3 -{Chapter III: The Power To Escape}-

Pain is both an evil and wonderful thing. It can punish those who deserve it, but can also be used to torture others into submission – Dranok, The Only Angel Hunter.

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Winter has passed twice now, each one turning this prison into more of a frozen hell instead of just a torture chamber. It's the transition from summer to fall now, when the heat from the summer is finally being cooled by the upcoming winter, which is still fine by me… And yet in all this time not even once did a chance for escape arrive. I would be turning eighteen in a few months, and I would've probably gotten my first job by now if I wasn't ever sent to this prison.

"So, when do you think they'll come for us…" Ralph ask as we carry on our conversation we have every week or so.

"If you mean them coming to take us to the headsman's block… I have no idea…" I reply back. There was a worried tone in Ralph no days, the one you can't just get rid of, he knew the end was coming and the anticipation seemed to be eating him now.

"But hey, at least we're not alone in this… so even if they decide to kill us, the three of us can go down as family," Greg states as he lays on his cot like usual.

A smile crossed Ralph's face as he sat up against the stone wall he use to lean on, "Yeah, ya know, ya both are like the brothers I've never had, and I'm kind of glad I got put in here. Although it's been hell, I'd never meet the two of you."

"Well, thanks man, and I've never had a brother, so I guess you guys make up for that," I comment in a cheerful tone.

"Alright, we should get to bed now, especially before the watch comes by to put a silence to us," Greg advises.

"Yeah, yeah," Ralph wave his hand lazily before standing up, then immediately plopping down on his cot.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll see you guys in the morning… Goodnight," I state as I lay down on my cot.

"Night," Both of then responded before a quick silence took its position over the empty hall.

Then I closed my eyes, and with a few seconds, I was fast asleep.

"ALEX! Come on wake up already," A deep frustrated voice boomed in my ear.

And as they begin to shake me I reply with, "I'm awake, I'm awake," I sit up and see both Greg and Ralph were in my cell. Ralph was looking out from my cell, and Greg was obviously the one waking me up.

"We might have a shot at getting through the crowd now, but we've gotta go!" Ralph shouts through the noise of the chaos happening in the hall right outside my cell.

"Right, well, Alex we gotta go, we can explain what happened on the way," Greg state before moving towards Ralph.

I stand up and follow after them, the cold stone floor cooling my feet as they touched the surface. I glance over Ralph's shoulder and see the chaotic scene unraveling right outside; prisoners were running down the hall towards the right of my cell. Sounds echoed over the shouting of the prisoners; it was the clashing of blades and the screaming of murder. I shivered at what was happening down the hall.

"Now!" Ralph yelled to us, and we began down the hall; going in the opposite direction from the riot.

We pushed through the depleting crowd, and still, the sound of screaming and blades crashing together surrounded us. And we ran towards it, as if it were unavoidable.

"MORE CURSED!" A soldier yells as we approached a gigantic hole piercing the wall. A gulp ran through my throat as I stared him down, "Come with me!" He yelled towards us and we obviously followed.

He wasn't like the guards of the prison, he was in heavy, dark blue, leather armour with a jagged sun looking symbol in white on his back. He leads us through the gaping hole and out into the courtyard. Then through the twenty foot high stone walls that surrounded the complex. How much power would it have taken to get through this?

"We've got more Cursed here!" The soldier, more like mercenary, yelled to another even more heavily suited mercenary. The other merc's armour had a deep shade of purple and the metal used to make it didn't look like any other material I've ever seen before.

"Good," The merc's voice was feminine and was actually quite high seeing as it was being muffed by the armour, "So, look who we have here, a group of unluck Cursed?" Her tone was cheerful and enthusiastic.

"Ma'am!" Another mercenary, looking exactly like the first, "The guards have push through our left flank, if we don't send more troops I fear this plan won't succeed."

"Right," The purple armoured merc's voice sounded worried for a second before she turned towards us, "Sorry to ask this of you three, and I know if I were you I'd just want to get as far away from here as possible…"

"We can still fight…" Greg interrupts her, "That is if that's what you were trying to ask."

