After successfully escaping the camp, I’ve spent a lot of time in the shadows. Scurrying from village to village, alley to alley, sewer to sewer.

  My own nihilism was pushed back by constant threats. Hunger, guards and even the rats that tried to eat parts of me whenever I slept somewhere. It was pure agony. Begging wasn’t even an option. Either I would’ve been caught by Lotz guards searching for me or Caelum guards, who would’ve deported me to Gehenna.

  Back then, Caelum was the self proclaimed “Noble’s Island” at the top of the 3 Isles, where any sign of poverty or lower standing could’ve been used to deport you to any of the other 2 islands of the 3 Isles. Explanation was that any lower forms of standing or similar “robbed” the beauty of Caelum’s lands. “Terra” being situated in the middle of the 3 Isles, had a structure and way of life to other feudalistic kingdoms at the time. It’s lands weren’t the prettiest, but the most fertile, leading to a more balanced wealth distribution between nobility and land owners. “Gehenna” was the worst of the 3 and situated the furthest south. It also got the loving nickname “Scum Island”. Gehenna was more similar to one big prison then a country, outsourcing all of it’s profits and resources to Terra and Caelum. It’s population also largely consisted of Tieflings, Kenkus and everyone the noble court branded as “scum”.

  If you were to be sent to Gehenna, then you would spent the rest of your mortal life there, toiling away in one of the masonry and stonecutting workshops that littered the marshy sad plains. Or you could earn a chance of redemption by being a cliff miner, a nobles pitfighter or becoming cannonfodder in one of the countless wars the 3 Isles waged.

  Luckily that didn’t happen to me and I was able to live for weeks undercover in Caelum. Plundering the scraps of kitchens, stealing clothing from washing lines, lying low after every action and not becoming too cocky.

  One day I heard that the nearby troops of Lotz would return to their kingdom by boat as part of the armistice between Lotz and the 3 Isles. “That’s my chance!” I thought. If I’m not openly wanted in Lotz, I could get back on my feet there and venture north, towards Vitali Gerundian, the country of faith and peace. Granting everyone that makes it there asylum and a chance of a new life.

  “Little one,” Akhul said “I know you haven’t heard from me for a long time, but I need to tell you that Vitali Gerundian is not safe”. “Not safe?” I retorted, “It’s the home of several gods and resting place of The Maker! No country, besides Kasha, has ever declared war on them out of fear to disturb the gods! What place is safer then this?” “Sometimes things are too good to be true. But don’t think that I wouldn’t help you get there. Our goals align when it comes to getting there. However, we cannot get there in rags and a stick as a weapon.” Akhul pauses. “If you would help me first by going somewhere else, I will give my all to get you to Vitali Gerundian. You will also find everything we need to get there in Pheytreha.” Pheytreha. This name sent a shiver down my spine. The home of the soulless, hags and nightmares.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Are you fucking crazy, Akhul?! Just tell me to kill myself, why don’t you!” I shouted, in disbelief of what he suggested. “Trust me child. If there is someone to get you through this, it’s me”.”And why should I believe you? Since when do you think about someone other then yourself and your interests?” “I thought about what you said when we left camp and you were right. I didn’t see what kind of hurt and burden I caused. Life in the afterlife should be about redeeming, so I want to do that. I want to redeem myself to you by helping you get the life you deserve.”

  Akhul sounded sincere. After giving it some thought, I agreed.

  On the day of the departure from the troops of Lotz, we sneaked near the dock where the ships were anchored. I saw some empty open barrels in a corner being transported on the ship. “Now!” Akhul said and with his help I carried one empty barrel to the other barrels with various things inside. Quickly I crawled inside and put the lid on the barrel.

  “Of fucking course”, a soldier said next to me. “Another unsecured barrel. I swear to my patron saint that I will smite Michael’s ass the next time I see him”. He put something on the lid and hammered it, sealing the barrel shut with me inside. “Shit”, Akhul said. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “How do we breathe in the long term? He sealed the barrel”. I now realized that a sealed barrel is truly sealed.

  “Close your eyes”, Akhul said. “Why?” “So your mind doesn’t collapse”. I scoffed. “Sure, whatever”. I closed my eyes and not even 2 seconds later, Akhul said that I could open them again. When I did a perfect circular hole was in the lid. “Wha- How?” I asked. “Magic”. Akhul answered. I didn’t know whether he was shitting me or not.

  Time passed and we were loaded onto the ship. The trip would only take 2-3 days at most. The first day, while the crew was sleeping Akhul opened the lid for me, while he asked me again to close my eyes. I took some bread and a wineskin full of water and stashed it in the barrel so I wouldn’t hunger nor thirst during the trip. Akhul then closed the lid with the same procedure. I must say, it did interest me on how he did that.

  After 2 days, the ship was attacked by something. Saltwater splashed in my barrel from time to time, while I heard the crew calling and screaming accompanied by the thunderous roars of the ships cannons. It then became silent for a while. It was eerie. The crew didn’t move, the waves calmed and the wind disappeared. Then someone shouted: “KRAKEN!” And the ships cannons unleashed their volley. The shouting and screaming picked up again, when suddenly the ship was hit and flung my barrel in the air and against a wall. While lying on the ground I saw from the lid how the storage room was taking in water. Some troops swung their swords against the countless small tentacles penetrating the ships hull. I kept on watching and saw how one knight was pierced through his plate cuirass by a tentacle. He tried to get it out of him but it ripped his heart out with parts of his lungs and ribcage. Some of the suckers of the tentacles opened up and began ripping the knight’s corpse apart and swallowing various bits and pieces with disgusting slurping and smacking sounds.

  Then the ship was hit again by a giant tentacle, smashing the ship in two and cracking open my barrel, catapulting me to the cold open sea. I looked back and saw a scene from children’s books and stories. A sinking ship where multiple tentacles emerge from holding various things. The sails, cannons, barrels and people. The people being ripped apart by the sucking mouths of the tentacles, spilling entrails and blood on the surface of the sea. Another tentacle lifted itself up from the sea. It was so unbelievably huge. It looked like the Kraken could’ve reached space if it wanted to. And with godly swiftness is cracked down on the ship yet again, creating a sound like a lightning strike. With that, the ships ammo stowage was hit and it exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. And without time to process I got struck by something to the head and lost consciousness.

  I drifted on the sea for a long time before being washed up on a shore.