Black Obsidian

Kaelis didn't know how long she had been in the prison. Time had become a cruel, shapeless thing—measured by the changing of the seasons outside the walls and by the passage of her miserable, monotonous days. Each day bled into the next, indistinguishable from the one before. She woke with the cold stone beneath her, and she slept with it still pressing against her skin, a constant reminder of her captivity.

The other prisoners barely spoke to her. Some of them were too broken to engage, their eyes dull and lifeless, their bodies marked by the brutal nature of their confinement. Others whispered among themselves, speaking in hushed tones, as though the very air was watching. Kaelis could hear snippets of their conversations, but she kept to herself. She was too afraid of drawing attention. She had learned quickly that the less you stood out in Vareth, the better. At least then, the guards might leave you alone.

That is, until the day the Master of Arms arrived.

Kaelis had been doing her usual routine—sitting on the cold floor of her cell, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her wrists, when the door to the prison block swung open with a loud creak. Her cell was near the back of the block, isolated from the others, but even from her corner, she could hear the sound of boots echoing on the stone floor. Her heart stuttered in her chest. Something was happening. The other prisoners, normally lethargic, stirred, glancing nervously at the door.

Then, the figure stepped into the dim light.

He was tall, far taller than most of the guards Kaelis had seen. His face was hard, almost angular, with sharp features that betrayed no emotion. He wore black leathers, reinforced with iron plates at the shoulders and elbows, his belt lined with various implements—whips, daggers, and hooks. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a tight braid, and his piercing grey eyes seemed to see through everything. They settled on Kaelis for a moment, locking with hers across the room.

For a moment, everything went still. Even the air seemed to freeze. Kaelis felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as the man's gaze swept over her. He didn't speak, not immediately, but his presence was enough to fill the room, to make the others shrink back into the shadows of their cells, as though they too understood the weight of his approach.

"Are you the one?" he asked, his voice low and calm, but there was something in it—a quiet menace—that made Kaelis's chest tighten. The words seemed to hang in the air for a long moment before they landed.

She didn't respond, unsure of whether she was meant to answer or not. The man took a step forward, the sound of his boots echoing unnervingly in the silence. He reached her cell, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of something in his expression—an emotion Kaelis couldn't place. Maybe it was curiosity, maybe disdain, but whatever it was, it made her stomach twist.

The man stopped just outside her cell, his hand resting on the bars, his fingers curling around the rusted iron like a predator savoring the thrill of the hunt. He didn't move for a long time, just watched her. Then, as if he were speaking to himself, he said softly, "A power like yours... it will be tamed. Whether you wish it or not."

Kaelis's breath caught in her throat. The words were simple, but they hit her with the force of a storm. She could feel the shadows stirring within her, restless, agitated. She clenched her fists, fighting against the urge to call them forth. She had to keep them hidden. If she lost control now, she knew what would happen.

The Master of Arms chuckled, a sound that was soft, yet cruel. "You're afraid. I can smell it. Afraid of yourself. Afraid of what you could become."

He stepped back, his gaze still locked on her, studying her as if she were an animal under a microscope. "Your power is dangerous," he continued. "It can't remain unchecked. And I will be the one to teach you that lesson. In this place, you will learn to control it. Or you will break under the weight of it. Either way, I'll have you... under control."

Kaelis stiffened, trying to keep her face neutral. "I won't be your puppet."

The man's eyes hardened, his lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We'll see. No one leaves Vareth the same. You'll either obey... or you'll become something far worse."

He stepped away from her cell, his eyes lingering on her one last time before he turned and walked back toward the main corridor. "Tomorrow," he called over his shoulder, "I will begin your training."

Kaelis watched him go, her body trembling in the silence that followed. There was no way out. Not now. The man—this Master of Arms—would be her tormentor, her teacher. He would break her and rebuild her in whatever form the Empire demanded. But she would not go down without a fight. She couldn't.

As she sat back against the stone wall of her cell, Kaelis felt the familiar stirrings of the shadows within her. They were restless, eager. She could feel them pushing against the walls of her mind, whispering to her, urging her to embrace the power they offered. But Kaelis couldn't. Not yet.

The next day, when the sun barely kissed the horizon and the guards called for her, she didn't know what to expect.

Kaelis was not prepared for the cruelty that awaited her. She had been in Vareth for over a month, enduring the monotony of her imprisonment, but nothing could have prepared her for the ordeal that was about to unfold.

The Master of Arms arrived early in the morning, as promised. This time, he wasn't alone. Two guards flanked him, their faces unreadable as they opened her cell door. Kaelis didn't move. Her heart hammered in her chest, her mind racing. She had to stay strong. She couldn't let him see her fear.

He entered her cell with a sense of purpose, his eyes already scanning her, taking in her every movement, every breath. He was assessing her, calculating, and Kaelis could feel it. She had never been more aware of her own body, of the power that thrummed beneath her skin.

"Today, we start your training," the Master of Arms said, his voice cold and commanding.

Before Kaelis could respond, the guards grabbed her, pulling her roughly to her feet. She resisted, but they were too strong, their grip unyielding. She struggled against them, but the fear inside her was growing, the shadows inside her growing restless in response.

"Enough," the Master of Arms said, and Kaelis froze at the force of his voice. It wasn't a shout, but it cut through the air with such precision that even the guards stiffened.

He walked closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. "I want you to understand something, Kaelis," he said, his tone deceptively calm. "You have power. I can feel it. And I will make you control it."

Kaelis didn't speak. She couldn't. The words stuck in her throat, and for the first time since she had been thrown into Vareth, she felt truly small.

The Master of Arms stepped closer, so close that she could feel the heat of his body radiating against her skin. His fingers brushed against her jaw, just lightly enough to send a shiver of discomfort through her. "You will break," he whispered. "One way or another, I will break you. And when I do, you'll thank me for it."

Kaelis closed her eyes, summoning every ounce of strength she had. She wouldn't let him see her tremble. She wouldn't let him see how much his words hurt.

Not yet.