The sound of a key scraping the steel prison bars followed by the clacking of a tongue. The prison mage was bored out of his mind. With a deep sigh he sat down on his chair that was facing one of the cells.
The prison mage wore a long purple cloak with black shoulder caps. The back of the cloak had an embroidered raven with his wings spread and his beak open, but it was missing his eyes. The black shoulder caps resembled where he was allocated in the prison.
Black stood for The Hallak. The most dangerous floor of the prison where the captives were given the highest penalty.
Immortality
There were no lights on this floor but a single torch that the prison mage carried with him. The cells were small and there was no window. Everything was loud- like an echo through a deep cave. The only heat that this floor had was the warmth of a lit torch that was carried from one side to the other. It was pure torture on its own.
''Time to read this masterpiece.'' He said, chuckling while he reached for a bunch of hardcover books underneath his chair. With a grin on his face and opening his book, the mage sat back down into his wooden chair. One leg over the other, the tip of his white gloves touching the right corner of the page to turn it over.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Hours.
Had passed by. The prison mage closed his book, having finished all of it. He reached back for his wooden crate that had all the hardcovers stored in it. Placing the one he just read at the far end. A cough escaped one of the captives mouth that echoed, catching the mages attention.
''Who said that!'' He yelled, clearly being not sound of mind and lacking sleep.
''Cedrick....'' A gentle female voice responded- and an echoed chuckle followed before it all went quiet again.
Sliding down off his chair with every second that passes. Cedrick had a hard time trying to keep his eyes open. The night was ice-cold and even him- a well respected mage had not much of choices in life. He crossed his arms and started hugging himself, closing his eyes and slowly drifting off into a deep slumber. Trying to find that warmth that he was missing.
At all cost, do not close your eyes and do not sleep.
It was the one rule they had to follow in this prison and Cedrick just failed to obey it. He was well aware that if anything would go wrong, it will cost him his life.
Not far from Cedrick, was a small cell. Smaller than all of the others. It was easily missed, but it wasn't built to be recognized. Standing was one of the only options, but sitting was somewhat possible. They would endure constant pain from their wrist shackles pulling their arms up. Their legs were chained to the ground. Movement was restricted, and painful to even flinch.
The sound of chains hitting the wall woke Cedrick up. His eyes opened wide and he proceeded to scan the area around him. The floor had five cells which were all filled with prisoners, five Hallak and one single mage. Cedrick was confident enough to feel relaxed but even more cocky to fall asleep. He knew that if one escaped, he had their heart in his hand.
''Cedrick'' a deep voice spoke but no echo followed. The mage got up from his chair and grabbed the torch from the table. Making a swirl with his hand, a small flame appeared on his palm. Guiding that to the soaked cloth that was covering the top part of the torch, it lit up.
The flame was not much of help as most of the floor was still covered in shadows, but no one has ever escaped the facility before so why should he be scared. He raised his arm, moving the torch upwards while he marched forward to the right cells. Checking them one by one, he confirmed everyone was still chained up.
''Demons getting in my head again.'' He mumbled, turning to the left side and marching forward. The flame following his every move, revealing more of the floor in front of him and shadow behind him while he walks to the far end. ''Do not taunt me!'' he yelled.
''Cedrick'' the deep voice spoke once more, now with a slight echo following. The voice came from behind him, but it did not feel close at all. With a swift move he turned around and raised the torch, lighting up the space behind him.
The sound of shackles being moved, chains banging against the stone walls. A cold breeze that passed him followed by the sound of finger nails scraping the floorboards. The more he focused, the more he heard the unsettling noises throughout the floor.
The voice came again, speaking slowly and silently ''Page 101, 'They who prevail, shall fight against all sworn enemies.''
The prison mage got spooked, dropping his torch onto the floor. The flame slowly extinguished by the cold stones that wrapped around it like thornes rooting it into place. The shadows slowly came closing in on him, like a mouse being trapped in the corner of a room. He had nowhere to go.
His eyes squinted, trying to see as much as possible in the dark without letting his guard down he responded. ''You read that book aswell?''
''Oh. We read it together.'' The voice responded back to Cedrick, now being closer than before. His voice was deep but soft. Fragile and caring, making sure that every word of that sentence was understood by Cedrick. He wanted him to hear him, loud and clear.
Then, a sudden warm breath piercing like the tip of a sharp needle touching the side of his neck. His eyes widened as he became completely frozen. The man was behind him where he could not reach as easily. A hand wearing a white glove placed itself on his left shoulder, pinching his skin softly and chuckling into his right ear. He was mocking him.
''Who are you.'' He said and made a swirl with his hand, preparing a small flame in his palm. With a swift motion he moved his hand backwards, landing it on the leg of the man. The flame burnt through the clothing onto the skin and sizzling could be heard.
The man laughed and stepped away from him. His tone made it sound like whatever Cedrick just tried did not hurt him at all. With a quick movement, he turned around to face the man but all he saw was darkness covering the left side of the hallway. ''Where are you!''
It went silent. The sound of chains and shackles echoeing, nails scraping, heavy breathing, slight mumbling. It all returned back to normal like nothing happened. The flame reappeared on the torch that was laying on the ground, going upwards towards the ceiling like a breeze of wind was guiding it. Cedrick picked up the torch, holding it out in front of him.
''Respond to me you damned creature'' He yelled, irritatingly and frustrated. But after moments of waiting and no response back the look on his face changed. He extinguished the fire of the torch and threw it on the ground. ''You fools are playing tricks on me, huh!-'' He grabbed the keychain from the table and separated a big rusty iron key. Quickly storming off to the end of the right hallway.
He opened the door to the storage room, and walked inside. There was a small lightbulb here that would reveal half of the place, but it was good enough for him. Cedrick looked around, scouting for anything that could give him back the confidence he just lost. He felt defeated and humiliated, it made him irrational.
