The small cave that was shrouded by doom and gloom yesterday was now glowing like a heavenly deity in the piercing daylight. It was high noon already, and the clouds have dispersed into their own whereabouts, while the smooth river stones, stalagmites, and stalactites reflected the gentle sunlight that graced upon them. The old man in the cave was finishing up tying smoked fish into bunches, which he prepared yesterday. His old hands looked weak and shabby, but the dexterity that they exhibited far surpassed the typical speed of an average human hand. In another twenty seconds or so, the old man was done.
He peered over his shoulder to see his grandson sleeping away. His small chest rose and fell as he drew breath and released it. His round face was paired with a small thumb in his mouth. The old man walked closer and squatted down towards the ground. His hand reached out and stroked the soft light brown hair of the child. Slowly, Vincent's eyes struggled to open. The old man chuckled, "Vincent, time to get up." He was so used to seeing his grandson acting above his own age that he sometimes forgot that he was only two.
"Mmm... Grandpa do I have to get up?" Vincent asked sleepily.
His Grandpa responded, "Don't you want to go to the city?"
With that, Vincent's eyes shot open. "The city! We're going to the city?!"
"If you get up, then we can." Vincent tossed open his sleeping bag and pushed himself up to his feet. The old man also stood up. If one were to see the sight, the child would be up to the old man's knees. But, both walked in a confident and uplifting manner.
"Are we going to get more supplies?" Vincent asked. The only other time he remembered stepping into the city was around five or six months ago. At the time, his grandpa took him to see a simple appliance store to get the essential materials they needed to live in the forest.
"We are going to get supplies, but we're also going to get you a little present."
"But, why?"
The old man gave him a peculiar gaze, "It will be your birthday soon, won't it?"
Vincent looked down at his feet as if he were embarrassed. He said, "I... don't know when my birthday is."
The old man let out a sigh, "Vincent your birthday is the fifth of April. Now, remember that, okay? Your birthday will be very important in the city."
"Ok."
The old man then gestured to Vincent to follow him out of the cave. He told him to leave his things behind as they would retreat to the cave after the day's journey. The city itself was not far; it was only a couple of hours away, so most people could walk to it. But, It was not that simple. The reason it took the whole day was because of the arduous mountains that surround the city. One had to hike over them, and that feat itself would take some two days. Hence, the old man packed bundles of smoked fish to consume.
The Grandfather-Grandson duo was standing in juxtaposition near the entrance of the cave. The old man reached down and tapped Vincent on the shoulder. "Remember to stay close to me throughout the trip, okay?"
Vincent eagerly replied, "OK!"
With that clarified, they both simultaneously stepped outside.
The weather outside was superb. It was a cloudless sky, and the sun radiated brightly. There was a cool breeze every once in a while to counter-balance the hot environment. The trees were still budding at their tips, and the flowers were almost in full bloom. Vincent inhaled deeply and took in the sweet smell of spring.
The old man also did the same but continued to move forward at a slow but steady pace. Vincent followed suit. They both followed a ruined trail that was filled partially with small pebbles that eroded away throughout the years. The air still but comforting, and the birds provided a nice uplifting harmony as they chirped in unison. The old man and Vincent talked and laughed about the things that they knew and the things that they wanted to know. Vincent was the most intrigued whenever his grandfather rambled because his grandfather always knew the answers to all of his questions. He knew the way that the world worked, moved, and sustained itself. Sometimes he would go on in long rants about how the human race has polluted and looted the world of its gift. And instead of being thankful, they pursued more, consumed by greed. Vincent couldn't follow along most of the time, but he would be able to pick up a few ideas here and there making his own fun of it.
They walked, strolled, and ran through the high grasses and steep hillsides until they reached a humongous gate near the foot of the mountain. There was a small brick cub with windows protruding from all angles. A man, wearing a dull orange uniform, sat in a cushioned chair. He was watching people fighting each other on a large holographic screen. Vincent had seen wild animals fight, so he was not startled by the violence that was displayed on the screen. Bull moose exchange antlers and cougars pounce on one another, but this type of fighting was different. They were human, first off, but they seemed to have elevated senses. A woman in a tight black shirt and dress narrowly dodged a bullet while being completely unfazed by it. Rather, she continued running at incredible speeds towards the source of ammo. More and more bullets were fired at her, but she still dodged all of them. One by one, she moved her head, her torso, her legs at such speed that average people would think that the bullets went straight through her. When she was around three meters away from the enemy, she kicked herself off the ground and somersaulted into the air. She made her way through the air and landed a kick on the machine firing the bullets, which was now visible as the camera rotated it into view. The machine's long barrel was bent into a ninety-degree angle. The woman's blonde hair swayed back and forth as she calmly walked back while directly facing the machine. The machine detected her being only five meters away, so it fired around. Vincent's eyes widened when he was that the machine burst into thousands of small pieces. The bullets built up too much-unreleased pressure inside the machine, leading towards its own destruction. A man was behind the machine was confined within a glass room. Vincent could see the fear in his eyes as he stepped out to face the blonde-haired woman.
The old man stepped forward to the cube-shaped building. "Excuse me young man would you allow us to pass through the gates?" he asked.
The young man in the dull orange uniform was glued to the holographic screen. The old man went a little closer to the glass and knocked on it. Only then did the man inside swerve his cushioned chair to face the old man. "If you would like to pass, then you must take the examination," he eyed the shabby-looking clothes of the child and the old man.
The old man nodded his head. He beckoned Vincent to come closer. "Yes, I know the procedure." The young man slid on a pair of baby-blue latex gloves and prepared a small machine. His eyes were glued to the battle the entire time.
Vincent couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Mister, Mister, what are you watching on the Holovision?" He did not exactly know what a Holovision was, but he was able to guess thanks to his grandfather explaining it to him several weeks before.
The young man looked at Vincent with bewilderment in his eyes. He spoke with much emotion, "You don't know what this is?! This battle that is playing on the Holovision is one of the many that happen on Ceandor Island!"
Vincent showed a hint of confusion, "What's Ceandor Island?"
The young man was utterly shocked. He looked at the old man and said, "What are teaching him?" He then looked back at the kid. "Ceandor Island is the place where the Grey Corporation holds their annual tournament. People come from all over the world to participate. The winner gets global recognition as well as seventeen million credits as a prize. But, seventeen million is nothing compared to all the money they get for commercials, and adverts..." he kept rambling.
The old man made a loud noise from behind Vincent. *Cough* *cough*. The young man snapped back to his senses and brought out a small wooden stick. The old man opened his mouth and the wooden stick reached in to scrape the upper part of his mouth. The man then loaded the wooden stick into the machine that he had prepped. "Alright, you're next," he said to Vincent. Vincent opened his mouth and copied what his grandfather did. The man enacted the same procedure and put a second stick into a second compartment of the machine. The machine showed a small digitalized loading screen. The green bar progressed very fast, and the machine beeped when the scan was over. The man looked at the numbers displayed on the screen and nodded his head to himself. "You're all set to go," he looked up at the two of them. "Where these bands and show them to the guards outside the city gate," he handed the two of them a green and white band, "it's a new protocol." He smiled at them and waved them off into the mountain.
The old man looked back at the Holovision and slightly frowned. Vincent noticed this, "What's wrong Grandpa?"
His grandfather looked down at him and changed his expression. He, then, said, "Nothing little one. Would you like to climb on my back? You've already walked very far on your own."
Vincent looked down at his tired legs. "Sure."
He climbed onto his grandfather's back, and the old man started to move.