L—Lord wolf…
Tears…
Tears mixed with blood stread down Gwynn's face.
"Bind her,"
Rayah turned around to see the source of the voice, but before she did, she lost control of her arms.
Her entire body flung back, crashing against the prison walls with a sickening thud. She looked around, her eyes looking straight past the cell walls, were several figures stood still staring at her.
She tried to move, but she couldn't. Her body remained suspended in mid air, as though possessed. Her limbs felt shackled by invisible chains.
"WHAT IS THIS!?!?" She scread out, ice erupting from all around her.
Slowly, she could feel the grip of those invisible chains loosen, however, that did not last for long.
"Oslow!! Now!!"
"Yeah…"
Suddenly, one of the figures touched another, and his body began glowing in an odd aura. Her bindings beca several tis stronger, no matter her screams, her struggles, there was no escape.
"Rayah Vandymion… You have transgressed against my servant!!" The voice rang out.
Lord Wolf… I am truly… Gwynn, barely saw what happened, but he could hear it clear as day…
"Release the slave mark, and you shall be set free!! That, or you die…"
Slave mark? Gwynn puzzled…
Slave mark? Rayah's eyes, coiled with anger, softened slightly, before she roared louder than ever before—
"ZEPHYRRRR!!! IS THAT YOU!? IS THAT TRUELY YOU!?!?"
"Zephyr?" The prisoners surrounding the cell looked at each other. Who was that na? It sounded oddly familiar.
It was then they ca to realize. It was the na of the boy rumoured to have killed soone within the mines. His description? They knew nothing off.
"Zephyr is my servant, nothing more… release him, and I shall release you…"
"ZEPHYRRRRRR!! YOU SWINEEE!! I ORDER YOU TO SET FREE!! THAT IS AN ORDER!!!"
…
Joseph, had been standing amidst the crowd, blended in giving orders. As soon as he heard those words, a sudden force crept into his body. One that he had felt once before…
In fact, there were two forces…
He gritted his teeth, and bit his tongue. It was almost as though he was shutting down his very nervous system.
All of his energy, he focused on his mouth and tongue…
"I… gave… you… a… deal… if you… do not… set my servants free… I shall… do it… by… force… Slowly… Kill her…"
*Snap*
"KILL !? I AM THE YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF THE ESTEED VANDYMION HOUSEHOLD!! I AM RAYAH VANDYMION!! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN MY HOUSEHOLD LEARNS OF THIS!?"
"The youngest? Like they'd co after you…"
"Kill her!!"
"ALL HAIL LORD WOLF!!"
"ZEPHYRRR!! RELEASE NOW!! YOU FOOL I WILL—"
Attacks ca… of what… she did not know…
Pain, it was so painful…. Never in her life had she felt like this…
She was powerless, humiliating…
Death… she could feel it…
A death like this…
For soone like her…
Was this truly, a fitting place to die?
…
Was it…
Really worth it?
—
"YOU… YOU'VE BEEN RELEASED!!!" She gave out a final cry.
*Snap*
"STOP!!!"
With those simple words, all attacks halted, as if they were law—
"Should we not kill her!? She's too dangerous to let live!!" A man suddenly protested…
"SILENCE!!" Wolf ordered.
______________________________________________
Gwynn Felt
Lord…
My heart cannot take this anymore…
Though I am bleeding out, I could not be more happy…
My efforts, my sacrifices, my dedication… They all had aning…
And you, my lord, have recognized and elevated above all else…
I, you're forever grateful servant, am so pleased…
You ca to save … Took revenge all for …
And eliminated that putrid icey witch…
"Now! Onward to freedom!!"
Oh his voice… I heard it, so majestic… A true leader… Oh lord wolf…
Oh… It's so dark… So hazy… Those muffled cheers…
Free now so I can be part of those cheers… To be in your presence…
To be—
"Lord Wolf! What of your emissary, Gwynn Felt!? Shall I free him?" I heard a voice ask—
A smile crossed my bloodied lips…
But then—
*SNAP*
"Leave him be… He's served his purpose…"
…
Lord… Lord Wolf…
…
…
…
Ha…
…
…
…
Why?
