He soon woke up to an unknown pain searing across his body. The events of the stormy night felt like fragments of a vivid dream, a familiar yet unnamed voice had called out to him, the figure obscured by a blinding light.
Something caught his eye but vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a comforting symphony echoing in his ears. Words were spoken but incomprehensible, with the last thing he remembered was a woman's angelic smile directed at him. Now half-awake, he tried to recall more about who he was.
Right, I'm Pheo
He tried to piece together more about that night, a task that he'd attempt countless times since that day. Just as he began to drift back to sleep, a flying piece of paper smacked him in the face. Startled, he scrambled to take it off, only to realize that his arms were bound by something unyieldingly strong.
Forced to improvise, he used his mouth to grab the paper. After a few attempts, he managed to bite it, spit it away, and take in his surroundings. Around him were kids, all about his age. They were all inside some moving vehicle, seemingly from various places and different backgrounds. He took a look out of a barred window, looking at a barren desert that stretched endlessly in every direction he could see.
Where am I?
He tried to stay still as the vehicle bounced around on the uneven terrain. Reading the dusty, ink-faded newspaper that was stuck on his face a few moments ago, he made out a few words.
A fallen mage disappears while being chased by local thugs
His heart sank as he noticed a familiar face in one of the blurred photos. It was a clear photo of his father.
Was the article about him?
Panic bubbled in his chest. His father was a monster, but he was still family. While searching for a way to free himself, Pheo took a closer look at the others in the vehicle. Among them were a pair of siblings huddled together, quietly crying in a corner. Most of the children were staring hopelessly at the floor, their spirits crushed.
Where exactly were we being taken?
The truck's vibrations rattled his body. The hum of its engine drowned out all other sounds that could've helped him find out where he was. Pheo then noticed an empty bottle of booze that was rolling towards him. Following where it came from, his gaze landed on the driver's. He was drinking, not really paying attention to the road but not letting his guard down either. He went and reached out for another bottle, cracking the cap wide open with his bare hands.
During this, his eyes locked with Pheo's. "What do you want, kid?" he barked, flinging the bottle cap at Pheo's forehead. In response to this, Pheo snarled, helpless to do more. The driver just grinned wider in response however, taking a swig of his beer.
"Name's Narfius," he said mockingly. "Your local ferryman leading you straight to hell." He cackled at his own joke before sharply turning the wheel, causing all of the truck's occupants to lurch and scream. Pheo grabbed onto anything he could, but the truck's violent movements sent him tumbling across the floor. Just as he regained some semblance of balance, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, sending everyone flying once more.
"We reached the end of the line!" He shouted out before stepping out, laughing obnoxiously once he opened the back and saw the state everyone was in. While he was busy trying to catch his breath, Pheo noticed a broken bottle glass. He quickly grabbed one of the shards, keeping it hidden in his back.
Quickly.
He told himself as he started to cut off his restraints.
"Alright…" Narfius said as he finally composed himself. He got out a clipboard and began to count the children as they went out. When it was Pheo's turn however, he stayed back.
Snap!
The sound of the rope breaking could barely be heard. "Come on kid, you're the last one." Narfius growled, reaching out to grab him. Pheo slapped his hand away and swung a punch with all of his might. "Nice try." Narfius sneered, catching his fist mid-air. With one swift motion, he lifted the boy with one hand and slammed him to the ground.
Pheo gasped as pain radiated through his body. He couldn't catch a break however, as quickly after Narfius followed up with a punch to his stomach. "No matter what you do, an eight year old can't beat up a grown man" Those were the last words he heard before his vision blurred, darkness swallowing him whole.
Narfius looked back at all the children watching, "If you don't want to end up like him, stay in line!" And just like that, everyone obediently followed him. All except for Pheo, who was passed out from the fight.
"Great." He complained aloud. Narfius grabbed Pheo's hair from the scalp and dragged him across the sand. He led all of them down a small, desolate building in the middle of the desert. Inside was a hole, with a spiral staircase that descended down a dark abyss. "Follow me." Narfius told them as he locked the entrance behind them. A lantern hung from his belt, casting flickering shadows as he led the group of children deeper underground.
The air soon grew stagnant, the oppressive darkness seemed to stretch endlessly. And at the bottom of the staircase was another figure, another person who stood waiting for them. He tossed a pouch to Narfius, who inspected its contents with a satisfied grin.
"Deal's done." Narfius declared, turning to ascend the stairs. The other man smiled at his attitude, "You'd do anything for money, wouldn't you?"
"Money makes the world go 'round after all." Narfius replied without a hint of shame, disappearing into the darkness above.
.......................................................................................................
Pheo found himself lying on the ground, his body covered in wet mud. Lightning flashed across the rain, the brief light revealing that he was deep in a forest. Then, he heard wet, heavy steps that broke the sounds around him. Someone was walking towards him.
Instinctively, Pheo felt fear. His instincts told him to run, but his body froze still. The figure pulled out something, tinkering with it until it shone a bright light. That light snapped him back, making him able to hide in a nearby bush. As the figure drew closer, he felt that he knew who the figure was, but the light blinded him from recognizing who. The figure stopped, standing in the pouring rain. Pheo waited in silence, waiting to see what they would do.
After a while, they began to kneel down, grabbing something. It was something small, wrapped in ragged cloth. Although it was hard to see, Pheo instinctively knew what it was.
