"I-I killed h-him…" I mumbled, glancing at the marred body to my right. His blood had tainted the air with a nauseating copper scent, filling my nose and making it strenuous to breathe. The scarlet liquid stained my hands and clothes: marking me. The strange man had broken into my house late at night, threatening to kill me if I didn't give him what he wanted. A fight had resulted and it ended badly. I had speared the man through the chest with a fractured piece of wood. He died instantly.

"W-what do I do?" I whispered to no one in particular. Even if it was in self-defense, I had committed murder. A sudden surge of panic welled up inside my body. People in my village were executed for crimes like this. I needed to escape.

Jumping to my feet, I dashed to my bedroom. Tearing off my bloodstained clothes, I replaced them with something cleaner. I grabbed my bag and threw in an extra pair of clothes and my dagger. The dagger was a gift I had gotten for my twentieth birthday, but I've never used it. But now it might come in handy. I slipped on my pair of shoes and briskly made my way to the front door. But, with one last glance at the dead body, I stopped my departure. If I run away, then it will definitely be considered a crime. But what if I tell the authorities that it was in self-defense? Would I get off easier? I collapsed with a whine, not sure of what to do. Running one hand through my russet hair, I continued to think.

The sun was beginning to break the horizon by the time I came to a conclusion. I was going to leave, probably head back to my mother's house. She would understand. I wanted to get out of there badly, and not just because the corpse had begun to smell. Someone would've overheard our struggle earlier and informed the village authorities. Time was limited and I needed to leave now. Without further thought, I reached for the doorknob and swung open the door. A glacial blast of air greeted me as I left my house behind. I was thankful that the sun hadn't risen fully yet; it was easier to leave in the darkness.

Everyone was still asleep, thankfully, because the house lights were dim. Well, all except one: my neighbor's house. A feeling of trepidation slowly seeped into my mind. They heard, didn't they? That means the authorities know… I whipped around and broke into a sprint, desperate to reach the outskirts of the village. If I could make it, I could slip into the forest and no one would know. I could now see the sign that welcomed you to the village. Exhilaration and anticipation surged through my veins. But my joy was short-lived.

"Get him!" I could hear my pursuers catching up. Damn, they came quickly! It was a futile effort to fight back so I stopped running.

"Don't even think about trying anything," One of the men hissed in my ear as he roughly grabbed my arm.

"I won't, don't worry." I said with a forced smile. He jerked me backward, half-dragging me to their captain.

"Felix Harrington, you are accused of murder." The captain said in a firm voice, staring at me with piercing blue eyes.

"But-,"

I was struck hard across the face, stumbling from the impact. My cheek throbbed where I had been hit.

"Be quiet, you piece of filth!" The man who was gripping my arm spat. His companions laughed, causing me to almost growl in frustration.

"You can't do this to me!" I wailed, flinching when the man prepares to hit me again, "Don't you know who I am!?"

"I don't care if you're a famous poet, Felix. You've committed a crime and it can't go unpunished." The captain says coldly. Turning to his men, he says: "Take him to the cell." They drag me away viciously. I go limp, terror freezing my limbs. I can't believe this! I-I'm going to die…

I had been confined for a few days now. I was exasperated that the trial didn't go as planned. My execution would take place soon, but I didn't know exactly when. I began to pace back and forth, deep in thought. The only thing that kept me from going insane inside this tiny cell was a painting. It was a beautiful work of art made by Isabelle Xandria. I heard she lives in a fairly large village just north of here. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the distracting thought. I let out a sigh and stopped my useless pacing. Instead, I leisurely walked towards the small bed inside the cell and lay down. The only thing I can do know is sleep.

I awake to the feeling of being dragged. I didn't know what was going on, it felt like I was suffocating. Panic overtakes me as I begin to thrash around, attempting to escape whatever prison this was. I could feel the soft cloth of some sort of bag. I've been kidnapped! Whatever was dragging me stopped. I froze up, dreading what would come next. And what came was a sharp kick to my side. I let out a yelp at the sudden burst of pain in my ribcage. Then my captor continued to take me to who knows where.

