The raging sun blistered over everything raining down its glory in all directions. This was the peak of summer. Plants had dried up and leaves started to fall.
More they advanced more the number of houses and buildings increased. They had crossed the slum district and were heading towards the city.
The young teen glanced outward, very intrigued at the sight of such infrastructure.Even though the society was in 12th-14th century in earth terms, it was a new experience for the young boy who had spent his entire life in the prison.
There was an awkward silence in the carriage. No one said anything moreover, no one wanted to say anything.
The first person to break the silence was the woman.
"So, can we introduce ourselves?"
The girl nodded nervously while the man with the steely gaze grunted quietly.
"I am Maya."
"I-i am Meria"
The girl fidgeted her hands as her eyes avoided contact.
"I am Rav, now can we get this over with?"
The woman looked down and didn't say anything. Her effort in socializing had no meaning.
I don't understand, why give us such a great opportunity to escape? It must be a trap. But why go to such lengths to do this, I don't understand.
The young boy thought while stroking his hair.
Even though, it was such a great chance to escape it wasn't it. Because, no one in the prison knew what happened when someone was called outside. There were myths in the hell that the ones who were called outside were excused of their crimes but it was wrong, everyone knew that.
This fear of unknown had clutched the hearts of the prisoners but also gave them hope to escape.
Most of the prisoners were not actually criminals. Some were social workers while some worked against the tyranny of the Empire. It was a prison in it's name only, it was comparable to the Nazi camps of earth.
"Buckle up! We are only one hour till we reach the destination."
The guard's voice caused everyone to jolt. His loud and shrill voice caused the young boy to frown in annoyance.
Should I kill him now?
The sword laid beside the guard, the iron hilt shining due to the sunlight. The one who had been driving the transport was an old and fat man.
Sweat rolled down his face continuously as the heat seemed to rise without any drop. The horses had slowed down considerably, afterall they were horses not machines.
"Shall we stop for a second?, the horses are fatigued."
"No they seem to be fine, carry on."
The guard ignorant of the silent cries of the fat driver whistled on.
Such a douchebag!
The driver thought in his mind but didn't dare to say anything. Mocking the guard was akin to mocking the Empire itself, if the guard didn't kill him the Empire sure will.
In the back of the carriage, Rav took some peas that were hidden in his bag and secretly ate them. Meria swallowed hard, trying to hide the fact that she was wrong.
Rav glance toward the girl and paused for a while. He grabbed her hand pulled it towards him. This action caused the girl to wince and the young boy to change his stance.
"Don't ask for more."
Rav quietly whispered causing Meria to be shocked, her mouth gaping open.
"Thank you!"
"We are almost there!"
The annoying guard grabbed his sword and gestured for the carriage to be stopped.
###
What lay before them was nothing like what they imagined.
There was a large gate in front of them, towering and magnificent. Intricate designs etched into the gold-plated surface seemingly indicating a fable or legend. Huge wooden pillars flanked each side, carvings making it more exquisite.
Joining the gate were walls seemingly going on forever, Bamboo rails on top giving it a more eco-friendly look. Two figures covered in armor stood by the pillar, one of them holding a meter-long shotgun and other a greatsword.
The guards looked at them with cold and discerning eyes.
"Permit please."
The guard rummaged through his pockets and took out a folded paper. One of the figures grabbed the paper and looked through it.
Some words were scribbled on the paper but the young teen couldn't understand it. There was a stamp containing 4 symbols enclosed in a square box .
"Understood, follow me."
The figure was replaced by another one almost immediately without avail.
great system...
The young teen thought while stroking his hair.
There was a large building, almost 3-4 stories high, considered luxurious for the time. There were a lot of windows in a row in a format, made of steel and iron. Patches of grass carefully cut in a perfect rectangle lay horizontally. Flowers of different colors: red, violet, purple, and much more filled the scene with a sweet aroma.
There was a sign that hanged from the door that read 'Black Dragon Company'. The sign was painted with black paint but it was so perfect that it looked like it was printed.
Meria swallowed hard while Rav was awestruck. This was the most Grand and noble that they ever laid their eyes upon. Not only that they were allowed to get in.
"Although it is a great experience, it can be a trap. I am not sure but it should be." The nameless boy thought in his heart. Perhaps, he had been betrayed far too many times that it had made him very cautious.
At that moment, the door slid open and walked in a woman dressed in an elegant suit, hair groomed nicely indicating a level of nobility.
She was well-built. Her stance made it clear that she was a soldier with a lot of experience. Her eyes showed that she had seen through the vicissitudes of life and glowed with a sharp light occasionally even though she looked fairly young.
"Welcome! Welcome!"
The woman gracefully bowed down surprising everyone in the site. Rav and Maya gossiped while the guard bowed down and shook her hand.
"Let's sit down and talk shall we?"
The figure that had been standing side the large door led them to a table in the courtyard.
They were gestured to sit down in the chairs around the table.
This was a lot to digest. They were being treated like disposable and worthless trash just a few hours ago but now they felt like nobles.
Maya looked embarrassed while Rav and Meria didn't know what to say. The same guard that could have been ready to kill them if he was agitated now sat beside them in the same and equal footing.
The nameless one looked to be in deep thought.
"Let's now discuss the matter you have been brought here...Does anyone know why you are brought here?"
The prisoners looked hesitant as their fingers danced uncontrollably under the table.
Seeing this the woman gave a slight grin.
"The reason you have been called in here is to give you a chance of immersing yourself into society again."
Hearing this, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the woman.
"Seeing how reacted, you people sure are surprised but let me explain. There are criminals, pick pocketers, looters etc etc among you but I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel
"So what I mean is you will be trained in this mansion to become civilized, to be a human. You will receive clothes, care and a salary but in return you will have to work for us in this mansion."
"What if we refuse?"
The voice of the young boy cut in through imposing a certain authority.
The woman stayed silent for a while and finally said,
"You will have to go to the prison again but are you sure that's what you want?"
Silence filled through the air but after a while a group of voices sang in unison.
"We accept."
The woman smiled, her eyes squinting.
The prisoners were led into their respective rooms by maids present there. Quickly the raging sun descended down as the calm moon took over the sky.
"Ma'am! Imus will come here by day after tomorrow."
"Is that so? then, prepare them quickly."