On the outskirts of a small village, where cattle grazed as if they hadn’t eaten in days, sat a boy, staring up at the clouds. Laughter echoed faintly from a distance—children pretending to be knights, shouting with joy across the sunlit grasslands. The village itself was modest, wrapped in greenery, and lively at a glance. Villagers passed one another with warm smiles and kind words—all delivered through hollow eyes. The boy scoffed when he saw a cloud shaped like the steward of the village—a pudgy, smug ball of meat. The boy wiped his hands on his tunic and bent his knees, preparing to stand, just as the children’s laughter grew louder.

  “Oh, look, it’s the steward’s bastard,” one kid called out with a smirk, pointing. A word a boy shouldn’t know, learned from a father who should’ve known better. Yes. The steward was his father—a man the boy loathed. Another child knelt, scooped up a handful of mud, and hurled it. It struck his head, splattering through his hair. The others burst out laughing. His frown deepened. With fists flying, he lunged at the boy who had thrown the mud. He punched him in the face once, twice, before the rest tackled him. He hit the ground hard, curled up, and shielded his head with his arms as their boots slammed into him.

  All the while, he cursed the steward. Eventually, they stopped. Laughing, they walked away.

  He lay on the grass, arms splayed wide, face bruised, body trembling.

  I hope they all die, he thought, closing his eyes.

  The sun sank behind the distant mountains, and the day passed. The grazing cattle followed their herder. And the boy still lay there. Sleeping.

  When he woke up, the sky was dark. And the stars looked upon him in grief. He turned to his side and sat, straightening his back. After a glance at the village, he stood and walked towards it, limping and with his gaze lowered. Nobody asked him, ‘What happened, Ray?’ Nobody cared. Only whispers and silent curses followed him home.

  Ray stood at the door of a fancy house, which reeked of alcohol. The golden light from the lantern reflected off his muddy blonde hair. The door flung open, slamming into his face as he stumbled to the side. A woman stormed out, footsteps sharp and furious. Behind her waddled a fat sack of meat, face flushed and glistening with sweat. Unlike the cloud. This one… was fatter. Ray watched him with disgust. He knew he took after his mother. Not that.

  The man sighed, turned, and walked back inside without so much as a glance at his son. Ray stared at the woman walking away, another one of the steward’s mistresses. Then, he silently stepped in and slithered to his room, near the barn at the back. It wasn’t much of a room, more like a hole, and Ray was the rat. But it was cozy, putting a smile on his face. He lay down on the hay as the moonlight crept through the cracks. Tired and beat up as he was, Ray immediately started snoring.

  In the middle of the night, sudden screams woke him up. Crimson flickered from the cracks as the hay near where he lay was on fire. Smoke filled his room as he rushed out, only to get caught by a pair of hands and slammed to the ground. “Look here, I found a rat,” the man said excitedly and dragged Ray outside, through blood, fire, and ashes.

  Ray looked around. The sack of meat lay still, soaked in blood, face twisted in a final wheeze. For a moment, he expected the usual fear—the usual trembling. But… he smiled.

  The man standing next to the dead steward noticed the twisted smile on his face and called out, “Hey! Bring the boy here!” The one dragging Ray nodded.

  Sitting down on the steward’s dead body, he asked, “What is your name, boy?” The other man let go of him and left as he stumbled to his feet. “Ray,” he replied. The man smirked. “How are you related to this… fat bastard?” Ray looked at the steward. “He was my father.”

  The man’s eyes widened first, then he burst out laughing as the screams of the villagers surrounded them. Ray looked around and spotted the children gathered in a corner and asked, “What are you planning to do with them?” The man stopped laughing and said, “We are going to sell you as slaves.” He stood up and patted Ray’s head. “Ray, right? I am Duval,” and dragged and threw him near the rest of the children. “Tie them up,” Duval shouted to his men.

  The village burned to the ground, with screams of villagers and jeers of the raiders surrounding the tied-up children. Ray sat, his hands tied behind his back, as the children continued weeping. The dark sky brightened as the sun peeked above the mountains. The village had turned to ash while the raiders got ready to move.

  One by one, the children were shoved into the back of horse carriages. The shouting raiders made the children flinch. Ray questioned one raider, “Where will we be heading?” The raider frowned and was about to hit him before Duval answered, “To the center.” The raider shrank aside as Ray looked up at Duval.

  Ray didn’t get a good look at Duval before, since there was barely any light except for the fire. But now, under the sun, he could tell that Duval was no ordinary raider. He had a golden, sleek belt tied to his waist; his chest armor had an insignia that Ray didn’t recognize. Ray only reached his waist, and Duval also towered over his fellow raiders. His green eyes complemented his hair, which looked as if someone had colored it. A finely crafted blade of sapphire rested on his back, and his right arm had scars only those who fought in wars would have.

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  Ray was a smart kid; he read books that were rotting in the fat steward’s house.

  He asked, “Were you a Knight?”

  Duval looked at Ray with an icy stare, then smirked. “Yes, I was.”

  Ray had seen illustrations of knights in the books he read, but none looked like Duval. He was rather fancy for a knight who looked sophisticated in the books. But people respected knights because not everyone could become one.

  A fallen knight.

