised at the sword aimed at Jay's neck.

“Better scurry away to your little tour guide. Wouldn’t want to get lost now, would we?” The woman said, superiority spilling from every word.

Jay turned back to the swordsman. Staring into his goading eyes. The tip of his sword dipped down as Aras’ thumping footsteps drew closer. He sheathed his sword, yet his hunter’s eyes stayed glued to Jay. The woman took another step out of the shadows, her ruby red lips smiling at Aras.

“We were just showing him where you went, Aras. No harm intended.” She said, almost convincingly. Almost. “We’ll be on our way now”.

The swordsman followed the veiled woman through an archway behind them, not waiting for Aras’ reply.

“Damn E graders thinkin’ they own the place cause of a few good fights.” He huffed. A few of the nestled embers lit up as he turned to face Jay. “Don’t wander off this time! We’re almost there so follow close.”

“Then maybe don’t go so fa-.” Jay’s complaint met the back of Aras’ head.

Aras shushed Jay after they exited the entrance hall, “We gotta walk through the E grade meditation hall next. No talking.” After a short walk through a corridor, Aras eased open another metal door. Jay followed behind Aras as he tiptoed into the room.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A narrow ribbon of red carpet ran through the otherwise unadorned stone hall, stretching between two identical doors on opposite sides. Either side of the red river, a dozen people wearing all black sat in silent meditation.

Flaming spheres hovered above each individual, their suffocating heat enveloping Jay as he walked across the hall. Wisps of smoke eagerly flowed from each fireball, rushing into a pipe at the centre of the ceiling. Grimaces marred every meditator’s face, none of them appeared particularly zen inside the sweltering oven.

Jay and Aras quietly continued across the chamber. The only two people in the room with their eyes open.

A gasp shattered the silence.

A woman’s flame extinguished. Her bright green eyes shot open.

They darted around the room before finding Jay.

He broke her gaze, staring right past her as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

Your secret’s safe with me.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead, returning to her meditation. Her flickering fireball reignited, far weaker than before.

Nobody except Jay noticed the extremely relieved look on her face.

What the hell is going on here?

A sigh of relief escaped Aras the moment he left the hall. Stomping resumed as the heavy-set man finally gave his toes a break.

He stopped halfway down the hallway, pointing at a cast iron door to his side.

“Your stop buddy.”

Jay hesitated before walking through the door. He thought about asking Aras a few questions but decided against it, the man didn’t seem particularly invested in his situation.

A rush of cool air smothered Jay as he walked into a luxuriously furnished office. Jay welcomed the escape from the heat as he scanned around the room. Several lilac crystals sat neatly atop a desk in the centre. The woman they belonged to sat perched on a chair behind them, engrossed in a projection of his fight on the wall in front of her.

Her dark brown eyes rapidly flicked side to side, determined to take in every little detail. She silently motioned Jay to take a seat with a pale, slender finger. Refusing to take her eyes off the fight.

Jay sat down and watched himself retreat from Valorus. The projection switched angles several times.

Huh? I didn’t see any cameras.

The woman flicked through a few different angles before settling on a moving “camera” that floated behind Jay's shoulders. Jay watched Valorus’ final rush once again, a lot clearer now that the storm stayed within the confines of the screen in front of him.

A jolt of Déjà vu coursed through Jay as the screen changed again. This time showing the exact same view as the first time.

From inside his head.

The fight abruptly paused. The woman snapped her head towards Jay.

“This might be the single stupidest thing I’ve ever seen a rookie do.”

She tucked a strand of slick black hair behind her ear. Her voice betrayed her interest, even if she’d just called him stupid. Jay saw approval behind her begrudging smile.

The projection switched to Valorus’ perspective. During the fight, fear, anger, confusion and stress whirled within Jay’s head. Seemingly determined to break out.

His face showed nothing.

Through his opponent’s eyes, Jay saw an avatar of lightning call down the heavens.

Jay’s hairs stood on end just thinking about the fight. Reminiscing on the glimpse of lightning that became his entire reality in the final instant.

Jay realised the woman was awaiting a response. He couldn’t think of anything clever, and didn’t want to admit it was all luck, so he just shrugged and forced a laugh.

“Yeah, I guess it was pretty stupid.”

The lady raised an eyebrow for a half-second. “Anyway. My name is Q and on behalf of the Flaming Tomb Alliance, I welcome you to Arenara Fortunis, the Second Chance Coliseum and by extension the planet Eterna. All your questions will be answered in due time but the long and short of it is, you died. You died and were brought back to life to fight for the rest of your days in deathmatches as a gladiator. No, you cannot go back to your world. No, nobody you once knew is here. Probably, there have been exceptions. Yes, it’s a bit strange but you’re here now either way.”

