Chapter 2

"Move! Move! Move! I said move, you filthy brats! Why do you have to be all idiots? I said move!" 

The orders of the guardians echoed in the prison yard. The prisoners didn't dare to make a sound. Not even those who had been walking for miles, not even those who were hungry and thirsty... nobody. Dozens of people were marching towards the entrance of Verkir. Many came, nobody ever returned. Everybody could represent a danger for Abbadon's power and the threats had to be exterminated forthwith. The soldiers would patrol on the streets, often attacking people in their own houses and confiscating valuable belongings. They would usually take people into their custody to give declarations about misterious activities in their areas of living, with the promise of release. A well disguised lie. Nobody could oppose. Families were torn apart, but nobody could do anything. If someone attempted to escape Jinzol, they would be killed. After the assassinations of the other three rulers, Abbadon took over the entire political power. Nobody was safe, starting from infants to elders.

Verkir was the most secure prison in the country. It was built on the top of the highest hill in Xeram, so that every person could see the "palace of death". Dark as night, as tall as Abbadon's royal castle. No prisoner could use magic, because the bricks used for its construction were soaked up in Ginah, the same poison that allowed the massacre to take place. It seemed like it strengthened the guardians' powers. It was the place where many innocent lives were ended. No other prison could be compared with Verkir. Its name means "pain", in order to be remembered by everyone who mentions it. 

The sound of the new prisoners' steps filled the air of the dim lighted halls. It was the sound of hope being crushed, of faith being abbandoned, of everything that could have been, being left behind. It was the end. In the cell with number 14, a twenty year old coal black-haired girl was sticking to the door, listening to the march of hopelessness. Her saphire eyes were still keeping a ray of the light that used to be in them. She wasn't looking anywhere in particular and her thoughts were flowing like a storm in her mind. Her clothes were ragged because of the beatings she received at investigations. She barely managed to stay on her feet and backed away from the door. Her soles were covered with fresh wounds, her arms and legs being always purple because of the bruises. She looked around the cell. The blood was still on the floor and walls, remembering her death was permanently watching her. The previous three people who were locked with her were killed not long ago, leaving her the only survivor. That was the third time it happened to her.

"Hey, scrawny hag! These are for you!" the guardians told her as they threw in the cell five people. "Don't worry, we will eventully kill them." they said in a mocking tone and locked the door.

Heaven took a close look at the new prisoners. There were two girls and three boys. She froze when she realised that one girl had two black holes instead of eyes.

"How could this happen to you?" Heaven whispered in shock, hurrying to her side.

"Who are you? Leave me alone!" the girl demanded, covering her face with her tangled auburn hair. "I told you to stay away from me!" she snapped once again, scratching Heaven's cheek.

"Farrah, she doesn't want to harm us! I can feel it!" a brown haired male intervened before the things escalated. 

"Claude, cut it out! How would it be possible that this girl could be better than the people we met before? I guarantee she will try to chop us while we are sleeping."

Heaven didn't say a word. She waited until the blind female finished her revolt. She knew her new cellmate had been through terrible times along with her friends. 

"Please, accept my apologies." the male said, bowing his head as a sign of respect. 

"Your forearms... they are missing..." Heaven stammered.

"Claude, do you see how she reacts? She can't be any different than the rest. Are we a bunch of strays or creatures worthy of mercy?" Farah complained.

"Please, allow me to introduce me and my friends. My name is Claude, she is Farrah and the others are Yasemine, Kane and Nathan. I hope we will not have incidents in the future." the crippled male said in a kind tone, pointing at each of the newcomers.

"My name is... Heaven." the girl replied hesitantly.

"What a paradox. Honey, we are in hell right now." Farrah intervened.

The coal black-haired girl looked at the other three people and covered her mouth when she saw that Kane was missing his legs from the knee down.

"What happened to you?" Heaven asked.

"As if you don't realise, you idiot." Farah mocked, spitting. 

An emerald-eyed male was glaring daggers at the blind girl and tapped her shoulder in an annoyed manner. Farrah understood what he wanted and turned her back on them. He apologised to Heaven for his friend's behaviour in sign language, but this confused the girl more.

