“Everyone dies at some point…”
“We get only one life, and after that, we are subjected to Paradise or Oblivion, according to our deeds.”
“I think I know where you’re going…”
“A comedian to the end. Yes, I am on my way to Oblivion. My bags are packed, and the transportation won’t be late. When my time comes, I will face the music…should it come. If there is a way to extend my existence, maybe even achieve immortality...who knows?”
“No one lives forever.”
“So we are taught. So we believe. So we fear. We are already eternal beings, otherwise there would be no reason for Oblivion and Paradise to exist. Did you ever think of that? Sure, I believe in the Maker, despite how strange that may sound, but I also believe in the Dark One, and let me tell you something about the two of them, concerning our existence. There are no neutral sides, in this life or the next. You will always have to choose. Whether you claim neutrality or not, your actions choose a side. You can’t have it both ways. The already defined ‘good and evil’ are in place. People want to stay gray, stay confused, stay hazy in ignorant bliss, thinking that, at the end, it will save them. That ignorance will save them. But even our own laws frown on ignorance. Break a law in ignorance and you still pay the penalty. Do you understand, now? You have to choose a side, and you have to stick with it with all of your heart and soul. I made my decision long ago, and for my dedication, I will be awarded accordingly. Listen, I know you’re only a child, but even a child must decide at some point, and your time is now. My name is Alexander, and I will be the villain of your story.”
Without another word, Alexander stomped on James’ crushed leg with all of his might, laughing madly as James blacked out from the pain. The Langorans sitting near the spectacle shuddered at how such a small man, could be so scary…
***
James woke up, feeling as if he was weighted down by tons of iron. His head throbbing, he glanced down at his shattered leg which had been splinted and cast. Confused, he tried looking around, not that there was much around him. The brick room looked very much like the Langoran holding cell, except it was significantly smaller, only able to hold about five or so people comfortably. The room was brightly lit, a couple of torches burning on each end. He noticed that he wasn’t bound by chains or anything, but then he realized that the Langorans weren’t worried about him escaping at this point. James didn’t bother trying to stand up. He knew he couldn’t, his leg was still dead to what his brain told it to do. He sighed and kept only one eye open to scan the room. Both opened at seeing a Langoran, sitting chained at the wall across from him. The small tuffle of red hair that seemed to crack out of his temple let James know that it was the Langoran that had cried out for him earlier. Why would he do something like that?
“Hey,” James croaked, his throat parched and itchy. He coughed in reaction as the Langoran glanced up with solemn eyes. He wasn’t happy to be there.
“Hi yourself.”
“What are you doing here?”
“You should know.”
“Yeah, I think so, but, that’s what I want to know. Why did you yell for him to put me down?”
“I can’t stand murder. Taking someone’s life is wrong.”
“Your brothers don’t seem to think that way.”
“For your information, most Langorans aren’t like the brutes you saw. We’re generally quite peaceful. All we want is for someone to leave our Kingdom alone, let us live the way we want to live.”
“How’s that?”
“Why am I even talking to you? You’re the enemy!”
James laughed and then winced at the pain shooting up his inner thigh.
“Your chains say otherwise.”
“Don’t laugh,” the Langoran snapped. “They’ve just lost their minds. Too long they’ve sat down here as prisoners. Not even ‘of war.’ Just unfortunate people that happened to pass by the border of Allay and Prattle. The Sages came and took them captive and sent them to prison, no judge, no trial. Such is the way of a Sage. Such is the way you wish to aspire to.”
“It’s hard to believe a Sage would be that ruthless. I’m sure you’ve got it all wrong.”
“Would someone who’s not ruthless keep people chained up in a cave for longer than we can remember? Whether we’re innocent or not, that’s just cruel.”
The crackling of a torch on the wall paused their conversation.
“Why do you have hair? And how can you talk so good?”
“Talk sogood?It’s talk well, Sage.”
“Talk so well,” James muttered, rolling his eyes.
“It’s because I refused to let the anger consume me, because I knew that if I did, I’d be no different than them. Murderers. They didn’t like it, but I kept talking, even to myself, as much as I could, to make sure I didn’t lose my ability of speech, and I kept my body moving as much as I was able. The rest of them just sat there, staying silent, letting their rage grow along with their inner strength, waiting for the day they could break free and murder their captors. I didn’t want that. I plan on going back to Languor as soon as possible and never cross the border again.”
“Why did you cross the border in the first place?”
“Curiosity, I guess.”
“Oh.”
“And what about you, Sage, what lies did they tell you about us? Why are you here?”
“I was taking a test, of teamwork. I can’t tell you more than that.”
“So they use us as guinea pigs to test your abilities, nice.”
“Have you always felt this way about Allayans?”
“Only since I’ve seen this injustice placed on my people.”
“I’m sure you all had warnings. You wouldn’t be here if you had followed the rules. The Allayan people pretty much keep to themselves. We don’t go off wandering into the forest for fun. We like our solitude.”
“So quick to judge, yet your people deny us salvation.”
