Forever Caged [Complete]

Greetings, my name is Mikal.
It's pronounced mih-kal, not like 'Michael.'

This was a roleplay between myself and my friend, Ember. But don't let that throw you, we are both very good writers, so give the story a chance. I control Reyvn, Koumori, and later on Shinda. Ember controls pretty much everyone else. I mostly lead the story, and I did all the editing. If you see something wrong please let me know so I can fix it.

Since there is not enough room in the original description, I'm going to give you some better information here.
First of all, this entire story takes place in my original world, Imiasaia Visaia. There are a few things you need to know to better grasp the plot. As it is an entirely different world from Earth, they will NOT have the same words for many of the same fantasy species you are familiar with.

Humas are evolved humans who came upon this planet many thousands of years ago when Earth was destroyed.
Demons are the beings from Earth's Hell that managed to hitch a ride. Feyths are from Feythis, Visaia's version of Hell, and thus a Feyth is its version of a Demon.
Requiems are explained in detail as the story progresses.
Nagas are your general upper-half man, lower-half snake combination. The name has not been changed.
Shad are, quite simply, elves. Further details will be given when necessary.

Verans, and furthermore Maz Verans and Ly Verans are the world's version of Vampires, Master and Lord Vampires, respectively. They possess many of the same traits you might be familiar with, as well as new traits. Almost any species can be turned into a veran, or born from veran parents. And they are be no means dead or undead or without souls.

One chapter Two chapters will be posted daily. There are 34 total.
That is all. Story is COMPLETE.

Now, I'll stop blabbering and get on with the story. Enjoy~


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Chapter 1: Sold


It was a cold, bleak day in southern Yera. The continent was known for its mild weather, but even in the middle of summer cold shocks like these were almost unheard of. The overcast sky threatened to let loose its fury any moment, and flashes of light above the clouds could be seen miles away from one very, very old mansion. The grand estate was seated nearly twenty miles away from the nearest town, and another mile southwest of the mansion was a forest old enough to have been around before time and nature's way broke the massive island off from the mainland.

In this mansion, only two people resided. One an old veran man with hair like liquid fire, and a boy with hair like ink and eyes like jewels who was far too young to have been exposed to such horrors as experienced behind such dark walls. Koumori, the veran, was nearing eight hundred years, while his slave boy Reyvn had scarcely turned eighteen. The veran's mood was always a gamble, as fickle as the roll of a dice. Six years of pain and endurance was plenty long enough to teach Reyvn how to skirt around Koumori's anger and save himself many days. But even so, he was the only release Koumori had for whatever pain he bared, and without warning would take Reyvn in his room with no discernible pattern.

Now after all this time, Koumori had grown tired of him. It was time to be rid of him. Oh, he could simply throw him out and find a new toy, but he'd taken notice that his finances were waning and decided to take advantage of the time. So, he set a price on Reyvn's pretty little head and offered him to any who might be interested. Invited friends over, who in turn brought their own friends, but so far everyone deemed the price too high and Reyvn as damaged goods. Koumori was diligent and determined in all he set out to do, and did not lower his price.

Today, he was welcoming two more guests into his home to take a look at the boy. He knew both men were exceptionally rich, and that alone proved promising. The one whose name was Rendell, a tall sturdy man with long blond hair, even seemed interested in spending a night or three with Koumori himself. Which told the veran another thing; the blond liked pretty boys. The other man, a lovely naga with long ears, long blue hair and a shiny blue tail, was an old friend of Koumori's and had a taste for exotic things. Tonight he might finally be rid of Reyvn and able to divert his attention to other matters.

He smiled at his guests as he pushed open the heavy solid wood door to his home, and made a gesture for them to enter. "Lesara, Rendell, welcome to my home." He shut the door once they passed him, and took off his coat and gloves and set them on the lamp table by the entrance. "Sit where you like, and do either of you want anything to drink or shall we just skip to business?"

Lesara slid down on a long sofa and coiled his tail around the legs a few times. Rendell took an adjacent chair, looking about him, taking in the mansion in it's entirety. He expected it to be as drab on the inside as it was on the outside, but he was delightfully surprised and hopeful about this "personal assistant" Lesara told him about. Lesara smiled softly. "We should probably get right to the point, but it's been so long. After we settle things, how about a trip to the pub? I will provide transportation of course. Now, the erm... assistant. You mentioned he had just turned legal recently?"

