“It's only a matter of time. Hiding it from him won't help. He’ll find out about his ability eventually, anyways,”
“I know, but if we make it so he forgets about what his ability is after he uses it- he might not ever use it again for fear of the unknown. His human side is cautious like that,”
“What do you mean, his human side?”
“His power is a living thing. He’s the result of an experiment. His human side is caring, loyal, careful. But when he releases enough of his power, it can start to take him over, and that side of him is murderous, hateful, and...well, just a complete monster,”
“If he finds out about what we’ve hid from him and what we’ve done...even his human side might hate us,”
“I know,”
“Which is why we have to at least tell him what happens if he uses too much of his power,”
“No, we don't. Put memories in his head, that he’s hurt or even killed people he cared about. That should do,”
“Again, if he ever figures out who we are…”
“It's a risk we must take. Since I have orders to make sure he lives, we have to make him fear using too much of his own power,”
“I’ll have hell to pay for this, you know. It's illegal to plant fake memories,”
“Oh, my friend. When he gets older we’ll all have hell to pay,”
My senses start to return. I have a pounding headache and feel really weak. I was last in...a cell. Yes. With that rebel leader, Heathen. I got caught during a contract that wanted me to kill his sister. I remember an attack happening, and I went to escape...I left into a kids room and killed some royal soldiers. I must’ve been tranqued or something similar. I don't remember anything after that. I open my eyes a very small amount to see where I am. A tent. Mainly for medicine, by the looks of all the bottles. No one is in the tent with me. I attempt to get up when I’m hit with a sharp pain in my right arm that makes me flinch. I bite my lip to keep from making any noise. I reach over to my right arm and take off the bandage to see a mid-sized cut that is bright purple. Poison. Of course. Just my luck to get into a fight with royal soldiers that are using poison. Based on the color of the wound it's the poison Juma. Without help you’ll die after about 24 hours. Ironically, the antidote is also bright purple. Which is how I immediately spot it from across the room. I breathe and sit up. I struggle to do so, as the poison has seriously weakend my body. Whoever this is doesn't know the antidote. I can prove that further based on the notes scattered around. I see the sword I got from that royal guard I killed nearby, so I slowly grab it and try to stand. I can do it with the sword to help a little. I walk across the tent and sit down at the desk there. I’m panting from that small walk. I lean the sword against the desk before reaching for the antidote and opening it. I smell it just to make sure this is, in fact, the antidote for Juma. The smell is correct, and the color is, as well. Now it's for the hard part. I pick it up and attempt to pour it on the wound. This is the dangerous part about Juma. It makes it near impossible for you to pour the antidote on the wound yourself. My left arm starts shaking from the effort to pour it on the wound, and my hand slowly starts tilting the bottle until a small droplet hits the wound. I breathe sharply when it hits and pain courses through my body. I start tilting the bottle again, which is now a little bit easier- until a small stream starts pouring over the wound. I make sure the wound is covered in it, as my body starts shaking. I drop the bottle as the convulsions hit, causing me to fall off the chair. They go on for some amount of time- no more than 15 minutes, if I'm to base it off the fact no one has returned to the tent. I look at the wound on my arm- and it's the normal red as it starts bleeding again. I wrap it in the fallen bandage before getting up from the ground. I feel normal once again. The antidote for Juma is a fast working antidote, something I know from experience, since Juma is a more common poison. It’s only now that I realise I'm shirtless, so I look for my shirt. Which is nowhere to be seen.
“Just my bloody luck,” I mutter.
Well, I wasn’t chained down or tied up in any way, so either these people are very careless and inexperienced, or they consider me a friend. But even then… I look in a mirror I didn’t see earlier. My body- mainly my chest and back- are covered in scars. Burns, cuts, even some animal bites. I bit my lip before deciding to wear one of this person’s shirts. I don't like people seeing my scars. It’s a bit too tight- and that's saying something, considering I don't even really have an average sized body. I do a few movements, and decide the shirt will work for now. Oh, did I mention it's pink? Not a common color, but all the clothes in here are pink. Or purple. And sorry, but i'm not wearing the color of the poison that almost killed me. I walk to the entrance and walk out before I change my mind. We’re in a pretty big camp- lots of people. Rebels, by the looks of it.