"Yeah, actually that was it, well, we'll need you three at the north side, or the way you just came from, so that I can move some troops to aid the left flank, got it?" She explains.

"Right, I think we got this," Ralph nodded in agreement.

"Good to hear. Private get these men here some weapons!" She shouted to the man that brought us here, and with a simple nod, he left.

Then he arrived moments later and hands the three of us standard issue steel longswords. It was heavier than the last time I had held one, probably from the lack of needed nutrients.

"Wow, Alex… look at your markings…" Ralph sound shocked, and so I raise my arm to my face while also looking down at it.

I had forgotten the kind of shine they produced when I could control the power of darkness. A sharp tear drops surround a solid circular dot in a hexagonal pattern in the center of the back of my hand. A double helix began near the bottom of the marking cupping the first image, then traveling towards my forearm only to fade at the wrist. As if incomplete. And now the entire marking now pulsated a dark purplish-black aura.

– The darkness is finally at our disposal, it has been so long, let us use it, let us not waste this return… – Demoros demonically laughs.

– In do time, but not right at this moment, – I respond, – We still don't even have anything to target. –

– Fine, fine, I guess I can wait, – He grumbles, – But my patients can only last so long. –

– Good, – I cheerfully state, – And since we're going back in there we'll most likely get to use at least some power. –

We were running towards the hole in the prison's wall as I talked to Demoros, so we weren't necessarily that far from it by the time our conversation came to a close. It was a little difficult getting through the rubble and the small crowd of both mercenaries and freed prisoners. And before we, and a unit of mercenaries, knew it, we were in the middle of the prison halls searching for more Cursed that may still be within these walls. And after a few more moments we were in a part of the prison I had never seen before, as if we had walked into a whole nother prison…

"Hey, guys we've got company…" Ralph startlingly pointed down the hall.

"More guards!" A merc shouted over us, then another, "Here too!"

"Ready up men," The purple mercenary stated; her voice made me almost jump out of the circle we had created.

A sound of nothing but swords being unsheathed rung out through the intersection as we ready ourselves for this fight. And once the guards get into range we begin the fight. Blades crash out and screams echo throughout the halls as we begin to cut down the guards. My swing flies over one of the guard's head, then without hesitation his blade is plunged deep into my stomach.

"ALEX!" Ralph screamed.

– I think it's my turn now? – Demoros demonically chuckles.

– Yeah, you're more suited for this fight, – I reply with a grin on my face.

I let my control go as I feel Demoros take my place inside my own head, "Finally…" A demonic growl huffs out with my breath.

Then I feel a surge of power overwhelm me, and I darken as my silhouette form coats my body in darkness. I grab the guards blade, and begin to pull it free from my body. Blood pours from the wound immediately, and the grin on my face begins to split my face in two. I grumble at the gnawing pain, then begin to laugh.

"Time to start, don't you think?" I hear myself say before my vision darkens and begins to fade, and I know I'm losing consciousness. However, I don't think it's effecting Demoros as he begins to fight the guards.

Then everything goes black, and I slip away from reality… I guess I couldn't handle the pressure.

A cold air brushes against me as I open my eyes to an empty blue sky. I lie still for a moment or two, and the cool breeze doesn't seem to relax me as questions begin in my head. How in the world did I get out of that fight? I sit up and look around at my surroundings, and find only empty rolling hills of green. I take a deep breath, I know these fields…

As I look around I only come to the conclusion; these are the fields outside of Karthridge… my home. My mother used to bring me and Ella out here when we were little, then when we got older we would 'escape' out here when things got stressful. How in the hell did I get here? There's just no way I can already be home… There's just no way…

The wind forced the grass to flow over the hills in waves that resembled the ocean. Even though it was waves of different shades of green instead of shades of blue. I stood up and began to look around me once more. If I'm here then where is everyone else?

