The slaves marched forward in a long queue. Before they even reached the slope, a few of them had already died, but their bodies were still dragged forward by the chains tied to everyone.
Kal's mood darkened when he saw the dead man being pulled right in front of him.
"Hey, kid. Are you feeling pity?" the giant slave asked.
The moment Kal saw him, he no longer looked human to him. So Kal gave him a name in his mind,the Giant Slave.
"Not really," Kal replied calmly. "I was just thinking about something else."
"Like how they're going to kill you?" the one-eyed man shouted.
"By the way, why were you chosen to serve here? You don't look like a criminal," said the beautiful slave standing behind the one-eyed slave.
Kal smiled, remembering how he had been the only one sitting in front of two dead bodies,no, not bodies, just pieces of meat.
"Nothing special," Kal said. "I just happened to know things I shouldn't have."
"Look at you, acting tough," the one-eyed slave scoffed. "I ended up here because I had too much fun with brats like you."
"Hey, don't scare the kid," the beautiful slave said, patting the one-eyed slave's shoulder. "Or maybe you're reserving him for later."
"Enough," the giant slave interrupted, staring at the handcuffs. "Don't be so sure we'll even survive that long. These cuffs stop us from using our Mana. And what makes you think we'll even reach the temple?"
"Why is that?" Kal asked, glancing at the skeleton being dragged.
"Don't you know?" the giant slave whispered into Kal's ear. "Dravaks try to attack the temple. Slaves like us are sent first so we can force out the Dravaks' abilities. Only after that do the knights step in."
"So we're just pawns," Kal said quietly.
"You're smiling because you don't know the history of the Pentagon," the giant slave continued.
"To stop those man-eating bastards from entering our realm, millions of newborn infants were sacrificed to please the Seven Gods. The gods gifted four holy temples to protect us. But the Dravaks found another way in and have tried to destroy the temples ever since.
"They are strong. Many knights died defending the temples, and skilled knights became rare. So all the kingdoms agreed to send their criminals,people like us,as bait. Our only job is to reveal the Dravaks' powers so the knights can kill them."
The giant slave stared at Kal, his voice turning cold.
"You bastard, aren't you afraid? Dravaks eat you alive while listening to your screams like music."
Kal took a deep breath. The moonlight was cold and clean.
Dying didn't seem so bad to Kal. People lived because someone was waiting for them. But who was waiting for him?
His parents,killed right in front of him for a crime they never committed.
His best friend,dead while protecting him.
His mentor,gone.
Someone special,assaulted and torn apart while Kal could only watch.
At least Dravaks were honest monsters. Humans were worse.
"Come to think of it," Kal murmured to himself,
"I don't really care if a Dravak eats someone or their family,unless it's someone I care about. Humans eat other lives too. So what's the difference?"
"Hey, is that true?" the beautiful slave asked suddenly.
"True what?" the one-eyed man asked.
"That knights kill the slaves once their numbers drop below two-thirds," she said anxiously.
"Yes," the one-eyed slave replied. "In the past, after surviving countless battles, the slaves grew mentally unstable, and many attempted to infiltrate the temple itself to seek the statues' blessings."
"I heard," the giant slave added, "that if you're willing to offer sacrifices to the statue, It will reveal the path to your desire only if you possess the strength to walk it yourself. "
Kal listened quietly.
The slaves finally reached the base of the mountain. To get food and water, they had to climb to the false summit first.
Some slaves were already crawling on all fours. They not only dragged the dead bodies but also a cart filled with food and water.
"Climb!" the knights screamed.
Slowly, painfully, the slaves climbed. Some fell. Some gave up. Others forced themselves to stand and continue.
"Finally," Kal gasped, breathing heavily.
The scarred knight unlocked the chain connecting them to each other, but the handcuffs stayed on.
The handcuffs of the dead slaves were collected.
The scarred knight took a pointed key hanging from his belt and inserted it into the small skull's mouth. With a click, it opened.
Kal watched carefully, hiding his face beneath his fur cloak.
"Quick! Gather the bodies and pile them up if you want heat!" shouted the knight with the judgment chain.
The slaves dragged the corpses together to block the cold wind. In the center, they lit the fire.
Everyone rushed toward the fire.
Kal stayed away. He knew rushing in would be foolish if he wanted to survive.
He was given a piece of bread and a pouch of water.
Kal sat where he could see the scarred knight and the chain knight talking near the slope of the false summit.
He looked toward the true summit,it was clearly visible. If the handcuffs were removed, the slaves could climb it instantly.
Then he looked to his right. The slope was only a few meters away.
"I've eaten worse," Kal thought, staring at the bread. "But is it worth breaking my teeth for this?"
He drank the water anyway. It froze his stomach.
He stared at the fire and imagined himself sitting close to it, tricking his mind into feeling warm.
"Are you not going to eat your bread?" a young man with curly hair asked, walking up to him. His eyes were full of hope.
Kal tossed him the bread. "You don't look like a criminal."
The man sat beside him and took a bite.
"They killed my sister. When my father demanded justice, they framed him. My mother killed herself because she couldn't handle it. To stop me from rebelling, they sent me here. But I'll escape. I'll kill them all. I'll do to their loved ones what they did to mine."
"Being innocent in this sick world is the greatest crime," Kal said softly, staring at the moon.
His eyes then fell on the scarred knight and the chain knight. They were talking nervously, their movements stiff,like they had seen a ghost.
"Hey," Kal said to the curly-haired man, "can you do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"When I tell you, kick me from behind with all your strength."
"Why?"
"Don't ask. Think of it as payment for the food."
The man clenched his fists. "Fine."
The scarred knight began walking toward the circle. The chain knight stayed behind.
The curly-haired man shuffled his feet in the snow. Kal stood in front of him.
As the scarred knight came closer,
"Now," Kal said.
The kick hit him with full force.
Kal slammed into the scarred knight, and both fell into the snow.
"Ahhhhh! Why did you kick me?" Kal screamed.
"You bastard!" the knight shouted, shoving Kal away and drawing his sword.
All the slaves stood frozen as the blade fell.
The man's body collapsed a heartbeat later, while his severed head struck the snow and rolled once before coming to rest. White turned crimson beneath it, the blood spreading silently, as if the earth itself was learning the color of cruelty.