Mirae Walkers

❗Chapter II❗

Several years ago...

Caste was tied down by his horns. They had always been a dead giveaway he was a crossbreed and often got in the way of things.

All they'd done for him was give him a good way to stab someone. Like one of the foolish hunters who had thought they were a good handle while trying to catch him. Oh, that one was so satisfying to stab afterward. Sometimes, when he saw them out of the corner of his eye, it would seriously distract him.

Eventually, he learned how jammed full they were of nokgoj, the secondary nervous system only Mir-Cognates had. If they snapped, Caste would feel pain for months. They didn't even exist in the Mirae, as his physical body was different and always would be. That wasn't something to be thinking about though.

Caste leaned in and stared into the eyes of his interrogator, trying his hardest to hold the straightest of faces.

"Take me to the Mirae World." He snarled, slamming his paws on the table and bearing his teeth.

Caste's whole body was sore from the beatings he'd received before coming here. He was in serious pain and wished more than anything to be in the Mirae, where everything was perfectly painless.

But if he went, anyone nearby would be dragged with him. Which meant allowing these Mir-Hunters into Limbo.

"No." He said plainly, not changing his expression. He braced for another hit.

The impact on his back was numb, seeming as if he'd been hit a thousand times before. Un-miraculously, it hurt.

"I said, take me to the Mirae World."

Caste didn't break eye contact. "No. That would be cheating."

"You have one more chance." He said, fuming. "Take me."

"No can do." By one more chance, it just meant one more time you could do it, or you'd be starved for a while. Which did nothing.

He was thrust up by the arms out of his chair and dragged to the corner where a large bucket of water was resting drearily. Someone slammed her fist on his chest to knock all the air out of him before submerging his head.

Well, this was new.

Caste held his breath as they held him under, wondering when they'd pull him up. He was a valuable asset, which meant it was a great loss if they killed him.

About a minute passed, and Caste needed air. He released the tiny amount of air that was already in his lungs, listening to it bubble on the surface. His chest was twisting tighter and tighter as he forced himself not to breathe. The water filled his ears and deafened him. Caste began to feel lightheaded.

His mouth gave in against his will, taking a huge breath in, unsurprisingly with nothing but water.

He coughed and sputtered, but any water he got out came right back in.

This was an even worse pain. Caste tried coming up, but his head was forced down. He kept trying, but he was actually about to drown.

That was interesting. He'd feel this pain in his lungs for the whole time he waited in the Mirae world for a new body, as Cognates did.

His head was tossed out of the water and his body crashed into the floor. His lungs took advantage of the clear air and forced him to cough repeatedly.

He gagged up the rest of the water, still coughing and wheezing.

"Fine, fine, I will take you." He choked weakly, falling over the rest of the way, still trying to get the rest of the water out. He was not about to experience that again.