Legacies of the Forgotten

1- The Reaper

"Aaron, please don't let them take me!" I cried, clinging onto my brother for dear life. "Aaron!!" Both of us refused to separate, we've been connected at the hip since birth. We trained together, cried together, laughed together.
In our village, every young man and woman must train in combat. The women usually stay with the family and the men go off to protect our village. In my house, it's the opposite. They wanted Aaron to stay and take me to be thrown into the forest. "Anna! Hang on! I'll find you! I promise..." He let go and screams erupted from my throat, blood curdling in Aaron's body. His eyes were solemn but he knew what he was doing. We would be fine, right? The guards hauled me off as I walked my mother cry, my father be stone cold as always and Aaron waved at me, trying to hold back his tears.
As soon as we exited the gates, they tossed me onto the ground. "You'll find your way back in a week and if you survive, you'll be a part of the guard." They went back, locking me outside of my home.
What was I supposed to do now?

After walking for awhile, I found a spot where I could build a camp and sleep for the night. I built a fire and burrowed in the hollow of the rocks. The nights were cold here, so I tried to curl myself up as tight as I could, finding warmth in my own body heat. I fell asleep faster than I'd imagined. 

I woke up in a room that was only in my imagination. My mother had told me stories from this place. It was a tall tale to keep kids from wandering off. I got out of the bed I had been in, this was only a dream right? I slowly made my way into the corridors of the Fort when I felt a hand on shoulder. I swiftly turned around to see a man with tan hair and green eyes. "Hey kid, glad you're up." 

"Don't call me that. And what's going on here? Am I dreaming? This is the Nether right?" 

"How about darlin' instead? And yeah. You died in your sleep last night and so I found you and took you here. We'll give you a second chance at life!" 

"What's your name?" 

"Laurence, you?"

"Anna. What are you going to do?" His face didn't seem as happy as his voice had implied.

"Just follow me." He led me to a gated grand hall. There was a table off to my right with bottles of liquids, to my left an alter with a book on it. I couldn't decipher the language, but it was definitely not used for good. On the wall in front of me, there were chains, spikes below them on the floor. "This is where you'll be for the next few days. It's not a pleasurable experience, but it's gonna save your life." He led me up to the wall where he chained me in, my body hanging from the wall by my limbs. He removed the platform, revealing the threat below me. 

"What are those for?"

"Well, if you don't survive, or try to escape, these will end you either way. It's a safety precaution. Now just close your eyes and try to relax." 

He whispered some words in a foreign tongue. As soon as he fed me the liquid out of a vial, I knew I was not in a dream. Pain filled my body as screams evaded the air around us. "I'm sorry. It's pretty painful at first." His face was solemn. 

"What's happening to me?!" It felt like I was dying.

"It's the Nether taking your soul. The less you resist, the sooner you'll no longer feel pain I'll be back to check on you after my daily patrol. I pray to Irene you're still alive." He turned around and walked out, locking me in this dungeon of pain. My whole body was on fire, my head spinning. Screams kept burning the throat as they ripped through my vocal chords. I was raised to fight and be strong, but I wasn't sure how much longer I could take it before my body lost consciousness. I tried as hard I could, to bear the pain. Laurence said it'll save my life, so I hung there from the wall, and gave in. But, as soon as I gave in, the pain took my whole being and it all became black. 

"No, shit, oh fuck, Irene please. Please tell me I did this right! Wake up! Anna! Wake up!" Laurence's panic ridden voice was the first thing I heard when I came to. My eyes didn't want to open yet, but I slowly forced them to. I looked up to Laurence as he took me down and held my limp body in his arms as we both collapsed onto the cool floor of the fort. My breathing was heavy, relapsing from what I had just endured. "Oh you're okay, I got you. You're okay." I cried as Laurence held me. "You did it, you got through. I got you." His reassurances went in one ear and out the other. I was too concerned that the tale I was told as a kid was true, and now I became what I've feared of my whole life. 

A Shadow Knight.