Chapter One: a man with the hearts of many
by jermccloud
"You have a quality not seen in many, but if you're not careful it will get the best of you."
The words from his father echoed in his mind as he tried to remember how he got himself
into this situation. His wrist were bleeding from the rubbing of the ropes that bound his hands
behind him. Trapped in a dark cell, a place with no windows, all Quan could do was think.
He had tried to get out of the ropes but what then, he could see nothing. All was quite except
the dripping of water hitting the floor, somewhere outside the cell, possibly from the storm
that was going on outside.
The turning of locks from the cell door was heard. Quan quickly found his way into the farthest
corner. A man and uniform stepped in followed by another that set a small wooden chair in
front of him in the center of the cell. The man sat down, and looked straight ahead, almost as if
he were blind.
"For many years, it had been said that a man with the hearts of many would come and bring
destruction upon our city, all at the cost to save one child's life."
Quan had not a clue of what the man was saying.
"Listen, I really don't know what your talking about, I've been trapped here for two days with
no food or water, will you please let me go?"
The man stood from the chair, laughing, almost an uncontrollable laugh. He walked right up to Quan.
"The prophecy says that this man would bare a map of the stars on his back!"
The man ripped what was left of Quan's ragged shirt, revealing what he had thought was a map of
the stars, but may have just appeared as freckles to anyone else.
Apparently, the man was out of his mind. Quan begin thinking of ways he could use it toward his
advantage to try and plan his escape. Quan stood up, shoulder's back, chest in the air.
"Apparently, you haven't heard the full prophecy."
Quan had the man's attention and waited for an answer. Quan scrambled in his thoughts to try
and think of something but kept drawing blanks.
"Yes?" the man said.
"The man with the hearts of many, will not be one that falls so easily!"
It wasn't much, but it was enough to catch the man off guard. Quan jolts forward, pushing the
man to the wall. He then brings his head back to build momentum and bashes it forward, right
into the nose of his enemy. The man hunches over, holding his nose and starts yelling for the guards.
Quan quickly jumps up to swing his bound hands underneath him to bring them to the front.
The big metal door was already opening, Quan struggled to find any thing he could use as a weapon,
but found nothing. Two guards came rushing in and Quan tried rushing forward past them but wasn't fast nor strong
enough. The injured man slowly got up, still holding his nose.
"You just made a big mistake!" The man revealed a small knife that was concealed in his jacket,
pulled it out and took a stab right into Quan's stomach.
"I would kill you now, but if what the prophecies say are true, we'll be needing you alive."
The man held the knife in place and twisted it a little. Quan's face screwed up into something
horrible, a face that no word could describe.
"This should keep you from trying anything else."
He pulled the knife out, killed the lights and slammed the door behind him. Quan held his stomach,
trying to keep the blood from pouring out. He fell to his knees and let out a few cries of pain.
He managed to find his ripped up shirt lying on the floor and tied it tight around his stomach.
The only way he would ever be able to get out, is if someone let him out. He wasn't a hero, or
one to fullfill prophecies, or so he thought.
As much pain as he felt, he thought about the prophecy the man told him, the man with the hearts
of many, to destroy a city to save a child, a map of the stars on his back...
The words from his father echoed in his mind as he tried to remember how he got himself
into this situation. His wrist were bleeding from the rubbing of the ropes that bound his hands
behind him. Trapped in a dark cell, a place with no windows, all Quan could do was think.
He had tried to get out of the ropes but what then, he could see nothing. All was quite except
the dripping of water hitting the floor, somewhere outside the cell, possibly from the storm
that was going on outside.
The turning of locks from the cell door was heard. Quan quickly found his way into the farthest
corner. A man and uniform stepped in followed by another that set a small wooden chair in
front of him in the center of the cell. The man sat down, and looked straight ahead, almost as if
he were blind.
"For many years, it had been said that a man with the hearts of many would come and bring
destruction upon our city, all at the cost to save one child's life."
Quan had not a clue of what the man was saying.
"Listen, I really don't know what your talking about, I've been trapped here for two days with
no food or water, will you please let me go?"
The man stood from the chair, laughing, almost an uncontrollable laugh. He walked right up to Quan.
"The prophecy says that this man would bare a map of the stars on his back!"
The man ripped what was left of Quan's ragged shirt, revealing what he had thought was a map of
the stars, but may have just appeared as freckles to anyone else.
Apparently, the man was out of his mind. Quan begin thinking of ways he could use it toward his
advantage to try and plan his escape. Quan stood up, shoulder's back, chest in the air.
"Apparently, you haven't heard the full prophecy."
Quan had the man's attention and waited for an answer. Quan scrambled in his thoughts to try
and think of something but kept drawing blanks.
"Yes?" the man said.
"The man with the hearts of many, will not be one that falls so easily!"
It wasn't much, but it was enough to catch the man off guard. Quan jolts forward, pushing the
man to the wall. He then brings his head back to build momentum and bashes it forward, right
into the nose of his enemy. The man hunches over, holding his nose and starts yelling for the guards.
Quan quickly jumps up to swing his bound hands underneath him to bring them to the front.
The big metal door was already opening, Quan struggled to find any thing he could use as a weapon,
but found nothing. Two guards came rushing in and Quan tried rushing forward past them but wasn't fast nor strong
enough. The injured man slowly got up, still holding his nose.
"You just made a big mistake!" The man revealed a small knife that was concealed in his jacket,
pulled it out and took a stab right into Quan's stomach.
"I would kill you now, but if what the prophecies say are true, we'll be needing you alive."
The man held the knife in place and twisted it a little. Quan's face screwed up into something
horrible, a face that no word could describe.
"This should keep you from trying anything else."
He pulled the knife out, killed the lights and slammed the door behind him. Quan held his stomach,
trying to keep the blood from pouring out. He fell to his knees and let out a few cries of pain.
He managed to find his ripped up shirt lying on the floor and tied it tight around his stomach.
The only way he would ever be able to get out, is if someone let him out. He wasn't a hero, or
one to fullfill prophecies, or so he thought.
As much pain as he felt, he thought about the prophecy the man told him, the man with the hearts
of many, to destroy a city to save a child, a map of the stars on his back...
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