TW: Swearing, mention of torture and murder, blood, mention of death

Techno's POV:

He was here. Boss didn't look as fucked up as normal but he still looked like himself. I can't recall the last time he actually looked happy. Genuinely happy, not the shitty smiles he has while torturing the people in sector 4. 

It was late at night, about 11:45 PM, and I was hesitant to knock on the door. The sector houses looked like plantations, all of the sector houses were connected to the Pit by various underground tunnels and they were far away from all other cities. Apparently the system didn't want us to be near any other people which is understandable because then we could escape. Also if the public heard the screams that came from these huge mansions it would be a downfall for the business. Money is money. Something that I don't have.

I knocked on the door, careful not to get blood on it. I don't want to make the job harder for the maids. Instead of the usual butler, Schlatt opened the door. Schlatt was a ram hybrid who didn't care about anything. My eyes widened in horror and I tried to back away but his hand grabbed my arm.

"You're not going anywhere. I've been waiting all night for this," Boss said coldly. I whimpered slightly at the harshness of his grasp. I might be the all mighty Blade to the audience but on the inside I was just a broken kid trying to climb out of a dark pit I was continuously being kicked into.

I quickly shut the door behind us so I wouldn't be yelled at later. Schlatt pulled me through the house as I was forced to follow. I used to fight back but that always ended in more pain. It can be difficult for me sometimes. No matter how much practice and training I put in I can never change my natural instinct. Being a piglin hybrid was horrible to say the least. Piglin's weren't the strongest of the hybrids and I always cowered in front of hybrids that were more powerful than me. It didn't matter if I could beat them in a fight, natural instincts took over.

This was one of those times. My senses went wild as I noticed where we were heading. Schlatt was pulling me to the back basement of the mansion where the....the torture room was. Something I was familiar with. Whether it was Schlatt or one of his minions, I've been in there one too many times. It was the worst for me because I was the 'weakest' hybrid here. Even though I was top in the fights I was still the weak hybrid to Schlatt. Someone he could use to let his anger out on. I wish I could stand up for myself but I didn't know how.

I was just.....broken.

Before I knew it I was chained to the wall so I couldn't run away from whatever Schlatt had planned for me. I closed my eyes in an attempt to slow my beating heart. No matter how many times this has happened, it doesn't get any easier.

What will he do this time?

Any guesses?

I want to murder him

Even though the voices were annoying and can be extremely violent, I've come to embrace them. They can distract me from things but I've come to learn that there can never be good without the bad. They're very influencing.

I was brought back to reality by his gruff, horrible voice.

"What should we use this time? Got any preferences," He laughed like a maniac. Schlatt knew exactly what he was doing to me and I knew he didn't care. I just hung my head low and waited for the first hit. The first few are always the hardest, after that I just get numb and then I don't care anymore.

I was sitting there waiting. The first hit never came. He's probably waiting for my defenses to drop so it'll hurt more, I thought. I'm not as curious as I used to be. The system teaches you that. 

I only opened my eyes when I heard a knock at the door. I smiled grimly, he was waiting for my defenses to drop. Schlatt was standing all of 2 inches away from my face. I was probably too caught up in my thoughts to realize his breath on my face. It's disgusting.

"You're lucky," Schlatt said over his shoulder as he reached for the door. He opened the door with a frustrated huff. The person on the other side of the door looked very scared. I recognized this guy. He had two different colored eyes and he's an enderman hybrid. He's relatively new, only been here for a couple of months. He seemed nice when we briefly exchanged names.

"Sir, the boss from sector 6 is here with the hybrid you asked for," Ranboo mumbled. Poor kid, always looked a little insecure.

"THAT'S TODAY! Why didn't my secretary tell me!! Move," Schlatt shoved Ranboo to the side as he stomped out of the room, "Take that piece of shit to his room and give him his collar back."

Ranboo released a breath when Schlatt's footsteps faded from hearing. He walked towards me and took out a key. I flinched slightly as Ranboo undid all the chains around my limbs. I gave him a weak smile which he returned.

"Uh.....where's your room again?" Ranboo scratched the back of his neck. He looked super embarrassed. I just shrugged and motioned for him to follow me. I walked out of the basement and navigated the windy hallways that I've known almost my whole life.

I come up to a door that looks like the rest of them. I know it's mine though. I point to the door and Ranboo looks at me expectantly. I audibly sigh. I know he's only been here a few months but he should know how things work around here.

"Y-you need to u-unlock it," I managed to choke out. They put locks on all of the doors. It was understandable, they didn't want us randomly running to our rooms without their permission. The solution was predictable, more locks.

