He lunged for the sliver of light at the door, but his limbs were heavy, ignoring his silent plea to move. The ground gave way and he found himself sinking into the ground.
Pale, frantic hands, those of children and adults alike, grabbed his ankles as they dragged him into the ground.
I must live. Benjamin clung to the thought, but there was nothing to hold on to. He thrashed until his lungs burned as he sunk into the ground.
I'm tired of running. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of it all. I just want it all to end, he thought as he stopped resisting. His body went limp. He could feel himself sinking, slowly being swallowed by the earth. If he were being honest, he felt relieved and welcomed the stillness of the end.
Suddenly, everything was quiet. Still. Peaceful. This tranquility was disrupted by a loud echo. "You must live…"
He didn't know if someone had called out to him or if the voice was his own. Exhausted, he shut his eyes before finally surrendering to the dark.
** ** ** ** ** **
Benjamin jolted upright, gasping.
I'm back. This is my room. The one I grew up in.
Looking out the window, it was still early in the morning. After years of living in the constant roar of bustling places, the stillness and quiet of living on the outskirts of the city, near the edge of the forest, felt heavy.
Twelve years. That was how long he had been away from Aster. He had only been back in the capital for a few months now, and it still felt foreign.
He felt foreign, too. He was no longer the wide-eyed child who once ran through this house, finding wonder in every corner. That boy was gone. In his place stood someone entirely different. Someone who didn't belong. He felt misplaced, like a damaged puzzle piece that no longer fit.
When he had returned to Aster as a doctor, Benjamin had wasted no time. He transformed the ground floor of his home into a small clinic, where the scent of modern medicine mingled with the earthy aroma of the herbal remedies he learned to make from his mother.
He had achieved his dream of opening a clinic, but not in the way he had envisioned. This left a persistent, heavy knot in his chest.
He placed his hand over his eyes and shook his head, as if to dispel these thoughts.
I just have to go to Madam Wagner's today, he told himself, trying to focus on the simple necessity of moving forward. It was Sunday, the only day his clinic was closed, and the day he made his medical rounds.
With a sharp exhale, Benjamin swung his legs out of bed to face the day. After completing his morning training regimen, Benjamin spent the early hours reviewing patient files for the attendants at Madam Wagner's.
Spring had finally arrived, and the air carried a crisp, fresh scent that pulled him toward the outdoors. He moved to the terrace on the second floor of his home, settling onto a folding bed layered with a thin, comfortable cushion. There, he read the second volume of a new novel until it was time to set off for his medical round at Madam Wagner's.
Madam Wagner ran one of the three brothels in Aster. Her brothel catered to alphas, omegas, and betas alike. Because of the stigma surrounding the profession, finding medical care for brothel attendants was a constant struggle. Most doctors in Aster refused to treat them. Benjamin's arrival had been a godsend. While most owners only requested monthly visits, Madam Wagner insisted on bi-weekly check-ups for her attendants.
"Benjamin! It's always good to see you." Madam Wagner greeted him.
"Likewise, Madam."
"Will you stay for dinner?"
"I couldn't impose," Benjamin said, waving his hands in a soft, dismissive gesture. He gave a small, humble smile.
"Ah, you know I won't let you say no." Madam Wagner had a maternal affection for Benjamin.
The attendants often whispered her history to him in confidence—a story of a woman who had survived the worst of the trade. In her youth, she had been an attendant in a far less forgiving brothel. She had found a brief moment of hope when one of her regular customers fell in love with her. A different life seemed possible when she discovered she was pregnant. But the cruelty of her then-employer shattered any hopes she had.
To protect his "investment", the owner had ended her pregnancy against her will. The man she loved was beaten so severely he was hospitalized, and in the aftermath of the trauma and shame, he never returned.
Heartbroken but hardened, she spent years secretively hoarding every coin she earned. When she finally escaped to Aster to open her own establishment, she did so with a vow: her house would never be a cage. Unlike the other owners in the capital, she protected her attendants. But, even so, there was a limit on what she could shield them from.
Hearing her story deeply moved Benjamin. It reminded him of the reason he chose to become a doctor. He wanted to be someone who could actually help people. It reminded him of his role in society.
While Madam Wagner went to gather the attendants, Benjamin settled into the small, clean room they had reserved for his visits. One by one, he checked each person's vitals, moving through the physical exams with a practiced, gentle efficiency.
The things he saw behind the closed doors of the examination room were often atrocious. It made no difference whether the patient was an alpha, omega, or beta. He would find dark, blooming bruises, deep cuts, and teeth marks on their skin.
Benjamin felt a deep anger and disgust towards those who had inflicted these wounds. He understood the rougher edges of desire, but these marks were inflicted with cruelty and without consent. Although he fought to maintain a neutral expression, his anger was occasionally reflected in how he clenched his jaws or the hardness of his gaze. The attendants noticed, yet they didn't fear him for it. They saw that he was angry on their behalf.
To counter the violence they endured, Benjamin was meticulously gentle. He applied cooling salves and soothing ointments on their skin, and provided modern pain relief medications and herbal tinctures.
Once a month, Benjamin managed the routine contraceptive needs for the brothel, tailoring his remedies to the specific requirements for alphas, omegas, and betas. Whenever there were special events, standard doses were not enough. On those days, he provided a more potent, fast-acting contraceptive. And today was one of those days.
"Doc, did you bring the books today?" Shan asked, her eyes brightening.
"Of course, I brought you two books. Let me know when you're finished with them or if you need any help understanding. You know where I work!" He replied with a smile.
Madam Wagner's was the only establishment that allowed Benjamin to mentor the attendants towards a path of literacy and trade. The rival brothel owners viewed Benjamin's efforts as theft and threatened any of the attendants who dared to accept his books.
"You're the best, Doc! We're so lucky to have you! Don't ever leave us okay?" Shan said, tugging at Benjamin's arm.
Please, let her be spared the worst of it today, Benjamin thought, as he injected the contraceptive into her arm.
Soon, all the attendants at Madam Wagner's had left to their various appointments, leaving only the four who had received the potent contraceptives. Benjamin sat with them at the small dinner table, a silent observer to their resilient spirits. He listened as they talked happily, their voices light and cheery, sharing jokes and gossip as if the evening ahead wasn't a journey into something horrible. It was a practiced joy used to shield themselves from the reality of the event awaiting them tonight.
Suddenly, the front entrance of the brothel swung open with a violent bang. The laughter at the table died instantly, replaced by silence as every head turned towards the entrance.
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