Chapter 30: A Brother's Bond
The photograph lay in Ryo's lap long after the dawn crept in through the barred window.
He hadn't slept. Couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ren—not the brother he remembered, but the cold, unreadable enforcer Kael had described. The serum didn't just infect the body—it hollowed the soul. And now Ryo had to ask himself the question that burned deepest:
What if Ren didn't want saving?
A knock broke the silence.
It wasn't a guard. The knock was hesitant, almost respectful.
Ryo opened the door to find a fighter he barely knew—Kana, a quiet, sharp-eyed girl who rarely spoke outside the ring. Her hair was cropped close, her arms tattooed with what looked like tribal markings. She clutched something to her chest—a small pouch made of old cloth.
"He told me to give this to you," she said, her voice nearly a whisper.
"Who?" Ryo asked.
"Goro."
Ryo stiffened. Goro was the last person Ren had fought before vanishing from the arena rotation. Rumors said he had lost. Others said he had vanished. But no one knew for sure—until now.
Kana opened the pouch and carefully removed a small, bloodstained notebook.
"This was all they found in his cell. He made me promise to keep it safe until the time was right."
Ryo took it. The cover was torn, pages singed at the edges. But inside…
It was Goro's journal.
"Entry 14: I've seen him again—Ren. He's not the same. His eyes don't blink like ours. He walks like a shadow with skin. They say he doesn't sleep. Doesn't bleed. But I saw something else... just for a second, during our match. I hit him—hard—and he hesitated. His hand trembled. He looked like he remembered something."
"Entry 19: I spoke to him in private. Called him 'Takeda.' He didn't correct me. He didn't kill me. He just said one word: 'Ryo.' Then he walked away."
"Entry 24: They're sending me to the arena again tomorrow. I know I won't come back. But I'm leaving this for Ryo. If he's still out there… tell him his brother is still in there somewhere. Buried. But not gone."
Ryo's hands trembled as he closed the journal.
That single word—Ryo—etched by a brother who had been devoured by darkness, was enough.
Ren remembered him. Even after all the conditioning, the experiments, the manipulation…
A part of him was still fighting.
"Thank you," Ryo whispered.
Kana nodded, eyes glassy. "Goro believed in you. Said you'd be the one to finish what he started."
Ryo clutched the notebook to his chest. "I will."
Later that day, the announcer's voice echoed through the Maw:
"New matchup: Ryo Takeda versus The Crimson Gauntlet… Prepare to enter the arena."
Ryo stood at the threshold of the gate, his mind spinning with fire and fury.
Taro approached, tightening the straps on Ryo's gauntlets.
"You're not the same as when you arrived," he said.
Ryo smirked faintly. "No. I'm worse."
Taro chuckled. "Good. You'll need it. The Crimson Gauntlet isn't just a fighter. He's one of them—part of Ren's elite."
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "Perfect. He'll have answers."
The arena roared as Ryo stepped onto the sand.
Across from him stood a mountain of muscle encased in armor—The Crimson Gauntlet. His fists were wrapped in red steel, and scars laced his exposed torso like battle trophies.
The bell rang.
Ryo barely waited.
He surged forward, a blur of speed and fury. His first strike hit the Gauntlet's jaw with bone-cracking force—but the man didn't budge.
Instead, he grinned.
"So, you're the brother," he growled, voice like gravel. "I can see it in your eyes. That same fire."
Ryo ducked a swing and leapt back.
"What did they do to him?" he barked. "Where is Ren?!"
Gauntlet laughed—a harsh, mocking sound.
"He's stronger than ever. He's not your brother anymore. He chose this."
"No," Ryo snarled. "You broke him."
Another clash—this time faster, heavier. Sparks flew as steel met flesh. The Gauntlet's strikes shattered the ground, but Ryo weaved through them like wind.
He struck the giant's ribs, knees, and throat—anywhere he could find flesh. But with every blow, the Gauntlet only grinned wider.
"Ren is leading the next phase," he hissed. "Recruiting the strong. Culling the weak. And when the time comes…"
He lunged—Ryo barely dodged in time.
"…he'll be the one standing above your corpse."
Ryo's anger exploded.
He unleashed a flurry of strikes so fast they blurred. The crowd gasped as the Gauntlet's armor cracked, as blood sprayed the sand.
And finally—with one devastating upward strike to the jaw—the Gauntlet crumpled.
Ryo stood over him, chest heaving.
"Tell your masters," he said coldly, "I'm coming for my brother."
Back in his chamber, bruised and bloodied, Ryo stared at the photo once more.
There was still hope.
Ren wasn't gone. He wasn't lost.
Just buried.
And Ryo would tear down the Maw brick by brick to reach him.
Because blood made you related…
But the bond they shared made them brothers.
And nothing—not serum, not monsters, not death itself—would stop him from saving Ren.