THE GOD OF ARENA

Amidst the shrill sound of insects in the cold night, Lord of the jingle nation sir Louis led his citizen to gather at the castle to worship their gods with lamps in their hands as they walk in groups. It's another praying season of the year against war and slavery.

The citizens of jingle nation gather in the castle and sat down on the floor with sir Louis sitting at the front.

They placed their lamps by their side and place their hands together in prayer with their eyes closed. In one accord they pray to their gods for protection, guidance , peace and harmony.

Jingle nation has been one of the peaceful nation amongst the three nation's. Her citizens lives in peace and harmony. Jingle nation is a land filled with milk and honey and a lot of natural resources. Green fields for vegetations and good soil for crops.

It was just barely half an hour into the prayer when a swoosh sound was heard from the castle door and boom everything clashed. All the houses on jingle nation were set ablaze. Screams and cries can be heard from every angle. The warriors of scorpion nation which were led by Harold surround the cast while others went into the nation to capture the citizens. The citizens in the castle rose to their foot to see what is going on and where the sound came from. Sir Louis drew his sword out from it's sheat in defense and ready for any attack. The women hug their children to themselves while the men drew their swords when they saw the Lord drew his sword. Sir Louis saw the warriors on horses in the dark and ask the women and the children to step back while he went forward with the men to defend the castle.

" Take your children's and step back" sir Louis said with his long grey hair flying in the air due to the cold night breeze blowing in through the castle window.

Harold walked into the cattle on his black horse and stood before sir Louis with his thousands of warriors behind him. It obvious Harold have no good intention, as for him it was a perfect timing at a perfect place.

" Louis long time no war" Harold said with a deep voice and sir Louis kept a straight face and look Harold in the eye.

" What do you want?" Sir Louis asked not battling an eyelid. He has this feeling that Harold is up to no good. The women and children shrink back in fear when they saw the shadows of scorpion warriors from afar. One thing the people of jingle nation is afraid of is slavery. Jingle nation have been free from slavery ever since sir Louis became the Lord. Other nations who have been colonized wonder how sir Louis manage to protect his nation.

" I want you Louis" Harold answered with an evil grin on his scarred face and sir Louis blue eyes became deep and dark.

' is he here to colonise us?' sir Louis thought silently and the same thought swam in the citizens mind but they have high hopes on sir Louis, they don't have to worry as long he is here.

" You can't have me Harold, neither can you have any citizens of jingle nation" sir Louis said with full confidence as he tightened his grip around his sword. There is no way he is going to let Harold capture him and his citizens even if it means using his last blood to fight him.

The scorpion nation are well known for their taste for power. A lot of nation's have been colonized by them with Harold leading the warriors. The scar on Harold face was given to him by the ruler of the Nation which he colonised last.

" Let's see how you are going to stop me Louis " Harold said as he retreat back into the middle of his warriors.

" Attack!!!" Harold voice sound through the deep night and down into the forest where Robert Louis is hunting all by himself.

The warriors charged toward Louis and his men and clashing sound of swords can be heard in the air along with the swoosh sound of arrows and Spears. Houses were set ablaze and piercing cry of the citizens who refused to go to the castle running Helter skelter can be heard.

Robert saw the flame coming from his nation and he immediately dropped his game and run down to jingle nation through the deep forest. He had gone deep into the forest to hunt and thus wasn't aware of what is going on. All he knew is that something is not right.

The clashing sound of swords turned the atmosphere into chaos, children are seen running from one to another place. An arrow flew from the air and hit sir Louis in his right arm. He pulled the arrow out forcefully from his shoulder with painful expression on his face and buried it in right eye of one of the scorpion warrior that was charging towards him with his sword.

With blood dripping down from his shoulder he slight a warrior throat open and the blood gush on his body. He proceed forward and slight two other warriors in their bellies and they fell to the ground. His long grey hair is now filled with blood with his clothes all filled with blood. He move forward to look for Harold, since he is the master mind and leader of the scorpion warrior. If he can get Harold then every other person's will surrender but if he don't, his life and that of the citizens of jingle nation will be in great danger. He slid through the warriors like a swoosh in the air and saw Harold standing at the top of the castle with a bow and arrow in his hand.

Swoosh! Harold shot an arrow at sir Louis and sir Louis wage it away with his heavy sliver sword that is covered in blood. He tried not to show any sign of weakness as the wound in his shoulder keep weighing him down. With a painful expression he shot an arrow towards Harold at the top of the castle and it hits him perfectly on his chest. Harold fall back and pull the arrow out of his chest with gritted teeth and throw it down. He took another arrow and shot it at sir Louis which hits him on his thigh.

