Tepo opened his eyes slowly. He groaned in pain. His head pulsed wildly. Massaging his temples, the young man hoped he didn’t have any permanent brain damage.

Moving his heavy body, the rattling of a chain sounded out. Tepo didn’t even need to look at his legs to understand what had happened. He sighed audibly, questioning how he could have arrived in this situation.

“You woke up?”, asked a mocking female voice.

Not in the mood for conversation, Tepo only let out a grumble.

Apparently, this didn’t discourage the other party though.

“The silent type, eh? Well, doesn’t matter. I’m glad they finally put anyone in my cell. It’s been getting boring here.”

While his new company rambled on, Tepo began to observe his surroundings. He found himself in a moldy cell made from stone. No windows existed. The only source of light was glowing stone inlaid in the ceiling.

Lying on a shabby but soft mattress on the floor, Tepo could only see a single toilet in the room. With nothing much to look at his eyes soon fell on the other inmate.

A brightly grinning face greeted him. If it weren’t for the dirty skin this woman could probably be described as valiant. She had a tall, burly build with shaven brown hair. Grey clothes hung in rags from her body, allowing Tepo to see her bulging muscles. It was surprising that she could keep such a body in prison.

“What ya looking at? If you want some, just say it. Not like there is much else to do here.”

Tepo shook his head, sprawling on his bed.

“Not in the mood.”

“Hmm? Pissed ya pants from those few injuries?”

“Nah, but I’m not into bondage.”, said Tepo, his eyes pointing at the chain around his feet.

“Ha! Not bad! Name’s Banda by the way.”

“Tepo.”

“So, how did ya end up here? You look too young for jail, boy.”

Tepo frowned in annoyance. The mayor’s face flashed past his eyes. He more and more got the feeling that this man had targeted him.

“Insulted the mayor, I guess.”

“Huh?”, Banda chuckled. “How did that happen?”

“He targeted me during the awakening ceremony.”

“Pfft.”

Banda laughed out loud upon listening to Tepo. Was the kid taking himself a bit too seriously? Why would the mayor target him?

Tepo didn’t speak further, though. He simply shrugged his shoulders. He knew that his words held no weight. No one would believe him.

The young man felt a headache. How should he get out of this place now? He had no method to contact anyone and even if he did, he had no one with the power to help him.

Gritting his teeth, Tepo suddenly understood why everyone in this world wanted to become a warrior. This helplessness didn’t feel good at all.

“Hey, boy!”, continued Banda after having laughed long enough.

“What?”

“Are you saying you just awakened your core?”

This question again? Tepo still didn’t know how to answer. Since everyone claimed they couldn’t see his core, was it better to hide it?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Hesitating, Tepo finally spoke in a deep voice:

“I don’t have a core.”

Suddenly Banda sat up on her bed. She looked at Tepo with wide eyes.

“Really?”

“Sure. Who would lie about something like this?”, asked Tepo cynically.

“Then the mayor is really out to get ya or what?”

Suddenly Tepo’s stomach sank. He got an ominous feeling from Banda’s tone.

“Why do you say this?”

“’Cause you’re f*cked, boy. This is block B. Only warriors come here! Ha! I knew the mayor was scum, but this is a new low.”

Tepo drew a sharp breath. He realized he was in a prison full of criminal warriors. From his small scuffle with the soldiers, he already understood the difference in strength between him and awakened warriors. Now he was really concerned for his safety.

Watching Tepo’s changing expression, Banda was slightly impressed. In such a situation the young man didn’t despair. At least he proved his balls.

“Ok, don’t ya do something stupid, boy. Just stay with boss Banda here. No one dares to mess with me!”

As if on cue, one of the stone walls suddenly became translucent. Two guards in gray uniforms appeared. When Banda saw them, her eyes lit up. Just as she jumped up, a stern voice echoed in the room.

“Number 12, you stay here. This is your food.”

