What did it feel like? To be kept inside a mother’s womb, was it warm, or was it just right? He had no idea. The mind simply wasn’t able to extend so far in the past, such memories yet to stop from fleeting away.


    Humans could solely dream. They weren’t capable of doing anything other than imagining what it felt like. Was it because of longing? Curiosity? Depravation? He knew nothing of it, but he didn’t need to understand. Surrounded, he floated inertly. His body flowed through the warmth that aided him.


    He mused it as a mother’s embrace, something that permeated his within and held the internal flames abuzz. Though the veil of some mucous liquid restricted it, he could still sense the faint beatings of something very far away.


    However, there was no rush to get anywhere. His powerless body would eventually float towards there on its own. All he needed to do was remain here, in the vast expanse of nothingness that made his mind at peace. He didn’t feel apprehensive before the world devoid of light.


    He enjoyed this sea of serenity. Drifting away inside it, as though time itself didn’t reflect his image back, there was simply… him. Him, who felt free anew. No longer had he been imposed on by the stern chains holding his body back.


    Curled up, he let the blank space around take him by hand. There had been no worry written across his being, only a rough smile across the obstructed, blurred head.


    Unable to tell how long he spent afloat, not needing to, it simply passed. Fleeing as quickly as the sunny, peaceful days, it passed while something began to take hold of him. He thought.


    ‘Where am I?’


    A question was probed at himself, only to answer it with another one.


    ‘What happened?’


    Once again, there came no response. A remorseful silence pervaded instead.


    ‘Who am I?’


    Before he knew it, the beatings spreading throughout the tranquil realm radiated across his whole body, light peeking in through the venous membranes he could finally see. Beyond the viscous liquid, a tough film covered his figure, a dim, red light coming out of it.


    But, he realized one thing. If he were to leave right now, his body wouldn’t be able to sustain itself yet. So, he waited, and waited. Waited no matter how long it took.


    To the very last moment, until the bright light finally engulfed his smooth eyelids.


    With a searing sensation, his eyes felt as though fire took them ablaze. Then, the wind tensed his skin, barring its paleness to the world.


    He pushed through, breaking apart the tight layer around him through the long gash that was already on it. Having eased his way out, while confusion still lingered all throughout his mind, the body moved instinctively.


    With regained strength, his footing around the world also returned, not to mention the passing of time. Knowing that it kept on passing by each moment a gust of wind wafted through, he began standing up. All of the renewed sensations around him only worsening the grinding clutter inside his head.


    The wind, the light, the sounds, the thoughts, the movement of his slumbered muscles, the sudden change of temperature, and above all else, the weird looks he was currently receiving. All of them gnawed away at him, whose befuddlement knew no bounds.


    With a loud, whistling noise, the man covered his eyes. Glancing at the piercing shine of the sword’s tip, it was undeniably harsher on him compared to the bright red torches illuminating the dark space.


    “Kozs’o la ges?” The girl said with a calm breath. Her red skin and white eyes immediately screamed her descent to him, however, hearing the unknown language, he couldn’t reply. He had no idea what it meant, especially under his disoriented state.


    His helmet may have not been there anymore, but his speech was still impeded.


    “Kozs’t la ges nuen?”


    Her voice remained at an equal volume, her sword in the same, steady position. Standing with a straight posture, one of her hands waiting patiently behind the back.


    Under the grand cumulation of sensations and being unable to utter a single word, he looked around the girl instead. All donning imposing, iron armor, the group of five each had a sword at their hips, but it was only the first one bearing it.


    With the black, curved horn protruding at the top, on the right side, he stared at the demoness. Along her sides, two demons held wooden torches with a lit cloth at the very top, dripping a fiery liquid every now and then.


    Finally gazing at the space they were inside, witnessing the occasional drops of dirt fall through the cracks, he somewhat realized his circumstances.


    Judging from the materials he could see, the prison must have been shaken up after he burst that dark bubble. Why? And how come he wasn’t hurt?


    He couldn’t understand, nor was he given time to do so.


    “Tis li gader’yr kiz ges,” the female demon spoke, flicking up her sword the slightest bit. Still pointing at him, her eyes demanded answers.


    “I don’t know your tongue,” he said, finally speaking up. Though rid of emotions, he didn’t seem to offend the red-skinned girl. Instead, her eyelids tucked in slightly, a nippy change reaching his ears.


    Almost immediately, as he spoke, two girls that were hiding behind her finally moved. To be exact, their hands moved. All of a sudden, a gripping sensation appeared on his naked body, similar to the metallic bonds that held him before in this wreck of a prison cell. However, unlike the physical material, he was unable to tell of the invisible chains.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    “I’ve never seen a white-haired human before. Why are you here? Did some beast keep you in that integument?”


    They demanded answers from the human, that was very clear to him. But, he feared that he could provide them with nothing important.


    “I can’t tell you. I don’t know myself. I was already here when I woke up,” he spoke bluntly while shaking his head faintly, getting the demon to point behind him.


    “Have you any idea of the membrane you came out of? Something in the least?”


    Once again, with a shake of his head, he only heard the girls behind her speak up to her.


    “Arn oemra ars yist e les un meman,” the girl with the torch said to the armored demon with black hair, the one interrogating their unexpected find.


    “Tis crav. Tis tome seo junt,” with an unremarkable voice, she replied. Her gaze lingering on the man, she seamlessly changed the language she spoke in once again.


    “Do you at least know your name?”


    Immediately, hearing her ask the question, he didn’t wait in answering it, as though he had waited an eternity for this very moment. Yet, realizing an oddity, his mind convoluted itself, because it had driven off into two completely different directions.


