Puppet Strings From the Unknown

"Hey, little shit! What's with the attitude? Aren't you scared?" Traces of smoke slithered out of the guard's mouth as he inwardly chuckled and looked down.

"Answer me!"

He saw a statue, the boy's eyes did not waver. There was no response. 

"Hey…" The guard suddenly hissed. "I don't know if you're scared, stupid, or deaf, I don't give a fuck! Too late for you now maggot! Now let me see you cry and slither like a worm!!" The guard's words bore clear malice, but his expression spoke otherwise. His breathing was erratic, and his smile was sweeping, clearly felt underneath his thick helm.

Hints of flickering blue light emerged from the shadows, crawling up the giant's legs and becoming thicker as it condensed around his right hand like a whirlwind— dancing along his twitching fingers akin to a composer conducting a forbidden symphony. Then he lifted his arm, and the thick yet dim light exploded into flames; a hauntingly violent crimson, painting his covered face an ominous shade of blood red.

The air was stripped away as if hell itself had been ignited in its center, making the dense shadows scamper away like timid beasts, leaving behind its crimson hue. 

"Damn it!" The girl inwardly cursed, gasping for air.

The ruthless heat encroached upon her senses; she could smell her own flesh searing, her feet scorched by the glowing floor. Her lungs ached, and tears began welling up in her eyes; each breath drawn was like inhaling the fire itself.

On her knees coughing, she fell down before gritting her teeth and looking up through the wall of smokey flames. However, her vision did not take her far as she was soon met with another wall— The wall of Zephyr's back.

His neck and arms displayed a painful mosaic of charred, seared injury, now a canvas of red and black blotches. Singed clothes clung to his sweat-drenched skin, and his usually glossy ashen hair was singed at the tips, creating a dim white halo of smoky ember around his face.

Her mouth unconsciously opened. Almost unable to believe her eyes, she watched as he stood unfazed, as though it were merely the heat of a hot summer day.

She slammed her fist on the floor, a whirlpool of emotions swirling within. She yearned to scold him, to beg him to halt his foolish bravery and kneel, to plead with the guard to end this spectacle. To remind him he was no hero, to cease this charade of strength.

Yet when she tried to voice those thoughts, nothing came. It was not from the heat, nor the fear constricting her heart— the reason eluded even her. Her mouth clamped shut, eyes trembling on his fiery silhouette and the flaming guard raising his arm higher and laughing.

"STILL NOT—" But before he could finish his sentence, he abruptly stopped as if biting his tongue, now looking ahead.

The boy was there no longer, all he now saw was the figure of the small girl who the boy had been protecting: her eyes wide as twin moons shaking with the reflected specter of terror staring ahead.

Only then did he notice— The boy had somehow closed the distance. He was now knees bent crouching beneath him, looking up at his towering figure, his face like an icy tableau slicing through the searing flames.

Instinctively, the guard raised his foot, a euphoric smile peaking under his mask as he attempted to squish the boy like an insignificant insect.

But before his foot made contact, he felt a soft tap on his shoulder— 

"WHO DARES—"

"That's enough…"

Immediately, the guard froze, his foot hovering mid-air. 

That voice was unmistakable. It was calm, almost chilling in contrast to the fiery chaos surrounding them. 

"Madame Warden…"

He gulped, and with almost mechanical stillness slowly turned his head. 

It was a tall, young woman of regal bearing. Her face was completely covered by a black and red horned helm, yet her eyes colder than the iciest winter could still be felt. 

She stood there, untouched by the flames, her silhouette contrasting sharply against the crimson backdrop. Her very presence seemed to suppress the heat, making the flames around her curl and retreat in reverence. 

"What brought upon all this chaos?" Her voice was low, but the authority it carried was palpable.

The guard gulped with a twitching smile, trying to find his voice. "He defied—"

"Shut it, that was a rhetorical question," she interrupted with a solid stare. "There are no excuses. These kids are valuable merchandise."

"B—but ma'am! I made sure to only harm the useless ones the—" As he spoke, his eyes fell down under his foot and the boy was not there. 'H—how? Since when did he—' The injured brat was now somehow watching and panting from the side. 

"Such boldness, little rookie. To retort in my presence? But don't you see you damaged the goods by going after the trash?" A laugh slipped through her words, as cold as winter ice. "You're very fortunate for my arrival. You didn't do too much harm other than to this one. Now begone." 

Without waiting for his response, she waved her hand, and the flames instantly died out, leaving the cell in an eerie silence. The oppressive heat was replaced by a chilling cold, as if the very walls were trying to distance themselves from her.

