Thoma gasped in pain as his knees slammed against the hard ground. A harsh barking laugh came from the guard behind him, relishing in his pain. Thoma gritted his teeth, biting back the words that threatened to pour out. Anything he said could be used against the Kamisato Clan, and he would try to protect them until his dying breath. Guards stood to either side of him, even though his hands were tied tightly behind his back, the rope rubbing against raw skin, his shoulders aching from being pulled back too far for too long. Not that he would try anything anyways. If he tried to escape, tried to fight back, they would just use it as an excuse to act against the Kamisatos, and he would not, could not, let them down.
A huge crowd of people had gathered to watch, and Thoma squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drown out the jeering around him. His heart pounded in his chest, and he so desperately wanted to flee, but he pushed the feeling down, accepting his fate. How could it have come to this?
Thoma had been so careful for the past few weeks, keeping alert because he felt, he knew, that something bad was going to happen. One misstep on his part, on mistake and he'd be done for. It was just so stupid on his part, a few nights of little to no sleep and he suddenly didn't remember to check his surroundings…
Thoma forced himself to push his thoughts aside, better to focus on now rather than before, and frowned. Something was different… A roaring in his ears covered the silence around him and he- wait. The silence. The crowd, just now yelling and mocking, had become hushed. His heart leaped to his throat and he slowly lifted his head to see her. The Raiden Shogun. The Electro Archon. The one responsible for all of this.
Thoma tried to swallow down the fear rising at the sight of her, but froze as she turned her head, eyes finding his. She tilted her head, and something flashed in her eyes, something akin to curiosity, but he blinked and it was gone.
Thoma's eyes followed her as she turned around, and walked away from him toward a statue of herself. Every movement of hers was so regal, so composed, the demand for respect practically radiating off of her. She paused for a moment, before half turning around to look at him. His eyes searched her face, looking for any emotion, but the serene calm never left it.
She said nothing, but merely reached her hand out casually, electro building in her palm. Energy gathered near his hip where his vision was, and when Thoma looked down he saw the same purple electro gathering around it. The vision started shaking uncontrollably, before flying from the clasp holding it to his belt towards the Raiden Shogun. Thoma couldn't hold back the gasp that left his throat, and on impulse he tried to grab it, chase after it, but his hands were tied and the guards behind him quickly crossed their spears in front of him. Despair filled Thoma as he felt the comforting warmth inside of him disappear, replaced by an empty hollowness.
Half dazed, Thoma lifted his eyes up to see his vision in the Raiden Shogun's hand. She held it loosely, and Thoma seethed internally at the carelessness of the grip. Screw the consequences. Thoma desperately tried to get closer to her, but only succeeded in ramming into the spears crossed in front of him, the guards roughly shoving him back. Please let this be a dream…
For the second time, Thoma found himself locking eyes with the Raiden Shogun. She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but at this point Thoma wasn't sure if he was imagining things. Everything was becoming blurry at the edges of his vision, and the world seemed to be darkening. The last thing Thoma heard was her voice ringing across the silent crowd, "May this bring everlasting eternity."