“Hey, rookie. Get to the barracks and put on something other than that piece of crap,” Someone said.
I look to my left and see what looks like could be someone of rank. So I respond in turn.
“Yes, sir. Where are the barracks, sir?,” I respond.
“The tents over that way. Don't do this again,” He warns.
I start walking over to the tents he pointed to. I look around as I walk. I see people training- hard, too. The higher-ups are pushing them hard. Some people are eating, and a bunch of kids are training, too. The people training them are going easier on them than the adults. I space out as glimpses of what seem to be memories flash through my head. I...helped the kids escape? Which means I was never tranqued like I suspected. I gulp as my hands start shaking a little. I used my power. Even if it was only a little bit, I'm gonna have a price to pay for it. The only question is about what the price is. I shake my head and look to the sky as I walk to calm myself. I've beaten it before...I think. I'm hoping I can do it again. I enter one of the tents that are part of the barracks and- would you look at that, first tent is the clothing storage. Since i'm alone I take off everything and put on the camo clothing- boots, pants, and a shirt. I'm keeping my underwear, thank you. I walk out and walk over to one of the training areas- it apears that they are about to start 1v1 combat. I walk over and attract some looks as I'm younger than everyone else here. Many here are 20’s, 30’s. I'm only 15.
“Alright, how many of you here think you could beat me in a fight?” The trainer asked.
He looks pretty strong- his movements and eyes show a constant awareness of his surroundings. His arms look a lot stronger than his legs- so he’s trained mainly in fists or weapons. I might be able to take him. Besides, why not?
“I think I can, sir,” I say.
As some of the others look at me they chuckle. I glare at them before walking up the trainer.
“So, what makes you thi-” He starts to say.
Before he finishes his question, I punch him in the gut and slam him to the ground. I then take out his knife and put it to his neck.
“Fight over,” I say with a small smile as I get off him.
“Tricky. But a good strategy. You decided to end the fight before it even started,” He says.
“I’ve never seen you fight, so I had, and still have, no idea how you fight. Fighting an unknown enemy is dangerous. But what I do know is that you are human. It was still risky as you could have had an ability, but I think if you had an ability you'd be doing something more important. No offense meant, sir,”
“You must be Ryaku. Heathen has told us what he knows about you. He did not tell us about your condition, but it's good to see that you are feeling better,”
“Well, you certainly seem to trust me quickly. Why?”
“You got my daughter out of that place. I have to thank you for that,”
Oh. That would make sense. It's also a very easy excuse to go to.
“Anyways, Heathen probably wants to see you. He’s probably in a tent in the middle of the camp organizing things,”
“Alright. I'll go and talk to him,”
Something doesn't feel right. That might just be me being overly cautious and untrustful, but they shouldn't be trusting me this quickly. Even if I saved the kids, how did I even manage to get them out? I might know, but they don't. Well...I can guess how I got the kids out. I can't remember everything. Now that I think about it, I have a lot of questions for Heathen. Such as who the person that was my “doctor” is. And why they had no idea what the cure for Juma is. I was unguarded, too. Nothing adds up here. What game is Heathen playing? I need more information, so for now my best play is to go and talk to him. I make it to the tent and am stopped by 2 people guarding it.
“We can't let you go in there. Heathen is cur-” One of them starts.
“Sorry, but my business is much more important than anything he could be doing,” I interrupt, glaring at the both of them.
I learned from other people that when I glare at them, it makes me look much, much scarier. It's true, too. People are terrified when I glare at them. So, no surprise, they move to the side.
“S-sorry. Didn’t kn-know you and H-Heathen had business. We’ll let you in,” He stutters.
“Good,” I snap.
I walk in and am, surprisingly, unnoticed. Heathen and his sister along with a couple of other people are around a table. Talking about plans, i'm guessing. Might as well listen in.
“Heathen, I understand you want revenge on the royal army, but they were just following orders as they fear the king and his power!” An older looking guy says. He looks like the most experienced.
“I don't care. They should at least attempt small things to help us, they won't be killed for small things,” Heathen snaps.
It looks like I was going to interrupt a lot sooner than expected. My parents were royal guards. They were killed for smuggling a small amount of food out to people that needed it. One time. One. Time.
