average human’s Reviews > Phixmery > Status Update

This is nothing new—any chance they get, they entertain themselves by taking it out on me—but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. This mistreatment is my life, and it’s like a cruel joke to think that my existence could have been different. Maybe in a different world where everyone I loved wasn’t ripped from me… But I’m alone.
The first lashing cuts across my back, and I feel the warmth of my blood pool before the searing pain consumes me. A scream breaks through my vocal cords as the iron-tipped whip continues its assault on my torso.
“What did she do now?” an annoyed male asks from behind me—Cardon, our tiny village’s esteemed leader.
The lashes pause as Elric scoffs. “Do we need a reason?”
“Call me curious.”
“She was caught outside the village boundaries. Even if we didn’t have a lock-down because of the recruiters coming, the female knows the rules.”
Silence spreads over the village square, and just when the quiet and pain begins to become unbearable, Cardon laughs. “Then continue, and add an extra twenty-five as a reminder. Just remember that I need her alive.”
My eyes drift close and my eyelashes brush against my tear-damp cheeks. Her voice, my mother’s voice, drifts through my mind, but it’s as if she’s standing right next to me, reminding me to keep this secret, to endure the pain. “Go and never come back here. Remember who you are, and don’t let anyone discover your true identity.”
“As you wish, my lord.” The whip whistles through the air and hits its mark, making me cry out, my back arching in pain. Jeers and vile words are spewed by other villagers, but the adrenaline rushing in my ears mutes their voices. My crimson blood stains the snow, melting it before freezing to the mud and slush beneath me.
“Ravina…” Nero whispers in my mind, his panic and worry pushing through our connection. “Put an end to this, please! I can’t watch them do this to you anymore. Seventy-five lashes is outrageous! Let me do something!”
My breath shudders past my lips as my eyes connect with my feathered friend who’s perched on the straw roof across from me. “No.”
The lashes continue, and when the last one rips apart my flesh, my iron-burnt wrists are freed and I collapse to the ground. The cold snow feels like bliss against my wound-heated body, a distraction from the pain blistering across my back.
My vision blurs as Nero flies down from the roof and lands beside my face. “We will get our vengeance one day, Rav, I promise.”
I want to tell him to finally get used to the idea that there won’t be any revenge, but before I can muster the energy, darkness overcomes me.