The Prisoner
Nagisa
Darkness surrounds me, the water pressing in from all sides. The silence is suffocating, yet I breathe effortlessly. The ocean is my home, my sanctuary. But now, it feels like a grave.
I’ve been searching for days, maybe longer. Time loses meaning down here. My body aches, exhaustion creeping into my bones, but I can’t stop. I won’t stop. Not until I find her.
Mother.
I push forward, deeper into the abyss. The cold doesn’t bother me, but the fear does. The fear that I’m too late. That I’ve already lost her.
The memory slams into me like a tidal wave.
Screams raw, desperate ripple through the water. Chains sink like vipers, their metallic glint catching what little light filters from above. The weight of nets drags my people down, their bodies thrashing, fighting against an unseen force.
I had just woken up to the chaos, my pulse erratic as I swam toward my mother. She’ll know what to do. She always knows what to do.
“Mother! What’s happening?! Why are there chains?!”
Her hands found mine, strong but trembling.
“Nagisa, listen to me. Stay quiet. You mustn’t be captured. The poachers are here.”
Poachers. The word twisted in my mind like a knife.
“I can’t leave you!” My grip tightened, my fear thick enough to choke on.
She wrenched her hand away, her eyes fierce even as terror flickered beneath the surface.
“Nagisa, you have to live. I’ll be fine, but you must hurry. Hide!”
I shook my head violently. No. No, I can’t lose you.
But before I could say another word, she shoved me back hard.
The last thing I saw was her swimming into the darkness, chains coiling around her like hungry serpents.
And then, she was gone.
I gasp, though the water flows smoothly into my lungs. My chest tightens, but not from lack of air no, it’s the grief, the dread clawing inside me.
“Has it really been a week?”
My thoughts swirl, heavy as the ocean around me. I shake them off and look up. A light flickers above the surface, beckoning me.
“I’m about to find her. Finally.”
Kicking off the ocean floor, I propel myself upward, my heart hammering with anticipation.
Breaking the surface, I take in my surroundings. Moonlight shimmers on the waves, casting an eerie glow. And then I see her.
A woman stands at the shore, waiting. Watching.
Her eyes meet mine, a slow smirk curling her lips.
“What a creature you are.”
Something about her tone sends ice through my veins.
I push forward slightly, wary but desperate. If she saw my mother, I need to know.
“Where is my mother?” My voice is firm, but I hate the way it wavers at the edges.
She only laughs. It’s a cruel sound, empty and amused.
Before I can react, she moves fast. A glint of silver. The sudden snap of chains locking around my wrists.
My body jerks downward, the weight pulling me toward the sand.
I thrash, my breath coming in sharp gasps, but she only steps closer, tilting her head as if I’m some fascinating discovery.
Then she leans in, her voice a whisper against my skin.
“Gone. And now? You’re mine.”
Cold metal bites into my skin as the chains tighten around my wrists and throat. Water drips from my hair, soaking into the dirt beneath me. My breathing is sharp, uneven. I can feel it happening, my body changing, twisting against my will. My ears, once sharp and pointed, shrink until they are rounded like a human’s. My skin tingles, the features that mark me as different slowly fading, blending, shifting.
The woman watches with amusement, her head tilting as if I’m some rare creature put on display. Her lips curl into a smirk.
“You’re one of those water elves, aren’t you?”
I inhale sharply, my fingers tugging at the chains, knowing deep down that it’s useless. The metal burns against my skin not with heat, but with something unnatural. Magic.
“And if I am?” My voice wavers between defiance and fear. “Will you take these things off me? Why are you doing this?!”
She throws her head back and laughs. It’s a cruel, hollow sound that sends ice through my veins.
“Silly girl,” she muses, stepping closer. “Those chains will never leave you. You’re one of my prisoners now. You see, I like to collect rare and special things… including the likes of you.”
My stomach twists violently.
A collection?
My breath catches in my throat as the truth settles over me like a suffocating wave. I thrash against the bindings, my instincts screaming at me to fight, to escape.
“I’m no one’s prisoner!” I snarl, my body twisting, trying to break free.
She moves in one swift, effortless motion, pushing me down with force. My knees slam against the cold earth.
