The cell where he was imprisoned felt more like a sewer, lit only by the weak, flickering light of a torch mounted on the wall. Dinner had already arrived: a bowl of cold soup and bread as hard as stone. Joshua looked at the meal with disdain, his thoughts drenched in sarcasm. "Gourmet food, as always," he muttered to himself, forcing himself to eat. Fifteen minutes later, the guard came by to collect the trays.
A collar engraved with runes around his neck began to burn, warning him of the danger of trying to use his powers to ease the pain throbbing in his body after another day of exhausting labor. That year as a prisoner, enslaved in mining, had left deep marks on his soul and body. Yet today, a strange smile adorned his face. This was no ordinary day; he had been preparing for this moment for months.
Leaning against the wall beside the bars, Joshua stared fixedly at the cell across from him. In a provocative tone, he asked:
"Zacky, my man, still awake?"
"My name is Zacharias, you bastard. How about you shut that mouth and let me sleep?"
"Why so much aggression? I'm just trying to be friendly."
"I don't care, you lunatic. I'll break you if you keep talking."
"Whoa, looks like the princess is in a bad mood. I'll try not to—"
CLANG! CLANG!
Joshua flinched as the guard struck the cell bars with the hilt of his sword. The man wore black leather armor, with a broad sword hanging at his waist. His gaze oscillated between hatred and disdain. 'Maybe he didn't like my joke?' Joshua thought, watching the guard with cold interest. He wouldn't feel bad about what he was about to do.
"Scum, shut up and go to sleep," the guard ordered, his voice laden with anger. Before he could finish his sentence, Joshua acted with speed and precision, grabbing the man's armor and pulling him hard.
"BAK!"
"WHAT ARE YOU...!"
"SCUM?!" Joshua's eyes gleamed with insane fury.
"TAKE. IT. BACK!" Joshua screamed, smashing the guard's head against the bars repeatedly.
"I TAKE IT BACK! I TAKE IT BACK!" the guard begged, now terrified.
Joshua released him, and the man fell to the ground, his face crushed against the iron bars. Humiliated and furious, the guard cursed Joshua, promising revenge. The cell was filled with a rising murmur, as the other prisoners jeered at the situation.
"I WANT TO SLEEP, DAMN IT!"
"OHHH, I WOULDN'T LET THAT SLIDE!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
"ENOUGH! SHUT UP, YOU BASTARDS!"
The guard left, still cursing, and Joshua waited patiently. When he heard the sound of the door to his wing being closed and locked, he looked at the key he had stolen with a satisfied smile. "That was easier than taking candy from a baby," he murmured, aware that time was against him.
Quickly, he grabbed a piece of soap hidden in his bed, broke it in half, and pressed the stolen key between the two halves, creating an improvised mold. He removed the key and began melting a plastic spoon with a lighter, both stolen from the kitchen. The smell of burning plastic filled the cell, and Joshua felt his heart race as he worked, his breathing labored and his forehead sweaty.
*Sigh*
He knew he had little time before the guard realized the key was missing. When the mold was ready, he removed the improvised key and placed the original in front of the cell, lying down on the bed and waiting for the guard's return. When footsteps echoed back, he forced his breathing to calm. The same guard appeared, his jaw clenched and his eyes filled with fury. He looked at the key on the ground, glancing between the object and the "sleeping" prisoner before him.
Joshua sweated coldly but kept his composure as the guard hesitated, then left the cell, irritated. Waiting until the footsteps faded, Joshua quickly opened the cell with the improvised key. Climbing the grate, he found a ventilation duct, the rusty metal giving way under his pressure.
"Good luck, kid. HAHAHAHA!"
"You only live once, kid. I'm rooting for you."
"Go for it, Josh!"
Joshua had spent months studying the ventilation ducts, mentally mapping out each route. His plan was simple: reach the kitchen and then head to the storage room. 'Come on, I can do this,' he thought, entering the duct.
Joshua, a 16-year-old with dark eyes and long dark hair, was the young man crawling through the narrow stone tunnel. His height was average, and his build was that of an athlete.
Most of his childhood had been spent in an orphanage. His memories began after he turned six, waking up surrounded by children and staff. Confusion and fear initially clouded his mind; however, with each day spent at the old orphanage, his fear and confusion turned into discipline and determination. In the orphanage, the younger children helped with chores and studied, while the older ones worked to raise money for the institution. He was disciplined but very selfish, and because of this trait, many people distanced themselves from him, leaving him with only a few friends.
