Chains are Meant to be Broken

The sounds of cries, and chains clinking come from all around me. They echo from every corner around me.

'My body hurts. Something is tied around my head, to gag me. Somebody must not want me to speak. Where am I?'

When I open my eyes I see concrete walls and metal bars.

'I must be trapped in some kind of prison. I see many other cages with other people trapped in them. '

'...they're not just people, they're kids. They have animal ears...demi-humans perhaps? it's hard to move, my hands and feet are tied together.'

'Somethings wrong here. My feet aren't human, I have paws. I can't see my hands because they're tied behind my back but my nails are definitely longer than usual.'

'What the hell is happening? I can't wrap my head around what is going on.'

I take a heavy breath.

'Stay rational. Getting worked up does me no favors.'

I sit up and look around my cell. Nobody is in the cell with me. In the other cell in front of me I see a kid curled up into a ball. Even through all the other cries I'm hearing i can very faintly hear him sobbing.

'I should still be able to use my magick. Now let's get these damned chains off me.'

I take a deep breath.

"Break bind."

The chains wrapped around me shatter into pieces and I stand up.

'I'm small...very small. Am I also a kid? What the hell is happening to me?'

I shake my head, no point in thinking too hard on it. I just want to get out of here.

"Y-You're a magick user?"

I see the boy who used to be curled into a ball, holding onto his cage bars and looking at me with a newfound hope.

I nod. "Yeah...where are we anyways?"

He gets a nervous look on his face.

"I-I don't know..."

I sigh, I should've known better.

I walk up to the bars and peek my head outside of them, looking down a massive hall with many other cages and a door at the end. I look down the other way and see a dead end 3 cages down.

'Traffickers. Should've guessed that earlier.'

I pull my head out from the bars and look at the boy across from me.

"I'll help you all get out of here, just make sure to be quiet. Don't want to alert whoever has us here."

The little boy looks slightly relieved and nods. "Thank you, but are you sure? If we get caught they might kill us."

"Don't worry about that, nobody will get hurt except whoever brought you all here."

He looks slightly confused by what I said but plays along.

I look at the bars in front of me. Rusted and batterned. Many must have desperately tried to escape.

"Searing aura blade."

My arm is coated with an oranger and magical aura in the shape of blade.

I take four swings at the bars, and my arm glides right through them. Cutting and melting through them, creating an easy exit.

As the bars clang to the ground I hear a man burst through the door at the far end of the hall.

At first, I'm shocked at the way I can hear the door open with such ease but quickly move past my initial shock and charge the man.

He's holding a short sword and rushes at me with the blades tip aiming directly for my chest.

I easily lean out of the way of the blade and plung my hand into his chest instead, hitting the heart and killing him almost instantly.

The children in the cages stop crying and look at the dead body of the trafficker.

I run to the other end of the hall, away from the exit and start cutting open all the cages and freeing the children, and cutting off their chains.

When I'm finished I start to lead them out of here. Asking them beforehand if they knew a way out. None of them knew the way out when I asked them so I had to guide my way out.

As I snuck through the traffickers Hideout I found that it was oddly silent.

"They must be waiting for us at the exit then or they've laid a trap somewhere. Be careful everyone."

I come across what looks like an exit and see many places that people could hide, right next to the doorway.

"Not very sneaky. Come out, I know you're there."

Laughter echoes around us. As several men begin to emerge I soon realize that they've most definitely got no idea what they're doing.

They're in shabby gear and have very lackluster weapons. Either they have a boss that hogs all the earnings or they're just grunts and the real threat is elsewere, I know without a doubt that they pose no match for me.

I quickly slice through them all, not giving much a second thought for what they have to say, nor have the patience to sit around.

I guide the slightly terrified children beyond the door and see trees. Many trees.

'A hideout in the middle of a forest...It's not the worst idea ever, but it's not very secretive...such an obvious hiding spot. Secluded, covered with foliage, and hard to maneuver around. it's so obvious'

*Sigh*

'Villains need to get more creative.'

I hear a twig *snap* to my left and spot another cre of traffickers. These ones however, are geared to the teeth.

"You guys the heads of the operation?"

One of them, the most geared of them all, smiles.

"Yep! That's us kiddo! Staging a rebellion are ya?"

He seems very satisfied with himself. 'I hate cocky assholes that can't back their words up."

"Yeah, anyways how many more of these human trafficking rings are there?"

He seems taken aback by what I said.

"Listen kid, I know you've started a nice little rebellion but do you really think you'll be able to get out of here and take down the others?"

He gives a hearty laugh and his buddies join in.

*sigh*

"Since you already think I'm not going to make it out of here why don't you tell me anyways. It's not like I'll make it out of here anyways right?"

'Best thing to do is play into their superiority complex, the moe they feel in power the more cocky they get.'

I start to fake tremble, to make myself look more vulnerable.

"L-Look I get y-you think you're strong and all but we can escap and t-tell the authorities! So j-just tell me and I m-might spare you!"

He keels over and starts laughing hard, his men do the same. 'It's kind of annoying how they copy him.'

