Caw. Caw. caw
The cawing of crows filled the sky, doing little to interrupt the rather peaceful night. The moonlight entered the cell via the lone window. The light cast ominous shadows over the sleeping prisoners. Their snoring reverberated through the empty hallways. They slept in whichever position possible. Some prodded others' faces with their feet. Meanwhile, amidst the many snores, there existed a groan.
Lars sweated profusely while he constantly turned in his sleep on the hard, cold prison floor. His body trembled as his groans changed into choked sobs and whimpers. His sobs caused the mice in search of food to stop in their track and take pity on him.
"Mum… Emile… Don't go." Hot tears trickled down his face before forming dark patches on the ground.
After a while, his trembling and sobs subsided; the fading dark patches were evidence of his agony.
The moon faded into the background, paving the way for the sun to reign in the sky. The monotonous chirps of sparrows combined with the chirps of other birds to form a choir. The sun gave nature its daily nourishment. The skies in the demon realm were partially clear with a smudge of clouds here and there.
The sunlight, accompanied by a cool breeze, penetrated the prison cell. This caused some of the captives to squirm in their sleep. Lars' ears twitched as the breeze made contact with his earlobes. They continued to sleep blissfully unaware that their sleep would get cut short in a while.
Thud. Thud. Thud
The footsteps came to a halt before the prison bars, a rude wake-up call in their wake. Alphard took out his baton from its holster and dragged it along the bars.
"Wake your asses up."
Groans met his words, and some dared to turn to the other side to continue sleeping. Alphard clenched his fist upon seeing the sight before him. He opened the door to the cell its rusty hinges creaking with each movement it took.
"Men wake those fools up but don't rough them up too much."
The guards streamed into the cell, each armed with a baton, each deciding on their victims. The batons forced the captives out of their slumber. If they dared to return to sleep, the guards dragged them to their feet and forced them into a queue.
"You thought that you would be getting princess treatment. Do we look like we are running a nursery?"
Some captives had dark rings around their eyes and stood through sheer willpower. Sadly, not everyone had high mental fortitude. Eventually, Braus, a dwarf, collapsed. His brown, bushy beard shielded his face from impact with the ground.
"Huh– it seems that some of you have forgotten the basics. I need to remind you guys how things are run on this side of the world."
Alphard shook his head before pointing at the fallen dwarf. The soldiers sprang up to hoist him up.
"Captive number two, it seems you have forgotten how to stand in the face of your superiors." Braus' body trembled as a cold sweat trickled down his body.
"Sir, I was–." A harsh slap cut off his words.
Alphard continued slapping Braus on the same cheek each time he tried to defend himself. Alphard was about to deliver another slap when Braus caught the slap. His complexion became paler upon realizing what he had done.
"Sir, sorry–!" He was cut short by a gauntlet-clad fist, sending him back to the ground and causing him to spit blood
"It seems we have been so soft on you guys for you to dare fight back. Take him to the pit!" Two guards grabbed the dwarf by each arm and dragged him along as the dwarf squirmed.
"Sir! I am sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to–." The dwarf's screams faded down the hallway.
"Now my hands are dirty." Alphard took out a white napkin from his pocket to wipe off the blood from his hands.
The air was thick with tension as Alphard continued to wipe off the blood from his hands. He discarded the napkin before turning to the captives. They all had to force themselves awake through willpower. As not to end up like the unfortunate dwarf captive.
"Now, who else wants to test the waters?"
Silence filled the hallways. Each captive tried to make sure that their bodies were in tune with their minds.
"Listen up, as I said yesterday, you shall receive personal summons from the demon queen. You all have to be on your best behavior especially you captive number ten." Alphard stared at Lars who looked to the side and scoffed.
"Understood?" Lars kept quiet, opting to ignore him
"This son of a–." Alphard grabbed him by his hair and yanked it back.
"Understood?!" Pain assaulted Lars' scalp, and Alphard's searing gaze wasn't helping the situation.
"Understood…" Alphard punched him with his free hand.
"What? I can't hear you properly." Alphard increased more force while yanking back Lars' hair.
"Understood!" Lars gritted his teeth and forced the words out of his mouth.
"Glad to see we are on the same page."