A slow smile spread across Koumori's face. "Yes, I did. Just six weeks ago." He slinked over to a cushioned wing chair nearest the fireplace, facing the other two. "I've taken care of him for ten years and wish to be rid of him now. He's very good at everything he's taught to do, and very obedient. Although...he does sometimes get a little too emotional for his own good and needs to be dealt with accordingly." He didn't mention he hadn't bothered teaching Reyvn how to read, or any sort of self-defense or street sense. He'd been very careful not to educate Reyvn in order to keep him from trying to run away. And so far, it has worked. Koumori thought of this, and decided to bring it up. With a bit of a twist, of course. "And despite my own troubles, he hasn't once tried to run away in all the years I've kept him. He's also a member of a particularly reclusive and rare species, dubbed as the Requiems because of their history and their physical beauty." He glanced at the naga that was practically draped over his sofa. "Perhaps you've heard of them, Lesara?"

Lesara's ears perked up. "Oh yes, I've heard of them, but I had no idea they actually existed! Oh my this is quite exciting indeed!" Lesara leaned forward a bit. "Do tell more." Rendell looked at Koumori now. He too, had an interest in the rare, but he feared this being too good to be true. Though he kept his silence, he had no qualms about not veiling his concerns.

Koumori chuckled. "Your excitement for the exotic will never cease to amuse me. Now the boy doesn't know he's part of this race, I've been careful to keep it a secret from him. I only figured out what he was because he remembered enough of his father that I could do the research. His mother was a whore who died in some rattrap of a hotel in the nearest town. I don't know what they were doing so far away from their home; I've searched all over this continent and even places on the mainland and they have no known residences on either. Anyway, I found the boy in an alleyway not long after his mother's death, took him home and raised him myself. But I suppose that isn't important." He closed amber-colored eyes, and took a breath. "I won't settle on any less than a hundred thousand koyeh for him, and after that if either of you are interested I'll provide you with all my research on his race, as well as the possible locations for where they hide themselves." He glanced between both of them, judging their expressions before he decided on bringing Reyvn out.

Rendell still remained obviously skeptical while Lesara's interest found a higher peak. He thought this over for a minute before startling Lesara with his voice. "You say this particular... race doesn't have a known residence and his mother was a tramp. How can you prove he is of pure blood? Also, I'd like to see how well kept the boy is."

Lesara was somewhat shocked by his rudeness. "Please excuse him; he does have a rather sharp tongue and a habit of being a little straight forward. But I would also like to see the boy for myself." Lesara then got a thoughtful look, placing his finger on his chin. "And yes, his parentage would be lovely to know, however it would not be so important to me." His tail tip began to wag, growing more and more excited. This treat would be quite a lovely addition to the collection if Rendell decided he was not interested in him.

The old veran nodded and stood up slowly, looking calmly at Rendell. "I am certain he is of pure blood because in all of history, there is only one race with his particular type of wings. I've even had blood testing done to make sure, and they couldn't find any other DNA makeup that matched it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go retrieve him." With that he gave a slight bow from the waist as per custom, and strode around the fire place and up the stairs that curved up the left wall. He disappeared down the west hall and swiftly made his way to Reyvn's bedroom. He reached the door and pulled out a small silver key, undid the lock and entered. His eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light as he looked for his little slave.

Reyvn was sitting in a chair at the window, his head resting on his arms as he watched the sky outside. Long black hair draped over the back of the chair, and dark colored silken clothing dimly reflected the grey light from outside. He sat up slowly at the sound of his master entering, and turned to face the veran. Koumori paused for a moment, admiring the beauty for what may be the last time. The boy's skin was very pale, almost as much as his own, and the light caught in those sapphire eyes just the right way that made them glitter with other hints of color. Reyvn's expression was not entirely void of emotion, and he forced it to change from the anger he was feeling to neutrality. All was still for but a second, and Koumori came closer, looking down on the boy.

"We have guests again today. With any luck we'll be free of each other before sundown. Come, before they get too impatient."

Reyvn stood up without a word, and followed Koumori back to the main hall. Once they were at the foot of the stairs, Koumori made a small show of presenting Reyvn. He gave them a small grin, and pulled the boy forward.

Reyvn was finishing up his awkward growth stage, his body almost filled in completely. He was clearly a little underfed, but it somehow suited the dramatic beauty that he was. He was dressed almost all in black, with only the purple bell-sleeved shirt underneath his silver embroidered vest giving it any color. It was fit well to his body, accentuating every graceful curve. If Koumori neglected to teach him everything else, he did at least teach him how to be an admirable accessory.

