The crimson hue veiled the sky, the sound of commotion and clashing calming down made Reiziko’s exit all the more dramatic. The two boys stood there in the meadow by themselves, and the sounds of distant birds, rustling leaves, and the wind blowing by them just served to emphasise how empty the scene felt.
Vasil turned his head to face Kajin, his visage contorted and full of contempt. Despite his deep trust he had placed in Reiziko, the relentless waves of doubts plagued his mind, as he could see through its confident facade exterior to the haste that formed its basis.
Before Vasil could express his thoughts on the matter, Kajin took his turn to speak first. “I would have helped, but I’ve already tried everything myself.” He remarked with a quiet tone which signalled the tone of the discourse. “He appears determined to pull this through… Can’t be helped, almost all of our friends perished.” Kajin utters, the harsh reality dawning upon Vasil.
He was forced to listen as Kajin's comments finally let him show how much agony Reiziko had kept so graciously buried. Looking back, it should have been clear as soon as Thomas uttered the name of another boy back during that horrid night, the day of Sir William’s death, but the truth lay dormant since he couldn't bear to revisit those horrific experiences.
Kajin let himself down, leaning against the gnarled trunk of a dead tree, closing his eyes and taking a breath of the cool breeze that surrounded them. His calm demeanour reflected his tone, “Everyone wants to leave these walls… But is the outside really better?” He uttered, almost going by as a whisper but still falling on Vasil’s ears, leaving room for thought.
Vasil speaks up, choosing to ignore his rhetorical remark and unable to suppress his curiosity, and asks him, “Who were you before this place?” He inquires in a soft but honest voice. Kajin is taken aback, his face resonating with anguish just for a solid moment, but not enough to be noticeable. The purple hue that painted the sky reflected on the mood of the talk about to ensue.
“O-oh, y’know, just your typical peasant.” He pauses to take a stuttered breath and he continues. “Quite small, we all knew each other…” His voice carried a tinge of wrath as he uttered those last words but his unyielding composure remained intact. Vasil's countenance was perplexed, and his silence spoke volumes.
“I never imagined someone like you would belong to a village..” Vasil remarked, bewildered by this new substance of information. “What threw you off?” Kajin asked semi-sarcastically, followed by a light chuckle.
He remained quiet for a moment, wearing a focused look, allowing the silence to carry for an awkward length of time. Before Kajin could continue his previous ongoing statements, Vasil allowed himself to answer the previously posed question. “I guess it would be the way you conduct yourself during your duels.” He spoke in a puzzled tone, but he ensued on his point. “Your abilities were beyond the brute force that is commonplace here…”
Kajin’s visage saw a cold drop of sweat roll down his cheeks, regardless, he spoke in a shaky voice and carried himself through this conversation. “Didn’t know I had a fan… Perhaps you might learn a thing or two.” From his lips escaped an exasperated sigh, his resultant words carrying a different sense of melancholy.
“Anyway, my story is not so intriguing. You work your ass off day by day and one day they discover you were a pyromancer so they just sell you off.” He spoke in a painful tone, hidden by a forced smile. Rubbing the back of his head, he chose to switch the question upon Vasil. “So, what about you?” He urged, his eagerness concealed by tranquillity.
Vasil carried himself with discomfort, yet he dared indulge in the subject. “I d-don’t… I have almost no recollection of what occurred before here.” Kajin glanced at him both curiously and confused; meanwhile, Vasil's mind rushed through a slew of disorganised ideas, attempting to reach the depths of his being once more. However, he remained unable to reach a satisfactory answer.
“I only remember the few nights I spent outside at a small village, before I got picked up by a passing crusade.” His voice sounded tired, not daring to recall any further memories, but he continued. “The village was plagued, almost deserted… Everyone headed south and the few that remained made my life hell…” His voice waned with every word, yet he kept rumbling as his desire to suppress his speech was overshadowed.
“Food had become scarce and the things I h-had to do to get it…” His words stammered as his memory cleared, his vision darkened, and his head sank. Faint recollections of the lord of the village and his chambers crossed his mental imagery, as did images of the bodies of the plagued and diseased as their skin flaked off and the brilliant scarlet flesh gleamed through the fiery pits, and the stench of urine and faeces soon revisited him as a fragrant flashback.
Kajin could only observe as the boy dug himself further into an abyss from which he would eventually be impossible to emerge. Finally, he said, “Let the past be past, Vasil.” Those few words were enough to stop his cognitive process and bring him back to reality. Kajin leaves a sombre sigh and proclaims in a calm tone, “All folk from this fortress have a tragic history, Reiziko especially. But he doesn’t let it define him.”
