Chapter 12: Rebellion

*1 year later*

[Level 9]

[Rank: Novice]

[Role: Assistant Hero]

[Status: Normal]

[Abilities: Water breathing, Night vision, Poison resistance, Chant-less cast, Eye of Ra, Eye of Horus.]

[Quest: Get in contact with the hero.]

Perseus POV

The planned rebellion itself is taking place today, maybe in about 7 hours, it's currently about 3 am in the morning and I can tell that the scene is tense, there were many pretending to be asleep, and some were ignorant about the situation, but I have no doubt about them not joining in when the time comes.

Among the kids, only I knew of this, as for the teens, about half, but it's easily estimated that they'll all take up arms compared to the estimated 3/4 of the adults and elderly.

Harold told me to use my smarts to escape when the time comes, but I'll get to a safe spot nearby and see what'll happen, if it's hopeless, I'll run, if not, I'm joining in.

The empire guards seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting us even more than usual during their so-called procedures, their blows raining down upon us with merciless force each and every time.

Apparently having some of us injured for times like these isn't uncommon, they want us injured so that we can't raise our hands against any important figure.

Whipped, hit, and tossed around like rag dolls, we were little more than playthings to be discarded at their whim.

Even something as simple as a meal became a source of torment, as hot food was often spilled on us in their haste, scalding our skin and leaving painful burns. On more than one occasion, I found myself with a bowl in hand, only to have it knocked away by the guards, and the contents spilled onto the ground before me.

Food portions were getting smaller and more watery by the day, they wanted us to have barely any energy today, a couple people managed to trade and smuggle in some hard bread to fill us up using the salves and lotions made from glimmerite.

But there's still not enough, I saw a good number already went into comas, and well...you can guess what'll happen when people don't have enough food to nourish themselves.

At least the burial was somewhat proper, they don't want any smell or dirty remains today to affect the trip.

Looking back on everything...As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, the hellish existence we endured only seemed to worsen.

Each day brought with it a fresh onslaught of torment and suffering, as we were subjected to the cruel whims of our captors with increasing frequency and intensity. Children no longer resisted, which helps save our glimmerite products a bit.

And yet, amidst the chaos and despair that surrounded us, I found myself feeling strangely numb as if I had become immune to the pain and suffering that had become a constant companion.

It's been only a year, it was a strange sensation, to become accustomed to such a hellish existence in such a short span of time. 

In a strange and twisted way, it had become my new normal, a twisted parody of the life I had once known. As I went about my daily tasks, I found myself sinking deeper and deeper into the routine, the horrors of our reality fading into the background as I focused on any task at hand.

It was a sobering realization, to recognize just how quickly one could become accustomed to even the most unimaginable of circumstances. And yet, as I looked around at my fellow prisoners, I realized that I was not alone in my resignation.

We had all become slaves to the routine, prisoners of our own complacency.

But for me, at least for this life...I guess it probably started at the lab.

It was during my time in the lab that I first began to see the signs of the darkness that lurked beneath the surface of our seemingly idyllic existence. I watched as children too smart or too talented were whisked away, never to return.

I knew then that something was terribly wrong, and where they possibly were. But what could I do?

I was just a powerless bystander, forced to watch as those around me were taken away one by one, their futures stolen from them in the name of some twisted experiment or agenda.

The aura of death has not escaped me even in this life.

For other children...I guess...It was a bitter pill to swallow, to realize that even as a child, they had been complicit in their own oppression. But what choice did they have?

In a world where power and authority reigned supreme, resistance felt futile.

*****

When the time arrived, I hid nearby to watch the duchess and her group and entourage walk by. It was during then that I caught wind of a conversation between the duchess and her entourage due to my good hearing senses.

They were talking about different ideas for gifts and such, glimmerites and other precious materials, to be bestowed upon a foreign noble in celebration of her son's successful engagement.

The son in question was following her and he appeared to be no more than fifteen years old, a fact that struck me as both disturbing and unsettling by what she mentioned next.

She casually mentioned her son's request for slaves to be used as target practice, a request that was met with little more than a nod of approval from those around her.

I watched helplessly as the guards dragged their unwilling victims away, their cries for mercy falling on deaf ears. The kid himself then requested something to which the duchess nodded.

He then took up a whip and lashed at the people.

"Hey! You're mine now!" he shouted, "Behave! Why don't you behave?! You're dogs!"

"Good, you need to show authority." the duchess complimented, "If you show authority, even your enemies will respect you."

Man, these people are sickos, hopefully, they won't live past the rebellion.