The ground was hot enough to scorch through thin leather, but Caleb had no shoes at all. Dusty sand bit into the raw cuts on his bare feet as he walked past the heavy wooden beams supporting the colosseum framing. Above him, thousands of voices roared like a swelling ocean, their cheers echoing off the ancient stone walls.

Caleb: I just need to get through this one round.

Guard: Keep moving, boy! The King doesn't like to be kept waiting!

Caleb flinched as the iron pike jabbed his shoulder, forcing him into the harsh Dallas-style sunlight. High in the royal box, King Aldrich sat beneath draped silk banners, sipping wine from a golden goblet. Beside him sat Lady Serena, her eyes wide with cold detachment.

King Aldrich: Look at him, Serena. A nameless orphan standing where champions died. A fitting end for someone who dared to trespass on royal land.

Lady Serena: Is it true he claims to have no memory of where he came from, Father?

King Aldrich: It matters little what a beggar claims. The beast will erase his past and his future in a single breath.

Caleb squinted up at the stands, his heart thumping wildly against his ribs. Sweat mixed with dust, running down his grimy cheeks in pale streaks. He reached down to touch his chest, feeling a sharp, strange heat beneath his ragged tunic.

Caleb: Why is it burning now? What is happening to me?

Suddenly, a massive iron horn sounded across the arena, cutting through the crowd's screaming. Across the dirt floor, two iron chains groaned as heavy wooden gates began to splinter. Dust exploded outward in a massive cloud, revealing a towering silhouette of black armor and red, glowing eyes.

Guard: Step forward, peasant! Your fight begins now!

Caleb: Wait... what is that thing?!

A deep, throat-rattling roar shook the earth beneath his feet, making the loose gravel jump. Caleb took a step back, but the heavy gates had already slammed shut behind him. He was completely trapped inside the arena ring.