Kozuna
What… the hell?
I groaned into the ground, slowly blinking through blurry vision and struggling to push myself up.
What happened? Where the FUCK am I now?
I barely looked around before I heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Hey, you, you're finally awake. Took you a few days to come to."
I twisted to my right until facing the other cell. Another guy was there, lying on a stone-slab bed and staring at the ceiling. He had an interesting appearance that screamed of abnormality, but in a fascinating way.
My stomach growled as loudly as it could. I hadn't even said a word yet.
"They left some scraps by the door."
How the hell did I end up in a cellblock?
"Hey, uhh, who are you? And where are we?" I scratched at my dusty hair. "Everything's kinda fuzzy right now."
"Side effect of your curse, maybe." The other prisoner sat up in his bed and banged on the sandstone wall. "Anyway, this fuckin' shithole is Sand Tower. You know, the maximum-security prison, where you Ozukashi just love house curse wielders against their will?"
Doesn't take more than a glance to realize it's just us up here. How long has he been locked up?
"Kinda figured you had a curse, too."
"Pfft. I wonder what gave it away."
I rolled my eyes. "So, you gonna tell me your name? Don't think I recognize you."
"You wouldn't, and my name's none of your damn business. I'm 'bout sick of your fucking clan."
I get it now. Can't blame him. Guess I'd be pissed too.
"Fair. I'm not particularly fond myself. "I breathed deeply, grabbed the plate of food, and took a seat on my own rock-hard bed. "Don't gotta tell me your name, but I'll tell you a little bit about myself-"
"Didn't ask-"
"Don't fuckin' care," I quickly retorted. I could already tell the kind of person I was dealing with. "I'm Kozuna Ozukashi. Got a seal on my left hand, and as far as I know, the curse gives me the power to move extremely fast, and hit explosively hard."
My fellow prisoner's stale gaze didn't shift at all. "BOOORRIIING," he called out, before flopping back onto his "bed."
This fucking guy.
"Yeah, yeah, call it whatever you want. Do you know why I'm imprisoned here?"
By then, I finally started eating. I quickly found out just how bland and fucking stale everything was. What had my life devolved into?
"How the fuck would I know? You think the motherfuckers that come through here tell ME shit?" The prisoner laughed a little and scoffed out, "You know what I did here? Guards talkin' about putting you on trial!"
His words didn't process until I was mid-chew. I almost dropped the plate and spat some of my food out.
"Wait, what? WHY?"
"Put two-and-two together, brainiac."
My lips pursed, and I rubbed my face with all ten fingers.
Right, I've got a curse seal and dared to show it in public. It's coming back to me now. Nazun escaped, and I blacked out. Fuck.
"Hey, look on the bright side! Maybe you'll get lucky and be executed!"
My entire face scrunched up. "Can't tell if you're still being sarcastic."
"Doesn't matter. If those incorrigible fucks give you the same treatment as me, well, then, you wouldn't be getting the easy way out. Buuut you're getting a trial, and I didn't! Maybe we'll both be lucky! You'll die, and I won't have to hear your loud-ass breathing!"
The prisoner shined a clearly fake smile before glaring at the curse seal on his right hand. I watched his short-lived joy dissipate within seconds, and I paused for a moment, half-staring.
"If you're from another clan, why haven't you been executed? Why have they kept you locked up?"
"My curse is valuable- gives all the Ozukashi prosperous lives. I hate y'all motherfuckers. Can't stand the mere thought of being near a curse seal, but then you people abuse the power for all you can squeeze out. Hysterical-ass hypocrisy. Can't wait till this clan freezes over for good."
Reasonably pissed. I get it.
"I can't pretend to fully understand how you feel. Annd I dunno how long you've been caged up here. But, since we're stuck here together, we might as well try to get along."
"The day we get along is the day I escape this hellhole."
I chuckled softly before continuing to eat my disgusting food.
Well, I can't be mad. I'm probably the first person he's been able to "vent" to.
Our bed headboards were situated right up against opposite sides of the same cell wall. He was to my right, and I was sitting to his left. I scooted closer to my "pillow" and held out the plate toward the prison bars.
"Want some of this? Doesn't taste too edible, but I'm sure you could use it more than I could."
He twisted his head around with an expression of disgust. "What? No, fuck off. You're just messing with me."
"Nah. Take some. All of it, if you want. You're probably hungrier than I am."
The other guy just groaned and sat up again. He gave me a mean look, then slowly reached for the plate, but only took a portion for himself.
"I ain't eatin' all of it. Fuckin' tastes like shit."
I couldn't help but laugh a little as I choked down the remainder of the food. Beggars couldn't be choosers, or something like that.
"So, hey, how old are you, anyway? Mind telling me what clan you're from?"
"I'm seventeen. I heard the guards say your age last time they checked in, so don't start trying that friendly shit again. I ain't worried about making friends out here. Gonna take a lot more than some fuckass, rock-hard bread to get more outta me."
"Yeah, I don't doubt that-"
Our exchange came to an abrupt end as the whirr of anelevator drowned out everything. The other prisoner and I immediately turned our attention to the door. And when it slid open, a pair of soldiers marched out.
"Bet you a stack Koma-zuna still ain't awake. Trial's gonna keep onnn gettin' postponed."
Fuck they just call me?
