Capture 2

Coldwater gurgled into Rey's face, which made him flinch. His vision was blurry at first, but he was trying hard to make them adjust to his environment.

Another cold water splashed into his face again, which prompted him to jerk furiously. He tried using his hand to wipe the sediment from the water off his face, but it proved abortive.

Using his eyes to scrutinize his environment, he noticed that he was hanging upside down in a small room. It was painted in white and black with different sketches which were used to decorate the embankment.

Two heavy punches landed on his face and he let out a small but painful growl. In front of him stood two huge men with masks covering their faces. He looked closer into their eyes and saw that they were plain white without any pupils located at the centre of their eyes.

Rey could remember some rumors he always heard about the sand walkers, that they had no sight, but their survival instinct could not be speculated with. They walk together, fight together and do almost everything together.

Rey could guess that it was because they can't see. He felt a horsewhip with a sharp silver knife whack his body and another pain surge across his whole body. That is how he knew that they had taken off his clothes, leaving only his trousers on him.

He scanned his eyes around, trying to locate any weapon he could use or his sword, but he found none.

"Are you looking for this?" One of the men asked in a deep guttural voice. He raised his hand so Rey could be able to have a proper view of the sword.

"Can this day get any worse, he mumbled under his breath?"

"Or are you looking for the bodies of those taken from the abandoned temple?" The second one inquired again.

However, Rey kept mute, his mind automatically searching for a way to circumvent it. But he found none. His mind went back to Ariel and the rest. Though he knew they must be safe, he couldn't phantom the reason why they were not here with him.

Different thoughts ran across his mind. Had they deserted him? Or perhaps, they have run into distress. What if the sand walker has managed to notice them? According to what he heard about the sand walkers, he knew they didn't possess any magic or dark power, they were just high-skilled fighters.

He doesn't even know the reason for their blindness or where they learn how to fight, but they have always warned him that they are dangerous and difficult to conquer.

Approaching footsteps jolted him out of his thoughts, followed by the loud creaking sound of the metallic l door opening. A bright light illuminated the whole room and Rey quickly closed his eyes so he wouldn't get blind by the light.

He concluded that he must have gone unconscious for a long period. The light started to diminish little by little while he also opened his eyes. Now in front of him were 7 more sand walkers, each with a tall, well-built man in front of them whom he presumed to be their leader.

"Bring him down," the leader ordered in a muffled tone. Rey felt himself sailing to the ground, but he quickly twisted his body in mid-air and landed on his back. The pain spread through his spinal cord and he let out another painful groan. He had never been through a lot of torture like this before.

This clandestine man was just a replica of his foster father, Alpha Henry. The only difference is that this man is torturing him while his father is preparing him for the battle ahead. Perhaps, for this moment.

"I will kill you with my bare hand," Rey managed to mumble but loud enough for the man to hear. "I promised you if I ever had any slight opportunity. I will put a knife or arrow in your skull."

"And that is why I am not going to take that risk," the leader illuminated and took two more steps closer to him. He squatted low beside him and removed the mask that was covering his face. Rey opened his mouth in alarm. He couldn't believe what he saw in front of him. He has the same face as that of Coven.

He took that opportunity to examine him very well, and he could see that he had the same features as Coven. Same height, hair, and skin color. The only difference is that the man was well built and older than Coven. He had heard tales of doppelgangers, but he never believed the gibberish until now.

"I am offering you a chance. Join us and we shall set you free." The man offered with a soft expression and friendly manner.

"And why should I join you, blind sand walker?" he spat in his face. "I'd rather serve the devil than be one of your followers."

He could see the man's face changing from a friend's expression to an angry one. Exactly what he wanted. He's going to stimulate the man so he can make a jumbled decision. He was tired of being in an unknown place with a rope binding him. His only prayer now is that the man shouldn't annihilate him immediately out of anger, or else there will be no choice for him than to assemble with them.

Another thought struck his mind: could he join them? He had heard a story about how the sand walker always blinds anyone that they accept to be one of their own, and he couldn't endure living in darkness for the rest of his life.

Another mystery that was giving him a headache was how these people still managed to see him, even though they had no pupils. He felt the horsewhips making contact with his body, which drew blood out of the place.

He endured it and raised his head, only to see the man distributing another whip with an adamantium blade latched to its tail to his proponents. Two others joined the one that whipped him earlier, making 3. Two stood in front of him while the leader and the last one stayed behind him.