I awoke again, but this time with a pulsing headache. My eyes stung, my ears ringing. Something had to have drugged me. Either that or I was hit roughly over the head. Sitting up, I realized I couldn't recall anything that had happened in the previous hours. I was in some sort of stone cell. I'm getting sick of cells. I thought grimly, standing up despite my aching limbs. My new prison was obviously timeworn. The stone walls were cracking and the floor was missing some pieces. There was what I assumed to be slime on the walls as well. There was a door but it was locked. An undersized window blocked with metal bars allowed me to see into a hallway. I was sealed. So I did the only thing I could think of.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing throughout the hallway on the opposite side of the door, "Is there anybody out there?" An eerie silence dragged by for a few minutes before the sound of footsteps became noticeable. I didn't know what to feel: relief or fear.

The sound of footfalls grew louder and louder until I knew that whoever it was, was coming to me. I backed away from the door with vacillation, trying to evoke the memory of how I got here. The moment the remembrance came flowing back, the heavy door creaked open. I pressed myself against the stone wall in a pathetic attempt hide. Sweat rolled from my brow, dripping onto the floor. Why am I so worried? For all I know, they rescued me. I thought, trying to ease my apprehensive mind. But why would my rescuers lock me away in a cell? Something is obviously up, Felix. You need to do something.

I looked around the small room for any sort of weapon but there was nothing. But my time to react was over, for I saw a man peek into the room. He had chocolate hair that fell just short of his shoulders. Pale green eyes stared into mine with a twisted pleasure. The stranger had something planned, I knew it.

"You're coming with me," He stated, fully stepping into the room. Just the crazed look on his face made my limbs freeze up in alarm. When I didn't respond, his eyes flared up with aggravation. In one swift motion, the man darted forward and grasped my wrist firmly. My first instinct was to fight back but when I saw another man waiting outside the door, I pushed that plan aside.

The second man was obviously a lot older than the brown-haired one. His hair was a pale white. But what intrigued me the most was the fact that his eyes were two different colors: yellow and blue. The way he stared at me chilled my heart. Everything in my body was screaming to run, to try and escape. But where could I go?

"Keep up!" The brunette snapped, tugging my wrist brutally.

"Calm down, Daniel." The older man said soothingly, "You can take out your anger in a few minutes." My eyes grew wide at that sentence.

"W-what are you gonna d-do to me…?" I said, voice quivering with fear. The older man actually smiled. But no answer came.

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing as I lay trembling in my cell. Every part of my body screamed in agony. My arms and back were coated with dried blood, making me itchy and uncomfortable. But I didn't dare move, for I risked sending fresh waves of agony across my form. Even though I was lying as still as possible, the pain didn't cease. Long cuts and wounds lined my arms, a thin trickle of blood still flowing from them. I could feel the burning furrows on my back, the result of a fierce whipping. The wounds on my arms were from knives. The man named Daniel had practically sawed into my arm. The look of pure joy on his face made me hate the man. If I ever get the chance, I'll go saw into his head. How would you like that? I started ranting mentally for a few moments before the distinct sound of footfalls echoed throughout the hallway.

"P-please, I can't take anymore…" I whispered to myself, hugging my knees even tighter. The door opened sluggishly, making the wait unbearable. When I saw Daniel peer in, my blood turned to ice. There was something in his hand, I could tell. He walked into the room fully, shoving the door closed with too much force. Then he lifted his hand.

"Drink this." The evil man said flatly, holding up what looked like a glass bottle. I could see some sort of liquid inside.

"Why the hell would I do that?" I managed to retort. His pale green eyes were instantly alive with ire.

"It'll make all the pain go away," He said, fighting to keep his temper under control. Despite my pitiful situation, I let out a hoarse laugh.

"Yeah, and suddenly I'll grow wings and fly out of this cell." His boot was in my side instantly. I let out a sharp wail as new waves of torment soared through my abused body. I coughed up a bit of blood.

"Drink it, you arrogant bastard!" Daniel snapped. "Or I will force you! And trust me, you won't enjoy that." I decided that resisting any further would result in something painful. Tentatively, I held out one hand. The brown-haired man handed me the bottle, triumph sparkling in his eyes. I was nervous, in fact, I was panicking. Who knew what was in this bottle. It's probably poisoned…

"I just want to let you know," I started, scowling at the man, "I don't like you."

