Salvation
Table of Contents
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Chapter 94 Chapter 95 Chapter 96 Chapter 97 Chapter 98 Chapter 99 END AftermathChapter 19
"Get in there, you lot!"
Seth was thrown into a dirty cell with the rest of his companions after their shackles were removed, allowing the three to freely walk inside and interact as the guards then left, locking them in confinement by closing metal bars and disappearing into the distance.
The dungeon was dark, damp, and cold, with the smell of urine and mildew everywhere, making it difficult to breathe properly. Existing under the castle itself, the place was filled with iron gates that divided the prisoners from their captors, each cell holding five or six individuals at most.
There were no beds, chairs, or blankets for the occupants, forcing them to sleep on the cold, hard floor like animals, with only a small bucket to piss in the corner and a pitcher of water for drinking. It was miserable to be in, and to think that people stayed here for weeks or months on end was mind-blowing.
Within their cell are the three unlucky heroes who were summoned and then sent to jail for reasons that they do not hold accountable for; Guan Yu and Billy had their weapons confiscated by the knights prior to entering prison, which left them only with their armor and clothes as their sole possession aside from their pride.
Even his treasured crucifix is gone, taken away along with them, making the boy completely empty-handed and disarmed. For the first time ever, he felt truly powerless when there was nothing to hold on to or rely on since his source of comfort was gone and would most likely not be found anywhere.
He sat at the very corner of their enclosure with his knees hugged to his chest and his head lowered down in shame for everything that had taken place, as the only light source was the lanterns and torches placed in the hallways that illuminated some part of their space, allowing them to see clearly despite the lack of brightness in these confined cells.
Guan Yu had also sat in the opposite direction facing him, calmly meditating with his eyes closed, while frustrated Billy paced around the place furiously, thinking, "I shouldn't have killed that guy." He cursed inwardly in bitter resentment, "I should've just knocked him out cold or something! But now, because of that, we're all stuck here." Gritting his teeth angrily before turning his head towards the slobbering mess of Seth
"This is all my fault," Seth mumbled silently to himself. "I should've befriended her in the first place; if I had known these were the consequences, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. So why?" His body trembled visibly with fear and confusion. "W-what made—"
The poor boy couldn't speak another word when Billy angrily marched towards his direction before grabbing his right arm and violently pulling him up to his feet. "This is your fault, you shithead!" He shouted angrily to his face with snarling features, "If you weren't such a coward and actually defended her, that damn brat could've not died, and we wouldn't be in this stupid mess," he scolded with hatred in his tone.
However, Seth knew what he said was true, and it hurt his feelings even more to be reminded of what he should have done: "I'm sorry." Once more, he was interrupted by the very blue-shirt boy, who then threw him back against the wall of their cell as his head was still facing down at the ground.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," demanded the cowboy, frustrated by having to see this weakness of his when there was no reason for Seth to cower before him like a helpless maiden. It made him sick in his stomach just thinking about someone he considered pathetic. "Look at me," each syllable uttered by him filled with venom and poison, which caused the boy to finally raise his head.
His eyes glistened with tears streaming down his cheeks like streams of running rivers; they flowed down to the jawline, where they trickled and fell to dirt ground, creating small puddles below his shoes before Billy finally released him, disgusted from having seen this kind of behavior from someone he just doubts of becoming friends with in the first place.
"Disgusting," was the only thing he said to him, who had shown no resistance whatsoever against his assault. "At least defend yourself," he scoffed in disbelief for such a weak display. "I can't believe I'm sharing a cell with a sorry excuse of a human being," he said, shaking his head as he sat on the corner, far away from the other two within this enclosed room.
Leaning on his back, Seth slowly allowed his body to slide downwards until hitting the filthy ground with his hands pressed against the face to hide his own emotions, his eyes wide open in sorrow and pity at seeing the older boy give him a cold shoulder. "It's okay..." Trying to calm his nerves, he sniffed weakly before wiping off his tears with his sleeves. "I-I deserved it." Voice quivering between words.
Hearing that made Billy finally snap in untold anger, standing up as he went towards him before using his fists to land blow after blow upon Seth's face and chest. Each punch delivered by him caused the boy's body to be pushed slightly backward with every strike dealt upon his frail body.
Desperately covering his head with arms raised, Seth attempted to shield himself but failed miserably when his forearms began to bleed profusely and his bones cracked and shattered as the pain coursed through every fiber in his system.
"FIGHT BACK, DAMMIT!"
Rage and ferocity laced within his voice while striking repeatedly upon the weaker kid who continued to block his strikes, albeit weakly, to the point that he was able to push through, throwing more punches at Seth with savage brutality. "Or are you so fucking pathetic that you have to depend on others to save your sorry ass?" The more he continues beating the boy, the less he cares about this entire ordeal as blood splattered across the ground beneath their feet, staining their clothes.
Suddenly, he felt his arms being held by Guan Yu from behind, pulling him away from Seth while struggling to resist as the giant man slammed him onto a nearby wall with enough force to knock some sense of him. "Have you lost your mind?!" Disbelief, anger, and shock combined into one after seeing what Billy was doing to the unfortunate teen.