"Beat him until death," the leader yells out. Without further delay, the men started whipping him and blood dripped from every location the blade referred to.

Rey screamed out and his voice echoed throughout the whole place. Pain surged through his body until he couldn't cry again. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, but he wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't give them the chance to see him as a weak being. He'd rather endure the beating until they were tired.

"Yes, we can withstand it." He heard a voice answering his thoughts.

"Ray," he called in excitement. "Is that you?"

"I am back, for now, Alpha." The wolf retorted.

"Where have you been since?" He requested in a furious tone.

"The undead sword sent me away," the wolf replied in a melancholy tone. That was how Rey started to connect the dots. The wolf has indeed deserted him ever since he placed his hand on the undead sword.

"You know I was thrust into you by using magic, not a natural one." The wolf cut through his voice. "And the undead sword spirit didn't give me the chance to stay with you. That is why I had to leave, and I can only return after a few hours of it being taken away."

"So, that means you are automatically back now."

"Yes," the wolf answered. "But for now, unless you don't need the sword again." Rey knew this was a hard decision to take. But he couldn't leave the sword now, not when there are still vicious villains out there.

"Let's get out of this first. I am sure Seer Argon will find a solution to this." Rey and his wolf's conversation was disrupted by the sand walker's loud voice.

"I can't believe you are still alive after that hell of a beating." The leader utters skepticism.

"I told you earlier. If I manage to scale through this, I will murder you myself. " Rey replied threateningly.

"And that is why you won't be lucky to escape." The commander elaborated. "Take him to the field." He bellowed to his men.

Without hesitation, the men dragged him up and pushed him roughly to the entrance. Rey glanced back at the leader with a deadly look, and his eyes caught the undead sword, lying down on the ground.

He could still feel the connection he had with the sword, but it was just a vague glow. The sand walker pushed him outside and he took him through another corridor.

After walking about 50 meters, they finally arrived at the so-called Fields. At first, Rey thinks of channeling his wolf's power. He can even feel the wolf's impulse to kill and he could guess that it was because of the way they are treating him. If it was under other circumstances, he would have given in. But now, he couldn't allow that. It would only jeopardise everything because he hadn't accomplished his main objective.

That is finding Ariel and Jack's body. His mind went to Coven and he could remember Seer Argon telling him that his body had been damaged beyond recognition.

"Let the show begin," the leader's voice broke into his thoughts. That is how another word flickered in his mind. Since the sand walker leader is Coven's doppelganger, maybe their body would fit.

The problem now is how to yank away the man's spirit and replace it with Coven's own. The loud cheering of the other sand walkers brings him back to reality. He looks around, and he can see that all the sand walkers have now gathered to watch anything that is about to happen on the arena ground.

Using his eyes to scrutinise them, he could see that they were 20 in number, including their leader.

"As you all know, we have been feeding on dead bodies ever since we were cursed by Britomart for stealing the soul gem." The leader paused to catch his breath, and Rey could see something shining brightly inside the leader's neck. If he wasn't wrong, it was the so-called soul gem. He might not know much about the gem, but he was sure it was something powerful.

For them to steal it and get cursed by Britomart or whatever they called the name and still prefer to stay like this instead of seeking the person's forgiveness. So, it partially means they prefer their carnivorous life. Just that they feed on dead bodies.

"But, a wanderer here was trying to claim the body we just bought today. So, we wanted him to claim it by following the rule. Should we allow him?

"Yes, yes, yes." The coward's roar in approval.

"Very well then, let him begin." He turned his face to Rey and gestured for him to look in front. Rey reluctantly followed his gaze and they landed on Ariel and Jack's bodies.

It was about to be burned by some groups of sand walkers. The distance between them and Rey was about 100 miles, and he knew he had to do something or else his friends would be trapped in the spirit realm and he would probably become a wanderer.

A loud clanging was heard and Rey looked down to see a bow and arrow in front of him. Another sound was heard, and beside the bow landed a sabre and a quiver.

"You have 10 minutes to save them, or else they will be gone for good."

Without hesitation, Rey picked the bow and arrow, strapped the quiver to his back, and made for the body. He couldn't let them burn it.

He felt the responsibility to save his friends. Even though he hasn't seen them since he was captured, he still feels the urge to save them.

Within a few minutes, he was done dressing. He picked up the saber alongside the bow and arrow; then he activated his wolf speed and ran for the body. They had surely made a mistake by giving him a weapon.

To be determined

Do not copy

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