A RANDOM PRISONER'S POV

I was an apprentice mage within the Cerenth Empire mage cannon unit; my master was the leader. Even though I had not completed my training, I was sent to fight against the rebellion that had risen after the Blood Moon Apocalypse.

During the Blood moon apocalypse, the Emperor took advantage of the situation and sold all the stored food for profit. That led to the rebellion.

I personally wanted to fight with the rebels since I agreed that what the Emperor was doing was wrong, but the rebels were up against a large army, and there was a chance that the rebels would lose.

The last rebellion that took place was when Emperor Orklarth took the throne. Two large rebelling noble houses and their army were outnumbered and crushed within a week. So I stayed.

Even with the price increase for food, I could still buy enough food for my mother and younger brother with my small salary, but nothing else.

My first battle was a siege against a small town, and I was in charge of channelling my magic into the cannons and doing the calculations to ensure that it would hit the target.

After we finished channelling, we would drink a potion made with Hikudo leaves, which boosts the regeneration of mana and helps with exhaustion.

My second battle didn't go so well.

The mage cannon unit was stationed right at the back, where enemy forces needed to pass the main force to reach us. We doubled their numbers and had better equipment, or so we thought until explosive spells rained down on us from the sky.

We had no idea what it was, and so we panicked. My master commanded us to change the cannons to aim upwards, but I protested. The magic cannons wouldn't even reach that high and would explode in the air or fall back down. Either way, my master did not listen and commanded the others to do so.

But before the first cannon could get calibrated, I heard a loud groan from my master as he suddenly dropped to the ground. Not just him, other mages also began to collapse.

I looked around to see tens of people approaching; they were wearing armour that had the colour of the forest, and they only said one thing.

"Stay down, or else you die."

I felt nothing but fear at that moment. I sensed these people were serious and immediately laid down on the ground. I then heard hell all around me, and I fainted.

When I woke up, I was in a small room, lying on a bed. My mage clothes and equipment were all gone. Instead, I was wearing bright orange clothes.

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I climbed out of bed and towards the door, where I could see through a small glass window. Opposite me was another door, and inside I could see someone I recognised from the same unit as me. She, too, was wearing the same orange clothes as me.

I shouted to get her attention, and she rushed to her door. Both of us had no idea where we were, but all she knew was that we were taken onto a giant metal box that flew.

This place we were at was a prison, but it didn't feel like a prison at all. It felt more like a comfortable room in an inn.

We heard footsteps that belonged to the people who attacked us during our conversation, and we stopped talking. They opened the doors to our supposed cells.

"Move." was all they said, and we complied.

These people were the strangest bunch of people I have ever seen, from the mask that covered their faces to their armour and weapons.

We were then led to a giant room, where I could hear the sounds of a crowd. At first, I thought there was a fight amongst the other prisoners, and a group had formed around it.

But when we looked closer, we saw that the two people weren't fighting. Instead, they were playing a board game that had many wooden pieces on top. Each of their faces was serious, and the crowd was cheering them on.

After they moved several of the pieces, one shouts "Checkmate", whilst the other looks in defeat. I then saw one of the leaders of a different mage unit.

We approached him to see if he knew what was going on, and all he knew was that most of these prisoners were also from the Cerenth Empire army. The game they were playing was called chess, and they would bet all sorts of things against each other, like food.

I imagined at first that there was not enough food for everyone, which was why they were betting their meals. However, when we were taken to the dining hall, I could smell a mouth-watering aroma that I had never sensed before.

The other prisoners were clearly excited about the aspect of lunch, and I was in agreement. We waited in line with a metal tray whilst some prisoners had chef clothes on serving the food to the other prisoners.

I was given a bowl of something white and fluffy, along with a hearty portion of meat and vegetables. I had never felt so hungry and happy as I wolfed down all my food. Then finally, it was time for the desserts, a sweet, spongy cake with a slight hint of lemon and cream.

I looked around to see that everyone was enjoying their meal, even my old squadmates.

After the food, we went back to our rooms, and after five minutes of rest, I was called out by one of the prison soldiers. They took me to a dimly lit interrogation room and asked me all sorts of questions.

And like I thought, all they were asking me was information about the empire, army formations, and any plans that I knew. But since I was an apprentice mage, I knew nothing of the sorts. All I knew was the magic that my master taught me, which seemed to pique their interest.

Then they made me an offer that I couldn't refuse, especially as a prisoner of war. I would be freed if only I showed and taught them how the magic cannons worked. I was eager to see my family again, so I agreed, with the other condition being that the other mages would be too.

I explained how everything worked in a magic cannon for the next four days and how the procedures were done. At some point, a couple of elves came to watch me as I was explaining. They were known to be masters of wind magic and archery and known for their beauty regardless of gender.

I was also given more food, more free time, and generally better treatment. Probably the best thing I received was the news that my family was safe. The prison officers told me that as long I was helping them, they would guarantee the safety of my family and me.