Paragon

Remnants of the Great War [1]

PARAGON

Remnants of the Great War Arc [1]

Chapter 10 : World Prison

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Darkness, cold and quiet, cloaked the man in its motherly embrace. The chains that wrapped around him dug into his back and offered a nostalgic agony. Rank water dripped from the cobblestone void above, onto his cheek, and it itched so bad he could've torn his face off, if only for a moment of relief. But he couldn't. So he remained still. Only his breathing broke the everlasting silence.

How long had it been?

What does it matter?

When would it end?

I don't care.

Was he broken yet?

...

No.

No. No. Maybe his body was beginning to decay, but his memories hadn't even begun to smell. He could still remember everything like it'd just happened yesterday.

The carnage.

The rage.

And the pain.

The black blood of his long dead enemies lived on under his yellow fingernails, and beneath his rotten garb, staining his skin.

So here he lay, decrepit and forgotten. Time carried no meaning in this eternal dungeon, and the days and years slicked together like tar. Perhaps he hadn't been here all that long. Or maybe this was all just a dream, and he'd wake up on the battlefield again, as he had countless times before.

No, the war was over. He had ended it.

Distant sounds caught his attention, but he made no movement. The sounds became louder, boots on stone, as they approached.

From beyond the thick, rusted iron bars that enclosed him, two figures stepped from the gloom, illuminated only by faint torchlight from the other side of this black expanse. They donned nondescript uniforms of black and wore hoods to hide their faces. The standard wear of this prison's guard.

"Hey, monster. You alive in there?" one of them jeered, banging on the bars and letting a deafening echo loose throughout the chamber.

"Hey, cut that out or we'll get found out!" the other said, snatching his partner's fist before it could hit the bars again.

"Tch. Pussy. You scared of a corpse?"

"No... and they say it's still alive..."

"You dumbass. How can it be alive without food and water?"

"Still... what if the warden catches us down 'ere?"

"Shut yer bitching. No one ever comes down here. Half the guards don't even know this floor exists."

"What do you even want with it? We been down 'ere three times already and it hasn't moved a single time."

"I got a little something for it this time." The guard reached into his uniform and pulled out a bundle.

"Hey! That's my morning paper!"

"Fuck you mean, it's mine!"

"You 'on't have a subscription!"

"And you don't even read! I know you bought it just to look smart!" The guard shoved his friend aside and tore off the first page of the newspaper. He tossed the rest of the paper to his friend and crumpled his page into a ball.