…
…
…
…
Ah…
Ah…
Ah ah…
AHHH… AHHHHH AHHH AH
WHY?! AH— AHH—-
AHHHHHH
AHHHHHHH AHHHH
WHYYYYYYY!?!?!
AHHHHHHHHHH…
…
…
…
______________________________________________
Zephyr
"I have three eyes…" I faintly whispered to myself as I ran hidden amidst the crowds.
No reaction.
My slave mark was no more, I was free. Yet, not completely…
At the back of my mind, there was sothing aching… Like a bull ramming against a crumbling wall—
It was no doubt the original Zephyr—
Save for few things I had to adapt to, everything had so far gone according to plan. Despite the apparent risks, it was all calculated, ranaiting beneath the surface, though there were still areas of concern where this tower I built could have all fallen appart.
If the original Zephyr could not trust my words, it was all over… But it was a gamble I had to take, it was my only chance and opportunity, and it laid itself out for like an uneaten delicacy.
"Everything will be okay, Zephyr… Have faith in … She will be okay… I have sent people to make sure of that…" I comforted him, whispering silently to myself.
Those words helped soften my headaches, yet it still lingered, affecting my focus.
Life is but a series of gambles after all, so more important than others.
I had dislocated my shoulders and wrist to release myself from the chains, but I was completely prepared to chop off an arm if that was not possible. Every plan had a backup.
Every possible move, I foresaw it all.
But not every possible move led to my victory.
A gamble is but a chance to multiply success a thousandfold if won, and to lose everything if not taken. One must seize risks, or forever remain in diocrity.
Take it, and never look back, for who could call themselves a man if they were not a risk taker? Why worry about regret? One lives their life in the present, but failure is inevitable, and so is regret, and so regret is worse than others.
Regret: It is worse for one to miss an opportunity they could have won, than to lose an opportunity they misjudged. It twists one's gut inside out, and leaves them a barren husk…
Too many tis had I seen this, such as with the stock markets of my own world.
Even worse, those who take it or not, live forever in sha and regret.
Though of course, this all ca with common sense. A gamble does not always need to be a risk.
Maximize what one can control, and minimize what one cannot. If there is no clear path to victory, remove all ambiguity, and carve your own.
Currently, I was swimming amidst the seemingly endless crowds, fights breaking out between prisoners and guards all around . All were running up around the spiralling halls, eyes glued to the exposed surface.
Though the guards were far more powerful than the average prisoner, the sheer quantity of inmates was overwhelming. Clearly, they had not anticipated such a rebellion.
Yet, if the rebellion was their only issue, things would have not nearly turned out this well…
The secret that made this puzzle work, was those masked shadows that ca in from above, like crows of death. Each one was the strength of several guards.
Who were these figures? It seed only Arthur knew… Yet he seed nowhere to be found…
Like a shadow, he disappeared.
Arthur, the sparks of moonlight, we discussed little. We seed to have mutual understanding and recognition.
Though he didn't tell directly, I knew this would co, this attack… That was why today had to be the day…
Today was the only day this could have worked!
Suddenly, I paused and lowered my concealing veil, a simple ki move I had been using to lower my presence.
I was running low on arcane energy, and my Ki was not fairing much better.
Through my ti in this prison, I've learned to make my usage far more efficient, yet that did not seem enough.
I had already used my temporal echo so much, and the concealing veil along with the sound-canceling bubble I had created earlier left nearly drained of ki.
That along with my arms that I had to dislocate to escape those shackles, my current status was far from ideal, but that made it even more imperative to find the fastest way out.
We had nearly reached the top, yet the main exit was no doubt barricaded, and we had no way of all breaking out of the bars and simply jumping through the open skyhole. Yet, there was another way…
*SNAP*
"Holding Cell C302… Destroy it!!!"
As Wolf, I made my command, and before I knew it, there was an explosion just where I asked…
The blast tore through the stone and steel, leaving a gaping hole in the prison wall. Dust cluttered the hole, and debris fell crushing so prisoners under the clouded air. A cacophony of screams and shouts filled the space, yet the sound of cheers rang loudest.
"ALL HAIL LORD WOLF!!"
