• Julien woke up, gasping for air. Where was he...? It was dim and damp in the room. He attempted to move his numb arms.

    Chains rattled.

    Julien struggled harder, the chains binding him to the wall taunt against his wrists. He couldn't even move his ankles, they were so tight. "H-hey!" The boy screamed, his voice echoing throughout the dank room. No responses.

    His pulse beating hard and eyes frantically looking back and forth, he smelled something odd in the air. It was the scent of decay and cooked flesh; he didn't know this though.

    Despite not knowing, he finally figured completely that something was very, very wrong. He struggled against the chains harder, making more noise. It had to get someone's attention. Someone had to be able to do something. This was all just a mistake.

    Light from an unknown source glinted, attracting Julien's short attention. There were rusted instruments laying carelessly on a table, left there by someone. He wished he didn't know what they were for.

    They were weapons of torture.

    A wave of nausea hit him like a rock, causing him to gag and attempt to double over. He yelled out as he did this, his shoulder making a painful popping noise. His arms had already been twisted at an odd angle. His right arm was now limp and virtually useless; if only he couldn't feel it. It burned with a pain he'd never felt in his life.

    The young man whimpered from the pain, taking deep, shaky breathes. He didn't want this. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't still be in Lucca. This wasn't his home.

    All movement stopped as the sound of footsteps vibrated, coming slowly closer to the room he was being kept in. Julien closed his eyes tightly, begging for this to all just be a dream, or a horrible prank. Sadly for him, this was neither. He wouldn't be waking up from this nightmare.

    Who spoke to him next, was someone he'd least expected. "Good morning, Julien." A males voice was smooth and metalic, completely relaxed with this situation.

    "K-Kier?" Julien replied in alarm, eyes fluttering open in shock.

    "My lord, to you, 'big brother'." The smoothness then turned into a sharp, angry voice.

    Julien stared, uncomprehending, wondering what had come over him. What had he ever done to Kiersten? To anyone, for that matter. He'd done all that he could to keep the younger boy under control. Even a stubborn brat such as himself knew the dangers of ambition.

    "We're going to have lots of fun, I promise you~" Kiersten chimed, reaching for something on the worn table.

    Soon following that, terrible screams of anguish could be heard...