Nameless
The girl did not remember when the crying stopped bothering her.
At first, the sound had clawed at her mind every night.
Soft sobbing. Whispers that trembled like dying candles. The sharp cries when the guards dragged someone away.
Now it was simply... noise.
The jail cell was cold tonight. The stone floor pressed against her bare feet, damp and rough. Rusted iron bars cut the room into thin stripes of moonlight. That pale light revealed what the darkness tried to hide-thin bodies, hollow eyes, bruised skin.
Girls.
All of them girls.
Some looked younger than her. Some older. But none looked hopeful.
The girl with purple eyes sat quietly against the wall, knees pulled close to her chest. Her blonde hair hung in messy strands over her face, tangled and dirty. The dirty sleeve of her brown shirt exposed a thin shoulder marked with fading bruises.
Around her neck rested a silver collar.
Even in the dim moonlight, it gleamed faintly.
Slave collars always did.
Across the room, two girls whispered.
"Do you think... they'll take someone tonight?"
"Shh-don't say that..."
"But they always come when the moon is like this..."
Their voices trembled.
Another girl hugged her knees tightly, rocking back and forth.
"I don't want to go... I don't want to go... please..."
Someone else muttered bitterly.
"Doesn't matter what you want."
Silence followed.
Everyone understood what happened to girls who were taken.
They were sold.
To nobles.
To wealthy families.
To men who treated people like toys.
The purple-eyed girl listened without reacting.
At first-when she had woken up here a year ago-the crying had confused her.
Why are they crying?
That had been her first thought.
She had opened her eyes on the cold floor of this very cell, surrounded by strangers. No memories. No past. Only the silver collar around her neck and the number burned into the metal.
92
She didn't know her name.
She didn't know where she came from.
She didn't even know if this was normal.
The other girls had cried endlessly that first night. They clung to each other like drowning people.
But the purple-eyed girl had only watched them.
Why are they crying?
Why are they scared?
She hadn't understood.
Now she did.
Now she understood too well.
A sudden metallic clang echoed through the corridor.
Every girl froze.
Then-
Heavy footsteps.
Armor clinking.
Keys rattling.
Someone whispered in terror.
"They're coming..."
The jail door creaked open.
Three guards stepped inside the corridor outside the bars. Their armor was worn but sturdy, swords hanging lazily at their hips. One carried a lantern that filled the hallway with sickly yellow light.
The guard with the keys smirked.
"Alright, girls."
His voice was casual.
Too casual.
"Line up against the bars."
Nobody moved.
The guard sighed dramatically.
Then he slammed his baton against the iron bars.
CLANG!
Several girls screamed.
"I said LINE UP."
Panic erupted instantly.
Girls scrambled toward the bars, pushing and bumping into each other. Some trembled so badly they could barely stand.
The purple-eyed girl stood last.
Not because she was slow.
Because she simply waited until everyone else moved.
She walked forward quietly and stopped near the edge of the group.
The guards watched them like merchants inspecting livestock.
One chuckled.
"Pretty sad batch tonight."
Another guard spat on the floor.
"Yeah. Half of them look like they'll die before the week ends."
Then footsteps echoed from deeper in the corridor.
Slower.
Heavier.
Someone important was approaching.
The guards straightened immediately.
A man stepped into view.
He wore expensive robes instead of armor. Deep red silk trimmed with gold threads. Rings glittered on several fingers.
A noble.
He looked to be in his forties, with slicked-back dark hair and a trimmed beard. His posture was relaxed-too relaxed for a place like this.
But his eyes...
His eyes crawled over the girls like insects.
He stopped in front of the bars.
Silence fell instantly.
The girls lowered their heads.
The noble clicked his tongue.
"Hmm."
He slowly walked along the row of prisoners, studying them one by one.
"This is today's stock?"
One guard nodded quickly.
"Yes, Lord Meridan. Fresh arrivals and the remaining ones from last season."
"Fresh?"
The noble raised an eyebrow.
"These ones look half-dead."
The guards laughed nervously.
"They're cheap stock, my lord."
Meridan sighed.
"Disappointing."
He stopped in front of a trembling girl.
She couldn't have been older than twelve.
The noble tilted her chin upward with a finger.
The girl flinched.
His eyes narrowed.
"Too skinny."
He let her go as if she were trash.
He moved on.
Another girl.
He squeezed her arm.
"Bruised."
Another.
He turned her face side to side.
"Plain."
The girls trembled harder with each step he took.
Everyone knew what his gaze meant.
Finally-
His steps stopped.
In front of the purple-eyed girl.
For a moment, he said nothing.
The girl looked back at him calmly.
