I was in a cell.

  The last thing I remembered before waking up here was getting knocked out by the masked man while we were in the sky.

  But even if he hadn’t knocked me out I don’t think I’d have said or done much. Kalie’s betrayal took the last of my will to fight.

  Now I was surrounded by darkness and taunted by the dragon.

  “Betrayal after betrayal after betrayal. Tell me, is this the definition of insanity?”

  Stop talking.

  “Why? Is it because the truth hurts? You know, had I had control of this vessel none of this would’ve happened.”

  I chuckled darkly.

  Right, except how did you become a voice in my head again? It was after Lilith put you in the dirt.

  The dragon huffed. “That was a fluke, besides you’re no better than me. She beat you too.”

  No shit.

  But I’m eleven, what’s your excuse?

  “A fair counter, but my point stands. Had I been in control I’d have appeased that woman and grown my strength in private. When the opportunity presented itself, I’d have killed her.”

  His voice softened.

  “Instead you let your morals interfere and now our only reward is death.”

  I rested my head back against the wall.

  It’s not like I care, I really don’t have a reason to live anymore.

  Everyone I ever trusted betrayed me. And the one person who didn’t was the one I broke my promise to.

  So let death come.

  I won’t run.

  “You may be a fool, but I’ve grown to respect your defiance against the world. Even in death, you stand your ground.”

  — — —

  I don’t know how long I was in this cell for.

  I could only count the bowls of porridge between hours.

  Currently, I’m at my tenth bowl. The person who brought me these bowls was a human.

  A man dressed in a white coat with a long beard and bald head. He never spoke to me directly, but always made comments.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  He says things like, “your core would produce a delicious powder.”

  Or, “Why so glum? You should be happy, someone is going to pay good money for you.”

  Normally I’d have been creeped out. But I didn't have the energy for a shouting match.

  Besides, the prisoners around me did enough of that. Day in and day out someone was screaming. From little girls to grown men.

  I heard conversations too.

  Something about buyers waiting for the right affinity to come in. Anyone who had the fire affinity never spent more than a day in their cell.

  While water and earth seemed to take the longest. I could tell the difference because of their eyes.

  Orange for fire. Blue for water and so on.

  I seemed to be the only water user here.

  They were all dragged to the same place. Down the hall and into a room.

  People went in, bodies came out.

  All with the same wound.

  A large hole in the chest.

  Still, I hadn’t seen the masked man since he dropped me off here. Part of me wondered if he was still out there and what he could be doing.

  Not that I’d ever find out.

  10 bowls of porridge later and my cell was approached by two men.

  “Today’s your lucky day, kid.”

  They unlocked my cell and dragged me out without waiting for me to stand. Not that I could.

  My hands and feet were bound for so long that I lost feeling in them.

  As I was dragged down the hall I noticed the surrounding cells were empty.

  When we reached the massive steel door at the end of the hall, one of the guards gave a hard knock.

  A second later the door opened with a click.

  The inside was a large open space with a massive window on the back wall that overlooked a waterfall.

  Bookshelves covered the walls, filled with books yes, but also other trinkets and tools I had never seen before.

  In the center of the room was a large chair with four arms that extended from its base.

  The doctor stood beside it with a grin. “Ah, if it isn’t the child with the water affinity. You seem rather comfortable given your situation, can I ask why?”

  I looked up to meet his gaze. “You seem like a smart guy. Why don’t you take a guess?”

  The doctor laughed with delight.

  “Oh a snappy one, that’s a first. It’s a shame we have to sell you. I’d love nothing more than to break you down with my ‘other’ tool. Some make up, a skirt, and a little perfume…”

  He licked his thumb as he held my gaze.

  The guard beside me shivered.

  I held the doctor’s gaze and narrowed my eyes. “Can you speed this up? I’ve lost my patience a long time ago.”

  The doctor laughed harder. “Oh why certainly, but you understand that means forgoing the anesthesia.”

  I shrugged. “Even better.”

  The guards dragged me to the extraction chair and threw me on top of it. They ripped me out of my shirt.

  Then, with caution, they cut my binds and placed my wrists into the cuffs of the chair.

  They did the same with my feet.

  Once I was locked in the chair, the doctor brought over a jar filled with a strange cloudy liquid. He showed it to me with a little shake.

  “This’ll be the new home of your core, Lafayette. As for your body, it’ll be nothing more than spoiled meat.”

  He set the jar down and pressed a button on the chair.

  “Now sit back and relax. The extractor has already been prepared for your dimensions.”

  I stared up at the metallic arms as they whirred to life.

  As their bladed tips approached my chest I could hear laughter. But it wasn’t from the doctor. It was from the dragon.

  “This is it, boy. The moment I’ve been waiting for.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”

  The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Who is it you’re talking to?”

  The first incision was made on the right side of my chest.

  Two other arms positioned themselves in the wound. The pain was surprisingly negligible.

  More incisions were made, until my skin was pulled back far enough to expose my muscle.

  Another cut was made.

  Then another.

  And another.

  I felt everything, but I didn't let out a single peep. Nor showed any emotion. The doctor watched in awe.

  “His pain tolerance is simply incredible, oh he would’ve made such a fun toy. I must know what would’ve made him scream.

  That same guard stepped back from him.

  Soon the machine reached my ribs and cut into them. The pieces were carefully placed aside before the machine finally reached my lung.

  And the moment it was cut into, I blacked out.

  — — —

  In this black void, I came face to face with the chaos dragon. He had a wide grin. “It’s almost time, boy.”

  I pocketed my hands and looked up at him.

  “Time for what? To cross over in the afterlife?” I gestured a hand forward. “Led the way to the pearly gates, my friend.”

  The dragon shook his head.

  “Not quite. See, this good doctor has made a fatal mistake. Do you want to know what that is?”

  I tilted my head. “Sure?”

  “He left you conscious as he exposed your core.”

  “How is that a fatal mistake? I’m dead either way, whether I was conscious or not.”

  “Ah but see that’s where you’re wrong. You don’t die until the core is physically removed from the vessel.”

  He began to pace. “Usually the patients are unconscious when their core is harvested. So in that case, they are technically dead.”

  “However, since you were conscious when your core was exposed to the elements, it allowed me to bypass the Ouro suppression.”

  “How?”

  “By channeling Ouro through the air itself. In other words, I used a high voltage charge to break us free.”

  I blinked.

  Then that’s when I remembered what that dragon had said earlier. About bypassing Louise’s magic by using the same method.

  “So what happens next?”

  The dragon looked down on me with eyes of delight.

  “Right now your body is leaking raw chaos. It’ll do it until you’re drained of everything, which is about six or so minutes.”

  He leaned closer.

  “And in those six minutes, I’ll have total control of this vessel.”

  I met his gaze and just shrugged. “Go nuts, tiger.”

  “That I shall, boy. That I shall.”