Sorry! All lines are gone! 'Coz I can view the quick preview. I reupload the chapter. Since the line won't appear I'll use 'LINE' to divide. Thanks to the-key-of-the-twilight for your information.

Sorry for the late update I hope I could make it faster. I was so busy with my school lately.

Thanks a lot to Shiroko-san who has helped me fixed the grammar, vocabulary, and etc.

And also thanks to: Alys, the-key-of-the-twilight, DragonSea, Shiroko, Jeni, Neo-Kun, Sakura-Tribal, Demoneyes 14, MoonChild123

DragonSea: Thanks for the information, and don't worry. I've said before, I won't pair him with anyone.

! The italics are thought

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Crimson Fate

Chapter 2

Disclaimer:

Albel: "Yuka don't own me!"

Yuka: sob

The guards came once they heard a scream.

"What happened!" one of them asked.

No one dared to answer. They only looked at their unconscious friend. The guard approached him and found out that he wasn't breathing.

"Who did this!"

They remained silent until a boy exclaimed, "It's him!" he pointed at Albel whose face was full of doodles.

Albel stepped back, "Wait… he can't be… he can't be dead… I only gave him a weak punch…" his voice was shaking. He was scared. No… it can't be…!

"Boy, you're coming with us!" The guard grabbed his arm, but Albel drew it off.

He ran towards the boy's body. He shook it as he screamed, "Hey! Stop pretending that you're dead!" but he didn't wake up.

The guards removed his hands from the boy. They forcibly dragged him off. Albel struggled to get free, but it was useless. They were too strong for him.

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It was already 4 p.m. Albel usually had made it home before 2' o clock. Arlina was starting to worry about her son. Did something bad happen?

She decided to look for him. On her way, she saw a crowd. She approached it to see what happened. She saw Gohh's mother crying in the middle of the crowd, holding her dead son.

So it was true! Something bad has happened! Did a mad serial killer came and killed the children! No… What had happened to her Albel…!

She encouraged herself to ask someone about him, "Excuse me, have you seen my son?"

Everyone gave her a sinister look. When Gohh's mother noticed her presence, she screamed wildly and tried to attack her. The people there tried to hold her back. They told Arlina to leave.

"Wh…what happened…?"

"Just go away!" one of them answered.

"Bu-…"

"Your son has just killed hers! And you still have a face to come here? Your son is in the prison! Now leave!"

What…? Albel killed someone! It can't be!

Actually she had many question in her head to be asked. But since they had already driven her away, she had to leave. Besides, she must find the truth by herself. She went to the prison.

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Albel sat in the corner of his cell, burying his dirty face into his knees. He regretted what he had done. If only he had a bit more patience.

He knew what punishment was waiting for him. People in his village didn't bother themselves by feeding the convicts. They would sell him as a slave. It was a cruel punishment since that meant there would be no hope of freedom.

His mother must be worried sick about him. He wanted to run into her embrace and told her how scared he was. Not because he scared of being a slave, he scared that he wouldn't be able to see her again. He wanted to see her for what may be the last time they ever saw each other. But he had no face to meet her. He was so ashamed, ashamed to her, to everybody, to himself. He wasn't a good boy

Would she be mad? Would she punish him?

His thought shattered once a warden came and said, "Boy, your mother visits you!"

What! No! He wasn't ready to meet her. What if she found the doodles on his face! He didn't want her to see them. She mustn't see them!

He quickly turned himself to face the wall just a few seconds before he heard his mother called his name.

"Albel…" she felt her heart being pierced by thousand knifes seeing her son behind the iron bars. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.

"…" he remained silent. He knew she was crying, but he didn't know how to act.

"Albel?"

Though he was scared, he knew he shouldn't lie to her. Still hiding his face, he answered, "I…it's true…"

Arlina was shocked by the answer. So it was true… Her son was a murderer. She felt many emotions mixed around in her heart. Anger, sadness, disbelief, disappointment. In one side, she really wanted to hit him. But in the other side, she couldn't do it.

