Ifrailian Tales

Traitor in the Underworld

Darkness, it was all Samuel could see. His wrists were bound to a rusty pipe. He knew because of the feeling of  corroded metal on his fingertips. He cringed as a twinge of pain shocked his system when he attempted to move his right leg. It must have been broken, after all the means of his imprisonment were far from pleasant. His only solace was the silence that accompanied him, leaving him alone to ponder his thoughts.

"Well, look at what we have here" A familiar male voice broke the silence. Suddenly a bright orb illuminated the cell. Once Samuel's eyes adjusted to the sudden change in brightness, he felt as if a knife had pierced his heart.

"Sorry for the lack of lights" The man continued as he walked into the cell. By his side was another individual, dressed head to toe in black. Floating just above this individual's outstretched hand, was the light source. Samuel  came to the conclusion that the mysterious stranger was a mage. "It would draw unwanted attention if we diverted power to this old place." The man said, crouching down in front of Samuel, cupping his cheeks with his right hand.

Samuel didn't speak, he couldn't. The man causing such distress to Samuel was Felix Nishi, one of the leaders of Alexandria's criminal underworld. Felix turned Sam's head from side to side, examining the cuts and bruises that covered his cheeks. "Wow" Felix stated, releasing his grip on Samuel' s face.

"They really did a number on you huh?" He sighed, turning back to the person behind him.

"Guess they weren't compassionate as you Luna." The person standing a few feet away from Felix and Samuel nodded, Felix looked back at Sam, his cheerful demeanor faded away. Replaced with an unbridled rage, he brought his foot crashing down on Sam's leg, annihilating Sam's already broken bone!

Sam cried out in pain, his eyes shot open. Felix felt a sadistic form of joy, watching him suffer. After holding his foot against Sam's broken limb for a minute, he pulled away giving Sam a brief moment of rest.

He coughed and gagged, he looked up making eye contact with Felix. Sam fought past the pain and managed to sputter out.

"F-Felix" He started. "I was set up! You know I wouldn't rat you out!"

"Tell me" Felix placed his hand under his chin while glaring down at Samuel. "Did you know it's possible to trace a telepathic signal?" Samuel could feel his heart start beating at an alarming rate. Felix could tell Samuel was nervous, as bead of sweat rolled down his cheek, and he was blinking far too often.

"It isn't easy by any means, no technology on Ifrailia is capable of performing such a task. But this man right here, he isn't a machine" Samuel looked at the man who stayed back, once again responding by nodding his head. Samuel didn't fully understand how such a feat was possible, but when magic is involved there's no telling what's possible and what's not. Samuel's head was grabbed and yanked forward, forcing Samuel to look Felix right in the eyes.

"You wanna know what he found out?" Felix grit his teeth, suppressing his anger poorly. "Turns out, someone was sending out information on our operation!"

"F-Felix I can-"

"Guess my surprise when I heard YOUR voice giving out our secrets!" Felix had finally lost his temper, slamming his fist into Samuel's face, blood splattered all over the floor. Samuel moaned in pain, coughing, spitting a tooth onto the ground. He took in a deep breath, shutting his eyes, these actions helped him regain his composure. Felix turns and walks out the cell, stopping in the doorway.

"Get him to talk, you know what to do when you're done" Felix slid the door closed and walked away. The mage creating the ball of light closed his hand, snuffing out the last, minuscule piece of hope he had managed to hold onto.