57 Morpheus Somnus(4)-The Life of Corey Eros

"She is the normal one, kid. The one who is abnormal is you who can keep his calm despite being in such a dangerous situation," a voice of a tired man came right in front of me.

Everything turned silent for a few moments, I was shocked. To not take the possibility of someone being around us, into my account, I was pretty stupid, wasn't I?. In those moments my brain was in dire confusion, I didn't know what would happen next. In fact, for some reason, I believed that I was going to die at any moment.

"What do you...gulp...want from us?" I asked in a low timid voice. I knew I wouldn't win. Why? Cause I could feel a sharp object slightly pressed against my neck. I waited a few more moments and then the guy removed the blade from my neck.

We didn't speak anything after that. Neither the kidnappers spoke nor did I. As for the girl, she was most probably unconscious. The journey was a few days long, maybe a week, we were fed one time a day and given some gulps of water at times, other than that we were sitting there blindfolded and our hands tied. After trying to break the rope a few times, I realised that I couldn't use my magic for some reason. That was another reason for my change in demeanour from enthusiastic to complete silent. As time passed slight despair also started appearing on my face.

Roughly one week later we arrived somewhere. We were asked or may be forced to walk for hours after that. Other than some sudden bursts of shouts and cries the girl was mostly silent, maybe because of fear or maybe she was unconscious most of the time I didn't hear her voice more than 2 or 3 times. Soon we reached the location where the kidnappers were taking us.

Our blindfolds were opened up and a sudden burst of colours pierced our eyes. A wide bluish hall with 1 entrance and a few machines lying here and there was the first thing that came to my vision. Looking around I saw 40 or 50 children within the age range of 8 to 12 and 5 adults who looked more or less like hooligans. With dirty grins on their faces, they were observing us as if we were some objects.

"From today onwards, this place will be your life and death bed. It will be where you will eat, drink and shit. End of lecture,"

One of them spoke with a grin on his face as if he was enjoying the process. The kids were scared shitless of the sudden announcement but not a single child cried. Why? Cause they were being hit unconscious before they could even utter a word. Turning around only 6 children were standing now. These children had a determined look on their faces with furiousness in their eyes. I had a slightly complicated face. My thoughts at that moment were looking for an escape path but before I could even formulate a plan one of them smiled at me as if he saw through everything that I was going to plan. My heartbeat increased and my body turned numb slightly before I lost consciousness.

I don't know how much time had passed before I woke up only to find the other children working at those machines. The adults were gone by now. Looking around a few more children, 3 to be exact, were still unconscious.

"Wake up and join us,"

Snapping me out of my thoughts one of them spoke as she looked at me with tired eyes. I looked back with slight confusion. My eyes were searching for more answers.

"If you don't work, you won't get anything to eat or drink and if you don't complete a set amount of work within a week, then they will beat you in front of everyone to set it as an example for everyone."

She continued to clear my queries. Her black eyes and orange hair gave off a strange vibe from her. Her eyes looked dead with a thin body that looked extremely exhausted. She was one of the children who were standing till the end.

"What happened? What did those guys-" before I could ask any more questions she turned back to her work as if her task of explaining things to me was done. Looking at her, as if she has accepted her fate she looked lifeless barely surviving on her instincts. Honestly, my worries only got worse.

I turned around to see that the other children were even worse. Barely able to complete their work they were still trying their best. Some of them had tears in their eyes but none of them was crying. I got and took another good look around the hall. The halls were covered with vines all around. From the looks like it was some kind of ruin. I then look at the only gate which could be used for our escape,

"Don't bother, it won't work. Even if we break the gate some of those adults will always be there. They are all gold rank adventurers turned rouges. Their leader is a platinum rank. Plus the one who is running this business is a Supreme Devil,"

A boy waking up beside me spoke with a slight smile on his face as he looked at the gate. His eyes were telling me that I should accept this fate of mine. That it's hopeless to have any thoughts of escaping from here. I observed him. Red hair with orange eyes, another odd one with a strange vibe. I looked at him for a few moments, turning at me he spoke again,

"Let's get to work, you don't want to end up becoming the first person to be beaten in front of everyone next week, would you?"

