Chapter 1

 

“Subject!”

She flinched, the dream ended, eyes adjusting to reality with haze.

“Thumps and bumps headed me to your room.” The window was shut, subject motionless. “What’s happening?”

She shook her head in the means of adjusting faster. “What are you talking about?” Her clothes dump in sweat.

He stared at her, thinking of words.

“Can’t be, not only my place is able of sounds.” She unusually struggled to get up and had a sharp in the head when her feet touched the floor. It paused her walk to unlock the window, nothing to be seen out and about. Empty ledges, sky impaling towers, and dark hollow at the front, almost pulling her in. “I am alright.” She leaned her back to window stool, sweat in the head breezing cold.

“What did you dream?”

“What do you think? Thunder arenas, masks of no faces; and worst of all, the world outside.”

“Exciting.” His mask concealed the expression, but his tone gave it away. “This place sickens me to head.”

“We are all sick in head, I’d say for more reasons than this place.”

“Does that relate to the noises earlier? You walk in your sleep?”

“How would I know if I did.” She caressed her dump hair. “Our lives are a bloody mystery. I know nothing, not my name, not how I look like. Where I came from. And now I am expected to fight.”

“Can’t relate, I’m glad with what with I have. Imagine dealing with your identity while they’ve already given you one.” Shubject 300 turned to leave her alone.

“I have noticed the volunteering urge growing in you for moons now, how are you not terrified for tomorrow.”

He looked her over the shoulder. “If I am to lose my soul I rather lose my body with it. Terrifying is when I lose solely the first.” Moonlight from the open window glittered on his eyes peeping through the silver mask.

“And the if where you win both?”

He chuckled. “These contests weren’t designed to win.” And then, “You are not volunteering, I can see.”

 

‘Talk to me of our old spars if it’s the last time you can. I want to not make the same mistakes out in the arenas.”

And so they walked. Out the window, down the ledgers. Enough space to stand shoulder to shoulder, narrow enough to invoke a scenario, in which a foot slips and sucks you into the dark abyss.

“You mentioned no probability of winning, but all it takes is one fall to end it all. Right here, right now. Yet you don’t, and instead volunteer to fight.” Subject 387 speech pierced the silence that had the ledger strangled, going down curving the palace. “Just use your spinning counter attack with the spear more often.”

“I always imagined the four of us in the arenas, like depicted on the walls of Ancient Halls. That’s what I wanted.”

“Stories are there to show us hope, not how things should be. One of us has to stay behind, pray by the trees.”

Subject 300 pushed her shoulder and kept holding it as she stumbled towards the abyss. They had a moment of eye contact before he pulled her up. “Pray well.”

She had no fear.  But then, ‘Something’s down there.’

‘What?’

‘Noises. Someone’s down there.’ Subject 387 removed his hand off her shoulder and leaned forward towards the dark hallow. A shadow inside the shadows wriggled from one end to another. Followed by a faint screech.

‘Not a person.’  Subject 300 heard it this time. ‘I am going to get Tezhav.’ And he hurried back up.

She didn’t follow the return. She didn’t even look at him. Instead carefully kept around the edge, craving one more glimpse of the silhouette. But it wasn’t there. Her legs moved forward, and her toes went over the edge as the path circled the palace and dug deeper in the abyss. She whispered, ‘who are you?’

The figure appeared again in the shadows. Swimming around. Subject frowned, it had the shape of a disfigured man. A burning in the head made her shut her, felt like a needle is piercing her skull, she lost her balance and slipped over. Breath left her chest and there was no weight to be felt.

She opened her eyes, but saw nothing. Couldn’t move, couldn’t shout. Sand appeared in a circle around her, swirling upwards, getting more pervasive. She had seen depictions of it. They called it a storm.

And in the middle of it all, the man appeared. Abnormally tall, a giant. Black cloak and trousers steamed darkness, his hair waved less than it should have. A perfect shape to disappear in darkness.

Subject 387 tried to utter words, but her voice failed her. Heart pounded as she tried to float away.

The figure spoke. ‘In Valashi’s own words, “He who sees before it’s shown, and speaks before it’s learned, will fall with my power, and rise with his death.”’

She hit a surface.

 

‘Subject!’

Subject 387 flinched. Everything had ended, her eyes adjusting to darkness.

