The boy had been watching victor for quite a while now. He wanted to know what was so special about him.
'Why did that bastard pay me so much attention, when he didn't even glance this pretty boy's way!!!' He thought with
frustration.
Victor didn't move at first.
The gaze he'd felt wasn't just curious—it was intense, heavy.
As he turned his head, his eyes met a pair of striking hazel-brown ones staring straight at him.
They didn't flinch. They didn't blink. They just stared, like they were daring him to speak.
The boy they belonged to had a sharp, handsome face—mature, angled features that were almost too defined for someone in this place. His hair was thick, slightly ruffled but clearly maintained, its color a dark, earthy brown that matched the grounded color of
his eyes. He was the same boy he sensed immense rage and hatred from earlier, the one that had been glaring at the Baron with a fire of vengeance in his eyes.
Victor didn't need the system
to tell him this boy was different.
He wasn't slumped against the wall like the others. He sat with his back straight, arms crossed over a chest that looked like it had known years of training. His age stood out too—older than the others, maybe eighteen, maybe twenty. Definitely not a child anymore.
But it was his emotions that
caught Victor off guard.
Using his Empath trait, Victor opened himself slightly—not too much, just enough to feel the edges.
Anger.
But not wild or unhinged. It was cold. Controlled. Focused.
And underneath it... sadness.
It was so deep it made Victor's chest ache. Grief twisted into something sharp and
vengeful.
Victor stepped closer.
The boy's eyes narrowed.
"Fuck off."
Victor blinked. That was harsh.
He furrowed his brows,
studying him. Then slowly, carefully, he sat down a few feet away. "Name's
Victor," he said.
The boy didn't respond. Just
stared. His expression was flat, but Victor could see the slight twitch in his
brow. He was getting annoyed.
"Not a talker?" Victor asked.
Still nothing.
"You don't seem like the others," Victor added casually. "You knew what was going on back there, didn't
you?"
The boy said nothing, but
Victor caught a flicker of tension in his jaw.
Victor smiled slightly.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
The silence dragged.
"I mean, you don't look like someone who's used to this kind of treatment," Victor went on. "You look trained. This obviously isn't your first time facing danger. And you're too calm for a boy you're age".
That finally get a reaction. The boy turned to face him with a weird look in his eyes. 'Aren't you younger than me?'. He thought inwardly, but said nothing.
Then the boy shifted slightly still saying nothing. His eyes occasionally flicked toward the guards near the door but returned to Victor every time.
Victor tilted his head.
"You're not scared like the others either. I can feel it. There's... anger. And
a lot of sadness. It's like you lost something."
The boy's expression
darkened. For a moment, Victor thought he might punch him. But then he looked
away.
Victor followed his gaze,
watching the other kids. Some huddled in small groups, others stared blankly at
the wall. All of them were afraid.
Victor turned back to the
boy. "You're going to ignore me forever, huh?"
More silence.
Victor rubbed his chin. "You know," he said, lowering his voice, "you looked like you recognized the Baron. Back when he was watching us."
That did it.
The boy looked back at him.His eyes burned with hatred.
"I'll kill that man."
The words were hung in the
air with a strong killing intent. And the air seemed to vibrate with his vow.
They didn't come out as a threat. They were a promise.
Victor slightly shivered as a chill crept up his spine. Then he blinked. "Wow. Okay. That's... not what I expected."
He sat back, processing.
Whoever this guy was, he wasn't some random prisoner. There was history here.
Real history.
'Also what was that feeling… was that charisma?'. The moment the boy uttered his vow about killing the baron there was a subtle response from the world. It was as if his bloodlust and killing intent had generated feedback from the atmosphere. It gave Victor the same feeling as Charisma from his status page.
Victor was about to ask something else, but then he smelt something .
Faint. But sweet in the wrong way.
He glanced around. A thin mist had begun to leak from vents near the ceiling. It was spreading fast.
Victor's head felt light.
"What the hell is that?" he mumbled. He looked to the older boy, but he was already covering his mouth with
a sleeve.
Victor tried to stand but his legs wobbled. His limbs were going numb. His thoughts were slowing down.
"No... not again..." he whispered, trying to resist.
He stumbled forward a step, reaching for the wall, but missed. His vision blurred. The boy was still sitting, watching him.
Victor's knees gave out. He hit the floor hard.
The world tilted.
He could still see the boy's eyes. Those brown eyes staring at him with small parts of curiosity and equal parts of wariness.
Then darkness took him.