"Congratulations on your first successful mission Klaus, your father and I are so proud of you."
That was my peak of happiness.
Feeling pride in successfully completing a basic spying mission.
My family had always worked for the government and brought up their children as top class spies since they were born.
I was no different.
For as long as I can remember I had always been studying, training and refraining, no emotions were allowed, even if I longed for my parents approval I couldn't show any of that.
And the irony of it all was: I got my freedom when I got my death sentence.
Being abandoned by my family I thought I gained true happiness.
I guess I was just lying to myself, thinking I could be the happiest without them while I clearly wanted them to love me. What a psychopath I am.
Inside the empty room, I could only check myself and wait for what would have been my mission/torture. I had my original body, at my peak condition, and nothing different from what I remembered.
Blond hair, green eye, a toned body built for swiftness and stealth, even my clothes were those of the moment I completed my mission. Checking my hidden pockets I found a few stashes of poisoned darts, none to kill, only to subdue, extract knowledge and grant amnesia to my target.
Of course I had plentiful of hidden blades all over my body for self defence, even if I never actually used them.
Poison was my forte after all.
Continuing my check up I noticed something that shook me to the core.
There was not an ounce of mana in this body.
It really is my original body hahaha, this will be terrible.
Still looking around myself and trying to figure out what I was supposed to do, I remembered Odysseus parting words.
"System, what is my mission?"
[Kalus Damocles is being challenged by The Boar who roars]
[taking possession of the body of one of His prospect Avatars, the constellation declares a challenge to prove you are worthy of that body]
[win 5 or more challenges in the Arena:
•reward - full authority on Dimitris body, a skill from the domain of the challenger;
•penalty on failure - death]
[during the challenge you will retain all your abilities as a member of the Damocles family and you are forbid to respond to the name "Dimitris"]
This bastard, how am I to survive in battles against people who can use mana and aura with just poison darts and some blades here and there?!
[The Boar who roars laughs at your cowardice, claiming a poisonous bastard like you is unworthy of the body of his warrior]
"Shut your mouth. I didn't ask to be brought here. Condemn yourself for your warrior died miserably. I'm not cursing your family only for I respect your mother deeply. Thank her you disgusting war hungry pig."
[The Boar who roars sacrifices a part of his probability to inflict a penalty on you]
[your probability is high, the penalty is reduced.]
[you are unable to speak during your first 4 matches.]
[you are only allowed to speak the original 7 languages you know]
What kind of penalty is this, not like I need to speak to anyone anyway.
__________________________
-Odysseus' POV-
[you are being challenged by the Realest Hourglass figure]
[love you killed and love you'll kill]
[Find Dimitris in the midst of all gladiators.]
[you are the judge of matches, you hold the power to kill or save.
While understanding who Dimitri exactly is either save him if he loses or make him kill]
[reward: fragment of Dimitris' memories
Failure: the constellation will lock Dimitris' ability to love]
This can't be as easy as it seams. If the curse of time is the same for all of us, he'll just be in his body of our first night together, just like me. But then again… his memories.
I need to win this challenge.
[the first match has been found, please don't move during transportation to the arena. Remember to judge fairly]
In the middle of the arena stood a blond man with otherworldly black clothes wrapping around his body like shadows completely unarmed, no sword, no shield, no bow.
Well, this will be easy…
Against the tall blonde man stood an half giant only covered with a beast hide wrapping around his wait, holding a war axe.
There was no chance for the poor man.
Then the voice of the Arena exploded.
[Mr. Damocles, specialty: stealth; against gladiator Urx, specialty: war axe combat!
Please begin!]
Even his specialty is weak, I almost pity him.
No way he's Dimitris.
Of course I couldn't be sure since the curse of time could be anything, but my Dimitris would never be a lowly assassin, he'd be a proud warrior. I did give him his sword after all.
The match begin, but against all logic, the blonde man was holding up fine.
Slippery like a heel and dancing like a feather he evaded each and every strike of the gladiator, slowly but surely the battle was trailing in unexpected direction.
____________________________
-Klaus' POV-
How can this giant be so slow…? Sure you're enormous, but shouldn't your strength match your speed?
I was unknowingly making fun of my opponent, dancing like we were in a ballroom I didn't give him space to touch me on the off-chance that a single strike would be enough to directly kill me.
After sometimes seeing my opponent's stamina wasn't draining whatsoever, I decided it was time to put an end to this clownery.
Reaching inside my vest I grabbed 3 darts.
These were anaesthetic, paralysing and sleeping darts, since I wasn't sure what could work against such a figure I just thought of using the most basic K.O. Darts of all times.
The first dart found his way to the neck of my enemy, anestesia was after all the most important part of my plan, if I could upset his pain receptors, he wouldn't even be able to understand where or what hit him.
Gladiator Urx reached to his neck and removed the dart scoffing, but it was already to late.
He didn't even realise when 2 other darts found their way on his back.
Slowly but surely the match was reaching its end and after a couple of minutes of continuous dance between me and Urx, the half-giant suddenly fell to the ground.
I guess poison works on this big guy.
The arena exploded, cheers coming from all direction until instant silence descended.
