As I swung my mining pick I noticed the tell tale he glow of my weave fading away. I could barely pick out the word sharp before it faded to nothing. I couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on my face. My ability to manifest a weave and give it a long lasting effect had greatly improved since I last saw Xaseah and Asare. And like it or not that was almost a month ago.

So far my life has been rather simple, sometimes I had it o take a few moments to ask myself if I was really in a prison. Everything was has been going my way and quite splendidly in fact, but I could not shake the feeling that my simple life as a prisoner would soon come crashing down.

I was now able to successfully manifest a weave for as long as five minutes. But it was all the simple stuff, I could make a simple weave for fire and set a log alight, or write mend on a cloth and the damn thing would be as good as new. One word of weaves were all I could do, and at the moment it had to be simple. To get to the next step, I had to have been able to fill up three conduits, which means three joints of my spinal column from my waist up had to be filled with soul energy, and my mental energy should have progressed to a point where I could lift an object with but a thought alone.

I was no where close to that at the moment. Soul power is generated from every weaver's sense of being and identity. It is made from their hopes, their dreams and their ambitions. So it was only by living their lives, could their soul grow strong enough to keep on producing the soul power needed to fill the conduits.

However when a weaver kills a living thing, he absorbs everything that factors into the very fabric of that creature existence; the soul. The weaver will take on its own memories, hopes, dreams and ambition to increase the strength of their soul power and fill the conduit.

It was a rather harrowing experience for me, the human man I had killed, had his would absorbed by me. I was had access to his memories for three days, as they came in the form of dreams and random visions. At the time I refused to pay attention to it due to my growing addiction to human blood. But now I understood how it worked.

Although his soul was barely a drop in the required in the cup needed to fill my first conduit, his sacrifice helped me make the jump and delivered a better and refined control over my current weaving abilities. After my first conduit was filled, I would have been officially known as a weaver of the first circle. There was not much of a fanfare to that discovery, which Is considering I was a prisoner, and I still needed to keep my ability a secret. After the graduation from no circle to first circle, it has been significantly harder for me to fill the next conduit. My soul power had increased flow, and I had increased control, but the sheer size of the conduit was enough to make all my efforts seem useless.

After graduating tongue first circle, every weaver would develop an innate way of seeing called the soul eye, this eye let the weavers see beyond what the normal eye could see. According to the book, this world was strung together by different layers of reality, and each layer depicted a single dimension that is governed by certain elements.

At the first circle a weaver would have the ability to see through the first layer, the layer of the soul. I was not that fortunate as the seal on my wrist promptly blocked and denied me access to that ability. But I was able to gain a specialized rune that so far has worked a whole lot differently than any other I have weaver. This rune was not written in the rune language in have come to know as my own.

It was made from a series of crisscrossed lines and half circles that eventually formed the shape of an eye. I called this rune sight. This rune had helped me see into layer of the soul, and with it, I could monitor my rate of growth as I sought to fill my conduits.

It was a little more complicated than that since everything looked different in the layer of the soul, things you expect to be bigger would be small, and my things expected to be small would be big. But at the moment there was nothing I could do, even with the sight as far as soul energy was concerned, I had to accumulate the way any other person in my situation can. By living.

With the issue about my soul energy not growing fast enough for me, I chose to focus on improving my mental energy. Routine trips to the mine has improved my mental energy in a slow and steady pace, that at the moment, it was almost impossible for anybody to sneak around within a two meter radius from where I stand.

It might not seem like much, but the sudden gain in perception has been really helpful to me. But much like almost everything I can do now, my area of perception was being severely limited by the seal, I actually believe that I would be able to sense anything from as small as an ant to as huge as a human within an estimated ten meter radius. Two meters was the only distance I could push it to without putting so much strain on myself that I end up passing out.

So with my regular focus on my mental energy I was able to pay attention to a whole lot of things. The tower was completed, or at least what I envisioned to be the first floor of it. After Nisi successfully carved out the final four rooms and hallway, I had her use the residual particles of sand and rocks to be the materials for various other things. She was now able to pack the earth into a very compact and delicately designed form, she made furniture, though the furniture was made of had earth, putting a stack of blankets on it, could make it as comfortable as any chairs, couch or beds ever made.

Teluna on the other hand, discovered another part of his ability to control the dark element. And without the constraints of the seal and the fact that he has been practicing regularly even though blindly, Teluna has been able to improve almost as much as Nisi if not more.

