"Hah." Felix jolted awake just as a fat man with a baby face walked into the cell accompanied by two guards.
"I'm alive," He muttered in surprise as he looked left and right to figure out his bearings.
The fat man scrunched his face as he stared at Felix for a few seconds before bursting out in anger. "You bastard!"
Air escaped Felix's lungs as the fat man kicked his torso.
"Ugh." Felix slammed into the stone bed behind him before turning to the side to retch like a dog.
The chains around his neck, arms, and legs collided as he moved.
"Charlie…"
"Don't say my name you bastard!" the fat man kicked Felix again before adding. "You aren't worthy!"
"Ugh." With an empty stomach, the best he could do was retch some more as pain shot through his already aching bones.
"I should have known not to waste my time on you. Just one hit!... That's all you managed. How do you expect me to make back the money I spent to get you."
Felix bit his lip as he joked in a hoarse tone. "I didn't ask you to buy me though."
"Fucking bastard!"
Yet another hit, and then another… Charlie continually kicked Felix until the latter begged him to stop.
"You still have a glib tongue aye," Charlie said while trying to catch his breath from the workout he just did.
He signaled to the guards beside him to pick Felix up.
Since he hadn't eaten for several days, Felix was easily lifted with one guard on each side.
"Dirty human," Charlie said disdainfully. "Even though you wasted the Demirs resources, you still feel no shame. Unlike you, even failures still have better stats than humans."
Felix stared weakly at Charlie. "You are also human."
"Shut up!"
Bam
"This fool never learns." Charlie pulled out a handkerchief and cleaned his fist before sighing. "You have given me a lot of trouble since I got you and at this point, I think I'm done."
Maybe because he was scared of getting hit again or he had his mind on another matter, Felix kept silent this time.
"So guess what?" Charlie asked with a sinister grin.
Unfortunately, Felix remained silent.
Charlie's ears turned red as he punched Felix in the gut again.
"Ugh." Felix dropped to his knees, trying to vomit whatever nonexistent food was in his stomach.
"When I ask a question, I expect a response," Charlie said before signaling for his boys to pick up Felix again.
Felix only glared at Charlie, with no words leaving his mouth.
Charlie had half the mind to murder the bastard but unfortunately killing amongst humans was abhorred by the Demirs.
After all, how could they allow livestock to harm themselves?
"I have a customer coming in tonight. I hope you serve her well. She is a Demir and has no qualms killing humans that misbehave." Charlie's sinister smile was back and with it a sly laugh as he tapped Felix on his cheek.
Ptui
Charlie touched his face and felt the spittle mixed with phlegm on his cheek.
"I will kill you someday." Felix coldly said causing Charlie to involuntarily take a step back as he felt a chill go up his spine.
Charlie turned red-faced at the unmasked insult. "You bastard!"
Instead of attacking Felix himself, he got his guards to do it.
This was much worse as Felix was pummeled black and blue by the guards before they finally let him off.
Leaving him on the cold floor, they closed the door behind him and left him to his fate.
Charlie wished he'd die after the beating he received so it could be written off as a work casualty.
In that way, he could at least dodge the worst punishments that the Demirs would give.
Back in the cell, Felix was unable to move for a long time as pain wracked his nerves, causing him to twitch time and again.
By the time he managed to move his limbs, rays of the sun penetrated through the guard railings on the other end of the cell, lighting up his little space.
Apart from the stone bed and chains, there was nothing else in the room.
"Fucking bastard," Felix muttered painfully as he found it difficult to speak.
Slowly, he sat up before pulling himself to the stone bed.
"This sucks." Felix wondered how he managed to survive.
Considering how he felt, he was supposed to be dead.
[But you aren't.]
"Huh." Felix immediately sat up, ignoring the pain in his body.
Glancing left and right, he mouthed. "Who is there?"
[Aya.]
"Wait what?" He was just short of jumping to his feet when the pain in his joints forced him to sit back down.
[Notice. I advise host not to move until you are healed]
Felix blankly stared into space before sighing. "They beat me so much that I'm hearing things now."
[Notice. You aren't hearing things, I am your system AI, Aya]
Felix paused as his brain slowly processed what he just heard.
After a few seconds of mutual silence, he exclaimed. "System!"
He quickly added. "I awakened?"
[Yes]
"This... then Leila didn't have to go?" getting over the initial shock of the voice in his head, Felix inquired solemnly.
It dawned on him that Leila had sacrificed herself out of fear that he wouldn't be able to awaken and would end up a slave.
But he ended up awakening.
Sure it took some time but still...
"I shouldn't have let her replace me." regret washed over Felix like a wave and he found himself hurting inside.
His sister was gone all because he was scared.
[Notice. Host would have been unable to awaken before now]
Felix formed a fist. "Why?"
[Because no system would be able to break past the restraints I was subjected to]
"What restraints are you talking about ?" Felix couldn't help but ask.
[Notice. I cannot answer that question]
Felix nodded. "So what now?"
Even though he had awakened, it wasn't something to be excited about, after all, it was the same as selling his soul to the devil.
With no chance of ever seeking revenge due to the price for awakening, the only silver lining was that he could finally return home and even that was not as enticing as it sounded.
After all, who would he be returning home to?
[Notice. I have searched host's memories and discovered a great deal of hatred toward my creators]
Felix sighed. "And so what?... Do you plan to tell on me?"
[Notice. On the contrary, I would like to know if host would be willing to act on his hatred if the price of awakening was taken away?]
"What?"