Bound and Broken (Melas Book 1) Read online

  BOUND AND BROKEN

  Melas: Book One

  V.A. Lewis

  To my wonderful mother,

  Thank you for supporting me

  And my passion for writing.

  I wouldn’t be here

  Without you.

  Disclaimer

  Copyright © 2020 MelasD / V.A. Lewis

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form possible without permission from the author or publisher. For permissions, contact the author or publisher through email at [email protected]

  Cover design and illustration by Patrick Foster Design/Joe Thoong

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  Table of Contents

  Contents

  BOUND AND BROKEN, Melas: Book One

  Disclaimer

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Prologue - Murdered

  Part One: Paradise

  Chapter 2: Magic

  Chapter 3: First Step

  Chapter 4: Stranger Danger

  Chapter 5: Monster Attack

  Chapter 6: Leaving

  Chapter 7: Standing Prayer

  Chapter 8: Fall

  Chapter 9: Destiny's Child

  Chapter 10: Interlude - Villamcreek

  Part Two: Escape

  Chapter 11: Free Lands

  Chapter 12: Slave

  Chapter 13: Hunger

  Chapter 14: Troublemaker

  Chapter 15: Nightmare

  Chapter 16: Light Bump

  Chapter 17: A Brief Reprieve

  Chapter 18: Bys, the Free City of Slaves

  Chapter 19: Live

  Chapter 20: Shaken

  Chapter 21: Abominations

  Chapter 22: Deus Ex Machina

  Chapter 23: Interlude II - Hunters

  Part Three: Reality

  Chapter 24: Begging and Stealing

  Chapter 25: Dark Crusader

  Chapter 26: Outpost

  Chapter 27: Starved and Stronger

  Chapter 28: Test

  Chapter 29: Annoyed Learning

  Chapter 30: Feeding Hunger

  Chapter 31: Iron-y Golems

  Chapter 32: Sneaky Escape

  Chapter 33: Close-quarters Combat

  Chapter 34: Choices, Choices, Choices

  Chapter 35: Fort Conon

  Chapter 36: Compromise

  Chapter 37: The Right Decision

  Chapter 38: Interlude III - The Saint

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1: Prologue - Murdered

  When I woke up, there was nothing.

  A pure white empty space that seemed to stretch for all eternity was all that I saw; an expansive blank canvas filled my vision, nothing else in sight—

  “Greetings.”

  “What the—“ I spun around to see the source of the voice. A man appeared in front of me, a sudden figure amidst the eternal whiteness. “Um, who are you?” I asked.

  The man seemed to ponder over my question. As he did, I took that moment to note his features; at first, he looked handsome. His golden-blonde hair fell to his shoulders, and his pale skin gave off an inhumane glow. His piercing blue eyes flickered as his gaze turned heavenward.

  But as I continued scrutinizing him, his appearance gradually became more indistinct. His skin blended into the white background, and his eyes seemed like it held no life in it. He still looked handsome to me; almost unnaturally so.

  He’s like a mannequin with a wig!

  The man finally seemed to finish thinking over my question, as if I had asked him something so profound. He lowered his head to face me, and opened his mouth to speak.

  “So, due to the circumstances surrounding your death, you have the opportunity to start your life anew in another world. Of course, you can reject this offer and just pass onto the afterlife. But if you decide that you want to be reincarnated into another world, you can make a single demand for your new life.”

  The man just ignored me!

  He completely ignored my question and started rambling about… my death? I don’t remember dying…

  Actually I remember something— something about a truck? It was all a blur, and the more I tried to think about it, the more my head hurt.

  Wait, if I’m dead, does that mean—

  “Are you God?” I asked.

  The man once again seemed to put effort to think over my question.

  “I am similar to your understanding of God, yes.”

  Oh good, he actually answered my question this time, even if it was in a roundabout way. Similar to God, huh? I guess I really was dead, though I still have a lot of questions. If he was what he said he was, let’s hope he can answer some of them.

  “Um,” I began, trying to figure out what to ask first. “Do you maybe know how I died?”

  “Yes I do.” This time he replied directly without any deliberation. Why couldn’t he have just done that for my other questions? Oh well, as long as he answers my questions properly now.

  “So… how did I die?”

  “I killed you.”

  “Ah, you killed me… wait, WHAT?”

  Did this god-like being just admit to murdering me? And he did it without even missing a beat. It’s like he’s treating my death like it was nothing. No, actually, he IS treating my death like it was nothing!

  “Why the FUCK did you kill me?!” I snapped.

  “As I said, your death was a result of the circumstances of the situation. You see, an out of control truck was headed in the direction of a child who would later on in life find the cure to cancer. So, I redirected the truck to avoid crashing into the child, and it just so happened that you were on the sidewalk directly next to the child.”

  Oh, that made… sense? Of course if you had to choose between saving a kid who would cure cancer and save millions of lives, and little old me, you would save the kid every single time; it was a typical moral dilemma.

