The ashes before Strife

Episode 4 : Gift of Hell ; 3

The metal reinforced wooden door then swung open with a cold air that tasted of blood blowing onto me accompanied by a maniacal laugh and giggle of whoever was already in there. "Move it unless you want me to make life worse for you."

"No rush, no rush." I scuttled my way forward through the door into a pentagonal room with five cages, each in one corner.

The two on the left had two black-haired men cradled up wrapped in a thin blanket for warmth, on the right was a blonde man and a light brown-haired man leaning against their cages trying to get a good look at me as they stared crazily.

They had chains connected to their ankles and wrists stopping them from making very drastic movements, I then looked forward to seeing the last cage at the very back open but empty with a short linen cloth, a metal bowl of water, and four chains waiting to be attached to someone.

"Care to tell me who they are?"

The knight stone stayed cold as he spoke "I imagine they'll tell you once you get acquainted." He then prodded my back with the back end of his spear into my back indicating to go faster which I did.

"Oh, I'm sure we will be plenty acquainted once the lady shows up hehe." The blonde man started licking his cage off putting me in disgust.

The knight slammed his spear on the cage where his tongue was scaring him in surprise as he fell backward. The other prisoner then chuckled stepping back from the bars, to not have the same happen to him "damn you metal swine! I swear once I get out of here it is your family I'm killing first!"

The knight simply huffed as we finally stepped in front of the cage meant for me "get in or ill throw you in boy." I glared back at him angry at my current predicament.

I wanted to blame what's happening to me on him but knew he was doing his best to treat me nicely considering I'm a kid. I willingly stepped into the cage and watched as the four chains attached to the bars began to float.

"Face me, boy." I turned around and looked at the knight standing still as he left his spear outside the cage and clanked the metal bracers around my limbs making me realize just how heavy they were once they were no longer floating assisted by magic dragging my arms down to the floor with their weight. He then pulled out a key and released the chains wrapped around my arms, legs, and neck.

He stepped out of the cage and closed the door locking it with the magic behind him like a magnetic door would have. "I don't know what you did to be here boy but just know the only one you can blame is yourself and your accursed fortune." The knight then quickly left locking the metal and wooden door behind him.

I looked around to see if there was anything I could use to immediately escape but the cold room was almost barren, all there was, was the bowl and cloth to rest on which I did.

I examined the shackles on my arms and saw that they were reinforced with dark magic and tried to control it but was unable to as whatever was supposed to stop mana entering my body didn't allow me to control anything touching my skin either and muttered "So it doesn't work no matter what then." I looked at the two prisoners who were eying me down to my left but stayed indifferent.

I picked up the metal bowl and gazed into my reflection seeing my lightless green right eye as my hair stayed covering my silver left eye. I then quickly gazed at my silver eye still holding life inside it as always, the two then began clinking their chains waving them about grabbing my attention dropping the bowl down to the floor filling the room with loud metallic clinks.

The brown-haired man looked reasonable and sane while the blonde-haired stared at me licking his lips as if he was a cannibal while the two on the right just stayed curled up in balls "what's their deal?" The brown-haired man looked at them and then back to me.