1 A Second Chance in Hell
"What is your last wish, Magnus Dalisay?"
Magnus Dalisay was strapped on an electric chair. He calmly gazed back at the person who asked him that question. It was the jail officer who stared at him without feeling any remorse or pity.
"I want to cherish life the next time," Magnus replied and closed his eyes.
As a death row inmate, he had long come to terms with his eventual death. His regrets were too many for him to count, and his dreams were too far for him to reach. This was the final chapter of his life.
"Next time? Hah! God will send you to hell!"
The jail officer's face crumpled with hatred. He nodded at the electric chair operators, and they activated the chair by turning some nobs and flicking switches.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A searing pain spread through Magnus' whole body. All of his muscles contracted. His brain, heart, vital organs, and flesh were cooked from the inside out.
Magnus felt his life being taken away from him. He let out a small grin at the irony of the jail officer's words. Would he not be sent to hell, too, for killing him?
After that last thought, everything went dark.
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After an unknown amount of time, the pain suddenly disappeared, and Magnus opened his eyes, confused. He found himself sitting in the middle of a small and dark room. The air was dry, and sand was everywhere.
Magnus found himself free from the straps of the electric chair. Instead, he was now sitting down on a worn-down wooden chair. He sluggishly stood up and opened the door.
"...Where in hell am I?"
Magnus stared at the dim sky covered with dust and at the swirling little tornadoes of sand everywhere. He was in a desert town, which was completely different from where he got executed.
<<<< CONTINUED FROM SYNOPSIS >>>>
Magnus walked out of the house and looked around him. He spun around and marveled at his unfamiliar surroundings. He was in an alleyway surrounded by houses made out of mud bricks.
This was the first time he was ever in a desert town. Everything felt uncomfortable. The air was dry and sand stuck to his damp skin.
And for some odd reason, he felt a faint feeling of suffocation. It was slightly harder to breathe. Something was in the air beside the dust.
"Is this the afterlife?" Magnus asked himself.
He picked a random direction in this three-way alleyway and walked. Soon, he reached the exit and came out to a bustling street.
Well, bustling was pushing it. It wasn't as bustling as the city streets he was used to.
There were many peddlers sitting along the side of the street with their wares laid out in front of them on a sheet of cloth. Passersby would glance at the items before quickly losing interest.
"Move along!"
A tall, dark-skinned man wearing steel plate armor except the helmet pushed aside others as he pulled a couple of chains over his shoulder. The chains were cuffed to the wrists and ankles of three White women wearing white robes. The three's heads were lowered and avoided looking into anyone's eyes.
"Woah!"
Magnus was taken aback and moved out of the way.
*Clang* *Clang*
He watched in stupefaction as they passed him. He didn't peel his eyes away until they turned an intersection.
Magnus' shocked face stood out in the crowd of uncaring men. An old man noticed the orange prison shirt and pants he wore.
"Young man, are you new to this place?" he asked.
Magnus regained his calm and scanned the old man from head to toe. His whole body was wrapped in a loose robe. He fit the description of an Arabian from his memories.
"Yes. Where am I? What was that?"
Magnus was surprised that he could understand the old man. It shouldn't be possible because this place didn't seem to be from where he came from. But it wasn't his priority right now, so he decided to ask about it later.
"Oh? Were you kidnapped and thrown here? Those are newly captured Cynthian slaves."
The old man was surprised to hear Magnus' words. He squinted his eyes and scanned Magnus like he was eye-ing merchandise.
"Something like that, but slavery, really?"
Magnus was glad at the convenient excuse the old man gave him. Though, he was surprised as the chained women seemed like a natural occurrence from the old man's response. He wondered what kind of place this was.
"Don't sympathize with them. They will turn you into their slave if you give them a chance."
The old man's eyes flickered with fiery anger. It slowly faded, and he smiled at Magnus.
Magnus was stunned after hearing his words. He couldn't understand what he was trying to say. It was too much to take in all at once.
"Anyways, you look really strong! I heard the Mayor is looking for manpower. You might be of some use."
The old man looked him up and down with a surprised expression on his face.
"What do you mean?"
Magnus was confused at the sudden invitation and at the way the old man was looking at him so intently.
"Ah, I'm sorry! I'm a humble peddler here. The Mayor is looking for manpower as the Young Master of the Bravodel Clan requested so," the peddler replied and quickly lowered his head.
"So you want me to go where?" Magnus asked, feeling suspicious about the whole thing.
"I will be honest with you. There is a referral reward for me if you come with me to the Mayor's Office. We can split it if you want," the peddler sincerely said.
"How much?"
"Ten Sun Coins."
"50-50 split?"
"That... fine. As long as you follow me."
The peddler nodded his head and didn't challenge Magnus' offer. He led the way, and Magnus followed behind him. He didn't know where he was but getting some form of currency was not bad.
He scanned the surrounding area and found everyone to be staring at him weirdly. They scanned his prisoner clothes and tilted their heads in confusion.
He found several signs along the way. To his surprise, the alphabet used in these signs was unfamiliar, but he could still understand them. It felt weird.
He looked up, and the veil of brown dust covering the sky told Magnus that he was in the middle of a desert region.
They soon arrived at the center of the town. Unlike the dilapidated buildings he saw along the way, this building was made of neatly made mud bricks and had an awe-inspiring feeling, but it was only about two stories tall, making it seem nothing impressive from Magnus' point of view that had seen much more impressive things.
"Halt! What is your purpose?"
A tanned middle-aged man wearing a cloak stood forward from the entrance and stopped the two from entering. He held a long staff in his hand with a black crystal at the tip.
"I'm here under the Mayor's invitation for manpower! I'm putting this guy as a referral," the peddler immediately replied and pushed Magnus forward.
"Who is he?" Magnus asked in a whisper.
"He's a Town Soldier under the Mayor's command. The staff in his hand is a Magic Staff. He's not a Solar Mage, but he could cast simple magic with it," the peddler hastily explained.
The Town Soldier stared at Magnus up and down and asked, "Age? Where are you from?"
"Uhhh... 21. Manila?"
"Got it. Come with me. I will lead you inside. You came at the right time. The Young Master of the Bravodel Clan is just about to leave," the Town Soldier replied and urged him inside.
Magnus glanced at the peddler, and he nodded his head to reassure him.
"We will split the referrer reward equally," Magnus said to the Town Soldier just in case.
"Noted." the Town Soldier nodded his head to Magnus. "In the meantime, you can wait here," he said to the peddler.
"Thank you, My Lord."
The peddler bowed and walked to the side.
The Town Soldier turned around and brought Magnus inside. He kept silent and didn't ask anything. It was a type of silence that made Magnus wonder what kind of Young Master he was about to meet.
Hopefully, he would be a good one.
