章 1: To Grieve the Clan
The dark room was cold, but not empty. Hanging on one side of the brick walls was a single lamp. Its flickering light barely lighting the room, barely casting the shadows of the empty skeletons of what was left.
Sitting on one corner of the room was a frail boy. He looked like his soul was taken from him. He laid his head on the wall while his arms and legs were sitting on the ground, large iron chains holding his thin arms down.
His skin was fair, although it was riddled with mud, was still porcelain-like. His silver hair was long and straight, but was grunge with dirt and the clear signs of neglect.
The boy watched the lamp, his sunken eyes void of anything. He has lost all emotions after the tragedy that befell upon him. His family was brutally massacred, leaving him alone. When he was caught, he was thrown into the cell with nothing but skeletons surrounding him.
A single movement from him would make the chains on his arms and legs rattle. He lost his need to scratch his face from the flies that landed on him because the chains were too heavy. The boy could only settle on letting insects crawl around his body.
"Two weeks," the boy whispered to himself. "They haven't given me anything. I'm so hungry. So thirsty."
He heard a series of footsteps, causing his heart to hope that they would bring him something. Anything would do just to satisfy his famine. His dull eyes traveled to the front of the cell where the iron bars were coated in thick rust, darkened with blood and time.
"So, this is the boy." A tall plump man spoke. Joseph observed him. He looked like one of the councilmen that served his father, the king of his country. The fat man was huge, with his already large clothes barely holding on together. Whenever he stepped, his clothes would make a squeaking noise, as if the souls of his suit were begging for their lives.
"Nevancier's Prince Joseph the Thirteenth?" the fat man grinned, his face painted with desire and lust. "He looks young. Is he young?"
"No, m'lord." A woman, dressed in a simple suit with a pencil skirt replied. She carried a clipboard that she read before replying to the fat lord. "He is already of age, ripe for your consumption."
"But he looks dirty!" the fat lord growled. "I don't want him unless he looks decent. Whatever will my subjects think of me?"
"Lord Tallbutton, the Golden Souls need to be cleansed so their powers could match that of a human," the woman replied. "Without breaking, they would only cause humans around them to perish due to the dense aura that their body naturally exudes."
"So, he's powerful, huh?" Lord Tallbutton grinned again. "I want him. I'm sure he wouldn't break easily once I start toying with him."
'Toying?'
Joseph asked in his mind. The rest of their conversation blurred after Joseph heard the word. It flooded his mind with the dangers of humans, based on the stories from his mother.
Long ago, the gods created the void, skies, the seas, and the earth. When they saw that it was dark, they provided light through the sun. When the night falls, they gave birth to the moon so it would shed light from the sun. When the earth was barren of life, they gave it fertility.
It was after a few centuries that they created humans, creatures that bear resemblance to them but without their mighty powers. Human possessed all emotions of the gods, making them the perfect being of all.
But when humans started to wage war on each other, the gods were angered. They sent the Golden Souls to stop the humans from killing each other. The Golden Souls were mighty warriors, bearing the image of the gods but wields their powers to stop humanity from extinction.
Centuries later, the Golden Souls maintained peace throughout the world. They didn't rule as gods, but ruled as equals. They created a kingdom, one that does not govern over countries, but guides them into the path of greatness.
But once a Golden Soul strays away from their path and humans catch them, they are subjected to pure unadulterated torture. Humans would break their souls, leaving them on their empty shells, unable to harness their innate powers.
When a Golden Soul is broken, his powers can be tamed. A great power that rivaled of the gods in the hands of humans would create the worst nightmare.
Time passed and the Golden Souls were slowly got outnumbered by humanity. In one single night, the millennia of peace was gone. The royal family of the Golden Souls, that now inhabit Nevancier, was killed. Every single one of their kin was slain, even babes on their mother's arms.
Joseph was hidden under the stairs of the castle. When it was broken, and the chaos died down, he ran out to see everything was destroyed, and everyone of his loved ones were killed, even their heads were decapitated as trophies.
When Joseph was about to escape, another army approached. He was given no chance to fight back, immediately sealed with chains that were imbued with dark magic. He could only pray to the gods for mercy, but even then he was given nothing.
"Hey, kid!" Lord Tallbutton yelled, slamming his closed fist on the bart to get Joseph's attention. "I 'erd you killed six of ma people when they tried to capture 'ya? In total, 'ya killed forty."
He snorted and spat on the ground, his ridiculous face now showing anger. "I lost some good men in there. 'Ya better pay their lives with yer life!"
'When I escape, I will kill you.' Joseph said in his mind, but was too weak to even utter a single word.
"But you have to bid the right price for him," the woman interjected. "There are other lords who want the Golden Child Joseph. You have to pay to claim him."
"What'eva," Lord Tallbutton growled. He slammed his foot on the bars before walking away, leaving the woman alone. "Clint, Jared! Better get ma money from the trunk. I'mma buy this bitch and breed him until he breaks."
Joseph shuddered at the eeriee sounds of the lord's footsteps slowly disappearing. He was already drained, meaning that he was long since broken. If they were going to claim him, he was going to be taken and if he can't fight it.
"What lucky brat." The woman sneered. "Gaining all the lord's attention. You must be lucky being favored by the gods, huh? The initial bid for you is ten million gold. That's already enough to buy a decent town."
Joseph could not speak, not as if he could, but he was stunned. He wanted to ask how the woman thinks he was favored by the gods at his state. He was already weak, hungry, cold, thirsty, and his family was killed along with everyone in his kingdom. He wanted to scream at his face, ask her what part of his fate was favored by the gods.
'I will kill this bitch too."
Joseph looked down and smirked, helplessly realizing everything. Humans didn't have all the emotions. His mother was wrong.
All they have was desire and greed.
If they wanted something, even if they meant harm to others, they would take it. If they wanted power, they kill for it. If they wanted money, they take it. If they wanted something— anything, they would lay waste on an entire kingdom just to take it.
The woman scoffed after seeing Joseph's state. She rolled her eyes and left, leaving the frail boy alone in the room. The lamp has already lost its light, and Joseph just noticed. The torch the woman brought must have been bright that he didn't realize the flame on the lamp was dead.
"The gods don't favor the Golden Souls," Joseph muttered. "The gods favor no one."
As Joseph accepted his fate, a tall man stood on a building across from the where he was being held captive. The wind blew on his clothes, the silver fox fur on his shoulders danced as they glided on the air.
A woman was behind him, wearing a dress that reached the ground. She had dark green hair that were partly tied to a bun while some fell to her lower back. She bowed before speaking.
"Your grace, should we come now?" the woman asked. "I can destroy that very building in your order."
The man raised his hand, signaling for the woman to stop. A grin was painted on his face, one that stretched from ear to ear. "Patience, Olivia. Their barrier is still up. If we break the building, the entire town fill burn in flames."
"As you wish, my king," the woman bowed. She stepped back and immediately vanished, her presence disappearing instantly as if she was never there.
"My mate," the man whispered. "I'm sorry to have you wait for so long."
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