Drip drip.
In a cramped cell shrouded in darkness, a young man is found lying on the cold, dirty floor. However, despite the shabby state of the room, he was still sleeping peacefully as if it did not affect him.
"Zzz…" In his dream, he found himself floating in an endless void, filled with nothing but darkness. He was completely drained, as if his soul had been taken away, leaving him lost in the vast emptiness.
That is the main reason why he could fall into a deep slumber despite the bad condition of the room, he simply doesn't care.
Even when water from the leaking roof drips down his face, he just wipes it away. Or when the rats lurk around, trying to bite him out of hunger, he only rolls his body away to avoid them.
As if there was nothing that could interrupt his sleep.
But of course, peace is a fragile thing, especially in a place like this.
Clank.
Out of nowhere, a loud metallic sound echoed through the hallway as the footsteps slowly grew louder with each passing second. As the heavy iron door creaked open, a faint light from a nearby torch lit up the cell, revealing a guard standing in front of the young man.
"Tch. Still not awake?" The guard muttered in irritation.
He stood over the sleeping figure with a scornful look in his eyes.
"Oi, scum! Wake up!" He shouted, his voice rough and sharp.
No response.
The young man remained motionless, his breathing slow and calm, seeming unaffected by the guard's shouts. His forehead twitched slightly, but he didn't even bother to react.
This accidentally made the guard angrier as he leaned down to grasp the collar of the young man's ragged shirt, shaking him violently.
"Are you deaf or just playing dead huh?" The guard shouted directly at the young man's face. "I said get up, you damned murderer!"
Still nothing.
As the guard's fury reached its boiling point. He let go of the young man's collar with a growl and stepped back, muttering curses under his breath. "Fine then. You want to play like this right?"
He reached for the metal bucket next to the door, which was filled with water dripping down from the leaking roof. And without hesitation, the guard dumped the entire bucket of water down on the young man.
Splash!
The water immediately crashed over the young man's face and chest, soaking him instantly.
Due to the heavy rain last night, the water was extremely freezing like ice. Along with the young man's wretched condition, the cold water now was no different than a critical hit.
The young man gasped awake. His body was shaking violently as the cold water wash through him. Then, his eyes snapped open, they filled with nothing but shock and confusion. The young man struggled to catch his breath. He felt like something had blocked his throat as he kept coughing and trembling. He tried to sit up but only managed to bring himself up with one elbow due to his poor state.
"Wha—what…?" The young man could barely whisper. "What the hell is happening…?"
The young man let out a pained screech as the guard's boot hit his stomach hard.
The young man struggled to catch his breath while experiencing an intense pain in his ribs. He collapsed onto the wet floor with a loud groan.
"What is going on…?" He groaned in agony.
Upon hearing this, the guard scoffed, his voice filled with disgust. "Are you seriously asking what's happening? Let me tell you one thing, playing dumb here won't save your ass from being kick."
The young man clenched his teeth as he was still feeling the pain from the kick on his stomach. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes blurring.
"I—I don't get it…" he said, barely loud enough to hear. "Who are you…? Why am I here…?"
The guard's face twisted into something nastier.
"Oh, you really are trying to play the clueless game, huh?" He stepped closer and spat at the young man. "After everything you did, after the mess you had made. You dare to ask why?"
The guard bent down and grabbed the young man by his collar, causing him to flinch.
"You piece of shit disgust me."
With an angry growl, the guard yanked him off the ground as if he were a ragdoll.
"You want answers? Fine. I'll knock some sense into that stupid head of yours!"
The guard shoved him forward, out into the dark hallway. The young man struggled to keep his balance, his feet slipping on the wet floor. Another push from behind forced him to keep going.
"Move!"
The hallway ahead was like a tunnel straight into hell, cold, wet, and had a bad smell from mold, metal, and even blood. Shadows danced across the cracked walls as the young man was dragged deeper into the prison.
Each time he slowed down, the guard behind him would respond with another violent shove to his back.
As the guard dragged the young man along, the noises around him started to get louder.
The sound of clanking chains, low chuckles, and the metallic clang of someone banging on bars.
