For the duration of this chapter, I will be your host. My name is Elia Sicar, and as instructed by my master; I will tell the tale of my life. I was born in a humble and loving family in one of the remote villages of the Elven Race that are scattered roundabout the land. My mother, Lisira Sicar was very gentle and loving while my father, Barcad Sicar was strict yet caring.

I was the only child that was given by the great Creator to this small and humble household though it seems that my father and mother were glad nonetheless. And so we lived together happily and simply, I could not ask for more.

And because of our natural trait of having long lives, I lived like this for a duration comparable to an average human lifetime. It was a very vivid memory for me, I can't ever forget the smiles on my parents face whenever we talked and laugh together.

I thought that I would live all my life like this and that life would be always bright, oh how so naïve I was.

One day, a living hellish nightmare came to life. It happened in a perfect sunny day. Everyone was living happily, doing what they feel doing. Then the Humans came. They came with swords and spears. Some had torches and some had bows and arrows. Upon setting eyes on us they didn't waste any second and attacked.

We only had a small number of trained guards in our town, along with small fortifications that was born from thinking that we can never be found out, and that carelessness in our part decided our fate.

As soon as they broke through our thin defenses, they started to kill the men that tried to resist. Some of the ones that hid were eventually found and taken captive.

The children were separated from the old and mature looking, the men were also dragged further away. As the chaos was devouring our village, I saw the Human slaughter my friends and love ones. One of them was my father who tried to stall them and let us escape.

The cries of both women and children stabbed itself into my ears and their bloodied and mutilated bodies burned their image into my eyes. It didn't took long for my cries to join the chorus of anguish.

They didn't stopped there though, after killing my beloved father, they assaulted my mother and defiled her in front of me. They also marred her beautiful skin with cuts and bruises, before finally ending her life.

As the cold sorrow completely swallowed me, it slowly turned into burning hatred for my oppressors as I continued to witness the massacre that they commit, and the tears of pain slowly became angry screams of vengeance desiring to burn these men in front of me.

Though in the end I wasn't able to do anything. I was not able to avenge even a drop of my people's blood.

After satisfying their carnal lust and animalistic desire, the Humans gathered the ones that are left and caged them like animals. As we were being carted away from our burning dwellings that contained the memories of bright days, the crackling of flames and the image of my dead fellows continued to burn themselves into my eyes and mind leaving a permanent mark.

They didn't leave me even in my sleep. And as the crackling of flames that I continuously hear invade me every waking hour and even sometimes in my short and painful slumber the cracklings reminds me of their cruelty; the flames of hatred and anger continued to grow and burn hotter.

The burning hatred in my heart pushed me to do anything that I can to harm my oppressors, I didn't care for my welfare, I just wanted to do that one thing. As expected though, my captors retaliated and harmed me and some of my captured brethren, but that didn't do anything but fan the burning flames.

By the time we have reached the capital of whatever land they inhabit, I am sure that a living soul that posses a heart would have fainted upon seeing the condition I was in.

Battered and bruised, I looked like a corpse. The only thing that hinted that I was alive was my burning glare to everyone that did not posses a trait similar to mine; long tapered ears. As much as my oppressors wanted me to stay that way, they still called for a healer to heal my body so that in their words, "You would be worth the cost!"

After healing me, they sold me along with some of the ones that were taken from my village to another slaver who seemed to be the one that actually makes the deal for individuals. And again they embarked on a journey to where ever land they might they decide to take us.

One again, I resisted all that I can and at every chance I got, and yes, again I subjected myself and others to torture just to inflict small wounds.

When we reached the destination our oppressors chose, we were displayed on cages where we would be exposed to the elements day and night. We would be given small rations just enough to keep us breathing and if we tried to defy anyone, we would be subjected to torture only to be healed and displayed once again.

Even with my overflowing wrath and hatred, I was not able to continue my assaults on the ones that held us captive. My body didn't have enough energy to help me do as I want.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, but the time we spent there didn't prepared me to what would come next. One day, a man with luxurious apparel came and stopped in front of the slaver's shop and eyed us; the ones on display.

He stayed there for quite a while giving us a malicious smirk. He then came and talked to one of the slavers and started bargaining for our prices.

Seeing him bargain for us like some sort of product and not living beings, I felt intense hatred towards him, maybe even more intense than that from the ones that took away my family from me.

Shortly after, they came into an agreement on the price the men that handled us from the time we came to this place, came and bound us with chains, three of us to be precise, all being women. They then grabbed those wretched slave collars and placed them on our necks, signifying that we have been bought.

Once again, we were transported to where ever this man live. During the duration of the travel, he would always look at us with those lustful eyes, and a malicious smile as if giddy to perform the deeds he imagine in his head.

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Always making sure that he's riding with the same pace as the carriage that carry our cages; savoring the image of the three of us helpless before him.

Sure enough, right after we reached his place of abode, he proceeded to brutalize all three of us. When night came, we were half dead. Morning arose and we were all healed according to his instruction to his servants. But again, he beat us till he was satisfied.

To him, we are just like some kind of thing that should be pummeled for entertainment. This fueled my hatred more, though I can't do anything to harm him, he was skilled and cunning enough to prevent me to do so, always making sure that we are bound by chains made of earth.

This routine of his continued for months and we suffered all things except for death and defilement. And in that same length of time my hatred burn fiercer and fiercer. Though, that same burning flames that kept me wanting to live and serve justice burned my very spirit.

As if out of nowhere, that despicable man decided to enter the cell in his underground dungeon in which where we are held, with a sword. He then proceeded to stab the girl nearest to him which was too afraid and was frozen in fear, as her blood flowed down her body onto the floor, he kept his eyes on me, as if he's trying to convey a message, his smile more malicious and filled with insanity.

