Arc 1: From the Ashes
Chapter 1: The Beginning (??? POV)
“My only regret-”
My thoughts were cut off as I felt the anticipated blade slicing through my neck, a jolt of sharp pain coursing throughout my body. My consciousness faded as the world went to black.
*****
My hand instinctively jerked upwards to my neck, expecting to feel a stump where my head had been. I rubbed it and seemed that my neck was (fortunately) still in one piece. What happened? As I opened my eyes, I began to observe my new surroundings.
Darkness. As my eyes adjusted, it was all I could see. The expansive void before me was eerily quiet, I couldn’t even hear my breathing. I thought back to what had happened just moments before, attempting to determine what had transpired, yet nothing came to mind. I couldn’t even think of what had occurred before I ended up here. The only clues I had were the sharp pain in my neck and, whatever I had been thinking before this. “My only regret…” Forget about my regrets, I didn’t even know my own name. Where was I?
Who was I?
Getting up from my kneeling position, I slapped myself. I felt my hand connect with my cheek but when I opened my eyes again, nothing had changed. “I guess this isn’t a dream.” I thought. But taking another glance at my hand, I noticed that it was somewhat, transparent? I couldn’t do much about it though, so I decided to explore. The great void awaits!
I first attempted running, but the viscous environment slowed my movement, almost like water. After multiple attempts of trial and error, I found that swimming was my best option. Flutter-kicking my legs while using a breaststroke motion with my arms, I propelled myself through the murky landscape. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but it was better than waiting around.
*****
Sometime later, and I still hadn’t discovered anything about my current predicament. Even worse, I knew I was moving but it didn’t feel like any progress was being made because of the dark. I slowly felt myself succumbing to boredom and my eyes began to blink slower…and slower… and…no! My eyes shot wide open again. Whatever situation I may be in, I had a feeling that if I slept, I would not wake up. I kept on swimming.
What felt like an eternity passed. I had kept going, but what was the point? What was I trying to accomplish? At this point, maybe giving up was a good idea… until I saw it. A small ember of light. Something completely contrasting from this mundane environment. I felt adrenaline fill my body as I made a beeline for the glowing ball. The closer I got, the brighter the light illuminated the shadowy world. My hand reached out in front of me as my body was quickly encapsulated in its vibrance, before completely enveloping me.
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*****
“mmm…” My eyes slowly flickered open as I tried to make out my blurry surroundings. The sound of a downpour echoed throughout my ears and reverberated off the walls. Rubbing my eyes, I got a glimpse of my surroundings. I was at the back of a small cave. The air smelled damp with a hint of rain breaking up the musty smell. I looked up to the entrance of the cave where I saw the outside. Though the heavy rain was blockading my view, I was able to make out what seemed to be a forest of vibrant green trees. My eyes continued to advance downwards, but the sight before my eyes made me freeze in terror.
I watched, horrified, as a man stood over what seemed to be the body of a man. He held a bloodstained blade, his ragged clothes soaked from the outside. His long hazel hair trickled downwards, covering his unkempt face. On the floor in front of me, a woman lay, reaching her hand towards me. All I could do was watch as the man crossed the room, and placing both hands on the blade, he drove it into her chest.
The woman gasped, before collapsing. No… this can’t be happening. Shaking off my initial fear, I tried getting up. I needed to help them. However, I promptly fell back down. “What’s wrong you, body!?” I gazed at my hands and noticed they were abnormally smaller than what I was imagining. In fact, my entire body was smaller than I had thought. You’re joking…
I’m a child. No, that wasn’t important right now, I needed to help. I desperately tried getting up with even more vigor than before. Finally, I wobbled to my feet and instinctively aimed my hand at the threat. “Hey boss,” A voice from my left spoke as I felt something grab my neck. “We missed something.”
How had I not seen him?? My hands grabbed his fingers as I attempted to pull them off. I kicked and struggled, but it was to no avail. What was a child to a grown man? The man with the crimson-soaked blade sighed. “Guess we have no choice then. Let’s bring him to the Union after Raijin passes; it should be slowing down soon. After a day or so, he’ll wish he were dead along with his parents.” I felt anger coursing through my body as I continued my futile attempts; tears falling down my face as the man continued to grasp me. I had to…save them… I felt myself losing consciousness, and the world turned black once again.
*****
Once again, my eyes flickered open as I tried adjusting to my new surroundings. Where was I this time? Rather than seeing a sprawling void or a damp alcove, the first thing I saw this time was rusty iron bars. The room was dimly lit by a torch flickering on the wall, and across from my prison, multiple other cages were set up. On one side of the room, a sturdy solid wood door manned by a guard indicated the exit, but on the other side, another doorway led to a different location. I was slumped against a cold hard wall and the ground was made from mossy stone bricks that were moist to the touch.
Suddenly, I heard a cough and I shot upwards, only to tumble back down. I had forgotten I was a child. “Hey, kid.” A deep raspy voice spoke from beside me. Looking over from where the voice came from, a shabby man peered down at me. Like my captors, his dark hair was unkempt and hung down past his shoulders. His loose clothes were torn and stained various shades of color but for the most part, it covered his thin frame. The man spoke again. “Welcome to the Union, also known as the slave trade. Get comfy, your miserable chronic condition called life has only just begun.”