I regained my consciousness, however, I wasn't greeted by any striking sunlight. Instead, I woke up in a dark and gloomy cave dimly lit by a scarcity of torches. I seemed to be in some sort of open room, but maybe that was what I assumed because of my blurry vision, so I sat up and saw that my body had been cleaned and healed, and I was in a different set of clothes (although they were rags, so nothing much to be proud of). As my eyes cleared, I realized my predicament.
I saw long bars and immediately knew I was in a dungeon. It was grimy and wet, with chains and many broken people in sight. As I was about to try and tear open the bars, I heard footsteps. 2 men came to my cell. The first was a short, stocky, middle-aged man. His eyes were a dull green, and he boasted muttonchops on his chubby, wrinkled face, pointy and thick eyebrows, as well as a jacked-up nose. He wore a brown overcoat with rather aristocratic attire beneath. And then there was that jerkface Sigmund.
"Oh looky here! Who's up and about like an early bird." He cackled.
My fists curled, and my blood vessels constricted.
"I'LL EAT YOUR DAMN LIVER SCUM!" I roared.
I drove my fist into the bars, and the impact produced those same sparks. My blood also happened to stain the bars from this punch. The short one jumped back.
"It would take more than that to break through, and of course, that's all you probably have. Anyways, this is your warden, and you will refer to him as warden, understood village rat?" Sigmund explained.
A flame burned my heart from those words. 'Village rat', that can't slide.
"DIE!" I shrieked.
I then proceeded to use every limb in my body to bash the cell, producing something slightly short of a light show with the half-assed sparks of my power coming out, followed by splashes of blood bursting out of me. Both of the men stared, the warden more overwhelmed at the sight of such a reaction. I had probably lost a quarter of my blood from that fit of rage.
"Don't mind him all that much warden, he's got anger issues. He could be useful though, which is why you mustn't kill him no matter how haywire he gets," Said Sigmund
"Got it, Sir Sigmund," The warden replied.
"Goody, now, I'm off to the capital, take care of affairs and update me on our little prisoners," Sigmund concluded
He left the scene, and I was staring keenly at the warden. I thought of all the ways I could strangle that double chin.
"Quit staring at me, you fiery piece of crap," He said.
"You ain't so different shortstack," I snapped.
He looked at me with a burning rage but just stomped off on his 2 tiny feet. Meanwhile, I sat in the corner of my cell and noticed that to my right, there was a man of old age staring at me. He seemed to be a lankier specimen than the warden and had a long beard, like that of wizards from children's tales.
"What are you looking at gramps," I said.
"Oh, forgive me for any inconvenience my staring has caused young boy. It's just that I haven't seen a specimen like you before," He replied.
"Enlighten me as to what exactly is like me," I uttered.
"Well, you have quite the temper, as a first. However, I feel that isn't an innate trait in you. It seems forced, as if you have suffered terrible grief, causing you to lose your stability. I hope I didn't pry in on anything in my analysis," He explained.
After a few seconds of silence, I responded.
"Yes. You are right."
My rage had settled down. I'm not sure how, or why, but this man had a tender yet eloquent tone of voice, and something about it made me feel like he was a good man, and so I shouldn't exact my anger unjustly on him.
"And by the way, since you seem like a nice guy, and we're both jailed here, I didn't mind the prying," I added.
"I'm happy to know that, however, if I may ask, what has troubled you, dear boy," He replied.
I thought of telling him, but the horrific memories of that night, the mutilated corpses, the destruction, the screams, Sara, and my dear Uncle Viros. I couldn't bring myself to speak, and my lungs grew heavy as I fell into tears.
"Oh dear, I mustn't ask further. Clearly, you have been through a lot, as your anger and despair show it all. I should probably give you some space." He said.
I still remember it vividly. I remember how Sara nearly died, I remember how I lost my beloved uncle, and most importantly, the nefarious looks on the evil faces of those murderers, of Sigmund. My fists curled, and my teeth gritted. I tried to contain myself, and in the process, I could feel my body losing heat, and the area around me glow a slight red. I felt a high-pitched hum resonate throughout my entire body too. A small amount of bloody energy began to envelop me. I then heard a sudden gasp
"By all that is sacred, it can't be!" The old man exclaimed.
"I take it from your reaction you know what this is, eh old man?"
He stared at me dumbfounded, his eyes were wider than an ocean, his jaw on the floor, and his complexion went paler than it already was.
"Uh, you there?" I asked.
I fear the poor guy got a stroke or something.
"I'm all too familiar with what that is! That right there is the bleeding flames of vengeance, the burning darkness of evil, the malevolent gavel of justice! That is Agony!" He proclaimed.
I'm not so sure what he just said, but those words struck me all over like lightning. They gave me a heavy feeling, like when you take your first step as a child and everyone is just celebrating. Somehow I did not know what this 'Agony' was, but I had an idea that it was something that I possessed and something that had a lot more value than I had assumed.
"Agony huh? So that's the weird flashy stuff coming out of me." I said.'
"Indeed it is." He replied.
"So um, what exactly is Agony?" I asked.
He got up and walked closer to me, until of course the bars separating us came in between. He looked radiant all of a sudden, like a passionate teacher about to teach something.
"Well, it is a power not many know about, and one that fewer possess. Truth be told, it is not a concept one can explain in a few words for how unique it is, but if this short form helps…."
While he was speaking, his lips shifted their movements to words I never thought I'd hear ever in my life, and in that moment, all that I had imagined as usual, although already torn up, disintegrated in a matter of seconds.
"...it is a form of Spirit Force, the energy used by Spirit Warpers. You, child, are a warper, and that too a special one." He concluded.
And there it was! Eighteen years in the making! Now I realized what was going on with me. I didn't get the powers early on, because they were going to drop in later. I know I've been through a lot, and I've suffered a lot in the past few days (from what I can make out), but finally, something right has happened.