Malrik suddenly opened his eyes, breathing heavily as he did. The light in his once vibrant eyes was nowhere to be seen.
He looked around, absorbing the strange room he lay in. The room felt more like a prison—silent and suffocating. Everywhere was white except for the red-colored words death and murder plastered all over the walls. Malrik started hyperventilating. Images of his parents flashed relentlessly in his mind, their blood gushing out of their cold bodies like memories he couldn't escape.
He clutched his head. "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real!" he repeated over and over and over. The dark smiles of the two perpetrators were etched deep in his mind. The man covered in darkness could not be erased from the boy's mind as he slammed his fists on the bed he lay on.
Tears started forming in his eyes, the sting of pain coursing through his veins with every slam on the blood-stained concrete bed. However, all the boy could think about were the killers of his parents.
"Careful now, little boy. We just had that fixed and cleaned for you." A voice rang out from behind Malrik. Malrik stopped punching the chair as his hands dropped to his sides.
"Where are my parents?" His voice was dark and losing its spark. "I want to see them."
"Huh? Your parents?" the man behind him asked in mock confusion before a dark smile appeared. "That wouldn't be possible right now. You see, they are probably rotting in the ground by now."
The air below Malrik's feet started to swirl. The floor suddenly cracked slightly, and instantly, Malrik was on top of him, the man staring from the ground in slight shock. The tablet he seemed to be holding had smashed on the floor, and Malrik held a metal pole, which he had gotten from the bed, in the air, ready to end a life.
'Such an interesting use of magic; he doesn't even seem to be aware he is using it. If he survives, he could end up becoming such a beautiful experiment.'
Malrik went for the blow, swinging the metal pole down in blind rage at the calm man on the floor. However, before it could connect, a hand caught it.
Malrik looked up. His eyes shone blue as he gazed at the man who shot his mother. The man had an animalistic smile; however, what was scarier was the dark orange aura emanating from the man. In fact, it was filling the whole room.
"Hey kid, you could kill someone with that, you know—" The man was cut off as a punch came swinging at his face. However, the reach was pathetic as he easily moved to the side before sending a powerful kick to the boy. Malrik was sent crashing into the side of the bed as he cried out in pain.
"Hey Vale, would you be careful?! How are we meant to get any precious data of the kid if you start beating him up?" called out the white-cloaked man as he picked himself up.
Vale cracked his fists and grinned. "I am just teaching the kid a little lesson, doc. Besides, it's not like he will survive much longer anyway; why does it matter if he breaks a few bones?"
The doctor mumbled something about stupid barbarians before making his way over to the boy, who was clutching his broken arms in pain. "Please forgive my colleague over here; sometimes, he doesn't know when we show a little restraint." He glared at Vale behind him, who was picking his nose. "Anyway, I am Dr. Helmbrecht; allow me to fix that for you."
Without consent, Dr. Helmbrecht grabbed Malrik's arm. The boy struggled, kicking his legs in protest, before a warm sensation coursed through his arm. When it was over, the doctor stood up and walked away as Malrik touched his hands.
"It's healed?" the young boy asked himself in confusion.
As the doctor got to the door, he turned his head slightly. "You will need that hand if you even hope to survive the first test." With that, the man walked out.
"Test?" Malrik asked himself, wondering why he was taking a test, why he was even here, and why he needed to survive this test.
Vale looked at the boy, whose mind was moving like a runaway train. Throwing an object, he called out, "Here, you'll need it, kid." Before walking away.
Malrik caught the object and looked at it. It was the black sword his mother had brought him. Widening his eyes, more tears started to form as he sobbed over the little black sword.
― 10 minutes later―
Malrik walked out of the room. He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn yesterday, but they had several evident rips. His black sword hung on his waist as he clung to it like a lifeline.
As he entered the large blue room, his eyes widened in shock. The place looked more like a nursery taken from a nightmare. The ground he stood on was just sand; however, it was pitch-black with signs of dried blood mixed with it. It didn't help that the room was dim; the only light source came from the tinted-glass ceiling, which served to cast a sickly hue over the scene. Multiple toys and bones drenched in blood lay scattered across the room.
What came as an even bigger shock, though, was the large number of children his age present. About 50 kids, each with rips and scratches on their clothes, all looking around just as confused and scared as he was. Their faces looked like they carried deep trauma in them, and some looked even younger than him.
Malrik clenched his fists, struggling to quell the anger boiling beneath like a kettle. What kind of sick people hold so many kids' hostage?
Malrik looked up to his top left, where a booth sticking out of the wall could be seen. Inside it, several adults, including Dr. Helmbrecht, the two men responsible for his mother's death, and several other powerful-looking men and women, could be seen, each with dark grins etched on their faces. What Malrik's eyes were fixed on, though, was the person who seemed to be the boss. He was cloaked from head to toe and was sitting in what looked like a throne, right in the front center of the booth.
