His mind was racing.
He had been a prisoner long enough to understand what Ahriman's anger meant.
He was silently praying for a miracle but even that would not be sufficient.
For his case the Almighty would have to come down and offer his help.
The crowd was not aware of his turmoil.
They kept on cheering Ashes.
Guards approached him and chained his hands and legs.
It was time to go back to his den.
Something that he had been dreading all this time.
He could not stop imagining what Ahriman's punishment would be this time.
The guards quickly dragged him away from the cage.
He noticed they were not heading for his den.
They were heading towards the prisoner's chamber.
The same torture chamber he had seen his mother dragged towards.
Ahriman always made sure that she was at the surface watching the fight so as to remind Ashes what would happen if he dared loose the fight.
' Damn me! How could I put my mother in danger like that?'
The door to the chamber was opened when they arrived.
The guards unchained him and threw him to the floor before locking the door again.
He found his mother and sister hugging each other while sobbing loudly.
When she noticed his presence his sister hauled herself at him and began punching his chest repeatedly.
She cursed as she lashed at him.
" You cursed scoundrel! Why are you always so hell bent on causing trouble for us? You should have let us die back when they captured us.
Why did you have to make a deal of fighting for our freedom despite knowing how wicked these men are. They will never honor their word and now we have to live in constant fear of them."
Ashes didn't respond to her.
This was not the first time his sister had said such bitter words to him.
She always blamed him for not letting the dark lord's men kill them back when he was a boy.
But how could he have let his family perish when there was something he could do about it.
Still his sister's curses did not hurt him.
What caused him pain was his mother's silence whenever his sister made those accusations.
It made it clear that she too shared her daughter's view.
As if that was not enough he was always fighting not to lose his head for the sake of their freedom.
He was determined not to give up on them even if they didn't appreciate his efforts.
Perhaps the day they were set free they would forgive him for not letting them die when he had a chance.
Even if they never repented for their harsh words he would still fight for them.
But there was something that his sister had just said that troubled him.
He knew how wicked his masters were.
What if they were not planning to fulfill their promise at all in the first place.
What was he to do if he figured out that they were only ever toying with him.
The feeling of weakness filled his body. He felt defeated.
Just then the door to the chamber opened.
Lord Ahriman stepped in accompanied by five men.
He motioned the guards who took hold of Ashes.
Then he approached his mother and took hold of her by the hair.
" I really have grown fond of you. I was even beginning to love you as a son.
But you went ahead and ruined that. Today you brought us losses in millions.
We had bet on you both winning the battle without casualties but you had to disappoint us.
For that reason she will have to pay so that you don't pull such tricks ever again"
Ahriman said, pointing at Ashes' mother.
Ashes was infuriated. He felt like punching Ahriman in the nose.
He tried breaking free but the guards' hold on him was so strong.
" If you dare do anything to her I'll kill you "
Ahriman responded with a chuckle.
He moved on and groped his mother's left breast and gave it a rough squeeze.
Ashes roared like a wild animal and began wrestling with the guards.
" Does the boy think he is now grown up enough to wrestle with his elders huh? Why don't you let him go"
Ahriman kept on taunting him.
Then using all his might Ashes broke free from the guards hold.
He pounced on Ahriman and aimed a punch to Ahriman's face.
The latter surprisingly dodged it with ease then moved a few steps back.
Ashes saw Ahriman hold his open palm towards him and his senses lost track of logic.
His body suddenly felt heavy.
Time seemed to slow down.
He tried sprinting but appeared to be moving in slow motion.
Ahriman didn't seem to be experiencing the same problems though.
He moved towards Ashes with a terrifying speed and placed a solid kick to his ribs breaking three of them on impact.
The kick sent Ashes flying causing him to hit a wall.
He tried getting up but lost his balance.
Ahriman towered over him and stepped on his chest countless times.
Blood flowed from his mouth.
The guards rushed to pick him up and ensured that he witnessed the scene that transpired next.
He saw Ahriman and the five men surrounding his mother.
They began by physically abusing her while tearing her garments apart till she was left stark naked.
Ahriman had his way with her. Then the other men took turns with her.
All this while Ashes and his sister helplessly watched.
Ashes tried to move to stop them but he was too weak.
Tears were flowing from his eyes continuously.
When they were done they let go of Ashes and his sister.
His weak body dropped, hitting the ground painfully.
He noticed that his sister was crying too.
The guards locked the chamber door after Ahriman and his men left. They too had their share of his mother before leaving.
Ashes could only blame himself.
The broken look on his mother's face made him realize one thing; his sister had always been right.
He should have listened to them and never made a deal with the devil.
He should have let the dark Lord's men finish them off on that fateful day.
Had they all died that day at least he would have never lived to witness such a thing.
His sister approached their mother.
She pushed her daughter away.
His sister turned to Ashes.
" Are you happy now?"
He did not respond.
He had lost too much blood and strength.
She was still addressing him as the darkness surrounded him.
Then he succumbed to the darkness around him.