Black Heart, White Soul

Death

The lights flashed and a tall man with a glossy black suit appeared in the center of the stadium. He looked old, yet skilled at the same time, and glare could make a lion back down.

His hand slowly rised, and the crowd gradually became silent leaving only a few whispers at the end.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" He bellowed in a coarse voice. " On behalf of our sponsors, we welcome you all to the 125th annual Colosseum competitions."

The man put up his finger and signaled his fellow workers to start unchaining the dragon.

"Now, after fifteen years of searching for someone to tame the rare mythic beast, will we finally find the one?"

A second finger went up, and a stream of people in hoods flooded out/

"My good friends, I bring to you twenty eligible contestants who have earned the privilege to try and control something that contains magnificent power."

He coughed and fixed his voice. "Now in just a few moments, you will all bear witness to true entertainment!"

The crowd went berserk and started demanding that the show start now. Those who were peacefully sitting were now squished and discomforted because of the lack of space for people.

Naomi was forced out of her concentration on the beast, and she started heading towards her father and mother.

"Mother," Naomi tugged her mothers dress. "What is going on?"

Agrina grinned and bent down to her knees. " Do you see that beast in chains over there?' she pointed. " People more powerful than your mommy and daddy want that thing tamed, so they can use it. Without it tamed, it's useless. That's why they have tournaments like these to find someone, but I must admit that it is quite brutal."

"Brutal?" Naomi asked.

"Well people die honey." She sighed.

Naomi's eyes widened and she sat down in the nearest seat. "They die?" She thought.

In the midst of thought and chaos, the man came out again. He raised the mic to his lips, "Now my dear people, let the show begin!"

Once more, the crowd roared and streamers flew throughout the entire Colosseum, but after a few moments, a man with a dark hood stepped up and everything became silent.

The cheering stopped and the people settled down into their seats. Everybody was anxious to see what was going to happen, especially Naomi.

Back in the center of the Colosseum, the chains of the dragon were took off and a cage rised up from the ground. The hooded man walked closer to the dragon, and only when he was fifty feet away from it did he lift the hood off his head.

His face appeared bright, but deprived of emotion. He looked like a middle aged man who had worked in coal mining for the past twenty years. He had a gritty beard and bright blue eyes, but nothing seemed irregular about him at first glance, yet he was there, right in the center with all the attention that he had never gotten before.

The spectators were silent and inch by inch the man stepped closer to the beast. Its scales were shining and it was more than ready for a quick snack. However it did not move. As the man approached the beast and was only ten feet away, he started slowing his pace. Inches became centimeters and his breathing was absolutely silent.

Naomi was at the edge of her toes as she was staring down into the suspense.

At only about a foot away, the man gently lifted his arm and aimed for the center of the dragons head right between the eyes. A large huff was heard from the beast, but the man didn't move. The tips of his fingers lightly touched its heads and he whispered, " sanguinem".

The dragon's eyes widened and it rose from the ground staring down at the man who was now frozen in fear.

As the dragon reaches full stance, the man fell backwards into the dusty ground beneath him and the crowds anxiousness rose.

"Mommy?" Naomi tugged her mothers shirt again, "what's happening to that man?"

Agrina petted Naomi's head and sighed. " sweetheart you don't have to watch this if you don't want to, but that man couldn't tame the beast so now he has to fight it in order to survive. This is where the entertainment really comes in."

Naomi looked down at the floor and pushed away from her mother so she could focused on the man who had to fight for his life.

"Run," she whispered.

The man had no weapon on him, but even if he had one, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
The dragons wings were starting to spread and it's eyes became fierce. The anxiety in the air started to rise and no one seemed to look away.

The man dropped his hands to the floor and started crawling away as fast as he could without making any sudden movements. The gritty earth beneath him gave him solid ground, and In his mind he was going through the options that he could take, but none would guarantee his life.

"I have to run." He thought.

His muscles tightened and his veins could be seen right through his pale white skin. He had one chance to get away and grab a sword sticking on the walls of the arena.

"On the count of three," he said to himself.

"One, two, three!"

His hands clutched the earth and his body flipped so that his legs could cross and go into sprinting position. His body lifted off and dust showered behind him.
His movements were fierce and his mind was focused. "Run" he thought. nothing else, just "run".
The spectators hearts were beating with anticipation, but the dragon had still not moved. It just stood there and watched the man scamper away desperate for his life. The dragon continued to stare until the man grabbed the sword near the edge of the Colosseum. Suddenly, it's wings flared up and it's head reached for the sky. It was ready to fight. The dragon lowered its head down again and huffed with heavy smoke coming out of its mouth. It's claws dug into the ground and prepared itself for combat. The battle was about to begin.
The old man successfully managed to take hold of a sword, but his hands still shook in fear. "What am I doing here?!" He thought. He felt the presence of the dragon piercing through his skin and making its way to his heart.
Without hesitation, the beast sprung it's head forward aiming for the man. The man didn't move. He stood paralyzed the entire time.

The crowds expression showed disappointment.
"Boo!" They cried.
Naomi looked towards her uncle who simply sat down in his chair, and walked over to him.
"Uncle, why is everyone booing? And where'd the man go."
Claud focused his head downwards. "He died honey, the dragon ate 'em."
Naomi bit her lip and ran back to the the wall to see the dragon.
She glared down at it with suspicion, and saw the blood dripping down from from the beasts mouth.
"It killed him." she bit her lip.
Steadily, the old conductor came out again in his glossy suit.
"Well my friends, I am sorry to have disappointed you. We thought he would've lasted longer, but sadly we were wrong."

The man lifted his finger into the air and signaled for the next person in line to come in. It was a child. 

The person coming out from the line and into the center of the arena was only around four and a half feet high. 

Naomi focused her gaze down towards the boy and tried to get a glimpse of his hidden face. 

"I think I know him," Naomi whispered.