Chapter 1 – Amidst the Chaos.
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I woke up from my sleep from the loud bell ringing. I sit up straight on the worn out mat and rub my eyes out of exhaustion. My day always starts like this. The Guards ring the bell when it's time to wake up and time to sleep. Cracking my neck, I then stand up and stretch my arms, when a sudden sharp pain in my back makes me wince. Must be the whips I received yesterday. Gently rubbing over the wound with my fingers, I make my way to the far corner of the room.
 
The scrub cloth is dipped in the bucket of water and runs over my body wiping it clean. Slipping on a loosely fitting linen shirt and black full pants, I then head towards the main hall for the day's work. Just like every other day. In front of me, in the main meeting hall, stands a line of people, wearing similar clothes, getting their morning rations and I promptly join behind them. Breakfast is nothing scrumptious. A little cornbread with vegetable soup. If anything, I am grateful that I am even getting food in the morning.

After eating my meal, I am told to assemble with the others in the garden area where work will be assigned for the day. ‘I hope I do not get field work’, I mumble under my breath, as I join the others, giving them only a nod as speaking between ourselves is strictly prohibited during the day. 'If only that bitch hadn't appeared in my life...' I mumble again, my fists balling up in anger as I wait for my turn.

Of course as luck would have it, the Steward of the mansion assigned me the field work when my turn came. And within minutes, I was being marched out to the fields. It was early in the morning, but the summer suns was already blisteringly warm and the thin clothes did little to nothing in protecting me from its harsh rays.

The work was hard, and there was little to look forward to. Usually, We were expected to work continuously with the only a break of  few minutes being in the afternoon after lunch. There was no sign of their Master. Usually, he liked to inspect his farm from one of the high balconies of his large mansion. Maybe he had left for some endeavour in a nearby city or perhaps he was too lazy to even bother. Wiping my sweat off, I begin tilling the land along with others. In case, if it was not clear till now, Yes, I am now living as a slave in the duke's mansion, working my fingers to bones as a punishment for something that happened a few years ago. This has been my morning routine for the past two or so years.. I stopped counting after the 869th day. 

At around midday, something strange happened. There was suddenly a loud explosion from the west side of the mansion and huge plumes of smoke started arising into the sky. Caught completely off guard, everyone is frozen in their tracks and are looking in the general direction of the explosion to see one of the granaries on the far side of that farm, only now to be replaced by a flaming wreck. It had just started, yet the fire was spreading wildly. Chaos ensued, all guards were thrown into a panic and started running towards it and soon even the field workers were called in to put off the fire. 

Thankfully, None of that was nearby me, and just when I was about to step forward, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It pulled me around to reveal a face, grinning down at me with a slightly mad look in its eye. Our eyes meet and my whole body becomes paralysed in a state of haze. Those same fiery eyes that appeared before me years ago were glaring right now from above. Before I could even react, or come back to my senses, the figure which stood a foot taller than me, picked me up, threw over its shoulder with ease and started walking towards the edge of the farm, dragging me away from the scene.

We pass some guards or to be precise what remains of them. Some are on the ground, their bodies and heads separated by a few metres. Others still barely resemble people anymore, their body mangled beyond recognition. As the figure makes its way through a hole in the wall that was not there this morning, I can see, and worse, smell the corpse of the guard the figure steps over. It's charred beyond recognition.

Words failed my mouth, and I could only helplessly watch as the remains of the wall guards scattered all over. The walls were painted with blood. This was too graphic for me and my stomach started churning at the sight. The smell of burnt flesh was the last straw for me, I immediately closed my mouth with a hand, as I started to nauseate and felt like puking anytime. I watch as the walls of the mansion slowly fade out of my vision. My eyelids get heavy, and I could feel myself slowly drifting into unconsciousness as I am being taken away. The figure however, pays me no heed, and carries me away swiftly unnoticed amidst the chaos.

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