Vasil’s eyes gain a glimmer of hope and understanding, his soul embracing the discomfort and coming forth to a new revelation. In light of this, his attempts to begin grasping this fresh way of life would begin from this moment. But the emotions wouldn't go away that quickly; his struggle would be lengthy and torturous. Still, there were more dire matters at hand back in the conscious realm.
“Vasil? Come on, the sun already settled. We need to head back.” Kajin remarked, his words veiled in urgency. Vasil responded with a firm nod, although he remained apprehensive feeling a sense of absentmindedness pervading his head.
In the end, he made no fuss about it and headed on following after Kajin.
- - -
The sun shined once more, casting its bright rays over the lush green hills and the starkly different withering walls of the stronghold. Its warmth was softly overlaying the cloak of coldness that had been shifting with each passing day. And so, under the brilliant light stood a lone warrior, in his hand belonged a large wooden sword to help him hone his abilities.
No chill penetrated his skin, covered in a bundle of sweat as his continuous repetitions became heavier with each swing, infecting the air around him with heftiness. Eventually, he arrived at a standstill, allowing the tip of his dull blade to rest on the ground and give himself an anchor to lean on.
Observing the lush ground he stood on, it wasn’t long before his entire stance changed. Letting his sword fully lay on the ground, he too sank on his hands and tip of his feet and began pushing himself against the dirt and soil. Meticulously replicating the exercise in his finest form and performing uncounted repetitions; he only sought to increase his strength.
Arriving to the point where the weight of his last repetition became overburring, he grunted in pain, attempting to surpass his current limits. However, at the height of his final reiteration, his arms succumbed to the weight that quadrupled in those last few seconds, ending with him kissing the hard soil beneath him.
He wastes no time to turn on his back and breath in the clear air that had turned from a heavy oppressing weight into a rejuvenating source of energy and clairvoyance. Facing against the blinding haze of the sun, he swiftly turned to the side, into the shade of the tree, giving himself enough breathing room for his thoughts to prevail once more.
‘Two days till the escape…’ He thought and left a heavy sigh under his breath. His sense of normalcy, which he had fought hard for and acquired would soon be extinguished in favour of potentially better reality. Still his anxiety and troubles wouldn’t allow him to think positively for a moment, as he was continually plagued by doubts and concerns that were on the verge of a breaking point if not for his unwavering faith in Reiziko.
And to top it off, burned onto his memory had been the sight of the mysterious maiden who only encouraged his uncertainties. Having held off on the question of her origins and his psyche, he examined the mental image he had constructed once more.
‘He is unlike anybody else I’ve ever seen…’ Closing his eyes and furiously rubbing his hair in frustration trying to perceive her features in clarity, he focused on representing his memories vividly. ‘His muscles were slender and skinny. Weirdly malnourished except for the lump of fat that protruded from his chest…’ His visage bore a confused look as the image became more coherent as well as a sly blush on his cheeks that also added on to his turmoil.
Promptly interrupting his thoughts, his thinking shifted to the main distinguishing feature of her anatomy, or rather lack thereof. Her face had been something that his own imaginative mind could never conjure, an abyss so deep that the sense of dread it brought was unlike anything else he had the displeasure of experiencing.
Swiftly dismissing the young girl’s image that birthed unfamiliar emotions and sentiments, he altered his stance to a straight back and crossed legs, bearing his open palms into the grass ground. Acquiring a last look of nature, he gently lowered his eyelids, and took in a slow deep inhale of the clean air that was devoid of the foul odour of blood and urine that usually surrounded him.
His moment of tranquillity was disturbed by the chilly sensation of bitter cold hands pressing upon his shoulders, earning him a feeling of dread and causing his heart to skip a beat. His eyes widened in shock as he leaped forward and away from the mysterious presence that stood behind him. However, his anxieties were soon laid to rest as he witnessed the figure who crumbled in a fit of laughter under the pretence of this scene.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
- - -
Turning his head to come in opposition with Kajin, who had found himself in hysterics over Vasil’s obscure reaction, his own mood quickly turned sour. He stared at Kajin with a bewildered look before opening his lips to speak. “Are you finished?” he inquired, exasperated. His own gaze remained devoid of any emotion except from contempt.
“Yeeah, m-my bad…” Kajin, hardly able to stop his chuckling amusement, fumbled his response and partially covered his lips with his bandaged hand. His composure was regained as fast as his mood waned, causing Vasil to raise an eyebrow.
