by Adam Lynch
“Who was it that attacked you, Taiyo?” asks Katsu.
“I-I don’t know… what they’re called.”
“What did they look like?”
“They-they were tall with long hair, sharp teeth, scaly skin, black and blue armor, and… stars in their eyes…”
“What? Stars in their eyes?” asks Sadao. He and Katsu face each other. Then, he aims back at me. “These were people? How many of them attacked you?”
“A lot of them… but I-I couldn’t see them all…”
Sadao and Katsu pause as if thinking about what I said. Suddenly, I notice three soldiers approaching them.
“What are you standing around for?” an angry one asks as the three of them shove us towards the line. “Either get in line, or sit down and don’t eat.”
The three of us do as we’re told. The soldiers then run to the table and scold others for whispering so animatedly with each other. The angry soldier who scolded us scolds many others around the courtyard. Each time, he gets more and more frustrated until finally marching in between the dinner line and table. He claps and shouts for attention until everyone is silent. His face red, he shakes his finger at us in the line and at the table as he shouts, “Don’t think that because none of the officers are present, you can do whatever you want without consequence. All members of the Darkane are to be respected and feared by their slaves—not just the officers. If I spot one more act of defiance, I will demonstrate why we soldiers are to be feared even more than the officers…”
It’s then I notice Kagami walking from the line and to the table. Having received her bowl of rice, she approaches the soldier who announced the warning to all of us. Like how I often do, she moves with her eyes on the ground. I notice a few soldiers nearby jeering at her. Then, one says, “Hey there, whatchu staring at? Why don’t you look up and show us that beautiful face of yours?”
Gasping and shuddering as if startled, she turns to look at him. Suddenly she stumbles and trips. I gasp as I watch her nearly topple to the dirt. She catches herself, but her bowl of rice flies out of her hands and into a soldier’s back. The soldier spins around, grunting and glowering. Steam shoots out of his ears as he shoves her. “Watch where you’re going, you stupid girl!” She flies into the soldier who announced the warning to us. She hits him so forcefully that he stumbles, and she falls to the ground.
“What?!” he shouts, facing her with a red face and bulging eyes. “How dare you run at me like that! Were you trying to tackle me? Have you gone mad? Oh, I’ll show you mad.” He stomps towards her, balling his fists. He scowls at her, and then kicks her. “How’s that for mad, huh? Are you volunteering to be my demonstration?” He kicks her again, and she screams. “Huh?!” He kicks her again, harder this time. She screams louder. I gasp upon witnessing this. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I can’t believe this is happening. This can’t be happening. “Huh?” He kicks her again and again. She cries out louder each time. “Think we’re pushovers? Kick. “Huh?!” Kick. “Think we’re not to be feared like the officers? Kick. Huh?” He kicks her faster and harder, cursing at her.
Katsu steps out of line with balled fists and a tense body. Our eyes magnetized, we watch as he hastes towards Kagami and the soldier beating her. “Katsu,” Sadao calls him. He doesn’t listen.
Two soldiers block his path. “What do you think you’re doing, slave?” a soldier shouts, pointing at the line. “Get back in line! Now!” But without stopping, Katsu jukes around them and runs ahead. “Hey! Stop!”
A soldier nearby grabs him, but he escapes and shoves him. This alarms all the soldiers in the courtyard who flock to the scene, some drawing their weapons. Leferians at the table spring up, but the soldiers force them back down.
Soldiers assemble to ambush Katsu, but then Sadao runs in to assist. He attacks a soldier from behind, catching the attention of all soldiers nearby.
Katsu seizes these seconds of opportunity to charge the soldier who had attacked Kagami. Before he sees him coming, Katsu tackles him to the ground. He sits on him and swings at him like he’s attacking him with a club. His nose breaks, and blood spills out of his nose and mouth before other soldiers ambush Katsu. Four of them grab him and immobilize him. The beaten soldier, sits up and feels his swollen face. He glowers at Katsu, standing back on his feet. “Hold him there!” He orders the men.