Finally she decided to keep herself calm. She believed Albel had a reason for doing so.

"Let me see your face…" she said.

Albel shook his head.

"It's okay… I won't be mad. I believe you have a reason for doing so."

"No… I can't…"

"Why?"

They hadn't finished their conversation, but the warden came, "Your time is over!" he said.

"Please! Just a few more minutes… I haven't seen his face yet…" she begged

"He doesn't want you to see him. Now, go!"

"Please!" but the warden didn't care. They dragged her by force.

Albel could hear his mother plead to see his face. It pierced his heart. He ran to hold her up, but the iron bars blocked him.

"But believe me, mom! I really didn't mean to kill him!" he shouted as loud as he could, hoping that she could hear him.

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She heard him. She heard very clear what he said. She wanted to tell him that she believed him, but they had already dragged her out.

She must help him. But how? The only way was to buy him, but she didn't have nearly enough money.

She decided to meet the mayor, hoping that he could give her some solution. She planned to borrow some money to buy her son. He was the one who would lend her some money. She knew he wasn't a good person. He was a usurer. She wasn't sure that he would let her borrow again since she hadn't repaid her last debt. Or if he didn't want to lend the money, she hoped he could lighten Albel's punishment, since he was the one who should manage everything that happened in the village. But he didn't really care about that. That's why, usually, there was no trial for the crime. He was too lazy to make that kind of thing. All criminals would be punished as a slave without trial.

She knocked on the door, and then she waited. No one answered it. Then she knocked again, but still no one opened it for her. She hadn't given up. She knocked it again and again as she called him.

At last, one of his servants came out. "What is it! The master is already asleep!"

Sleep! It's just barely six o' clock! "B…but it's just barely six o' clock."

"The master decides when he sleeps."

"Can you wake him up, please? I have an important issue to discuss with him." She asked.

"NO! Do you want him to kill me?"

"Okay then… I'll wake him up myself!"

"Wh…what…! Wai-…"

She shouted as loud as he could, "Mr. Mayor! Wake up! Or I won't pay the debt!"

It only took a few seconds to summon the fat man out.

"What is it! Don't you know not to interrupt a man's sleep?"

"Might I ask a favor of you, Sir?"

"If that's about the boy, NO!" he stated.

"Please…" she pleaded.

"I said NO! Just a few minutes a go, that woman came and told me that she wants me to "take care" of the boy who killed her son as soon as possible. I also have taken her money. Unless you can out-pay her, which I doubt you can, your son will leave this village at 3 a.m. together with the other criminals! Goodnight!" They went inside and slammed the door.

She still wanted to beg, but she knew it was useless. There was no way he would change his mind after he got that woman's money, and there was no way she could pay him more.

Once again, she ran to the prison to meet her son, but she came only to be dragged away once again. The warden didn't allow her no matter how she pleaded, cried, and screamed.

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"Boy, it's time to go!" a guard said as he unlocked the door.

"N…now!" Albel knew that the time would eventually come, but he didn't expect that it would be this fast. He hadn't even said anything to his mother.

"Of course! Out!" he yelled and gestured him to come out of the cell.

Albel followed his instruction. He followed the guard who led him to the back exit. Outside, the other convicts waited. Far from what he expected, they weren't so much like criminals at all. Many of them were children, the others old men and women. He wondered what kind of crime they could possibly commit. It must have something to do with money.

"Line up!"

They followed the order. None of them were trying to escape, afraid of the price they would pay for that act. The guards tied their hands together to the neck of the person in front of them. After they finished, two guards took them to leave the village.

Albel kept looking back, hoping that he would see his mother. But he didn't see her. She didn't come. May be she was mad. Right then, he made a vow, that he would become a great man before she saw him again.

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Please your review . The review can make me work a bit faster Thanks.