The light outside my cell door was flickering as the candlelight was being played by the wind. But my eyes didn't waver, they stared straight down at the black ring on my finger. My breathing started to become slow and my anticipation started to build. Every time I had used the Demon Lord's weapon, my body would become deathly sick. I tread through the pain during Martin's death by drinking, now I didn't have the luxury. 

It was probably  good that I was locked away in a cell.

I didn't want to be hindered in my progress to the Demon Territory but I had no idea if my body can traverse through the mountains as I am now. The black ring seemed even darker than I had ever seen it. My continuous use of the ring had made it look darker than black. I don't know how many times I could use the Demon Lord's weapon, I always limited it to once a day. The light from the candles blew out and I tightened my hands into a fist.

Something was different, it felt wrong from any regular sickness that afflicted my body.

Was I branded with a curse?

A thick dark cloud emanated from the black ring and the darkness seem to seep away from the ring. My free hand moved to the cloud and tried to force it back onto the ring. The cloud struggled to come out and revealed the ring as naturally white in color. A bright light emerged from the ring and my eyes became blinded by its radiance. The light was burning my hand and I collapsed on the floor.

I became disoriented as both my sense of vision and pain exceeded their limits.

My hand wearing the ring felt like it could melt away. The pain was excruciating and I began to scream. I could only hear the echo of my own voice as I cried out in agony. My life felt like it was being sucked away into the ring. The light shone through the dark prison I was being held in. I knew that there was no one here to witness the light and hear my screams.

Slowly the dark cloud tried to cover the entirety of my arm and my face cringed in terror.

"Fight it!"

A voice resounded in my head.

"Fight it, Demitri!"

The voice sounded so familiar but I couldn't recognize it.

"Don't let it consume you!"

"I can't!" I screamed.

"You must!" The voice replied back.

My body was shaking, the pain was almost unbearable.

"It hurts!" I yelled.

"You've been through worse!" The voice said.

I felt I could pass out at any moment.

"The ring has been growing stronger and it's struggling with you because of that!"

Was the ring getting stronger with how many lives I ended with it?

"Don't you have things you must accomplish? You can't die! Fight on!" The voice said.

The voice didn't have to remind me of the things I already knew. I grit my teeth and tighten my muscles to bear through the pain. I took a deep breath and roared as I focused on fighting back the darkness on my arm. I couldn't feel the burning pain anymore, I just wanted to win this battle with the ring. The darkness seems to waver and with the strength of my willpower, I forced it back into the ring. Now the ring was black again and the light had disappeared, I had won.

I collapsed with my body covered in sweat.

"Who are you?" I asked in the dark but I received no reply.

I didn't know if this unknown voice was actually friend or foe. The voice sounded so familiar but I couldn't quite tell who was speaking to me. I was nearly exhausted in my struggle with the ring. My breathing slowed and my eyes felt heavy. I laid on the floor in the darkness, alone again.

My mind started to wander back again to when I became branded.

We were back at our house trying to figure out a plan.

"So how are we going to do this?" I said as I looked at Richard and Diego.

Richard was sitting on a chair and Diego leaned against the wall.

"Enter through the front in disguise?" Diego said.

"Too risky," Richard replied. "Let's go through the back."

"The castle is on a peninsula surrounded by water," I said.

"That's right." Richard looked at me.

"So how  are we going to get in?" I asked.

"Climb," Richard said.

"What!?" Both Diego and I looked at Richard.

"The backside of the castle is a cliff, we climb from there," Richard said looking calm.

Richard talked like it was an easy task but it was far from simple. We borrowed a boat off the port and paddled through the treacherous sea at night. It was dark and tranquil night but it felt like we were moving into our own graves. I was afraid of what might happen to us and Diego could only look worried. Richard was calm through the whole ordeal and tried to give us words of encouragement.

"We have to succeed," Richard said.

Richard was more enthusiastic than he usually was. He planned everything out and we decided to follow it. We would travel by sea, climb the cliffs, enter the castle and steal the relic. The part that worried me was escaping and what would happen to Ariel if we were caught.

"We could stop this right now," I said. "Ariel would want us to stop."

 I was young and scared but I followed what the others went with.

"I can't and that's because of Ariel," Richard said.

Richard had a serious expression as he looked at us.

Just a couple days prior, Ariel had told us she was pregnant with Richard's child. I was surprised at the revelation but happy for the both of them. They have never outright told us before that there were in a relationship and I didn't know why. Maybe because they were embarrassed? They had thought we would be troubled by the news but it was different. Both Richard and Ariel were like our elder siblings, so of course, we were elated.

"But if you die or get put in jail what happens to both Ariel and the baby she's carrying?" I said.

Ariel had become pregnant with Richard's child while we were working for Magnus. That was the reason why Richard was in a hurry to make money, to support our group and his future child. We had become thieves for profit instead of survival. I tried often to be the voice of reason as I thought our lives were more important. Richard knew how the world revolved around money and became jaded because of it.

