My eyes groggily blinked open, one after the other. The weight of sleep still clung to me like a vice. The room was dim, draped in shadows of furniture and hung blinds. I lay beneath rough sheets, the fabric coarse against my skin. Darkness swallowed the space, offering no sense of time, but faint, flickering light filtered through thin curtains. Stars. It had to be night.

  I scanned my surroundings, piecing the details together in fragments: a bookshelf mounted on the wall, its contents halfway full with letters on books I’ve never seen; a small, unlit lantern hanging from above, swaying gently in a creaking motion; a lone table in the corner, its surface battered and bare, all except for a pair of gloves and a teacup.

  And then I saw feet.

  A man sat just beyond the edge of the light, shrouded in shadow. His face remained obscured, but his presence was undeniable in the moment. I froze, my breath hitching.

  He reached for a glass on the table, lifting it to his mouth with a refined sleight of hand. When he finally spoke, his voice was haughty and rasping. “You’re awake.” He took a slow sip, watching me. “Good—. What’s your name? And tell me—tell me why were you out in the sands of Rah’Donia? Don’t they teach you fools how deadly this place is, wherever you’re from? The sands swallow you in time, freezing all who enter their grasps.”

  My throat felt raw, this man was ominous and I knew not what he was offering. “Who are you? Let me go.”

  He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he waited, finishing his drink and then he slowly placed the glass down; pouring another. It clinked as it hit the wooden board.

  “You don’t understand how this works.” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “I ask. You answer. Unless, of course, you’d prefer to die. Do you understand?” The man let out a dry brittle laugh, one like leaves crumbling underfoot.

  I shifted beneath the covers, trying to free my arms—only to realize they wouldn’t budge. Thick ropes bound my wrists, the fibers biting into my skin.

  He drummed his fingers against the table. “Not feeling cooperative? That’s fine. I can wait. Or perhaps I’ll bring out the tools to encourage you.”

  “T-torture?” My voice cracked, panic creeping in. “Wait—please. I’ll answer. But if I do… will you tell me what I need to know?”

  A pause. He leaned back into the shadows, considering.

  “Not that you have a choice,” he said finally. “But… I might.” He tapped his fingers together thoughtfully.

  I swallowed hard. “Okay. What do you want to know?”

  “Your name,” he said. “And where you’re from, run away.”

  “My name is Ezekiel,” I stammered. “And I’m from Earth. I was summoned to this… this planet. That’s all I know.”

  Silence. Then he leaned forward, his face emerging from the darkness.

  I wished he hadn’t. His skin was raw and ruined, mottled with burns and scars that twisted his features into something that hurt to look at. Jagged scars crisscrossed his mouth, forcing his lips into a permanent grimace. His dark eyes showed a curiosity that felt like I was a collectible to him rather than a person.

  “Earth, you say?” His ruined mouth twitched into a semblance of a grin. “Well then… you may not be a runaway after all. But still, I am sorry for what must come next.”

  My stomach twisted. “And what is that?”

  “You’ll see.” His voice was almost… regretful. “Once we reach Illisandré, you will understand.”

  “Illisandré?” I fought against the ropes again, my wrists raw. “What is that? Please, just tell me something.”

  He exhaled, almost as if he pitied me. “Fine, boy. I shall tell you a little. Illisandré is one of the largest outposts in Rah’Donia. Rah’Donia is a land of filth and cruelty, I have no clue why you would want to come here. But you did. Do you know the ruling class owns everything here? The people. They live as serfs—rats scrambling for scraps under the boots of the elites. That is where you’re going.”

  “Serfs?” I narrowed my eyes. “What the hell is a serf? A servant?”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Close, but you'll find out soon enough.” His tone was grim as if he were hammering nails into my coffin. “Illisandré is not just a stronghold—it’s a fortress. It stands against the horde beasts, creatures drawn to the energy they steal from devouring humans.”

  “Horde beasts?” I looked at the man.

  He smiled. “You know nothing of this world, do you? I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long.” He gestured toward me, the shadow of his hand flickering in the dim light. “I can see the wounds on you from here. They look like secondhand wounds. Wounds that you gave yourself. You also wreak of mana leakage, you best plug that. Unless you want to go crazy son.”

  I barely had time to react before he lifted a his hand again. A faint green light spiraled from his fingers, curling through the air before striking me square in the chest. A searing heat spread through my body, stealing my breath and stinging throughout. I gritted my teeth as it surged, then grunted in pain as the sensation faded.

  The pain was gone.

  I looked down at my arms—they were unscathed. My wounds had vanished, scabs just absorbed into the skin and some fell off.

