Ty leaned his head back against the wall, his thoughts drifting. He didn't know how long they would last in this arena. He didn't know what awaited them in the next round, or if they would even make it that far. But for now, they had survived. For now, they had a mont of quiet.
But even in the quiet, the creature stirred.
The sky outside was darkening, the last remnants of daylight fading into the horizon. Ty's eyes fluttered open as he heard the soft hum of a drone outside. It was barely audible, but he could sense it—a reminder that they were still being watched, still part of the spectacle.
Suddenly, there was a faint beep, and one of the drones hovered just outside the window, its red eye glowing as it relayed a ssage.
"Attention. Funds have been transferred to the sponsors of Squad 2: Assassination Squad. Current balance: 127,000 credits."
Ty frowned, the hollow feeling in his chest growing. Blood money. That's all it was. They were killing for sport, and the sponsors were profiting from it. He didn't know how much longer he could stomach this ga.
But he had no choice. Not if he wanted to survive.
- anwhile JJ and Blue before the Arena started -
The crypt was cold and musty, the kind of chill that seeped into your bones, leaving you feeling unwelco. JJ hesitated at the entrance, the flickering light from her lantern casting long shadows along the stone walls. She tightened her cloak around her shoulders, the weight of the unknown pressing heavily on her.
She hadn't expected to end up here, deep underground, following the faint traces of a rumor that had almost seed too absurd to be true.
"Are we sure about this?" JJ whispered, her voice barely above a breath. Her eyes scanned the dark, stone alcoves that stretched endlessly before her.
At her side, Blue fluttered nervously, her wings glowing faintly, providing just enough light to reveal the path ahead. "I've got to say, this place feels… off. But I'm telling you, JJ. I've seen that skeleton before," Blue insisted, her tone a mixture of awe and concern.
JJ frowned. "You're sure? How can that be possible? You said this was Ty's body, but… how?"
Blue hovered closer to the crypt entrance, peering deeper into the shadows. "I traveled with him when he was like that… when he was nothing but bones," Blue explained, her voice soft with a mixture of nostalgia and concern. "This is him. I'd recognize it anywhere."
The weight of Blue's words sank in as JJ led the way further into the crypt. It wasn't just a rumor anymore—this was sothing far more significant. Sothing that could change everything they thought they knew about Ty.
"I don't understand," JJ murmured, moving deeper into the underground labyrinth. "If this is Ty's original body, then what does it an? How can he still be alive in his current form if his skeleton is here?"
Blue fluttered beside her, the tension in her tiny fra palpable. "I don't have all the answers," she admitted, her voice growing softer as they neared the chamber. "But I know that body. And if it's here… it ans sothing big."
As they descended deeper into the crypt, the air grew colder, the shadows thicker, and the eerie silence more oppressive. The stone steps were worn with age, and the ancient runes lining the walls seed to pulse faintly with a forgotten energy. JJ's heart raced in her chest, the realization of what they were about to uncover making her feel both excited and terrified.
At last, they reached the final chamber. It was small, almost claustrophobic, with a single stone slab standing at the center. On it lay the skeleton—Ty's original body. The black bones were stark against the pale stone, and there was sothing unnatural about them, sothing that radiated a faint, otherworldly energy.
Blue's wings flickered brightly as she fluttered toward the skeleton, her expression serious. "It's him, JJ. I'm sure of it. This is Ty's body."
JJ's breath caught in her throat as she stepped closer, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I don't… I don't understand," she whispered, her fingers trembling as she reached out to touch the bones. "How can this be?"
Blue hovered beside her, her tiny face tight with concern. "I don't know all the details, but I do know one thing—Ty didn't just leave this body behind by choice. Sothing happened. And if we don't figure it out soon, he might be in more danger than we thought."
JJ nodded, her mind racing as she pieced together the fragnts of what she knew about Ty's past. The Demon Tribe, the crypt, the skeleton—it all pointed to sothing much larger than she had imagined. She knelt beside the skeleton, inspecting the markings on the bones. Faint runes were etched into the ribs, the spine, and the skull—symbols of protection, warning, and binding.
"These are Demon Tribe symbols," JJ whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. "They were trying to protect sothing… or soone."
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Blue hovered closer, her wings fluttering nervously. "Ty needs to know about this," she said urgently. "He needs to know what's been hidden from him. If this is his original body, there's no telling what it could an for him."
JJ nodded. "You're right. He has to know." She stood, her fingers brushing the cold bones one last ti. "Go. Go tell him. He needs to know everything we've found."
Blue hesitated, glancing between JJ and the skeleton. "Are you sure you'll be okay here? This place feels… wrong."
JJ forced a smile, though the weight of the crypt was starting to settle heavily on her shoulders. "I'll be fine. Just go. Tell Ty everything."
Blue nodded, her expression serious as she zipped toward the exit of the crypt. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she called over her shoulder before disappearing into the shadows.
Now alone, JJ stood in the silence of the crypt, the cold air pressing in around her. She turned back to the skeleton, her mind racing. There were so many questions, so many things she didn't understand. What had happened to Ty? Why had he left this body behind? And what did it an for him now?
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