"Arrgh.." Sir Louis screamed as he fell to the ground holding his leg.

Harold jumped down from the top of the castle with his chest bleeding and stood before sir Louis.

" Good bye Louis" Harold said as he drew his sword out and raised it up. Before the jingle nation warriors could get to where sir Louis and Harold is, a swoosh sound was heard and blood split everywhere.

The head of Sir Louis rolled on the floor of the castle like a ball. Seeing that their Lord and leader have been killed, the warriors and the entire people of the jingle nation surrenders to Harold. They were held captive.

Harold fell to the ground holding his chest due to the pains and poison from the arrow. One of the warriors rushed to his side .

" Put Chains and locks in their hands and legs and bring all of them to our nation immediately" Harold tells his best warrior Dimitri to bring all the survivors of jingle to scorpion nation.

Dimitri helps Harold up and assist him to where his horse is. He helped him to climb the horse and sent five warriors to escort him to scorpion nation for immediate treatment.

Chains and locks were placed in the hands and legs of the citizens of jingle nation by the scorpion warriors. The ones who tried to prove stubbornness were killed on the spot.

The warriors led them through the dark alleys down to scorpion nation, flogging them with whips.

Children cries, women screamed, men grunt to the pain they are being subjected to.

It took Robert Louis two hours and some minutes to get to jingle nation. By the time he got there, everywhere was already quiet with flames burning from every angle. Lifeless bodies and burnt bodies lie on the floor. Too dumbstruck to comprehend what happened to his nation within the twinkle of an eye, he looked around the serenity with his heart in his throat but then he remembered his father. He should be at the castle. He told him earlier that they were going to pray and worship their gods at night but Robert wasn't really interested in the praying stuff. He prefers to hunt than go to the castle to pray. Hunting is more fun than praying like he always says. He ran down to the castle with mixed feelings amidst the smoke and smells of burnt bodies and houses.

' Will I see my father when I get to the castle?' This was the first thought that came to his mind.

As he approaches the castle, he finds it silent. He increased his pace and stopped at the entrance of the castle. The fire at the centre of the castle illuminates it. Dead bodies of warriors with their heads, hands and legs cut out lay on the floor. The floor of the castle was filled with blood, running like erosion . Some are already clotted. He looked for his father but he is nowhere to be found. He ran to the base of the castle and saw the lifeless body of his father with his head by his side on the floor. He rushed towards where his father's cops is laying and shook his lifeless body. He could not believe his father was gone.

" Noooooooooooo!!!" Robert screams in pain as his voice echoes through the entire castle and deep down into the night with his father's lifeless body in his hands.

A cool whirlwind blew into the castle through the windows. Robert looked around to see what was happening. The wind was so strong that it almost lift the castle from the ground.

" Robert Louis' ' A voice called from nowhere and Louis suddenly lifted his head up.

Are they here to kill him too? Who is that person that knows his name?

" You must set the people of jingle nation free from slavery. They are held captive in the scorpion nation now by Harold and his warriors. Do not worry about your father, he died as a hero so you must set the people of jingle nation free and protect them. That is your mission. The gods have spoken" The voice echoed through the entire castle and Raymond dropped the body of his father and stood up to look around.

"How am I going to set the people of jingle nation free? I am the only one alive, how am I going to defeat Harold all by myself?" Robert asked, trying not to blaspheme the gods. The gods were here when Harold came his warriors and took the people of jingle nation away as slaves. What did they do? They just sat there and watched Harold and his warriors do what they liked. They couldn't even protect his father against Harold, now they want him to go to scorpion nation and set the people of jingle nation free from slavery.

"I am all alone, our warriors are gone, our childrens are gone, our men and women are gone. Who is going to fight along my side?" Robert asked the gods.

"The gods will guide and fight along your side" The gods said and Robert scoffs.

"How am I even sure the gods will guide and fight along with me? Where were the gods when the scorpion nation invaded our nation and colonised us? Were the gods asleep? "

"Do not blaspheme the gods. They know what they are doing" The gods said with a thunderous voice as lightning strikes in the sky with the rumbling of thunder.

"I'm not blaspheming the gods , I'm just saying my thoughts and stating a fact. You can't send me on a suicide mission while you sits here and do nothing. You better get your ass off from that place and save your people" Robert said with a cold, angry and painful voice. He is really angry with the gods for not fulfilling their duties. This is one of the reasons he doesn't like going to the castle for worship and prayers. The gods are dumb and powerless. If they aren't really dumb, they should have seen the attack from Harold and notify the people of jingle nation earlier. Even right in their presence, his father was killed and the citizens of jingle nation were held captive and taken away into slavery.