"You are to never approach this cell or these kids henceforth… I'll personally see to it that you are relocated. Understood?"

"But ma—"

"Un—der—stood…?"

"..."

"Yes… Understood… Ma'am…" The guard nodded obediently, hiding his face not daring to meet the warden's shrill stare as he begrudgingly strode away.

As soon as he was out of the picture, the warden then turned her attention to the boy. Crouching down, she met him at eye level, extending her right hand without saying a word.

The boy's eyes widened, then immediately squinted before reaching out his right hand and touching the warden's. 

That was when a soft green light enveloped him. His face brightened in awe as his wounds began to heal. The charred skin turned back to its normal hue, and the pain that was evident on his face faded away.

"Can't allow my merchandise to be broken now, can I?" She giggled softly to herself, but before she stood, she heard a response she never expected.

"Why heal me? Am I not weak and useless?"

'To think he'd ask why I healed him instead of thanking me. What a peculiar child.'

"Oh yes! Very weak! Very useless!" She turned back around, amused. "But… don't worry, I'm sure I'll get a good price for you…"

The warden turned and strode towards the door, but stopped abruptly. "The rest of you should only have minor injuries, so this should suffice."

With a snap of her fingers, a rain of green sparkles fell upon the cell, enveloping all in a warm, soothing glow.

The girl who had sat motionless and begrudgingly examined her skin as cuts and burns vanished before her eyes, leaving behind smooth, unblemished flesh. 

"Oh, and before I leave…" She turned around once more, now looking from the other side of the bars. "I didn't want to say this in front of that big oaf, but don't act stupid little boy… I won't save you next time. Provoking Urslan was nothing short of brain damage of the highest degree. You're a weakling. Next time, for your sake, just shut up and know your place. Okay?"

The warden's words and gaze hung heavy in the cold air, as her footsteps echoed through the stone corridor until they faded into nothingness, leaving behind an eirie chilling silence.

'Provoking Urslan was nothing short of brain damage of the highest degree.' Those words repeated in his head. 'You think I don't know that, woman!? That wasn't me! It felt like I was a spectator in my own body!'

'What kind of being possessed me to do something so utterly stupid!? If I weren't lucky, I would have probably ended up already dead!' He inwardly cursed. 

Joseph's mind reached the height of confusion since entering this new world. Out of everything that had happened to him, this was what bothered him most.

'What was it? Who was controlling me?'

He was a calculated man, yet here came something completely out of his control influencing him like he was a puppet.

"Hey… Zephyr…" That was when he looked up, his train of thought cut off.

It was that same white-haired girl once again— the look on her face betrayed that of before.

"What is it, mistress?" He spoke with a long deep breath. 

"Why is it that you did all of that?"

There was a long pause before Joseph looked up, finally responding. 

"I— I just wanted to protect you," He lied as naturally as he breathed. "I would never be able to live with myself if—"

"ZEPHYR!! HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT SHIT!?" She kicked him in the stomach, reorganizing his organs as he grunted. 

"USE YOUR FUCKING HEAD!! A TRASH WORM LIKE YOU DARED TO CAUSE ME TO GET HARMED!? ME!! RAYAH VENDYMION! HOW DO YOU FEEL!?" She kicked with strength enough to send him flying and skidding on the rough stone floor. 

"I feel awful mistress Rayah…" He coughed a mouthful of blood, yet his tone remained calm.

"Well feel more awful!" She kicked him on his left arm, oddly feeling no pain or sensation as his face slammed to the ground. "My life is already bad enough in this shit hole and you just have to make it worse! Why the hell were you screaming!? Was it because of that 'nightmare' you had huh!? Who the fuck is Nina!?"

Joseph's expression changed for the first time as he heard her name once again… "Nina…" He muttered in a low voice.

She was his dear little sister, his only reason to live, the reason for why he must escape; how dare she speak her name in such a tone?

He smiled. "She's… A beautiful woman I saw in a dream…" 

"YOU'RE FUCKING PISSING ME OFF!! Why so smug now huh!?" She kicked him in the lungs before her bare feet skimmed his chin.

'Smug?' He pondered calmly. 'A boy abused by a deranged master every day in such a way wouldn't get used to it? Or is this just a psychotic episode that I should know about? No matter what I do, I can't seem to read her…' 

The punishment continued along with her incessant screaming. The entire reason that guard even came was due to the abnormally high volume of her screams— it was entirely her fault yet she refused to acknowledge it.