Inside the nearby cells, many figures looked through the iron bars, watching the young man stumble down the hall like a defenseless prey.
"Well, well." Came a rough voice from one of the cells. "Look who finally woke up from their peaceful sleep."
Another prisoner burst out laughing like a crazed beast. "Must've been a nice dream, huh, young master?" The voice laughed at him. "Ah, I forgot. You're not a noble anymore. Hahaha!"
More laughter echoed down the hallway. It sounds twisted and cruel, like a group of hyenas laughing at an injured animal.
"Should've behaved better, sweetheart." An old man with no teeth laughed behind rusty bars, shaking his chains. "There's nothing good waiting for you out here."
Another voice growled from the shadows, "You better get used to crawling. After all, you reap what you sow."
However, the young man paid no attention to the jeers as he just hung his head low and kept going, his mind fogged with confusion. All the noises around him felt distant, and distorted like echoes.
Reap what you sow?
Noble?
Young master?
None of it made sense. His head hurt with each step he took, and the cold on his skin was the only thing that felt real.
As the voices grew louder and louder, the guard behind the young man seemed to lose his patience.
"Shut it, all of you!" He shouted, slamming his baton against one of the iron bars. The sharp clang echoed like a thunderclap. "You want a taste of what he's getting? Keep yapping."
And that was enough to silence most of them. A few chuckles remained in the air, but they soon faded as the guard dragged the young man further down the hallway.
The young man stumbled as he walked, but he never once raised his head.
The only thing he knew for certain was that something was horribly wrong.
Not just the pain. Not just the prison.
But something deeper.
Who am I?
The young man can't remember anything. He doesn't know where he is, what he did, or even his own name.
Every time he tried to think about it, he found nothing but a throbbing headache. His mind was empty, cold, and quiet. No memories. No images. Nothing at all.
Only his instincts were left. The instinct to breathe. To flinch when pain came. And to walk when being shoved.
Even his own body felt strange.
His limbs moved when he told them to, but they were heavy and slow like they belonged to someone else, not him. His skin didn't feel right; it was too tight, too cold, and too fragile.
Is this really me…?
He glanced down at his trembling hands. Pale. Thin. Dirty.
He didn't recognize them.
He didn't recognize himself.
The guard gave him another rough shoved. "Keep moving, scum. We're almost there."
The young man didn't resist. What else could he do? He didn't know what he did. He didn't know if he was guilty or innocent, a victim or a monster.
He didn't know anything.
Soon, they reached to a heavy iron door at the end of the hall. The door had rusty bolts along its sides, and the floor below was stained with dried blood.
The guard reached for the handle, he muttering under his breath. "Let's see if a few good hits will fix that broken head of yours."
Then, with a screech of metal, the heavy door swung open.
The young man was kicked inside, swallowed by the darkness beyond.
Thud!
He hit the ground hard, his knees scraping the rough floor. The door slammed shut behind him with a loud clang.
And then, everything turns to silence.
The air inside was damp and heavy, making it hard to breathe. There were no windows, no light. The only sounds were his rough breaths and his heart beating.
The young man lay still for a moment, too confused to move. In the dark, he felt an emptiness.
Where… am I?
He couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but pain and cold.
The faint sound of boots scraped against the stone floor.
Then came a soft sound of the leather gloves being tightened. A baton was tapped slowly against the guard's hand.
"You know." The guard's voice broke the silence, his voice seemed calmer a bit. "Most bastards like you should be crying about now. But you… you're too arrogant to even beg, aren't you?"
The young man didn't respond. He couldn't.
He could only stare into the darkness.
Frozen. Lost. And alone.
Then, a sudden movement-
Crack!
Pain shot across his back; it was sharp and intense. He gasped and fell forward, teeth tightly clenched.
Another strike followed. Then another.
The guard didn't say anything no more as he just continued his brutal beatings.
He was here to punish the sinner.
And in the darkness, as blow after blow fell upon him, the young man finally remembered something deep in his mind.
He did nothing. He is not the sinner.
Yet he had to suffer for sins he didn't commit.