"It's an order, you must carry out this mission! You must set the people of jingle nation free from slavery." The gods said as the voice faded away slowly. Gradually, the wind calmed down and Robert bent down and wrapped the body of his father with a cloth he found in the castle.

He positioned the head on his shoulder and wrapped everything together. He carried the body of his father and went to the cemetery not far away from the castle. He dug the ground with a hoe he saw in the cemetery and placed his father's body inside. He filled the grave with sand and used his index finger to write Lord Louis at the top of the grave.

"I will kill Harold and cut his head too. That's my promise to you father but not to the gods" Robert vowed on his father's grave to kill Harold but not because the gods said so, but for the sake of his father.

Raymond remains by his father's grave side and mourns him till Dawn. When it was down, he went into the bush to cut a flower tree which he planted by his father's grave side.

Robert dug a large pit in the cemetery where he buried all the deceased jingle nation people. He gathers the dead bodies of the warriors of the scorpion nation together and sets them ablaze.

"They don't deserve to be buried, they deserve to die twice" Robert said as he threw the stick that is burning with on the bodies of the warriors.

After cleaning up the mess, he went into the forest to cut wood and palm fronds for his shelter. On his way back , he saw an antelope eating grass and quickly shot him in its belly. He walked to where the antelope lay lifelessly and lifted it in his shoulders with blood dripping from it. He sets his hut in an isolated place that he feels it's safer and free from danger. It took him four hours to complete the hut.

It was already dark when he finished building the hut. He sets a heap of fire outside the hut and starts roasting the antelope he shot earlier. The environment looks quiet with the smell of blood. Only the shrilling sounds of Insects and the barking sound of bush dogs can be heard. He roasts the full antelope and eats a quarter of it. After eating he kept the remaining ones in his hut and went out to survey the area before going to sleep. ..

The next morning he woke up to the ray of sun. He walked out and yawned lazily. He sure had a good night's rest except for the ants stinging his entire body over and over again. He went to the farmland and found plenty of crops in it. Fortunately, Harold and his warriors did not destroy the farm land. Matured grains and corn filled the land. He took as much as he could and went back to his hurt. He looked around and found a water pot outside a house that got burnt. Fortunately the clay water pot did not break. Robert took the pot and went to the spring with his bow and arrows on his back. Even daggers are on his waist. He washed the pot and filled it with clean water. He placed the pot on his shoulder and returned back to his hut where he started to roast corn to eat.

Do you know how it feels to live alone in a very deserted place? The place which was once lively now looks dead with just one soul alone. Just one soul with no one to talk to. Just one soul and the crickets alone. Just one soul going to sleep with one eye closed and the other one open. The world is a dark place, filled with selfish people who are seeking for power.

Colonisation, slavery and human trafficking have been the order of the day. Everyone wants to be on top. They just want to be on top, nothing else. Nobody wants to be below. Even the people who already had power still keep on craving for more. They are willing to go to any length just to get more powers and fame. Always taking from the needy and adding it to their already filled pot. Sometimes we just wonder if the world will be a perfect, peaceful and lovely place just like we have imagined it. If only everyone can live in one accord with the same mind and heart.

If only every one will admit their mistakes and change for good, if only everyone will drop the hate and love one another, if only selfish leaders will drop their greed and give to the needy, if only the leaders will listen to cry of their people, if only every one will abide by the laws and if only the killings and betrayal can stop then the world would be a better, perfect and peaceful place for humans but the world can never be so perfect just like we have imagined. Even the world is so difficult for the animals in the forests and even the trees.

Night came , Robert surveyed the area as usual before going to sleep. He placed his dagger beside his body, his bow and arrow by his head and two blades by his left hand side. He closed one of his eyes and left the other one open and went to sleep. Deep into the night with the full moon shining so bright in the sky. A black wolf walks towards Robert hut and walks around the hut. It's obvious the wolf is out to look for his prey.

He sniffs the hut and smells the smell of a human in it. Robert, who had noticed the usual sounds and footsteps around his hut, woke up and sat on the mat with his eyes shining under the darkness. He didn't make any sound and looked around the hut if he could get a glimpse of what was making that noise. He grabs his arrow gently and points to the direction the wolf is when he catches sight of it. He shot the arrow and it hit the wolf in its neck but the wolf managed to run away with the arrow.