Chapter 1
My body erupted in pain. I could feel the tip of the sword slowly piercing my skin. It continued, going through muscle and even touching bone. I tried to hold in the cries, knowing that they would only encourage my oppressor. Finally, I relented. I screamed, tears flowing freely as I did. My cries were not for mercy, however. I pled for the damnation of my captor. I even spit in her face. This took her by surprise. My eyes shot open. "This is my chance!" I thought to myself. In that instant, I mustered every ounce of strength left in my body (which, compare to my former self, was feeble) and cracked the iron bindings on my left hand. That small crack was all that I needed. "PHANTOM MIST" I roared, praying my teigu would still recognize me after all this time. Nothing happened. My captor (who I now know to be a general of some sort) laughed hysterically. "You were SO close, you almost got out! I'll have to punish you for that, now wont I?" she said with a grin. She buries the sword in my chest. I brace for the pain…it never comes. Just in time, any later and I'd have died! I thought as I was engulfed in numbness I was all-too familiar with. The cool sensation ran all over my body as I simply melted through my restraints (much to my captors' surprise). I was out of the cell in the blink of an eye. Just as I prepared to leave the compound, I froze. I couldn't move. How can I still see and hear if nothing else seems to be working? I thought to myself. Then my heart dropped, and if I could've, I'd have cried. My captor, who I now recognized as the Ice queen, the general who laid siege to the northern tribes, General Esdeath, inched closer and closer."Damned coward! If you had the energy to run, you had the energy to fight!" she growled at me. His body still stood frozen. I knew that I would need to deactivate his teigu since it consumed so much energy. WHAT THE HELL! THE MOMENT I DISENGAGE PHANTOM MIST, SHE DOES THIS!? I thought as I struggled to try (and fail) to move. "It's of no use. This trump card of mine, Mahapadma, freezes time itself. You were doomed from the start." She boasted. She used her rapier to evenly carve her insignia onto my chest. I tried to scream, but heard no sound. I have no idea how long I was tortured, but what really confused me is what happened next. She let time resume, and I fell to the floor, bleeding everywhere. She spoke but one word. "Go". I couldn't believe this. Was I free…? "What the hell are you planning?" I asked. "Go and get stronger. If you train hard enough, you may even be able to entertain me. You displayed earlier that you hated me with a passion. If you really hate me, then get stronger and kill me." She said with a smile. I considered just running with my new found freedom, but decided against it. If I ran, she'd find me, hunt me, and kill me. I would have to kill her before I could leave this hellish place. I limped away, only to be stopped minutes later by some low-life thugs. "Not too smart are you? Walking around alone at night" He said with a smirk. God-damn it! I don't have time to waste on these fools. I thought as I began sprinting way from them. Apparently, my physical capabilities were a mere fraction of what they once were. The bastards caught up in no time. "Where do you think you're going, you god-damned country trash!" One of them said as he threw a poorly executed overhand fist in my direction. I dodged without even thinking. I analyzed my opponents. The one on the left seems to be in his twenties and has a sturdy build. If he manages to hit me with the full impact of one of those fists, while I'm in this condition, I'm done for. I glanced over to the right. This one seems to be my age and… a girl? She has a dangerous aura about her, and I can see a knife hidden in her sleeve. These people are dangerous, and I need to get out of here before I wind up dead. While I was immersed in my own thoughts, the girl decided to strike. She lunged at me, knife revealed, and I froze. Just before the knife would've gone clean through my eye, the assailant was slammed to the ground by what looked like… flying armor? The man in his twenties roared and leaped towards the some-what magical armor. The stranger didn't notice the enemy, but I did. In the blink of an eye, I'd picked up the knife from the girl (who was unconscious) and launched it into the bastards neck, puncturing the jugular vein. "Nice hand!" the armor man yelled over to me. I wanted to say thanks, but couldn't get the words out. Instead, my vision blurred, I threw up blood, and collapsed. The man in the armor had worry on his voice. "Hey, are you alright? He said as he tested for a pulse. His face grew pale. That was to be expected. After all, using my teigu made my body cool to the touch, and losing so much blood made my pulse near non-existent. "Damn it! I won't let you die like this, you hear me!" the man yelled as he picked up my body. That's when I finally lost consciousness.