It was him, but younger than he was now. It was then that loud footsteps could be heard. Lights flashed around nearby, looking to be a group searching for someone. The figure tried to hide itself, putting out the light it had and holding Pheo closer to its chest. It was too late however, someone from the group noticed them. As if saying farewell, it whispered something and kissed Pheo's forehead.
They carefully let Pheo down to the ground where they picked him up from, then began sprinting off. A few moments after the place was swarmed with men. "Make sure you're using your eyes" An old but vigorous man shouted, seemingly leading the group. His ears twitched, there was a sound that caught his attention. He looked around and saw that there was a little baby crying.
He wiped the dirt off Pheo's face. He smiled, "Found one." One of the men approached him "Don, were moving" He told him before joining the others. He looked at them, then the baby. "Looks like you lucked out" He said before going with the group, Pheo in hand.
Pheo opened his eyes to see himself back to reality. He recognized most of those around him from earlier. They all had restraints, and so did he. Unlike him however, most of them were sleepy or drowsy. He noticed that there were three people that stood out. They were adults, free from the restraints and standing still as if waiting for something.
The eldest of them stepped forward. He had grey hair, with eyes that commanded respect from others. "Warhound" He said as he looked to the left. A muscular man who looked to be in his prime stepped up. He began to curl up, his body started to surround itself with a silver flame as he started to grow.
Pheo watched as his shirt began to tear off, his skin changing texture with fur growing all across his body. His head slowly morphed from a human's to a canine's. "Beautiful." Pheo spoke without thinking, he had read about them. A rare power that granted extraordinary strength at the cost of uncontrollable rage. Their sanity extinguished when transformed.
Warhound seemed to be different from others though, he was still sane. Something about him was special, allowing him to jump over a wall that others said were impassable. "Cover your ears, kid." he gave him a heads up. He listened and covered his ears with his hands. Warhound took a deep breath, then howled as loud as he could.
Everyone woke up abruptly, writhing in pain as they scrambled to cover their ears. Even Pheo, who already covered his, could feel a bit of blood leaking out from his ears.
He howled for a few more seconds, then stopped as soon as the old man patted him on the back. "Heh, looks like you failed at being an alarm clock" The third one pointed out one kid, who was still sleeping soundly.
It pissed him off, "How the hell?" Warhound furiously walked towards the kid. He growled as he got right next to his face. He went and grabbed one of his arms, breaking it in half. The kid woke up then, screaming at the sudden pain that went through his body.
Warhound instinctively punched the kid away as far as he could, "Too loud…" He complained, both his hands on his ears. The kid came crashing at a wall, with most of his body turning purple. He stopped screaming then, his eyes trying to stay open until suddenly, it flickered shut.
Warhound looked at his arm, noticing how bloody it was. "Disgusting." He commented before licking it off, smudging his face with the blood as well.
Maybe he wasn't in full control after all
Pheo reconsidered his past comments. "Alright alright, let's not scare the little ones." The third person spoke up. He spun a knife in his hand, in the other was a large pink object about the same size.
What the heck is that?
Warhound clearly looked angrier when he spoke up, snarling softly as he went back to the old man's side. "Now that the dust has settled, my name is Parquatz," He introduced himself. "One of the three Wardens of this place."
He gestured towards the beaten down kid, "You could end up just like him if you don't listen to us." He gave a crooked smile as he saw the fear spread across the kids, all except for a few. It made him a bit mad, but he kept his composure.
"You'll be doing regular work, from cleaning and washing the dishes to a bit of mining and being a body shield." He told them like it was a script he practiced hundreds of times. "Any questions?" He took a glance at all of them, noticing that one kid was raising his hand.
"What if we don't want to?" He asked brazenly. Warhound felt compelled to act, but Parquatz signaled for him to stand by.
Perfect
He wanted to make an example of someone. And as a bonus, it was one of those people who weren't scared.
"Because we told you to."
"For what reason should we listen to you?" He asked, "You should know that my family's already searching for me, and all these children's families are too."
"Once they come, people like you stand no chance against them." He raised his voice, trying to rile the others. They remained still however, some of them even started to cry.
Parquatz laughed at him, "You don't know, do you?" He went up to the kid, crouching to the same eye level as him.
"Your parents already abandoned you. Whether you were sold off to us or found in a ditch, no one will come looking for you"
His eyes faltered at the thought, "You're wrong, my dad would never do that" He shook his head as fear filled his mind. Parquatz liked the way he reacted, he genuinely smiled at the child. "Well, have you guys ever heard of this wonderful gift you guys get after reaching the age of 16?"
He began to walk around him, "This gift could be anything, from flying across the skies to making you smarter than the biggest nerd in your school"
"It could make you the hero of the day" He paused for a moment, "Or you could become the king!"
"To use your powers for personal gain, to kill for your own convenience…" He grabbed the shoulder of the kid, "What will you do when you awaken, I wonder?"
Pheo knew what he was talking about, but only a few of the books he read had contained information about it, about awakening.
Awakening what exactly? The answer differed from each book he read. Some say it's a dormant power inside you, others say that it's a blessing God bestows upon you, and others barely even change at all.
But those who barely change seem lucky compared to others...
"Tsk." Parquatz shook his head as he waved the pink object around. "You know, I never tested this new eraser yet…"
That thing was an eraser? How was he going to test it?
Pheo watched as Parquatz spun it around, then slashed through the kid's arm. At that moment, his arm dropped to the ground.
The kid freaked out, looking at where his hand once was now nothing. He screamed in confusion.