Battle for Life (Second Chance Collab Back Story)

EoS Adrian twitched his wings and sniffled as the faint riot of the crowd above thundered. Worried growls and whimpers of hybrids travelled throughout the corridor of cells. 

Anxiety was eating away at them. Which one of them was next to fight? They might not come back. Sheo's torment was bad enough, for it had dragged many of them near the verge of death. One fight could push them over it.

The young soul eater looked over at the neighboring cell containing Velvet, the fox hybrid girl. She was curled up in the far corner of her cell, crying. She didn't make a sound. Only tears leaked from her eyes as she quivered.

Suddenly, there was a roar from the far cell of the corridor. EoS Adrian perked his ears and hurried to the bars of his cell, and he watched in terror as EoS Jordan was dragged from his cell and forced into the ring.

The soul eater trembled. "J-Jordan..." he whispered. He was lost without the other soul eater. Being separated had already done enough damage, but if he were to die, EoS Adrian would be forever lost and terrified of the outside world. EoS Jordan was one of the only things he was clinging to in this horrid place.

Suddenly, Kirgaarok approached the second soul eater's cell. EoS Adrian gasped and quickly crawled back, but the entity grabbed his shirt and yanked him forward. The young Eater of Souls cried out and struggled.

"Hush, little one. It will be a quick fight." Kirgaarok cooed to him as he pulled him to the bars leading to the arena.

EoS Adrian trembled as they passed by EoS Jordan's cell, realizing it was still empty. "N-no...I-I can't d-do it..." he whimpered.

The entity ignored his plea and pushed him into the fight ring. The young soul eater whined and stared at the ogling crowd, then saw his opponent on the opposite side of the ring. He gasped and trembled violently.

EoS Jordan was staring at him with mixed emotions in his eyes. The crowd was blowing up around them. One of them was to become victorious.

Sheobadr cackled and leaned forward in his booth of the stadium. "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for the fight of the night! We shall see who is the superior Eater of Souls!" he announced, receiving the roar of the crowd.

EoS Adrian shook and gripped his head. "N-no...I...I can't f-fight h-him..." he said quietly in a trembling voice.

EoS Jordan stared at him. "Adrian...dragon form. Now." he instructed.

EoS Adrian looked up at him and whimpered. "Wh-why?" he asked. "I-I won't f-fight y-you."

The older soul eater narrowed his eyes and let out a low growl. "Now." he said in a stricter voice.

Hesitantly, the younger soul eater shifted into his dragon form. He stared at the other, waiting for him to do the same. However,  the older soul eater remained still.

"Adrian..." EoS Jordan uttered, loud enough to be over the roar of the crowd. "I won't fight you. I don't want to hurt you. But Sheo will not end the fight until one of us is left unable to battle. So, do your worst." he said in a low voice.

EoS Adrian shook his head and tucked his tail. "I-I won't fight you e-either! I-I don't w-want to h-hurt you! I don't want to k-kill y-you!" he cried.

EoS Jordan snarled and looked up at him. "Adrian." he said angrily.

The younger soul eater whined before lunging at him. The older remained stationary, awaiting his companion to do harm to him. 

EoS Adrian hesitated, then he clawed at EoS Jordan, slashing his arm. "J-Jordan...I-I can't d-do this..." he whispered before nipping his shoulder, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Yes, you can. Pretend I'm not EoS Jordan. I'm who you hate most." EoS Jordan said to him quietly. 

Though his words didn't help much, EoS Adrian began to become accustomed to injuring his dear companion. He started clawing at his wings, sometimes aiming at his face. A few times he picked him up in his jaws and threw him across the arena. Gently, of course.

But soon enough Sheo saw their antics and decided to put an end to them. "Both of you rats need to fight!" he hissed over the crowd.

EoS Adrian pinned his ears and looked at his opponent. "J-Jordan..."

EoS Jordan panted and looked up at him. "Don't listen to him. I-I'll be fine if he decides to punish me." he growled.

The younger soul eater whined before knocking him over with a smack from his tail. The older soul eater collapsed, yet he got up once more to continue receiving his beating.

The audience was now booing and rioting, saying that EoS Jordan was boring the show by not fighting. A few threatened to leave.

Sheobadr snarled. "You twit!" upon yelling these words, EoS Jordan's collared tightened around his neck. He screeched in pain and flapped his wings in panic. "When I say fight, you fight!" Sheobadr roared as the soul eater clawed at his collar desperately.