“What happened? Already finished?” He remarked slightly astonished at the change of pace, his visage tinged with a hint of newfound calmness. In spite of that, he couldn’t help but flinch as Kajin left his mouth agape to speak, scared that he might alter his opinion at any moment.
His sombre look betrayed his incoming words, “Yeah.. I thought I should spare you for today.” His soft voice didn’t faze Vasil, but it did assist in bringing him a sense of peace followed by a sigh of relief. He had no clue as to what influenced Kajin, but thought it would be ultimately best not to examine it any further.
Kajin shifts his gaze and scans his surroundings, looking slightly upset he calls out once more and asks Vasil, “Where’s Rei?” his heavy tone had been veiled in the sense of casualness. Vasil remained unable to pick up on the undertones, yet his reply reciprocated the sentiment. “No idea, probably scheming.” He responded devoid of any guises, revealing his agitated state of mind.
He lifted himself and picked up his fallen blade once more, hinting at slight struggle in that act due to the buildup of excess training. But he ensued regardless, his muscles tensing with each movement he took. Kajin vacantly stared at Vasil’s movements and with cold indifference he responded, “That so..?”
As he observed Vasil’s training, he began whistling with ennui and not soon after swiftly changed the conversation back to something that piqued his curiosity. “Hey, you want to check something interesting?" His voice conveyed a sense of wonder, prompting Vasil to halt his excessive training.
“Something interesting? Wouldn’t hurt to spare the details.” He replied, half-curious himself. However he wouldn’t receive a satisfactory answer.
“Time is of the essence, I already have someone waiting there. So do you want to follow or not?” He asked with a sense of urgency, refusing to stand still any longer.
- - -
The two boys, trying to abuse their free time to their limit, started sprinting towards their destination, one closely following behind the other who led the charge. The blonde lad who strung along was drenched in perspiration from both his earlier exercise and his many worries. Despite that, he placed his trust in his ally and loyally followed him.
Turning the corner, in their sights belonged another tallish boy, his hair light as was Vasil’s and yet it drew longer in comparison. His lean build stood in contrast to the hefty and aesthetic appearance many had developed in this environment but to make it this far meant his looks had not reflected his true strength.
Kajin’s eyes drew a glimmer, his lips drew open and the words escaped his mouth. “Phillip! You’ve made it!” As their distance lessened, so did their pace. Phillip had not taken long to approach Kajin, and after coming to a halt, he stretched his arms wide, ready to morph into a welcoming embrace. Phillip too raised his hand, but his reaction had not been anticipated.
His hand meets Kajin’s smiling visage as it swipes across his cheeks and ends up opposite of its origin, carrying him to the ground and sending him in a world of pain. Shocked and confused, he would attempt to question his actions but ultimately they would be answered before any words could ever escape through his teeth.
Phillip approached Kajin’s ear, shouting right into it, “Shall the entire fortress know that I am here?!” His voice did not stand out from the regular cacophony of sounds in this environment, but it revealed fresh aspects of his character.
Vasil slowed down to gather his breath, and despite the hilarious nature of the circumstance, his attitude was indifferent. While Kajin writhed on the ground, Phillip's curious gaze crossed with Vasil’s figure, eliciting the following query from his side. “Hm? Who’s the kid?”
Kajin struggled to answer as he rubbed his ringing ear, but he did so nonetheless. “Oh, Vasil? He’s in Reiziko’s group.” Phillip glanced at Kajin for a second before approaching Vasil; his attitude to the response he had received was less than pleasant. “Are you one of those freedom fools or are you just one of his lackeys?”
His tone veiled in anger and distrust; it would quickly turn off Vasil from his presence, feelings of animosity and bitterness started welling up inside his mind. But soon his thought process would be interrupted by the ensuing awkward words stemming from Kajin. “Hey, come on, that’s not nice. Rei is a good friend of ours.”
Phillip shifted his attention back to Kajin, letting out a frustrated groan. “I do not get how you seriously trust that guy so much… You know the slightest bit about him, it’s like he is a stranger.”
The corner of Kajin’s mouth carved upward and his face morphed into a devious look; swiftly raising his index finger and swaying it from left to right, he added, “Tsk tsk.. Phillip, you know better than to condemn people based on their history.” his condescending tone would eventually collapse beneath his unexpected burst of laughter.
“A-After all, if we were to judge you… You’d be the loathsome dun-” Before Kajin had been able to finish his sentence, he had been struck from behind through the force of Phillip’s left hand, inducing a severe headache and forcing him to respond.
