Power is no longer won by armies. It’s taken in the arena.

in a future where global dominance is decided through ruthless tournaments, the weak are cast aside, and the desperate are turned into weapons. Behind the cheers of the crowds and the glory of the champions lies a darker truth- one built on blood, silence, and sacrifice.

From the shadows of a dying a nation and the ruins of forgotten promises, two lives are about to collide. Bound by loss. Driven by survival. And armed with nothing but a vow.

They called her Ghost in the underground.

No ones remembered when the name started. Maybe it was after her fifth straight win in the cage. Or maybe it was after she stopped speaking during matches.She was a blur of motion, a flicker of white hair and cold eyes, silent even when she struck, even when she bled.

She never lost.

Not once.

And not because she was the strongest.

Because she was most afraid to lose.

Losing didn’t just mean hunger- it meant punishment. A second round. A third. A week without sleep. Another injection that set your nerves on fire and made your bones feel like they were splintering from the inside out.sometimes it meant being dragged to the “ White Room,” where no one come back the same.

Kira didn’t want to know what was in the White Room.

So she won.

Over and over. For eleven years.

The underground facility had no name. The children just called it the Box. It was twenty levels deep, hidden en beneath sector 9’s district. Each level was colder than the one above, like the heat from the surface forgot to reach them.

The fighter slept in rows of steel cots. There were no doors, only bars. The lights buzzed constantly overhead- white, sterlie, too bright. They never turned off. Time didn’t pass the same way down here.

You weren’t allowed to ask for the time anyway.

You just waited for the sirens.

Three long tones meant feeding time.

Two shot ones meant training.

A single rising note meant it was fight night.

Kira could count her life by those sounds. Not in days or years, but in buzzes, blows, bruises, and blood.

And yet somehow, amidst all of it, there was Jin.

They were brought in the same year- Kira was six, Jin was five. At first, he was just another kid crying in the dark. Then one night, he crawled over to her cot, shivering from a fever,and asked if he could lie next to her because he missed his mom.

Kira hadn’t spoken to anyone in weeks. But she let him stay.

From then on they were inseparable.

Jin wasn’t strong. He was clever, curious, and had a quiet stubbornness that made the guards hate him. They piped him with same injections they gave everyone else- drugs that rewired bones, enchanced reflexes, forced growth. But Jin’s body broke instead of bending.

By the time he was fourteen, his hands trembled constantly. By fifteen, his heart would skip entire beats during matches. They started benching him, calling hi a failed batch. But Kira still called him friend.

They used to lie on the floor of their cell and stare at the ceiling, pretending the flickering lights in the vents were stars.

“See that one?” Jin would say, pointing. “ Bet it’s blue. Maybe green. I think they change color sometimes.”

Kira used to laugh at him for that . “They’re just bulbs. Flickering because the wiring sucks.”

“But what if they weren’t?” he’d grin. What if we’re really lying under the real sky and someone’s just playing a trick on us?”

Kira would always roll her eyes, but secretly… she hoped he was right.

Hope was dangerous, though. Hope made you think there was something waiting for you outside the Box.

Most kids who got hopeful either broke… or vanished.

The day Jin collapsed, everything was too quiet.

Kira had just returned from another her fight, her thirteenth win in a row. Her knuckles were raw, and her heart beat in time with the dull ache in her bones. The air in the underground facility felt colder than an usual, the lights buzzing above her like they were losing power. She’d seen it before-the way the lights would flicker and die in places no one dared to go. But it wasn’t just the lights today. It was her.

She felt empty.

Another win. Anotherher fight. Another week of food.

But when she reached their cell, she knew something was wrong. The door was open-just a crack. She never left it like that. Jin would never leave it like that.

“Jin?” She whispered, pushing the door open. Her pulse quickened.

He was lying on his cot, his back to her, a tangle of thin sheets around d his legs. His body trembled, his breathing shallow. Kira’s heart dropped into her stomach. She rushed to his side, her pulse a loud drum in her ears.

“Jin!” She said, her voice rising with panic. She shook him lightly, but he didn’t stir.

“Jin, wake up.”

His eyelids fluttered open, just enough for him to blink at her. His lips were cracked, his face pale. There was something wrong-something deep inside of him had gone terribly wrong.

“You won again,” he croaked, a weak smile flickering on his face. “ I knew you would.”

Kira took a step back, her chest tightening, “You’re not making sense. Jin, what’s happening? What’s wrong with you?”

His smile faltered. He tried to sit up, but his body seemed to betray him. His arms shook, his breath coming in short, painfully bursts.

“ I can’t…,” he gasped, his eyes gazed over. “It’s too much… The meds… They’re not working anymore.”

Kira’s stomach churned as she knelt beside him. Her hand hovered over his forehead. He was burning up-sweatingg through his shirt, his skin too hot to touch. She knew the signs. She had seen it before.

“Jin, no,” she whispered, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “You need a medic. They can help you.”

He shook his head weakly, but there was a faint, almost desperate laugh in his eyes. “It’s too late te for me. They”ll just take me to the White Room, like the others. The once they don’t want anymore.”