“Look here, little girl,” she hisses, pressing her heel against my chest. My heartbeat stutters, panic clawing at my insides as the pressure makes it harder to breathe. “You’re mine. To do with as I please. I am queen of these lands, and your kind, every creature……is mine to control.”
Her words carve themselves into my mind, heavy with finality.
I close my eyes, inhaling slowly. My body is shaking, not just from fear, but from rage. I want to fight. I want to rip her apart. But I can’t. Not yet.
“Fine,” I whisper through clenched teeth. “As you wish.”
She removes her heel from my chest, grabbing me by the chains and yanking me up until our eyes meet. Her grip is ice-cold, her nails digging into my skin.
“You will do as I say. Understand?”
My throat tightens. My mind swirls with memories of my mother. Of her last words.
“So this is what she was trying to protect me from… I’m sorry, Mother. I got caught.”
A sharp slap drags me out of my thoughts. My head snaps to the side, my cheek burning from the impact.
“Well?!” she snaps.
I swallow my pride, my rage, my grief.
“Yeah. I understand.”
The boat rocks beneath me as she shoves me onto its deck. The scent of salt and damp wood clings to the air, mixing with the sharp tang of something metallic….blood. I keep my head up, refusing to let her see the fear gnawing at my edges.
“Stay quiet, or else!” she warns.
I let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Or else what? You’re already taking me from sacred lands. These shorelines are governed by my people. Your queen knows better than to touch us. If you poachers think you can claim me, I’ll be the least of your problems.”
Her expression darkens, but she smiles anyway. A cruel, knowing smile.
“The queen who made that pact with your kind? She died not too long ago.”
The words hit me like a dagger to the chest.
No.
“So now,” she continues, “your kind is fair game. We poachers, as you call us, will be giving you a gift, stupid girl.”
The whip strikes before I can react. The leather rips across my back, sending searing pain through my body. I arch forward, gasping, my fingers clawing at the deck. The burning sensation lingers, deep and unrelenting.
I barely have time to recover before I’m dragged across the splintered wood and thrown into a cage. The steel is cold beneath me, sending another shock through my aching body.
The woman crouches outside the bars, her smirk never fading.
“I’ll be taking you to the castle,” she says, her voice sickly sweet. “Once we’re there, what happens to you won’t be my concern. I’m only here to deliver you to the new queen. So shut the fuck up.”
I don’t respond. I don’t move.
I just lie there, staring up at the darkened sky, my body curled against the freezing steel.
My mother’s voice echoes in my mind, over and over.
“Live, Nagisa.”
I exhale slowly.
“I’m still alive, Mother.”
But for how much longer?
The waves rock the ship, their rhythm steady, relentless. The wood beneath me is cold, rough against my skin, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing does.
I exhale slowly, closing my eyes. Sleep comes in waves flickering, uncertain but it drags me under all the same.
When I wake, nothing has changed.
The cage still surrounds me, cold steel pressing into my back. The scent of salt and damp wood lingers in the air. My wrists are sore, raw from where I’ve pulled against the chains, and yet I try again. My fingers flex, my mind reaching for the magic that should be running through my veins.
Nothing.
Panic tightens my chest. My magic is a part of me, as natural as breathing, but now… it’s just gone. I glance down at the chains wrapped around me clean, polished, newer.
Enchanted.
A bitter curse slips through my lips as I push myself upright. My gaze sweeps the dimly lit room, and for the first time, I notice a bed. And across from it, a girl.
She’s young, maybe a few years younger than me, sitting with her legs curled beneath her. Her presence is unexpected, almost out of place among the cruelty of this ship.
I clear my throat. My voice is hoarse when I finally speak.
“Did you do this?”
The girl looks up, her expression unreadable.
“Mhm, yeah,” she says casually. Then she tilts her head, as if reconsidering. “But it wasn’t all my idea…it was Lizzy’s!”
I shift, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Lizzy? Was she the one who hit me?”
The girl giggles. It’s strange innocent in a place that reeks of blood and chains.
“No, that’s Sarah. This is her ship. Lizzy is, well…” she trails off, searching for the words. “My sister.”
I offer a small, dry smile. “Cool.”
Before she can respond, a loud voice cuts through the air, heavy with authority. Footsteps echo against the wooden planks, each one deliberate, predatory.
Sarah.