  “How… how did you do that?” I whispered.

  His rueful expression returned. “The simple answer? Magic. But magic demands a price. You can trade life or limb for power. I did and paid the price for it. As for me?” He gestured to his scarred face. “I traded beauty to save the one I loved. And do you know what she did, boy? She left me the moment she could walk away. Couldn’t stand the sight of me. And it's ironic because I am the one who cured her.”

  A bitter, but hearty laugh escaped him. A serious look returned right after, it was rough around the edges then buttery at the end, it almost made me smile if not for my predicament.

  Being tied to a bed chamber does that.

  “So I hide behind a mask. Life is cruel, isn’t it? I gave my face to save her, only to lose her anyway. And you…” His dark eyes locked onto mine. “You give the world too much. I can see it in you. I was like that once. So listen.”

  I stared at him, torn between fear and something dangerously close to sympathy.

  “Why heal me?”

  He studied me for a long moment, then sighed. “Because, boy… you’ll need it.”

  He let out a soft snort. “It’s simple, isn’t it? I can’t have my merchandise damaged before delivery. You may not be much now boy, but you will become something. The gods have spoken to me, and I am selling my way into paradise.”

  “You’re a slaver? What do you mean? How will slavery make you a good man? How will this get you anywhere in life?”

  “That is not for you to know now. Maybe when the time comes. Then they will speak to you.”

  I gritted my teeth and asked another question. “What’s your name?”

  He straightened, giving a small, theatrical bow. “It’s Kalin. A pleasure to meet you,.”

  I stared at him, trying to push past the fog of fear and anger. I didn’t know how to respond. Should I rage? Curse him? I couldn’t muster the strength—not yet. He hadn’t hurt me, hadn’t even insulted me. All I could feel was the heaviness around my body, confusion drowning everything else.

  “Why?” I finally managed, the word coming out hoarse. “Why are you doing this to me? Why are you going to… sell me?” My voice cracked like I was about to cry, I had been beaten shot, murdered twice and now I was about to be sold into slavery like my ancestors before me. “Let me go. My life isn’t property. I’m a man—a man, damn it. Let me go, please.” My voice came out a husk of its former self.

  “Relax.” Kalin waved a lazy hand, unfazed by my pleading. “I only sell to decent men. I wouldn’t have taken you if I didn’t think you had value and were going to be hurt.”

  “That’s good to know,” I shot back bitterly, wiping my eyes. “Glad to hear I’m wanted. Will you let me go from this bondage? Or does tying people to beds strike your fancy?” I tugged against the ropes again, feeling the burn as they cut deeper into my skin. “No. No it does not. You see this is crucial industry. It’s not personal. The fates called for this and many of men had had it worse than you. Iyou would have died if not for me anyway, I have saved you so now you must pay the price.” His glowing eyes gleamed beneath his leather mask as he leaned closer. “We met because it was meant to be. And because of that, I’m afraid I cannot let you go. The gods whisper to me, you see. They tell me of you. They tell me that you need to learn of the world before ‘it’ comes.”

  “‘It’? What is ‘it’?”

  Kalin’s glare went dark, filled with an eerie conviction. “Why, ‘it’ is The End. The seas of demons crawling from beneath to escape the pits of Hades. Where men and women fight each other just to see who can get the knife first, to slit their throats. Tell me, boy, have you ever seen someone fight over a blade just to be the first to kill themselves? Do you know why someone would do such a thing? I've seen visions of whats to come and your face is plastered on the big screen in front of all of them.”

  “Have you seen a mother kill her child because she didn’t want locusts to eat him alive?” Kalin continued, his emphasizing the frantic nature of his speech.

  “Have you seen holy flames burn a man to ash, only for a demon to rise from it, using his voice to lure his family out to kill them one by one? No, you have not.”

  He leaned in closer, his eyes flashing with an unsettling intensity. “So when the divine showed me visions of what’s coming, I dropped everything to find you. Be grateful, they will not allow you to die just yet.

  “No, I have not. But truly is this the only way? The only way I can learn? The only way for me to stay alive?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Kalin raised a hand, cutting me off. “Enough.” His tone was unbothered, almost casual. He stood and brushed nonexistent dust from his gloves. “It will not work, child. Save your strength.” He gestured toward me dismissively. “Sleep now. You’ll wake up in Illisandré soon enough.”

  Before I could respond, an overwhelming heaviness pressed down on me. The soft padding beneath me felt as though it were swallowing me whole, dragging me under like quicksand. I fought to stay awake, to resist, but the world blurred, and darkness overtook everything.