"Lesara, Rendell, this is Reyvn." Reyvn glanced at the floor, and slowly bowed to both of them while Koumori moved to one side. "If you still have doubts about him," Koumori said to Rendell, "I can have him show you his wings."

Rendell retreated back to silence as he stared at the boy, carefully looking him over. As he made no attempt to hide his concern earlier, he made just as little effort to hide his appreciation.

Lesara's ears almost flew straight up in glee. "He is marvelous!" His tail uncoiled from around the sofa, and he slid towards them, getting a closer look. "And he has wings you say? I would love to see them, please!"

Reyvn took a half step back from Lesara out of shock, then forced himself to calm down and remain still. He dared a glance up at Koumori, who returned the look. "Remove your shirt and turn around."

Reyvn nodded silently, returning his gaze to the floor as he unsnapped his vest and then unbuttoned his shirt. He turned around, letting the clothes only fall partway down, enough to expose his upper back. He didn't dare let them slide to the floor, and there was no furniture near enough to lay them on. He held his arms close to him to keep the clothes from moving more than necessary. He didn't know what exactly Koumori was going on about, or why he wanted his wings shown off after all this time of locking them away. But alas, he could not question.

Koumori slid Reyvn's hair over one shoulder, revealing delicate black swirls on his back that looked like tattoos vaguely in the shape of wings. Koumori then ran his palm down the boy's back, slowly, and the swirls shimmered and after a few seconds, faded altogether. "Now, Reyvn, show them."

Reyvn shut his eyes tightly, glad his hair acted as a temporary curtain from Koumori's gaze. His shoulders and back tensed up from sudden fear. What would they do once they saw his wings? Try and take them? Or would they covet him more and take him home? He knew his master; understood him, knew what made him tick and how to avoid his wrath. Leaving would mean learning about a new person, and potentially new pains. But there was also a chance of freedom, and-

"Reyvn!" Koumori snapped. The requiem flinched, then let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He nodded a little too fast, and then concentrated. And he tried, truly, but he could not make them appear. "I..." he started, awash with new fear. "I can't do it." He bit his bottom lip, and tensed for whatever anger his master would lash him with this time.

"Dammit, boy, why not?"

Reyvn could feel the veran's anger flare. Hot and sharp, like always. "It's just been so long...I don't remember anymore."

Frustrated, Koumori reached forward and grabbed Reyvn's chin, turning it up to meet his eyes. "Don't you dare lie to me, especially now."

Reyvn trembled, forcing himself not to look away. Cowardice and submission were not the same thing, and Koumori did not appreciate cowardice. "I...I'm not. I really don't remember how to do i-it." He fought hard to keep his voice from quivering too much.

After a few more seconds, Koumori finally released his hold. Reyvn shut his eyes and tensed again, preparing for the blows to come.

But there were none. Instead, there were a few choice words in some other language, and Koumori stepped away. He looked between Lesara and Rendell again, clearly angry. "He does have wings, but they require a certain skill and a bit of magick to make them appear." He glared back at Reyvn, who hadn't budged. "Perhaps I did lock them away too long and he can't use them at the moment, but I'm sure with some guidance they can appear once more."

Lesara nodded, forgiving this lack of show, but Rendell was once again skeptical. "Perhaps... What sort of magick would it take?" he asked. "And what exactly do you mean by 'guidance?'"
Lesara let the words sail clear over his head. He gingerly reached towards the boy, but stopped and looked at Koumori. "May I?"

"I've tried in the past, but no magick that isn't his can make the wings appear on command. It has to be his own will." Which Koumori had no doubt shattered into countless pieces. He looked at Lesara, and nodded. "Go ahead."

Lesara lightly traced the tip of his finger along where he imagined the wing patterns to be. He then slid his hand down Reyvn's back, pulling down his shirt a bit to find what appeared to be scars. Lesara raised his eyebrows a bit, and slid to one side to allow Rendell to see. Rendell's own eyebrow went up as he looked at Kou. Both had their lips curled up a little on one side. "So, I see you take your training seriously?"

Reyvn froze, and he could feel the blood draining from his face. Oh gods, what next? He was quite thoroughly afraid. The naga was the strangest person he'd ever seen, despite his master teaching him snippets about the race. He expected claws slicing down his back, and was surprised at the gentle touches. It almost made him relax, until the issue of his scars was brought up. Curses he learned from Koumori raced through his head as he lowered it again and remained silent through everything.