EoS Adrian stared in horror as his companion collapsed to the ground and began writhing in pain. "JORDAN!" he shrieked before leaping over to him.

"I-I...I'm...f-fine..." EoS Jordan hissed through gritted teeth. His collar was digging into his skin, causing a burning sensation around his neck. He could feel warm blood trickle from the cuts the collar was causing. "...k-keep...f-fighting..."

Sheobadr roared. "Is this not enough!? Do I need to go down there and do more!?" he hissed.

EoS Adrian looked up at the booth and curled his tail around EoS Jordan protectively. "Don't hurt him! Stop it! H-he'll fight! He'll fight me!" he cried desperately.

The entity flicked his tail aggressively. "Prove it." he said, never loosening the soul eater's collar.

EoS Jordan crawled out of his companion's tail before rising to his feet. He weakly panted before shifting into his dragon form and lunging at EoS Adrian. The younger soul eater cried out and trembled as he was pinned under the weight of the older one.

"J-Jordan..." EoS Adrian whimpered. "Y-you won't actually h-hurt me...you w-won't k-kill me...r-right?" he looked up at his companion desperately.

EoS Jordan panted and stared down at him. "I-I have to hurt you a little bit. I'll try to be gentle." he replied before digging his claws into the other soul eater's arms. EoS Adrian cried and squirmed. "I-I'm sorry..."

The younger soul eater managed to push the older one off of him and get back to his feet. The two soul eaters circled each other. EoS Jordan was obviously weaker due to Adrian's previous attacks and Sheobadr doing damage with his collar. EoS Adrian, however, was more timid and fragile, easily harmed unlike his companion.

With a flick of his tail, EoS Jordan lunged at EoS Adrian. The young Eater of Souls leaped out of the way and tackled his opponent from the side. EoS Jordan shook him off and smacked him with his tail. EoS Adrian yelped in pain, but he bared his fangs and snapped at his foe's wing. EoS Jordan roared in pain and flapped his wings in an attempt to shake the bitten one loose from the other soul eater's jaws.

Eventually, EoS Adrian let go. He stared at his companion, who was now in a horrendous amount of pain. EoS Jordan's hurt wing was hanging at his side, and he was having trouble breathing due to the tightness of his collar. He panted weakly, trying to get his breath. 

The older soul eater panted a few more times before lunging at his opponent and pinning him once again. EoS Adrian yelped and tried to crawl away, but EoS Jordan held him still and began raking away at him with his claws. Enough though he was trying not to cut too deep, EoS Adrian was screeching and crying out.

"Enough!" Sheobadr's voice boomed from his booth in the stands. The two soul eaters looked up at him. "It is obvious who is unable to fight here. EoS Jordan. For he is too weak to fight his own kind for dominance. For that, he will be punished." Sheo smirked before snapping his fingers.

EoS Jordan shrieked as his collar tightened even more. He struggled for breath, and he fell over, desperately panting and gasping.

EoS Adrian rose and stared at him. "NO!" he screeched. He watched in utter horror as EoS Jordan scraped helplessly at the ground and panted, trying to get air. The young soul eater dashed to him and bared his fangs before looking at Sheo. "PLEASE! DONT KILL HIM! PLEASE!" he begged and cried, tears forming in his eyes.

The older soul eater looked at him and gagged. "A...Adrian..." he panted.

The younger soul eater continued wailing. "Pl-please...please don't k-kill him..." he curled up next to EoS Jordan and laid his head on top of him, listening to his struggling breaths. "Please...please..." he sobbed.

Sheobadr hissed at them. "Pathetic." he muttered before loosening EoS Jordan's collar. "Get them back to their cells." he barked at two guards.

EoS Jordan shifted back to his human form and lied on the ground. He managed to lift his arm and put his hand on the paw of the younger Eater of Souls. "I-I'm...o-okay, A-Adrian..." the older one said hoarsely.

EoS Adrian continued to sob as he changed back to his human form. "I-I thought...h-he was going t-to t-take y-you away..." he hiccuped and hugged him.

The other soul eater rubbed his back. "I-I'm okay...don't c-cry..." he whispered to him in an attempt to comfort him. 

EoS Adrian clung to him until a guard separated them. The young soul eater wailed and tried to get back to the older one, who was yanked to his feet by a guard and shoved forward.

"D-don't hurt him..." EoS Adrian said. "Please..."

EoS Jordan looked up at him. "J-just keep g-going...I-I'll be okay..." he reassured him as the guard pushed him forward.