Subject 300 was back, alongside Tezhav and a bunch of Faceless. She felt bewildered, they were on the ledge, the abyss beside calm as ever. 

Tezhav noticed her gaze.

‘Get her out of here,’ he said.

The faceless escorted her up multiple stairs to the top section of the palace, at an abandoned room of the far corner past Tezhav and other Headmaster’s bedchambers. The room had but a table and 2 chairs at its center, walls empty of tapestries or paintings unlike any other section there. The faceless remained behind the closed door as Tezhav lit the torch on the wall with his breath and sat on the chair in front of her.

Tezhav placed some papers on the table, she couldn’t tell where he got them from.

‘Subject 387.’

‘Master.’ She nodded.

‘Your second time with me in the inquisition room.’ He turned the pages and avoided eye contact. ‘First time for a… apparently vile crime. How could I forget about you.’

‘We are but a vessel in this house.’

‘Sound proudly, for the likes of faceless serving here were once like you. But you know what they are now? Nothing. Not a vessel. Nothing. Rot here long enough and you sacrifice your mind and soul, lose your face. Actually, I’d say the process might have already started.’

‘I dare to talk against you. It was not of my head, but my heart. Cowardice. I dream of war, see the dark. And decide not to volunteer tomorrow. All that happened. I vow my word. My emotions won’t cause me sleep again.’

Tezhav placed his hands far on the table. ‘I hear my subjects’ words, for I believe in myself as a trainer. A guidance. Although when I find you distressed, which you admit to, I have to value Subject 300’s words over yours: you have become unhinged. You walk asleep; you hear or see things others cannot. You care about your face and identity. Do the signs tell you anything? You are becoming one of the Faceless, Subject.’

Subject 387’s heart ran, she felt like on cold fire. ‘But… I… He admitted to seeing what I had seen. Deep in the dark. Fear got to me, and I lost my touch. But for a moment. All that happened. And he validated what I had witnessed, by, I quote, “It’s something, not someone.”’

‘He has already spoken of that to me.’ Tezhav kept calm, and laid back to the chair. ‘He was breaking the rule, being considerate and empathetic towards a fellow vessel. He will face his judgement. But that’s all it was, he was lying to you.’

‘I beg you, Tezhav…’ she bowed her head.

Tezhav stood up like a cold stone. ‘We are officially removing your face. You are a danger to yourself and this empire. I should have foreseen it after your first vile.’

‘I ask you for one chance!’

‘You will squander anything I give you.’

Subject 387 pushed back her chair and reached to grab the torch. ‘I will volunteer, and I will remind the Emperor who is superior, Tezhav or Rezhan. Yes, I know of your brother, yes, I know of the past years’ champions. Not from our house.’ She got uncomfortably close to Tezhav. ‘And yes, I know of how that feels. I will change it. Burn these words on my skin if you please.’ As she handed him the torch.

Tezhav laughed, a sinister laughter that sourced from his soul. ‘You are ruined in the perfect shape. Capable of words I desire to hear.’ And took the fire.

‘I am going to be sacrificed, but as depicted on the walls where we grew up fancying. You put us through it, now you will witness it.’ She fell to her knees. Back crouched. Chin down.

‘You shall volunteer.’ He said and left the inquisition room.

She kept there in the dark, in the cold. ‘I thank you.’

 

The next morning had rainfall. All subjects gathered at the Trial Section. Where they gathered every year of this day. Where they first started their journey years ago. Ten lines of ten subjects aligned in a square. The section was roofless. Columns that ended nowhere, tapestries and large windows flanked them. Paintings of colossus clashing against men with colossal swords, generic light vs evil. Things they had seen numerous times through books and arts. They questioned the certainty of those stories at the dark corners of the palace and its archives, away from Faceless ears in whispers and hisses. Despite not having a clue whether the Faceless could listen or comprehend what they hear, besides the basic orders designed into them. One thing that stood out from the rest of illustrations, was a single face. It was carved all over the north wall with no persona, colored black sullied with grey lines. Hollow eyes staring behind Tezhav, the Messenger and her Nameless Guardians.

‘It’s the time of year again, as we stand in this roofless part of the manor, to remind you of where you came from. From the roads and towns under this sky. We gave you shelter, a purpose, and identities. This year we have the honor of Liese, the Mufus of the almighty emperor.’

