A Ghost's Wish [MxM]

20. A Brawl

Oliver and his group rode through the capital to leave the confines of the city. However, Oliver's face was dark and sullen as he approached the city's center. He had always avoided this specific road in this life. But now that he was leaving, he had to walk these terrible roads to reach the city gates.

The last time he had journeyed down this same road, he was barefoot and chained while being sneered at by a mob. The roads were eroded with mud and filth, while poverty invaded every crevice. 

However, the capital was untainted by Piers' tyranny. The cobblestone underfoot was still white and glimmering. The shops were bustling, and the streets were lined with cheerful citizens and playful children. 

Instead of walking barefoot with broken feet and lame arms, Oliver rode proudly on a horse. 

He half wondered if he would have this privilege when returning to the capital—if he returned to the capital. He knew not to trust Piers and his schemes, so he always held a lingering fear that he would be thrown into another thirty-year war.

When they reached the city center, Oliver trembled and stopped his horse. His eyes swept over the large open plaza. This was where most royal announcements were made, and during the weekends, the farmers' market would open to the public. It was usually an exciting place for the citizens, but Oliver could not help but feel disgusted.

In the center of the large plaza was a stone platform stained with a red hue, contrasting the surrounding white. Two large pillars stood on either side of the platform as if guarding it. 

The public seemed to have forgotten that those pillars had brass rings drilled into them that perfectly supported a pair of chains. These chains will hang a sinner up by his arms as he is cut countless times until he dies.

This was the home for the Infinite Laceration execution.

His breath was caught in his throat when he saw two children playing tag around those pillars, calling them safe zones. The more the children laughed, the more he wished to pull them away from this hellish place. Seeing children run to a place of death and call it safe was unnerving.

However, he stayed still, watching the world ignorantly move around him.  Although he held deep grudges for the Bierzens, he hoped the children would never look up and see the rings embedded into the pillars. May they never have to see the horrors of their makeshift playground.

Oliver looked down at his hands holding the horse's reins and clenched his fists tightly, fearing they would never move again. He may have ingested the Wysteria Dream and lost all sense of physical pain, but his suffering was simply unbearable in his last moments. 

He was destitute, with no will to live or desire to survive. Even when Draco met him in his cell and watched over him during his execution, he couldn't find the means to endure.

He could only cling to a selfish wish to try again.

"Oliver?" Sarah called out. "Are you unwell?"

Oliver shook himself from the daze. "I'm fine. Let's leave. The sooner, the better."

As they passed through the city gates, Oliver felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He took a deep breath and watched as the city walls became increasingly distant.

"Are you going to miss it?" James asked when he noticed Oliver's gaze.

"Does a prisoner yearn for his cell when he's released?" Oliver responded with a small laugh. "I will miss my family, but that's the extent of my affection for that accursed place."

He tore his gaze away and followed the trail with his companions.

The Core soldiers worried about Oliver because he chose to ride a horse, not a carriage. Still, after traveling for several hours, they found him utterly comfortable with riding. His posture and movements made it seem like he had ridden a horse for years, but they never saw him try before. He was becoming increasingly mysterious to him.