James’ mind flashed to images of the green haze above the forest and he remembered Elder’s words of how the other Kingdoms didn’t have Allay’s salvation.
“How can we get to Allay to be saved,” the prisoner spat, “when we’re pounced upon like mice and thrown into a dungeon?”
“There has to be more to it than that. I’ve heard that your people brought the green haze upon themselves.”
“Even if we did, hypothetically speaking, we shouldn’t all be condemned as a people. Shouldn’t those who want to know more be allowed to know?” he asked, trying to fix his collar.
“That’s something I can’t answer.”
“You’re a Sage, aren’t you? You know all about their evil dealings. You can’t answer, or you won’t?”
James turned his head to the side. There was no point talking to him. He was too bitter about what had happened to him and his people. Regardless of what he could answer, it wouldn’t be good enough for the Langoran. James wasn’t sure how to address his questions, but he knew from his heart that the Sages were just and upright. There was no way they would simply deny people the right to go to Paradise…
Naturally, you couldn’t just let anyone into Allay either, regardless of the intentions they expressed. What if someone was trying to sneak their way in for an attack?
The iron door to the small room opened with a screeching creak as a gigantic Langoran came in and unshackled the younger one’s chains. He grunted something in his face and grabbed his left arm roughly. He led him over to James, whom he grabbed with his free arm, and half-carried them both outside the cell. James cringed over the pain he experienced from the harsh movement, noticing that the brute cared little that his leg was broken. They eventually made their way up a couple of flights of stairs to the hallway in which James had fought the Langoran. He realized just how close he was to the entrance, yet at the same time, so far away. There were only three Langorans in the room. The rest were neither seen nor heard.
Alexander stood among them, looking bor
ed out of his mind, but James didn’t let his guard down. He feared Alexander the most. A Langoran he could handle. They reminded him of the bullies back home who talked a lot. Sure they were big, but they were dumb. Alexander wasn’t intimidating at first glance, but he was insane, and that made him scarier. Somehow he knew what was going through your mind before you did, and that perceptiveness scared James to the point that he didn’t want to say a word. Alexander might just kill him on a whim.
“So what’s the morning news, Sage?”
James stayed silent.
“Okay, how’s this? I give you three seconds to tell me something, and something valuable I might add, or I have Keel over there break your leg a different way. We will continue this process for about an hour or so, until your leg is practically mush, and then we’ll begin on your other leg. I think that’s reasonable. Okay? Okay. One….Two…”
“I’M NOT A SAGE!” James cried out desperately, his hiccups making the Langorans wince at the sight of such embarrassment.
“Of course not, you’re a Sage-in-training,” Alexander cooed. James began to tear up at the thought of his legs being taken away completely.
“I’m not a Sage,” he muttered. Alexander’s face fell immediately.
“If you are playing games with me, I will cut you down. I will not kill you, but you will live out the rest of your existence paralyzed. You are not a Sage?”
“No, I’m a new student. My whole team was made up of new students. We were taking a test for the infantry because we all failed the Sage test.”
“What infantry are you talking about?”
Keel grunted sharply at Alexander. Alexander glared at him with a warning, but seemed to receive the message.
“Okay, I believe you. You’re not a Sage, but I must say,” Alexander mused, pacing the room. “This puts me in a bind because the only reason I kept you alive was because I thought you were. What use are you to me now?”
James struggled for an answer. Finding none, he hung his head down and began sobbing. He didn’t care what he looked like. He had never experienced suffering of this magnitude. And he didn’t want it to continue. It wasn’t worth it. His life, living, just wasn’t worth the torture.
“If your whole team is useless, no point in bringing one back…well then, it would appear we won’t be playing the game of hero and villain any longer.”
Alexander made a motion toward Keel who stepped forward only once before the Langoran with hair wiggled out of his captor’s grip. He leaped through the air to tackle Keel, but Keel was not phased, ending his attack with a simple shoulder slam. The Langoran with hair fell down and didn’t get back up as the bigger one kept him subdued. Alexander took in the entire spectacle.
“It is hard to think your cellmate would have risked his life so readily if you didn’t have something to offer, Sage. He has spared your life for a little while longer. I will take the day to think, and tonight, I will find out for sure whether you are a diamond in the rough or not. Take them away.”
James sighed in relief as one of the big Langorans picked him up and took him away from Alexander. At least he had some more time to figure out how he was going to escape. James and the Langoran with hair were thrown back into the small room. Their transporter didn’t even bother to chain either of them up. James winced at the sharp pain that shot up his leg, yet he couldn’t help but remember what his cellmate had done.
“Why did you save me back there? Now you’re going to get it too.”
“Idiot, why didn’t you tell me that you aren’t a Sage?”
“I didn’t see any point. Whether I’m a Sage or not, I’m still from Allay.”
“By you not being a Sage, it all makes sense now…why you didn’t pull out your eidolon earlier. And I’m relieved to learn that you’re just a recruit; it means the Sages haven’t told you anything. You’re not tainted. That’s why I decided to save you. Because you’re innocent.”
