On the next day, Gab woke up with an aching body. It didn't take long till he realized that Raph, his younger brother, was no longer next to him. "Where is he," asked Raph while fearing for the worst.
A slave trader feeding a camel sighed before commenting: "Normally, I wouldn't reply to filthy bondslaves, but he's with the chief and will be riding a horse since that brat is a valuable asset. After all, we can't risk him dying of exhaustion."
Gab only nodded and prayed for the best-case scenario. Fortunately, the dead chained to him were removed, making it easier for his group to continue marching.
Soon they carried on their journey, and it didn't take long till another slave collapsed due to exhaustion and malnutrition. The rest of the team stared at the exhausted one with greedy eyes while whipping away their drool. None of them was willing to help that unfortunate one, and most of the group prayed that he died. After all, meat would be on the table again for them.
Upon seeing what has become of the men surrounding him, Gab only felt disgusted by them and could only shake his head in disappointment, thinking: 'These bastards are truly lost in their despair and are beyond redemption. Not only are these fuckers willing to cannibalize the rest, but they take pleasure in it. Fuck them all. I won't fall for these temptations no matter what.'
Grimly, Gab glanced toward his brother to reassure himself of his safety.
"At least he doesn't have to dwell in such matters," he sighed before marching on.
Their march continued for days, and in the end, Gab was the only survivor of his little small slave group, which consisted, at the beginning, of 50 bondslaves chained together.
Unfortunally for Gab, their rations decreased over time, forcing him into despair as he watched the ones surrounding him feast on the corpses of the dead.
With a body that resembled a bag of bones and a stomach that hadn't eaten in five days, even Gab began to drool at the sight of the meat.
Grinding his teeth, Gab tried to resist the temptation as he heard the whispers of the devil: "You might be upright, but what is the worth of your moral superiority in a world where nobody values it? You will be their next meal unless you feast now. What about Raph, your siblings, and your revenge? Remember, they are waiting for you.~"
In the end, Gab succumbed to his desire and broke his vow as he reached out with teary eyes and a twisted face toward the dead.
"I-I hav-have to," he muttered in despair as his stomach roared loudly.
Drooling, he bit into the throat area, ripping a piece of flesh after flesh while drinking the blood of the dead to satisfy his thirst and hunger that was overwhelming him.
Some slaveholders watched in amusement, and one of them commented: "I told you that he would break in a week if we just restricted his rations."
At that moment, Gab resembled a starved animal as he grabbed a stone, cutting open his stomach while continuing to eat happily.
Raph watched the scene unfold with rage as tears welled up in his eyes.
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"Brot-Brother, you do-don't have to go that far for me," he stuttered in despair while whipping away his tears.
Gab felt nothing more than shame for what he had done after coming to his senses. His hunger might have subsided, but his sins got etched into his skin. In the end, as an older brother, Gab couldn't leave his brother alone, and therefore he even went so far as to break his vow so he could keep marching onwards.
On the last day, Gab marched exhausted with grinding teeth as he carried the burden of five dead chained to him. If it weren't for Raph's existence, he would have succumbed halfway through the march, and only the desire to reconnect with his brothers one day kept him moving forward.
While marching to his damnations, Gab got regularly whipped till he bled due to being too slow, turning his back into a scarred mess.
Furious, Gab screamed: "JUST WAIT. ONE DAY, I'LL BE THE ONE HOLDING THE WHIP, AND YOU WILL FACE MY FURY AS I SCAR YOUR FACES," as someone whipped him again in laughter.
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Author note: This marks the end of Gab's and Raph's scene. I could have released another chapter regarding how they got sold at an auction. Anyway, it's time to continue with the last MC.
Somewhere else in a warm and lit room, a child slowly woke up from its bed. The pain he felt was almost unbearable, and he immediately groaned: "Everything… hurts."
Upon voicing his pain, a man in his thirties kicked open the door while holding two cups of tea in his hand.
Calmly, he commented while placing the cups onto the nightstand: "It seems like our sleeping princess woke up."
Perplexed by his presence, the kid stared at him, wondering: 'Where am I, and how did I end up here?'
Amused, the adult remarked while taking a seat: "Is that how you greet your savior?"
"I'm sorry… I'm lost.… I don't know where I am, nor do I have the slightest idea what happened to me," stuttered the child while raising his arm only to get horrified by what he saw.
His fingers were dark black, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move them, and it got worse. Whatever he touched with them, he couldn't feel anything.
"I feel pity for you. Child, what is your name?" the man asked while gently touching his black fingers suffering from extreme frostbites.
"My name is Michael. What is your name?" he asked while trembling.
"I'm Brandon. I have bad and good news for you. Which one would you like to hear first?" Brandon asked while giving him a cup.
Since Michael could not move any of his fingers, he had to hold the cup with his two palms.
"Could you please tell me how I ended up here before telling me the news? I only remember that I crashed from the sky and landed in the frozen wilderness," Michael stated anxiously.
Only now did Michael notice something else. His body was covered with bandages, and the skin underneath was full of blisters and the like.
After taking a big sigh, Brandon took a sip from his tea before starting with his narration.
"To keep it short, I saw a human torch from the distance of my house, and when I approached him, I saw you, a young child who had set himself ablaze as he marched slowly through the wasteland. I'm unsure if it was the right choice. Using a mana membrane might keep you safe from your own magic, but you will quickly run out of mana. But not using it puts one in danger as your own magic will affect you."
"I see…" replied Michael with a nod before taking a sip.
"Anyway. The good news is that you survived and that I found a place where you can stay. You brat better be thankful for me since I spoke with the mages residing in the local mage tower. Not only are they responsible that you didn't die outright, but they are willing to accept any mage apprentice as long you accept their contract," Brandon continued.
"I'm willing, but what is the bad news?" Michael asked while tapping with taking another sip.
"You see… you're frostbites are so severe that we gotta amputate them," sighed the man.
Upon hearing such an explanation, Micheal's eyes immediately narrowed. But he had no other choice, and the two made their journey towards the mage tower. Brandon carried Micheal for the whole time but let's ignore that.
A female with visible mechanical enhancements welcomed them there and carried the child with her to a different room. There awaited him a contract, and upon reading the clauses, Michael could only let go a sigh before accepting it.
"The mage tower's subject for ten years, huh? Well, at least they promised me to take care of my amputations and offer me prostheses or whatever they called them," Michael sighed before signing the contract.
Author note: Sorry for speeding up Michael's part but I wanted to be done with the siblings by this chapter. Also, I'm kinda curious. Which of the siblings do you like the most or would like to see how their adventure would continue?