On The Fountains Edge

Sneek Peak

Authors Note: This is a sneak peek at the rewriting of this story. I have been working hard to create a story that slowly grows the characters as well as building the story of those characters. I have changed many things as well as added many things to this story. What you will be reading are the first two chapters of the rewritten On the Fountains Edge. If you enjoy this please do leave a comment about your favorite part. My writing has grown and is still growing so every little bit of feedback helps. Hope you all enjoy your little sneak at On the Fountains Edge Rough Draft 2.0.

Prologue

Water trickled down the dark clouded sky's as people marched with their matching umbrellas. Their hearts sang a song of memory from which repeated through the wind. No words could describe the pain everything, living or not, felt. Buildings were falling apart. Their roofs caving in; walls cracking like old skin; vines creeping up, sliding through every crevice. Each building was abandoned and being tortured by time. How did it end up this way?

"Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to this place of the past. This is not just a place you can walk around and enjoy. There is a story, one that will change your mind about how mesmerizing this place is. And just like my grandson, this is your first time here, your first time to hear their story. My name is Ajin, I will be your guide, but first follow me to the place where we will sit and hear a story of one man and his life as an aged soul. This is his story, and how he changed the world of people we called the cursed. Welcome to The Slave Fountain!"

People began to sit on the chairs that were under a cheap plastic square provided by Ajin. He had thought ahead and made sure the rain would not cause any issues with the seating; making sure no one gets soaked by the rain. The people began to Look forward, right towards the eye-catching fountain, one of which held one statue. The statue was of a man who looked at a young child that he cradled within his hands.

"Now that everyone has taken their seat, I will begin!" Ajin yelled as he stood beside the statue. "This statue has been here for almost a hundred years now, that may not seem like a long time to some of us, but times were different back then, a lot has changed. Now this story begins with one man and his dream of changing the world..."

Chapter one

Eighty-Three years ago, almost every person with money had two things in common, money and slaves. Slaves were not always a thing, not till marks, almost like a tattoo, began to show like birthmarks on newborn children. After hundreds of women had given birth to children such as this, doctors began to take these children out of the hands of their loving mother, who had carried them for nine months. Those doctors took those children to a facility that was filled with scientists. Each room had nothing but walls and a door. They were raised by the very people who used them as test subjects.

As the children grew older the scientists noticed something strange. At first, they thought it was a one-time thing, but then it began to happen to every child within the facility. If it happened back-to-back, they wouldn't think anything of it, but it happened almost spontaneously. These children began to die... Now that may sound normal, it is a part of life, but no. Their death started slow, gradually growing, till they couldn't breathe. The very reason they were taken, is the very reason they died. They may have died spontaneously, but they all had one thing in common... They turned to stone. And no matter how much they studied their remains; it all came back blank. No one, not even the smartest people in the world could figure out how these children were dying, and at such a young age. Decades had passed and soon, the research facility turned into a breeding ground for what they began to call the cured.

The facility grew and became overpopulated, so they did what any cold-hearted creature would do; they sold them. At first, they waited for them to breed and birth a child before they sold them, but they then realized that they don't have much time before they give way and die. Instead of breeding and then selling the parents, they decided that they would sell the children.

They created a special school that would teach them how to talk, just like the other children... Or so it seemed. Those children were taught to never speak unless their owner told them to. They were taught how to sew, cook, clean, and even more. They were told that if their master told them to do something, they had to do it, no matter the task.

These kids were not treated like humans, they were treated like animals. If they didn't listen, they would get a beating; if they got caught doing anything other than sitting when alone, they would get a beating; if any of the staff were bored, the children would get a beating. And once they turned three, they were available to be sold, and anything they hadn't learned slave-wise was up to the buyer to deal with.

There was no more breeding within the facility once those who were left from the old ways passed, they made it legal to breed any slave, long as you either owned the breeders, or you signed an agreement with other owners. Not many chose the second option, people like them only cared who came up on top, everything was a competition.

You may not find any now, but back then when they made a law, they wrote it with a quill pen and ink, on paper used mostly for official documents from those in power, called Papyrus. It was used for everything before their time, but they found new ways, and papyrus became something scares. And like all leaders, those old men really liked the way the paper made them feel, powerful, rich, and most importantly, it made them feel like they were the only ones who will ever make choices that will impact the people of the world. Back then, only those in power could discuss and vote on laws, the people never had a choice, their life was written and controlled by old men, who only cared about money and power, nothing else.

Usually, laws were not allowed to be changed after being established, but with the slave law, they made an exception. Slaves were new and although they studied them for generations, there was always something new to add to the big book of the slave law. They would constantly add, but they would never remove anything from this law.

Many people loved this law, some were unsure, but never turned their head when they saw a slave. It wasn't rare to love the idea of having a slave, but it was rare to disagree. And those who disagreed never told anyone, and never did anything about it, they just lived with it. Well, that is for everyone except Valens, but he, well... he's not like everyone else, he strived to be the only one of his kind. With that said, he is the only man of that time that I could call a human.

Authors Note: Again if you did enjoy please leave a comment on what you liked. Also, if there was something that you wish to give feedback on, please do, I appreciate it. Thank you for reading.