Phillip said in a disjointed tone following a hefty grunt. “Shut up; that was only a rumour.” He cast one last curious and careful gaze back at Vasil, not uttering another word, and pivoted back. It appeared that his interest had faded and he shifted towards the more pressing matter.
“Let’s go before our break is over, I have been waiting to visit this place for days…” He added, before strolling towards a battered door that had been in the background throughout this whole discussion. Kajin’s countenance remained joyful while Vasil raised an eyebrow; he had yet to grasp the objective of their trip, but he would find himself unable to ask.
Nevertheless, they went ahead, leaving him in the dark. Approaching the old boarded-up and beaten door, Kajin put himself front and centre of the cohort and gently dropped to approach the latch. In a twisted fashion, he grabbed a hold of his right arm and slowly freed it from its bandages, leaving pieces of dead flesh sticking onto them.
From beneath them peaked a crimson that consumed all light, a dark red that was nastier than blood, a mass of swollen, burnt flesh. Untreated burns and scars heaped over on top of one another, resembling what was once a hand. Kajin remained unfazed by his severe wounds but the image would linger in Vasil's memory for a long time, being sensitive to the sight.
Soon, in Kajin’s scarred hand, devoid of the veil of bandages, a slew of faint sparks sprang forth, formed out of thin air and powered by his own will. It was unlike anything Vasil had bore witness to; the world he knew appeared so little in contrast to Kajin’s abilities, yet it was a terrifying revelation. The side effects of such power revealed themselves to be quite vile and obscure, unsure of whether such a sacrifice was worth the trouble.
His insatiable curiosity could not be contained any longer, so he moved forward with an inquiry. “D-Don’t you feel that?” He muttered, unsure if he was heard by his peers, but Kajin made it apparent that his query had been received and would be addressed.
“Hm.. I do feel a tingle…” He says as his eyes widen, following a sudden movement from his right hand, lifted in the direction of Vasil. Spooked from his reaction, he falls on his back and pushes away, prompting a shout from Kajin. “Aaa! It burns! It burns!”
Startled and unsure of what to do, Vasil’s gaze darted from side to side, terrified to face the objective truth, but his nerves would eventually be calmed by the abrupt proclamation made by Kajin, “...Kidding!” His tone sounded light and joyous once more, but it was insufficient to quell Vasil's mounting rage.
Before he was able to dwell on it any further, Phillip swooped in again with a rising fist aiming for Kajin’s head, handling the matter in a straight-forward manner.
“Can you actually hurry up? I’ll murder you if we don’t make it back in time.” Phillip said calmly, yet his relaxed demeanour did not reflect emotions at the time, merely his words. Kajin visage exuded terror and dread, so in a smart act devoid of the usual nonsense, he resumed his action from the point which he had left off.
Soon the sparkles in Kajin’s right palm grew ever more concentrated and gloriously transformed into a small high-speed flame, standing in stark contrast to the horrid sight that enveloped it.
The red tint of the flesh would only fade into a deeper charcoal variation as the flame stood by its side, the blisters that had grown to protect the skin broke under the tremendous heat, and their liquid drained and evaporated all in the same moment; the burns had progressed far beyond anything Vasil had witnessed before.
The nauseating odour of burning flesh permeated the air, and on the verge of his own sickness and appalment, Phillip, once again, managed to halt Vasil’s urges, this time to vomit, with his ensuing question. “Is there something you can do about that?” His concern resonated with Kajin's subconscious, irking him to answer sincerely while meddling with the door's lock at the same time.
“A pyro healer is expected to arrive shortly…” He said, while preoccupied with melting the door’s lock off and added, “Normally our burns are not so bad; I was simply not attentive.” His head had been urging to turn to the side, but the task at hand demanded his attention.
Upon him keeping the flame on the door’s latch, a slight shift occurred to its position, signalling that the door itself had been unlocked. Now, the only thing that held them back from entering was the wooden boards nailed to the door itself. However, that wouldn’t remain a problem.
While Kajin kept himself busy with applying a fresh bandage to his burnt and damaged arm, with a head nod of Phillip, the two boys gave the big old door a slight push and the rusty nails that kept the boards and the door in place quickly fell to the stone cold patio that they stood upon, echoing a metallic cling sound as they bounced off the floor.
The wooden door slowly creaked open, its sound producing wonder and intrigue while drawing the boys’ attention back, still unable to shake off the ominous and unsettling feeling it provided. The room beyond remained dark and invisible, but it yearned to be explored.