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Hundreds of years ago….
There was a group of cultists who called themselves "The Aestari.".
They practiced forbidden magic, sealed by the royal family many years before. With this magic that they learned, they opened a gateway to the Abyss. Within the Abyss, darkness shrouded the entirety of the dimension.
What makes up the Abyss is what's known as "Soul Mist". When the Aestari entered this realm, they were immediately covered in this mist, composed of every living being that's ever perished. When the Aestari were exposed to it, they gained special traits that made them unique. Some of these traits resulted in death, destruction, and mental hysteria. Some gained powerful abilities, able to wreak havoc upon society.
One hundred Aestari entered. Twenty returned. The Royal Family made it their mission to contain these beings, humans that have ascended beyond the average capabilities of their ancestors. They were persecuted, executed, tortured, and even used as weapons for their military.
It has been One-Hundred And Twenty Years. Only a few Aestari remain alive and the world is thrown into chaos from the destruction the Aestari brought.
Present Day
"I thought they'd kill you this time for sure.." Nale said as his was voice shaking, his hands trembling as he sat upon a rugged bed, chained to a wall with little to no support.
"Takes a little more than a beating to kill me." Senshi tried to smile, but the split in his lip made him wince. In the dim light, he caught the reflection of his glowing pink eyes in a puddle on the floor as he looked down from the pain. He sat up against a pile of books, most of them using the metal bars as a cushion. His old and raggedy white t-shirt was ripped and torn, blood seeping through the open tears. He had just gone through a beating, done bi-weekly to Aestari that reside at the prison. The room around them was surrounded by cracked stone walls, A room just barely lit by one torch with the smell of dirt and coal. In the hallway next to the cell. A tall man with long black hair and a black kimono stood outside of the cell, the right side of his body just barely being visible from the angle of the boys.
"Your eyes, they weren't glowing before now.." Senshi said, nervously. As an Aestari, having glowing eyes was normal; it was a way to identify the difference between a normal human and their clan. Senshi slowly got up, the iron chains sunk into his hands as he pushed his body off the ground.. He limped and trembled, each step sending a sharp pain through his feet. Eventually, he made it to his younger brother. He slowly sat on his bed next to him, bringing him in closer.
"They don't start hurting you until your eyes begin to glow." Senshi said, his voice beginning to shake.
"Does this mean they're going to beat me too?" Nale exclaimed as his eyes began to water, gripping his fingers onto Senshi's torn shirt with no intention of letting him go.
"I won't let them hurt you, Nale. I'll get us out of here, no matter who I have to kill.".
"Test Subject: A88, you have been summoned by the warden." Said a deep voice beyond the cell. Three different guards appeared at the cell's entrance, one of them holding a folded scroll in their hands.
"F-For what?" Senshi said quietly, tears still running down his cheek without end. Without answer, the guards walked into the room and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from his brother. Nale began to scream and cry, trying to grab his brother. Nale's ten year old fingers were not strong enough, the blood from Senshi's wounds making a streak onto Senshi's pants as he pulled. A katana was quickly placed upon Nale's neck, the tip of the blade seeping blood from the side.
"Get that thing away from him!" Senshi yelled. Senshi attempted to kick the guard behind him, but his body didn't let him. He was barely able to lift his leg before he felt a sharp pain throughout his entire body. He'd just been beaten so badly to the point of his bones being barely usable, him being a Aestari will allow him to regenerate them rather easily; but over the course of several days.
The guards pulled Senshi into the hallway, pushing him onto the path towards the warden's office. A bag was placed over his head before he began his walk, the guards leading him with their push direction.
Eventually, Senshi no longer felt the aggressive pushes of the guards. He immediately smelt a fine scent and cleaner air. The bag on his head was pulled off quickly, the light irritating his eyes.
Senshi rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the light, but eventually was able to clear them fully. The room's quality hit him like a punch. After months of a dirty underground prison, he'd finally experienced normal furniture. It had drawers, a typewriter, a window, a sofa, rugs, paintings, and more. A window was placed behind her desk, overlooking a large gladiator arena-esque room. It was massive, pretty much sizing up the entire prison.
She had many bookshelves, Senshi's powerful perception scanning the letters immediately. He's still relatively new to his Aestari abilities, so tasks like these aren't easy. The chair was nice and clean, like it had been cleaned hundreds of times a day. The warden was a black female, she had long curly red hair and yellow eyes along with a bandage placed over her forehead. She had a white cloak over a black turtleneck shirt and a rifle wrapped around her chair with a strap.
"Sit" She said, Senshi slowly pulled the chair back and sat down, still admiring the beautiful room. "And make sure to not bleed on my furniture."
"What do you want from me?" Senshi said, nervous and angry at the people who put him here and tortured his family. He balled his fist and kept them under the table, keeping it as hidden as he could.
"Your eyes glow like lanterns, they're very pretty.."
She sat in silence, awaiting a response. Senshi looked at her with a straight face, barely able to keep himself awake from what he had to endure today.
"That was a compliment y'know. I understand if you're self deprecating but okay!" She said, smiling.
"Just tell me what I've been summoned for." Senshi said anxiously and quietly. Senshi's voice was harsh, barely masking his anger.
"Okay well no fun talk I guess. I have an offer–freedom, for a price."
Senshi's eyes lit up with excitement as she said this, immediately looking up from his eyes being closed.