The Beast Within

CHAPTER SEVEN

They trudged down the dusty road, Ceraun making no comment that Adrik didn't have to tag along with him.

The non-Mages that came to give them their daily rations particularly took morbid pleasure in tormenting the young children, the ones too young to be drafted to war or the mines.

It wasn't that the non-Mages cared about the well-being of the Mages but that the Mages had been dying out too fast for their comfort, who would they send to the front lines to face off immensely powerful magical beasts if the Mages all died out?

When they had first raided Mage villages across the lands, they hadn't discriminated on who got sent to the battlefield, mines and labor camps. Children were torn from their parents and sent to labor camps, the sick and elderly sent to the mines to slave away and untrained adults were sent to die on the battlefields.

More than half of the population of Mages perished, the worst hit were the ones living amongst the non-Mages in towns and cities. The ones living in the obscure villages like Ceraun’s village were some of the last to be raided and by this time, Thrika had already been prepared for them.

They were cramped up in the town but the non-Mages were quick to remedy this by using the Mages as they pleased, it was almost like they had been waiting for an opportunity to practically e*****e the Mages.

Their numbers which weren’t much to begin with had been cut down during the Dark Ages when they had murdered their monarchy and toppled the Pillar families, their populations dropped steadily ever since, the majority of the Mages preferring to live away from the non-Mages.

Now only a handful of Mages were left and they were treated like errant livestock, placed in a barren cage of a town, prevented from living, yet restricted from dying, the use of magic was strictly forbidden.

So it meant that Ceraun and Adrik just drifted around, nothing was required of them except if they broke the rules and tried to leave Thrika without permission or used magic, then would they be sent to the labor camps no matter how young or old they be.

It was a cruel existence indeed, children were given a taste of freedom of sorts, free to frolic through the entire length of the town until they turned fourteen, where they were given the options to be drafted off to war or stay behind and slave away at the mines and weaving courts.

Most chose to stay behind, it was a miserable living and death either way but staying behind meant that there was a higher chance of living longer, it was all mind games of the non-Mages, the more that stayed behind the more Mages were born, an entire generation born into s*****y.

He and Adrik never spoke of things like that, although they had only a few months before the time to make a decision of their future would come, it was almost like they had signed a silent pact to enjoy what little time they had left, if it could be called that.

They lived on the far end of the town so they had to cross most of the town to get to the gates that had been put up, although the town was not even walled in, it was a way for the non-Mages to assert their dominance.

In no time and with their brisk steps, they get to their destination, their usual verbal exchange being passed back and forth, they could not afford to be too late although sunrise hadn’t been very long ago or there would be no water to be had.

“Stand in line, barbaric scum!” Yelling was heard just as they broke free of the cluster of tiny buildings, the high imposing gates immediately visible.

The Ration Master was cursing at children, all under the age of twelve, using a many mouthed horsewhip to keep them orderly, Ceraun had felt the sting of the worn leather through his thin robes too many times to be shaken by the sight of it.

From the looks of things, the children felt the same too, unfazed by his swinging whip but moving out of habit than anything else, the fire in their eyes however still burned bright, their bleak situation unable to snuff out the life in them, moving in rhythm in their thin, gray robes, like some massive creature of darkness.

“Try not to get trampled on by children.” Adrik said to him, hanging back while Ceraun continued the journey, looking back to give a witty retort to Adrik when he bumped into one of the soldiers, a mean-looking non-Mage with a shaved head and imposing leather armor.

A hush fell over the place, Ceraun feeling like a torch was placed above his head, he was quick to apologize, his heart thumping in his ears as he bowed as low as physically possible while clutching a big barrel, shouting out his apologies.

He could not help but feel like this very soldier harboured a special hatred for him, while all the soldiers that patrolled the gates were especially cruel to every Mage, maybe it was the way that his cruel dark green eyes like the depths of a swamp passed over Ceraun every time he came for his ration but he had always kept his distance from the soldier, it was just his luck that this day would be his unfortunate one.

The soldier does not seem to hear or care to listen to Ceraun’s apology, kicking the barrel still clutched in his hands so that he huffed out a breath of pain, curling over lower on his hurting middle, the barrel rolled away from his lax hands to the dusty ground below.

The soldier just watched him crumple to the ground, not recovering from the particularly hard kick, dark green eyes glittering as that of a snake, he reached out a big fist to harshly cuff Ceraun on the side of his face, disgust evident on his harsh features as he took in the odd scars beside the spawn of the devil’s left eye, a jagged, faintly glowing, green-blue hued scar that made his skin crawl.

No one said a word when he reached out to land a brutal blow on the fallen child before him, the other soldiers looking on with expectant gazes, cruel smirks on their robust faces.

Adrik’s steps took him closer with each harsh hit that was administered to Ceraun, feet moving unwillingly, he tried to stop himself, he was not the impulsive one, he would never willingly run into imminent danger, he had a sense of preservation to know better.

No, that was Ceraun’s turf but instead, the i***t was lying on the ground taking it, the Ceraun he used to know would not have done that, he would have charged for the soldier even with a nonexistent chance of defeating him.

The soldier eventually stopped with the beatings and Adrik’s feet froze in place, rebelling against a soldier could mean being sent to the labor camps, if that happened it was better to eat a Wild Lotus and pass away in one’s sleep.

Yet, here he was considering that very same option, perhaps Ceraun was smarter than he but he stopped himself in time so he deserved some points or so he thought until the soldier moved over to where the barrel had rolled to and Adrik saw red, that was pure evil.

He moved before his brain could register, his unused store of magic just burning under his skin waiting to be called upon.

Ceraun stopped him in time though, throwing his entire weight on the other Mage’s although his entire body stung.

Adrik actions do not go unnoticed though, the soldier stopping to look him right in the eye, leg still lifted to smash the barrel, Ceraun was hard to shake off though, his movements restricted even as he raged, barely keeping the glow of his power from showing in his eyes.

The soldier just gave him a scorn filled look, mockery dripping from him as he lowered his leg again.

Adrik opened his mouth to spew choice insults at the soldier only for Ceraun to slap a bruised and bloody hand over his mouth, muffling his outraged shouts when the soldier’s boot easily crushed the wooden barrel.

He bit Ceraun’s hand hard enough that the other was forced to remove it, breaking free from his hold.

The soldier was already looking smug, expecting the vile creature to attack him so he would arrange for them both to be shipped off to the labor camps but instead, Adrik rounded on Ceraun.

“Bastard Feyrer!!!” He yelled, punching the other right in the face…