“No, that's not how the king works,” I say, walking up to the table.
“Ryaku?” Heathen says, his eyes going wide.
“My parents were part of the royal guard. They were killed, by orders from the king, for smuggling a small amount of food out to the poor one time. Chances are the same would happen for the royal army. I think you should take a breather, Heathen. You're getting too emotional, and not thinking clearly,” I say.
“How are you up and about? You still had poison in your veins,” He says, narrowing his eyes.
“I have some questions for you, first. Who’s your doctor, and why didn’t they give me the antidote?” I ask as I lean on the table and glare at him.
He didn’t respond. No one else, beside his sister, showed any surprise.
“Ah, so it was on your orders, considering you aren’t surprised at all about having the antidote,” I say, relaxing.
I think I understand now. I don't how long it's been, but i'm willing to be it's been more than 24 hours. So they used other tactics to keep the poison in my veins while keeping me alive. The only question is why. Actually, thats a stupid question. I know exactly why. I show up trying to kill his sister, a rebel leader. I get captured by them, and not even days after they get attacked. I saved the kids- but the suspicions outweigh the help I've given them. It's also very possible that someone he cared about died. A girl, perhaps? I tilt my head and look into Heathen’s eyes. Hatred is burning in them like a wildfire, even I can see that. Someone he cared about died in that fight, and he blames it on me. I look down at the table-because in a way, it is my fault. If I never took the contract for his sister, their compound wouldn't have gotten attacked.
“I need to have a chat with Heathen and his sister, so if the rest of you could leave…” I say quietly.
“I think I need to have a talk with my brother too, so you are all dismissed,” Heathen’s sister says with a dark note.
They all scuttle out and Heathen- well, he looked a little scared of his sister.
“You know, I thought my own brother trusted me, but apparently not, so while I hate to betray my brother, you did betray me first,” she says.
“Alysa, what are y-” He stops and freezes as she starts walking towards me.
Even I freeze up when she stops and faces Heathen next to me. She puts a hand on my shoulder-I hate to say it- that made me relax slightly.
“So, Heathen. It’s time for you to answer some questions yourself this time,” Alysa says with a devious smile on her face.
“
“I know, but if we make it so he forgets about what his ability is after he uses it- he might not ever use it again for fear of the unknown. His human side is cautious like that,”
“What do you mean, his human side?”
“His power is a living thing. He’s the result of an experiment. His human side is caring, loyal, careful. But when he releases enough of his power, it can start to take him over, and that side of him is murderous, hateful, and...well, just a complete monster,”
“If he finds out about what we’ve hid from him and what we’ve done...even his human side might hate us,”
“I know,”
“Which is why we have to at least tell him what happens if he uses too much of his power,”
“No, we don't. Put memories in his head, that he’s hurt or even killed people he cared about. That should do,”
“Again, if he ever figures out who we are…”
“It's a risk we must take. Since I have orders to make sure he lives, we have to make him fear using too much of his own power,”
“I’ll have hell to pay for this, you know. It's illegal to plant fake memories,”
“Oh, my friend. When he gets older we’ll all have hell to pay,”
My senses start to return. I have a pounding headache and feel really weak. I was last in...a cell. Yes. With that rebel leader, Heathen. I got caught during a contract that wanted me to kill his sister. I remember an attack happening, and I went to escape...I left into a kids room and killed some royal soldiers. I must’ve been tranqued or something similar. I don't remember anything after that. I open my eyes a very small amount to see where I am. A tent. Mainly for medicine, by the looks of all the bottles. No one is in the tent with me. I attempt to get up when I’m hit with a sharp pain in my right arm that makes me flinch. I bite my lip to keep from making any noise. I reach over to my right arm and take off the bandage to see a mid-sized cut that is bright purple. Poison. Of course. Just my luck to get into a fight with royal soldiers that are using poison. Based on the color of the wound it's the poison Juma. Without help you’ll die after about 24 hours. Ironically, the antidote is also bright purple. Which is how I immediately spot it from across the room. I breathe and sit up. I struggle to do so, as the poison has seriously weakend my body. Whoever this is doesn't know the antidote. I can prove that further