There is something hidden behind that good heart.
**********
Ariel's breath hitched as the group drew closer.
Chains clanked against the cobblestone, echoing like ghostly bells in the cold morning air.
Her brows furrowed. "What… what's going on?" she whispered to herself.
Then she saw him — her uncle — walking beside one of the men in black.
He wasn't alone. Another man, tall, rugged, and cloaked in black leather, followed with a ledger in hand.
Even from afar, the man's aura screamed danger.
Ariel rose to her feet, clutching her jacket tighter around her trembling frame.
"Uncle James?" she called softly, forcing a smile. "Who are those people?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't even look at her.
Her heart began to race.
Something's not right…
When they finally reached her, the man with the ledger eyed her from head to toe — like she was a piece of property.
"This the girl?" H ise asked coldly.
James hesitated — just for a heartbeat — then nodded. "Yes… this is her."
Ariel blinked, confused. "What's going on, Uncle?" she asked again, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "You said I got a job—"
The man interrupted with a dark chuckle. "Oh, you got a job, sweetheart. Just not the kind you think."
Her stomach dropped. "What… what do you mean?"
James turned away, his jaw clenched. He couldn't look at her.
"Uncle?" her voice trembled. "What's happening?"
Then she felt it — the cold touch of iron snapping around her wrists.
She gasped, jerking back, but two men grabbed her arms, their grip like steel.
"Stop! Let me go!" she screamed, struggling, panic bursting through her chest.
James flinched but didn't move. He couldn't bear to look at her face.
"Uncle, please!" Ariel cried, her eyes flooding with tears. "Why are you doing this? You said— you said—"
Her words broke, replaced by ragged sobs.
"Take her," the hunter ordered flatly. "Payment's been made."
Ariel froze. "Payment…?"
Her gaze shot to her uncle — realization dawning like fire in her veins.
"You sold me?" her voice cracked. "You sold me!?"
James swallowed hard, his lips trembling. "Forgive me, Ariel… it's for your own good."
"For my own—!?" she choked, tears spilling down her face. "You think this is good!? You lied to me!"
The men began dragging her away. She screamed, kicked, and fought with all her strength, but they were too strong. Her voice echoed across the empty station, haunting and desperate.
"Uncle, please! Don't do this! I'm not a witch! I swear I'm not! Uncle!"
James turned his face away, tears glistening in his eyes, but guilt was a weak defense against fear — and Felicia's poison had already sunk too deep.
As the train screeched to a halt nearby, the slavers forced Ariel forward.
"Move it, girl," one snarled, yanking the chain around her neck.
The train's whistle screamed through the fog — a cruel symphony to her betrayal.
Ariel twisted one last time, her tear-streaked eyes locking on her uncle's retreating figure.
"Uncle!" she cried again, her voice breaking.
But he didn't turn. Not once.
The doors slammed.
The train hissed, its engine roaring to life.
And as it pulled away, Ariel's trembling hands pressed against the cold glass window of the cargo carriage.
Her breath fogged the glass as she whispered, "I trusted you…"
Outside, the platform grew smaller and smaller until it vanished completely — along with the last pieces of the life she once knew.
---
✯ BACK AT THE MANSION ✯
Felicia stood by the window, watching the pale8
A satisfied smirk curled her lips.
"Finally," she whispered. "The witch is gone.
---
They left City R that morning and arrived at a strange, desolate place by noon — a city known only as HOMELESS.
This city was home to the outcasts — the outlaws of the world.
Those who had been cast away from their clans, their kind, their families.
They were a mixed breed of creatures: vampires, elves, witches, werewolves, bruxas, monsters, dark faes, centaurs, spiders, and even demons.
These outlaws had been banished long ago — some for their lust for power, others for practicing forbidden magic. Their greed and strength had made them enemies of their own kind, and this forsaken city was all they had left.
The head hunter stood tall on a stone platform, his scarred face glowing under the harsh sun as he barked out orders.
"Choose the strong ones!" he shouted to his comrades. "The wealthy families of Senpai pay double for healthy slaves!"
The hunters moved quickly, dragging men, women, and even children from the crowd. Their cries echoed through the dusty air as they were forced into lines like cattle.
Ariel watched, her heart sinking deeper with each scream. She could barely breathe as she saw families torn apart, lovers separated, children ripped from their mothers.
The buyers — cloaked nobles and creatures of power — threw pouches of gold toward the hunters. Each coin sealed another person's fate. Some slaves were bought for labor… others, for darker pleasures — especially by the vampires, whose hungry eyes gleamed with cruelty.
When the final sales were made, the caravan continued on, crossing countless towns and barren lands.
---
Two days had passed since Ariel had been sold into slavery.
Her legs were weak and trembling; her throat dry and cracked from thirst. The ropes binding her wrists had cut into her skin, swelling her hands until every movement burned like fire. Her stomach growled endlessly, but no one paid her any mind.
Her once bright eyes had dulled, her face pale and streaked with dirt.
They trudged through endless roads until they reached a city unlike any she had ever seen — SENPAI, the land of wealth and wonder.
Senpai was a city of light and gold, overflowing with riches and power. The air itself smelled of perfume and luxury. There were no beggars here — only nobles, guards, and merchants, their eyes sharp and calculating.
"We rest here tonight!" the head hunter barked, throwing his sack to the ground.
The captives were ordered to sit in rows. Some collapsed from exhaustion; others simply wept quietly, too broken to speak.