The world did not use to be so.
Before the Apocalypse, the word family had a different word to it.
For most people of the world, it meant a tie by blood. A bond that had been destined upon one's self by the very heavens.
In fact, for many people, even the tie of the birth of the womb was not enough to call a person family.
After all, in the former world, it was very much so tied to individual benefit.
It was easy to say that man looked more for himself than he did for his own brother or sister.
Bonds back then were usually tied to one form of benefit or the other. In way, one could say that they were true bonds. After all, they were based on one's needs and as long as those needs were met, loyalty was a consistency.
However, compared to this world, the trivial bonds then were nothing.
True bonds between men was formed on the black blood Bathed sands of this ground.
Men, women, bonded not by the water of the womb, but by the blood of their survival.
Where true trust for one's back was given whole heartedly to another man.
In this place, the word brother or sister genuinely carried weight on the tongue.
Such a word was as heavy as a mountain that weighed thousands of tons.
It was the submission of one's heart to another. A much deeper and filial bond than words of love spoken amongst Lovers.
It signified the willingness to give one's life and smile bravely at the ugly unfriendly frown of death's Stiffened jaws.
In the Arena of blood, heat, pain and sand, that word meant the taste of heaven.
Such a bond was so deep that on the condition of betrayal, which rarely happened, one would have nightmares of his betrayal for days on end.
It was like the suffering of a mother after losing her loving child.
How could it not?
From the birth in this horrific place, Half borns were thought to hate and betray one another for survival.
However, such training reversed into deep seated bond once they had to fight for survival in the coliseum.
For some, even the meeting of bodies in sensual pleasure at night was not even deep enough to describe their love for their brothers and sisters.
After all, the smile of one's family was the most comforting thing in this world of madness.
It was safe to say, that it was the the only disinfectant against the infection of madness that had taken over the current world.
A pat on the shoulder, a smile that extended to the ear, or even a laughter that steamed from one's soul when the bond of brotherhood was shared.
Such little things were as appreciated as food in one's tummy. And sometimes more than the blood in one's veins.
With all these said, it was easy to understand why hot steaming tears fell down Pocket's face as he watched his brothers and sisters mutilate themselves all because of the strong sensual urge in their bodies and the growing intense hatred for Lenny that laughed on the side enjoying the show.
They had been pushed to the comforting but mutilated embrace of insanity and their fate relegated to Pain translated to the pleasure of their death.
All that had happened so far had been because of his fear. He was not always a gladiator. He had actually lived free in the outside world, but was captured and brought here when his hidden village had been raided. He had no choice but to fight for his survival in this place.
Everyday was a different version of hell for him. But he had found comfort within the subtle encouragement of the Nameless Crew.
A group of people that had never seen the outside world, but were filled with undying hope for their survival and freedom.
As one that had tasted that freedom and had it ripped away from him, he had already lost hope, but with these people, it was reignited. A family he could proudly call his own.
E7007 had been a brother to him and had opened up a path of love in this world of hate and darkness.
It was true that they had used Lenny, but that they had been desperate, and sometimes, even family members must make sacrifices.
Pocket had not known Lenny for long and could not claim at all that it actually hurt him. But he had indeed felt that what they had done to Lenny was wrong.
Then again, who was it to blame? Some one would have eventually had been sacrificed like that. It was better it was one with a fragile bond.
However, when Lenny had released the first person, Pocket had felt the pain of the Gladiator's death.
And then came the second and then the third.
These people had been with him for a long time.
Some of them he had come and met here and some others, had met him here.
They were family. And the pain of their blood escaping their flesh to join the sand that had been blackened by thousands of deaths pricked at his heart like a box of nails had been let lose in his beating organ.
However, he persevered. His goal was actually a very simple one.
If he could hold on just enough to remove the effects of the aphrodisiac, he could help his friends.
Thanks to Lenny's petrification on his body, he only felt the faint effects of the toxin. But even then, he could feel the boil of his blood like volcano begging the earth to allow it explode its content into the sky.
It was a deep seated urge to explore his savage, primal tendencies.
From the moment he was fed the meat, this was all he had been doing.
However, Lenny had given him just one look and had figured out his ability and what it was capable of doing.
Lenny had then fed him twice the amount he had given him in the first place.
This was akin to smashing his rising hope like egg against stone.
And then, lenny had to just do it.
He allowed all of them to run wild in the Coliseum. In his mind, one sentence came to his mind, "it is over!"
Their deaths happened all around. It was like the death reaper was dancing on the fighting grounds waving his sharp, curvy blade all around, but only targeting those of the nameless crew.
The demons had been watching everything that had been happening so far and that included Lenny's display.
Of course, this also included the Deep level Demon in the VIP stand.
He could not help but find what was happening amazing to watch.
Someone else was also watching Lenny's torture of his former crew members. It was E666.
She had seen what Lenny had done yesterday, when he forced down cocks into a man's stomach like it was a must eat delicacy.
Fear had also taken over her.
In fact, if she had her way, she would have also made an assassination attempt at him in the night. After all, she had been amongst those ones in the meeting of the Order that had voted for eating Lenny's flesh.
Now, She could see what he was doing to his former Crewmates. Without a doubt, he was also going to come for her.
This made her very scared.
Lenny had gone through a couple of gladiators, barely lifting a finger, uprooting their manhoods. She knew from that moment that she was in no way capable of battling him.
However, that did not mean that there were not other options that could be explored appropriately.
She looked at Lenny and frowned deeply.
E666 did not consider herself to be the strongest, but there was one thing she was good at, and that was borrowing the power of other people.
Since the last time Lenny saw her, she had become much stronger and her ability had also grown with her strength.
She Immediately jumped on one of the demon Bulls.
Like a mistress seducing her madam's husband, she stroked the Bulls body.
Her eyes shone in an eerie pinkish light.
At first, the bull shook its head head, both slowly, its eyes also shone in the same pink hue.
It suddenly turned its head in Lenny's direction.
And then on her orders, it's front Hooves dusted against the ground a few times before it suddenly rushed in Lenny's direction.
Lenny had been having a laugh at what he saw in the fighting ground when he noticed one of the bulls turning it's head towards him.
Animals were very sensitive beings, especially to danger. It was not a coincidence that since the moment he entered this place, none of the Demon bulls had come his way.
With Lenny's current level of strength, it was only natural that they avoid him.
However, a bull was actually looking his way.
Lenny could see E666 on the bull and he could see just like the last time he was in this place, she had activated her ability.
He smiled, "good! Come with your boyfriend Buttercup..."
