"Last Night"
Theo opened his eyes, and darkness was all around him. The air felt cold and heavy. It smelled like wet stone and rot. He tried to sit up, but the cage was too small. Its black bars pressed tight around him, making him stay bent over. The walls seemed to move a little, like they were alive. Shadows shifted and made soft sounds near him.
Theo's chest got tight with fear. "H-hello?" he said, his voice breaking. "Is anyone there? Please, help me!" His words bounced back, but no one answered. Then a scream cut through the quiet, sharp and awful. Theo stopped moving. His heart beat fast. He twisted in the tiny cage and looked out between the bars.
Not far off, a dark, ugly shape stood over a man. The man's face was twisted in pain. The shape's clawed hands held him tight. Thin, glowing mist came out of the man's body—his soul. The man's cries got quiet, then stopped. His body fell to the ground, dead.
Theo's breath caught. His skin got cold and bumpy. He pushed back against the bars, his legs tucked under him, hurting in the small space.
"Why don't they ever have good stuff?" a voice said close by, breaking the stillness. Theo looked over quick. In the faint light, Karma was bent over a pile of dead people. He picked through their things—rings, necklaces, little bits of junk hung from his hands. He frowned, not happy with what he found.
"This is all trash," Karma said under his breath. He threw a cheap ring away. Then he turned and saw Theo looking. A big, mean smile spread on Karma's face. "Oh, the little farmer's awake, huh?" he said, his voice full of teasing. He stood up and walked slow toward Theo's cage.
Theo wiggled, scared, shaking as he tried to push deeper into the tight space. Karma leaned on the bars, smiling bigger. "What's wrong, brat? Don't like your new home? I made this nice cage just for you." He waved his arms around, and the shadows in the prison seemed to twist with him.
"Wh-why are you doing this?" Theo said, his voice soft and shaky. Tears came to his eyes. "What did you do to my brother?" Karma laughed, low and mean, and it echoed in the room. "Your brother? That dumb farmer?" He pretended to think, then laughed again. "I beat him dead. He won't make it to morning. But you? You're still good for me, little farmer." Theo's heart dropped. Fear and sadness filled his head.
Karma bent down close to the cage. His eyes shone with hate. "Why are we doing this? You, you little brat, are going to bring my king back. Your magic core is the key to him coming alive again. So sit there, be quiet, and act like the animal you are. Maybe you'll live a bit longer."
Theo squeezed his fists. He was scared and mad, but he couldn't talk back. He just watched as Karma stood up, whistling like nothing mattered, and went back to digging through the dead people's stuff.
The shadows in the prison got darker. They wrapped around Theo like a heavy blanket. He sank down in the cage, tears running down his face. His knees pressed tight to his chest. For the first time ever, he felt like he couldn't do anything.
Then the air around the camp got cold and thick. A big shadow fell over everything. Theo heard wings moving in the night. Cramped in his cage, he felt something heavy before he saw it.
A huge dark shape came down from the sky, smooth and quiet. It landed soft on the ground. Karma knew its glowing, smoking eyes—it was Kaya.
"Hello, little fry," Kaya said, calm but teasing, looking at Theo in the cage. His dark feathers moved a bit as he tilted his head to watch the boy. Theo pulled back, shaking, as Kaya's big shape filled his eyes.
Before Kaya could say more, Karma stepped out from behind, holding a small bag of stuff he'd taken. "Kaya," Karma said, smiling big to hide his worry. "What are you doing here? I'm doing the plan, like I was told."
Kaya turned to Karma. His glowing eyes got a little smaller. "Yes, you are," he said, his voice cool and strong. "But the plan changed." Karma's face got tight. "What changed?"
Kaya stepped closer, folding his wings back. "My Liege gave me new orders. You take the child to Berserker. He's already going to Antonia Empire's capital."
"Berserker" made Karma shake a little. He swallowed hard, trying not to show he was scared.
"Berserker?" he said, his voice wobbly. "Why's he going there?"
Kaya smiled bigger, like he liked Karma being afraid. "Because playtime is done," he said, his voice cold. "Now we have the boy, My Liege says it's time to show the world. Berserker will wreck that capital to start the war."
Karma's face got hard as he listened. Even scared, he made himself bow a little. "As My King wants," he said, his voice getting steady. "I'll do it."
Kaya nodded short. His eyes went back to Theo, who stared, wide-eyed and terrified. "Good," Kaya said. "Don't mess up, Karma. You know what happens if you fail."
With a big flap of his wings, Kaya flew up, disappearing into the dark sky. The heavy feeling lightened a bit, but the cold stayed.
Karma stood quiet, looking at the empty sky. Then he turned to Theo's cage. His smile came back, but it didn't look real. "Well, brat," he said, bending down to look at Theo's scared face. "Looks like you've got a big meeting with Berserker."
Theo didn't answer. He sat still, too afraid to move, as Karma laughed low and started getting the cage ready to go.