Chapter 124: Chapter 123 – Prisoners

“Oh gods,” Erica whispered. 

Yuna could only agree with that sentiment. The room she had just entered was a giant hallway. Though it was dim, Yuna could make out rows upon rows of cubes stacked on each other until they reached the ceiling. Inside these cubes were beings who Yuna couldn’t make out but they seemed elvish in shape. Many of them barely moved while others shifted about constantly in their small space. 

“What is this?” Yuna said, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth set. “Why does a place like this exist?”

“It’s a prison. An unauthorized prison,” Boss replied. Her voice was detached and distant. “A place where the police put those they can’t charge legally.”

“The police?” Yuna repeated. “But who would they even arrest? Why would they even do that?”

“Why they would do that? Because people higher up tell them to. Even if they don’t want to, money is a persuasive argument. Mason Inc. allows this because they profit from it. The police do it because the ones funding them ask for it. As for who.”

Boss didn’t finish her sentence and let out a sigh. She walked to the side of the elevator door where a glass panel was installed into the wall. With a few quick taps, the lights in the room flared. Yuna was blinded for a bit as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. 

‘Those aren’t elves.’

In the nearest cell, Yuna saw a person who looked female. She had bright blue eyes that flickered between Yuna and the other people in her group. There was a pair of white feathered wings sprouting out from the woman’s back. Looking closer, Yuna saw a small spiralled horn on the woman’s head where her hairline started.

“What is she?” Yuna asked, directing her question to Boss. 

“The woman with the blue eyes?” 

“Yes.”

“She’s the same as everyone else,” Boss replied. “She is a demon.”

“A demon?” Yuna repeated. She frowned. “What did she do?”

“Do?” Boss raised an eyebrow. “Nothing, really. Probably was reported for living and then arrested. She was probably sent here soon after and has been ever since. But don’t take my word for it. I don’t speak for her. Ask her.”

Yuna returned her attention to the demon that was sitting in her cell, watching Yuna with cold eyes. She slowly made her way to the demon until she stopped about a foot short of the glass entrance of the cell.

‘How do I start this?’

“Hi?” Yuna began. The demon’s expression didn’t change. “Do you have a name?”

“Child,” the demon said. Her voice was soft, much like how Zoe’s was. “What makes you think that I do not?”

Yuna couldn’t respond.

“My name is Tionne,” she said. “Who are you? Your friends are obviously not part of them.”

“Them?”

“My captors if you will. I don’t want to speak of them,” Tionne replied, her jaw clenching. 

“Okay. I’m Yuna, an elf.” Yuna paused. “I wanted to know why you’re here.”

“According to what they said, I’m here because I invaded property,” Tionne said. She shook her wings before she continued. “All that means is that I’m here because I exist.”

“How? Invasion of property is a crime.”

“It is indeed a crime,” she nodded. “But I never invaded a person’s property. I bought a house. I lived in that house for three years now. And then one day, a knock came at my door. I answered it and then after a brief period of unconsciousness found myself here.”

“If that’s the case, then why were you arrested? You didn’t commit any crime if your story is true.”

“I asked myself that question for the first few days I was here. What did I do wrong? I lived there for three years without a problem. And then it came to me. I accidentally forgot to disguise a part of myself for a bit. I went out to water my flowers and then came back inside. It was only for about five minutes. But someone must have seen me.”

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“So your neighbors didn’t know you were a demon?”

“Of course not, child,” Tionne shook her head. “If they did, I would have been here a lot earlier. By living here, I broke the social laws. It’s not written, but it is considered forbidden for a demon to even set foot in Libra. They make quite sure that this idea is well enforced.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. If it isn’t explicitly illegal for you to set foot in Libra, then they can’t arrest you. How can they force you out?”

“If you make a place unlivable for a specific person, that is an effective way to force that person to leave. If you continue to make it unlivable, than that person will never return.”

Yuna still couldn’t understand why someone would do such things. Libra was the country where equality was one of its primary beliefs. She could understand this sort of thing happening within the other countries. The dwarves in particular were notorious for not accepting many other races within their lands. 

“Are you sure that nothing else happened?” Yuna asked. “The LIA would never arrest people without reason.”

“I hope that is the case,” Tionne replied. “But my experiences seem to contradict that. However, these were just my experiences. I do not know about the others since I am unable to communicate with them. You can try to ask them, child. I’m curious as well.”

With that, the conversation seemed to have come to an end. Yuna turned and walked back to where Boss was standing. Erica and Akira had gone off to check on the other cells.

“What did she say?” Boss asked.

“She says that she’s here because she was living in a house in Libra,” Yuna said. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Those types of things rarely make sense. She was arrested because she’s a demon. Many of those in here will tell you the same.”

“There has to be another cause,” Yuna shook her head. “There’s no way that is the only reason. Those accused of crimes rarely admit to them even after they’ve been proven guilty.”

“Yuna. I want you to reread the laws that govern Libra. Specifically those that deal with land and citizenship. Many people here have done nothing morally wrong. Some have. I’m not going to lie about that. There are killers, thieves, rapists, all of them here. But that only makes up for a small part of a whole. The rest are simply people trying to live.”

Yuna heard a cry and twisted her neck to find the source. It was from Erica who was pressing her hands against the glass entrance of a cell. On the other side of the glass was a female with long red fox ears and a white tipped tail. She, too, had her palms on the glass, her hand matching up with Erica’s. And tears ran down her eyes.

“They’re people as well,” Boss continued. “So why shouldn’t they be treated as such?”

She walked down the pathway between the cells leaving Yuna behind. Yuna didn’t follow. The words Boss said echoed in her mind.

‘But. Are they not treated like that?’

A gush of wind stole her attention. Following it’s flow, Yuna found that it led to Boss who was slowly floating up into the air. When she had reached halfway, Boss stopped and looked around.

“Hello,” Boss said. Her voice boomed as it was amplified with magic. “I know that many of you have been here for so long that the word hope has lost all meaning. I know that trust is now an abstract concept. There’s nothing I can say that can restore these ideas for you. But there is one thing I can give you.”

She paused and watched the gazes of her crowd. Yuna glanced at each cell and saw that most of them were watching with distant eyes or bemused expressions. Only a handful looked truly hopeful.

“Freedom. I can give you freedom. Chills ran down Yuna’s spine as she heard that promise. They weren’t merely words. Magic was woven into them. “I will give you freedom. And then with that, you can remember what it was like to have hope.”

A murmur passed through the cells as the meaning of Boss’s words hit them. They began to look up with more and more interest as they realised what the woman before them had just promised.

“This is not something that will only be just for you. Your brothers and your sisters will find hope too. So what do you say?”

No one replied until a small voice rang out. 

“Please,” the man said. “If you can, please.”

“That is all I need to hear,” Boss replied.

 

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