based on the notes scattered around. I see the sword I got from that royal guard I killed nearby, so I slowly grab it and try to stand. I can do it with the sword to help a little. I walk across the tent and sit down at the desk there. I’m panting from that small walk. I lean the sword against the desk before reaching for the antidote and opening it. I smell it just to make sure this is, in fact, the antidote for Juma. The smell is correct, and the color is, as well. Now it's for the hard part. I pick it up and attempt to pour it on the wound. This is the dangerous part about Juma. It makes it near impossible for you to pour the antidote on the wound yourself. My left arm starts shaking from the effort to pour it on the wound, and my hand slowly starts tilting the bottle until a small droplet hits the wound. I breathe sharply when it hits and pain courses through my body. I start tilting the bottle again, which is now a little bit easier- until a small stream starts pouring over the wound. I make sure the wound is covered in it, as my body starts shaking. I drop the bottle as the convulsions hit, causing me to fall off the chair. They go on for some amount of time- no more than 15 minutes, if I'm to base it off the fact no one has returned to the tent. I look at the wound on my arm- and it's the normal red as it starts bleeding again. I wrap it in the fallen bandage before getting up from the ground. I feel normal once again. The antidote for Juma is a fast working antidote, something I know from experience, since Juma is a more common poison. It’s only now that I realise I'm shirtless, so I look for my shirt. Which is nowhere to be seen.
“Just my bloody luck,” I mutter.
Well, I wasn’t chained down or tied up in any way, so either these people are very careless and inexperienced, or they consider me a friend. But even then… I look in a mirror I didn’t see earlier. My body- mainly my chest and back- are covered in scars. Burns, cuts, even some animal bites. I bit my lip before deciding to wear one of this person’s shirts. I don't like people seeing my scars. It’s a bit too tight- and that's saying something, considering I don't even really have an average sized body. I do a few movements, and decide the shirt will work for now. Oh, did I mention it's pink? Not a common color, but all the clothes in here are pink. Or purple. And sorry, but i'm not wearing the color of the poison that almost killed me. I walk to the entrance and walk out before I change my mind. We’re in a pretty big camp- lots of people. Rebels, by the looks of it.
“Hey, rookie. Get to the barracks and put on something other than that piece of crap,” Someone said.
I look to my left and see what looks like could be someone of rank. So I respond in turn.
“Yes, sir. Where are the barracks, sir?,” I respond.
“The tents over that way. Don't do this again,” He warns.
I start walking over to the tents he pointed to. I look around as I walk. I see people training- hard, too. The higher-ups are pushing them hard. Some people are eating, and a bunch of kids are training, too. The people training them are going easier on them than the adults. I space out as glimpses of what seem to be memories flash through my head. I...helped the kids escape? Which means I was never tranqued like I suspected. I gulp as my hands start shaking a little. I used my power. Even if it was only a little bit, I'm gonna have a price to pay for it. The only question is about what the price is. I shake my head and look to the sky as I walk to calm myself. I've beaten it before...I think. I'm hoping I can do it again. I enter one of the tents that are part of the barracks and- would you look at that, first tent is the clothing storage. Since i'm alone I take off everything and put on the camo clothing- boots, pants, and a shirt. I'm keeping my underwear, thank you. I walk out and walk over to one of the training areas- it apears that they are about to start 1v1 combat. I walk over and attract some looks as I'm younger than everyone else here. Many here are 20’s, 30’s. I'm only 15.
“Alright, how many of you here think you could beat me in a fight?” The trainer asked.
He looks pretty strong- his movements and eyes show a constant awareness of his surroundings. His arms look a lot stronger than his legs- so he’s trained mainly in fists or weapons. I might be able to take him. Besides, why not?
“I think I can, sir,” I say.
As some of the others look at me they chuckle. I glare at them before walking up the trainer.
“So, what makes you thi-” He starts to say.
Before he finishes his question, I punch him in the gut and slam him to the ground. I then take out his knife and put it to his neck.
“Fight over,” I say with a small smile as I get off him.
“Tricky. But a good strategy. You decided to end the fight before it even started,” He says.