He joked as he started walking towards the machine. I observed him from behind before sighing and walking behind him. I won't give up, not at least without even trying, my eyes were more determined than before. I reached one of the machines and started working. It looked like we had to draw basic mana circles using demonic energy from a certain red stone.

A few days passed by.

Things started to go for the worse. The food we were given wasn't enough at all. Lack of proper food made us tired and that resulted in lesser efficiency, and that ended up resulting in no food for many children. The cycle was breaking even the best of us. If someone cried they were taken outside the gate for a few hours before bringing them back covered in bruises and blood all over their body.

It was a horrifying sight that always chilled our bones. The children who came back had lost any energy to shout or speak. They were like rags or dolls doing work without any expression. The one who hadn't been beaten yet hadn't dared to cry because of fear covering all over the body. Even I was losing the light in my eyes.

This was getting nowhere, lack of food made things harder not only to work but also think. The despair filled atmosphere was taking over my mind. I was losing my sanity with every passing moment.

After the 6th day, the adults came again this time with a few weapons in their hands,

"We have a few new friends coming, smile for them will ya," one of them grinned as he spoke. Licking his weapons with his tongue he observed all of us. Then he moved his hand and took a piece of paper from behind his back,

"Leila, Dylan, ....." he called out a few names. The others were slightly confused and mostly scared at this call out. Especially the kids whose names were called out. Nobody moved forward.

"Those kids whose names have been called out, if you don't move forward and reach beside me, on the count of 3..." he looked around as his grin deepened,"....I will kill you in the most brutal way possible."

Some of the kids started moving forward slowly,

"One..." he started counting.

Others started moving too or maybe all of them started running to cross the line.

"Three."

He smiled as he skipped a number. Almost all of the kids had reached. Yeah, almost...because one of the boys fell in the commotion and couldn't reach beside him. That basta*d smiled as he looked at the kid as if he was looking at a plaything of his.

He then moved forward to reach him. The boy had a horrified expression, he even tried to join the others who reached there but was interrupted as that basta*d came in between them. He moved his blade and hit his legs and dragged him in front of everyone.

"So we have someone to start now, ladies and gentlemen let me show you what happens when someone goes against us or something like that," scratching his cheek that guy spoke as he looked at that kid. Then he took out his blade from his legs and then put it back there again this time slightly up. The child was shouting and crying but no one moved forward to help him. Everyone was horrified by the situation that was happening in front of them.

The other adults were laughing at this. Even though I had despair in my eyes my blood was boiling, mana was slightly taking over my body and then...

"Now let me show you real pain," that bastard spoke as he bought a girl in front of that boy.

"SISTERRRR!!!! YOU BASTARD!!! I WILL KILL YOU!!!" the boy shouted forgetting all the pain he had, with his eyes turning red in anger.

My eyes shook, my body turned numb at the thing that was about to happen...maybe it was too much for my brain to handle...or maybe it was the frustration that took over me...that I finally lost control...and ran towards them.

I wasn't the only one though...the orange haired girl and the red haired girl was too running towards them. But two of the other men came in front of us. Not caring at all...I channelled my mana.

"[Dark Magic: Death Parade]" I instinctively spoke as my mana exploded and I punched that man in front of me. He was pushed away at a high speed and was hit in an instant. Then I moved towards the kid and his sister.

The man who was pushed back stood once again. He didn't look like he was really hurt, he was slightly irritated though.

"To think someone would get enlightenment at that age," spoke that man with a slightly unamused expression before channelling mana into his sword. The others were pointing their weapons at me too.

Yeah...I guess that is how I got my first enlightenment. Enlightenment in Dark Magic. Any sad emotions along with an angered emotion plus knowledge of dark magic are the first condition to get enlightenment in this magic. The other condition is despair. The second reason is the reason it's illegal to get enlightenment in Dark Magic in the Sol Kingdom.

"Obviously he will get enlightenment at that age. Who do you think he is? He is my brother after all," a kid spoke standing at the entrance smiling at me before turning expressionless....no he was angry...he was too much angry. At that time I was shocked for some reason, but now that I think about it, I should have been scared for other reasons or may be relieved that he was there.

A fat kid...someone whose belly was getting out of his body. I wonder how did he get this much fat. Well, at least he was there...

To save us from this hell and despair, my brother Light Eros had finally arrived.