Waking in Chains
1. Begin.
Drip. Drip.
"…Mmgh."
My consciousness stirred awake at the damp droplets falling from somewhere above.
I tossed and turned. I was so sleepy, and I wanted to stay in this sweet, soft comfort just a little longer, so I tried my best to ignore it and drift back off. Even if I got up now, my body—wrecked as it always was—would tire out in no time and I'd just end up drowsy again anyway. Better to push through the discomfort and burn off the fatigue for good…
Drip. Drip.
"Ow! It's so freaking slippery!"
But it was just too wet, and the sleepiness flew right out of me.
"Tape! Where's the tape! Somebody needs to plug that pipe for good!"
Shouting for no real reason, I pushed myself up off the ground. Dirt and dust clung to the soles of my bare feet.
"…Huh? Where'd dust come from?"
Look, I'm no neat freak, but there was no reason for dirt to be inside my—
A shiver crawled up my spine, and I looked around. It was dark, but there was just enough light to make out where I was.
"…Where am I?"
The problem was that the place I could see was very much not my home. Iron bars stood before me, with stone walls beyond them—it looked like some kind of prison, built to hold something captive. And the bigger problem was that I had no idea why I was in it. Sure, I got picked on now and then, but I'd never done anything to earn this kind of hatred. Everyone disliked me, sure—but nobody disliked me enough to commit an actual crime over it.
"What's this? You're awake?"
At the sudden sound of a voice, I lifted my head. There stood a woman with a sharp, severe face, black hair, and eyes red as rubies.
Since when could people have red eyes? Colored contacts or something, probably?
"…Who are you?"
Still, I needed to figure out what was going on, so I stared at her, doing my best not to look scared.
…Wait. Why does everything look lower than before? Even for me—and I'm short—this doesn't seem right. Is that woman just really tall?
"…What the hell did you just say?"
"…Sorry?"
The woman's expression went ice-cold in an instant. One moment she'd been looking almost playful; the next, frost.
…Come to think of it, have I always lisped this badly? Why do the words keep slurring out of my mouth?
My head tilted back and forth on its own, puzzled.
"…Did somebody hit you while I was gone?"
"…No, ma'am. No one has entered the cell."
Someone in armor had appeared beside the woman at some point and spoken up. Their voice was odd—muffled by the steel, but thin and high somehow.
"Then why is she looking at me like she doesn't know me?"
Strange words kept flying back and forth over my head.
…No idea what's going on, but I'm bored.
I just wanted out of this damp place, and fast.
"Um… when do I get to come out?"
Working up my nerve, I cut into their conversation. Both of them turned to stare at me, and both of them looked startled. What, why are you surprised?
"…Did she really lose her memory?"
But the woman only kept muttering things I couldn't understand.
"…Well, no matter. Doesn't change anything."
At those words, the heavy iron door swung open. I stepped slowly out of the cell.
Wow, she's huge.
I hadn't realized it from a distance, but the woman was enormous. Even accounting for the fact that I was small for a guy, I'd never seen a woman built on this scale.
"…Have you gone simple-minded?"
"……?"
As I stood there gaping at her, she spat those words out.
…Hold on. Have I always been this calm? Is this me? Or… isn't it?
The woman turned her back to me, and I followed behind her.
We climbed a dim, shadowy stairwell, and when we emerged, several armored figures stood waiting. Their faces were hidden behind their helms. …Armor? What's with the armor?
"My lady, are you heading straight to the Family Head's office?"
"Yes. Mother told me to bring her."
Still nothing but words I couldn't make sense of.
Clank.
…?
It was then that I noticed something hanging around my neck. …An iron collar?
A collar of solid metal—and when I twisted around to look, there was a chain attached to it, like part of a set. It was so absurdly oversized that I almost laughed at myself for only noticing it now.
…Right. So that's how it is.
Only now did I finally understand what kind of situation I was in.
I glanced around. This looked like the inside of some enormous mansion. Which meant my options were—
"Hnnnggh!"
The instant I grasped my predicament and tried to bolt, something yanked hard at my throat. I went sprawling backward.
