Farewell and Scream

"But he was….."

"You're already badly hurt Seira, you will die if you meddle in it"

Seira defeatedly dropped her head. She was beaten and could barely move. The pain in her body was not subsiding a bit, how can she be of any help to the man?.

Gasps and hushed protests erupt from the soon-to-be servants when the guard draws out his sword and pierces the hand of the man when the man is about to stand up. The guard sneered "Be thankful that we are forbidden to kill a servant cause if we do, your body will be dismembered right now, shithead!"

The guards harshly dragged the unconscious man into the gate.

A deafening silence envelops the crowd. The tense atmosphere became thicker as the minutes passed.

All of a sudden the loud sound of the heavy ironed gate swinging, echoed through the place. A man stepped outside of the gate and walked straight away in the middle; in front of the two made-up lines of servants. The guards promptly kneel with their left foot; the right hand in a fist was placed on their chest with their head bowed down.

Seira couldn't decipher the clothing of the man as the sun rays were long gone on their side. It only reaches the half wall of the fortress. But the man must be a high-ranking official if she was to consider the alert response of the guards.

"Listen up!" an authoritative, gruff voice pierced the air.

"We will give you the chance to choose where you will serve! To those who will choose the palace went to the left line and for nobles to the right section!"

The man said something to the old woman standing to the side before he stood on the right in front of the golden gate.

The soon-to-be servants walked hurriedly between the two lines. Some didn't move at all and stayed in their position.

Seira stayed still. She made up her mind on the train. Never she once thought to serve any nobles or clans.

"Hannah, where are you going?" Seira abruptly held Hannah's arm as she began to take a step away from their line.

Hannah sadly smiled at her, removing her hold on her arms.

"I have no plans on being a maid in the palace. Before I voluntarily sold myself off, I had a clan in my mind to go to Seira. I need to see a certain person. That's what I desire the most that the king would never be able to grant me"

Hannah hugged her "Be careful and trust no one, Okay? Let's meet again soon"

Before Seira could utter a word, Hannah ran to the left line that was starting to advance; turning and waving at Seira until the shadow hid them.

Seira stared at the lane where Hannah went off, dumbfoundedly. It was so sudden. Her mind went blank after realization hit her. She was alone and her first friend was not in the same place as her. Indeed, she was not lucky at all in any aspect.

A sudden swirling sensation came to her; she peeps to the line she was in, trying to dismiss the dizziness. It is then she saw the wall torch in the two blocks was lit up. There were almost 30 people in the line. They didn't even cover half of the servants earlier.

Soon after, the people in front of her start to move in; stopping a bit and talking to an old woman with a black buttoned dress with a white ruffled collar reaching her ankle partnered by black heels. She was able to figure out the attire of the old woman all thanks to the wide range of light of the fire on the torches.

She limply moved forward while trying to dismiss and ignoring the wooziness she was feeling again. Unlike what she did a while ago, the trick didn't help her this time. Her body starts to go numb as a burning pain shoots up to every part of her body in every small movement that she makes. Cold sweats beads on her forehead. The cold gust of wind makes her shiver; feeling more chilled than she already was. She wet her chapped and dry lips.

Seira patiently waited for her turn before going to the old woman. Her head was facing the ground. Unfortunately, she was the last in the line.

When the woman in front of her walked towards the gate, she took a step and waited for any question or instruction from the old woman.

"Name" the strict voice of the old woman brings her out of her disoriented self.

"I didn't sell myself off" she faintly replied; her head weakly dropped. She felt more nauseous and spinning when she was trying to move her head.

"I suggest you stopped this refusal—"

"Believe me, this is a misunderstanding. A guard just randomly dragged me—" she tried to reason out again but the irritated voice of the old woman cut her off.

"Just answer my questions young lady and we're done with this. Everyone was tired so do us a favor—"

"Please, I need to—"

She couldn't finish her response when her body collapsed.

"Oh my goodness! "

She lastly heard before darkness welcomed her.

Moments passed until she felt floating until her back touched a soft surface.

"What happened to her?" said an unfamiliar soft voice.

"I didn't know Milady. The girl collapsed all of a sudden while I did a small interview of their names" another woman uttered.

"You can now leave, I'll take it from here" commanded the woman behind her.

"As your wish Milady"

The sound of the door closing came to her ears and Seira felt the uncanny presence of the woman on her side. A soft hand touched her forehead.

She tried to open her eyes but it felt heavy. She tried to move her hands but like her eyes, it is glued to the soft surface. Panic starts to surge in her mind. What is happening?

After a few minutes, she felt a thin thread rush into her, flowing like a series of small waves directing to every part of her body that was throbbing until the pain lessened little by little.

"Sleep" the voice echoed to her ears until she felt the thread pass simultaneously pressing her down into the darkness.

……

A musty odor along with the foul stench of urine and excrement, Arthur who was full of gash of wounds, was chained inside the prison cell. Blood flows and messily scattered on the floor. On the corner of the cell, an unmoving body can be found; sunken, hollow, recessed sunken body as if it was sucked up of air and blood.

A middle-aged man wearing a red cloak with blue eyes. Fine lines were visible on his proportioned facial features. The man exudes a powerful and menacing aura.

"Is the necklace ready?" the man asked the fellow standing outside the prison cell.

"Yes Milord, the replica will be delivered today by the wielder himself"

"That's great to hear" the middle-aged man faced Arthur; his hands on his back. The stealing of the necklace was a stroke of luck for him. Now, he was sure that the inauguration will be held perfectly, now that the sacred necklace was gone.

"Spare me, Milord! Please, I'm begging! Give me another chance and I will be sure to bring the woman to you" His tears trickled down his cheeks as he begged for his life.

A sickening laugh echoed in the prison cell. The man thrust the metal blaze in a fire to Arthur's chest, pushing the object into his body.

A cry of agony rented the room from the guard.

"I only give one chance to everyone, young man. You're now a useless piece of junk to me" the man pulled out the metal and throw in the dead body of the coachman "Now, fulfill your duty of being a guard by lessening the numbers of incompetent and boneheaded creatures of your kind through leaving this kingdom eternally"

"NO! NO! MILORD!" screamed the guard to the man who disappeared in the shadows as another man with the same clothing entered the prison cell.

He trembled as the man opened his palm followed by a gray glowing circle.

"NO! NO—" the guard couldn't finish his scream of pleading when he couldn't breathe all of sudden. A simultaneous popping sound of something inside her body and excruciating pain was the last thing he felt before his thread of life breaks off.

The man watched the blood spurts from the dead body of the guard to the sole of his shoes. As soon as the air on the guard's body was sucked up, he closed his palm and apathetically left the dungeon.