Mage of Eden

Chapter 22

Pitch black darkness welcomed Haytham when he was thrown down the dungeon. He had bruises on his wrists from the tight rope binding his hands together and scars throughout his body made by some sturdy rod of some kind. He panted heavily as his knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground. The guard who had dragged him down to the dungeon laughed when he saw Haytham's deplorable condition. 

"Serves you right, Rebel"

Haytham's face showed a faint smirk, one which did not go unnoticed by the guard. A punch to Haytham's stomach silenced him as he passed out from the pain. He was awoken harshly by a guard pouring hot salt water upon him. The water reacted with his wounds sending him searing pain throughout his body. He was roughly dragged up the stairs and thrown into a grey room with nothing in it. No windows, no light, nothing. As he slumped in the corner, he realized what was going to happen when he could hear the vague cheering of crowds; he was going to die. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes, making a final entrance into his dream realm. 

A faint echo of children's laughter could be heard in the distance as two children played tag in a forest. One of them has wavy chestnut hair tied in a little ponytail while the other has muddy brown hair. The brown haired boy falls down as the chestnut haired girl falls over him, laughing.

"You're so clumsy Hay"

"Get off me Evelyn!"

A middle-aged man in his 30's see the quarrel from yonder and chuckles. He makes his way towards the two and speaks in a low, experienced voice.

"Children, do not quarrel. Eve, dear, get off Haytham please"

The child complied as she pulled herself up but not before giving the other child a knock on his head and made funny faces at him.

"Charles, I could have handled it myself." the other child said in a protesting voice while getting up and dusting himself off.

"Please Haytham, call me Dad or Father"

"But Mrs. LeRoy from the neighbouring house said that you are not my father"

"Mrs. LeRoy huh? Tell you what, Don't mind what Mrs. LeRoy says and I will make you the knife which you wanted when we go to the city next time"

The other child's face brightened up as he smiled widely.

"Thank you, Father"

When he opened his eyes, he was staring at the grey walls and the guard leaning beside it with a candle. He pulled Haytham up by the collar and gently pushed him down a narrow corridor into an open space. There was a huge crowd cheering and a small paved way leading up to the stage upon which he was to be hanged. As he was strenuously pulled up to the stage, the executioner offered to put the black cloth over his head but Haytham refused.

"I want to see this sick miserable world suffer till I die" he said with a sadistic smile.

The executioner, amused by his reply, consented to his terms and asked what was his last wish.

"To be free from tyranny, but I guess it is impossible huh?"

The executioner, even more amused by his reply, gave him a gentle pat on his shoulders and said in a low whisper,

"Well said, brother"

Suddenly, a huge shriek of a cannon filled the air as the crowd's cheer turned to screams. Pandemonium set in and there was total chaos by the crowd. Guards moved in to secure the prisoner but people dressed in black subjugated them with mild force. Everyone knew who these people were by the clothes they wore. They were The Rebels.

A man with a brown hood over his head rushed towards the executioner and brought him down with a strike. Instantly, he flew high above with a jump and landed on the beam on which the rope was tied. With a fluid motion, the rope was cut and Haytham's wrists were unbound. Grabbing his hand, the man rushed towards the exit of the arena where he was blocked by two tall well-built men with axes in their hands. Just when the axes came striking down at them, a group of Rebels, lead by a girl with chestnut colour hair, jumped on those men and disarmed them.

"Good job, Miss Eve" the brown-hooded man grabbing Haytham's hand said.

"We don't have time for congratulations! Sir Libengale is waiting"

"Charles- I mean, Father is?" Haytham asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Hay. You failed your mission so, we had to save your ass."

"Do you have to rub salt on my wounds?"

Evelyn looked at him with her cold auburn eyes and placed her cool hands over his injured right cheek which made him wince.

"I was not always like this, you made me into this. Remember that Hay"

She turned away and shouted orders to the others to drag Haytham away as she watched the ongoing fight in the arena with clenched fists.

"Causality report is very high" the man in the brown hood stated.

"Sir Libengale won't be pleased. It is to be expected, after all it was him who sent Hay after that lowlife. I knew that Hay will be deceived by that commoner" she said to the man in the brown hood. He chuckled and said,

"She has a name you know?"

"What is so great about that name anyway? Jane? Quite common. Just like how she is"

The man shook his head and went along with the others and Evelyn soon followed, leaving behind a stain of blood in history.

Somewhere far away from Arcanecia was a caravan heading north, deeper into the woods. Sitting on the driver's seat was a boy with focused palladium eyes looking straight at the horizon. Inside the caravan was a young girl looking at the fleeting scenery with crestfallen eyes. Her thoughts scattered everywhere, to the one who is being abandoned, to the young boy with the focused gaze, to the parents that are no more and finally, to herself.

What is she doing? Where is she going? Does she have the right to survive? Will she be able to retain her survival? She doesn't know. Will she return to the place which is her sanctuary filled with delicious apple pies? She doesn't know. What does she know? She knows that she was wrong; abandonment should not be a cause for survival. She is just being a coward. She knew that. Her hands gripped the woollen shawl wrapped around her as she shivered and looked onto the bleak scenery of desolate trees fleeting by. She can only pray that he may be safe from harm. 

"We will stop for a break in a while Jane" the boy's voice ringed through. She merely sighed and gave a barely audible agreement as she looked on into the bleak horizon, much like her future.