Banda blinked her eyes. She looked in surprise at the tray one of the wardens held.

“Don’t you want to eat today?!”

“Course I want to.”

Smiling apologetically at Tepo, Banda hesitantly grabbed her food. Meanwhile a vicious glance flashed in the warden’s eyes. He turned towards Tepo, smiling brightly.

“Number 42, come with us. We will show you where to eat in the future.”

Getting goosebumps, Tepo had a bad premonition. Why would those wardens deliver Banda’s food personally? Did they have something planned?

Tepo realized he had to get out of this place as fast as possible. His eyes roamed around while the warden separated the chain around Tepo’s legs from the wall. Next, he rudely shoved the young man forward.

“Go! We don’t have all day.”

Tepo gritted his teeth. Apprehension and pain filled his body as he slowly walked forward. He passed the translucent stone wall, finding himself in a long, narrow hallway. Only some dimly shining stones illuminated this place.

As he was just about to follow the warden, Tepo suddenly felt another push on his back. He tried to stabilize himself, but the chain on his legs wouldn’t move. With a muffled groan the young man heavily fell to the ground, barely protected by his hands.

Once again, his ribs spread a stabbing pain. Dirt covered Tepo’s prisoner clothes. He coughed lightly.

“Prisoner! Don’t stall! If you aren’t up in three seconds, there will be no food for you today.”

Tepo breathed deeply. He really wished he had his trusted pistol right not, to put a hole in the wardens’ heads. But unfortunately, this was a new life. It offered new chances, but also new challenges. Only if he overcame these could Tepo grow stronger and prevent the things in his old life from happening.

Remembering his noble goal, Tepo gritted his teeth. He would put up with this scum for now and find a way…

“Ah! B*stard!”

A pained scream rang out. The warden behind Tepo didn’t wait for the prisoner to move. He grabbed the young man’s hair, painfully pulling him up.

“Don’t complain, I’m only helping you.”

As the warden laughed dirtily, Tepo kept his head lowered. His rage boiled more and more, but he could only suppress it. When he saw how the warden took his foot off the chain, the former soldier’s fingers stabbed into his palm.

Amused, the wardens lead their prisoner forward. Fortunately, they were also eager for food, so they didn’t create more difficulties for Tepo.

One by one more prisoners appeared in the hallway. After a few minutes, they finally reached a big room. The as*hole wardens pushed Tepo towards a table before taking his chains of and leaving in a good mood.

The young man took a deep breath before finally rising his head. The two wardens’ faces were imprinted deeply in his mind. One day…

Suppressing his dark thoughts, Tepo looked around the room. Clamoring prisoners sat on metal tables. The entire hall looked like a cave, surrounded by stone. Only now did Tepo realize that this was the real deal. The stone wasn’t some form of cloud, but a real mineral.

Suddenly, a loud shout drew everyone’s attention.

“Yo, where is the food?! Hurry up, idiots!”

Loud laughter echoed in the cave as more voices joined in.

“Right! I haven’t eaten for three days!”

“Because you’re in isolation, idiot!”

“So what? Should I starve to death?!”

“Who cares? As long as I get your portion.”

Next to Tepo a lanky, short haired man also made his opinion known:

“Ha! If less of you guys means more food for me, I gladly get rid of you scum!”

“Damn, look who’s talking. You got your ass spanked by a few girls, but are talking about getting rid of us?”

Suddenly the hall turned silent. Many people flinched. Was this fool tired of living? How could he talk down on women?

Everyone looked around uneasily. This guy was done for. Any second now, Banda would beat him up.

After a few moments, though, confusion appeared on many faces. What was going on today? Why was Banda so lenient? Suddenly a perplexed voice sounded out:

“Wait, where is Banda today?”

Another warrior hesitated before speaking in a small voice:

“And where are the wardens?”

Tepo had already noticed this little detail. But now that the other criminals also found out about the wardens’ absence, the young man’s mind grew unsettled.