Her purple eyes reflected the lantern light faintly.
The noble's eyebrows slowly rose.
"Well now..."
His lips curled.
"Look at those eyes."
The guard beside him leaned closer.
"Oh. Slave ninety-two."
Meridan chuckled.
"Interesting."
He leaned forward slightly, studying her face.
Despite the dirt on her skin and the torn shirt hanging loosely on her body, her features were striking. Sharp eyes. Pale skin beneath the grime. Hair like dull gold under the moonlight. She looked no older than 16 years old.
And those violet eyes.
Rare.
Very rare.
Meridan licked his lips slightly.
"Quite the looker for such a young age."
The other girls stiffened.
The purple-eyed girl watched him without expression.
His gaze lingered.
Hungry.
Pathetic.
The girl noticed the drool forming slightly at the corner of his mouth.
Strange.
Why is he looking like that?
She tilted her head slightly.
"...You are staring."
Her voice was quiet.
Flat.
The noble blinked in surprise.
Then he laughed.
"Oh?"
He leaned closer to the bars.
"And she speaks."
The guard chuckled.
"This one's quiet usually."
Meridan examined her again.
"You know who I am, girl?"
The purple-eyed girl thought for a moment.
"No."
The guard barked a laugh.
"She's a strange one, my lord."
Meridan smiled slowly.
"I see."
He tapped the iron bar with one finger.
"Do you know what happens to girls who are chosen from this cell?"
The girl considered the question.
"Yes."
"And?"
"They scream."
The corridor went silent.
The noble stared at her.
Then laughed again-louder this time.
"What a curious creature."
He crouched slightly so his face aligned with hers.
"And do you think you will scream?"
The girl blinked once.
"...No."
Meridan studied her eyes carefully.
There was no fear.
No pleading.
Just calm observation.
Like she was studying him instead.
A strange feeling crawled up his spine.
Then he waved his hand.
"I'll take this one."
Several girls gasped quietly.
The guard unlocked the cell immediately.
The iron door creaked open.
Two guards stepped inside and grabbed the purple-eyed girl by the arms.
She didn't resist.
The other girls watched with wide eyes.
Some looked relieved.
Some looked jealous.
Some looked terrified.
One girl whispered desperately.
"...Good luck."
The purple-eyed girl didn't respond.
The guards pulled her out of the cell.
The door slammed shut behind them.
CLANG.
For the first time in a year...
She walked beyond the corridor.
-
The night air felt strange.
Cold.
Open.
The purple-eyed girl stepped outside the prison gates and paused.
The sky stretched endlessly above her.
Stars.
So many stars.
She had almost forgotten the sky existed.
The guards pushed her forward.
"Move."
They walked through wide streets lit by lanterns.
The capital of the Kingdom of Eleanor.
Carriages rolled across stone roads. Wealthy citizens walked past with servants following behind them. Shop lights glowed warmly despite the late hour.
Everything was loud.
Alive.
Overwhelming.
The purple-eyed girl looked around slowly.
She noticed collars like hers on other people.
Slaves.
Some carried bags. Some walked behind their masters silently.
Some avoided eye contact completely.
She watched them carefully.
So this is the outside world.
A carriage waited nearby.
Meridan stepped inside first.
The guard shoved the girl in after him.
The carriage began moving.
Inside, the noble studied her again.
"So quiet."
The girl looked at the window.
The passing city lights reflected faintly in her violet eyes.
"Do you have a name?" Meridan asked.
The girl thought.
Then shook her head.
"No."
The noble raised an eyebrow.
"No name?"
"Only number."
She lifted the collar slightly.
"92."
Meridan chuckled.
"Well... we can fix that."
The carriage slowed.
Through the window, a massive estate appeared beyond tall iron gates.
Elegant towers.
White stone walls.
Golden crests carved above the entrance.
Servants moved like shadows along the courtyard.
The gates slowly opened.
Meridan smiled.
"Welcome."
The carriage rolled forward.
"To the House of Vayanid."
The purple-eyed girl looked up at the towering mansion.
Something about the place felt...
Wrong.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
Just...
Off.
As the carriage stopped, the noble opened the door and stepped out.
Then he turned toward her.
His smile had changed.
Not hungry anymore.
Calculating.
"Let's see," he murmured softly.
"...whether you're truly valuable."
The mansion doors creaked open.
Inside the entrance hall-
Someone was already waiting.
And the moment the purple-eyed girl stepped out of the carriage...
That person's eyes widened.
"...Impossible."
The whisper barely reached the night air.
But it was enough to make the girl pause.
Because for the first time since she woke in that prison cell-
Someone looked at her...
Like they recognized her.
