Chapter 10

Let it be known that I love Maniar. And it broke my heart to do what I did to him. Lol. Maybe not. Also I just finished another extra chapter with RT and Tian smut and I did not realize who would end up being the most dominate of the relationship. I think ive been influenced by Wei Ying and Lan Wangji for this relationship. Omo. Help. Ive read, and watched too much for that couple.

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The men packed up early the next morning, and pushed off right as the sun peeked over the horizon. The hard bumpy roads were starting to smooth out the closer they got. More villages started popping up, but the village people didn't dare to even lift their heads.

When the sun was overhead, they merged onto a road filled with other cars. Much fancier then the vehicle carrying the carriages. They stayed within blue lines but stopped briefly to stare in at his people. They pointed and laughed before speeding up and disappearing. The people in those cars wore brightly colored clothing and seemed so carefree and happy. The closer they got, the more cars came beside them. All running off of sunlight and all distractingly loud.

The people were so tired and weak that they stopped standing. They sat in a circle in the middle of the carriage and held onto each other. The Capital was loud and smelled so much different than the open lands back at home. Tian closed his eyes, lulled by the rocking of the carriage and Axel's weak pledges against killing all the men in the trucks. He'd been planning nonstop about how they'd jump the men as soon as the doors opened. In the beginning, he had everyone's attention, but as the thirst and hunger started to get to them, they'd stopped listening. Choosing to silently wait out their fates, wait out Tian's own decisions. Tian didn't have any.

When the carriages came to a stop, the men got out and started to unlock the door. Axel moved in front of Tian with his fists raised. As soon as the doors popped opened Tian stood, pushing Axel out of the way. He was the first off the truck with his held high and his shoulders squared. He looked the men straight in the eyes, and they stepped back in disgust. His people filed in behind them, huddling close to each other. Their shackles were put back on their wrists and they drug Tian forward.

His people gasped at what lay beyond the carriages. Huge flashy buildings rose up miles into the sky and loomed over their heads. Fake faces appeared on the sides of buildings selling products that Tian never knew existed. Make ups, toys, foods all with colorful banners and loud words. Cars zoomed around on large grey roads, and hundreds of people started to gather around. He ripped his eyes away from the monstrous buildings above their heads.

The men around them spat at Tian's feet and whispered. But this was one fight that Tian was going to win. RT was standing in front of him with dark eyes, but Tian knew without a doubt that he was watching his own men. He didn't know anything about the man, he didn't understand why RT was protecting him, but he definitely wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. RT turned his head toward Tian, his brown eyes flashed against the sunlight before the man nodded.

Something struck against Tian's back, almost knocking him down. A rock fell to his feet and he turned and looked at a small Capital child. It stared up at him with disgust and fear, and more children showed up at its side. Rocks pelted Tian's people and they screamed at the villagers. They laughed and pointed fingers at the group. A rock hit Tian's forehead and blood started to drip down his face.

Adults gasped, grabbing their children in shock before dragging them away. They wailed at Tian, calling him a beast and screaming for his death, but Tian didn't turn to look at them. With his blood staining his cheeks he followed RT, pulling his own people along, towards a large building in front of them. It was encrusted with gold, making sunlight flash off it blindingly. Warriors stood in front of the doors with guns at the ready, their eyes leveled on Tian specifically. RT's spare shirt was unnaturally large against Tian's small frame, and it hung low against his collar bone. The marks of his father's people were clear against the blinding sun, and men mumbled nervously.

What Tian didn't know, though, was that with RT in front of him, his life was saved. RT's eyes were so fierce and challenging that it made the nearest warriors piss themselves and step back. RT's breathed a sigh of relief once Tian passed the golden doors, now safe from his own brethren.

They were led down a step hallway lit not by torches, but fake fire. Marie had once called it electricity. The city they were in was the city of electricity. It ran by the sun and most of the people inside the city were selfish. They ate more than their fill and wasted the rest in large underground landfills. They produced mass quantities of plastic, that when thrown into the water, dissolved and sickened even the biggest of lakes. They purposely killed their rivers and drove the wildlife out. The people themselves spent more time talking to fake family on large screens then spending time with real family.

"Another one?" A guard spat as he spotted Tian, only then noticing the boy's blood. "Put him with the beast."

"The others?"

"Put them with the other slaves, as usual. They'll all sell for a nice price since their mountain folk. Tag 'em and store 'em."

RT grabbed Tian's arm and guided him in a different direction from his people. Wails and screams arose but he didn't dare turn back and look at them. It was time for them to part ways, until he won their freedom back.

"Your people will be safe," RT whispered as he put his palm against a pad. The door slid open effortlessly, and both stepped through. It opened to another, longer corridor filled with hundreds of cell doors. Hands immediately stuck through the bars, begging. "I'm sorry, though. For what happens next."

He pushed Tian forward gently and as they passed the bars, even the prisoners fell backwards in shock. Their pale faces got even paler as they huddled against the bars. They were a mix of males and females with weakened, frail bodies. Their eyes were wider than the average humans. It almost seemed like they were in a completely different world then their own.

"Those born to the poorest divisions of the Capital," RT stated. "Used for experimentation. There's nothing more the Capital hates then those born of the land, and those born poor. Slaves that were unable to sell."

"My people… they'll become like this?" Tian whispered in horror.

