The Cursed Fanalis

Chapter 15

[Years ago]

Three hooded men throws the dark-haired girl into a jail cell and locks her up behind the bars.

"What are we gonna do with her? This is like her tenth time trying to escape. I don't get why Gyokuen wants her that badly.", said one of them.

"Shh, don't question her ladyship. She knows what's right.", said the other with a sneer.

After the three men left, the girl crawls up in a corner and brought her knees to her chest. She was sick and tired of being imprisoned and starved. Experimented with and tortured. One day, she had to get the hell out of here completely. She knew that but, all her plans of escaping all failed. Her miserable life as a source in the prison cell was hell.

That changed though.

Cold, she wraps the torn blanket around her and shivered in the corner. Hungry, she pushes her stomach against her knees.

All of a sudden, she hears the entrance of the prison open with a creaking noise. She then looks up, seeing a boy a little older than her standing in front of her cell. He shoos the hooded servants that followed him and squats down.

"Hey brat, take it.", he tosses a small bag inside the cell and as it lands on the ground, three peaches rolled out of it.

The girl looks up, staring at the boy and then the fruits on the ground, she rushes to it and quickly ate the three like an animal.

"Bleh, this tastes nasty.", she mumbled.

"Would you rather sit here and die of hunger?", said the other with a mocking tone. "The hell's your name?"

She turns around, facing the wall to ignore him but she had a change of heart. "Thank you...", she mumbled again and turns to him. Her eyes met his behind her hair that was covering her face. "Who are you?", she crawls to the bars and tilts her head.

A woman in pink and veil appears behind him and taps the bars with her staff. "Oh? She has learned to talk to people. My dear magi, will you keep her company?", she leans closer to the child's ear and whispers. "It will make our great father happy."

"Falan, who are you to order me around?", said the boy and flicks his hand at her to make her leave. "I don't need you to tell me crap."

The woman named Falan was taken aback and bows her head. "My apologies. I shall take my leave now."

She disappeared. After that, the boy hears the girl clink the bars with her chains that were attached to her wrists. "She calls me Astarah.", she said with a sheepish voice.

"She? Who? Falan just now?"

Astarah shakes her head. "No, she said she is called Arba."

He rolls his eyes and reaches his hand through the bars and pats Astarah's head. "Were you lonely here?"

"No. But I just want to leave. All my attempts to do so failed.", Astarah looks down, biting her lip with dead ruby eyes staring at the ground.

With a sigh, the boy cups her cheek and caresses it. He didn't know what to do. He had this feeling of wanting to make the girl suffer. But at the same time, he was very curious of her.

Months went by and since that day, Astarah and the boy's relationship changed drastically. The girl started to have weird feelings about him. The day she wanted to confess, was the day her nightmares started.

"Astarah, run. NOW!", the boy demanded as the two of them were at the top of a cliff near the sea. He waves his wand at Astarah, making her float a little bit. But she refused.