Ichigo POV:
The halls echoed with the footsteps of my companion and I. Like when I first entered the palace, there were signs of a battle that had taken place. Only this scene was far more gruesome.
Demons littered the dark cobblestone floor and walls. Bodies torn apart. It was as if someone tried to clean the entrance but forgot to clean the basement.
Machi did his best not to squirm as he dodged pools of blood.
"Shouldn't we be going room by room or something? We might miss out on crucial information."
I looked at him with an expressionless face.
"Don't you sense it?"
Machi noticeably trembled at my words.
"Sense what exactly?"
"I couldn't sense it before because of Hubri's contra and malice, but now that he's gone, it's much clearer."
"Okay, I hate when you play this game. What the hell do you mean by 'it'."
Turning my head to the descending staircase, darkness invaded my soul.
"The fear."
We continued to the lower level. It was only once we were halfway done the stairs that Machi finally sensed it.
"But... that's… why would they be here?"
"That's what I want to know myself."
When we finally reached the bottom, a scene I was far too familiar with poisoned my eyes.
Rows and rows of old cages. This was a room meant for prisoners of war. Battle hardened demons whose only hope was the sweet release of death. So why were they filled with so many children?
They all looked so withered and old. None were injured, yet all looked as if killing them would be a mercy.
It didn't take long for one of them to notice us. The scream that ripped from his, maybe her, throat was one I'd heard many times. But every time broke my heart.
Once the first noticed, it was only a matter of time before the rest did. It didn't take long for the room to be haunted by screams and sobs. The ones who screamed, did so while trying to crawl away from the bars. The ones who cried did so in silence, their eyes waiting for the soul and body to join them in death.
I've been in this situation before. I knew what to do and say. But in those circumstances, at least there had been adults around to help ease them through their suffering. There were no adults this time. No one that could or should have to bear that responsibility.
I stood there for a while, unsure of what to do until a gentle voice beside me began to ring out.
Taking a few steps forward, Machi began to sing. The lyrics were in the demon's language, but I still didn't fully understand. The children who screamed stopped and those who cried wiped their tears, all perplexed at the sight.
Machi then walked towards the direction of one cage. This made the children inside jump back, some even fainted. My companion opened his hands out wide and softened his voice even more. Mustering as much strength as he could, he broke the lock on the cage and opened the door.
The children shrieked expecting an attack, but Machi simply continued onto the next cage. One by one, he opened the cages. When he opened the last one and as his song was nearing its conclusion, a girl no more than seven walked up to him. Many of the others protested but were too afraid to go near. She walked like a ghost. Her torn and ragged shirt did nothing to hide her protruding ribs.
Her body trembled and she was about to fall over when Machi quickly caught her before her head smashed against the ground.
Weakly turning her head, she began to whisper looking into his maroon eyes.
"K… kill me… pl… please. Make… it… end…"
I could see Machi's spine quiver hearing that. Gently, he brushed aside the girl's hair and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"No child. Live. Hope here now."
His Guandomi was still poor, but the message was delivered all the same.
Tears filled the girl's eyes and she cried. Not in sadness. Nor joy. But in relief, that their prayers were answered.