Cold crept through Kal's spine as he woke up in the middle of the snow.
He pulled his hands toward his chest to keep warm,but they stopped halfway. His wrists were bound in handcuffs.
"What is this?" Kal whispered.
The cuffs were made of bones. A giant skull connected them, and inside its open mouth rested a smaller skull.
Before he could understand anything, a sharp pain struck his back.
"Ahhhhh!"
His scream echoed through the storm as a whip tore into his skin.
He tried to reach the wound, but the cuffs stopped him. Instead, he rolled on the snow, rubbing his back against the ice.
"You fucking slave," a voice snarled. "Get to the contractor and get yourself a fur cloak. Or die here ."
The man wore a long white coat. Fur circled his neck, and golden cross-shaped ranks hung on his chest. His long black hair fell from under a white cap, and a scar ran across his right eye, making his face look twisted and cruel.
Kal said nothing. He only stared at the man's face.
Slowly, Kal stood up and walked toward a distant crowd shouting in the snow.
As he reached them, someone grabbed him by the neck and threw him back into the open snow.
"This bastard, I'm going to..." Kal muttered, but then he noticed something.
The skulls on the cuffs began to glow blue. His body felt weak, as if something was being drained from him.
"Don't try to be smart," another man said. He also wore a white coat, but he was a little older than Kal. He had long golden hair, handsome features, and clear blue eyes.
"Do you think slaves like you are allowed to roam freely?"
He tossed a fur cloak at Kal. "Wear it. And don't try to use your mana. Many pregnant women died so that you won't do something stupid."
Kal said nothing. His eyes stayed fixed on the man as he wrapped the cloak around himself. Warmth slowly returned.
"The Pentagon," Kal murmured, looking into the distance.
Five snowy mountains surrounded the land. Between them stood the Holy Temple, blocking the path between humans and the Dravaks,man-eating monsters. Knights from every kingdom were forced to serve here until they die.
And I am one of the lucky ones, Kal thought bitterly. Chosen to serve here.
"Hey you, green-eyed bastard! Come here, now!" a man shouted. He wore the same uniform and a chain dangled from his middle finger, as though it were an extension of his body.
Kal's green eyes and black hair made him stand out among the others. His thin clothes barely protected him from the cold.
"What are you staring at? Move, you whore's son!"
The scarred soldier kicked Kal hard.
"This bastard…" Kal muttered as he crawled forward.
"Before we go to the temple, write down your ability," the chain knight said. "What can you do? That decides where you'll be posted."
The chain was connected to a sword no bigger than a newborn's pinky finger.
"Why would I tell them my ability?" Kal thought.
Suddenly, the chain pierced his chest.
"Did you think we're idiots?" the knight said, smiling. "This is the Sword of Judgment. Lie, and you suffer."
Kal screamed, clutching his chest.
"I...I'll tell the truth...please stop!"
He writhed in the snow like a fish out of water while the other slaves watched in terror. Some prayed. Others clenched their heads as their teeth chattered.
Kal picked up the feather and began to write.
Name: Kal
Age: 19
His hand trembled. Ink pooled on the page.
Pain surged in his chest again. Gritting his teeth, he continued.
Attribute: Shadow
Ability: Shadow manipulation, shadow binding, etc.
"A shadow ability?" the knight said, pulling the chain from Kal's chest. "Never seen that before."
"That's exactly why he was sent here," the scarred knight laughed. "No kingdom wants a useless ability like that."
The chain knight laughed with him.
"Did you hear that? Shadow ability!"
A huge, muscular man laughed loudly.
"Give him some respect," another man with one eye missing said. "He'll die before reaching the temple."
"Or maybe they're saving him as a sacrifice," said a beautiful-looking slave, almost like a girl.
Kal stayed silent. He memorized every face.
The slaves were lined up and forced to walk. Under the blue moon, Kal finally saw their destination.
Four massive snowy mountains stood like pillars in the distance,each with a false summit and a true one. The true summits connected to a floating block of ice at the center by a wooden rope bridge.
Kal wasn't the only one staring.
The pillars were staring back at him.
"Hey, bastard! Where are you looking?"
The huge man kicked Kal again.
Kal fell forward, crashing into the man in front of him.
"Fuck you," the man snapped.
He was barely human,just skin and bones. The chain linking him to Kal wrapped tightly around Kal's neck.
Kal gasped for air, struggling. The man who kicked him laughed, enjoying it. Behind them, the beautiful slave and the one-eyed man joined in.
"What's happening there?" the golden-haired knight shouted.
"Nothing, sir," the giant man replied. "Two slaves fighting to the death."
The knight moved like the wind. He fired a dart into the skeletal man. Instantly, the man froze and stopped moving.
Kal dropped to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath.
As he did so, his eyes fell on the darts hanging from the handsome knight's belt.
"What happened here?" the scarred knight asked as he arrived, looking at Kal's swollen red face.
"Maybe you need some water," he said, handing Kal a leather pouch.
Kal grabbed it desperately and drank.
The scarred knight smiled.
Kal vomited immediately. The liquid splashed onto the ice,it was urine.
Laughter rang out.
Kal spat, wiped his mouth with the fur, and stood still.
"Nice," the scarred knight said. "You were born to be a slave. I thought you'd glare at me so I could cut one of your eyes."
He drew his sword and walked past Kal toward the unmoving man.
"And you," he said, "your fate is to become part of the pillar."
With one clean strike, he cut the man's neck. Blood froze in the air. A few moments later, the man's suffering ended.
The scarred knight sheathed his sword.
"All of you will behave," he said coldly.
"Or you will become part of the pillars."