The first thing Erik remembered was fighting the Eranae. Or was that a dream? No, the feel of a throat under his heel was too sharp to have been imagined. He'd definitely killed one of them. Pity he had not killed them all. If only he'd still had his lasso! It had disappeared when his clothing had been taken to be laundered on that first night. One of the servants must have stolen it, or more likely Oro had ordered them to dispose of it in his gentle foolishness. The spot on his neck where the dart had hit him itched slightly.

He had awoken some indeterminable amount of time later to find himself bound hand and foot, naked and stretched out on a steeply inclined table in a seemingly windowless room. His head was tied down as well by a strap over his forehead and he could only see part of the room. His throat was dry and parched, but there was no water he could see, even if he could have reached it. Suddenly one of the Eranae he recognized from the attack on his home appeared in his peripheral vision.

"Ah, the mongrel awakes! Good… I was almost afraid we gave you more sedative than your, ah, delicate constitution could handle."

Erik breathed in sharply and tried to pull away when the predatory Eranae raked his long nails along his jaw, raising angry red wheals in their wake. The deep baritone chuckle mocked him as the Eranae stalked in a circle around him.

"Such a soft little thing you are! No matter, even the weak have their limited usefulness, if properly employed..."

The Eranae stopped his pacing in front of Erik to face him head-on, still grinning like some sort of malicious Cheshire cat. Erik spit at him, hitting him square in the eye. The small defiance earned him a hard slap that rattled his teeth. The Eranae pulled back growling and Erik steeled himself for another strike. It didn't come. The vicious laugh returned instead.

"Quite spirited, aren't we? No, I do not mind. I would expect nothing less from a beast such as yourself. No, it pleases me, I think… You should prove to make for quite an enjoyable game. I do so love a challenge!"

A far-away look fell over the Eranae's face, but he shook it off quickly and returned his attention to the quarry caught in his web.

"How deliciously ironic that a such a soft little worm should possess such a powerful gift. Though, I suppose you could not have survived this long otherwise… But I digress. You have two paths before you now, mongrel. You may choose to fight us or to cooperate with us. I must warn you, if you choose the first, you will soon find life rather… unpleasant. Choose the second and you will be allowed to live much more comfortably."

The Eranae paused and smiled at Erik in a manner he no doubt judged to be kind, but it was a mockery and Erik's disgust must have been apparent, for the false smile was quickly replaced by an expression of annoyance, and he spit out his next pronouncement like venom. He locked a hand around Erik's neck, squeezing until Erik's breath was coming in a strained wheezing.

"I am not entirely unkind, you know. I will go ahead and inform you now, so that you need not wait to discover the facts on your own, that your freedom is forfeit no matter what you choose. You are henceforth the property of the Hari Anuma and my personal charge, mongrel. You have no name, no history, no family and no friends. You are a living weapon of the Hari Anuma, beast, and nothing more. Nobody can save you. Do not try to escape, it is hopeless."

The Eranae released him and Erik slumped against the cold metal, drawing in the damp air in gasps. The nails cruelly raked over his exposed chest and the Eranae turned on his heel and walked toward the exit, speaking to a guard that Erik had not seen before in the dim lighting on his way out.

"Give it water, the Master Anuma will not be pleased if it dies before we can make use of it."

Erik lacked the strength to open his eyes or struggle as the guard approached. He heard the splash of water and a hand took hold of his lower jaw, slowly prying it open as a bowl was brought to his dry lips. He drank greedily and cracked an eye open as the bowl was removed. He was surprised to find that the guard before him was quite young. His plating was fully formed, but still relatively thin. The youthful eyes avoided his own as the boy refilled the bowl again and repeated the procedure.

When the second bowl was empty, he placed it on a table outside of Erik's field of vision and started back toward his post at the door. Erik licked at his dry lips and tried to call out to him. He was horrified to hear a thin wheeze in place of his voice. He tried again to speak and when he failed a second time, he began to panic, pulling at his bonds until they began to cut into his skin. The guard returned to his side and placed his hands on Erik's arms, holding him down with the unearthly strength typical of the Eranae.

"Oh stop it! You'll just hurt yourself. They injected something to paralyze your vocal cords, but it's not permanent."

Erik struggled for another moment before giving it up. He was exhausted. The guard dropped his gaze to the floor and backed up a few steps, before turning from him and dashing back to the door.

Erik was not sure how he managed to sleep again. Perhaps there was something in the water he was given, or maybe it was just sheer exhaustion, but when consciousness returned to him for a second time, he was not on the metal table any longer. He was still bound at the wrists and without clothing, but he was now in a small room with a single small window high on the wall. He had been placed in one of the nest-like beds typical of the Eranae and found himself loathe to move. He knew that it was imperative for his continued health and sanity to escape, though, and forced himself to get up. The room had no other furnishings besides a small chamber pot in the corner. The window was higher than he could reach or jump to, and there was nothing to climb on the featureless white wall. There was a metal door with no window or handle and no locking mechanism he could discern.