Forcing down the tears that pricked at the corners of my eyes, I looked down at my neck. The chain was pulled taut, rigid as a rod. And holding the other end was one of the armored knights. I couldn't see his face, but the fury radiating from inside that armor was unmistakable.
"…E-excuse me! When you yank people around like that, they get hurt! I'm—I'm calling the police! Let go right now, or you're going to jail!"
But honestly, I was just as angry as he was. Who pulls on someone's neck like that? The collar had snapped back and scraped across my throat—there was probably a raw red mark around it by now.
With all that fury burning in my chest, I glared at the knight holding the leash.
"…Hello?"
But the knight said nothing. Whether he was ignoring me or simply couldn't hear, I had no way of knowing.
Clank.
"…!"
Then the knight passed the chain in his hand over to the red-eyed woman.
"Excuse me…? Can someone please explain what's going on— khk!?"
The chain snapped taut.
"Khhk! Kagh…! Kkgh!!"
At the sudden pain, I thrashed and clawed at the iron collar, trying to wedge my fingers underneath it. But it was already cinched too tight—there was no room to get a hand in. I collapsed and flailed, limbs scraping the floor.
I was being strangled. My head swam. I couldn't breathe. And with no air coming in, none was reaching my brain—and with no oxygen reaching my brain, the dizziness only got worse.
…I'm—I'm going to die… I'm actually going to die!?
My consciousness was fading. My body was being dragged across the stone by the chain—pulled along the ground exactly the way you'd haul a dog by its leash.
"…Kh… agh… hhh…"
The rough floor scraped my skin, my throat burned, and my skull felt close to splitting from the suffocation. At this rate, I might really die.
"…Kkhk! Krrh…! Hng… khhg…"
My senses were swimming, every sound drowning underwater—and then, abruptly, the leash went slack.
"…Hahk! Kh… khahk… haaah…"
But the dazed fog didn't lift right away; my eyes rolled wildly in my head.
…Can't breathe… sick… dizzy…
I couldn't think straight. I couldn't make my body obey.
"…Kkh."
Then the collar was seized again, and I was hoisted into the air. At least this time it wasn't crushing my throat.
My eyes were wet. Drool ran freely from the corner of my mouth. All I could do was hang there, dangling limply in midair.
"…S-save me…"
After all that pain, the words just tumbled out of my mouth.
It hurts so much… everything's spinning… my head's going to burst…
"…I told you to bring her, and you've gone and made a bloody pulp of her."
A deep, weighty voice echoed through the hall.
"…Kkuhk."
Perhaps because my throat had been squeezed so hard, something yellow welled up from my stomach and dribbled past my lips. I could feel someone's gaze on me—disgusted, like they were looking at something filthy.
"…Hnngh."
I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't… my head hurt so much… It felt like I was conscious and unconscious at the same time. I'm going to be sick… I think I'm going to throw up…
"Well, I'd say she's been punished enough."
A satisfied-sounding voice reached me. That deep, heavy tone—it had to be the same person as before.
"Then where shall we keep this thing?"
"Lock her in the attic room. And don't forget to bar the door. She is never escaping again."
The indifferent voice drifted down.
"Ah… right."
Thud.
My body hit the floor.
"…Ngh… ugh…"
It didn't actually hurt much—the carpet beneath me must have absorbed the impact.
"…Kkak!"
The chain yanked again. My throat seized.
"Keep that up and she'll die. Carry her in."
The heavy voice sounded again.
"…Ugh. Fine. I don't want to."
"……"
"Okay, okay. I'll do it."
Hands took hold of the back of my neck.
"Nnngh…"
Nothing but moans came out of my mouth. Even livestock would probably be treated better than this… but I'm a person… a person… please, just treat me like one…
Still held by the nape of my neck, I was carried away. My head swam so badly I could barely see.
Creak.
The sound of an old wooden door swinging open.
CRASH!!!
"…Kkhhk!"
I was hurled inside bodily. A jolt of searing pain shot up from my back. Then the door slammed shut behind me.
—Watch her carefully this time. No more escapes.
—Yes, my lady!
—Understood.
Before long, the footsteps faded into the distance.
"…It hurts. What… what's happening to me…"
I was so scared. Whether from sweat or tears, I couldn't tell—but my whole body had gone damp.