I look at Sadao. He attacked and distracted many soldiers, but like Katu, the soldiers overwhelmed and subdued him. Katsu and Sadao are held in the mercy of the soldiers—and it only took a few seconds… what’s going to happen to them? I’ve never seen anyone defy the Darkane like this before...
The beaten soldier back-slaps Katsu’s face as hard as he can, and then spits in his face. “Stupid slave! You disgust me!” He slaps him again. The soldiers hold him in place, ensuring he doesn’t move.
Sadao receives similar treatment. They beat him several times until he’s weak and they’ve had their fill. Then, they shove him to the dirt and pin him there. But the soldier punishing Katsu persists even after he’s lost his strength. He slaps him again and again without slowing down. The Leferians stare bug-eyed, jaws dropped, not daring to move a muscle. “I’ll beat you death for what you’ve done!” He stops slapping him and swings balled fists at him with all he has. With Katsu’s body exposed, he bears the full weight of the soldier’s punishment. We watch in horror as Katsu endures swelling, bruising, fracturing, and bleeding—it’s horrifying to watch… and listen to…
Tears blind my vision. I wipe them clean, but more pour out. My heart pounds. My lips and hands shake. I’m terrified… sad… and furious at the same time—I don’t know which one I feel more. Watching my friends and the most important girl to me get beaten like this… I’ve never felt so many negative emotions at once… and I’ve never felt them so intensely… I can’t stand it. I feel myself going insane. I’m thinking about asking the earth to split and send all the Darkane into the brimstone.
“Hey! Hey!” Suddenly, we hear shouts at a distance so audibly that everyone stops what they’re doing to face the man who voiced these words.
I’m appalled to see that it’s Fraisha, the leader of the Darkane—a skinny dark man with long black hair. He is fit, but shorter and smaller than his brothers. He is also the eldest of the four officer siblings. What stands out from him and the other Darkane, as well as what makes him immediately identifiable, are his eyes. All the Darkane have purple eyes, but Fraisha’s eyes are a glowing gray. I’ve always wondered why this was until Yuuto told me, stating it was because he had replaced his own eyes with another individual’s. That individual had possessed eyes that held the supernatural ability of absorbing abilities from others who had possessed them, at the expense of their lives and the shortening of the user’s lifespan.
Aware now of what he can do and who he is looking for makes me terrified to be near him, or even for him to look my way. I cast my eyes to the ground as he scans the courtyard, avoiding eye contact. I know that when his eyes meet the eyes of an individual with special powers, he can absorb his or her powers, which would then end that person’s life. I’m scared. I don’t want to have my eyes fried out. Thankfully, he doesn’t know about me yet, or Yuuto. I need to make sure it stays that way.
I haven’t seen Fraisha in a long while. During the day, he takes a few good-working Leferians to the valley and forces them to labor for the Darkane. After the day’s work, he goes to his tent and stays there the rest of the night. I never see him because I’m never assigned labor… because I suck at it—the same reason why I’m never usually assigned to go on missions.
After a quick scan of the courtyard, he looks at the soldier who was beating Katsu. “What are you doing?” he asks him.
The soldier takes a minute to catch his breath, calming himself. “I-I was punishing this slave for attacking Darkane soldiers.”
He looks at Katsu who is ready to collapse when the soldiers release him. Then, he faces the abusive soldier again. “Katsu? Attacking Darkane soldiers? That
’s very unlike him.”
Valida and Judan make their appearances behind Fraisha, scanning the scene with confusion and alarm.
“What’s going on here?!” Valida shouts suddenly in distress when she notices Kagami beaten on the dirt, surrounded by many soldiers. “Why is she on the ground like that? Why are so many of you gathered around her?”
The soldiers appearing confused, none of them have the courage to utter a word. But ignoring her makes her more upset. She looks around, expecting someone to answer her. “Did none of you hear my questions?”
“Ma’am, we were punishing her for charging a Darkane soldier.”