They knew that this was their way out—
"ALL HAIL LORD WOLF!!"
Adrenaline was high—
"ALL HAIL LORD WOLF!!"
But When the dust settled, suddenly, all beca quiet—
Lit only by the flickering flas of scattered torches. In the dim light, the sight was beyond grueso.
It was a mountain…
A mountain of corpses, skeletons, and limbs, so still fresh, others long decayed. The stench of death was overwhelming, a vile mix of rot and blood.
It was tall as the eye could see, they had to stretch their necks to reach the top…
Atop that grotesque pile was another opening, a way to the outside world. Moonlight stread through, casting an eerie glow on the scene below.
Like statues, they all stood motionless… It was as though their minds were overloaded… None moved… Until one lone figure dared…
A young, short, ashen-haired boy ran atop mountain like it was rely a pile of dirt…
Then, after him, several people followed, and behind them, others more reluctant.
So sprinted as fast as they could, with their eyes and nose shut to avoid the thought, while others were far slower, fighting a deep nausea as they climbed atop bones, limbs, and eyeballs that seed to almost stare into their souls. So even began feeling hands tugging at them, dragging them down, as though the mountain was swallowing them up, as macabre hisses hissed in their ears…
"How dare you leave without us…"
"Die with us… it's not fair…"
There were only a few outliers from these kids who simply climbed, and broke the normal.
That was when, from the bottom, there was a scream—
"Fenra… FENRA!?"
It was the body of one of her friends. She had recently turned 16, and was supposed to be released only two weeks prior…
Soon, others recognized other faces, even Joseph, as he climbed, recognized a certain body,
disfigured and mangled that he recognized as his cellmate, Flynn Novus.
The sickening realization dawned upon them all. They were never going to be released when they
were of age. They were sentenced to death…
Why?
That was the question on most of their minds, yet they knew no answer, and now was not the ti to worry—
"Unless you want to end up like those beneath you… I suggest you move…"
Joseph's voice cut through the gloom, harsh yet oddly motivating.
There was no response, yet a look of determination crossed so of their faces as they quickend their pace behind him.
He could not needlessly waste arcane energy.
Joseph had long known the existence of this, but the purpose of it all far eluded him. Arthur was the only other prisoner that seed to know.
*SNAP* *SNAP*
Soon, with one big final leap, Joseph reached the top. In that leap, he picked up a rock, and flung it diagonally upon the rocky cave-like ceiling.
Above him, he could see only the sky, and the moonlight shining bright upon his figure.
Freedom, the outside world of Sanctum which he had never before seen was but an arm's reach away…
A world that he had been oblivious to, walled off, like a dog born in a cave. There was a slight tightness in his chest.
He looked back for but a mont. His fellow inmates were but a few steps away from him, but from the bottom, he could hear commotion.
The guards were coming. Ti was of the essence.
And with that in mind… Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by noᴠelfire
*SNAP*
Finally, he jumped up to the surface—
"HA!! SUCKER!!"
It was an ambush.
Spears from all directions pierced Joseph's chest.
Four guards surrounded the exit, smiled and laughed as they turned their first victim into shish kebab.
They kept their presence suppressed, awaiting one person to jump. At that mont, they knew most of them were climbing the mountain, and they would then take the advantage and rain attacks down from above until there was nothing left.
Not only that, but the first person to reach the surface was most likely their leader, and their morale would drop, thus becoming easy victims in the chaos. Either that, or a decoy, but considering these were re children. The chances of that were low…
But the true answer was:
None of the above.
Their spears simply went through his body as though it was a ghost.
From that ghosts hand, a rock flung from it, aid directly towards the slit of one of the guard's helts.
Though caught slightly off guard, he instinctively moved his body out of the way… But then—
"AHHHHHHHH—" A loud cry pierced the air.
The guards looked around, one of them fell on the ground clutching his eyes.
'Did he not dodge—" But before they could finish their thoughts, an explosion from below—
Panicked, they unfrozen and looked down, but their look was imdiately t with a punch to the jaw by one of the prisoners.
"BURN THE MOUNTAIN!! KILL THEM AL—"
However, it seed it was too late.
The rebellion had finally reached the surface…
Reviews
All reviews (0)