"We won't, Demitri," Richard said. "We'll get through this and live our lives rich."

Diego grabbed me on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, " Diego said. "We just have to follow Richard."

I muster a weak smile at them and nod my head.

We moved the boat close to the rocky cliffs and prepared ourselves for a climb upward. Richard had planned things out with Magnus beforehand. Magnus had provided us with climbing gear and some equipment. He also provided a layout for the castle and it seemed perfect to the finest detail. I wondered if Magnus had ever been inside the castle before.

We just knew that the relic would be in the possession of some Elven ambassadors. Magnus had told us the location of where they might be staying. We had no idea who they were and what exactly was the relic. We never asked many questions and that's one of the things that went wrong.

The climb up the cliffs wasn't as perilous as we believed. We attached ropes around each other and used picks to help ease our climb. When we reached the top of the cliffs, our eyes were greeted with a magnificent stone castle. Under the moonlight, the castle looked more radiant at night. The walls of the castle remained high even from the seaside.

We pressed ourselves against the walls and moved to the side of the castle we needed to be at. When we arrived, I looked up to see some guards posted on the watchtowers. We all looked at each other and nodded. Each of us had our tasks and we moved quickly to accomplish them.  Richard readied a sleeping dart to knock out the guards. Diego was to throw a grappling hook over the wall. I was to climb the walls quickly and ensure a safe passage.

I waited for Richard's signal as he aimed for the guards close by. When Diego tossed the hook over the wall and held it in place, I made my move. As I got up on the castle walls, I could see some guards peacefully sleeping from the darts Richard hit them with. Yet there weren't too many guards here as if someone let us come in. I signaled to Richard and Diego who proceeded to climb the walls as well.

After they got up, I pulled my hood a little lower over my face.

"Don't fail," Richard said.

"I won't," I replied.

I was to scurry through the castle and find the relic. Richard would act as a decoy if something went wrong. Diego would wait at our escape point and if needed, come help us. We had whistles to call out dangers or in cases of emergency. I didn't move inside the castle but outside around the courtyard. We already knew the castle layout and inside would have too many variables. Everything seems to move smoothly and I was met with little obstacles from guards.

I was outside the window to my destination and I could hear voices within.

"Why are we even still here, they don't want a fair trade!"

"Calm down, they need the relic as they say."

"As if these humans could be trusted by their words!"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"I agree that we should've stayed home in the Wild Forests."

"I thought that if I had something to trade with, they would leave our Forests alone."

"These humans aren't willing to negotiate with us!"

"They are greedy and are driven by desire."

"Why do they even need to activate the summoning circle?"

"It seems that their summoning circle hasn't been working for centuries."

"I've heard that they've been constantly trying to summon a Hero and failing."

"No wonder the Soul Stream seems rife with new voices."

"They try to summon a Hero with no obvious threat? These humans are just looking for a weapon!"

"We don't know that the Demons have been quiet for some time."

"The Demons are no threat to us, only humans!"

"You speak in quite a rough tone."

"I apologize, Sire, these humans are just troubling."

Their conversation had piqued my interest. The Kingdom of Bareth was looking for a way to fix their summoning circle. I heard stories of how long ago a Hero was summoned to save the Kingdom of Bareth. It was often told to children as a story of justice and bravery. I never knew that the legend was true and that we still had the ability to do so. I heard that the Religion of the Veil were the keepers of the summoning circle. Why was the Kingdom of Bareth helping the Religion of the Veil?

I move my head closer to the windows and peered inside. There was a group of Elves talking to each other and one seemed more important than the rest. On a table next to the Elves, there was a wooden box. I didn't know what the relic actually looked like but was told it would be in the shape of a cross. Suddenly, the important Elf went to the box and opened it.

Inside the box was a red cross decorated with some gems. The Elves seem to revere the item and I knew that it was what I was after. After a while, the Elf closed the box and continued their discussion. I let out a whistle to signal Richard and Diego that I found it. Soon, Richard appeared and I gestured him to the window. He looked inside and then back to me with a smile.

"It's the wooden box," I said.

"Good," Richard replied. "Let's break in and run."

"Are you crazy!?" I said.

I gave Richard a stunned look.

"We're close Demitri," he said. "So close."

"That's why we should wait and break in," I said.

Richard looked worried and grit his teeth in frustration.

"I don't think we can get the chance," Richard said. "Look!"

My gaze followed his back inside the room and saw that armed guards had opened the doors.

"I'm sorry my Lord, it seems intruders had broken into the castle." A guard said.

Richard and I both looked at each other.

"Were you caught?" I whispered.

"No," Richard whispered back.

It seemed like something was already wrong.

"Intruders!? What are you foolish guards doing! Our Elven Lord here is a royal guest!" One of the Elves said.

The guards looked to be distraught after his words.

