Down System

Chapter 1

It was the day of my death sentence.

"Please, no! Don't do this to my daughter, I'm begging you! Just take me instead of her!"

I heard my mother pleasing the military outside as I was preparing myself for the penalty. I peeked outside and saw her there kneeling to them; she was crying so hard and doing everything just to prevent me from dying although she knew nothing would change the minds of the men even so she cried a river of blood.

"We're really gonna take your life if you won't stop," one of the men said.

When that man made a step to kick my mother, I immediately ran outside. "Stop it!" I shouted as I hugged Mom. "Let's just go inside. Please, don't do this, Mom. Please..." I cried and was still hugging her when the man in front of me slapped me on the cheeks.

"Aleera!" Mom yelled as she held me even tighter.

"We are not accepting any drama here," the man said. "Put your mom inside your house or we'll shoot her first."

My heart was near to explode. I was so mad, but still, I tried my best not to glare at the military because if I did, they would surely kill her. "Let's go, Mom, please," I pleaded.

Mom hardly stood up, still crying. Until we finally entered the house, she was still sobbing. "I can't, Aleera. I can't..."

I turned my back at her after helping her sit because I didn't want her to see me crying. "I'll get you some water," I said before I headed to the kitchen. But instead of getting her drinks, I went to the bathroom and cried silently. I was already at the point where I was blaming myself for all of these.

The world of Hades was hell to all women. We had no right to fight for ourselves. We had no right to be against the men because they were superior. Once we do, they would put us to death, and this was why Mom and I were both suffering.

One night, I was forced by a man with gray eyes to have s*x with him. I refused his offer because I'd been so tired of their abusive s****l desires. Every day, I was being raped multiple times by different men, and I couldn't do anything but let them ruin my purity. Until I was so full of them, I learned how to fight, and this was what I had received.

"Aleera, come out of that room, please," Mom's voice rang in my ears.

I immediately wiped my tears and opened the door. I forced a smile as I took a glance at my mother's teary eyes. "Just took a pee, Mom, so that I will not pee later."

"Still cracking a joke at this point?" Mom cried.

"I ain't joking, Mom, I really peed," I said. "Oh, yeah, your water..." I said as I remembered her drink that I was supposed to give her a minute ago. I passed by her, proceeded to the sink, and gave it to her then. "Here you go."

"FIVE MINUTES MORE," the troop announced, "AND IF YOU WILL NOT GET OUT OF THAT HOUSE, ALEERA, WE WILL TAKE YOUR MOM!"

I took a deep breath as tears fell again through my cheeks. My time had come already. While the men were still repeating what they had said, I took the chance to hug my mother. "I promise to wait for you in paradise," I whispered to her.

"Why don't you just take me now with you?" Mom asked. "My life has no meaning anymore if you'll go away from this world. I'd rather die with you in paradise than continue living in this hell."

I let go of her. "Mom, please... promise me you won't do anything bad to yourself when I'm gone. Life is still beautiful despite these challenging bricks," I told her. "I'll go now. Remember that I love you always." I kissed her forehead and ran away. I heard her call my name before I went out of the door, but I didn't mind her.

Outside was a crowd of Hadessians. Everyone was there to witness me die.

As I walk to the center going to the stage where the beheading was going to happen, the group of men clapped their hands and shouted joy of victory; a glimmer of delight was playing in the corner of their eyes. On the contrary, women were quietly wailing, but they couldn't do anything but just watch me and let me accept the penalty.

"Everyone, please be quiet as we wait for the coming of the king," announced at the field as I finally went up the stage.

Holding my tears, I steered my eyes throughout the place and looked at the different emotions of the people. They were all calm already, but their eyes didn't speak the same thing. At the center in front, I saw my mother, whose face was so red. I could feel her shaking. I wanted to get down and hug her again, but the king finally arrived with his throne being carried by his servants.

My eyes burned as I looked at the devil coming on the way.

The world of Hades was hell because of his leadership. Thousand years ago, this land was just simple and peaceful, not until this king reigned and took the position. Since that, women started living a miserable life, while men were rejoicing and enjoying their powers.