Tezhav bowed, Subjects followed.

‘She will venture with you to the dark outside, and you will repay us with your blood and breath, cleanse the evil from this world. Your efforts will go minor, but noticeable. And once you die, may your soul be of the emperor.’

Tezhav laid both his palms on his chest and bowed again.

All five Nameless Guardians climbed down the three steps and stood in the middle of the subjects and Liese with Tezhav. They were fully clad in black, covering even hands and faces. Although the clothing looked like chainmail, they bizarrely had a made-of-ash aura to them. Stiff, but dusty under wind or the rain. They raised their swords to where subjects’ necks would be. An invitation. Five of the subjects left their peers and stopped in front of the Nameless Guardians. Subject 300 was the third. Her lifelong friend. He who had betrayed her trust last night and made her blood boil, she had a touch of worry for him nonetheless. It was foolishness.

The Nameless Guardians were taller than the subjects, but Liese managed to look even bigger. Perhaps because her ground was built upper than the mid-section. She said, ‘Subject 421, you intend to fight in the arenas. Why?’

The skinny guy’s limbs were trembling, whether for the rain or fear, but he kept his posture confident. ‘I want to fight for the emperor.’

‘There is a sword on your neck, what would you do?’

‘I would simply defend myself, your honor.’

‘Insincere,’ said Liese. The Guardian beheaded him without pulling his sword back. His body smashed to the watery ground and continued trembling. His head steamed and vanished, blood traveled through the water all over the floor, gradually losing its color. Subject 387 kept her chin up to not be a witness of her fellow’s blood swimming through her feet.

‘Subject 401, you intend to fight in the arenas, care to share?’

Subject 401, a girl, of relatively small size. Subject 387 remembered her by a passive and silent nature. ‘I want to… win my freedom.’ Her posture wasn’t as confident as the dead one.

‘There is a sword on neck, what would you do?’

She wept. Hands on face, howls restrained. ‘Just let me go,’ she moaned.

Liese ignored her, instead focused on Subject 300. ‘Same question.’

He took a moment to respond. ‘I hate becoming a servant of this castle. I have another fate.’

Liese raised her eyebrows. ‘You know I can cut your throat right now and free you of that fate.’

‘Remove my head and my body will draw my spear.’

That was provoking, but Liese replied with, ‘Sincere.’

The next subject summarized that he fights for a nice change of air, and laughed when Liese threatened him with Guardian’s sword on his throat. He Survived. And the fifth Subject was fighting for honor, and in case of death being as close to him as his skin, he would fight back as a gladiator would, like Tezhav taught him so. He died without ever having time to fight back. His blood intensified the redness of the waters under their feet.

The weeping girl, the laughing guy, and Subject 300 kissed the hands of Tezhav before Liese’s. They had passed the volunteering test, thus transferred their authority from the old mentor to another. It was time for Subject 387 to step in. It felt surreal, and for a moment she doubted herself, what if she’s seeing things again. But no, the rituals have occurred every year as long as she could remember. It couldn’t be faker than her life. She left the crowd with two others ready to die. Thinking, If they had a quick death, so can I. Either here or in the arenas. May my soul be of the emperor.

She felt the cold blade of the Guardian on her skin combined with its covered eyes seeing her through; she got shivers down the spine. She shut her eyes. When opened, the big guy standing beside her had intended to find his family. Now dead, his head vanished, it was her turn.

‘Subject 387, you intend to fight at the arenas, for the emperor. Why?’

‘If Tezhav deemed her insane; it’d be best to embrace it. ‘I saw a figure in the abyss, I wanna see it again. Fight it to death. If it’s in my head, I wanna fight with my head.

Liese scanned her carefully, and exchanged eyes with Tezhav. ‘Let’s say, the figure is here and has a weapon on your neck, what would you do?’

Subject 387 stared at the Nameless Guardian. ‘If it kills me, it dies with me.’

Liese let her live. Asked the final Subject the past questions. He naively responded that he didn’t know why he was volunteering, similarly didn’t know what he would do whilst confronted with death. He died quickly. His head glowed while vanishing. Blood gushed out of the cut veins and spilled on her trousers. She was the sole survivor of the three. But it was a matter of how long, for survival was luck and not a tactic.