I looked around to find the verdict of the judge, I knew how a colosseum works and how the judge holds the life and death of the fighters.
Finally I found Odysseus, a little younger than what he should be, and relief washed over me.
Surely he won't make me kill someone, I did basically nothing to give a chance to this man.
I was happy, the man would live.
[The judge has declared the death of the loser.]
What…?
Hatred engulfed me. How could this man so easily decide to kill someone?! Was that his quest? To kill everyone?! I locked eyes with him. Cursed him with my full heart and turned away.
Reality was atrocious, this world really stands on the rule of strength.
It's kill or be killed Klaus. You must survive no matter what.
I had never killed in my entire life.
Sure some of my mission brought even a worse fate than death to some people, but it was always deserved in my book.
Now however, I was about to kill an innocent man.
Why? Why gods? Why can't I live normally?
I knelt before the man who was about to be killed and while he muttered something smiling I could do nothing but start crying.
While tears fell uncontrollably from my eyes I brought my hands together in a silent prayer.
Please God, have mercy of my and this poor man's souls, for I don't deserve forgiveness I am sure he should be able to join your eternal light. I may have lived cursing the idea I had of you, never believed in your existence, but please, please. Forgive me.
Taking out another Anaesthetic dart I put the liquid in his body, I at least wanted to grant him as a painless death as possible.
After that I retrieved a blade from my sleeve and slashed his throat.
Turning away, still crying I could do nothing but puke. Everything was wrong. How could this be right?
How could life be so worthless?
I was a mess.
I should have stayed in Troy, I should have found a way to stay out of this mess no metter what.
Desperate I couldn't even hear the loud boos from the audience annoyed at my display of human emotions.
Until finally light embraced me.
[the Angel of Death forgives you and assures that your plea has been listened]
Still crying, I turned my face to the Heavens.
Thank God, thank Azrael
And then, together with the light I disappeared and was brought back to my room.
[your first match has ended, get ready for your next match tomorrow]
___________________________
-Odysseus POV-
What an unexpected situation, the weak looking man executed a dance so beautiful, yet deathly, each step calculated to evade every single strike to perfection and then those strange looking spikes!
Is he a poisoner?
Something was stirring within me. It was hard to focus on anything that wasn't that man.
Mr. Damocles, I shall respect your honor.
Judging for the death of his opponent while looking that man in his eye, I saw a transformation I could have never expected. From something similar to approval to pure hatred. I could feel being cursed at.
He didn't want this? But what about the honor then?
The man full of hatred turned back and approached his enemy, knelt and started crying uncontrollably.
Is he someone he knows, why isn't he saying anything?
He took out another spike, punctured his arm and after a minute of what seemed a strange prayer, still crying, he slashed his throat.
The reaction was immediate.
As soon as he turned from the sight of his enemy dying he started puking.
And then light descended, embracing the man who was still crying and bringing him out of the Arena.
The matches resumed but no traces of Dimitris could be found.
He either has been transformed or didn't have a match scheduled today.
My mind was split, on one side was the desire to find Dimitris as soon as possible, on the other hand he could help but think of that man, mr. Damocles as the system called him. Didn't seem normal at all.
Was it his first time killing? Does he simply not care for the honour of a warrior? I need to make him understand that in this world is kill or be killed.
As my patron has taught me, you shouldn't spare an enemy that can come back stronger to bring trouble. I'm going to break you mr. Damocles, so that you can survive.
The next day came and soon the battles begun. I came to know that this was not the only arena on this island and begun to be afraid that I would not be able to see either Dimitris nor Mr. Damocles. Only after half a day one of the man he was waiting for showed up.
[Mr. Damocles, specialty: stealth; against Amazon Xena, specialty: bow - long ranged fighter!
Please begin!]
Let's see how you fare against long distances.
But the battle ended faster then anyone could imagine.
As soon as the arrows were released, Damocles rushed forward and destroyed each arrow coming his way with blades coming out from his wrists or elbows, and as soon as he was in range he shot 5 of his poisonous spikes, mercilessly bringing down his enemy in less than 20 seconds.
He immediately turned to me with bloodshot eye, but still full of expectation.
I'm sorry Damocles, you must learn to kill before it's too late.
[the judge has declared the death of the loser]
As soon as those words took form in front of his eyes, tears started flowing once again.
This time he didn't kneel to pray. He took out 3 more spikes and gently inserted them in the wrists of the Amazon. Waited a few minutes and when the system declared the death of the woman he once again was embraced by light and brought away.
This whole time, tears never ceased to flow and never once he broke eye contact with me declaring his hatred is a deafening silence.
You are too soft Damocles, you won't survive this way.
_____________________________
-Klaus' POV-
WHY DID HE MAKE ME KILL AGAIN?
I was furious. I thought he was the peak of humanity.
Turns out he's just a bastard who doesn't value life at all. That disgusting woman of Athena will surely be happy.
[The angel of Death is full of sorrow for you]
[The angel of Death declares that Odysseus is right, you should respect the honour of a warrior.]
"DON'T YOU DARE! WHAT USE HAS HONOUR FOR THE DEAD?"