"He is mute, Yasemine is deaf, but she can talk." Claude clarified the situation. 

"Go ahead, laugh as you wish!" Farrah urged her. "I am sure you xeramians love to mock the people from the other three kingdoms. After all, fire is your element, the burning power and desire to obtain everything you wish for by all means at any cost."

"I come from Serihe." Heaven replied calmly.

Nathan explained to Yasemine what Heaven said and the five people raised their eyebrows in confusion.

"You are joking, right?" the auburn-haired girl exclaimed. "I thought Serihe was destroyed many years ago."

"This was when Abbadon became the only ruler in Jinzol. Almost half of the population of Serihe was massacred. Those who escaped used their magic to teleport into the underground. That is the reason."

There was silence. The guardians bursted into the cell, hitting the walls with their bludgeons to prevent any sign of opposition. The six prisoners ran to the corners of the cell, thinking they were living their last moments. It shouldn't have ended this way: unfulfilled wishes, dreams which never came true, hopes which were destroyed, away from their loved ones. In the depths of hell, wihout knowing freedom again.

"What's this rioting? Do you want any more 'modifications' and you don't know how to ask? We can make them in just a second." a soldier asked them, unseathing one of his swords.

"We did nothing wrong!" a tiny voice said.

Yasemine's diction sounded a little off, which caused the guards to burst into laughter. She couldn't hear them, but she could see them. It was what hurt her the most. She was able to analise people only by looking at their faces and body language. Losing her hearing made her feel isolated, surrounded by an endless ocean of silence. She was near people, but her thoughts were the only thing she could hear. Nothing else.

"Look at this! A deaf lectures us. How funny! She wants a slight change of style, so why sohouldn't we grant her wish? How about a haircut... or better a headcut?" the guardian snorted with laughter, raising the sword above his head.

Yasemine huddled, waiting for the fatal blow. A blood-curdling scream cry escaped Heaven's lips as she dashed towards her. The serihian jumped in the swords way and spread her arms. The soldier looked at her bewildered and lost his concentration. Taking advantage of his distraction, Nathan sneaked behind him and snatched his weapon. 

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" the man yelled in frustration. 

Nathan pointed the sword between his eyes, making the soldier raise his hands to surrender. The other two guards who accompanied him took a fighting stances, waiting for Nathan's next move. The soldiers didn't have time to react, as they saw their weapons flying from their hands from the prisoner's blows. 

"He's not human! Do something! Take him down!" the man who threatened Yasemine ordered. 

His comrades enchanted a spell and snapped their fingers in unison. The emerald-eyed male dropped the sword and fell to the ground, convulsing and gasping for air. The first soldier stepped on his neck, making his agony worse.

"Nice job, kiddo, but you don't have a chance against us. Here, misbehaving is punished, in case you forgot." he said. "You're coming with us." 

The three guardians dragged Nathan out of the cell, locking the door before Heaven could reach them. The serihian kept banging it, despite the warnings of her cellmates.

"Please, don't make the situation worse! They will come back and take us, too. Do you want to die so badly?" Farrah yelled at her, barely holding her arms.

"He did nothing wrong! I am the one who caused everything. If I just kept my mouth shut, none of this would have happened."

The auburn-haired girl released her and Heaven fell on her knees. Tears were streaming down her face, as she was bowing in front of the four prisoners.

"What I did is unforgivable. I am begging you, I..."

"Don't be so harsh with yourself." Claude comforted her. "Nathan is strong. I have no doubts he will not come back. We trust him, and so you should. You tried to protect Yasemine, you were going to give your life to save another life. You are strong, Heaven, and you must keep being like this for our friend."

The serihian looked at the rest and apologized once more. As they were lying against the walls, holding their knees at their chests, Heaven muttered a prayer, hoping she would see Nathan again. She knew what it meant to lose someone you care about and she swore to herself to not let this happen in the future. Yasemine rested her head on her shoulder, thanking her in sign language, so they will not have another problems. Accepting her gratitude, Heaven embraced her, trying to give her a ray of the hope she thought it dissapeared a long time ago.