    ‘Lutiel.’


    “No,” answered both the head and the body, simultaneously. Staring at the demon with a shallow, indifferent gaze, Lutiel replied.


    Was he not able to control his body? That shouldn’t be the case, after all, he could feel the oppressive, invisible ropes whenever he moved his arms. At the same time, earlier, it was him who spoke of his awakening.


    “That’s even better, then,” she said with a secretive tone hidden in her voice, one that made him forget his thoughts and shiver internally, yet stand proudly in the physical world.


    “Ars tane maci e raf umafi,” once again, on her side, one of the girls spoke, getting a nod in response.


    He didn’t know any of whatever they were chattering about, but something inside him told him it wasn’t great. No, the fleeting looks on a certain section of his body’s lower portion solely gave plenty of intel.


    “Dho til li e hrae assi’no cin,” the girl giggled as she brought the other hand closer to her mouth, covering the facadal shock.


    Whilst hearing a couple more cackles spread out, he didn’t fail to notice the red-skinned demon’s gestures. With her free hand, she must have shown something to the two demon girls wearing robes along their armors.


    Almost immediately, the invisible ropes around him tightened while he himself clenched his jaw. Drowsiness had overtaken his mind, and he couldn’t fight with it no matter what.


    No more than a few sentences had been exchanged since he had woken up, yet he was already going back to sleep. No, it would have been wrong to say that.


    With a half-awake mind, he witnessed anything happening next. Albeit more like a dream, he still more or less knew what they were doing. Just when his initial confusion had practically dissipated, a new one took hold of his head.


    Lying on the hard ground, the original one of his cell, he observed. No longer pointing the sword around, the demoness came up to him, putting some cloak around his body before tightening it up with a rough, gritty rope.


    Without waiting any further, under his lulled state, she picked him up and threw over on top of her shoulder.


    “Juve tias veir,” she said to her company, promptly beginning to lead the group out of the entwined mess of caves that they ventured through to get here in the first place.


    As they kept on walking, unbeknownst to them, Lutiel took in little bits and pieces of information through the fleeting consciousness. Trying to battle him, whatever it was that the demons had given him, his mind woke back up any time it succeeded.


    Through half-closed eyelids, he stared at the hazy world in front of him, dark beyond recognition. However, his eyes had no problem seeing, no matter how little light came from the torches.


    Before it waned once again, he saw nothing, but dark caves, parts of the collapsed castle ruins intertwined in the seemingly infinite walls of rock and dirt.


    However, looking at what seemed to be a dug out wall, connecting to another set of corridors, he couldn’t retain anything any longer.


    Passing through him, the same images displayed themselves for quite a while. Nothing, but a world-encompassing cave riddled with boggling and similar pathways.


    Regaining the vaguest portions of clarity each time his mind fell, with the state of his mind gradually settling down, Lutiel felt the slight chafing around his body from being carried on the demon’s shoulders for so long, but the glowing exit garnered most of his attention.


    With the cloth cluttering on his body as they exited, under the calm look of a half-asleep doll, his heart beat hastened. He hadn’t seen the sunlight in an excruciatingly lengthy amount of time. For him to all of a sudden come out of the cell into the wild, even if he was being kidnapped, it suddenly hit yet again. The reality of the situation.


    Because of him, the heroes died, and with what he was seeing, the demons must have fully taken over the continent, to the very last fortress the humans defended themselves with. From excitement, his heart quickly took on a halted, hesitant rhythm.


    Without the pillars of hope known as the four great heroes, there was little to no hope left in the weak knights of the empire. Not when the number of demons already started exceeding that of the humans.


    ‘If, if only I-’


    He wasn’t able to finish as he felt a harsh fall, being thrown on top of the horse’s back before the group’s leader tried to fasten him to the brown-haired mount. All of the sorrowful thoughts immediately disappeared as he gasped for air, catching the demon’s attention.


    “You’re awake already? After only four hours, you’re quite resistant, aren’t you?”


    Tightening the ropes and fixing him in place, the demoness promptly jumped up to the saddle from the stirrups, still awaiting the answer.


    “Were you able to remember something about yourself during that time?” Waiting for the other demons to get on their transports, she asked the man behind her.


    However, to her disappointment, he wasn’t interested in revealing the information, the mind agreeing with the body.


    “My head was already in a turmoil. That trick didn’t help very much,” the man replied back at her, but she didn’t even turn around at the blatant show of disrespect one couldn’t find in humans nowadays. Caressing the horse’s mane, a gentle neigh spread out before she finally talked once again.


    “I have to say, you will fetch a good price and most likely get a decent master, but let me give you a piece of advice,” she said whilst turning around. “Learn to show them respect. I don’t know how long you tried to hide inside that cave, but it was foolish to think you would die there peacefully, even if you found some nice cocoon.”


    “Price?” He muttered to himself before glancing at the landscape spread out before him. Did she just say he was going to fetch a good price? Masters?


    Of course, he understood what all of that entailed. It was simply far too shocking. He had just been the demon lord’s prisoner, but now, he would turn into a slave.


    Looking at the gloomy, cloudy skies of the meadow and forested hills all around them, Lutiel couldn’t help, but lower his gaze.


    ‘What was I expecting to begin with? For them to magically release me?’


    “Of course, a good one at that. I reckon it will be ten silvers for you, pretty boy,” she said, making his heart falter as the face broke out into a smile rather than the unresponsive serenity. At the same, he sighed inwardly, feeling his consciousness slipping away, the demon’s sword striking his nape.


    “Sweet dreams, again,” muttering, she simply saw as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.