The closer they got to the end of the hallway, the worse the people got. They were progressively getting weaker and quieter, laying in heaps on their own floor. They had their own toilets, but they didn't have the energy to use them, they were living in their own filth.  

"I'll keep them as safe as I can," RT replied as they went through another door.

The room was just as long without the cells. It twisted to the left, probably leading to another set of doors or perhaps something worse. However, at the end of the hallway was a singular door with a painted label on the door. 'The Blue Monster'. They came to a stop at the door, and RT pulled the handcuffs off.

"Wait, I'm going in there with that thing?" Tian asked with fear coated words.

RT nodded before the door opened and he was shoved inside. The door slammed shut behind him and every instinct in Tian's body told him to slam against the door and beg for release. The cell wasn't completely barren. There were blankets on the cold white floor, a toilet, and tiny pencil like objects. They were colorful, and seemed to be the cause of the scribbles on the wall. Whatever else was in here seemed to like drawing the sun over and over and over again. It had drawn a crowd with sad faces. The faces were unrecognizable, but they felt familiar.

Something shifted behind him and Tian whirled around only to come face to face with a young boy, about 12 years old. He was pale skinned with bright golden eyes. Similar black lines peeked out from the color of white clothing. The boy was tiny and frail looking, but Tian knew his own people when he saw them. It was a Kukouk boy with major scar tissue stretching against his skin.

The boy surged forward, grabbing Tian's arm. He traced Tian's lines before looking up in his own shock. He made a weird sound in the back of his throat before grabbing and dragging Tian over to the drawings on the wall. He pointed at a sun excitedly before slinking off to the other side. There was a line of roughly drawn mountains and a familiar pass. Death's pass. The boy made another weird sound before coming to a stop in front of Tian once more.

"I-I don't understand what you're saying," Tian answered and the boy shook his head before picking up one of the colorful pencils.

He turned to the floor and drew out vague words. 'Am Maniar'. In his father's native language. The name itself meant trapped, ironically.

"Maniar? Is that your name?" The boy tilted his head for a brief second and then nodded. He pointed at his chest and the name at the same time before pointing at Tian.

"My name? I'm Tian."

Maniar nodded slowly before sitting down. He patted the floor beside him and grabbed another color. He started to make a yellow circle and Tian guessed before he'd started to color it in.

"I'm from outside. Why can't you speak Maniar? Did you never learn how?"

The boy shook his head before opening his mouth. He pointed in, and Tian felt sick to his stomach. Where his tongue used to be was a small mutilated stump. With a blunt blade, or a saw, they'd cut his tongue out and it seemed to be an older injury, something the boy had to learn to live with at a much younger age.

'Bad people said Maniar talked a lot'. The boy scribbled before taking his hand to smear the words as soon as he wrote them. 'Maniar was bad. Maniar is a Kukouk. Maniar is a bad'.

At 12 years old, this small boy was taught that his own people were monsters. They cut his tongue out and treated him like a monster. The horror twisted Tian's gut. Not to mention that the boy only knew broken parts of two different languages and struggled to even write them.

'But Tian from outside? Tian from safe place? Why Tian not look like Maniar, but Kukouk to? But Tian know my language?'

"I'm half Kukouk, half human," Tian answered.

'Half? What is half?'

Tian grabbed one of the color objects and roughly drew out a person before splitting it in half with a line. He pointed at one half. "Human." Then he pointed at the other half. "Kukouk."

'Half'.

Tian nodded. "Half. Are you the only one?"

Maniar shrugged. 'Maniar had small sister, small, small. But gone now. Maniar been here 3 years, baby sister never show up.'

"I'm so sorry Maniar."

Maniar shrugged before taking in a deep breathe. He clutched the colorful object in his hand briefly. 'It ok. Maniar not lonely no more. New friend like Maniar. New friend thirsty, Maniar have water. Maniar share food.'

Maniar slinked off long enough to pick up a small pail and struggled to carry it over to Tian. Water sloshed over the side as Maniar set the pail down before disappearing again. He pulled something wrapped in paper out of his blankets before setting it in front.

'Maniar friend can have food and water.'

"Thank you Maniar," Tian whispered before tipping the bucket back to drink. The burn in his throat was finally eased and his stomach roared in hunger. The food was completely bland and dry, but Tian was so hungry he didn't care.

They didn't see anyone all day and into the night. A shute opened near the door and a tray of mush was pushed in before the shute slammed shut once more. Maniar surged over the mush with shaky hands. He scooped up some of the pale mush and shoved it into his mouth. He choked quietly, tilting his head to the side to slide it down his throat. He pushed some towards Tian and the hunger won out. This time, once the food hit his tongue he retched.

"The hell is this?" Tian hissed, trying to choke down the mash despite the horrid taste.

'Tian don't want to know. The cells full of gross bugs. Crush down and boiled. Not always bugs'

Tian was too hungry to care, occasionally glancing over at Maniar when the boy choked. With somewhat full stomachs, they settled down for the night. Maniar was proud to show him a pile of scratchy blankets his home before curling underneath them. The room was icy cold and Tian had no choice but to join him.

However, Tian was restless and awoke easily. He managed to wiggle his way away from Maniar the koala, the boy had managed to warm up to him quickly. He sat in front of the door to the cell with his knees pulled up to his chest.