“No,” Kira said, her voice trembling.”You can’t-you can’t go to the White Room. We”ll fight this together. I won’t let them-“

But he cut her off with wheeze, his chest rattling. “You’ve always been strong, Kira. But you can’t save me. I’m broken. I’m already gone.”

She pressed her hand to his chest, feeling slow, uneven rhythm of his heartbeat. “Don’t say that. We’ll get out. I promised you, didn’t I? We’ll find a way.”

He managed a faint smile, but it was bittersweet. “You’ve already won, Kira. But me?” He coughed violently, and when the fit passed, he closed hiss eyes.

“ I don’t want to die here,” he whispered.

Kira didn’t know how to respond. She had no answers, only silence. A terrible silence that filled the room, wrapping around her like chains. She could feel the weight of thee walls pressing in, like they were closing around her.

“Promise me something,” Jin said suddenly, his voice weak but insistent.

Kira leaned closer, her eyes desperate. “Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll look up,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “ when you get out of here, look up at the stars. See them. They’re real, Kira. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wiped them away. She hated promises. She hated lies. But for Jin, she would make one.

“I’ll look up,” she whispered, she voice shaking. “I promise.”

Jin’s hand fell from her wrist, limp. His breathing slowed, become quieter, until there was nothing.

Kira set there, holding him’ long after we the life had left his body. She could feel the ache in her chest- the pain of something lost, something that could never come back. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, frozen, but eventually, she stood.

Jin had been her only friend. Her only family. And now he was gone.

But she wasn’t going to let his death be for nothing.

She wasn’t going to stay in this cage forever.

The day Jin collapsed, everything was too quiet.

Kira had just returned from another her fight, her thirteenth win in a row. Her knuckles were raw, and her heart beat in time with the dull ache in her bones. The air in the underground facility felt colder than an usual, the lights buzzing above her like they were losing power. She’d seen it before-the way the lights would flicker and die in places no one dared to go. But it wasn’t just the lights today. It was her.

She felt empty.

Another win. Another fight. Another week of food.

But when she reached their cell, she knew something was wrong. The door was open-just a crack. She never left it like that. Jin would never leave it like that.

“Jin?” She whispered, pushing the door open. Her pulse quickened.

He was lying on his cot, his back to her, a tangle of thin sheets around d his legs. His body trembled, his breathing shallow. Kira’s heart dropped into her stomach. She rushed to his side, her pulse a loud drum in her ears.

“Jin!” She said, her voice rising with panic. She shook him lightly, but he didn’t stir.

“Jin, wake up.”

His eyelids fluttered open, just enough for him to blink at her. His lips were cracked, his face pale. There was something wrong-something deep inside of him had gone terribly wrong.

“You won again,” he croaked, a weak smile flickering on his face. “ I knew you would.”

Kira took a step back, her chest tightening, “You’re not making sense. Jin, what’s happening? What’s wrong with you?”

His smile faltered. He tried to sit up, but his body seemed to betray him. His arms shook, his breath coming in short, painfully bursts.

“ I can’t…,” he gasped, his eyes glazed over. “It’s too much… The meds… They’re not working anymore.”

Kira’s stomach churned as she knelt beside him. Her hand hovered over his forehead. He was burning up-sweating through his shirt, his skin too hot to touch. She knew the signs. She had seen it before.

“Jin, no,” she whispered, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “You need a medic. They can help you.”

He shook his head weakly, but there was a faint, almost desperate laugh in his eyes. “It’s too late te for me. They”ll just take me to the White Room, like the others. The once they don’t want anymore.”

“No,” Kira said, her voice trembling.”You can’t-you can’t go to the White Room. We”ll fight this together. I won’t let them-“

But he cut her off with wheeze, his chest rattling. “You’ve always been strong, Kira. But you can’t save me. I’m broken. I’m already gone.”

She pressed her hand to his chest, feeling slow, uneven rhythm of his heartbeat. “Don’t say that. We’ll get out. I promised you, didn’t I? We’ll find a way.”

He managed a faint smile, but it was bittersweet. “You’ve already won, Kira. But me?” He coughed violently, and when the fit passed, he closed hiss eyes.

“ I don’t want to die here,” he whispered.

Kira didn’t know how to respond. She had no answers, only silence. A terrible silence that filled the room, wrapping around her like chains. She could feel the weight of the walls pressing in, like they were closing around her.

“Promise me something,” Jin said suddenly, his voice weak but insistent.

Kira leaned closer, her eyes desperate. “Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll look up,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “ when you get out of here, look up at the stars. See them. They’re real, Kira. There’s a whole world out there efe waiting for you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She hated promises. She hated lies. But for Jin, she would make one.

“I’ll look up,” she whispered, she voice shaking. “I promise.”

Jin’s hand fell from her wrist, limp. His breathing slowed, become quieter, until there was nothing.

Kira set there, holding him’ long after we the life had left his body. She could feel the ache in her chest- the pain of something lost, something that could never come back. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, frozen, but eventually, she stood.

Jin had been her only friend. Her only family. And now he was gone.

But she wasn’t. And she wasn’t going to let his death be for nothing.

She wasn’t going to stay in this cage forever.