MIRROR CAGE – CHAPTER 10: FLESH AND MASKS
"Pain is a currency. In Kingsvale, it's how you pay your dues."
[Evening – Kingsvale Institute Underground Arena]
The underground arena was nothing like the polished gymnasium above. Here, beneath layers of concrete and secrecy, the walls pulsed with raw energy. The crowd wasn't students—it was the real Kingsvale: sponsors, elites, shadowy benefactors. And they weren't here for sportsmanship.
They wanted blood.
Elijah stood beneath the red floodlights, shirt off, shoulders relaxed, but every muscle tense beneath the surface.
Across from him stood Cain Lee, a fourth-year student known for his brutal, almost sadistic fighting style. A scholarship brawler sponsored by a private corporate family.
Cain cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Heard you were special. Hope you bleed different too."
Elijah didn't respond. His jaw locked tight. This wasn't about bravado. It was about survival.
[Switch POV – Naomi, Watching from the Shadow Booth]
Naomi watched from the upper box, arms folded, face emotionless. Her eyes flicked between the VIPs and Elijah.
She tapped her comms.
"Cole's in. Cain's posturing. Odds are 3 to 1 against him."
A voice crackled back. "That'll change. Especially if he wins ugly."
She didn't reply. But her fingers twitched. She'd studied Elijah's fights. The boy was a paradox: quiet rage in motion.
And she'd seen something no one else had. A vanishing trick—too clean to be coincidence.
[Fight Begins – Chaos Unleashed]
The bell rang.
Cain exploded forward, fists swinging like sledgehammers. He aimed for the head, the throat, the ribs—trying to end it fast.
Elijah ducked, sidestepped, then pivoted low, jabbing twice into Cain's liver before bouncing back.
The crowd roared.
Cain grinned wider. Blood painted his bottom lip.
"You hit like a bitch."
Elijah didn't speak. He surged forward, slipped inside Cain's guard, and slammed a brutal knee into his stomach. Cain wheezed but caught Elijah's arm and flung him sideways into the cage.
Metal screeched. Elijah hit hard, vision tunneling for a split second.
[Internal Monologue – Elijah]
I can't switch here. Cameras. Eyes. Too many eyes.
He coughed blood, wiped his mouth.
But I need more. Push harder.
Cain was already charging again, right hook raised—
—Elijah twisted beneath it, grabbed Cain's thigh, and used his momentum to flip him.
Cain crashed to the mat.
The crowd howled.
[Final Clash – Raw Brutality]
Cain roared, his right eye swollen shut, and threw a looping haymaker.
Elijah stepped into it.
Took the hit.
Pain cracked across his skull like thunder.
He twisted with the blow, using the rotation to land an uppercut straight into Cain's chin.
Cain staggered. Elijah lunged again, elbow-first, driving the joint into Cain's temple.
Crack.
Cain crumpled.
Silence.
Then the crowd erupted.
[Aftermath – Blood on the Floor]
Elijah stood over Cain's unconscious body, breathing hard, arms limp. He didn't celebrate.
He stared at the VIP section.
They weren't clapping.
They were analyzing.
[Backstage – Naomi Meets Elijah]
She caught up to him just past the med bay. His nose was bleeding, his knuckles raw.
"You were reckless."
"I won."
"You exposed your limits. They're going to study you now."
He met her eyes. "Let them."
Naomi hesitated. "You need allies. Real ones."
"I don't trust anyone."
"You will. Eventually."
He didn't reply. He didn't trust himself, let alone her. Not with this secret.
[System Update – Hidden Interface]
Trait Evolved: Calculated Calm → Ruthless EdgeEffect: Bonus to combat decisions when under stress. Increases pain threshold by 20%.
Hidden Meter Updated:Market Value Index: +9.4 pointsPerceived Dominance: Rising
[Closing Scene – Night, City View]
Back in his apartment, Elijah stood in the darkness, bruised and bloodied.
He looked at his reflection in the window: the perfect face.
Then, with a thought, he shifted—returning to the original. The weak one. The invisible one.
He staggered back. The pain was worse in this skin.
He sat on the floor, back to the wall.
Who am I winning for?
No answers came.
Only silence.