1 Prayer of the Weak

A barrage of punches and kicks peppered my body, leaving me bruised, bloody, and utterly hopeless as my "friends" stood to the side and laughed. I endured the brutal beatings day after day and, frankly, I was getting tired of it. I was getting tired of living. My family had abused and shunned me ever since they adopted me, and I was constantly bullied at the Academy all because I was a commoner.

The boy currently caving my chest in is named Adam Rullick, a blond haired and blue eyed boy with more than a few issues. He always thought of himself as the strongest student and demanded respect from everyone, even the teachers. He was the epidemy of a stuck up rich boy, coddled by his father.

Adam stopped beating me and grabbed me by my hair and lifted me up as he asked "Have you learned your lesson yet, peasant? If not, then I can always make use of my families power..." Adam conjured a bright orange flame in his open palm and narrowed it down to a needle-like shape with a sinister smile on his face.

"Hey, I heard that Sylia Seris is going to the party tonight! Adam, let's hurry so we can try and get to her first!" One of the boys yelled with a disgusting grin. Adam smirked and dropped me before turning around and saying "Alright, I'm coming. I wouldn't want to miss out on this opportunity anyways!" with a laugh.

Suddenly, he stopped and turned his gaze back to me and said "Tomorrow. Meet me here again, I still have some steam to blow off. Oh, and don't worry, I've already informed your parents that we would be "sparring" again tomorrow. So, don't even try to run..." Adam turned back to the others and began to walk off in the direction of the earlier mentioned party.

I clenched my fists in frustration as tears of anger began to pour from my eyes. I pounded my hands against the cold stone in the alleyway and yelled out in an attempt to get rid of the anger and hate gripping my heart, squeezing it like a vice.

My family was nothing special. We were poor farmers who ended up bankrupt after the prices of wheat and vegetables plummeted, and I was the only one left alive because my parents forced me to take their measly shares of food, so that I may live. I was then sold to the slave market and later bought by a rich Noble named William Navus.

My life only got worse from there. I was subjected to cruel experiments, tortured, beat daily, and fed just enough to keep me clinging to life. To make matters even worse than what they already were, I was found out to be a talentless boy who's only skill was growing crops. I couldn't swing a sword for my life, and I sucked ass at most school subjects and, hell I was probably the only person in the world without a supernatural power as well. Even if I wanted to tell my "parents" what's happening, it wouldn't matter.

They'd probably beat me even worse, just to prove some kind of sick point...

I shakily stood to my feet and thought about fleeing, but I would be tracked down like a dog and put down like the animal they saw me as. I then thought about just killing myself, y'know to end everything right here right now. However, I knew that, if I did, I would've wasted my parents efforts at keeping me alive.

I clenched my jaw to keep myself calm and took deep breaths before looking at the Navus' large mansion peeking out from atop the mountains. They were a secluded bunch, never mush liked politics nor people, so that's why they holed themselves up in the mountains and only sent their heirs down to the city to go to the Academy.

I clicked my tongue and spit out a glob of blood onto the stone below. Just thinking about that damned family left a bitter taste in my mouth. I felt my wallet in my waist band and sighed in relief. Although I had little money, it was all that I had to my name. My mood immediately turned sour, however, as I realized that it was getting late and I had to get back to the mansion before it turned dark.

You have no idea how much I just wanted to leave. To end it all. But I couldn't, not yet at least. I still needed to honor my promise to my mother, and to honor my promise with my father. I had a whole life to live, and I'll be damned if I let the Navus' take it from me. I'll show them what happens when you treat lives as nothing more than playthings for your entertainment.

I stepped out into the bustling streets of Azmarin, one of the biggest trading cities on the continent of Vislax, the Human continent. The tall buildings, large seaports, and a constant flow of tourist were only a few things here in Azmarin. Here, you could see Adventures wandering around with their gear getting ready for a Dungeon exploration, and you could also see many people going in and out of the Adventures Guild with happy or downtrodden expressions.

I didn't know too much about Adventures or Dungeons, but I did know how dangerous a job it was being an Adventurer. Many people never made it to the top ranks because of the difficult missions they were subjected to, cutting their lives short most of the time. I wandered through the streets and watched as people bartered for goods, ate at local restaurants, or just glared me down because I looked poor, which I was.

I finally made it to the front gates and turned off into the woods before following the trail leading up to the Navus' mansion. The trail was overran by fallen trees, branches, weeds, and all kinds of vegetation one could imagine. The sun's gentle rays pierced through the canopy and created a sort of mystical atmosphere as I slowly ascended the mountains.