– Demoros, where is everyone? – I ask confused in my head, yet he doesn't answer, and silence takes his place. – Demoros, speak to me… Say something… –

Silence pours over me as the seconds begin to feel like hours, and the minutes feel like days, "This isn't funny anymore." I growl, yet no answer, "Where have you gone…?" I question before I sit down on the dry grass.

Was it all just a hox; a dream? Could it have been all a dream…?Ralph, Greg, the prison, my power? Did I really make it all up? All those years with Demoros in my head, was I just delusional? Did I make him up to?

"You know it's hurtful to say things like that…" An oddly familiar, demonic, growl emanated from behind me.

I whip my head around to see the creature behind me. However, not to my liking, a ten-foot-tall Demon stood there, in a slight hunched stance, staring me down. He stood on bent, almost animal-like, legs, and long razor-like claws jolted from his feet, which matched the claws coming off of his hands. His eyes were a shade of magenta outlining a deeper purple surrounding his split pupils. His jagged teeth protruded out from his jawline in a crooked smile, and several twisted horns poke out from the top of his head in different directions. And the paleness of his teeth and his horns seem to completely contrast with his black, charred like, skin. Although his wings look almost, if not completely, identical to my own wings.

A shallow gasp escaped from my lungs, as scrambled to my feet to back away from him. This isn't going to be good, is it…

"What, don't remember me?" He groans, "I guess I haven't ever actually showed you myself in this form…"

"What?" I blurt out, "What do you mean, I've never seen you before in my life?"

"Ha-ha, that's the response I was actually expecting," He laughs in a deep tone. After a moment he began to rub his chin, "Hmm… how should I explain this…?" I raise an eyebrow at him, and he shifts his weight to the left, "Ah, I got it. You know that voice in your head?"

My eyes widen, "Wait, are you're saying that…"

"Yes, I am Demoros," He interrupts me with a slight bow, "Also known as the Unkillable Demon of Darkness… or so I used to be called."

"Wait, you're Demoros?" I repetitively ask.

"I don't know… did I say I was?" He sarcastically states, "Yes, obviously I'm Demoros, who else would I be?"

"Oh, well, you don't gotta rub it in…" I roll my eyes at him, "And next time you do something like this at least inform me before-hand."

"I pretty sure I can't introduce myself a second time with this kind of surprise anyway," He grins at me, and I shake my head while rubbing my eyes.

"Alright, alright, you got me there… Anyway, where the hell are we, and how did we get here?" I begin my questions.

"Right, I guess you do deserve an explanation after all," He nods before explaining, "Well, to start, we are actually still inside that head of yours. So, I guess you could call this your 'happy place', or in other terms your 'limbo'."

"My limbo?" I raise an eyebrow at him while crossing my arms, "What does that mean exactly?"

"Well, you see, nothing that has happened in reality was a dream, right?" Demoros confusingly states, "And not everything in here is part of your dream, like me for instance. I'm definitely too complex for your fragile little mind to create."

"Hey, I'm imaginative… sort of…" I pout.

"Right…" He sarcastically nods his head, "Anyway, the only way out of here is to pretty much wait it out."

"What do you mean 'wait it out'?" I ask confused.

"Well, once this world goes dark you should be able to regain consciousness," He explains, "However, I don't know what'll happen to you when you wake up…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I furrow my brows at him.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Demoros ignores my question, "See you back in reality."

"Wait, you're just going to…? And he's gone…" I grumble before looking back up at the bright blue sky which had strips of orange, red, and purple on the horizon already.

Just a minute ago the sun was at the top of the sky, and now it's almost night? Talk about a fast day… I lay down on the soft grass and watch as the sun slowly crashes into the ground. Then everything begins to go dark, and a cold wind takes over the nice soothing breeze. My eyelids began to grow heavy as I stared into the empty black sky. No stars out tonight…? I ponder before closing my eyes, then I'm already fast asleep.

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First off, a thank you for reading this new chapter.

So, what do you think is going to happen to Alexandrith? What do you think will happen to Ralph and Greg?

Thanks again for reading, and farewell!

Sincerely,

Scoutmetal15x