At 15, Joshua had just finished his chores with his friend Chris, a tall black youth nicknamed "Big" due to his height and weight. As they opened the door to the dining hall, an older teenager entered. He was tall and pale, his name was Jeff. His past involved drug problems. Almost everyone in this place had their traumas and demons to purge. Many were scared when the delusional youth began shouting for more money.
"Calm down, uncle, I have a little bit," said Julia, a seven-year-old girl with blonde hair and brown eyes.
Extending her two small hands, she offered the "uncle" some coins she had earned. Staring at the child's hand, Jeff's left eyelid twitched, and his face contorted into a grimace. At that moment, his left hand grabbed the girl's head. Terror took over the child's face.
"HAHA, you must be joking!" the young man laughed as he slammed the poor child's head into the corner of a table.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Julia's head split open, and she fell to the floor, convulsing. The color of her once blonde hair was now stained red.
Everyone froze, except Joshua and Chris, who, upon seeing the child fall to the ground, began running toward the killer.
Seeing a large boy rushing toward him, Jeff dodged a punch and drew a knife. He retaliated with a cut to the stomach and stabbed Chris in the right arm. As if it were nothing, Chris threw himself at the murderer and held him down with all his remaining strength. On the ground, Jeff pulled the knife from the boy's arm, his face contorted with rage. He raised his arm to stab the knife into Chris's back.
Joshua, without thinking, kicked the knife out of the murderer's hands and ran to grab it. At the same time, Jeff punched Chris's stomach and face several times, trying to get him off.
The young killer's strength was waning as he tried to shake Chris off him. Screaming, Joshua jumped on the murderer and held the knife, stabbing it into his neck repeatedly. Jeff looked up, seeing Josh holding the knife's hilt. His face twitched as he tried to speak, but more and more screams were drowned out as the blade met his flesh. Gradually, more blood flowed from the murderer's neck, and fear filled his gaze.
Chris stood motionless, watching Josh stab Jeff in the throat. His eyes welled with tears.
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!"
"JOSH, STOP! HE'S ALREADY DEAD!"
Joshua withdrew the knife from the murderer's body, his arms tired and his breathing heavy.
Chris grabbed Joshua's shoulder, trying to pull him away. "Calm down, Joshua. He's already dead, brother."
Looking at his friend, his eyes brimming with tears, his hands covered in blood.
"He killed Julia... He killed her, Chris... He killed her..."
Chris began to cry as his eyes burned. He hugged Joshua and said, "I know, brother. I know..."
That day, two new Awakened were born in blood.
Inside the prison, Joshua's thoughts constantly revisited those moments. After sliding through the air ducts, he found a maintenance hole and began descending carefully. He could never forget the faces of Julia, Chris, and Jeff. Those moments had been etched into his soul.
'Couldn’t they make this mess cleaner?' he said, trying not to sneeze.
Through the bars, Joshua could hear the voices of Awakened discussing. Curious, he approached an opening and peeked through a small gap.
“Knight Arthur, the Awakened watching the mines spotted five Embermanes. One of them is a Devil, commanding four Demons,” reported one of the men.
Joshua froze upon hearing the word "Devil." The mention of such a powerful creature would make anyone tremble, but what truly terrified him was the man called "Knight." If an Awakened like Joshua was comparable to a small river of essence, a Knight was a vast ocean. Knight Arthur, with his red hair and icy blue eyes, wore a black leather jacket with golden details that fell to his knees, exuding authority.
“Double the number of Awakened and place two Masters in command of the area,” Arthur ordered, his voice firm and relentless. “And make an announcement to the civilians: there's a group of medium-threat monsters roaming near the city. You’re dismissed.”
The Awakened bowed before leaving, closing the door of the room with a soft click.
“Now…” Arthur murmured, furrowing his eyebrows and fixing his eyes on the ventilation slit. “Who left it?”
Joshua had already continued on his way.The sound of his heart pounding in his ears was the only thing he could process. He knew he had to be quick—at any moment, someone would notice his absence from the cell.
“Damn creep,” Joshua whispered to himself, a chill running down his spine as Arthur’s image lingered in his mind. With his nerves on edge, he kept crawling through the duct until he found the perfect place to exit: the kitchen.
The kitchen was almost empty, except for a single cook chopping vegetables. Joshua carefully removed the duct cover and climbed out. The cold, damp floor contrasted with the stifling heat of the room. He snuck behind the prep tables, making sure not to be seen. His goal was clear: reach the storage room where he had hidden the essential tools for his escape.