"The feeling is mutual. Now drink it!"

"Fine, fine." I held the bottle up to my lips, the glass remarkably cold to the touch. With one last pause, I drank it, wincing at the horrible taste. Instantly, my body reacted. My vision began to blur, all the color of the room mixing together in one confusing motion. I tried to shift, but my movements were sluggish and soon, my own limbs became unresponsive. What's happening? It was even difficult to think; my whole world was spinning. Everything went black in a matter of seconds.

My legs were screaming to stop running, but I couldn't. Stopping now meant capture and probably death. My mind was still in a haze but I didn't have the time to stop and try to recall anything. Someone or something was pursuing me; I knew that much.

It was hard to see in the castle's corridors. There were occasionally some torches, but they provided barely enough light to see a few feet ahead. The darkness almost seemed alive. The shadows danced in the gloom, giving an uneasy feeling to the atmosphere. Everything seemed to be moving, placing me on edge. I saw figures dart by in the obscurity, heard distant footsteps, and one time I thought something growled.

"This place is messed up…" I muttered to myself. The sound of my own voice was soothing. I couldn't stand the silence, it was maddening. I began to hum an old lullaby my mother would sing when I was a child. It slowly calmed my frayed nerves. The thick darkness seemed to have no effect on my mind now. Well, that was until something crashed from behind me. I jumped, barely stifling a yelp of surprise. When I heard the distinct sound of running, I panicked and darted into the closest room.

I had entered some sort of bedroom. There was a wardrobe, a small bed, and a desk. I glanced around in a frenzy, desperately searching for some sort of hiding spot. When my gaze landed on the wardrobe, I frantically climbed inside.

When I heard the door slam open, I was sure my pursuer could hear my heart beating. It was thumping at an alarmingly fast rate; it was all I could hear. But when the door slammed shut, I was relieved. I sat for a few moments, letting my exhaustion flow over me like a wave. My legs ached from the strenuous hours of running. My eyelids were growing heavy with the need to rest, but I fought the consuming feeling away. With a deep breath, I climbed out of my hiding spot and bolted for the door. When I re-entered the menacing corridor, I noticed it was pitch black. The torches that were lit a few moments earlier were now dead. I clenched my teeth, deciding whether I should continue my escape.

"I don't have a choice," I say to myself, "It's just darkness. You need to leave now, Felix." I stepped into the ominous hallway, shutting the door behind me. Immediately, the shadows came to life. They seemed to be watching me, hungrily awaiting the moment I collapsed in terror. Shaking my head in a desperate attempt to dislodge the disturbing thoughts, I broke into a run. My footsteps sounded so loud compared to the quiet shadows. I couldn't help but think that my pursuer from earlier could hear the noise I was making.

The dark was so thick, it was almost suffocating. I couldn't tell how far or how long I'd been running: my surroundings hadn't changed at all. My eyes never adjusted, making things more difficult then needed. I let out a cry of astonishment as my foot hit something hard, throwing my whole body off balance. I collapsed onto the floor, panting and sweating.

I glanced around, desperately searching for the cause of my fall. When my gaze landed on it, I was amazed. It looked like a fragment of glass, but it was glowing. I reached forward, grasping the abnormal object in my hand. But when I glanced into the shadows, I freaked. The shadows were actually moving, slithering across the ground in silent unison. I threw the glowing piece of "glass" down the corridor and bolted.

Everywhere I went, I felt like I was being watched. Nowhere felt comfortable or safe, and I knew I couldn't stop running. That glowing fragment I picked up earlier had triggered something, I knew it. I could hear things: the distant sound of a roar, the creaking of wood, the hissing cockroaches, and other sounds I couldn't describe. The whole castle seemed to come to life. I closed my eyes and began to sob.

I just want to go home…

In my blindness, I stumbled into some room. It was even darker in here than in the castle halls. Terror engrossed my mind as I groped for some sort of door, but in my attempt, I stumbled. The whole world seemed to shift as I fell, and I knew I was tumbling from some sort of height. When I hit the ground, my mind went blank.