Sasaki spoke in a deep, commanding voice that broke the quiet.
"We have killed all those who made you slaves," he said, speaking strongly but with a touch of kindness. "You are free now."
The mages paid close attention, their eyes on the figure in the shadows.
Sasaki stopped for a moment to let his words sink in, then asked, "What will you do now?"
His question stayed in the air, both a challenge and a chance. The mages, now fed and free, looked at each other.
They were free from the people who had hurt and enslaved them, but what would happen next was not clear. Each one thought about what it meant to be free and what choices they had now.
They all gathered together and began to chatter amongst themselves, their voices a mix of confusion and fear.
They had been slaves for so long, brought from the slave market by the nobles to be used as fuel for the ship. Even though their chains were broken, the deeper chains of enslavement still gripped their hearts and souls.
