Chapter 10: Darkness is Born

Grey thought his father's saying couldn't ring more true than it currently did. He was furious. He sat beaten and broken upon the floor of his dark and cold jail cell, waiting for a salvation that wouldn't come. Grey slammed his head into the floor screaming out. He started to trash around violently, rolling across the floor in a fit of inexpressible rage and sadness. He threw himself into the wall behind him, bashing his hands up in an attempt to break the shackles binding them. He rammed his body against the door of his prison. Grey collapsed in the darkness, simply lamenting his birth, letting out a guttural bellow, resembling that of a monster.

"Look at that bastard's eyes!" The guard raised his baton pointing at Grey. "He looks super pissed today." Opening the door to Grey's cage, the guard stepped in, tapping his batton on his hand. He spit on Grey. "Lock the door behind me."

The guard standing at the entrance of the door looked afraid. His shoulders were shaking, and his hands were unsteady. "Did I stutter? Shut the damn door." The novice guard slammed the prison door shut, locking it right after. The Guard bent down right into Grey's face and smiled. Lifting his baton he began to beat Grey. "Take that! And that! Haha!" The guard laughed as Grey's blood colored his shirt red. The guard outside the cage just stood motionless, ringing his hands. After a while the guard let out a sigh. "Man! What a workout." He kicked Grey in the stomach. "Thanks for that fella! I appreciate your contribution. I'll be back later."

At that moment, something inside of Grey snapped. Every ounce of compassion he held within his heart disappeared, and was replaced by something far more sinister. Lifting his head up he looked the guard in the face and smiled. The guard peered his eyes back at Grey. "You must have a death wish." But before the guard could strike Grey again, Grey leaped upwards headbutting the guard's chin knocking him unconscious. Reaching down into the guards pockets, he pulled out a small silver key, and began to unlock his handcuffs.

The guard outside began to unlock the door. "Hey! What do you-"

As the door opened, the novice guard was horrified by what he saw. Grey sat upon the unconscious body of the guard, blood dripping from his mouth. His hands were hanging loosely at his side, and his eyes were hollow, void of life. "Shut the door. And lock it on your way out." The young guard just gulped, but out of pure fear did exactly as Grey commanded. Immediately after locking the door back, he darted off down the hallway, shouting for assistance. Grey cracked his fists and looked down at the man beneath him. Leaning down into his ear, he whispered, "I'm feeling a little angry today. Maybe you can help me with that."

When the guards arrived again, Grey sat with his back slunched up against the back wall. Blood stained everywall in his cell, and his clothes were stained permanently pink. In the center of the room a broken corpse was sprawled out upon the floor. The guards gasped at the sight. The man's face was unrecognizable. The entire left side of his face had been bashed in, and his entire torso had been ripped and torn to hundreds of pieces. Grey just silently watched the guards as they carefully entered the room to retrieve their fallen comrade. Grey looked out at the young boy who was locking the door behind the soldiers carrying the body. "Bring me some water. And a towel." The boy just nodded.

Something sparked inside of Grey that day. Something he had never experienced before. Hatred. Even at the death of his parents and people, he never hated anyone, he didn't know who to hate. But in the short span of his infinitely long tortue, his hatred had attained a face, the face of humanity. The months leading up to the stranger visiting Grey, he had begun to experience strange symptoms he had never previously experienced before. Initially he thought it was the water they were bringing him, but after threatening the young guard several times, he concluded it was not. He began to have a pounding headache at random times during the day, and he would have random seizures, where his whole body would reverberate violently, and his skin shook and cracked as if it was trying to rip itself off of his own body.

In the depths of his own despair he began to look back upon the disaster that befell his people, and began to wonder why, and how. Who could have slain the mightiest of beasts? The Nightshades? He couldn't wrap his head around it. Looking back on it, he realized his grandfather held infinite power, and his people were unrivaled in strength and speed. But the same thought crossed his mind every time he saw the young guard serve him water. Humans.

"Hey- hey-" The young guard struggled to stammer out.

"Spit it out." Grey commanded.

"Here's your water today sir- I mean- prisoner." Grey raised his eyes to the boys. "I mean sir!"

Grey lifted the water to his lips and drank. Wiping his mouth, he questioned the boy. "What's your name?"

The young guard stopped from walking off, surprised by the sudden greeting. "Oh. Umm- I'm not really suppose-."

"What's your name."

"Abel!" He squeaked out.

Abel had been assigned to the lower dungeon in his 5th week as a squire. Had he known the monster that lurked in that dungeon, he never would have accepted. He was a scrawny blonde boy from the lower district of Quetzal. His father owned a bakery in the middle section, but the store didn't make enough money to allow them to move into a better district. His mother was a local seamstress, weaving tapestries with fine silks and fur. Abel had always been a bit of a frail boy. He enjoyed reading more than playing tag, but he was never one to back down from a challenge, even if he was afraid while doing it. Recently, due to the war that the Kingdom of Availion had entered into with the Emerald Isles, money had begun to get tight within his family, so he enlisted as a squire in Verion's local militia. It was hard and grueling work. Although he was a squire he was still required to train just as hard as the actual knights and soldier's fully committed to Verion.

When Abel initially began working in the dungeon, he had been assigned as a simple watchman, incharge of making sure the general prisoners had basic food and water. It was an easy job, even if it scared him a little. But one day, his commanding officer commanded him to follow him.

"Where are we going sir? My designated position is back-"

His commanding officer raised his hand, silencing him. "Stop complaining. We have a special prisoner located in the very back of the dungeon." He looked back and smiled at the boy. "They say he's a demon. Apparently he disgraced her highness the princess."

Abel's jaw dropped. Someone would dare touch her majesty? He began to bite his fingers. 'Who could this evil monster be? What kind of evil beast would ever do something like that!' he thought. Abel was very surprised, and disappointed when he saw Grey's feeble body lying on the floor of his cell. He thought, 'How could anyone this small and weak be such a criminal.' Grey Grey's first impression changed that conception.

"Where are you from?" Grey asked, taking another sip of his water, a burp escaping his mouth. "Excuse me."

Sweat fell from Abel's forehead. "I- I'm from the lower district. Excuse me, why are you talking to me?"

Grey laughed. His eyes glowing red. "All a demon wants is company. What's the harm in having a small conversation?"

Abel thought about it, but changed his mind after recalling what Grey did to his commanding officer. "I- I-'m sorry. I have to go now."

Grey just watched him go, slowly sipping his water.