Upon reaching the storage room, Joshua found the box he was looking for. Inside were a rope, a pair of pliers, and a rudimentary map of the sewage system he had drawn. His breath caught in his throat as he heard footsteps approaching. Quickly hiding behind a barrel, he watched as the cook entered the room, muttering about missing ingredients. The seconds dragged on like an eternity, but the cook eventually left, allowing Joshua to continue his escape.
With the tools in hand, he headed for the sewers, where he hoped to find the exit that would lead him out of the prison. The passages were narrow and dark, and the foul odor was suffocating. But Joshua pressed on, guided by his unwavering determination to reach freedom. After what felt like an eternity, he finally found a rusty grate leading outside. Using the pliers, he cut through the weakened bars and, with the rope, carefully lowered himself into the river below.
When his feet touched the cold water, a wave of relief and triumph surged through his body. He was surrounded by a dense forest, freedom finally within reach. Joshua slowed down, his senses still on high alert, when a shiver ran down his spine.
“I think I saw a little kitten…” a playful voice echoed inside his mind.
Knight Arthur was right behind him, the moonlight illuminating his imposing figure. His eyes gleamed with cruel amusement, like a predator toying with its prey. Arthur’s aura saturated the air around them, heavy and oppressive. Joshua felt time stop as Arthur’s lips moved slowly.
“Did you really think you’d escape?”
“Think?” Joshua asked, glancing around.
Arthur remained silent, simply watching him with an impassive stare. Joshua knew that even though he had made it this far, the forest surrounding him hid dangers that only a fool would face.
“Even if you got here, you know what awaits you in that forest,” Arthur commented, almost casually.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Joshua responded, his voice determined but tinged with desperation.
In a desperate move, Joshua channeled all his mana into his body. The collar around his neck began to burn his skin, but he ignored the pain, accelerating his blood flow and releasing massive doses of adrenaline. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but one thing was clear: his only chance was to run into the forest and try to lose the Knight.
Joshua burst to the right, putting all his strength into his legs and sprinting into the darkness of the forest.
Simultaneously, Arthur drew his sword, an imposing claymore. The blade was pure white, engraved with golden runes, and the guard was dark, with the pommel shaped like a lion’s head. The amusement in Arthur’s eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating look, as if deciding the best way to strike down his prey.
“How arrogant,” the Knight murmured before acting.
SLASH.
Before Joshua could process the movement, his head was already rolling on the ground. His eyes, still fixed on Arthur’s calm and serene face, began to lose focus.
‘I knew I didn’t stand a chance…’
‘And yet…’
‘Even so…’
‘Even so…’ his vision fading.
‘I still…’
Darkness.
----------------------------------------
“There is nothing. Only true darkness. You don’t need to do anything more…”
“...”
“Nothing.”
“Really nothing?”
“Nothing, nothing, nothing at all.”
“Nothing then?”
“Absolutely nothing,” affirmed the existence.
“An imperceptible amount of time passes. You have no control over…”
“...”
“Nothing.”
“This feels good…”
“Doesn’t it?”
“That’s right, kid, you got it. Nothing above nothing, in the fucking city of Nothing.”
“Can I go back?”
“Even after feeling the bliss of Nothing, you still wish to return? To that world of pain and madness?”
“Yes.”
“But why? You didn’t leave behind anything.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why do I feel like I left everything behind?”
“Everything what? You don’t have….”
“Nothing?”
“Exactly. Looks like we’re back to understanding each other. How about enjoying the vastness of…”
“Nothing? Again? Don’t you think this is getting repetitive?”
“Repetitive? But nothing is all I have. I can’t imagine myself without Nothing, and Nothing doesn’t exist without me.”
“But who are you?”
“Me? I am the Void. The Void that contains everything and brings you to…”
“Nothing. I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
“Yes, that’s the spirit of it.”
“I still want to go back.”
“Alright, kid, I’ll send you back. More Nothing left for me.”
“Don’t you want to come with me?”
“No, Nothing is all I have. I am the Void, only Nothing fills me.”
“The Void can be something beyond nothing.”
“Humm. Even after death, I see you still feel something beyond…”
“Okay, enough.”
“...”
“Then we’ll make a deal. You’ll show me where the mana that burns in your soul can take you, the same mana that makes you deny the warm embrace of Nothing.” “I’ll become a part of you. I’ll be with you forever, until the day no stars remain in the sky, until the universe’s expansion destroys everything. Until there is…”
“...”
“Nothing.”