'Who is he?'
Malrik clenched his fists, struggling to control himself. For some reason, just looking at the man's covered face, hidden in the shadows of his hood, made his blood boil. Standing right next to the cloaked man was Dr. Helmbrecht, who knelt to whisper something to his boss, glancing at Malrik as he did. The cloaked figure looked straight at Malrik, sending chills down his spine as he did so. Every sensor in his body was screaming at him to run away. It was like staring into an abyss – something not fully present, not entirely whole.
Malrik's eyes again shone blue as the atmosphere changed, filling itself with a dark, golden aura. It looked heavenly yet ghastly and evil; it felt wrong. Above the figure's head, Malrik could see golden-coloured words hovering:
Lord of Darkness
Malrik trembled as he fell on his knees and hands. He started breathing heavily as if the aura itself was draining all the air around him. Though just as it came, it soon disappeared. Malrik blinked, feeling the air return to his lungs. He looked back up to see the cloaked figure no longer staring at him.
Just what was that?! Malrik shivered, fear overwhelming him in waves as he struggled to comprehend what had happened.
"Excuse me, cough, cough, testing 1, 2, can you all hear me?" All the children looked over at Dr. Helmbrecht, who was now holding a microphone in one hand and tapping it repeatedly in the other. "Since you are all looking at me, I shall take that as a yes. Welcome to The Cradle. Today might be your last time breathing the air you are currently breathing, so enjoy it."
The doctor smiled as he gazed at the fear and dread rolling off each child. His eyes lingered over Malrik, who seemed to be taking the news much better than the others, despite having just experienced a taste of the master's magical aura. Impressive.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Helmbrecht. While the chances are low, I shall be your loyal colleague for the rest of your lives, granted you pass the submission. Now you are all probably wondering why you are here. To put it short, you have been chosen by our great hero and master, Lord Darkness." Dr. Helmbrecht pointed to the cloaked figure sitting on the black throne, introducing him to the world. "Thanks to him, you have all been saved by the darkness that has plagued you, just like I was. However, you must earn his kindness for you to be fully liberated."
'Saved? Darkness? Liberated? What kind of nonsense was this crazy doctor spouting?' Malrik glared at the man; the only thing stopping him from shouting or attacking was the pure fact that he knew he was out of his league. For now, he knew he just had to survive whatever this was for a chance to escape. Escape to where? He didn't know, but he was willing to kill to do it.
"Now I am sure you're all thinking how you can repay the kindness our great master has given you." The doctor continued, raising his arms like he was preaching some grand speech. "The answer is simple: survive or kill whatever comes out that hole in the middle."
Dr. Helmbrecht pulled out a small device and pressed the big red button on it. Suddenly, a small hole appeared in the centre of the room, and those unlucky enough to be above it were sent falling to their deaths.
CRUNCH!
Everyone in the room stiffened. That wasn't the sound of bodies meeting a hard concrete floor; it was the sound of bodies meeting teeth. More wet crunching noises of flesh and bones being chewed up echoed from the hole. Malrik and all the children took a step back. Some of the older children were already crying, and some were whispering that they were going to die.
Once the chewing had stopped, a mechanical sound of something moving up like a lift could be heard. Malrik gulped. Whatever the test was, it was about to begin. He looked back up at the booth, only to meet the eyes of the doctor staring back at him. The two men who had attacked his home stood on either side of him, smirking like they were about to be spectators to some entertainment.
Malrik clenched his fists. 'Whatever is going to happen, I'll survive, and then I'm coming for all of you.'
His silent declaration echoed through his mind, and determination coursed through him like energy fuel. His face morphed into that of a predator about to meet his prey as the thing rising from the hole started revealing itself.
Two small eel-like serpent-looking creatures were the first to be seen, and upon sight, they shot a bullet of water towards the unlucky child in front of them. The boy fell to the ground, dead, with blood oozing out of the two holes in his body. The creature continued rising, basking in the sounds of the now screaming children around it.
As a blue, spiky body appeared, the creatures seemed connected to something. An elongated four-legged creature covered in spiky quills appeared. Its skin, blue like some kind of sea creature. Its two serpentine tails swung behind it in rhythm as if itching to kill someone again. Its mouth was unnaturally wide, reaching to the back of its head. Four rows of teeth, dripping liquid that left burnt marks on the floor. Its eye was black, showing no emotion other than hunger.
The creature gazed in excitement at the meal below him as it opened its mouth, and suddenly, an enormous roar reverberated from its mouth, sending shockwaves that sent everyone flying into the sand and walls. Screams and cries rang out like a broken record throughout the room.
The test had begun!