Rise of the Nameless Heir-Chapter 20: The Weight of Power

"Wear them." He speaks. A blunt tone.

As I look down at the metallic bracelets, I raise my head, my gaze steady on his face and that malevolent grin of his.

I take a large gulp of saliva, the sweat on my body multiplying even though the heat that the sun brings isn’t much.

"How the hell am I supposed to wear that?" I managed to voice out, my eyes narrowed, looking down at the thick bracelet. "Look at it, look how heavy it is, I can’t even lift it, talk more of wearing it."

Dinan raises his head, his tugging grin stretching, until his lips open and he lets out something that sounds like a low chuckle. He looks at me again. "Of course you can, and you will." He speaks, then hums, his brows relaxing, " You know, back then, when I was still training to become a swordsman, I had the same thoughts that you probably have right about now." He says, folding his arms and walking toward the bracelets.

"I used to think, ’how the hell can I possibly carry that?’ ’How can I stand with that?’ or ’How can I run or fight with that?’" He chuckles again as he crouches low, unfolding his arms and outstretching his right hand to pick up one of those bracelets.

He turns to face me as he stands up immediately with the bracelet in his hand. "But you know what my trainer — the captain of the Steelheart’s forces — said to me?"

A scowl looks over my annoyed face.

How am I supposed to know that? 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

I shake my head slowly. My eyes never leave him.

"He told me, ’Dinan Omere, you are weak. And in this world, weakness is practically the same as death. I have given you a chance. A chance to escape death, and instead of grasping and holding onto that chance, you are asking me questions. Isn’t it common sense to do all you can to escape death?" He speaks in a loud voice. Taking eager steps toward me.

He grabs my right wrist.

"What he told me is the exact thing I’m going to tell you, Ralyn Steelheart." As he speaks, his grip on my wrist tightens, and an electric-like sensation travels from that area, zapping and tingling around my body. "You have no choice. To survive death, you have to do it. Don’t ask yourself or me ’how.’ Stop thinking about how impossible it is, and focus on the reason you’re supposed to get stronger instead."

He frees my wrist, puts that bracelet on it, and then grabs my wrist again. It’s like a handcuff. Except, as he locks it on my wrists, it feels like he’s shut off all the blood supply running in my hand.

With his left hand, he taps my shoulder lightly with both hands.

"Now, that’s it." He says, "We’ll start with one first. You get used to it, we’ll add another, and another, and another. Until all eight are around your wrists, ankles, biceps and thighs." He speaks with a casual tone, as if the information he’s giving me is something casual.

I grind my teeth, squeezing and wrinkling my forehead at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

But still, I can’t deny it.

He’s right. I do need to get stronger. I am the one under his privilege. He’s helping me, and I should make good use of his help.

"Now then," He says, and the hand he held over that bracelet cuffed on my right wrist begins to loosen.

What?

Wait a minute..

"Ugh!" I groan as I feel the force of the bracelet, weighing down on my entire right hand, and he hasn’t even freed my wrist completely.

"It’s.. it’s too.." I voice out. My breath grows more heavy, more ragged.

I look down at my skin, at the area where the bracelet is cuffed. It’s flushed, completely red like a tomato.

"It’s too heavy." My voice cracks, releasing cheap whispers.

"Fall." He utters. Just one casually said word, but it feels like a command that ran through my brain and entire body.

Dinan’s grip completely frees up from my wrist.

At that very moment, my wrist falls on the ground, cracking the ground and destroying the grass. My knees follow, hitting the ground and probably injuring them.

The entirety of my right hand remains lying on the ground as I kneel, and my knees are scraped. I can feel the blood dropping from them as the sun showers its mocking light upon my head.

I... I can’t move.

"Now, your task will be to stand up with that weight. And when you stand up, run. And when you have run with the weight, I’ll add another one to your second wrist. We’ll do that until you run with all those weights on you." He speaks, walking toward the stone door.

Just that? Is that all? Just to stand up and run?

Sweat poured from my forehead, trickling into my lips as they widened, my breathing forced.

"Fine!" I yell out to him as I hear his footsteps slowly leave the stone door. "If that’s what it takes, then I’d do it!" I yell at the top of my lungs.

"Quiet down." He says loudly. "And just so you know, I’m never taking them off. It means you’re not gonna go to your quarter if you can’t stand up. It also means you’re going to be sleeping in this field for a while." His voice has a mocking edge to it that I just can’t explain. But it infuriates me.

Or maybe I’m just annoyed by the fact that I’m not going to be able to leave this place as he said.

Now I really want to break his nose.

"I won’t be coming tomorrow. Hanu province, remember? So try to deal with that." His voice slowly fades as the sound of his footsteps thins out.

What the hell? What am I going to eat then? No, how am I going to eat? Bath? Use the toilet? Am I just going to stay here?

What are these things even made of? What kind of metal is this?

"Hey! Dinan! Nng" I try to move, to see his figure walking out, but I can’t. "Come here, Dinan!!!"