He lets out a big *huff* and then wipes a tear from his eye.

"Aw man, this kid is funny! Well then! Aren't you a brave soul! Alright kid I'll let ya in on a major secret! I'll write down all of the other base locations on a piece of paper just for you!"

He looks back and forth between his men, with a sinister grin on his face, enjoying every bit of this.

'Good, keep laughing. Don't suspect a thing and keep on laughing.'

"But! To get the paper, you have to take it away from me! Understand what that means don't ya kiddo? You'll have to fight for it!"

He starts to laugh again.

"Ey boys, watch them while I get a paper...Oh and don't worry kid! I'll let ya have the paper if you get back in yer cell!"

His minions start to laugh hysterically. 'Wasn't a bad joke but it wasn't THAT good.'

When he gets back with the paper I take action.

"I'll make you all suffer."

"Activate passive, silent cast"

The captain of the crew gets a sour look on his face. "We have a magic user boys, try not to kill him, corpses don't sell well."

I put my hand in front of me, palm faced out. 'Full Barrier'.

A blue barrier flows around me and the other children, protecting us from all angles.

The captain smiles however. "You think you have enough magical prowess to hold us off fer long? Let's see how long ya last kiddo!"

Him and the other men start to to attack the barrier repeatedly.

I hold my hand out once again, palm facing up. 'Summon, the spider serpents fang.'

A slightly grotesque dagger appears in my palm.

"Don't worry about smashing up the barrier, I'm coming out to kill you."

I rush out of the barrier and weave between the men, giving them small cuts.

As I stand behind then, they all start to drop to the floor, screaming in agony. The captain however, is grunting in pain but is holding his own.

"Seems like you are a cut abpve the rest. Good on you, but that won't save you."

As I rush towards him I sense his desperation. He holds his hands, trying to get me to stop.

"Please! Wait!"

I plunge the dagger into his throat, "No".

As I stand there, I hear the other children fall to the ground. Holding eachother and sobbing.

'I don't blame you. Being trapped in that hellhole was probably the worst thing imaginable.'

I crouch down to the ground and close my eyes.

'The things these kids had to go through is terrible. They've been hurt by thede godawful world. May all those who have suffered death from these men rest happily.'

I feel a tap on my shoulder. As I turn to the other children they all look grateful, but scared. They start to say thank you but I stop them.

"We still have to get out of here. Everyone please gather around me."

As they start to gather I crouch back down to the ground and place my palm against the ground.

'Earth, Wind and Life manipulation, create beast Jerilu.'

"Brace yourselves."

The ground beneath us begins to rise and starts to breath and fly. Before to long a giant turtle has been formed.

As we begin to rise I use Air manipulation to fly in front of the turtles face. It looks at me with curiosity. "So it was you who summoned me?"

"Yes, I was the one who summoned you Jerilu, the rock swimmer of earth."

He lets out a small laugh. "No need to use that title. I'm curious child, how do you possess such a powerful aura to summon me instead of my children?"

"That's a trade secret. Sorry but I can't give you the anwser to that question."

'I don't even know the anwser myself. I have the same aura and skills that I used to have but I'm a completely different being

He lets out a huff.

"Very well, it seems you're a far more powerfull being than I am anyways, apologies master. Have you summoned me to serve you as a subordinate or to fulfill a task?"

"To be my subordinate. I need you to take me and these children to any major kingdom. I want to help them get help and I need to talk to someone in power."

He nods, "that won't be that hard of a task. Do you have a specific place you want to go?"

"Does the kingdom Sureilia exist here?"

He takes a second to think. "Not that I know of no."

'So this isn't the same world? Sureilia was known as the most powerful kingdom to exist, there's no way it isn't known. I've heard stories of reincarnation but I never thought I'd go through it myself. Then they're really gone...'

*Sigh*

"Take me to the most influential kingdom you know of."

"Auralion is our destination then. No need to hold tight either children, I'll make it so you won't fall of no matter what!"

I get back onto Jerilu and he takes off at lightning speed.

"If I may, what is your name my lord?"

Jerilu is looking back at me, curiosity almost beaming out of him. 'You're a very old being, how have I gotten you so excited? You never acted this way when I was in my previous body...'

"Call me Seiran."

It laughs but suddenly gets serious.

"Lord Seiran I'd like to warn you that Auralion is very hostile towards outsiders that they deem threatening, and they would deem you threatening. I recommend you get prepared for a fight."

"Alright, thank you for telling me. As thanks..."

I hold my hand above me.

'Creation skill, Aura enhancement orb.'

A bright red and blue orb appears in my palm. I walk to the neck of Jerilu and show it to him. His eyes widen.

"You can create such a thing?"

I nod. "I can. If you eat this it should snchance your current aura by atleast two percent."

I gently roll the orb onto Jerilu's tongue and he immediately eats it. I give him a smile. "I hope you'll continue to support me."

He gives me the best grin he can give as a turtle and we continue on towards our target.

The hostile kingdom called Auralion.