Sortis Kingdom , North blue
The Sortis Kingdom a land full of tall mountains and dark mines.
The miners of Sortis were very tough and proud people. They were used to working hard in the dark and dangerous tunnels deep under the ground. Their strength was not just in their strong muscles But it was in their friendship. In the dark mines, you had to trust the person working next to you with your life. They were like a big family and a brotherhood of miners.
On the morning of the fourth day, the revolutionary army announced a new rule. The puppet bosses told the tired miners who were gathered at the entrance to the mine, "The revolution rewards the hard work." The boss's voice was flat and had no feelings. "From now on, miners that digs the most ore each day will get a reward. That person will get a second loaf of bread."
A excited whisper went through the tired crowd.
''A second loaf of bread'' It felt like they were being offered a million Beri. A second loaf of bread was a treasure. It was a miracle. It meant they could have a full stomach for one whole night. It meant life.
But then, the boss told them the second part of the rule. "And to make sure that everyone is working as hard as they can" the boss continued, "we will also be watching for anyone who is lazy. If you see another worker who is not working hard enough, you must tell a guards. If you report a lazy worker, you will also rewarded with an extra piece of bread for yourself."
When miners heard this they stopped whispering.
They looked at each other with their faces full of confusion and fear. The happy and excited feeling was gone. This was not a reward. This was poison. The puppet masters were trying to turn them into spies. They wanted them to betray their friends and their brothers for an extra scrap of food.
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Deep in the dark the tunnels of the mine, the poison started to work lie a magic.
A man named Mark, who was old and had worked in the mines his whole life was swinging his heavy pickaxe against the rock wall.
His arms felt like heavy burden. He was so tired that he felt like he could just lie down on the ground and sleep forever.
He paused for just a second to lean against the rock wall to catch his breath. He finally felt peace and his heart started to beating like a drum.
He looked up and saw another young miner named Friedrich, staring at him from the other side of the tunnel.
Mark had known Friedrich since he was just a little baby. He had worked with Friedrichs's father for twenty years. They were like family.
But the way Friedrich was looking at him now was different. It was not the look of a friend. It was a hungry look. It was the look a wolf gives a sheep.
Mark saw Friedrichs's eyes quickly look towards one of the puppet guards who was standing like a statue at the end of the tunnel.
'Is he thinking about reporting me?' Mark thought and a terrible fear mixed with his tiredness. 'Would he really tell the guards I was being lazy, just for an extra piece of bread? Would he really betray me, his father's old friend?'
In the mines the trust that had been the most important thing in their lives was starting to crack.
Old friends who had saved each other's lives many times before now looked at each other with suspicion. A tired sigh could sound like laziness. A short break to drink some water could look like a betrayal.
The brotherhood of the mines and the thing that made them so strong now being broke apart. It became a scary world where everyone was against you. Even your friends might not be safe to trust.
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Later that day
their worst fears came true.
A story like a dark and scary whisper spread through the tunnels.
The story was about a man on a different team. They said he had reported his own brother for being too slow. The brother had been dragged out of the mine by the soldiers and they never saw him again.
The man who had reported him was given the extra piece of bread as a reward.
The story said that he had eaten the bread right there in front of everyone and his face as empty and blank as the revolutionary army soldiers.
It didn't matter if the story was true or not. It did its job. It planted a seed of deep fear in everyone's heart.
Now, they knew it was possible.
They knew that their friends, their brothers could be bought for just a single loaf of bread. The darkness in the mine was no longer the scariest thing. The scariest thing was now the person working right next to you.