Dejected, he sat down on the bed again, staring at his bound hands. He closed his eyes and the image of Oro's rage at the invasion of his home swam before his mind's eye. The thought that he may never see his grandfather again had tears stinging his eyes. Did anybody know where he was? Would they even look for him? If he ever got his hands on that coward Endo—

The door swung open and several guards entered the room. Erik struggled against his Eranae captors violently when they pulled him from his warm nest. He managed to kick another one in his soft neck and the other two pulled him to the floor, throwing all of their weight over him to keep him there. Another guard walked up and jammed a needle into his thigh. Erik gasped at the unexpected pain but his struggling soon ceased. The dim lighting on the walls began to grow brighter, seeping along the edges of all the objects in the room, giving his world a harsh glow. Sounds muffled in his head and everything seemed slower and appeared larger. Was he shrinking?

The head of the Eranae from the previous day floated into his vision as the guards stood up and left him laying on the floor. He shook his head at Erik, chiding him like a naughty child.

"You've been misbehaving, mongrel. You disappoint me. What a shame. Well, you need not worry, we'll teach you how to compose yourself soon enough."

The Eranae grabbed his bound hands and hauled him to his feet. Erik swayed but did not fall. He watched passively as the Eranae walked over to table to retrieve something. He felt another prick at his neck, but the pain was nearly non-existent.

"You have your voice now, mongrel. Say something."

Erik blinked. Say something? He could not remember any words. The Eranae slapped him. He startled and tried to think, but his drugged brain offered up nothing. Another hard slap and he fell to the floor.

"Perhaps the dosage was a bit high. Well, no matter. You will do what you are told."

Erik coughed and slowly rose to his knees and eventually his feet. He lifted his bound hands to rub at his eyes. Why was everything so bright? It was making his head hurt. He thought his mother had boarded up the window. Maybe she took it down while he was sleeping.

An hand grabbed the tuft of hair behind is left ear and burning yellow eyes faced him. A monster! But there were no mirrors in the room!

"Speak, mongrel!"

Erik managed an incoherent sound and the Eranae frowned at him crossly, but did not strike him again.

"You will call me Master."

Erik squinted and tried to process what the monster was saying to him. The hand twisted his hair tighter, threatening to pull it from his scalp. The monster shook him roughly.

"Say it! Call me Master or you will be punished severely!"

"Maah…"

The partial word came out like the bleating of a lamb and the monster threw him to the floor. Erik turned to his side and curled up tightly. Where was his mask? His mother would be very angry if she found him without it.

A kick to the ribs made him cry out.

"Get up, worm!"

He curled into himself tighter, drawing a knee up over his face. Rough hands grabbed him under the armpits and pulled him up to his feet.

"Say it! 'Master'! It is a simple enough word, even a beast like you could manage, surely?"

Erik sniffled but eventually complied.

"Master…"

"Good mongrel, I knew you had it in you! Now say it again."

"Master."

"Again!"

"Master!"

The Devil's laughter filled the air around him and Erik whimpered. He was being drawn into Hell like his mother told him he always would. He turned away from the burning yellow eyes and cringed as cold hands stroked softly at his neck.

"You see, mongrel? It is simple. Please me and you will be rewarded. Cross me and you will be punished. Easy, is it not? I think that will be enough for today."

The Eranae called the guards and Erik was led back to his little white room where he immediately sought the comfort of darkness, pulling the blankets of his nest over his head. He slept fitfully for some indeterminable amount of time and when he awoke, the drug had worn off. The memories of his humiliation swamped back to him.

There were two times Erik had truly wept since running away from home as a child. The first was after final flight from Giovanni's home and the second had been after letting Christine go. Now, for a third time, he practically howled, or would have if his voice had not been taken from him once again. The thin choking sounds emanating from his throat only served to fuel his tears further. He did not know how long he sat there crying into the matress, but eventually he slept yet again.

Erik fought his guards whenever they came, hoping to make for the exit across the room. He managed to kill two more over the next few days and received a beating each time for his trouble, followed by the administration of the drug. By the fourth day they began drugging him right out, not bothering to give him any time to fight back. The Eranae who had taunted him on that first day appeared every morning to pull him about like a kite on a string, making nonsensical demands of him until he gave in and called him "master."

Erik soon entered a dream-like state while undergoing his "training" with the Hari Anuma. While part of him remained conscious of reality, the rest of his mind floated about somewhere in the past and his guards often wondered why he spent so much of his downtime talking to someone he alternately addressed as "Oro" and "Giovanni," and occasionally "Tess" or even "Christine." He did not eat or drink unless forced to, mostly because he could not remember to do so, and the guards could only thank the Winds that he was still fastidious enough to make use of the chamber pot without outside prompting.

Within a month, his training was moved into a larger room. The dosage of the drug they gave him was slowly being decreased, but he was long since beyond caring enough to fight. His Master brought him the most interesting toys to play with now if he behaved himself, mostly Eranae and aliens who had displease Master. He sang to them, lulling them into a trance and leading them about like puppets on strings. On Master's behest, he led them into pits or made them hang themselves. It was all very amusing. How silly they were! The walked about like automatons, obeying his voice, no matter how ridiculous his commands. Didn't they know how silly they looked?