EoS Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but the guard handling him pushed him forward as well. They were pushed into the barred area to the corridor of cells.

As EoS Jordan was being put back in his cell, he clawed the guard's face and slammed his head into the bars of the cell.

The other guard noticed and pulled out a tranquilizer gun. EoS Adrian stared in shock and horror.

EoS Jordan snarled and lunged at the guard before he could shoot. The older soul eater pinned the guard on the ground before tearing out his throat and catching the soul that escaped. He held it out to EoS Adrian. "Eat up. I-I'm going to look for...an e-escape route..." he said before rising.

The younger soul eater took the soul and stared at it. "W-we're escaping...?" he asked in confusion.

EoS Jordan nodded and started looking around. "Stay q-quiet...if w-we're caught w-we'll be p-punished..." he uttered.

EoS Adrian hungrily devoured the soul and began looking around as well. Other hybrids were begging to be taken with them, yet the soul eaters ignored their pleas to escape.

"A-Adrian..." a small, timid voice called.

EoS Adrian perked his ears and looked around for the owner of the voice. He then spotted a waving arm from a cell, and he scurried to it.

Velvet stared at him and whimpered softly. "I-I c-can't be here...a-anymore...pl-please...I w-want to g-go..." she whispered.

The younger soul eater stared at her. "Velvet...I..."

EoS Jordan suddenly called to him. "Adrian. I found it." he said. EoS Adrian looked over at him and watched as he pushed open a metal hatch leading to the outside. "Let's go."

Velvet grabbed EoS Adrian's shirt. "A-Adrian...pl-please..." tears were streaming down her face. 

"I thought I heard something down here!" a voice suddenly called from the other entrance to the cells.

"Adrian! We need to go, now!" EoS Jordan hissed at his companion.

EoS Adrian stared at Velvet. "I-I'll come back for you. I promise. We'll get you out of here. Please, hang tight." he nuzzled her once more and flew out of the open hatch, and the older soul eater followed before shutting the trapdoor.

Guards spilled into the corridor and stared at the dead and unconscious guards. Threats were then strewn from them for a hybrid to confess to their crimes.

Velvet stared at the closed hatch door before curling up and crying. "...pl-please...c-come back..." 

---

"Come on, we need to find shelter and get you healed up. Sheo might be looking for us." EoS Jordan said as EoS Adrian and he wandered the forest bordering the city.

"Wh-what about you?" the young soul eater asked him. "Y-your wing is hurt...and your n-neck..."

"I'm fine." EoS Jordan replied.

EoS Adrian stared at the ground for a few moments. "...We have to go back..." he finally uttered.

EoS Jordan stopped and turned to him. "What?!" he growled.

The young Eater of Souls whimpered. "I-I promised V-Velvet that we w-would go back for h-her..." he said quietly.

"We can't go back now. It's too dangerous." EoS Jordan said. "She'll have to wait."

EoS Adrian whined. "Sh-she'll be killed! Th-that place...she c-can't survive there!" he cried.

"We aren't going back!" EoS Jordan roared at him. 

The younger soul eater froze and stared at him. Never before has he yelled at him. EoS Jordan would never yell at him.

EoS Jordan saw his frightened expression and looked away. "I...I don't want to lose you..." he uttered. "Adrian...you're all that I have left. I can't afford to lose you...you're my only family and friend right now..." he said quietly. "You're all I have left to love."

EoS Adrian stared at him and approached him.

"I-I'm sorry for yelling. I'm sorry for everything. You can go back and get her...just be careful..." EoS Jordan said before walking forward.

The younger soul eater grabbed his hand. "I-I don't want to lose you." he repeated the older one's words.

EoS Jordan looked back at him.

EoS Adrian stared at him. "W-we can go when we're rested. We stick together." he decided. 

EoS Jordan stared at him before hugging him. EoS Adrian wrapped his wings around him.

"I love you..." EoS Jordan whispered.

"I love you too." EoS Adrian replied. 

In their moment, a net was suddenly thrown over them. EoS Adrian yelped and clung to the older EoS, who held him close and snarled at their captors.

A man in a coat with dark brown hair stepped out from hiding. His red eyes examined the two Eater of Souls closely.

"Oh dear...you two are in need of help." he said. The two soul eaters stared at him, and the man smiled. "My name's Dan. I'll take you two to a nice place, and we'll get you both situated and fixed up, okay?"