  I was sure that if I had to choose between myself and the child, I too— with some apprehension— would save the kid… wait. I remembered something else.

  “Y-you do realize that…”— I grimaced as the memories flashed through my head— “that I was about to save that kid, right?!”

  A boy fell while crossing the street, and I watched as a truck came at him full speed without stopping. I ran over to grab the kid, when suddenly, the truck sped up and swerved— I flinched as I recalled the impact.

  Upon hearing my words, the man just shrugged. “How was I supposed to know that?”

  “How were you supposed to—?! The same way you knew that boy would cure cancer!”

  “That child is fated for greatness. You on the other hand…” he said as he raised his hand and waved at me dismissively. "You don’t expect me to pay attention to every random person, do you?”

  WOW. I couldn’t believe this. Sure I may not have planned to cure cancer, solve world hunger, or bring world peace. But I had plans!

  I had just got accepted to the top University in my State, and was planning to go to law school after I was finished. I wanted to be a pro bono lawyer; one who protected the innocent and helped those in need. Obviously, I wanted to make money as well. But still!

  I had my whole future ahead of me, and now I was…

  I am dead.

  It fully dawned on me. The suddenness of knowing that I lost my future, my family, and my friends, all coalesced into a feeling of anguish that hit me like… like an out of control truck!

  Heh. I smirked at my own joke. At least I still had my sense of humor even when dead. But even that brief rep
rieve ended when the man spoke.

  “As I mentioned previously, you can choose to live a second life in another world. Of course, starting anew would be difficult, so I will grant you one request to aid you in this new life.”

  Oh yeah, he did mention that earlier. I was too focused on the absurdity of everything else to actually care about it. But reincarnation huh? Sounds like something out of an anime my friends would watch. Something something reincarnated as a—

  My train of thought was interrupted once again by the man, who took my silence as a cue to resume his spiel.

  “If you are worried about any possible drastic differences between your world and your new one, you should put yourself at ease. Though there are many different intelligent species in this world, not only are they mostly humanoid, but Humans do exist in this world. And even if it might be similar to historical Europe, technology is replaced by the workings of mana.”

  Mana? So there’s magic, like in those MMORPG’s? That line of reasoning made perfect sense to me.

  So it would have magic, and there were many different sapient species’. There would obviously be a lot of possible conflicts between species, since Earth had a lot of racial tensions even within the same species. I did not want to die again; especially not to something dumb like being born to the wrong species.

  Since I could make a single request, I obviously would want to ask to remain safe. Hm, it feels like I am missing something obvious. As I was thinking, the man continued.

  “The extent of the request you can make is obviously limited. It will be limited to the circumstances of your birth, you can not ask me to make you into a god, nor can you ask for more requests. You can however, ask for things like money and power.”

  I couldn’t ask for more requests, or to make me like him. What are you, a genie?

  Money was obviously a no go. If it was limited to my birth, I would probably be born to some stuck up noble family. I did not want to deal with politics, especially not that of a world similar to medieval Europe.

  Power on the other hand, was quite appealing. I wanted to stay safe, and since magic was a thing...

  “How about power in magical talent?” I spoke for the first time in a while, “Like let’s say, I want to be the most powerful mage in the entire world. Can you... uh, grant this request?”

  The man seemed to once again ponder on my question, this time however, he placed his hand on his chin as he slowly spoke.

  “I can do… something like that, yes. You can be reborn with the potential to be the most powerful... spellcaster… or magic wielder, if you wish.”

  Ugh he’s doing that ‘deep thought’ thing again. I really disliked this man; the way he spoke— his careful deliberation over each of his responses— was irritating. And more than that, he killed me. So I had no reason to like him.

  It was annoying. I was annoyed. I had lost everything and I was dead. I just wanted to get away from this man. So I agreed.

  “Fine.”

  “Fine?”

  “Make me the most powerful spellcaster, or whatever. You know what I mean, just do it.”

  “If that is what you wish to be reincarnated as…”

  “Yes. That is what I wish to be reincarnated as. Hurry it up.”

  “As you wish,” the man said.

  As soon as the words left his mouth and his lips curled into a smile, the white world around me began dissolving into absolute nothingness.

  The blank canvas was replaced by a void of emptiness, where all sensations, all thoughts, and all emotions left my body. Time seemed to stretch for an eternity, yet the moment passed in an instant.

  And when I woke up, I was crying.

  —————————————————

  The cabin stood alone amidst the darkness. It was not far from the village, but it was still separated by the forest and the wildlife living in it. The moon hung directly overhead— its silvery light illuminated the cabin’s features.

  It looked newly built. A year old at most. Its size was nothing remarkable; the dull brown of the wood its most prominent feature.

  A high pitched wail cut through the night. An incessant cry from a baby stirred the animals and little critters awake. They bounded for cover, fleeing their homes as the screaming continued.