She steps into view, her presence filling the space like a storm cloud. The girl stiffens beside me as Sarah grabs her roughly by the arm.
Rage flares in my chest. Without thinking, I surge forward, gripping the bars.
“Let her go! We were just talking!”
Sarah only laughs. A sharp, cruel sound.
She swings the cage door open, and for a brief second, I think she might actually listen…might actually care.
Then the whip cracks through the air.
Pain explodes across my skin as leather tears through flesh, burning, searing. My breath leaves me in a sharp gasp as I stumble back.
“Shut up, will you?” Sarah spits, her voice venomous. “You don’t get to have friends. Especially not my younger sister. So shut your vile mouth!”
I clench my jaw, swallowing the scream bubbling in my throat. My hands curl into fists, nails digging into my palms.
“Sarah, stop!” The girl’s voice is desperate, frantic. “I came here on my own! Lizzy said I should keep her company until we get there!”
Sarah freezes. For a moment, the whip lingers in the air, as if she’s debating whether or not to strike again. Then, slowly, she exhales, locking the cage before turning toward the girl.
I watch as she cups the girl’s face, her expression softening in a way I never thought possible.
“Look,” Sarah murmurs. “She’s not going to be your friend, got it? You and Lizzy are too soft. Why do I always have to be the strong one?”
Sarah lowers her gaze. “Don’t you want to see her again? We have to do this… unless you want to abandon her in the castle.”
A tremor runs through the girl’s frame. She bites her lip, shoulders shaking.
“No, I don’t want to give up…” Her voice cracks, her hands balling into fists. “But why do you have to be so harsh to the prisoners?!”
Sarah sighs, rubbing a hand down her face.
“If I’m not, the castle will blame us,” she says, her tone weary. “And then I’ll have to protect you and Lizzy again. You don’t want that, do you?”
The girl sniffles, then shakes her head. “No… I’ll be better. But can I at least keep her company? I won’t talk if that’s what you want.”
A long silence stretches between them before Sarah finally concedes.
“Fine.”
Then her gaze snaps to me, sharp and unforgiving. She points the whip at me, eyes narrowing.
“But you….say one word, and I’ll hit you harder.”
I meet her stare, my body still throbbing from the last strike. I don’t speak. I just exhale softly as she turns away, storming toward the exit.
Before she disappears, her voice drifts back to me.
“We’ll be there in a few days.”
The door slams shut, leaving behind silence.
I turn to the girl. She’s watching me carefully, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. Slowly, I mouth the words “Thank you.”
She hesitates, then offers a small, secretive smile.
“No problem.”
The air is thick with salt and decay. The damp wood of the ship creaks beneath me, a constant reminder of my captivity. Sarah’s sister sits in silence beside me, our occasional exchanges nothing more than empty words meant to fill the void. Even the meals bland, tasteless, barely sustenance are just another cruel reminder of what I’ve lost.
Then the boat stops.
Heavy footsteps echo down the narrow walkway, each step closer, louder, a promise of pain. Sarah.
She doesn’t hesitate. Cold metal scrapes against my wrists as she unlocks the chains, yanking me forward like I’m nothing more than an animal.
“You are nothing.”
I swallow hard, forcing the thought down, but it festers in my chest like rot.
“Come on, time to join the others!” Sarah sneers, shoving me forward. I stumble, barely catching myself before I hit the floor.
“Stay here with Lizzy,” she instructs her sister, her voice sharp, impatient. “We’ll be leaving soon after this drop-off.”
A silent nod is all she gets in return. Sarah doesn’t wait for more. She turns on her heel, and before I can brace myself….
The whip cracks.
Fire rips across my back. My body seizes, a scream tearing from my throat before I can stop it. My knees buckle, but I don’t fall. I can’t.
“Weakness invites more pain.”
“Get going! Walk, now!”
My legs move on instinct, every step aching, burning, but I keep going. The weight of the chains around my wrists and neck pull at my skin, cold, suffocating. As I step off the boat, my breath catches.
Women. Dozens of them. Bound like me. Shackled like me. Their eyes hollow, their spirits crushed.
My stomach twists.
“Is this my future? A soulless body waiting to be sold?”
A hush spreads through the group as I move forward, and then I see her.
A woman stands at the castle entrance, golden hair cascading like liquid sunlight. Her presence is suffocating, regal yet predatory.