'This girl is a giant ignoramus pain in the ass. I won't forget this. This had to end.'

It was not that he could not bear the damage. He was more than confident he wouldn't die. But, if another guard were to come now and he was possessed to ignorantly fight them as he did before, death was a more than likely possibility, and that warden woman was certainly not going to save him again.

"Mistress… I believe it would *AGH* be best to quiet down… We—" 

"FUCKING SLAVE ZEPHYR DARES TO—"

"He's right. Back off Rayah," An unknown voice emerged from behind.

"Arthur!?" She turned around gritting her teeth. 

'I knew it… There's other people in the cell… Interesting…' Joseph's lips twitched in amusement.

He had seen glimpses when the room was ablaze, and noticed when the Warden said 'The rest of you' after healing him, which meant there was more than this girl 'Rayah' in this cell.

"Arthur!? Who are you to tell me how to discipline my slave?!"

"He's right… Quiet down… I don't care about you, or your slave… But that's enough of your foolish tantrum; you're implicating the rest of us… The only reason that guard came was because of your screaming… So quiet down now and leave this be before I come over there and discipline you instead…"

"F—fine! But I swear to the "High Priestess" I will never let this down!" Although he couldn't see her face, her voice carried a great undertone of reluctance as he heard her steps fading away.

"As for you…" Arthur spoke, his voice low. "You have more guts than sense, don't you?"

"I promise… It… Won't… Happen… Again…" Joseph struggled to speak, still looking at the ground.

"Good… Because then Rayah would be the least of your worries…"

"Understood…" He coughed. 'Arthur…' His mind turned, thinking of how Rayah simply stopped and obeyed his orders. 'What is their relationship? He at least has some sliver of common sense,'

He coughed yet another mouthful of blood before he felt his body suddenly rise. Someone picked him up. He still had ample energy to fight back, yet he did not resist. 

"Are you okay Zephyr?" 

He dazedly looked up. It was yet another small girl. Strands of her long, red hair fell on his face and her smooth pale skin seemed almost translucent as she smiled warmly in the darkness. Just looking at her visage, he knew there was absolutely no danger.

"Yes… Thanks to you…" He blushed before once again hiding his face, a loud stomp heard in the distance.

"Oh. It's my pleasure. It was so brave of you to do what you did…" She slowly put him down, leaning him onto the wall. "We were all so scared…" She ripped a piece of her prison garb, slowly wrapping it around Joseph's many bruises. "But you were different… I wish I was like you…"

"Huh? Like Arthur said, my actions were ignorant and put us all at risk. You should be scolding me too,"

"Not at all!" She beamed, wrapping his bandages more delicately. "Zephyr is my hero…"

"R—really?" His face flushed outwardly once more, but inwardly:

'Hero? What is she trying to get at?' His gaze narrowed down on her reddened, smiling face. 'Is she trying to manipulate me? Or is this simply the stupid innocence of a child?'

Even as a kid, Joseph never acted like this, and from his fragmented memories, neither did his best friend Allen. Yet he knew they were far from normal. The only other child he frequently talked to was Nina, but even she was an anomaly. This was yet another weakness Joseph recognized in himself.

"Yes… really… of course… … OH! Sorry!" She slightly panicked. "I dosed off and wrapped your wooden arm… I'm sorry…"

"Oh, that's okay…"

'Wooden arm?' He looked down towards his left. 'No wonder I couldn't feel anything there and why my Ki didn't reach there either. But other than that, it felt almost real. But now looking at it more closely and moving it around, it was clearly wood.' 

Now more than ever, the realization that he was a child in a magical world unlike anything he had ever experienced before struck him. Too many vast unknowns and unpredictable circumstances lay in wait. He had to hone his senses to the limit and consider the unconsiderable, predict and plan for the unpredictable. Info gathering was of the utmost importance, all else could wait for now.

Ignorance was man's greatest downfall.

Looking ahead, his eyes had now more than adjusted to the room's lighting. In the darkness there were six other than himself. Rayah, his 'master' who sat in a corner with her legs tucked to her chest, the girl who just helped him, Arthur, two others around him, and one last figure silently sitting in a far corner he could barely make out. 

'I've once again started from nothing… No, maybe even less…'

'Live brother!' Nina's voice replayed in his head once more, leaving a visible smile as he looked beyond the cell bars.

'Wait for me… I can feel you looking down at me with grace little sister! No bars have ever been able to bind me… For your sake, I will find out the truth… Let's see what this new life has to offer us…'