"Enough! I understand," The important Elf raised his hand. "What are you guards suggesting we do?"

"Come with us and we'll escort you to the main hall." The guard said.

The Elves moved to follow the guards and one of the Elves moved for the box.

"Damn it!" Richard said.

I looked at Richard who seemed nervous and then his hands moved to break the glass window. The shattered glass alerted the occupants inside and Richard threw in smoke bombs. The people inside became surprised and disorientated after the smoke filled the room.

"Go!" Richard said.

I was shocked for a second but quickly jumped inside and went for the box.

As I grabbed the box, another pair of hands wrestled with me. An  Elf through the smoke was fighting me for the box. I finally wrested the box open but not before he pulled my hood and looked at me. I returned his look and noticed he was the important Elf that everyone was respectful towards. The Elf seemed shocked to see me and I used it to my advantage. As he hesitated for a second, I pulled out the relic from inside the box.

Quickly I jumped out the window and saw that Richard was ready to move.      

"Did you get it!?" Richard said.

I raised up the relic in my hand and Richard nodded.

The alarm was ringing throughout the castle. We moved like rats being found in a house. Fires were lit around the castle and it seemed to come alive. I followed Richard in a hurry to get to Diego and our escape point. I could hear guards shuffling out of the castle and looking for us.

"Intruders!"

"Where?"

"Search for them!"

"How many?"

"One, maybe two!"

I could tell that they didn't know  where and who we were. I wasn't sure if we could escape unscathed. I placed the relic inside my pocket as I followed Richard to the outer walls. As we finally neared our destination, archers had spotted us and fired a rain of arrows.

I ducked low underneath the hail of arrows but Richard caught an arrow to the leg.

Richard stumbled in pain and I tried to carry him up. We moved again and reached our escape point. Diego ran over to us and helped me carry Richard. The sounds of guards seem to echo close by. Diego broke the arrow and pulled it out of Richard's leg. I tore off a cloth and wrapped his leg tight.

"I'm sorry," Richard said. "This is my fault."

"No, you are going to be fine," I said.

"I was stupid, we should have waited!" Richard said in pain.

Diego looked to be worried and the sounds of guards came closer.

"I was frustrated," Richard said. "We need the money."

Richard had a future child that he had to consider.

"Not at the cost of our lives," I said.

Richard looked at me with a pained expression and Diego grabbed my shoulder.

"I know," I said as I looked at Diego and then to Richard.

The sounds of metal and footsteps came closer.

"It's going to be okay," I said. "I don't think they know how many of us are there."

I pulled the relic from my pocket and handed it to Diego.

"Get him out of here," I said. "I'll buy you time."

"What the hell are you talking about!" Richard said.

"If they were chasing after someone they wouldn't be looking for anyone else," I said.

I pulled my hood down over my face.

"Are you stupid!?" Richard said. "We should leave together!"

"I'll flee the opposite way," I said. "You just get him out of here."

"Stop! No! You listen to me! We leave together!" Richard said.

"Don't worry, they won't catch me," I said.

I was lying to him but I knew that they would easily find us with Richard being injured.

I didn't want to take the chance and get all of us caught. Richard had always acted the decoy, this time, it was my turn. I grab Diego by the shoulder and gave him a nod. Diego was silent but then put Richard over his shoulder. Richard looked horrified at what was happening as Diego disappeared with him over the wall. I threw off the grappling hook when they made it down and ran through the castle.

The guards noticed my movements and quickly followed after me. I didn't know how long they would need but I was going to buy them enough time. I just hope that they didn't wait for me. I wanted them to leave me behind to get away safely. I didn't know what was going to happen but I couldn't let anything happen to them. Richard, Diego and Ariel, they were my family.

I didn't know why I didn't go with them. I just wanted to protect them. I wanted to protect their future. Maybe with the money and not having to look over their shoulders they could leave this life behind.

I distracted the guards throughout the night but was finally caught in a corner. I didn't have any weapons on me and I couldn't exactly fight for my size. They dragged me away to a dungeon, not before giving me a beating for leading them around. I was asked many times for the relic's location. I said that I had dropped it over the wall and that it was gone. Of course, they didn't believe me and tortured me because of it.

When they had enough of seeing me bleed, they tried other devious ways to break me.

"This boy isn't going to talk."

"Well, he's a thief, right? We should treat him like one."

"So then let's do that."

The guards went with a red hot brand to the side of my neck, it was the mark of a thief.

I screamed and wailed in pain as they held me down. The mark of a thief was burned into my skin. The guards seemed more sadistic when high-ranking officials came to see me. It was the same cycle over again, they asked questions, I replied, and then I was tortured. They never went so far as to kill me and I believed it was because they needed the relic. 

I became branded and it stuck with me like a curse.

Yet because of that brand, I knew who I was and what type of man I wanted to be.

All that pain, all that anguish, it all didn't seem to matter as long as my family was safe.

But it was for nothing.