Koumori's expression went neutral, and he nodded. "Yes, very seriously. Like I said earlier, he has times where he's too emotional for his own good, and needs to be dealt with." It was clear he felt no remorse or guilt for his actions, but dammit he needed to sell this boy off. "Do the scars change your opinions of him?"

Rendell laughed suddenly. "Yes actually. I'm starting to like him more. It means he is broken in and I won't have to waste forever trying to train him." Lesara nodded in agreement. "Flawed things are always prettier. Could you give a demonstration on how well he takes orders?"

"Very well." He turned his eyes to Reyvn, who slowly looked at him again. "Put your shirt back on and go make us something to drink. You know what I like, and," he paused, and looked at Lesara and Rendell again, "do either of you want something?"

"Spiced tea would be lovely, if you please." Lesara smiled and wagged his tail.

Rendell raised a finger as if at a bar and said, "I'll have the same, strong on the cinnamon."

"Great. Now go, Reyvn." The boy nodded quickly and slid his shirt back up, and had to fight not to bolt out of that room and into the kitchen. Instead, he calmly but hastily glided his way out. Koumori arched a brow as he watched him leave, then sighed and sat back down in his chair. The fire behind him made a particularly loud set of crackles, and a log snapped apart and smoldered.

Reyvn wound his way around the short halls that led to several other rooms and into the kitchen, where he paused and almost fell against the nearest wall. Gods, what was wrong? He breathed heavily, knowing the others could not hear him from here, and let himself relax. His heart raced as he let himself sink to the floor. It was brighter in the kitchen, having larger windows than any other room in the bottom floor. He liked it. And because of it, Koumori wasn't often in the kitchen during daylight, so some days it acted as a place of solace. He looked at himself; the long leather boots that almost reached his knees and the fitted black pants tucked into them, then at his own hands.

He made a face, noting how pale they were and the slight discoloration. He knew his fingers should not be this blue, despite his complexion. It was then that he noticed just how cold he felt. But wasn't this how he always felt when he was afraid? Yes, he realized, but he'd never felt quite like this. It must be because new hands have been all over him this past month. Unfamiliar, strange people touching him. He made a small noise, and buried his face in his hands. He wished, then, that he wasn't so weak and defenseless. He wanted so desperately to be free of all this pain and torment. How bad could the unknown be, when everything he knew behind these walls was already so horrid?

He shook his head, and slowly forced himself to rise. He got the dishes out and all the ingredients to make the tea, and set the stove to heat up. He set the kettle filled with water on it, and carefully measured and poured all the spices in it to make the tea. He'd do Koumori's drink at the end, since it had to be fresh.

Rendell and Lesara were engaged in a small conversation, hammering out something between themselves before looking back at Koumori. Lesara started. "Well, depending on how this little show goes, we're pretty much sold. We're going to split the costs between ourselves, and share custody of him, assuming you have no problems with that. Now, how much was the offer again?"

Koumori had been silent, his fingers wrapped around in his chin in thought. He glanced up at Lesara's words. "Oh of course, there's no problem. After all once he's paid for, he's yours to do whatever you wish. And the price is no less one-hundred thousand. You get him and any information I have acquired on his species."

Lesara nodded and Rendell took his turn. "How do you plan on presenting this information?" He could hear the faint kitcheney sounds from far off, and touched the wallet he had in his boot with his other foot. He was very interested and was trying to figure out how to let Lesara borrow him first.

"I have it all documented. I can rewrite a rough copy for myself to keep and give you the original." His voice was very calm now, with no hint of his earlier anger. Oh, if he wasn't rid of Reyvn by day's end, the boy would be in for one of the worst nights of his life. He was actually planning what he would do to the little slave. He blinked when a thought hit him. "Ah yes, I can also offer you a list of things that work very well at subduing him should he ever prove too difficult, as well as some samples."

Rendell nodded, now convinced that this was a good deal. "Yes, that would be lovely. We can pay this in full now, or we can do payments, whatever is most convenient for you." Yes, he had made up his mind. He wanted this boy.

The veran grinned slowly. "If you actually carry that much money on you, then a full payment now would be wonderful. Otherwise monthly payments will do nicely."

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My y-gal: http://yaoi.y-gallery.net/user/faronkaos/
Ember's y-gal: http://yaoi.y-gallery.net/user/darkprominence/

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Thank you.