Teluna gained that ability to absorb light in an environment and up to a radius of almost twenty meters, and with each day that passes that ability grows stronger. He could create a darkness so thick, that not even the light from my weaves or soul energy could penetrate it.

And much like me and Nisi he developed a peculiar way of sensing his surroundings. If Nisi could sense the element and minerals of the earth, and I could perceive the presence of anything within a particular distance. Teluna could see through, and feel through any living thing within his sphere of influence.

And this ability of his was so frightening that, anybody or thing that fell or somehow find themselves in his area of darkness, could be subjected to illusions that would live you delirious, shaken and very much afraid. With how young he is, the only thing limiting this ability was Teluna’s lack of imagination. I couldn’t help but shudder to think what would happen if Teluna gains the ability to spread his area of darkness all over the pit. Chaos.

So far I have been able to keep, Teluna a secret from Xaseah, even though I have not seen her in a month, she sent regular supplies of both human blood and little things that made living in a prison a little easier. Also every time I had to go mine, she always sent three of her guards or were those retainers(I’m pretty sure they’re the same thing) along with me. Apart from the fact that they kept an eye on me, they also prevented news about my rather peculiar abilities from going into the wrong ears.

So far the last few weeks gas been rather monotonous. My days has just been filled with going into the mine, training my mental energy, come back, turn in ores, which I had no need for, and went back to my tower and spend the rest of the day either going through other books or playing with Teluna and Nisi.

The constant repetition reminded me of when I first woke up, the long months of solitude with only Asare for company,. Skeptical as I was at that moment I couldn’t help but wish that something exciting would happen to me. And you know what they say, be careful what you wish for.

*********************************

On my way back from the mine I saw a bunch of guards making a scene. But it was weird, the prisoners were blocking the path of the guards, and even though the guards kept on cutting down a lot of them, and filling the unforgiving ground with their blood, the sheer size of the prisoners always made sure there was more people to take the place of their fallen brothers.

The very sight of this brutality appalled me, the guards were practically walking up to their boots in blood and dead bodies, but there were so adamant to get through.

I hurriedly made my way there, yelling at the top of my lungs. I knew had a lot of influence over the prisoners so they all stopped pushing at the guards and moved a step back.

“what’s going on here?” I asked no one in particular as I looked around trying to see if I can find out the root of the problem.

“its non of your business traitor” a scruffy looking guard replied, then he proceeded to spit on my face.

That action alone set the entire crowd off again as this time they clamored to rip that guards mouth apart. The face of the guard immediately went pale as he rapidly moved back in fright. From the look on his face, it was obvious that he was as surprised as I was at their bloodthirsty reaction. It seemed that with everyday that passed my influence grew more and more with the prisoners.

An old lady came out from the crowd of prisoners after they had calmed down enough, she used her sleeves to wipe off the spittle from my face, and gave me a smile that was so pure and heartfelt, I couldn’t help but feel warm inside.

She began to explain why there was such ruckus. Apparently a dark elf prisoner had just given birth. It was a testament to her will alone that she could even make her way to the mine, to work for her weekly quota while heavily pregnant. But unfortunately the shocks and vibrations of the mountain had forced her to go into labor.

She finally had her child with much difficulty and pain, but was able to go through it with the help of a few miners. However the cry of the child had alerted the few guards patrolling the area, and they came to see what caused the ruckus. Apparently the guards deemed it illegal and against the rules for the mother to have given birth around the vicinity of the mine. As such she was going to have to give up her baby.

What happened next was to be expected, as the mother fought tooth and nail to keep her baby. Children were sacred to both the vampire and dark elf race. It is extremely hard for them to bear children and most of them consider it a miracle and a blessing of sorts to be able to be pregnant. For the dark elves motherhood is how their high queen the[Mina ta seil] or first mother is chosen. The priestess with the most children after three hundred years becomes the queen. And if after three hundred years there are multiple priestesses with two or more children without a definite winner, the selection for the priestesses will start allover again with new candidates for the position.

Vampire’s are called the undead, but the truth of the matter is they are not really dead. They are stuck right on the edge of the line that separates death from life. As such they are able to embody characteristics of both aspects. Vampire’s find it harder to get pregnant that dark elves, but vampires are a race that respect and honor strength above everything else. Every born vampire has always exceeded the limits of their predecessors. They embody the abilities and powers of their ancestors, passing their power through their genes. It was why Teluna was such a marvel with his control of the dark element. So in the end it goes to show how far both races would go to keep their children safe.

