After almost ten years, Cassian's memories had become a blur, but that haunting scene was still vivid in his mind. The tragic day left him with nothing but loneliness, tears, regret, and most importantly guilt.
He was seven years old at that time, a young bubbly boy who wanted to help his mother, so he tried to light a fire in the fireplace. But because of his clumsiness, the fire spread and trapped him inside the burning room. He still remembers his parents' desperate attempts to save him from that forsaken fire, inevitably losing their own lives. Their screams still echo in his mind like a haunting melody.
The villagers' whispers grew with each passing second, and Cassian found himself breathing hard. He couldn't tolerate it; it was suffocating, but still, they continued.
"If not for him, his parents would still be alive. He should have been the one to die that day," the villagers said with a loud voice not even trying to lower their voices. Their words were like knives piercing his heart and he often wondered if they were right. Maybe everything would have been better if he had died that day.
Perhaps he really was a jinx, who had devoured the life and soul of his parents as his aunt claimed. He felt utterly useless.
Tears pooled in Cassian's eyes, but a harsh pull brought him back. The merchant was dragging him ruthlessly towards the wagon. The binding rope cut deeper into his skin as the merchant barked, "Walk fast, boy. I don't have all day to cater to you."
When they approached the big wagon, he harshly shoved Cassian inside and with a loud bang, shut the door of the wagon. The wagon was instantly shrouded in darkness as the only source of light was the door of the wagon.
Cassian found many young boys inside the wagon, all looking pale and tear-stricken. They instantly huddled at the back when the door of the wagon opened. Cassian was confused by their actions but didn't voice anything as he didn't want to meddle.
The wagon started moving after some time, and Cassian found himself lost in worry about his little sister, Amara. He had been sold and left his baby sister behind in his uncle's home. Cassian knew there would be no one to protect her there. Now that he was gone, his uncle's family would target his little sister and make her do everything. How would he ensure the well-being of his baby sister? He didn't know.
Closing his eyes, Cassian felt tears escape down his cheeks. He remembered his mother's final words, her promise to take care of himself and Amara. But now, that promise seemed so far out of his reach. "Mom... Dad... I've failed you. Your Cassian has failed you," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion.
~~~~~
The journey was long. So many days had passed, or months; Cassian didn't know. He had lost count. He and the other boys were constantly shipped from one place to another, changing their ownership like cattle. He could not remember how many unfamiliar faces he had seen in these days. The merchant sold them to another merchant and this process repeated in a loop. But one thing remained constant : the dread that gripped Cassian's heart. The fear of an unknown future.
Now, Cassian was so far away from his village. The once familiar landscape changed into an unknown land of which kingdom he didn't know. He had traveled far from ships. He had seen many boys like him but didn't get the chance to know anyone as the merchant always rearranged their group with different people, and the remaining were already bought by someone else.
As the wagon came to a halt, the door swung open, and a burly merchant appeared in front of them. He was another unfamiliar face.
The merchant's eyes were more sinister and calculating. He looked at them with scrutiny and said to another merchant who brought them here, "Good, this will work." He handed a pouch to the previous merchant. The previous merchant laughed and backed off with the heavy pouch of gold, showing his yellow teeth.
The boys were herded out, their chains clinking as they were lined up for inspection. Cassian's heart pounded as the merchant scrutinized them. When his gaze landed on Cassian, he instantly shivered from the cold eyes and looked at his toes.
"Fresh stock," the merchant muttered, nodding approvingly.
Cassian felt his blood run cold. Fresh stock? They were really treated as cattle, now just waiting to find their new owner. After all, he had become their slave, but he wondered why they had not marked him and every other boy who came now. In previous batches, most of the boys had marks of slavery.
The merchant barked an order again and asked someone to take them somewhere. They were herded back into the wagon, and soon the sound of rolling wheels could be heard. But they stopped soon, and Cassian wondered why. When they were in the wagon, it would run for the entire day, so why was this time different? He soon got his answer.
The same man who herded them inside asked them to go inside the building. Cassian looked at the building; it was a simple small abode, but surprisingly, from inside, it was clean and neat.
The man came back with a bunch of keys and started to unlock everyone's chains. "Don't try to run, or all of you will face punishment like you've never heard of."
"And you will be caught before even taking a step outside this place because our men are on the watch." He narrowed his eyes at each boy, and all of them showed fear and backed away from his intimidating gaze.
He seemed almost pleased with this reaction and said, "Good boys, you will be rewarded if you behave well." He motioned to another man to bring hot meals for the boys as they must be starving. He then gave all of them a sick smile.
Finally, when he walked out, Cassian lifted his head and stared in his direction openly. Hot meals? Is he kidding us? From the day he was captured, they only got stale bread, which was already a luxury for him. After all, his aunt didn't even consider giving that to him.