What?

"So I died, and my second chance is to fight to the death in an arena? Guess I had some bad karma."

“Well, it is better than the alternative.”

“Which is…”

“Just dying.”

“Fair enough. So how exactly does this reincarnation wor-”

“Useless questions like that are for people far less important than me. I'm here to recruit you to the Flaming Tomb Alliance.”

Q pointed back to the fight. They watched the pillar of lightning engulf the screen before revealing a final frame of Jay. Bloodied and battered, but undefeated.

A familiar table, blood red and black instead of gold, replaced the fight. Jay noticed a few changes.

Alias

Lightning Leonard

Organisation

Second Chance Coliseum (Soulbound)

Grade

E

Rank

973

Offence

1000

Defence

954

Strategy

902

Instinct

856

Vitality

986

Potential

9

Compatibility

205

“Don’t be disheartened by your low rankings Mr. Leonard. It is only your first fight, there are currently 1007 gladiators in E Grade and all of them have more experience than you. I’m more focused on the last two rankings. After just one showing, the coliseum has deemed you the fighter with the ninth most potential in the whole of E grade!”

At least I’m not dead last on offence.

Bottom seven isn’t much better than bottom one though.

“In addition to that, you are reasonably compatible with the Flaming Tomb Alliance. Usually, we don’t go for any detritus outside of the top 100, but for number 9, I guess I can make an exception! Here we can offer you the finest equipment, the most advanced facilities and the best mentors. All in order to make you the E grade champion, and who knows what next!”

Q’s enthusiasm certainly made Jay feel wanted, but it didn’t gloss over that she had effectively just called him detritus. As good as the benefits sounded, Jay knew it was probably too good to be true. Akira's warning echoed in the back of his mind.

“What’s the deal with the room of people meditating in the hall before?” Jay asked. Scanning Q’s face for a reaction.

“Don’t worry about them.” She said with a strained smile. “Lesser prospects take shifts harmonising with heat essence. It provides a better atmosphere for the rest of us to train in, and it also aligns them more with the alliance’s philosophy on Harmony. As an elite recruit, you won’t have to do such a thing. As you’ll soon see, meditation on various essences is paramount to one’s advancement as a gladiator. We let higher value recruits steer their own course, but lesser prospects must be guided onto a more ideal path.”

“Harmony? Essence?”

Jay wasn’t sure what Q was talking about, but he didn’t like her tone. Didn’t like the way she spoke about ‘lesser prospects’ as resources, people that only existed for her gain.

Who decided a person’s value anyway? Was a single line on a table the difference between success and failure here?

“Essence is the byproduct of existence. For something to exist, it must have a reason. A concept’s reason to exist, its very nature, is its essence. Harmonising, or seeking Harmony, is the practice of studying, harnessing, and manipulating essences to advance one’s path in life. I won’t say any more, lest I taint your path with my personal worldview, but rest assured that the Flaming Tomb Alliance includes some of the planet’s greatest harmonisers under its wing. You will have the best teachers in the world guiding you on your path.” Q said without pause. She’d clearly said this speech hundreds of times before.

Q’s eyes bored a hole in Jay's face as she too searched for any sign of emotion.

Jay wasn’t sure what to think about Harmony. It intrigued him, but Q’s speech almost felt like empty philosophy, her words seemed more rehearsed than meaningful.

The alliance’s methods bugged Jay too. Was a room full of ‘lesser prospects’ suffering for the pleasure of the elites really worth it? Jay understood claiming every advantage possible, but surely that was unnecessary.

Regardless of their claims or methods, the Flaming Tomb Alliance had certainly piqued Jay’s interest in Harmony. “Paramount to one’s advancement as a gladiator” had to mean something right?

Jay knew he couldn’t trust Q to have his best interests in mind. No amount of charm could disguise the opportunistic glean behind her eyes.

She was only here talking to him for her benefit.

But was it in her benefit for him to be strong?

Jay slotted Harmony onto the list, although he doubted he’d tick it off at the Flaming Tomb.

“I can’t stay with you here any longer Mr. Leonard. I'm a busy woman. I have places to be, and you arrived late. You must be tired from your fight, so we have prepared a room for you tonight. Please think about your future and choose wisely.

“You only get one second chance.”

Q nodded her head towards the door. She didn’t say anything, but Jay knew she was telling him to leave.

He walked out somehow burdened with far more unanswered questions than when he walked in.