The newborn mother however was not strong enough to keep her baby in her grasp, even with the help of others around her the guards had taken her baby, and in a vicious attack from one of them plucked out her left eye and left her screaming and crying and most certainly bleeding out in a pool of her own blood. The commotion had drawn the attention of other miners, both races were quite sensitive to life, vampires because of their need for blood and dark elves, well am not really sure how it works for them. But I knew the could sense the birth of anew child, it was like they were all connected somehow. From what I had learnt this strange ability of theirs only started manifesting since they have been imprisoned in the dancing caves of Noxis Nyx almost two millenniums ago.

The child was still with the guards and every single man, woman and even children here were prepared to give their lives to recover that child.

I gave a sigh of frustration. Sometimes I couldn’t get why this guards would go out of their way to make trouble for the prisoners here. This people were cut off from the ancestral home, they had no idea how much the outside world has changed in two thousand years. They are starving, naked, weak, sick and disconnected from the very essence of life, while the stupid seals around their wrist sucked their lives away. It was heartbreaking, but it was also extremely infuriating. I made my way towards the guards, taken slow steps as the sound of my foot falls echoed all over the very silent cavern. The mountain loomed behind me as it shadows gave cover to my path. I could hear the wail of a child from behind the line of almost twelve guards standing in front of me. I came to a stop three feet away from the nearest guard and bowed from my waist with my face directly looking at the hard stone floor.

“please return this child back to its mother. I beg of you, there’s no need for all this bloodshed and heartache. A lot of innocent people have already lost their lives because of this matter. The child will receive the seal, it would grow up in you’re his darkness suffering just like its mother before it. Please let it enjoy what little of a childhood it can muster in this hell, I beg you.”

I heard gasps of outrage and disbelief from behind me. The dark elves and vampires were a proud race. Even with all they have been through, they have never begged, or bowed so low as I did. I did not care one bit for the pride of either the dark elves or the vampires, a child’s life was at stake. There was more than enough room for a compromise, no matter how excessive it might seem.

A guard with a rather nice goatee burst into a raucous laughter as he placed his foot on my head.

“would you look at this boys, and even you too vile vermin. Hahahaha the lion of Shearath has become a tiny kitten.”

His buddies also started laughing along, apparently calling me a kitten was rather funny. I did not find it funny, but I did not take offense either. I don’t remember being the Lion of Shearath. That title meant nothing to me, even though it meant a lot of the prisoners behind me, because I could hear them scream ‘shut up, screw you, please get up great lion'. Great lion…… seriously? Did this people not know what was at stake here. A baby, a child, a kid. And maybe some other name, but it seems to me that for all their boasts about how devoted they were to their young ones, they held their pride as a people in equally high esteem, if not higher.

So far that was the one of the things about the dark elves and vampires that sickened me. Pride; it was good to have it, but not to the point it would cost you a lot to keep. Pride can only take you so far.

The guard who was haven a great time rubbing the sole of his boots allover my head began speaking again.

“Listen to me vermin, you are in no position to ask anything of me, you all are a blight on this land and frankly all you deserve is death. Neither me or any of my compatriots here will hand you pieces of unwashed filth that baby. In fact right in front of you I will chop the little girl in numerous pieces and shove it into your mouth for good measure, because that way you can all see what I know, and that is your future going down the drain, sliding down the slimy dark throat of destruction and obliv……. Urrcck”

Urcck was definitely not a word. At least I was not sure, it might be that the mister with the really nice goatee could only make that sound because I currently had his neck in my hands. I lifted him up with relative ease, the dude practically weighed nothing in my hands. I looked at him with an as much bored expression as I could muster, and said to him.

“you talk to much.”

His eyes widened in shock and he spoke with as much chance as his pressured throat could allow him.

“You can’t do anything to me, I pretty sure you don’t want to pay a visit to Adein the lover. So you better let me go bef….. Urrrcckk”

This time the hacking language was a little more pronounced. But that should probably be because I ripped his throat off. I dropped his convulsing body in the floor and threw the pieces of meat in my hands onto his body. Then I turned to the guards much to their extreme shock and to the shock of the prisoners, behind me.

“I told him he talked a lot. Now do you want to hand me that baby, or should I come over there and take it. Let me warn you, should you choose the latter, the outcome is going to be BLOODY.”