wake up…
wake up
wake up…
His eyes slowly opened, the sea of stars around him glistened in his eyes, nearly blinding him. He closed his eyes again. A gust of wind erupted, throwing the boy far away, further into nothingness.
wake up…
He landed face down, looking into the watery surface below, admiring this unknown place. A boy faded into the reflection.
"W-who are you?" He asked.
A voice responded…
*muffled noise*
The boy did not understand what was said.
"Hel-"
Another gust of wind interrupted him, throwing the boy into the air, he started to fall, he closed his eyes once again.
Now is not the time
Wake up!
He jolted awake confused by the dream he just had. The boy carried a puzzled expression on his face.
His mind returned back to the cell where his body was trapped. The boy was trapped in a prison cell just below the ground, where all the prisoners were almost completely isolated.
Suddenly, loud banging came from just outside the cell
"Get your ass up number 15! I got work for you!" He yelled.
The boy was used to this, he had been stuck in this place for 10 years, since the day he was born. He didn't properly know how to speak, he only knew the words he picked up after hearing the guards talk to each other.
He laid still, not answering to the guard… the cell door opened. A tall shadow appeared before him. The shadow moved swiftly and blood painted the floor and the walls. It moved again, splattering blood outside the cell door.
"Get up."
The boy got up, but fell straight to his knees.
"You are worthless 15, just like your mother, you understand? Remember, when I say something you fucking do it!"
The boy slowly nodded looking down in despair.
The guard turned around, he left the cell, locking the door behind him. The boy couldn't get up, he struggled to move his legs and his vision slowly turned foggy. He gathered all of his strength and crawled towards the puddle of his own blood left on the ground. He dipped his finger in the blood and drew three stars on the ground, representing the dream he had the night before, and just as he finished drawing the third star, his body couldn't take it anymore, his head dropped down, and smacked the stone floor.
***
Days passed, and a rotten smell engulfed the cells around.
"H-hey guards! C-can you do something about this s-smell?!" A man shouted.
Three guards approached the man's cell.
"Shut the hell up, you want your ass to be next?"
"N-no sir…" 16 responded quietly.
The guard looked over into the cell just before, 16s looking at the boy’s decaying corpse.
"Hey 16, I got news for you, it looks like I got a job for you, and if you don't do it your head is coming off."
"Y-yes I'll do it." He responded quickly.
The guard began to laugh
"Haha! You hear that rookies, this guy really likes to work huh?"
"Haha, they always do sir." One of them responded.
"Hehe Always!" The other added.
The guard glared back over to where 16 was, staring him down.
"Anyways 16! Your job is to dispose of the kid's body, your going have a new friend here today and we need a cell to be open, you understand?"
"Y-yes sir." He responded, his body shaking.
"Alright, so get to it!"
The guard unlocked both the cell doors.
"Alright you two, watch him, if he tries to pull something, break his fucking neck."
"Got it," they both say.
16 entered the cell, and grabbed the boy's body, throwing it over his shoulder.
"H-how do you want me to get rid of his b-body," he asks.
"That's not our job now is it?"
"…"
16 walked out of the cell towards the entrance to the cell hallway, meeting two guards standing by the door.
"…"
"It's okay, we are watching this one, just keep an eye on the other prisoners here alright?"
"…"
"I'll take that as a yes."
The men opened the door, letting the prisoner into the main building. One of the guards suddenly elbowed 16 in his side, causing his body to jolt.
"Hey, look down, I don't want you getting any ideas about escaping.” He said.
"O-ok."
"Keep walking then turn when I tell you to."
They reached a wall on the other side of the room.
"Turn right and keep walking forward, soon there will be a small tiny window, you can just throw his body out the window."
He turned as commanded and was confused why they were helping him.
"Y-you said you w-wouldn't help me."
"Shut your mouth 16!"
"…"
He reached the window and threw the body outside, noticing a blonde haired man being escorted with shackles around his feet near the entrance. He looked at him in the eyes and their eyes soon met.
"Stop staring outside, you worried about the body stinking up the place? Don't worry some animal will probably make a feast of the body."
"Now back to your cell, and close your eyes this time before I close them myself ."