"Here you go, your highness," one of the king's servants said when they finally arrived at the stage.

The king gave me a demonic smile as he confronted me. "Very bad," he said, as he touched my face, "we're losing such a beautiful lady."

I glared at him as I moved my face away from him. "Don't touch me. I don't wanna die with lots of impurity in me."

"So you think you're still pure after all, Aleera?" The king chuckled before slapping me on the cheeks that made every man laughed. "Stupid!"

I clenched my fist and barely closed my eyes before looking at him again. "Well, at least I'm not as stupid as you."

The king's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"I said, at least, I am not as stupid AS YOU!"

Again, he gave me a heavy slap on the face. "No one, including you, has the right to say I am stupid," the king said. "Seems like you know how to fight now since you'll be gone forever after some minute, huh? Well, you're wrong... 'cause I'll make you suffer first. I swear you'll feel all the pain before you lose your breath."

"I've already experienced every kind of pain, what more I couldn't endure?" I asked, smirking at him. "Nothing."

"You're not sure," the king said with a grin. "Now, give me the mother of this young beautiful lady," he told the men.

I puckered my eyebrows. "What are you gonna do with my mom?"

"Just wait and you'll see."

I was to slap and kick him, but the men stopped me. "NO! PLEASE, DON'T INCLUDE MY MOM IN THIS! JUST HURT ME ALL YOU WANT, BUT NOT HER!" My hands and feet were being tied by the men with thick ropes; they secured me then on an electric chair just to make sure I wouldn't be able to scandalize. When I shouted at the king, they turned on the power that made my whole body shake.

"Aleera!" Mom shouted as she ran towards me and hugged me tightly.

"Shoot her," the king commanded.

A loud bang aroused, and without my notice, they shoot my mother at the back. I was frozen as I looked at her slowly fell off the ground with lots of fresh blood coming out of her mouth. The effect of the electricity was still in me, but I couldn't feel its pain since the hurt I was feeling was at the heart.

"MOM!" I cried as I looked at her losing her final breath. I wanted to hug her, but I couldn't since I was all tied up.

Because of what had happened, the men expressed a loud whoop of joy. They shouted and gave a strong plaudit which aroused in the entire field. Hearing them laugh over my mother's death made me slowly lose my strength.

I turned my gaze at the king whose smile was as high as heaven, but as evil as Lucifer. "YOU ARE A DEMON!" I said as I spit on him.

The king grinned. "Am I already good enough to take over Satan's throne?"

"DIE!" I mouthed before looking again at Mom's dead body.

I couldn't believe I was seeing her like this. I felt so pity for her. How did they dare take away the life of this innocent woman?

Still wailing, the king ordered the men to untie me on the chair and place me at the center for the preparation of beheading. "I guess you've suffered all the pain now," he smirked.

I wasn't able to speak anymore because I'd been already weakened. I just cried and waited for them to behead me since there was no more reason to live. My strength was now gone, how would I be strong again? Not anymore, so I just closed my eyes while hearing the king call my father. I hate all men, including him.

My dad didn't deserve to be called a father because he was no different from the other men. He didn't love my mom. He wasn't a lover, but a rapist. He raped her and then, I boomed. Everything was just an accident.

My eyes were still closed, but I knew my father was in front of me already. I had no plans to see him because he was just sore to my eyes.

"Prepare your sword," the king commanded.

I took a deep breath as I heard the swish of the sword in the air.

The sword obviously came from my father. He possessed gray eyes which meant a power close to the king. He had lots of abilities, and he could turn his arm into any sharp thing, that was why even the other men feared him.

"Count to three, and you'll cut off your daughter's head," the king added.

"Yes, your highness," my father said evilly. "You may now start the counting. My sword is ready."

Again, I took a deep breath as the crowd of men began to count.

"One..." they started, "two..."

I could hear the women sobbing despite the noise. It felt like my mother was also touching me and comforting me with her words. For the last time, I inhaled heavily as tears shed down again through my cheeks.

"THREE!"