The scream of the other girl didn't deter the insane man, he just moved on and pulled out the blade he buried on the chest of his first victim. Being in a small confined space, his next target was not able to dodge when he swung his blade at her, wounding her back with a gruesome slash.

He then bound me with the same chains made of earth that then pulled me to the wall completely restraining me.

He didn't continued towards me though, instead he started speaking. "You know girl? That eyes of yours that is full of hatred; I hate them. Your kind doesn't have the right to look at us Humans like that." He said, looking at me straight in the eyes, he then continued without waiting for my response. "That is why you need to learn a valuable moral lesson. You see hatred can create a never ending cycle. And for that not to happened, people need to learn how to respect others. And you 'little one', need to learn."

Right after he finished, he cut a shallow wound on the still breathing girl laying facedown on the cold stone floor, her cry of pain echoing once again in the dungeon. For the first time in months I spoke to him. I started cursing him from the bottom of my heart. "Curse you! You Monster! Stop it or I will kill you!!!" Came my threat but he made another cut on the girl's body. Seeing that, I struggled to free myself from my bonds, though my struggles were fruitless.

As I struggled more and more, the man made more cuts on the writhing Elf. My wrist that is bound by the earthly chains started to have laceration and my blood slowly stained the wall behind me, but I still didn't stop. I continued to scream and struggle, using the pain I am feeling as fuel.

Seeing that I won't stop struggling from my bonds and the hatred in my eyes are not vanishing, he spoke once again. "You still don't see do you? The wounds on this girl is being cause by you. As I said before, hatred can become a cycle. I am currently demonstrating to you how it would look like if you continue to hate me. The life of the fellow of yours is in your hands." He said, the smirk he wore from the start of this massacre still present.

I became more agitated at his words. His own hypocritical words not even being hidden nor noticed by this man. But as my reaction became more violent, did so the slashes that cut my fellow slave.

Seeing that he's not going to stop if I didn't, I stopped struggling. Panting from both exhaustion and anger, I lowered my head to help ease my tense muscles even for a little. But when my gaze met the eyes of the tortured slave, the wall of anger and hatred that I made crumbled.

Her eyes; they mirrored the eyes of my village people as they felt the anguish that the Humans that bound us inflicted to them. Though, this time, it was me.

I am the cause of her suffering, my hatred is harming her. It took me this long to be able to see my 'surroundings' again, to see the ones that is being hurt because of my hatred.

With a look of horror that started to form on my face, I looked at the man that bough us.

"Finally! Finally you understand! You understand that this world needs respect and not hatred!" My captor exclaimed. His eyes filled with both satisfaction and insanity, he continued talking but mostly to himself, saying things like, "They never understood that! Even them!" And "I should be given power to be able to show them the importance of respect!" At that time, it seems that he forgotten what he was doing before he started talking to himself.

Though I too became swallowed by my own thoughts. With eyes locked with the other slave that I don't even known the name of, my mind tried to process the things that I realized. "I was the one? I did this? Even before, from the start… I harmed the ones that I call family… Even the ones that was left? Why didn't I realized sooner…?" Came my painful questions as I mumbled to myself trying to find their answer.

From the moment that I was carried away from my village, I defied the slavers, and my defiance was paid by my oppressors by violence and not just towards me.

I have neglected to 'look around' as I burned with hatred and so, the punishment only meant to me was also served among the ones that I once called family and friends I didn't even bothered to ask their names nor comfort them, I just went my own way thinking that its for my love ones but in the end it was just for me, to satisfy myself.

I led them to be harmed. And much of their suffering as we travelled were because of me. This realizations turned my burning hatred into a flame of sorrow that scorched my spirit and left it cold once again. The pain that I felt that I want to also inflict to my enemy, washed over me and seeped to my heart and shattered it.

"I did this…" came my whisper. Tears then started flowing from my eyes to my cheeks as I prepare my heart to pour all of the feelings of kindness that is left within me.

To pour out the last bits of me that is still somehow 'alive' and not scorched by flames of both hatred and extreme sorrow.

An apology that I wish can be carried by the wind to everyone that I wronged.

But I was not able to do so. As I was starting to realize my crimes, the man finally came back to reality and was enjoying my sorrow, when he saw what I was about to do, he buried his blade on the back of the girl.

She mumbled something to me and then cough a few times, and after that, she breathe her last. She was still looking at me when the life in her eyes left her and I was there, tears streaming down my face, unable to register what just happened.

And when it did, it only brought me more grief. The words that was preparing to leave my mouth became lodged in my throat, and when I tried to speak, my mouth moved but there was no sound.

I wanted to ask the man why? Why did he stabbed her? I am not struggling anymore, I am not even looking at him with hateful eyes… Why? But I know he did it because he wants to see me suffering.

I continued to stare at the girl, not wanting to see the man's mocking smile and eyes. I continued to stare hoping that maybe, somehow, she's still alive, that she's not going to leave me and help me ease the building guilt in my heart by allowing me to apologize.

But all that wish was just all that; a wish. As if still not satisfied, the man spoke again. "She's dead. And that's all because of you. You should have showed more respect than you did. You know, I hated your eyes because you didn't look at me with respect." Once again, his words was seething with hypocrisy but even then he still didn't noticed it, or maybe he just doesn't care.

Unable to hold all of the emotion in my head neither in my heart, I screamed.

I screamed as tears flowed down my cheeks.

Conflicting emotions fought inside me making me suffer even more as the pain of their clash constantly hammered my powdered heart.

And as I suffered, the man started to laugh in glee. This combination of tainted joy and cold misery rang in the walls of the dungeon as if a chorus of two different songs.

One of Pain and one of Tainted Gladness.