"Those kids must be hiding somewhere around here. Everyone look for them!!" A man wearing a black hood commanded.
Men dressed like bandits scattered all over the area, searching hidden corners.
"H-help!!!" A captured child shouted.
One child after another was caught.
"Shut up!!!" A man who had captured them shouted angrily.
The children struggled, trying to escape.
The thugs who had captured them hit them on the back of the head, knocking them unconscious.
"Don't kill them!" A man in a black hood said firmly.
"Sorry, but they're all making a fuss."
The captured children were transported to a horse-drawn carriage they had prepared.
A boy peeked out from the roof. It was the boy who had been beaten for stealing bread earlier that afternoon. The boy had climbed onto the roof of a house to hide from his pursuers. He surveyed the area.
After ensuring it was safe, he slowly descended from the roof. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain, he stepped on flooded ground.
The sound of splashing water from his jump was heard by someone who was still lurking below.
The boy managed to run, but because the heavy rain obscured his vision and the wet slippery road he slipped and fell.
He was also caught.
The man tied his hands and feet and covered his mouth with a cloth.
The children were taken to a place on the outskirts of the royal city center. They were forced to work hard. The children were told to clean the horse stables and feed the horses. Carry goods. Clean the environment and much more.
If they made the slightest mistake, they would end up being beaten by the supervisor.
It wasn't just the children there. Poor and weak adults and elderly people were also employed as slaves by these people. Most of them were told to farm, work as porters, and also deliver goods to other cities.
They were not paid and were not given proper food.
How could such evil people roam around and capture people?
Why didn't the kingdom do anything about it?
Was it because there were no reports?
Was it because there was no evidence?
No.
Worst of all, the kingdom was the one who ordered them to enslave the citizens.
Why? Aren't they all part of the kingdom, and they must be protected?
The nobles and even the king himself, would answer. Why should we protect them? It's their own fault for not protecting themselves.
Why are they so cruel? What's in it for the kingdom?
Even if a kingdom is prosperous and its king is renowned for his kindness and wisdom, is that the truth?
No, everyone has their own mask.
What appears good isn't necessarily good, and what appears bad isn't necessarily bad.
A kingdom that shines brightly also harbors a deep darkness beneath.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Today's report has arrived." A man knelt and bowed his head before the king.
"Give it to me." The man stood and presented a document to the king respectfully and carefully.
A middle-aged man with a stern face and a few wrinkles accepted the document. It was King Erwin Von Serenith, the King of the Serenia Kingdom.
"When will the banishment begin again?" The king asked after reading the document.
"It's estimated to be in about a week or two, Your Majesty." The kneeling man replied.
"Very well. Keep up the good work." Said the king.
"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty." The man bowed respectfully and left the room.
After the man left, the king stood and looked out the window.
"I will not let this kingdom fall as long as I live. I will do anything and sacrifice anything to defend it." The king said.
All the children who had been taken that night were placed in one room. The next morning when they awoke they were momentarily dazed. Then a large man with a fierce face kicked open the door. The children were shocked and terrified.
They were dragged and shown what work they had to do. Hard work for children their age, without proper food or beds. The slightest mistake would result in them being beaten.
They all wanted to escape from that place. But they didn't dare. The men watching seemed stronger than they were. They were forced to do their work correctly. Without the slightest mistake or complaint.
At night, they always cried in their sleep. They always muttered that they wanted to leave and hoped that someone would help them.
But there was no one.
Two weeks later, most of the children who had fallen ill and looked weak and helpless, were taken back by horse-drawn carriage.
They were taken to a place far outside the royal city.
There's a folktale about a ferocious black dragon living in a forest called the Forest of Darkness.
But it turns out it wasn't just a fairy tale.
"P-please don't leave us!!"
"Please let us go!!"
"Spare us!!"
The children were thrown into the middle of a dark forest. They cried for help from the men who brought them there. But their cries went unheard.
"You should be proud because at least, even though you're useless, your flesh and souls have become sacrifices that will protect the kingdom." One of the men said mockingly.
"That's right. I envy you for not being a hero." They laughed at the children's cries.
The men left the terrified children in the dark forest. Because their hands and feet were bound, they couldn't escape. They cried and screamed frantically. They kept calling for help.
Except for one child.
He had black hair and eyes as black as the night sky. He was the one who had been beaten for stealing a piece of bread.
The boy stared angrily at the path the men had taken. He assessed the area around him.
A dark forest with eerie-looking trees. The cold air sent shivers down his spine. Even though his hands and feet were bound, the boy wasn't at a loss for options.
He dropped his body and crawled toward the path he was headed for. Even though his body was injured from the friction of the ground and rocks, he didn't care.
He continued crawling in one direction. The direction he believed was the way out. His black eyes like the night sky seemed to scream.
"I will live. I will definitely live!!"