  A woman sat up on a bed. Her long black hair ran down her back, covered only partially by the pointed hat that she wore. Her silver eyes gently gazed upon her arms.

  No. Not at her arms, but at the child cradled in them. She soothed the child and caressed it, careful not to agitate it any further.

  Slowly, the crying died down, and the woman smiled. Her smile only enhanced her beauty, for her looks alone would charm any man. But she was not trying to charm anyone, she was simply happy.

  Her lips parted, and a soft voice came out, matching her young appearance. She looked no more than twenty. Not mature enough to look after herself, let alone a child. Yet she had a child, and it was her child that she spoke to.

  “My beautiful daughter,” she said, stroking the child’s head, “there’s no need to cry.”

  Slowly, so as to not disturb her daughter, the woman leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

  The child shifted slightly upon contact, and her eyes gradually opened up, revealing the same set of piercing silver-colored eyes of her mother. And as their gaze met, the woman felt her emotions well up inside of her. Fear, sorrow, and anger, all gathered together deep in her heart. But one emotion triumphed above it all. One that filled her with determination, strength, and hope.

  Love.

  Her love for her daughter washed away all the negative feelings she felt at that moment. The woman knew that all that mattered now was the child in her arms. That her daughter was safe. So when the woman spoke again, her voice was resolute.

  “Do not cry my daughter, I am here for you. Even if they come for you, you will always be safe. You are my life now and forever. I will always love and protect you, Melas.”

  Upon hearing the woman’s words, the child gently closed her eyes again. For a moment, she looked calm and at peace, almost as if she understood the woman’s words and trusted it with all her heart. Almost as if she believed that she would always be protected by her mother, no matter what happened.

  Of course, that was not the case.

  Did she say MELAS?! As in Salem? Like the Witch trials? Oh my God, and my mother is a Witch. I am SO going to be burned at the stake.

  And then the baby cried.

  Part One: Paradise

  Paradise

  Chapter 2: Magic

  "—and using the gifts of the Goddess, the Great Hero Xander slayed the Demon Lord, saving the world from his darkness."

  Mr Walden finished the story, only to be greeted by half a dozen yawns. A brown haired boy piped up, raising his hand.

  "This story is boring. Don’t you got another one?"

  I glanced past the small gathering of village kids, all huddled around in front of the middle aged man sitting on his stool, straight at the boy who spoke. His name was Adrian. And he was not the only kid here with a bored look on their face. The message was pretty clear: they all wanted to be literally anywhere else but here.

  I partially agreed with that sentiment. Not because I wanted to hear another, more interesting story from Mr Walden; it was because we had all heard this same story more times than most of the kids here could count. Not me, though— I was not a kid.

  ...am I really comparing myself with literal ten year olds?!

  Technically, I was the same age as most of them; my physical body made me appear like I was no older than these kids— which was true if you only considered the time I spent in this world. However, I was mentally almost two decades older than every single one of the kids gathered here right now.

  However, almost as if he was ignorant of the level of intellect or wisdom a kid possessed, Mr Walden began lecturing us on the importance of his tale.

  "There are many stories I co
uld indeed tell you, many of which I heard during my time in the Capital. However, I don’t believe those stories would be for your best interests. They may be interesting. They may even be full of excitement and wonder, which I am sure you children would love. But, those stories would not do anything for you. They would only serve to entertain you, something which you children already do for yourself. There are no lessons to be learned, and no morals to be taught."

  "What can we learn, Mr Walden?" this time, I was the one to raise my hand and speak. "From the story. What morals or lessons does it teach us?"

  "Ah, Melas, there are a great many things for you to learn. But I can not tell you what they are. It’s something that you must learn yourself, else its meaning will be lost on you."

  I fought the urge to groan at his ‘sagely advice’, though the same could not be said for most of the kids. Mr Walden sighed.

  "If you need to know, I will tell you one thing, and one thing only, before you leave for today."

  Mr Walden paused, hoping to gather all of our attention before he started. Once he realized that I was the only one even paying any semblance of attention to him, he took a deep breath and reluctantly began.

  "Never sully the Goddess’ gifts," the middle aged man spoke in a solemn voice. He cast his gaze throughout the group of bored kids, before stopping at me. We locked eyes, and as if he was addressing only me, he continued. "The world we live in, the mana it produces, it has all been given to us by the Goddess. But if you were to defile it, you would be no different from the Demons we have fought to destroy."

  With that, Mr Walden got up from his seat and slowly walked away; upon seeing him leave, everyone else started to disperse too. Instead of following after the kids running around to play or chat, I remained seated on the floor for a moment longer.

  Defile mana, huh? I looked heavenwards, staring at the clear blue sky of day.

  What was mana? It was supposedly the fundamental building block of… everything. When the Goddess created this world, she used mana as the base of all things, living and nonliving. It permeated throughout the air we breathed, the food we ate, and the body we lived in. Whether it be Humans, Elves, Dwarves, or even Monsters, every living being needed mana to live— to simply exist.