The weather soon turned worse as the snow began to pile up and the previous warmth from the sun began to fade away. I found myself shivering and rubbing my hands against my arms as I wished I would've brought a jacket or something since I knew I would be coming back. Cursing my bad judgement, I continued to walk through the beaten trail until the sky had turned dark and the torches from the mansion were getting closer and closer.

The fierce winds whipped my hair back and forth and froze my limbs solid, however, I was more afraid of what I would have to endure tonight than I was of frostbite. I had finally made it into the mansion and took my shoes off carefully before silently sneaking out toward the living room. It looked like no one was home, or they were all asleep.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned around only to be greeted by a large hand grabbing my mouth and lifting me off of the floor. I stared into William Navus' cold black eyes and watched as his long blond hair swayed around his body like it had a mind of its own. "What took you so long? Don't tell me you were thinking about running away, dear son..."

I swallowed audibly and tried to shake my head in denial, but his grip only got tighter. I began to hear voices in my head telling me to kill William, telling me to run away, but I couldn't. I was too weak to do anything. William turned around with me in hand and waved his hand. A white portal-like door opened and he walked through.

The scenery changed from the living room to the dungeon in an instant. William opened a cell door and tossed me in before closing the door and saying "You will stay in here until you learn your lesson. You will never rid yourself of this fate if you continue being so pathetic. I though you wanted to get stronger and live your life for you parents. Turns out that was a lie, eh?"

I clenched my fists and turned my gaze up to his and said "Don't mention my family, you bastard!" through clenched teeth. William let out a vile laugh before saying "Grown some balls, have you? Well, let us see if this new courage of yours will last the winter..." He then walked back toward the cell door, unlocked it, and drew a familiar looking, drill-like tool and a pair of shears from his pockets.

(A/N: I got goosebumps just thinking about this scene when writing it *~*)

I gulped and felt my body turning cold and clammy, but I stood my ground. I refused to let him get any kind of sick enjoyment from torturing me anymore. I felt my body get propelled backwards before slamming against the wall. Iron shackles manifested from the void itself and locked themselves around my ankles and wrists, holding me in place while William strode toward me with a sadistic grin.

"And one..." A sharp pain invaded my body as blood spurted from where my right thumb used to be. I watched as my thumb fell to the floor with a sickening thud. I had to force back my scream as tears began to blind my vision. I refused to give in. "And two..." There went my index finger. Tears began to roll down my face as I held my screams and sobs back.

"Aww. You're no fun. You won't scream tonight, will you? Oh well, let's see how long you'll keep this act up for!" I felt a sharp object pierce my stomach and into one of my kidneys. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I looked William in the eyes and said "I'll kill you motherfucker! I'll kill you all, just wait!! I'll come back with power beyond your comprehension...and then I'll show you what it's like to be tortured!!"

William began to laugh loudly with one hand covering his face. Suddenly, he stopped and glared at me through his fingers and said "I'll make you regret growing a pair boy. I'll see you in hell soon enough..." The methods he used to torture me began to get worse and worse as he tried the whittle my will away bit by bit.

I hung from my shackles in a bloody mess with lifeless eyes. It had been days, weeks, hell maybe even months of non-stop torture, but I stayed strong. I didn't let that vile man get his sick enjoyment. "Hey, wake the fuck up!" A heavy slap jolted me from my thoughts as I weakly turned my head up to see William's son, William II, holding a tray full of rotted food in his hands with a bored look on his face.

"You need to eat, or else father will get pissed when you die of starvation..." I stared at him without responding. He eventually clicked his tongue and balled his fist before slamming it into my gut. I coughed up blood and William took that opportunity to shove a spoonful of rotted meat into my mouth. I spit it out and curbed the urge to actually eat the damned thing, even though it felt like my stomach was being eaten from the inside.

William shrugged his shoulders before placing the tray down on the floor and walking out of the cell. I heard the sound of the lock clicking into place and the sounds of footsteps echoing around the room. I sighed in relief and let a small smile make its way onto my face as I thought about finally being free from this hell.

I could finally see my parents again...

I felt my body grow weaker and my vison blurred until it turned completely black. A calming sensation rolled over my body as I realized I could move freely once more. Then, I felt myself slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness, with a single, pleasant voice reaching out to me.

"Do you wish to live, young one? If so, then take my hand...I can grant you the deepest, darkest desires that you have, if only you take...my...hand..."