Previous-[Chapter 2: Darkness Occurs]
The aftermath of the village's destruction left us, Olivia and me, caged and broken. Olivia, clinging to me like a lifeline, her voice trembling, "W-Where are we going, B-Brother? W-Where is… M-Mom? W-Where is D-dad?"
Tears welled up in my eyes, mirroring the anguish in hers. The guard, a hulking brute, snarled, "Quiet!" The whip cracked, the sound echoing through the cage, instilling a chilling fear in all of us.
Olivia, terrified, buried her face in my chest, her sobs muffled by my cloak.
We were transported to the infamous Grdaven slave market, a grim testament to human cruelty. The stench of fear and despair hung heavy in the air. The slave master, a grotesque caricature of a man, branded us with the mark of slavery, a searing reminder of our fallen state.
"Now I'm truly in hell," I muttered, the weight of our predicament crushing my spirit. This was the karmic retribution for the sins of my past life, I thought bitterly.
Olivia, her eyes wide with terror, clung to me, "Where is Mommy? Brother?"
I had no answer, no comforting lies to offer. The slave master, with a chilling efficiency, separated us. Olivia, her tiny frame shaking with fear, was dragged away by a wealthy woman.
"I want a reliable slave, but not as a servant," the woman declared, her voice devoid of warmth.
"Hehehe… of course, madam," the slave master leered, his eyes gleaming with avarice.
He approached our cage, his gaze fixated on Olivia. She clung to me, her grip tightening, desperate to resist.
"That girl, she's the one," the woman declared.
The slave master, with a cruel disregard for her distress, attempted to pry Olivia from my grasp. But she clung to me with the ferocity of a drowning woman.
"TAKE ME WITH MY BROTHER!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I won't leave him!"
The woman, seemingly taken aback by her defiance, hesitated. "It will double the price, you know."
"Take me with him," Olivia pleaded, her voice hoarse with desperation.
I looked at her, my heart aching. Her love, so fierce, so unconditional, was a revelation.
"It's okay," I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil within. "I'll find you. I promise."
Olivia, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and hope, nodded slowly.
"I… I will… go," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
She turned to the woman, a silent farewell passing between them. "Farewell… I love you, Brother."
And just like that, she was gone, swallowed by the cruel indifference of the slave market.
This is what a brother's love felt like, I realized, a profound, aching void in the center of my chest.
But grief could wait. I had a plan to forge. An escape plan. And a promise to keep.
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Next Chapter-[Meeting with someone]
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