"O-oh. I'm so sorry," Ranboo fumbled with the keys until he found the one he was looking for. He unlocked the door for me.

"Here's your collar," Ranboo walked towards me and I shut my eyes. I never liked these things, they were always too tight. After Ranboo put it on he walked out and closed the door behind him. The collars basically meant that I belonged to Schlatt and that hybrids couldn't leave the premises. It would shock you if someone were to leave or try to escape.

 I made sure to lock the door so I wouldn't be yelled at for having it unlocked later. That kid had no idea what to do.

I surveyed my room. It looked the same as it did when I got here 9 years ago. A dusty bunk bed pressed up against the left wall. Two small desks with some books I've collected and an insanely small closet that I barely have enough room to hide my medical supplies. We're not supposed to have first-aid kits but the guy that does room checks lets it slide.

The room is supposed to be for two people but since I was really bad behaved as a 10 year old I was isolated. Schatt didn't want my bad behavior influencing others so he locked me in this room all alone for months. I never got a roommate and I hope it stays that way.

I look down at my bloody wounds and realize I should probably stitch them back up. I sighed heavily. It was a pain in the ass to stitch these things every week. I had to though, I didn't want to get lightheaded during a battle and then die.

I took down all the mirrors in my room. There used to be one behind the door but I took it down. I don't need to be reminded of all my scars. I have a small one stuffed in a desk drawer just in case I ever need to fix a wound somewhere I can't see. 

I unclipped the royal cape and draped it over the chair near my desk. I took out the pins in my hair and let it flow behind me, it was a little longer than shoulder length. I always put it up in a bun for battle so it won't get in my face. The golden pins looked nice against my pink hair so I still wore them.

I pulled out my medical kits and sat down on the bottom bunk. The front of my shirt was soaked through with blood. I took off my white shirt and assessed my scars. The gash on my left shoulder blade didn't look horrendous but it was still bad. The one on my chest was the worst. It was bleeding and when I applied some medicine on the wound it stung like crazy. I sucked in a breath, I couldn't risk making a sound. The patrol people didn't like that, they roamed the hallways to make sure no one leaves their room.

I start to bandage my wounds so hopefully they won't bleed onto another shirt. It was convenient that I could bandage both the wound on my chest and the one on my shoulder blade at the same time. It saved me supplies and effort. It was slightly disappointing that most of my scars weren't even from the pit. The two days every two weeks that I left the sector house to fight in The Pit were my rest days. I wasn't getting hurt by my boss during those days so it was a win for me.

That's the other reason I took all my mirrors down. I didn't need to see all the scars that littered my back, stomach, and face. I had one that went through my right eye. I was lucky to still have vision in that eye or Schlatt would've killed me. 

I quickly hid my medical kit and flopped down on the bottom bunk. I didn't know what time it was, there was no way to tell. My room didn't have a window and there was no clock. It had to be early in the morning though. Earlier Schlatt was freaking out about a meeting with another sector. They usually have those in the bleak hours of the morning. Mostly 2 or 3AM. Why so early might you ask? I have absolutely no idea. It's probably because they don't want to interrupt their work or something stupid like that.

I just stared up at the wooden bedframe that held up the second bed. I wanted to sleep but I knew I wouldn't be able to get any. Not after a fight in The Pit. My thoughts were interrupted by loud footsteps accompanied by loud voices. There were multiple. I silently prayed they weren't here to take me somewhere. I've been through enough today, just leave me alone.

Please...

The footsteps stopped right outside my door and I gulped. I started to shake. What could they possibly want with me? I heard keys jingling and then a click of a lock. One of the people outside was growling. My mind jumped to various conclusions, each more gruesome than the one before. I pressed myself against the frame of the bunk bed.

The door swung open and revealed three people. Schlatt, a creeper hybrid, and.....a dragon hybrid? I've heard about those hybrids, supposedly they're the strongest. My heart started to pick up, what were they going to do with a dragon hybrid? Surely they wouldn't lock it in here with me.

"Stay," With that one word the creeper hybrid shoved the dragon in my room. He quickly closed and locked the door. The dragon hybrid looked up, anger evident in his eyes. I curled up into an even tighter ball. The dragon hybrid had horns, and a tail that flicked from side to side. I found it odd that he had no wings, something must've happened before. He smiled at me,

"I'm Dream."

What the fuck? Should I be worried?

Most definitely...

The strongest hybrid and the weakest hybrid in the same room.....

There had to be a catch...

-------------------------

Thank you for reading chapter 2 of Darkside! I hope you're enjoying the book so far! 

*Alex <3*

Word Count: 2,095