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A Story for the Gods

Chapter 1: The Gulag

The country of Runfer is located on Ziffel Hiem, a lesser nation on the expansive continent, constantly under threat of destruction. Despite the ever-present danger, its rich culture and renowned knowledge-seeking schools are the only reasons people still reside there. Both the systems of magic and meditation prevalent throughout the world originated in Runfer thousands of years ago. However, only the elders of the elves, who have survived many millennia, know the creators of these ancient techniques.

The capital of Runfer is Zamera, a city of contrasts and contradictions. Soaring spires pierce the heavens, and age-old cobblestones line the streets, making the city a living testament to the splendor of knowledge and the power of magic. As a bustling metropolis of over 150,000 denizens, Zamera commands respect and awe as a hub of learning and industry. Its friendly yet orderly ambiance reflects the king's wisdom and expertise in ruling over the city.

However, this perfect image of Zamera is only maintained near the king's castle. Travel just seven miles in any direction from the castle gates, and the "wonderful city," as the king puts it, is no better than any of the other thousands of slave-trading and crime-ridden cities around the world. The outer circle of the capital, known simply as "the gulag," is a place no peasant can leave.

The rugged area is filled with convicted felons that the government didn't want to deal with. The streets are too narrow for horse-drawn carriages, making travel from one side of the outer circle to the other take at least a day on foot. This wretched den of scum holds roughly two-thirds of the city's population, yet only those permitted by the king can exit. This allows the king to control and manipulate the gulag as he sees fit.

Some weeks, the limited food deliveries from castle guards cease altogether, forcing the scavengers to dig through the sewers for even a morsel of edible material. After so many decades, territory disputes over repulsive food are common. During desperate weeks, it's not uncommon to see people resorting to cannibalism. For a woman to survive in the gulag is almost unheard of, as she must avoid rape and assault at every corner. Those who do survive are often well-protected by the few wealthy men in the slums.

Helena Doto was one of these women. The daughter of a convicted criminal charged with rape and abuse, she had a grim start. When her father was moved to the "Dead Zone," as the government referred to it, her mother was evicted, and they ended up on the streets. Helena's mother was quickly captured by an infamous gang called "The Night Hawks" and presumed dead.

Helena's father managed to convince a wealthy businessman to take her in, and she lived in a small room on the second floor of a fancy house near the north gate of the outer city. She was expected to act as a woman should but accepted her new life as a blessing compared to the city streets. After working for six years at the rich man's side, she turned eighteen.

Helena was a striking beauty, especially by the standards of the slums. Always dressed in dresses, which was amazing in itself for the area, she stood out amidst the grime and filth. Her jet-black hair flowed down to her waist, contrasting sharply with her pale skin. Her eyes, a piercing ocean blue, held a depth that seemed to speak of untold stories and hidden sorrows. She might have been the most gorgeous woman in all of the capital; some of the gods certainly thought so.

Her beauty, however, was both a blessing and a curse. While it provided her with some protection and favor, it also made her a target. The wealthy businessman who had taken her in saw her as an asset, a prized possession to be displayed and admired. She was expected to entertain his guests, to be the perfect hostess, and to adhere to the strictest standards of decorum. Helena learned quickly to navigate this precarious existence, using her wits and charm to maintain her position and ensure her survival.

Despite her relatively comfortable life compared to the horrors of the gulag, Helena never forgot where she came from. The memories of her mother's disappearance and her father's downfall haunted her, fueling a quiet but fierce determination to rise above her circumstances. She spent her free time learning as much as she could from the businessman's extensive library, absorbing knowledge on a wide range of subjects, from politics to magic to the intricacies of Runfer's complex social hierarchy.

On her eighteenth birthday however, something went terribly wrong for the young lady, her employer and master attempted to rape her.