Second Time's a Charm (MxM)✔

Chapter 1 - Reflection

"Don't count the days. Make the days count."

-Muhammad Ali

Trigger Warning: Graphic depictions of being burned alive. Some readers may find this disturbing. 

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Pain and agony rocked through Cain's charred body. Every scream he tried to let out only invited more searing hot air to destroy his lungs.

Hopeless tears evaporated as soon as they were shed while the young man thrashed helplessly in the pit, his ribs and legs broken, and the large welt on his face bubbled as the flames licked at his flesh.

The edges of the stone pit were only three feet high, but his shattered bones did not allow him enough movement to escape, so he was forced to suffer under the night sky as a group of robed figures stood by and watched him in his final moments.

The men were focused on one thing and one thing only, the yellowed scroll that was clutched in the his hand which seemed immune to the flames.

This was all Maddox's fault...

Cain had tried to be recognized as a noble, only to wind up a petty thief. And after trying to climb his way to the top of the underworld, he eventually landed an apprenticeship under the greatest crime boss of all time, Sabre Maddox.

That was supposed to be his ticket to success. He had followed the man closely, hanging on his every word, doing his every bidding, and hoping that one day Maddox would praise him...Right up until he was dismissed...

"To be my apprentice, you need be more than a thief. If that is your only quality, then you're useless to me." The man had claimed with a dark scowl. His wild black hair, steely eyes, and sinister aura made him a very intimidating figure to stand before. Especially in his black-scaled armor, and after all his time working under the man, Cain had never been the target of his irritation until that day. He had been so shocked that he failed to get a single word out to defend himself. Instead, he just dropped his head and walked out, downcast and beaten.

Just like his family, Sabre Maddox too had rejected him...

It took a few days to recover from that rejection. Once he did, he decided he wanted to work his way back into Maddox's graces. Giving up without even trying was a foolish thing for him to have done. And that stupid scroll was going to be his golden ticket.

According to his informant, the rolled-up wad of ancient paper was some highly coveted artifact that possessed immense magical properties. Sabre Maddox had been hunting it down for years, so naturally, Cain figured he could use it to earn his apprenticeship back.

It wasn't until he left the Valley of Unity that he realized why the villain had never tried to retrieve it before now.

The temple halls were all laced with puzzles, poison-tipped darts, and collapsing floors. Were it not for Cain's keen eye, he'd have surely died sooner.

Unfortunately, it didn't help him escape once he finally did get the scroll. Because the warrior monks of the temple dropped on him like shadows, tossing the young thief around like a ragdoll before throwing him into the pit. One of them had tried to pry the scroll from his hand before letting him fall, but Cain had stubbornly latched on and taken it down with him.

"Get the scroll!" One of the monks shouted at the robed figure standing closest to the edge.

The second monk clenched his fist. Then, he removed his outer robe and stepped closer, leaning over the flames to try and grab the scroll from the burning man's hand.