From the middle shelf, he grabbed five small decorated boxes that had initials carved onto the lid. With a massive grin on his face, he hugged the boxes and closed the storage room, tucking the keys into his pocket. He sprinted back to the wooden table that was next to the chair and put the boxes on it, opening them one by one. In each box was a beating heart, some different in size but all the exact same.
Fragile
His hand created a small but strong flame that burned the beating heart inside the first box. A female scream followed, howling for mercy. ''You do not play games with me, you hear me.'' He yelled confidently and continued with the five boxes in front of him. Burning the hearts until their cries could be heard throughout the whole prison tower.
He laughed as the flames reflected in his eye, but all there was to see was a man hungry for power that he could not possess. Cedrick craved for more, he wanted to see it up close. Picking up the first beating heart that was in the box, he walked over to the first cell on the right.
A lady, long blonde hair and pale skin. She was dressed in red, and her nails were painted with her own dried blood. On the walls and floorboards were scratch marks, long and deeply carved into the stone and wood. She was driving him crazy all evening and she deserved it. He kicked with his boot against the steel bar, trying to catch her attention.
The woman looked exhausted, her wrists chained up to one side of the cell. Hanging down with her bodyweight but barely sitting on the ground. She looked up at him, showing her fangs aggressively in response. ''Gosh, you look beautiful. If this steel did not keep us apart, the things I would do to you.'' He said, slowly piercing the silver needle into the heart.
Her eyes widened, her body flinched. The screws that held the chains together could barely survive on her pulls. Her body arched upwards and she pulled herself up on her feet. Her toenails being pressured by the ground and their length, they bursted. Their sharp edges pushing themselves back into her skin and blood crawling out of the gaps. The chains slamming against the wall whilst she howls in pain. She kept pushing and resisting trying to escape the agony.
Cedrick pulled the pin out of the heart, licking the blood off the tip and placing it in his pocket. A smirk appeared on his face and he looked up at her tilting his head. She fell down onto the ground, the cracking of bones could be heard as her feet went everywhere but the natural direction. Her wrists were bleeding, her eyes were drowning in tears but she could not bare to look at him.
''You remind me of my wife.. beautiful, charming but so useless.'' he said, walking back to the table. He looked at the hearts, mesmerized by the power he had over them. The fifth box was still closed, even though he thought that he had already opened it. He placed the womans heart back into the box and moved himself over to the fifth, grabbing it with both hands.
He slowly pulled back the lid of the box, revealing an empty one. He gasped, dropping the box onto the ground. The sound of the iron box hitting the floorboard echoed through the hallway. Cedrick started to panic, looking under the table, in the wooden crate under the chair and around the floor itself. But the heart was completely gone.
Defeated by his own ignorancy, he sat down on the chair with his head between his knees. His hands stroking through his blonde hair, pulling at every long strand. He was tired and all he kept whispering to himself was ''Please god, let this be a dream.'' The man that was there earlier was a trick being played by the captured, to make him doubt himself and insecure. He was sure of this, there was no intruder. He was just tired and very much asleep.
''Are you looking for this?'' the same voice as before spoke, now louder and more confident. Still soft and caring, but less intimidating. Cedrick looked up and to his right was a man, covered in the shadows slowly approaching him.
He was very tall and had a fair pale skin. Black clothing with one single white glove on his left hand. His right hand was covered in symbols that were black of color. His white hair was to his ears and small strands were in front of his red eyes. He was staring at Cedrick with a smirk on his face.
Cedrick looked back at him, noticing the burnt marks on his wrist. He froze and tears started rolling down his cheek. ''You..-'' he got up from his chair and pulled out the keychain that he had tucked in his pocket. He pointed it at the man over and over again, he was panicking. ''You escaped..''
He dropped the keys on the ground, as tears soaked into the floorboard he tried to pick up the keychain. Crying to himself while pushing himself up from the ground and pointing the keys to the man again. ''Get back in...-'' He gulped as he watched the man hold a heart in his left hand. ''the cell..''
Cedrick recognized his face, he looked much older than he was in the cell. It was the prisoner of cell five. The smallest cell of the floor, reserved for the most dangerous Hallak in the world. Before he became a prison mage he was told that cell five was the first cell ever in this facility and that they built it around the cell. He was the first ever prisoner and the longest serving. He was the devil himself.
The man laughed at him softly, whilst getting closer to him step by step. ''Page 115. He thought highly of himself, but the higher he got the further he fell. ''The man spoke, but his voice sounded like there were three people talking at once. Demanding and rude, sweet and caring, cold and deep.
His right hand reached out forward to Cedrick, the symbols on his hand glowing red. His muscles cramped together and he lost control. Slowly being lifted into the air, his body arched forward, his hands upwards and his legs straightened to left and right. There was an immense pressure behind his eyes leading up to his head, like something had to escape.
He whimpered in pain whilst the man turned his hand sideways, his arms twirling around like a candy being rolled up, he was not prepared to die but he was strong enough to bare the pain of his bones being broken one by one. The man stopped turning his hand and walked closer up to Cedrick, his red eyes looking up at him and a soft smile curling up on the corner of his lips.
''Do not worry Cedrick, I am not here to harm you.''
The man stroke his leg with a gently and soft touch down to his boot, putting his hand inside and pulling out a key. His bones were still intact, it was just unbearable pain he was going through. The man meant it, he did not want to harm Cedrick at all or he would have already done that. He also chose to only grab his heart and leave. Not caring about the other prisoners at all. He was selfish but that made him dangerous. The man examined the key before walking off towards the exit door of the hallway. Looking back at Cedrick, who was still floating in the air. He whimpered but found enough strength to talk one more time ''Who are you?''
''The Ka'haris.''