New Life

"What do you mean? They don't hurt? Is there something on them?"

Asked Vidra, seemingly confused. The other elf children surrounded him and looked at him with curiosity written all over their faces.

"Guys? Did something happen to my eyes? You're scaring me."

Asked Vidra, yet once again. This time with wariness in his voice. Runo got a little closer and pointed at his eyes, then said:

"THEY'RE RED! They're glowing RED Vidra! Do you have any idea how this happened?"

Vidra was confused. According to his friend, his eyes turned red, but he had no way to check. The only way he could discern the truth was by observing the reaction of the rest of the children. They were seemingly curious, flabbergasted, and surprised. It seemed that what Runo said was the truth.

The elves of Inaka all had green colored eyes, ever since the first documented Inaka elf. It was an unchanged fact for millions of years, and Vidra knew that his eyes were the same green color till now.

"I have no idea what happened if what you say is the truth. Maybe the recent events did something to me."

Vidra replied with a casual shoulder shrug. Whatever happened to him couldn't be helped. He was closed inside a carriage; he was an orphan now, and every time he thought of this, he lost a little bit of the old Vidra. 

The other looked at him. Studied his now red eyes with curiosity that children of their age often experienced. Vidra didn't mind. He tried to be as disarming as possible. The last thing he wanted the children to feel was the wariness they constantly had to maintain.

'This might help them relieve the stress, even if just a little.'

The carriage entered the city, and the commotion outside slowly faded away as they distanced themselves from the entrance. Soon, one of the warriors opened the doors, and the natural light seeped inside the carriage. Allowing the children to have a proper look outside.

This part of the city was best described as rundown. The stone path was not maintained, and beggars littered the street. Their clothes were torn and dirty. The warrior who opened the door suddenly grabbed one of the children beside Runo as the carriage stopped in front of one of the bigger houses.

"Follow me if you don't want to get injured."

Said the warrior as he dragged out the elf child, and cuffed his feet and hands. The metal cuffs looked heavy. 

"Now, the rest of you follow his example. Step out of the carriage one by one. Is that understood?"

Vidra nodded along with the rest and did as the warrior told them. Most of the children received the heavy metal cuffs, while a small percentage, including Vandra and Runo, received collars with a rune engraved on them.

It was clear that they were going to do something different based on the treatment they received. The warriors guided them inside the empty house. The inside was empty except for a set of stairs that led them downward. The house was nothing more than a decoy that helped to conceal whatever operation was running down there. 

The children were greeted by a gruesome sight as they walked down the stairs. A row of prison cells, their bars still having fresh, bloody fingerprints on them.

"This is your life now. Those who received the metal cuffs! Go inside one of the empty cells. You'll be receiving education befitting of your status."

Some of the cuffed children went ahead and entered the empty prison cells, not caring about what was going to happen to them. Their soulless eyes looked at the others one last time. Other children tried to resist, but the cuffs were tight. 

"Resistance is futile. Tomorrow, you all will receive your slave marks. From that point onward, you will be worth nothing more than tools ready to have a new owner. The children who received the collars will follow me now."

 The warrior led the collared children further inside the prison hall. They walked through a door. On the other side, similar prison cells greeted them. The only notable differences were the size and the quality of the cells. 

These prison cells were at least thrice as big as the ones that the cuffed children received. These had no bloody fingerprints on them, and they had various equipment inside. More precisely, fighting equipment. Gloves, bandages, sandbags, and finally, a bed.

"Congratulations, you are all selected as slave warriors. Your job will be to fight each other in front of wealthy spectators. There are a few things I'm allowed to tell you, unlike the children who got cuffed."

"You all received collars with a rune engraved on them. These act as your slave marks, but they already have an owner. Lord Gord, whom you will be fighting for, is the master you're supposed to serve."

"Perform well, and you will be able to escape this prison once Lord Gord is satisfied. You all will be given a few days of rest to prepare for your first fight. Now get inside your cells."

Vidra nodded at the warrior and took the cell in the corner of the prison hall. This was a calculated move so he could see the rest of the elf villagers as they prepared for their first fight.

Runo looked at Vidra for a moment before deciding on the prison cell next to him. The other children chose their cells with relative ease. It was clear that the ones who became the battle slaves were the ones deemed suitable and less disposable. 

Vidra sat down on his new bed and gave himself time to remember everything that had happened so far. He still couldn't believe how his life had changed just because some Lord Gord from somewhere far away decided to find new elf slaves.

'I wonder what happened with the children who got cuffed. Why were the prison cells so bloody?'

The young Vidra wondered as his eyelids slowly closed. Today was the worst day of his life, and he just wanted the time to go faster. Faster, so one day, he could forget everything.