“Does it take ten of you to punish one skinny and dirty girl with rag clothing? You need to gang up on her and do whatever you want?” None of them know what to say. They look terrified and confused. Suddenly, she becomes swept away by tears and cries audibly. After a few seconds, her face reddens, and she screams while grinding her teeth. Her eyes bulging, she turns to address everyone in the courtyard, pointing at Kagami. “We do not do this! We are not like them. We will not become like them. If I ever see you men gang up on a young girl like this again, I’ll kill you! You got that? I’ll kill all of you!”
She wails again and Judan reaches out to comfort her. “Sister,” he says to her softly.
“Don’t touch me! I hate this stupid fort!” She storms off towards her tent and Judan follows her.
Talden passes them while on their way, making his appearance at the scene. With a grave look, he scans the area. He glances back at Valida before she enters her tent, crying, and then looks at Kagami and the soldiers surrounding her.
“Get her up,” he says to the soldiers near Kagami. “Have the doctor clean her. I’ll deal with all of you later.” They do as he says with haste, gulping.
She coughs out the dirt in her mouth as they help her regain the strength to stand. She’s bruised and bloody from the beating she endured, but it’s clear to me that the pain displayed on her face isn’t from the physical, but from the mental and emotional pain she feels inside… the humiliation… I know she must feel it now so intensely…
Her long and messy hair masks most of her face, but I see through it. I know. It’s like I have long hair covering my face every day. I put on a mask, a mask of a frozen, emotionless face to hide what I’m really feeling. I do this because I cannot bear others seeing the real negative emotions I’m feeling. Because if they see I’m feeling humiliated, I’ll feel even more humiliated. I’ll feel so humiliated that I’ll assume everybody is thinking what I’d always feared they’d think of me: pathetic, worthless, unlovable garbage. No, Kagami… that might be me, but not you… never you… please… I hope you don’t feel this way… don’t feel this way. It’s not you… it will never be you… never.
Fraisha, after shaking his head and reserving a minute of silence, aims his attention back on the soldier who had abused Katsu. The soldier gulps and expands his eyes. “I’m still waiting for you to explain yourself.”
“S-sir, he attacked several soldiers, including myself. The evidence is displayed on my face, sir.”
“Yes, I can see that. Hmm, but I wonder why he would do something so reckless. Katsu is normally so disciplined. He follows orders well and is a great service for the Darkane. It’s unfortunate you had to rough him up so… severely…”
The soldier gulps and pauses. He seems to be thinking twice about what he’ll say next.
“It appears he targeted you in particular. I don’t see the same injuries on any of the other’s faces. I wonder why that is? Why do you think that is? Could it be because of what you did to the girl?”
“Sir?”
“You are the one who gave her those bruises, yes?”
“I-I was punishing her, sir...”
“Who ordered you to do this?”
“Sir?”
“Who gave you permission to do whatever you want with my slaves? I believe I heard you say to Katsu that you’d, ‘beat him to death over this.’ By whose authority have you initiated this decision?”
“I-I…”
“Was it me?”
“No sir.”
“Was it Judan? Was it Talden? Was it Valida?”
“No sir…”
“Then by whose authority were you making this decision?”
He pauses and gulps. “Well… sir, there were no officers around and I thought…”
“You thought what?”
“I thought I should go down the chain of command.”
“And who is the next chain of command when no officers are present, soldier?”
“The soldiers, sir.”
Slice. Fraisha draws his katana and slices off the soldiers head in one clean swing. Blood flies out of the soldier’s neck and head as everything drops to the ground. Everyone who had witnessed this, gasps. “Wrong, soldier. There is no chain of command outside of an officer’s command.” He shakes the blood off his katana before sheathing it back in place. He turns to address all the soldiers in the courtyard. “From the beginning, all soldiers have been given the command to contain the slaves. They are not, nor have they ever been authorized to initiate judgment on a slave. If this command is abused, as demonstrated, the soldier will be punished in accordance with the punishment he or she had illicitly given.” He pauses, scanning the courtyard with a grave stare. “Is that clear?”
“Yes sir!” They all reply audibly, bowing to him.
“Alright, everyone clean up and put the Leferians in their cells,” orders Talden. The soldiers act immediately. “Take the injured ones to the doctor, and have them sleep in the medical cell tonight.”