“I’ve never seen you fight, so I had, and still have, no idea how you fight. Fighting an unknown enemy is dangerous. But what I do know is that you are human. It was still risky as you could have had an ability, but I think if you had an ability you'd be doing something more important. No offense meant, sir,”
“You must be Ryaku. Heathen has told us what he knows about you. He did not tell us about your condition, but it's good to see that you are feeling better,”
“Well, you certainly seem to trust me quickly. Why?”
“You got my daughter out of that place. I have to thank you for that,”
Oh. That would make sense. It's also a very easy excuse to go to.
“Anyways, Heathen probably wants to see you. He’s probably in a tent in the middle of the camp organizing things,”
“Alright. I'll go and talk to him,”
Something doesn't feel right. That might just be me being overly cautious and untrustful, but they shouldn't be trusting me this quickly. Even if I saved the kids, how did I even manage to get them out? I might know, but they don't. Well...I can guess how I got the kids out. I can't remember everything. Now that I think about it, I have a lot of questions for Heathen. Such as who the person that was my “doctor” is. And why they had no idea what the cure for Juma is. I was unguarded, too. Nothing adds up here. What game is Heathen playing? I need more information, so for now my best play is to go and talk to him. I make it to the tent and am stopped by 2 people guarding it.
“We can't let you go in there. Heathen is cur-” One of them starts.
“Sorry, but my business is much more important than anything he could be doing,” I interrupt, glaring at the both of them.
I learned from other people that when I glare at them, it makes me look much, much scarier. It's true, too. People are terrified when I glare at them. So, no surprise, they move to the side.
“S-sorry. Didn’t kn-know you and H-Heathen had business. We’ll let you in,” He stutters.
“Good,” I snap.
I walk in and am, surprisingly, unnoticed. Heathen and his sister along with a couple of other people are around a table. Talking about plans, i'm guessing. Might as well listen in.
“Heathen, I understand you want revenge on the royal army, but they were just following orders as they fear the king and his power!” An older looking guy says. He looks like the most experienced.
“I don't care. They should at least attempt small things to help us, they won't be killed for small things,” Heathen snaps.
It looks like I was going to interrupt a lot sooner than expected. My parents were royal guards. They were killed for smuggling a small amount of food out to people that needed it. One time. One. Time.
“No, that's not how the king works,” I say, walking up to the table.
“Ryaku?” Heathen says, his eyes going wide.
“My parents were part of the royal guard. They were killed, by orders from the king, for smuggling a small amount of food out to the poor one time. Chances are the same would happen for the royal army. I think you should take a breather, Heathen. You're getting too emotional, and not thinking clearly,” I say.
“How are you up and about? You still had poison in your veins,” He says, narrowing his eyes.
“I have some questions for you, first. Who’s your doctor, and why didn’t they give me the antidote?” I ask as I lean on the table and glare at him.
He didn’t respond. No one else, beside his sister, showed any surprise.
“Ah, so it was on your orders, considering you aren’t surprised at all about having the antidote,” I say, relaxing.
I think I understand now. I don't how long it's been, but i'm willing to be it's been more than 24 hours. So they used other tactics to keep the poison in my veins while keeping me alive. The only question is why. Actually, thats a stupid question. I know exactly why. I show up trying to kill his sister, a rebel leader. I get captured by them, and not even days after they get attacked. I saved the kids- but the suspicions outweigh the help I've given them. It's also very possible that someone he cared about died. A girl, perhaps? I tilt my head and look into Heathen’s eyes. Hatred is burning in them like a wildfire, even I can see that. Someone he cared about died in that fight, and he blames it on me. I look down at the table-because in a way, it is my fault. If I never took the contract for his sister, their compound wouldn't have gotten attacked.
“I need to have a chat with Heathen and his sister, so if the rest of you could leave…” I say quietly.
“I think I need to have a talk with my brother too, so you are all dismissed,” Heathen’s sister says with a dark note.
They all scuttle out and Heathen- well, he looked a little scared of his sister.
“You know, I thought my own brother trusted me, but apparently not, so while I hate to betray my brother, you did betray me first,” she says.
“Alysa, what are y-” He stops and freezes as she starts walking towards me.
Even I freeze up when she stops and faces Heathen next to me. She puts a hand on my shoulder-I hate to say it- that made me relax slightly.
“So, Heathen. It’s time for you to answer some questions yourself this time,” Alysa says with a devious smile on her face.
“
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