The guards gazed over in my direction, one with a look of pure joy, while the other was stuck in shock.
"RUN me my money!" shouted the cocky-smirked guard.
"We didn't shake on it!"
"Hey! What's going on?" I called, commanding the bickering idiots to get back on task.
"I'm not paying you anything! A-HEMMM!" The soldier cleared his throat while the other gave him the stink eye. "Kozuna Ozukashi! We have orders to transport you to the Steel Palace for your trial! Make this easy on yourself. Don't resist. This day will go smoother for all of us."
So, I really am going on trial. Thought buddy was just bullshitting. Not much point in resisting, then. If they're taking me to the Steel Palace, that is. I wanna speak to the clan leader, face-to-face.
"Have fun with your worse-than-death sentence! Don't get a sword up your ass!"
"Oh, shut up," I fired back, handcuffed and escorted away by the guards.
***
Broad daylight almost hurt my eyes compared to the dark, dismal, sky-high fucking dungeon. I was greeted by crowds of citizens screaming and shouting incoherently, as well as a convoy of armored buggies at the side of the road. Guns were already aimed at me from the instant I stepped outside. As I was forced to approach, I began to hear everything around me.
"Oh my god! There he is!"
"Down with the curse wielder!"
"Kozuna's finally awake!"
"Is he the one who attacked The Primary?"
"Doesn't look like all that. I could've taken him down!"
Yeah. Sure.
"Put that monster's head on a pike!"
Messages were mixed, at best. Some people sounded almost thrilled. All the while, I got thrown into the center vehicle, squished between gun barrels and soldiers ready to blast at any moment. The buggies took off almost instantly, and we weren't far from the Steel Palace to begin with. I could already see it up on the plateau from the second we stepped outside.
But the noise didn't stop when we rode out. Civilians lined the roads, recording and still screaming. Seemed like everyone was just waiting their turn to crank up the volume beyond max.
This is starting to get on my nerves.
We approached the drawbridge within only a few minutes, and the mob hadn't died down even a little. However, a ton of soldiers were keeping them out. The ones beside me dragged me by the biceps without even giving me the chance to walk on my own two fucking feet. Those big bastards were dead set on not letting my boots touch the ground, and it wasn't even like I knew how to activate my seal on command.
While that was happening, I noticed Anari, Yvira, Zara, Shin, and a few other familiar faces on the sidelines. They were the only ones watching silently.
No Nikai, huh? Hope he's doing okay.
The guards who carried me were stopped once they got past the gate. Shockingly enough, Kaiten was waiting on the steps, arms crossed.
Kaiten?
"I'll take him from here, soldiers. Izanai's orders."
***
The guard escort backed off on Kaiten's orders, and he motioned for me to follow him up the steps. I was still in shackles, though.
"Kaiten, what's going on? Can you please explain why I woke up in a cell? Why am I on trial?"
"We're short on time, Kozuna. And to be very honest, things aren't looking too good. Izanai's taken a special interest in you because of your curse."
"A special interest?"
"I… I wish I could explain his motives. I managed to pull some strings and free Zara and Yvira, though they're currently on suspension until further notice. However, Izanai's not budging when it comes to you."
Yvira and Zara were locked up, too?
"Agh- damn it. What can I expect when we get inside?"
"Expect the worst possible outcome you can think of. Maybe then, what comes next won't be so bad."
"Oh, for fuck's sake," I muttered.
"Listen, I'm working on a long-term solution, but don't expect short-term results. You're just going to have to make do for the time being. When you're in there, don't do anything rash, Kozuna."
He already knows what's coming and doesn't wanna say it. Fuck, that just makes it worse.
After a few more moments, Kaiten and I reached the top of the stairs and entered the Steel Palace directly. He led me straight through the vestibule and into the goddamn soldier-lined, throne room. Each of them had their guns at the ready. I was greeted with a long, flowing, red carpet, paintings of Ozukashi rulers on the walls, a wide podium with the six councilors seated to the sides behind it, and, of course, the throne in the very center of the seven seats.
Since when was Helix a damn councilor? How did I not know about this?
A smug, smirky-faced Izanai lounged in his lavish throne. Livian, Melrose, and Isakai were to his right, while Carmen, Helix, and Gio were to his left. By then, Kaiten had to step away from my side. I knew he'd only interjected himself to warn me of what was coming. And, at long last, I was standing before the council and clan lord.
"Real shitty conditions to permit my first visit to the Steel Palace and clan leader," I mumbled, gazing around, eyelids half-shut.
They've got me on camera. Assholes- is this shit being livestreamed?
"Kozuna Ozukashi, please step forward!" Izanai commanded. He approached the stand at the same time.
Surprised the clan leader himself is overseeing this shit. I really must have caught his interest. Somehow.
I breathed deeply and took a few steps ahead, standing tall despite the clear odds pre-stacked against me. I locked my gaze of determination with the dastardly one that was Izanai's. He grinned ear-to-ear.
"Wait- hold up!" I practically spun in a circle when I realized I had no one by my side. "Isn't anyone gonna defend me?"
"Defend? YOU?" Izanai questioned and fucking pointed at me with an almost completely straight face. "Cursed fiend, this is not a trial, and you have no rights to defend. In fact, I hardly consider you human at all."
"Wha-"
"NOW, let the 'TRIAL' of Kozuna Ozukashi begin!"