I awoke in darkness. The air around me was thick with damp and the stench of decay, clinging to my nostrils and filling my lungs. My body throbbed with pain, a dull, relentless ache that spread to every corner of my being. Cold steel encircled my right ankle, its icy grip sending a shiver up my spine.
What is going on? My mind raced, piecing together fragments of memory. Am I... in a prison?
I tried to move, but my muscles screamed in protest, every effort dragging me deeper into the void of agony. With great effort, I managed to lift a hand and press it to my chest. Beneath my trembling fingers, I felt the raised scar where Aldric's blade had pierced me—a cruel reminder of his betrayal. The thought of it sent a wave of anger coursing through me, momentarily numbing the pain.
The jangle of keys broke the oppressive silence. A faint click echoed, followed by the groan of a heavy door swinging open. Candlelight flickered to life, casting a dim, uneven glow that painted the walls with shadows. My eyes struggled to adjust.
"You have five minutes," a gruff voice ordered. The guard, clad in dented armor, stood just outside the iron bars, his expression unreadable beneath the shadow of his helmet.
Footsteps followed, measured and deliberate. Then, a voice I recognized—one that sent a chill through my veins.
"You're alive," Aldric said, his tone carefully controlled, as if testing the waters. He stood just beyond the bars, his face half-lit by the flickering flames. He looked worn, but there was no mistaking him—the man who had taught me everything I knew and who had driven a blade through my back.
Rage and confusion warred within me. "Why?" I rasped, my voice hoarse and barely audible. "Why did you do it?" My voice searched for the same answer I had sought after he stabbed me during the battle against that demonic creature.
Aldric's eyes flickered with something that might have been regret, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He stepped closer, his hand resting on the bars. "You weren't meant to survive," he admitted, his voice low. "None of you were."
The weight of his words crashed down on me, and for a moment, I forgot the pain wracking my body. "What?" I whispered, disbelief turning my stomach.
"The empire..." Aldric began, his gaze dropping to the floor. "The empire doesn't want the truth about the demon threat reaching the capital. It would destabilize everything. It could derail the upcoming peace talks with the Elf Kingdom. It's all politics; you should know that! The council... they believe it's better to handle this quietly, without panic. If you had just stopped with those reports..."
I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest. "So you betrayed us? You let us walk into a fight you knew we couldn't win—your own squad—to keep the demons a secret!?"
His jaw tightened. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said, his voice rising. "I tried to—I… I—" He stopped himself, his hands gripping the bars tightly. "I was following orders, damn it! Orders from the capital. They promised me this was the only way to protect the empire. They promised me..."
"They lied," I spat, my anger flaring. "And you believed them."
Before Aldric could respond, another voice cut through the air, commanding and cold.
"That's enough."
General Cross entered the room, his imposing frame casting a long shadow across the cell. His armor gleamed even in the dim light, and his piercing eyes left no room for argument. Aldric snapped to attention as Cross approached, his presence sucking the air from the room.
"Lieutenant," Cross said, his voice sharp. "Leave us."
Aldric hesitated, his mouth opening as if to protest, but the look Cross gave him silenced any argument. With one last glance at me, Aldric turned and walked out, his footsteps heavy with unspoken words.
Cross stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "Sergeant," he began, his tone flat. "Caedric Vyn, the Supreme King of Man, has issued his judgment."
My blood ran cold. "Judgment?" I managed, forcing the word out despite the knot forming in my throat.
Cross's eyes narrowed. "You have been found guilty of the murder of your squad. The evidence—" he paused, gesturing to the scars on my body and the testimony of Lieutenant Aldric who survived your attack—"is damning. You are to be stripped of your rank, branded as a traitor, and sentenced to life in prison."
The words hit me like a hammer. "No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, this isn't right. I didn't... I would never..."
"The empire has no room for insubordination," Cross interrupted. "You're fortunate the Supreme King did not order your execution."
Fortunate. The word echoed in my mind, a cruel joke. "This is madness," I said, my voice rising despite my weakened state. "You know I'm innocent. You… you must know what Aldric did!"
Cross's expression didn't waver. "What I know is irrelevant. The Supreme King's word is law."
The hopelessness of it all threatened to crush me. Betrayed by Aldric, condemned by the empire I had served faithfully for years. Every sacrifice, every battle, every drop of blood spilled in its name—it had all been for nothing.
Yet, amidst the despair, a flicker of something else stirred within me. Anger. Not the wild, desperate anger of betrayal, but something colder, sharper. A resolve I hadn't known I possessed. If the empire thought they could break me, they were wrong.
Cross leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "You won't last two weeks here."
I met his gaze, my jaw tightening. "We'll see about that."
He straightened, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Perhaps you're not as broken as you look. Maybe a visit from the torturer is needed before you are added to the general population."
With that, he turned and strode out of the room, his boots echoing against the stone floor. The guard followed, the door slamming shut behind them. The light dimmed, leaving me alone once more in the suffocating dark.
For a moment, I let the despair wash over me, allowing myself to grieve for my comrades, for the life I had lost, for the betrayal that had brought me here. But only for a moment. I clenched my fists, the pain a reminder that I was still alive.
They had taken everything from me—my honor, my freedom, my future. But they hadn't taken my will to fight. I will survive and I will make them pay.
A distant scream echoed through the halls, sharp and guttural ripping me from my thoughts.
My breath caught as the door creaked open once more, the sound echoing ominously through the dark corridor. The steady cadence of boots approached, each step deliberate and unhurried, carrying an air of grim purpose. The footsteps stopped just beyond my cell, followed by the sickening rasp of metal scraping against metal.
"Seems you're my new subject," a voice drawled, dripping with malice. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"