My name is Sokolof Rericha. As a child, I was about to claim the throne. My father, King Rericha, was a god among gods. He controlled the Northern kingdom of the world, which was the strongest and most superior. He was suffering from a deadly plague and died early. His guards turned on all of us, and even the townsfolk as they were tempted by money and wealth from the southern kingdom. The few guards that stayed loyal died. The women of the kingdom were kidnapped and treated inhumanely and were killed. This included my mother. I watched her get beat and assaulted by the soldiers. The men, including me, were kept and enslaved. The southern kingdom took over, and here I am now. I'm in a mine, with hundreds of other enslaved men. "NO PLEASE!" bellowed a man, as he was being whipped. "I'M JUST TRYING TO TAKE A BREAK!". I've heard these pleas one too many times. I'm numb to the pain. At first, I felt destroyed and betrayed. But now I realize that there is nothing I can do. As we mine ore, as the rock shatters, so do our souls. I've been tortured for being the king's offspring thousands of times. I am addressed as "Useless royal." Even the other slaves do not accept me. I'm getting sicker and sicker each day, as the mercury exposure is starting to kill me. I can't take it anymore, but if I stop the men will just torture me. It's not like it would matter, as I am numb to the pain. I've gotten used to the constant screams, over exertion, and pain. I will never escape at this point. I was tiny, fast, and nimble when this ordeal started. I thought I could escape easily. That was the first time I got tortured. The men gouged out my eye with a sickle. I didn't know what was happening. My other eye is starting to stop working, and I am almost fully blind. Another scream continued on, this time by a young woman, trying to free someone. Maybe a soulmate? I feel almost amused at this. I can stop mining and just watch, as all the guards are torturing her. I see other miners being led by a young guard out of the mine. Another guard came and stabbed him. "PSST!" I hear a guard right next to me. He whispers "Come out with me! I'll get you out!". I haven't spoken in so long. I simply shook my head and off we went. As we left the mine, many guards chased us. Thats when I saw light that was not made by fire in 12 years. I don't really remember how long it's been. I think I'm 17. But there were not any lively buildings or people when I got out. What I saw, was an army holding swords charging towards the mine. I pull my hand away from the man's grip and ran. He stood there, frozen. I ran for 3 days trying to find civilization and I finally did. I saw a sign. "Welcome to the Western Kingdom"

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