The Market of Silences

"They say that beneath the red stone of Seirn, even the gods dare not wander. Not out of fear—but because they cannot bear to see their reflection in chains."

There was a metallic taste on his tongue.

Blood. His blood.

Chains clinked around him, echoing in the darkness like funeral chimes. Rays tried to move, but his wrists were bound, scraping against cold, rough metal. A groan escaped his lips. Not from pain—there was too much of that—but from confusion.

"Where… am I?" he whispered into the void.

No answer at first. Just the sound of chains. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. Other beings. Maybe human. Maybe not.

He strained against his arms. Nothing. A cold, firm resistance. He clenched his teeth. His back burned. His skin clung to his clothes, soaked… in blood or water? He couldn't tell.

"Rex?" he murmured. "Where's Rex?"

A voice—unknown, harsh, as jagged as a rusted blade—answered:

— Shut the hell up.

Rays flinched. That wasn't the voice. It was another prisoner. Or a guard. But then another voice appeared—soft, slow, but older, deeper. A voice he had never heard… but that seemed to have always been with him. A voice inside his head.

— Violence gets you nothing here… it said. Save your breath, Rays. You're alive. That alone is a miracle.

Rays whispered:

"Who are you…?"

— Not the time for names. Not here. Ask a better question.

"Where am I? Why can't I move my arms? Why can't I feel anything around me? Where's the light?"

— You're chained. Thorgash chains. They let no strength, no power, no aura through. That's why you feel empty. Empty like a dried-out corpse.

A long silence followed. Then Rays whispered:

"It's colder…"

— Of course. You're no longer in the mountains. You've left the war zone. You've entered the underground of commerce. Slave traders found you… You and your dog.

The words dropped like stones.

"Slavery? I thought… it was abolished…"

— In your world, yes. Here, the weak are sold. The broken are consumed. And you…

The voice paused.

— You were just a heap of bones, skin stretched thin. You were floating in a red river with your dog… the blood so thick it didn't even flow around you anymore. They scooped you up like rare carcasses. And they healed you. Just enough to sell you better. Not to save you.

Rays clenched his teeth. He tried to speak, but his breath trembled.

"So… they're going to sell me?"

— Not yet. You're on display. A rare beast. Blind. Beautiful. Sunlit hair, dead eyes. To them, it's art. A creature to possess.

A cold shiver ran through him. Then footsteps. Voices. The clatter of a lock. Warm breath. And the smell.

Rays wrinkled his nose.

Perfume. Strong. Too strong. Sweet, noble, arrogant. Trying to mask the scent of blood, shit, and human sweat.

They were coming. Three men.

And Rex.

He heard the stifled panting of the dog. Recognized his scent instantly, even beneath the crusted blood. His heart tightened.

"Rex…"

One of the men laughed.

— We wasted mana for nothing. Even his eyes are useless. Blind, dirty, silent.

Another stepped closer, a whip cracking through the air. He said nothing at first. Then the leather snapped and struck Rays' chest.

The pain was sharp, raw, a line of fire on flesh already flayed.

"Ahhh! You bastard!" Rays shouted. "Stop! That hurts!"

He tried to leap forward, but his body jolted the other way. He saw nothing. And the man laughed.

— Not him. He's blind. Didn't see it coming.

A bark.

Rex.

"Rex… how are you, boy?" he whispered.

But the three men were already chuckling. One of them murmured:

— We're nobles. The chosen ones. We have the right. He's just an animal.

A brutal kick. Deep. Sickening. Rex whimpered. His breath choked.

The voice returned in Rays' mind.

— He was thrown against a tree. The impact cracked the bark. And your dog took it all. For you.

Rays' heart clenched. An aura surged. Golden. Black. Dense. Like an inverted sun.

He spoke slowly, coldly:

"How… dare you?"

— Because we are of royal blood, replied one of the men. And you are nothing. Not even your name is worth anything.

"My name is Rays," he said.

Silence.

Then, sharply:

"And you will apologize. Now."

Laughter. Then the three men moved closer to Rex, beating him again and again. His frail body, still injured from the last battle, took the blows. But Rex didn't cry out. He stifled his whimpers.

To not worry Rays.

The whip cracked again. On Rays this time. Again. And again.

— Inferior race, spat the man. You exist for our entertainment. We, the blessed by the heavens. Do you understand, blind dog?

The leather sliced his skin. Flesh split. Blood sprayed.

But Rays… didn't move. He didn't scream. His ears listened. Every sound. Every gasp. Every injury inflicted on Rex.

Then, in a calm, icy voice:

"I'm going to kill you. One by one. Slowly. You won't die by my hands. You'll die looking at me… even if I'll never see you."