The Bleak Walker

A dingy cell, molded stone floors, and water leaking from the ceiling. A young man whose three fingers were missing hugged a wall, barely clothed other than the clothing that he carried. Strange clothing from the perspective of the populace of this world.

Amadan dreamt of this scene. He stood in the corner with his arms folded. A furrowed brow, and narrowed eyes. He wondered why he was dreaming of such things.

“Ah, father, mother, please help, ah, it hurts,” said the young man.

Amadan shrinks back. He looked at the young man whose ragged attire and chained limbs had dug into his skin. Footsteps sounded not far from the cell, and then he saw a woman whose beauty could fell Kingdoms. Her aura immense, eyes sharp, and well-defined features, alongside her golden aura that screams of divinity.

The young man raised his head. The sword-maiden beside the woman raises a whip and lashes it across the young man’s face.

“Your eyes are not lowered, lecher!”

The young man hunches his back, his hands trembled, and wraps his arms around. He lowered his eyes and covered his head.

“Enough,” said the woman. “Do not raise your whip against lecherous dogs who undress women with their eyes.”

The divine-like woman snorted. Amadan’s felt anger rose inside him. But he held the anger and watched on.

“What are his crimes?” The woman said.

“Stealing,” said the sword-maiden. “He was recognized by peddler when he visited the tavern this lecher was working on. He’s infamous for his foolishness, and many would have left this fool alone, but the moment he dared to stare upon your holiness, he had signed his death warrant.”

The sword-maiden crinkled her nose in disgust, she squints her eyes and turned to the divine-like woman.

“I didn’t know,” the young man whispered.

“Silence!” the sword-maiden demanded. “Say one more word and I’ll have your tongue cut!”

“Enough,” the woman said. “Tell me, what you can say about this.”

“I was desperate, your divineness,” he argued. “I had no idea where I was and I had to start somewhere. I paid that man the bread I stole. I didn’t mean to stare, your divines.”

“Liar!” the sword-maiden bellowed. “Do not listen to this fool’s excuse, we’ve caught his eyes the moment he placed it on your, my lady divines. Most of the sword-maidens can attest to this. Any man or woman should know that your highness, must not be sullied by such lecherous eyes.”

The young man didn’t dare to raise his head, still cowered, trying to shield himself from the sword maidens whip. The divine-like woman, stared, curling her lips as she looks at the young man.

“You have no one to testify for you?”

“This man,” the sword-maiden lifted her chin. “Has no one willing to testify for him. He is a man hated with contempt and is as clumsy to his work. Such a man cannot be trusted, and I believe that taking half of the light his world would do him good! Let’s see if he dares not to confess for the sins that he had done!”

The divine-like woman’s chin was up, and her eyes were looking down on the young man who eyed the floor, daring not to raise it again.

“Do it,” the woman demanded. “I shall be back.”

The woman left without her guards. The sword-maidens bowed their head towards the divine-like woman and turned their face to the young man. Their faces filled with disgust.

The young man trembled, he began trembling uncontrollably as the women approached and grabbed his limbs, a sword-maiden made him drink a potion, his whole body numbing. He couldn’t move. The sword-maiden drew a long, narrow knife. She inserted the blade around the young man’s eye and plucked his eyes out. The young man convulsed physically, face contorted, and curling into a fetal position.

“Ah, god, what have I done!” said the young man.

The sword-maiden sneered. She dropped his eyes and stomped it with the heel of her boot.

“Let’s go,” said the sword-maiden. “He shall be judged in front of the people. His mercy will be handed to the people!”

Amadan felt disgusted. He glared at the sword-maidens. The scenery then changing, warping into a different scene. The young man, whose other eye was missing, stood in a platform with a rope coiled around his neck, his lower lips jutting out, and staring wide-eyed to a distant sky. He seems to completely ignore the hateful crowd who demanded his death.

“Tell us your sins, and may you be granted mercy!”

The divine woman stood not far from the young man. She did not hide divine-like aura and the woman swooned the audience to her favor before he could even speak. It was a hostile court and the young man could see it.

“Well?” the sword-maiden demanded. “Use your tongue sinner!”

The young man stood without a word. His hands tied with a rope that was bloodied and had bonded with his skin. The meek and slouched form of the young man vanished, he looked at the crowd with a thin smirk forming around him, his back straightened with eyes pointed at the divine-like woman.

“I did not do it. I did what I could to survive. Why should I explain when this crowd has already found me guilty!? But you know what?” He widens his stance, squared his shoulders, and lifted his chin proudly. “If I am to die today, then know that I declare that I have done nothing wrong. And that if I am to die today then let it that my final moments! Is to spit on a divine’s face!”

He spat towards the divine’s face. Phlegm, saliva, and blood smashed on her face, and before the sword-maidens could act, the young man bit his tongue and laughed shrilly as he was stabbed before he could be hanged.

The young man did not cry. He laughed to his death and passed away with his lips curled into a smile. Amadan stared at the scene and wished for this nightmare to be over. He couldn’t understand how someone could be pushed to the edge this badly.