Some of us haven’t been given our meals, but the Darkane shove us towards our cells anyway. I’m okay with not eating. After everything that happened today, I don’t have any sort of appetite… and even if I did, I wouldn’t feel right eating… knowing that Kagami lost her meal unfairly, and then got punished for it. That and many other things.
My eyes on the ground as I go where the soldiers take me, I look up and suddenly find Fraisha in front of me. I gasp. “Not you. You come with me. I want to talk to you.”
I’ve no choice but to follow him, shuddering the whole distance. I look around the courtyard to distract myself, but then suddenly, I spot Yuuto staring at me from a distance. Yuuto! Where was he this whole time? Why haven’t I noticed him until now?
It looks like his face is displaying everything that he’s reading from my mind right now—everything that happened on my trip, and everything I’m thinking now. I think I see surprise, terror, amazement, and apprehension.
But then he looks at Fraisha with this same look. Wait… did I misread? Is his reaction about me, or anything I’m thinking at all?
Or…
Is it about what Fraisha is thinking… about me?
Confession
W
e enter a dark purple tent. There is small table for eating—a basket of fruit resting on it—a futon for sleeping, paper lanterns for night lighting, a large bucket of water, and another table for maps, books, and items for military planning.
Fraisha stands by the military table while I stand by the exit, feeling stiff, self-conscious, and awkward. He stares at me and I look away, gulping. Talden enters the tent a few minutes later, startling me. I make way for him. He moves to the side of the tent, crosses his arms, and stares at me.
I start feeling out of breath. I notice I’m having to breathe more frequently and heavier as I stand here, anxiously anticipating what I’ll be asked, and what will happen to me. As I stand, think, and wait, I feel my body turning to stone while my brain cooks all my thoughts.
“Did you ask Valida and Judan if they’re coming?” Fraisha asks Talden.
“I don’t think they are.”
He nods. “I see. What Valida saw out there stirred traumatizing memories.” He faces me, but I turn my eyes away. My body is trembling, but I try my best not to show it. “You know, Taiyo, we were slaves, too, for a time. The peo
ple who had enslaved us treated us far worse than we have ever treated you. They raped and tortured most of our women until death, including all my sisters except Valida, who’s the only one who survived. They even took my wife… my wife—the love of my life.” He pauses, spacing off with an emotionless face. “They were stone-cold sadists.”
“Brother, why are you telling him this?” Talden asks.
He shakes himself out of his daze. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t know why I brought it up… I guess it’s because it’s been so long since I talked about them that it’s starting to feel like they were never here...” He pauses. I look at his eyes, feeling surprisingly empathetic with him. He notices my eyes on him and turns to me. His face is still emotionless. “Taiyo, are there certain things you feel you have to let out in order to preserve your sanity?”
“Brother, I thought we brought him here to question him about the expedition?”
He shakes his head again, closing his eyes tight. “Fine, fine.” He looks up, takes a deep breath, and then opens his eyes to look at me again.
As human as he’s sounding right now, I can’t help but feel terrified every time I see those glowing gray eyes. It’s like I’m in the presence of some divine being. “Taiyo…” He pauses. “Valida and Talden told me a lot about you…” I gulp. “A lot of remarkable things.” He examines me. “Where do I even begin? I guess what I’d like to know first is… how? How did you do it? How were you the only one to survive an ambush against... the Starlights—one of the largest and deadliest armies of the world—and not only make it back yourself, but carry back all the others, even my brother? It was the Starlights who attacked you, right?”
“I-I’m not sure…”
“It sounded like them based on what Valida told me… I was hoping it wouldn’t be... but your encounter with them confirms it. We’re up against the impossible, and somehow, even after being attacked, you survived to tell us about it.”
I gulp.
“How?”
My heart is pounding. My hands and lips are shaking. I try to speak, but my lips won’t let me. “I-I-I…” What do I say? I can’t tell him what happened. But I can’t think of anything else to say. What do I do? I’m so scared. “I-I don’t… know.”
