"A Hero, huh...." The fat man finally collects himself with a cough before glaring down at us. "It looks like I'll be able to get a lot of money off of him... Now, what to do with all of you?"

We all flinch under his greedy gaze. 

"Excuse me my Lord." A servant who had remained unnoticed besides the fat man. "Since there is no profit in selling them at the moment, maybe when they are older; they will have value."

"Hmm." The fat man who was apparently a Lord hummed in response before suddenly grabbing my chin and forced me to look up at him. My hair parts to reveal the large burn on my face from that day causing his face to twist in disgust. "Tsk. Fine."  

He shoves me away from him, slamming my back hard into the wall as they left the room.

The next day, we were sent back outside to work in the hot sun. I looked around to see if Five was around but there was no sight of him and had to quickly start working as a guard eyed me with his hand on the whip on his side. 

"Seven!!!" 

I turn to see who was yelling, seeing that it was Five. He looked different-clean. I had no idea that his hair was such a brilliant red as the sun seemed to cause it to shine. Five was riding a carriage with many people surrounding it as they left through the castle gate. 

"F-five!" I rushed over to him, but was stopped by armed men in shining metals that gently clanked together when they moved.

"Wait! She's my friend!" Five tries to get out of the carriage with the long nosed man who puts a restraining hand on him. 

"You are the Hero." He says, looking down at me. "You do not need friends like that."

I gasp in pain as I was hit in the stomach with the flat of the sword and fell to my knees.

"Seven!! Seven!!!!!" I could hear Five calling for me as they continued on, leaving us behind. 

"Hey!" A guard comes up and yanks me up onto my feet. "Get back to work!"

I flinch at the sound of the whip that hit the ground close to my feet before quickly running off towards the tunnel. 

~~~~~~

Months have passed, but nothing has changed outside of Five being gone. 

The four of us that were left behind had to do the work of ten people; otherwise we didn't eat. When I did get food, I tried to share it among the rest; having grown used to the empty feeling in my stomach.

It wasn't easy living like this, it also didn't help that there was another tunnel collapse that killed a lot of people which made more work for everyone who was left.  

I glance up to the sky to see what time it was when I noticed a strange black cloud hanging off to the side; there was no other cloud in the sky, the tips of the mountains clear of its usual fluffy coverings.

A guard seems to notice what I was looking at and a panicked look crossed his face before he suddenly runs to the castle. The other guards see the cloud as well but had us keep working until the guard came back. 

After the guard took a second to gasp for air, he quickly whispers into the head guard's ear who had the other guards quickly spread out. 

"Line up!!" The head guard yells before cracking his whip against the ground, the sound echoing. 

We did as we were told, hands out and ready for the chains to be reattached. The guards had all of us rounded up and marched up to the castle where people were running around franticly. 

I didn't understand what was going on, but I knew it couldn't be good. The guard had us jump into a wagon, stuffing it with as many people as possible. A gold carriage pulls up besides us and the fat man pokes out his head to speak with a guard before heading off before us. 

'SKEEEEEEEEE!!!!!'

A loud screech filled the air as I covered my ears and closed my eyes in surprise. I peek and see large flying monsters coming towards us, the black cloud somewhat smaller now behind them. 

"Get moving!!!!" Someone yells causing the carriage to suddenly start, darting through the opposite gate just before it closed. I watch to see strange monsters surround the castle walls and hear people screaming.

A few of the monsters noticed us and started running after the wagon as the guards standing on the wagon started to panic. 

"GO FASTER!!!"

"I CAN'T THERE'S TO MUCH WEIGHT!!!"

"FINE! THEN WE JUST NEED TO GET RID OF SOME!!" 

A guard bends down and grabs a scrawny older kid, unlocking him from the chains before throwing him over the wagon onto the ground.  

"Ahh!!" he screamed before slamming his head down hard onto a rock, his form getting smaller and smaller as we rode away. A few more people met similar fates as the guard harmed others to save himself.

"LOOSE MORE WEIGHT!!!"

The guard unlocks my chains next, the first one before the three other kids from my group when the wagon abruptly shakes as it turned, knocking the guard off balanced. 

I try to shove him off the wagon in that one split moment, but he managed to hold on before glaring down at me.

"YOU DAMN SLAVE!!!" He hits me hard across the face causing me to fall to the floor. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO PUSH ME OFF!!!"

The guard's red face suddenly twists into a evil grin as he pulled out a knife from his belt and grabbed onto my legs with one hand. In one quick movement, he sliced the back of my ankles blood pooling out.

"I WON'T GIVE YOU A CHANGE TO SURIVE LIKE THOSE OTHERS!!" The guard cackles before throwing me off. 

I flew in the air for one weightless moment, like everything had slowed down as the wagon barreled away; I could see the other kids looking at me with sad and resigned expressions. 

I thought about Five, seeing his face before my eyes until I slammed down hard onto the ground.

I couldn't even gasp in pain, all the air had left me in that moment. Rocks scraped against my skin as I rolled a little while dust covered them until blood washed it away.

I weakly lift up my head and see the wagon far away  as monsters surrounded me. I closed my eyes tightly as I waited for my death to come....

???

I opened my eyes and saw that none of the monster approached me. Holding in groans of pain, I sat up as I stared back at them.

Each were different; some hand long horns on their head, others had animal heads. A few were huge while there were some that were as small as me. 

We stared each other down for a long time until I could hear someone walking over. The monsters parted as the person came closer and I quickly look down as a terrible feeling came over me.

"This is the first time I've seen a human as small as you."

I lightly flinched at the cold words as I stared at the ground; to afraid to look up at the intimidating man. I could tell that he was different from the other monsters that circled around me.

But I no longer cared about my life anymore. No one cared about me, no one will miss or even be sad about my death except for Five, but he was no longer here anymore.

"Human." The man speaks to me as I continued to stare at the ground. "Look up."

I bit my lip and shook my head, I wasn't allowed to look at any adult- if I did, I would be hit. Dull pain started to prick my chest as I waited to die, I couldn't even felt the cuts on my legs from those people who left me here anymore.

Suddenly, feet appeared in my sight and was joined by legs as the man kneeled down in front of me and curled a long white finger around my chin and gently lifted my head up.

I closed my eyes tightly as my body started to tremble and curl up in preparation for the beating that surely was coming. Moments pass but nothing happens.

I slowly open my eyes and met the vibrant purple eyes that stared into mine. I start to pull away as he reached up to brush my hair out of my face, flinching as he touched my skin and revealed the ugly burn that I had received two years ago.

"Who did this?" He asks as he gazed at the scar.

Heyo! Your favorite author here! Hoping that you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!!!!!