Dead

"Uncle Kwon, Uncle Kwon, wake up." Baines vigorously shook him, his voice urgent.

"Huh? Uh, young master?" Uncle Kwon stirred from his stupor, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, can you repeat what you just said?" His heart pounded as he prayed that he had misheard. When Baines had uttered it the first time, he had fainted due to insanity.

"I need you to sell me to the savage tribes." Baines' voice was firm, unwavering.

Silence filled the room.

Kwon's face paled as the words fully registered. The shock was too much, and he nearly collapsed again.

"Why?" he finally managed to ask.

"Do you think our family can ever return to the way it was?" Baines' expression was unreadable, cold.

Kwon swallowed hard. There was something in Baines's gaze, a hollowness, a weight only those who had lost everything could carry.

"Sigh… Young master, death will be the least of your problems."

"Nothing worth having comes without risk."

Looking at Baines again, he asked the last question, "But why the savage tribes? You could've said you're going to learn elsewhere."

"Other places don't have what I want, I need to take revenge." Baines clenched his fists as he recalled the horror he faced that day.

Kwon studied the boy in front of him and saw something flicker, a faint red glow dancing over his body.

Finally, he exhaled. "If this is your choice… I will make the arrangements."

Thirty minutes later…

"Are you ready, young master?" Kwon asked as he returned, carrying a large backpack and a smaller bag.

Baines nodded, rising to his feet. Together, they stepped outside the building.

However, the moment they emerged, Baines froze.

Black figures surrounded the marketplace. Shadows stretched across the cobbled streets, and the air thickened with the scent of burning wood and spilled blood.

A familiar emblem gleamed on their masks, a bleeding eye beneath a dagger.

Baines's mind went blank.

A wave of terror crashed over him, drowning out the world. The screams of the merchants, the crackle of fire, everything blurred. His vision tunneled, and his breath hitched.

Not again.

His body trembled, and in his desperation, something inside him snapped. His second core pulsed, releasing a burst of crimson energy.

Then—

PSTCHTCH!

A sharp pain tore through his chest. His breath hitched, and warmth spread across his torso.

His blood.

He staggered, his gaze dropping to the blade jutting through his ribs, red liquid spilling out uncontrollably.

"Gurk…" With immense effort, he turned his head and locked eyes with his killer.

"K-K-Kwon…?"

The old man stood emotionless, his grip firm on the dagger buried in Baines' flesh.

"Why, young master? Why couldn't you just stay in your little prison in peace?"

Baines collapsed to the ground, gasping as crimson pooled around him.

His gaze darted across the burning marketplace, flames licking the sky, black-clad figures pouring into his family manor.

"No…" His lips trembled. "Not again. Not again. Not again." 

He could picture his mother, still in her coma. His sister crippled and defenseless. He reached out toward the inferno, but his fingers only grasped empty air.

"This is what happens when you get funny ideas like that." Kwon's voice was distant, detached. "Tonight, the Baek line ends."

Darkness swallowed Baines whole.

***

A gasp tore from his lips as his eyes snapped open.

A new place. A different ceiling.

Then, like a tidal wave, the memories crashed over him.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH…!" He grabbed his head and screamed.

Pain. Grief. Betrayal.

The agony inside him was unbearable. His mother. His sister. His home. Everything was gone. He screamed until his throat ached, and his tears dried up twice. He couldn't do it; he would stay here, not after losing everything.

With his two fingers, he drew unto the air and pulled out one of the swords he had put and without hesitation stabbed his stomach so hard it passed through.

A sharp burst of pain.

"Gurghgh…" He could only grunt in pain as he collapsed on the bed, blood seeping through his robes, pooling around him.

His vision blurred.

Everything faded to black.

...

His eyes fluttered open again.

The same ceiling.

The same torment.

His fingers trembled as he reached for the blade again. If his stomach wouldn't do it, then his head would.

He raised the sword—

"STOP!"

A voice boomed through the chamber.

Baines's body froze mid-motion. The sword hovered inches from his throat, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move.

However, that wasn't in his mind. It was to bring that sword closer to his head.

After experiencing the betrayal of a supposed loyal subject and the death of his mother and sister, a thought came to him. For what reason did those that took his brothers and father have to keep them alive?

He couldn't live with that thought. He would rather join them than continue his revenge however, he had to by-pass this power holding him down.

His chest heaved. His breath was ragged.

His eyes burned with unshed tears.

Whoosh…

A figure emerged before him, stepping into view. Cloaked in dark robes, their presence was overwhelming, commanding.

He then took the sword off his hand but didn't release him from his frozen state, and Baines didn't give up for one moment. This person holding him would eventually release him, and then he would quickly bring another sword to finish the job.

Seeing that this wouldn't take him anywhere, the figure spoke,

"They aren't dead."

Baines' entire being jolted and seeing the large change in Baines, he released the hold he had on him.

The grip on his sword slackened. His lips parted, but no words came out.

"Your sister knew there were traitors among the family. After seeing you off, she disappeared with your mother."

A tremor ran through Baines's body.

His head dropped. A shaky breath left his lips. His hands clenched the sheets beneath him as the weight on his chest lifted just slightly.

Minutes passed in silence before he finally lifted his gaze.

"Where… where am I?" His voice was hoarse.

The cloaked figure stepped forward, standing before a massive, open-air throne room. Grand pillars rose to the sky, but no walls enclosed the space.

"This," the figure said, "is Ashenfall."

Baines's eyes widened.

Ashenfall.

A name he had only heard in whispers.