Sarah pushes me forward. “My lady, this one is especially special for you.” She leans in, her voice a venomous whisper. “She’s a water elf.”
The woman’s eyes sharpen with interest. A slow, knowing smile spreads across her face.
“Oh, so it’s true,” she muses, stepping closer. “Water elves lose their features on land.”
She reaches out, fingers curling under my chin, forcing me to look at her.
A shiver runs down my spine.
“Don’t react. Don’t fight. Don’t give her a reason to hurt you.”
Her breath ghosts against my ear as she whispers, “You will show me those features, right?”
My throat tightens. I don’t answer. I can’t.
Pain explodes across my back. The whip again. My scream rips through the air, raw and broken.
“Yes!” I gasp, voice trembling.
The woman,Kia smiles. Pleased.
“Good.” She turns to Sarah, plucking the whip from her hands with an elegance that makes my blood run cold. “Come to the banquet. You can see her then. Now, go get more treasure.”
Treasure.
That’s all I am to them.
A possession. A prize.
But they don’t know.
I may be shackled, beaten, humiliated…..but I am not broken.
The moment Sarah vanishes, Kia yanks my chains, nearly pulling me off my feet. She doesn’t slow, doesn’t care. I’m not a person to her, just another piece of cargo to be dragged into the abyss.
The air thickens as we descend, the dampness clinging to my skin like rot. The scent of sweat, filth, and something coppery fills my lungs. Blood. Old and new.
I see them before I hear them.
Rows of cages, rusted bars barely holding together, each one filled with women like me. Some barely move, their bodies limp, their spirits long gone. Others are curled up, whispering to themselves, eyes vacant.
Ghosts that haven’t died yet.
“Is this what I become?”
Kia stops in front of an empty cage. My new home.
I don’t move.
She tilts her head, amused. “You’re going to sell me, aren’t you?” My voice is hoarse, barely a whisper.
Her lips curl into a smirk. “Not for a while.”
Not yet.
So I’m still something to be used before I’m discarded. Before I’m handed off to someone even worse.
My stomach churns. My wrists burn where the chains bite into my skin. I don’t step forward. I won’t.
The whip strikes.
White-hot agony slices across my back. My body seizes, a ragged scream tearing from my throat before I can stop it. My knees buckle, and Kia shoves me forward.
I hit the cot hard. The metal groans beneath me, the thin, moldy mattress doing nothing to soften the impact.
Before I can push myself up, Kia is on me, unshackling my wrists only to lock them to the bed.
Caged. Like an animal.
I hear her footsteps retreat, then the clang of the cell door slamming shut. Her laughter echoes as she disappears down the hall.
I tremble. Not just from pain, but from the crushing weight of reality.
This is where I will rot.
A voice drifts through the silence. Soft. Almost kind.
“You’re new, huh?”
I flinch.
The voice doesn’t belong to a guard. It’s another prisoner. Another girl trapped in this hell.
“A word of advice,” she murmurs, voice low, careful. “Don’t fight them. It’ll only make it worse.”
I suck in a shaky breath, the sharp pain in my back flaring with the movement.
“Am I not going to get hurt even if I don’t fight?” My voice cracks.
A soft, bitter laugh. “You’re a smart one.” A pause. “I’m Ayame. What’s your name?”
I don’t want to answer. Saying my name feels like holding onto something I won’t have for much longer.
But I force the words out. “Nagisa.”
She hums. “Nice name.”
The wall between us is the only thing separating our cages, but it might as well be the only thing separating the living from the dead.
“Just listen to them,” she says. “The beatings won’t be as bad if you don’t resist.”
I close my eyes. I want to disappear. Sink into the cot. Wake up somewhere else.
“Do you ever see the light here?” My voice is barely a whisper.
Ayame hesitates. And that hesitation alone tells me everything.
“Yeah,” she says, but there’s no warmth in it. “During the banquet.”
Banquet.
The word sends a cold shiver down my spine.
“But it’s not for us,” she adds. “It’s for them. To show us off.” Another pause. “And then there’s pain with that, too.”
I feel something inside me crack.
“Just try not to let them break you, okay?” she whispers.
My breath hitches.
I don’t answer. Because I don’t know if there’s anything left of me not to break.