“I’m very grateful, but, what if I told you I wanted to be a Sage? Would your opinion of me change?”
“We all aspire to higher things. I don’t blame you for wanting to be a Sage. I’ll blame you when you know the truth, and go against what you know is right.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I still don’t believe what you say about the Sages being so horrible to your people.”
“In the grand scheme of things, your opinion has little to do with the facts.”
James fell to the side, wondering what they could do to get out. He refused to hope for a rescue effort. Arimus did say that no one would come to save them, but were they aware of the situation that was unfolding? It wasn’t so much his life but rather the lives of all Allayans that was on the line. He wasn’t sure just how much damage a couple dozen Langorans could do, but under the orders of such an analytical mind, he was sure they could do a lot. Yet, with his injuries, and being vastly outnumbered, what could he personally do?
Alexander was a lot smarter than he was, so he had probably already figured everything out, but James had to give it a shot. His cellmate was a Langoran, but he obviously wasn’t that strong. First of all, they had to get above ground. At least then, there were places to hide and a lot of space to run, but what could he say that would get him above ground? Alexander had him covered, personality-wise. If he started pretending like he wanted to join Alexander now, he would get suspicious. He would have to get through a little more torture first, then maybe break down. It was the only way…
“Trying to come up with a way out of here?”
“You could say that,” James replied.
“Hmph. If we only had the Langorans to deal with, we would have a good chance. It’s the Prattlian that’s the problem. If we can somehow incapacitate him, the Langorans will be disorganized and we can smart our way out. It will still be hard, but not impossible.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“Tonight, when Alexander addresses you, I’ll make another distraction,” the Langoran continued. “You try to strike him, and his attention will solely be on you. I don’t think he likes insubordination. As he tries to kill you, I’ll try to finish him off. From there, we have to do our best to run out of there while the Langorans are mad that we killed their leader.”
“Are you sure you can do something like that? Take a life?”
“I’ve witnessed many murders…I’ll do my best…unless you think you can do it.”
“I - I really don’t.”
“I guess you really are a recruit. You know, if you plan on being a Sage someday, you will have to kill. Period.”
“And what about you? Don’t you want to be a Langoran elite?”
“I’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
***
The Langoran came the same as before, silently coming to fetch the prisoners, without any of his own thoughts or reason to relay. James and his cellmate silently obeyed, reserving their strength for the battle to come. What they didn’t count on was James being the only one fetched. His cellmate tried to stop him from being taken, but was quickly cast aside. James could do little but accept his fate. There were still only three Langorans with Alexander, just like before, with Keel observing everything his master did.
“I have made my decision,” Alexander declared.
“And what is that?”
“You are going to become a Sage, or you will die trying.”
“What!?” James exclaimed as Alexander nodded his head. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know how an Allayan becomes a Sage. What I do know is that every Allayan has the potential to, even if few reach it. I figure I might as well see what I can do with you. If you manage to release your eidolon, you won’t know how to use it for a while, and I will study you in the meantime. Once I discern you’re becoming too strong, I will kill you. How does that sound? Not so useless after all!”
“And how are you going to make me a Sage?”
“I have a few ideas in mind. My
favorite is the one we’ll implement right now. It’s called, ‘pushing you to the edge.’”
Alexander wasted no time in hitting James in the stomach, laughing as James realized what his ominous plan entailed. Alexander motioned for his lackeys to work on James, making sure they didn’t kill him in the process.
James tried to separate his mind from the pain, but it was all too real. His body refused to go numb this time, each consecutive hit making his flesh more and more sensitive. His wounds burned and his eyes became heavy. Whenever he was about to lose unconscious, Alexander would cease the torture for a moment, and let him rest long enough to regain consciousness. He could hardly think anymore. Not clearly. A jumble of thoughts tore through his mind, but as soon as he tried to focus specifically on something, it was taken away.
He tried in particular to remember Catherine. It couldn’t have been more than a few days ago, yet he felt like he had been away from Allay for years, from Catherine even longer.
He forgot what her smile looked like.
And he grew angry, increasingly so, when he couldn’t remember the pattern of her freckles, the sound of her laugh, and the calming of his soul when she was with him. And in no time at all, James’ mind joined his body in the suffering…
And then he suddenly gave up, dispelling all thoughts of Catherine…he tried to bring her back, but all that came to his mind was the negative. He figured…she had probably forgotten about him already. Too busy concentrating on the Kingdom and the tasks at hand. How much time did he actually take up in her daily thoughts? How important to her was a simple recruit that failed at everything he attempted? What did he matter?
He tried to bring her smiling face back to the forefront of his mind but it was just so difficult. There was only the pain being inflicted on him, verbally and physically, nipping at him like an annoying dog, irritating him, chipping away at the ice that was his resolve. His blood boiled, his vision blurred, and all he felt was rage well up within him. The blows were getting worse, but the verbal abuse was far more damaging. The jeers and the taunts brought him back to his school days, when he was made fun of for the little things, for just being who he was.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 20