  Ray smirked at Duval’s response and willingly entered the carriage and sat in a corner where no one would bother him. Duval peeked inside and asked, “How old are you, boy?” Ray didn’t bother looking at him. “I’m twelve… I guess.” Duval frowned, laughed, and shut the carriage. Duval ordered everyone to set out when all the children were inside the carriages.

  The carriage moved slowly at first, and the children bumped into each other. Then they picked up the pace, leaving the ashen village behind. The inside of the carriage was dark, and the soft whimpering of the kids made it more annoying for Ray, who frowned while closing his eyes.

  Days went by. Some children passed out from hunger, and Ray finally had some peace. The carriages never stopped; they kept moving through plains, forests, and mountainsides, and finally, on the fifteenth day of Ray’s capture, they stopped.

  The bright sunshine invaded the dark carriages as the doors opened, but the children didn’t move. One of the older raiders grunted, “They’ve all passed out, innit?” The younger one who opened the door replied, “Yeah, me mum always said, kids need food and water.” The older scoffed, “Was your mum a carer?” The younger shook his head. “No, she been crazy.”

  They both laughed as they dragged the children out one by one, except for Ray. The younger one said meekly, “Duval been wanting this kid for himself.” The older grumbled, “Yeah, he might kill you, leave the kid be,” as they picked up the other kids and shut the carriage door.

  Inside the dark carriage, Ray straightened up and muttered, “Duval wants me? Why?” His stomach was growling when the door suddenly opened.

  Duval entered, picked up Ray, and without a word walked outside. Ray squinted his eyes as the blinding sunlight fell on his face. When his eyes adjusted, he saw a vast forest below them, under the cliffside. “You like the view?” Duval asked, putting Ray down. Ray almost stumbled off the side of the cliff, but Duval grabbed him. He turned around and saw a hole in the mountain. “What’s this?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “It’s the back entrance to the Slave Summit,” Duval replied. “Hundreds of nobles will arrive from all over the world just to buy the merchandise.”

  “You mean people?” Ray sneered. Duval laughed. “Yes, people.” Ray looked around, his legs trembling and stomach growling. The screams of the children echoed through the cave as the others dragged them inside.

  “Why are you not dragging me inside?” Ray questioned. Duval chuckled, “I like you.” He knelt. “I could just take you and disappear from here.” Unsheathing his sword, he said, “There is nobody here who could stop me.”

  “Then why don’t you?” Ray asked curiously, unimpressed by the sword. “I have a goal, Ray,” he said, sheathing his sword. “That is why I’m here.”

  Ray tilted his head and asked, “Get to the point already.” Duval smirked. “I knew you’d understand.” He stood, continuing, “I want you to learn everything you can from whoever buys you and come to me.”

  “Why?”

  “I need comrades to achieve my goal, and I think you could be one of them.”

  “I’m just a village boy, how could I help?”

  “Right now, you are just a village boy, but who knows, you might just become someone great.”

  Ray sighed, “What if I can’t escape?” Duval’s smirk turned upside down. “Then you weren’t worth it.”

  Ray pondered for a bit and said, “Alright, I’ll try, but…”

  “But what?”

  “What is your goal?” he asked.

  Duval chuckled, “I’ll tell you when you escape.”

  Ray nodded as Duval picked him up and walked inside the cave. The dark cave was silent now, except for the sound of stagnant water dripping and Duval’s footsteps. “Can I have something to eat?” Ray asked, slumped over Duval’s shoulder. “I might die.” Duval chuckled, “Why do you think it’s so quiet right now?” Ray frowned, confused, but it went away when he saw all the children feasting in a dimly lit chamber.

  He looked over at Duval with squinted eyes. Duval smirked. “The merchandise needs to be in proper shape; otherwise, nobody will buy it.” And he waved him away. Ray walked through the absolute mayhem the kids were causing. Some breadcrumbs flew at him as he sat down in the corner. One woman served a tray in front of him. It had soup and red bread, with some slices of meat mixed in it. Unlike the other children, Ray ate slowly, but he ate a lot.

  He had a habit of counting the number of things he ate. He counted nine red bread slices and ten pieces of meat. After the carnage of lunch finished, they tied the children’s hands and led them near a blue lantern. As Ray walked, he noticed several kids with unusual appearances. Some had darker skin with bright red eyes, and some were shorter than the rest, and some had purple eyes. He had seen illustrations in books of people from different kingdoms. They looked just like them.

  The children stopped behind a curtain. Someone spoke loudly on the other side, with cheers and gasps of awe. One by one, the children disappeared behind the curtain, and soon it was Ray’s turn. He entered the curtains, and a blinding flash of light fell on his face. He covered his eyes with his tied hands before they adjusted. A massive crowd of people stared at him. They gave him uninterested looks from behind their masks.

  The person standing next to him shouted again, “We have a human male with beautiful blonde hair and green eyes.” He grabbed Ray’s arms. “Even though he is young, he looks well-fed and strong. House chores, caring for animals, you name it, he will comply.” Then with a smirk, he added, “He is also suitable for... intimate service.” Ray frowned. But before he could say something, someone raised their token, shouting, “Two Siliu!”

  Ray looked at that person with disgust. Another shouted, “Three Siliu!” The auction continued until someone with a raven mask bid eight Siliu and purchased Ray. They took him to a curtain on the other side, untied him, and handed him over to two guards whose armor bore a raven.

  One of them uttered, “Behave well and you will be fed,” while grabbing his arm and leading him outside.