At that time the new prisoner was led to his cell.
"Hey move it, get in the cell!" He yelled.
Stolen story; please report.
The guard pushed the man from behind just as he stepped into the cell.
"Why is there blood everywhere?" The man curiously asked.
"No talking!,” he shouted, “What is your name?”
"Le-"
The guard lifted his right arm, sending it towards the man, striking him in the face.
"Shut the hell up, your number 51! You belong to us now!"
The man shuffled towards the back of the cell, the guard backed up into the hall, locked the door in front of him and walked away.
"What a dirty place," whispered 51.
Number 16 returned to his cell just after him and the guards escorting him walked away.
"Hey neighbor, how long have you been here?" He asked in a loud voice.
"M-me?" 16 responded hesitantly.
"Yeah you." 51 affirmed.
"11 y-years, w-why are you h-here?"
"I followed the stars."
A puzzled expression grew on 16’s face, confused by the man’s words.
"T-the stars? T-the ones in the s-sky?" He curiously asked.
"You are correct. Anyways, what's your name?"
"I-I'm 16."
"So Mr. 16, do you know why my cell is covered in this dried blood?"
"Yeah, some k-kid died there, number fif-fifteen."
"Was that the kid you threw out the window earlier?"
"Y-yeah."
51 started to ponder, thinking it must have been fate for so many coincidences to line up.
"How fitting, my number is the opposite of his, number 15 to number 51, quite an interesting coincidence don't you think?"
16 seemed confused.
"W-what about that is interesting?" He asked.
51, slowly approached the entrance of the cell.
"Where I'm from, people see me as a shining beacon of hope, but that kid I saw, he looked to be the opposite of me, like the incarnation of despair." He explained.
He began to pace around his cell, thinking about the reason for him coming to this area.
"Hey whatever your name is, is there anyone who stands out at this place, any prisoners?"
"N-no, nobody wants to stand o-out, they'll get b-beaten."
"What about the kid, did he do anything to stand out?"
"H-he ignored the guard, h-he was born here, so I guess he couldn't handle it a-anymore."
51’s eyes opened wide, thinking about how hard it must have been for 15 to be in a small cell for his whole life.
"That kid was born here? What happened to his parents?"
"H-his mom… k-killed."
"... I assume his father died as well?" He asked, looking grim.
"I'm not sure."
Silence swept over the two and the man started pacing around his cell again, deep in thought.
"... I'm going to destroy this place." He suddenly proclaimed.
"W-what!.. Already?"
"As I said before I was guided here by the stars, I don't know why, but I am willing to bet that kid is the reason I have been guided here." He explained.
"B-but you were captured, h-how are you going to get past the g-guards?" 16 asked.
51 suddenly smirked.
"I let them catch me, and right now I don't want to be in this nasty cell, even though there is no real reason as to why I think the kid is the reason why I am here, I feel a connection to him. Even though it is early, I am again willing to be he is the reason why I am here. So how about it? Do you want your freedom Mr. 16?"
"O-of course, but h-how can I trust you?"
"The will of the stars… once a star is on the brink of death, their energy and power gets transferred to a being according to their will, and I, I am the recipient of a dying star’s powers."
He lifted up his right hand.
"Let me show you something."
He closed his eyes and opened up his hand, a small yellow orb of light gathered in his palm. His left eye began to turn gold…
16 was confused by what the man was doing, since he couldn't see him.
"Enlighten!"
The orb dispersed and a wave of light rushed towards the door, knocking it off its hinges, sending it flying, eventually hitting the wall on the other side, the man quickly disappeared. The guards at the door rushed over to the cell, but 51 was gone.
"A PRISONER HAS ESCAPED!" One of the guards yelled.
The guards searched the cell, but the room was empty, only the blood that remained on the walls from the previous cell owner was there.One of the ran outside the cell, approaching the front of the cell next door.
"Hey you, where did he go!?" One of them asked frantically.
"I-I don't know." 16 responded, truthfully.
More guards rushed in to see what happened, but they only saw each other standing there looking confused and alert.
"Search everywhere! Find The Prisoner!"