Alphard let go of his hair, causing him to stumble before he brought his body back to balance. Lars narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Alphard.
"Captive number ten, do you want to have another go?"
"No…" Lars relented.
Xero's words from their previous conversation reverberated in his mind.
'Use that anger to fuel your strength.'
Lars took deep breaths to clear his mind from the events that had happened earlier.
"Okay, you will follow me. Because we have to make you guys look presentable to Our Majesty."
Alphard started walking, and to his dismay that the captives were not following him.
"What are you waiting for, a massage to make you walk?"
The guards sprang into action with their batons prodding the captives to move. They delivered sharp jabs to those who moved slowly. When one hesitated, a brutal strike to the back forced them to obey.
"We shall take a detour as you all need to eat. We can have you collapsing before the queen."
Hope flickered in some of the prisoners' eyes. Their stomachs growled in anticipation of the meal that was yet to come. Their hopes fled away, with any illusion of generosity shattering. As the upgrade went from barely handful to a handful of rations.
"Hurry up and finish eating, we don't have all day."
On their journey to the main castle, the heated earth burned their feet. Pebbles threatened to dig past their soles. The sun ignored their plight it increasing its intensity with each passing second. They stopped before wooden gates that towered over their forms. Its immense frame blocked the sun from gaining access.
"Halt, state your business."
The captives' eyes darted around looking for the owner of the voice. Wings flapped drawing the captives' attention. They looked up and saw two two-winged guards descending to the ground. Their black majestic wings made it seem as if the air was another platform.
Their silver armor gave them a regal demeanor, while the helmet did little to hide the horns on their head. These two were Tyrus and Cyrus, the twin guards and members of the flight squad. Tyrus had a scar travelling from his forehead down to his cheek, while Cyrus had 'II' tattooed on his cheek.
"Cyrus and Tyrus, let us through the queen has summoned the beings behind me to appear in her presence." Cyrus and Tyrus landed majestically on the ground before saluting Alphard.
"Yes, sir, but we have to run security checks on the captives."
They searched the captives looking for any smuggled objects. While they were searching the captives, Tyrus noticed Lars glaring at him.
"You there! Why scathing gaze?" Tyrus sneered as he approached Lars, who ignored him.
"Let's see your captive serial number."
Tyrus tore up the back of the tattered garment covering Lars' torso, revealing a '10' tattooed on his back. The '10' was more of a burn than a tattoo, as it looked more like a wound. Lars pushed him away before he could continue his examination.
"So, you are the infamous captive number ten. I wonder how long until your spirit crumbles before Our Majesty." Tyrus covered his mouth as he snickered before going back to the front of the queue to address Alphard.
"Sir, they are all clear. You may now proceed." Tyrus saluted before proceeding to open the gates.
The ancient gates opened as their creaking clawed at the captives' ears. Alphard marched on with the prisoners following after him.
"G-o-o-d L-u-c-k!" Lars' eyes narrowed at Tyrus, who waved as he drawled out his words in a mocking fashion.
Some hesitated before a harsh shove forced them to move. Alphard led them through a corridor with grand portraits of former demon monarchs. Their regal visages frozen in time in the portraits. One portrait stood out to Lars, its paint was fresher than the rest, and had some words engraved below it. Before he could read the words, a harsh shove forced him to continue moving.
At last, they arrived before a set of imposing doors, their golden ornaments gleaming in the light. Unlike the gates before the doors opened without a sound. A deafening silence filled the throne room. The faint clink of shifting armor plates was the only sound emitted in the room.
"Your Majesty, I have brought them as requested." Alphard took a knee and bowed toward the figure seated on the throne.
"Thank you, Alphard. You are dismissed." Alphard rose to his feet and bowed before taking his leave from the throne room.
The prisoners turned to observe the speaker.
The demon queen.
Her long, silky white hair overflowed down her throne. Unlike the other demons, transformation magic concealed the horns on her head. Even in the dim light, her beauty was intoxicating. Yet beneath her delicate features lurked a power so vast and unfathomable. The cold glint of amusement in her crimson-red eyes was a testament to her power.
Perched upon her throne, she studied them with a lazy, mocking smirk, as though they were mere insects.
Lars clenched his fist.
'So this is the demon queen.'