The Arena of Fate

The golden goblet trembled slightly in Greg's grasp as he raised it high above his head. A smirk curled on his lips as he gazed down at the bloodstained arena below.

"Let the game begin!" he roared, his voice booming across the coliseum.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, chanting his name, their excitement feeding his ego.

But just as he brought the goblet to his lips, a knight approached.

"My King."

The knight knelt before him, armored hand extended, holding something small yet gleaming in the sunlight.

Greg's gaze sharpened as he reached for it.

A golden necklace.

The metal felt cool against his palm, but his chest burned as his eyes locked onto the engraved name.

E T H A N.

The world around him tilted.

His fingers clenched the necklace so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His pulse thundered in his ears.

His voice was low, dangerous. "Where did you get this?"

The knight hesitated. "It belonged to a contestant, my King."

Greg's breath hitched.

A contestant...?

He's here?

His vision blurred. The arena, the throne, the cheering crowd—all faded into nothingness.

And then—

The past crashed into him like a storm.

The Life Before – A Man of Selfish Ambition

Greg was no tycoon, no great leader.

He was just a man who saw an opportunity—and took it.

A company was hiring. The position paid well, and Greg didn't ask questions.

What he didn't know—what no one told him—was that the job had belonged to someone else just days before.

Aron.

A man Greg had never met.

A man who had worked there for years—until they let him go.

Greg didn't care.

He was too busy celebrating his new paycheck while Aron packed up his desk, wondering how he would feed his family.

But Greg never knew.

And he never cared to ask.

Not until everything fell apart.

A Temptation That Changed Everything

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At Aron's farewell party, the man himself never showed up.

But his wife did.

She was almost in her forties, yet to Greg, she looked like a goddess from his youth—a vision that reminded him of his 18th birthday, a time when he believed in love at first sight.

And that was where it all began.

The Fall – From Comfort to Chaos

Months later, Greg's life spiraled out of control.

He had always been reckless—juggling multiple affairs, living as if the world owed him pleasure.

But this time, he slipped.

His wife found out.

At first, Greg laughed it off, thinking he could charm his way out of it.

But then—she showed him the proof.

Photos. Messages. Recordings.

His entire web of lies unraveled in an instant.

She didn't scream. She didn't beg.

She simply said: "You're going to lose everything."

And she was right.

Divorce. Lawsuits. Scandal.

The company, unwilling to deal with the backlash, fired him.

The very job he had taken from someone else—gone.

He lost his home, his status, his money.

And finally—his freedom.

Because when the debts piled up, when there was nowhere left to turn—

Greg made a deal with the wrong people.

And they threw him into a prison where men like him didn't last long.

The Prison – A Hell of His Own Making

There was no escape.

And the prisoners knew it.

Night after night, they tormented him.

They whispered in his ear.

Told him things he didn't want to hear.

"You had everything, and you threw it away."

"Do you think the people you stepped on will ever forgive you?"

"You deserve worse."

Then one night—

As he lay on the cold stone floor, too weak to fight, too broken to care—

A breath ghosted against his ear.

A voice.

Soft. Familiar.

"It will happen again tomorrow."

His eyes snapped open.

A group of prisoners surrounded him. Watching. Waiting.

Greg tried to fight back.

But he was too weak.

A week passed, and the torment didn't stop.

For weeks, Greg tried to call his attorney, his family, his friends—

No one answered.

He was alone. Forgotten.

And then—

One day, as he desperately tried calling his friend, hoping someone—anyone—would pick up…

The line clicked.

A cold silence stretched across the receiver.

Then, a voice.

"Are you tired?"

Greg's breath hitched.

A shiver crawled up his spine.

And then—darkness.

The Awakening – A New Nightmare

The next time he opened his eyes, he expected to be in prison.

He expected fluorescent lights. The sterile air.

Instead—

He woke up in a massive bed, draped in the finest silk.

Sunlight streamed through towering stained-glass windows.

Golden chandeliers cast warm light upon the grand room.

Greg sat up, fingers pressing against the soft sheets.

This wasn't a prison.

His body still ached from the beatings, but this place… it was nothing like the hell he had been trapped in.

A knock on the door.

It opened before he could answer.

A row of servants—maids, butlers, and armored guards—bowed low.

Their voices rang in unison.

"Good morning, King Greg."

His breath caught in his throat.

A kingdom. A powerful kingdom.

And he—its ruler.

His nightmare had only just begun.

To Be Continued.