Billy felt the impact of his own face smashing through the solid stonework, causing his nose to bleed before landing flat on the ground with dizziness clouding his senses momentarily while the man loomed over him and said, "Do not let anger and frustration guide your actions," scolding him for his unruly conduct.
The cowboy coughed up blood when he regained consciousness from the collision with the wall, getting up to face him as he looked up at his challenging glare and said, "If it weren't for his cowardice..." Growling lowly before spitting blood at the ground, "that scrawny runt would've pissed me off, and I have taught him a lesson he should've learned a long time ago," I stared back at the elderly man, who appeared unconvinced of his justification.
Shaking his head, Guan Yu decided not to argue any further by turning around to notice the battered body of Seth laying motionlessly on his back against the wall. "Boy?" Calling him only to not receive any response at all, making him extremely worried.
Sprinting towards the boy's direction, he kneeled down and checked for his heart. Feeling a faint heartbeat thumping underneath the flesh, "he's still alive but barely hanging there," he informed Billy, who seemed uncaring of his current condition, "you went too far, child." His tone of voice became more severe than ever before as the cowboy could only stand there while looking away in indifference.
"Yeah, whatever, old man..." He muttered, "Who cares if he dies? That bastard is responsible for everything that is happening."Billy tried defending his own actions by claiming it was right for him to do what he did to Seth, but the giant man couldn't agree any less than disagree.
Not wanting to deal with this argument, Guan Yu stood up and sat next to the unconscious Seth, crossing his own legs with a sigh of exhaustion escaping from his lips. "Wasn't he your friend?" The question was met by silence from the cowboy, who refused to answer his inquiry.
Truth be told, Billy isn't sure if he considers Seth to be his friend when they aren't on equal terms to begin with. The kid is weak, pathetic, and incapable of anything good, always hiding behind his shadow to protect himself. No matter how much he hates that boy, he cannot deny that people have the potential to become stronger someday.
"Not really," he responded bluntly, "he's a nobody to me." With that, Billy finally had enough and decided to go sleep somewhere else, leaving both of them alone within the terrible cell they shared together, laying down near the corner. "And don't you dare wake me up; I'm trying to catch some shuteye here." Grunted annoyingly before eventually drifting off to dreamland.
The cell was dead quiet, filled with a suffocating atmosphere from what just transpired mere minutes ago. Guan Yu then glanced at unconscious Seth with sympathy reflecting in his features; he genuinely felt bad for what happened, especially when he should have acted sooner.
He felt awful for not being with the boy all the time, feeling responsible for having the power to prevent any more terrible events surrounding them that led to this disastrous conclusion. How can he possibly help anyone if he's busy doing nothing by living a peaceful lifestyle?
No, this isn't his home nor war; he has to head back into the battlefield and become the man he was during the times of blood and steel, fighting alongside comrades for sake of justice, where he shall reclaim honor that was stripped from him years ago. He'll prove that he is more than capable of becoming a better person again.
At this very moment, all he needs is self-reflection and meditation on what he must accomplish before it's too late, but as for now, he must focus on staying by Seth's side for being a failure of a figure to allow him to be wounded and hurt from the brutal beatings.
And because of this, someone needs to watch over him until they find a way to escape. Or, in the worst cases, accept their upcoming execution and embrace death that he never feared before; as long as there is life for these two still burning brightly within their broken souls, they have reason to keep continuing forward.
It is worth fighting for, as Guan Yu remained awake for the majority of the night until his old age caught up with him, causing his eyelids to flutter shut before opening them after hearing the loud snore emitting from Billy's mouth, prompting him to stare at the iron bars of their cell.
Many thoughts come to his mind; one of them is bending them apart with his bare hands, a skill he used to be capable of during his younger years. But now, as an elderly man, he felt his strength was weaker than his prime. Though it is better than nothing to at least try attempting
With great effort and strain, he stood up, quietly walking over toward one set of iron bars separating them and the hallway ahead, saying, "I need to try," encouraging himself to continue pushing forward despite how difficult things become for him, "for the sake of these children."
He doesn't mind dying, but these two, on the other hand, should have chances of getting out of here; they're the future generations that can bring lasting changes, while he himself is just a relic of the past long forgotten by time and history. He's old, but they aren't, giving hope of seeing those kids finally mature when the time comes for them.
Lifting his right arm, he clasped his hand around cold metal with fingers curled tightly into fists, using all his strength to pull them apart with grunts of exertion escaping from his throat, but to no avail. No matter how strong or persistent he is, these bars won't budge whatsoever.
After some time, Guan Yu eventually gave up and went back to his seat before sitting down, ignoring the slight pain throbbing on his lower back as he sighed out in fatigue from using unnecessary energy during this hour. "It seems like that won't work either," he admittedly chuckled dryly to himself. "I'm too old to break iron bars like I used to," disappointment evident within his voice.
Now that plan is out of options, he's back to square one again, alone and hopeless while being trapped within the dungeon of the castle while two youngsters slumber soundly for their upcoming demise at tomorrow's sunrise, "to think they'd be dead this quickly." Lamenting in despair of what will happen tomorrow, "but I will not allow it as long as I'm still breathing and well," nodding reassuringly with resolution shown clearly on his facial expression.
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