Some of the guards left and started searching around the prison, but only two of the guards stayed back to watch the cell. After investigating the cell, they left towards the end of the hall to check all the other cells. Suddenly a light appeared in cell 16. Number 16 turned around to see what it was, and was soon blinded by a bright yellow light that appeared.
"H-huh?"
Number 16 was baffled, there the blonde man appeared right beside him leaning against the back wall.
"Can you trust me now?" He asked, smiling.
Number 16 fell back onto the ground startled by the man's sudden appearance in his cell.
"H-how?"
51 ignored him.
"Are you ready to get out of here?"
Still in shock, 16 didn't speak.
"Let's move." 51 said, grabbing onto 16.
"Skill… Refraction…"
The two suddenly phased out of the cell and into the hallway, and a bright light shined through the hall. The guards stopped and looked behind them, noticing 51 and 16 in the hall. They began to run at the two, attempting to bring them down to the ground, ending this mess. The front guard dove towards 51’s waist, but 51, with quick feet, swiftly dodged to the left, pulling 16 with him. The second guard still in front of him swung towards his face, 51 quickly ducked down causing the guard to hit the wall, using the recovery time, he swung back striking the guard in his stomach. The guard fell to his knees. Suddenly, the first guard charged in to attack from behind.
"B-behind!"
51 turned around, but it was too late, the guard swung at 51 hitting him directly in the face.
"..."
"Huh!? Ahh!"
The guard fell to the ground.
"A-are you okay." He asked, eyes wide open.
51 stood there silently.
"..."
51 slowly turned his head. A small reflective surface appeared in front of his face.
"W-what did you do?" 16 asked.
"Reflection, I reflected his attack" 51 simply responded.
"A-are they dead."
"No, I don't kill."
"..."
51 turned around and headed towards the end of the hall.
"Follow me."
He grabbed 16 pulling him along towards the entrance of the hall.
"... Refraction …"
The two phased through the wall into the main room.
51 began looking around, scouting out every corridor in the room.
"Where was that window you threw the kid's body out of?"
"I-I don't know, somewhere on the r-right," 16 whispered.
They looked around and saw four hallways on the right side. 16 quickly remembered that he made contact with something before turning, when he was taking 15’s body out.
"I-I think it is the last one." He affirmed.
They quietly stepped to the last hallway but there seemed to be only doors. They heard footsteps behind them and turned around.
"THEY'RE OVER HERE!"
Multiple guards came rushing over, surrounding the two.
"W-what should we d-do?" 16 whispered.
51 looked around then exhaled.
"Looks like I have to resort to this," He whispered.
He grabbed 16's arm, and he pointed his arm towards the ceiling.
"Fission."
A bright light appeared from his hand, and began slowly separating. The lights quickly shot up into the air, destroying the entire ceiling. 51 leaped up onto a wall, leaving the guards under the rubble.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Enlighten."
A beam of light shot at the rubble, breaking the rocks. They didn't look back anymore.
They dashed out of the prison and looked for the body of the dead boy. They searched around the prison, and found his rotten body still outside of the window he was thrown out of.
"W-what are you going to d-do with him?"
"Give him another chance."
"W-what do you mean?"
51 stared into the eyes of 16.
"Give him life."
16 looks confused.
"I-In that body?"
"No, this body is already torn up, it would only bring him hell, Im going to send his soul elsewhere."
"W-where?"
51 smiles.
"A place where we will be able to meet face to face."
"..."
The two walked into the surrounding forest searching for an open spot. They stopped at a spot surrounded by trees where the sun beamed a light onto a patch of land covered in grass.
"Here is a good spot, help me dig a hole."
"Y-you're going to bury him."
"Yes."
They started digging a grave for the boy and 51 dropped the body in the hole.
"May you prosper in your new life."
16 didn't say a word and 51 started chanting something.
"Li… Ble… Al..."
A light shined brightly.
You're here…
Little one…
The boy opened his eyes. His eyes spread wide, he was in a white palace, surrounded by a yellow sky. The place was empty but the light gave it life. Suddenly a gold star appeared in front of him
I shall grant you a new life…
Endure until we meet again…
A light flashed, covering the whole palace in heat, causing the kid to faint…