The woman ran out of the cell, and the iron door shut behind her. Renji was left alone. His breath came in short gasps, and the chains cut into his flesh with every twitch. He felt the last trace of life slowly draining from his body, dripping onto the cold floor.
The hours dragged. No guard came in, no sound disturbed the corridor. The walls seemed to swallow him. The loneliness was so dense that he could hear his blood flowing through his veins, like a broken bell striking in the dark.
He closed his eyes for a moment and spoke to himself in his mind:
"I have to endure. Tiberku said he would come. He said he would get me out."
But another thought bit into his mind.
"And what if he doesn't? What if something happened to him on the way? What if he's caught? What if his promise is nothing but an illusion I clung to like a fool?"
Renji dug his nails into his palms, blood dripping between his fingers. He tried to breathe deeper, but the pain made him clench his teeth.
"Waiting is death. I know that. But the other option… to surrender to the voice that started all this… is a curse."
He slammed his head against the wall, trying to silence the whispers in his mind. But they grew stronger, because they didn't come from outside, they came from within.
"I survived because something kept me alive. Not my will. Not my strength. It was something else. And what if that something else is me?"
He bit his lip until blood touched his teeth. The memory of a determined Tiberku came back to him. "I'll get you out at any cost." Those words were the only thread left for him to cling to.
But another part of his mind screamed:
"No one is coming for you. The only one who can break your chains is you. And for that, you have to trust me. So what do you choose? Empty words from a stranger, or your own life?"
Renji felt his mind split in two. On one side was Tiberku's promise, the hope of rescue. On the other was the certainty of a power calling to him from the depths.
The walls remained silent. The chains creaked faintly with every tremor of his muscles.
Renji whispered with cracked lips:
— "Waiting is death… acceptance is curse… which is worse?"
The echo of his voice vanished into the stone. And in the silence that followed, he realized that no answer could truly save him.
His mind felt like a battlefield. Thoughts crashed against his skull one after another until he no longer knew which voice was his own and which came from the depths. He remembered the faces of Airi and Miyu, their fragile smiles, and then how everything had been crushed.
He bit his tongue until his mouth filled with blood.
— "I can't avenge them… not like this… not in these chains…", he whispered.
The image of Kaede appeared, cold, untouchable, like a mountain of ice. Renji felt every fiber of himself shrinking under the weight of that memory.
"He is unreachable. I'm just a prisoner who can barely breathe. How could I ever face him?"
Sunset was near. Orange rays slipped through the narrow window, crawling across the filthy floor. To Renji, that light no longer meant hope, but the end.
He let his head fall against his chest, breathing heavily.
— "Maybe it's better to let it all end here…"
The chains rattled faintly, as if the walls were answering him. In the moment he was ready to give up, something changed. In front of him, just a few steps away, a small silhouette appeared. An elf, with a young face and clear eyes, stared at him.
Renji blinked hard. He didn't know if it was real or just a product of the madness tearing at him for hours.
— "Who… are you?" he whispered, hoarse.
The little elf smiled gently, then spoke in a calm voice:
— "You are a strong man, Renji. Too strong to cling to this obsession that is eating away at your soul. Kaede is on another level, and you must not lock your life into a single desire for revenge."
Renji stared, stunned, trying to understand.
— "But… Airi… Miyu… I…"
The elf stepped closer. His gaze seemed to pierce beyond the wounds of the body, into the depths of the mind.
— "Their pain lives within you, but if you let your life end here, then nothing remains. Your strength should not be only about revenge."
Renji wanted to reply, but the words died on his lips. He felt a faint breeze move through the cell. The elf raised his hand and blew something unseen toward him. A fine dust, like a silver mist, spread in the air.
Renji's eyes grew hazy. His eyelids grew heavy, and the chains felt lighter.
The last thought that crossed his mind before darkness dragged him down was a question: whether the elf had been real or just a fragment of hope created by his own madness.
Then he fell asleep, breath barely perceptible, with a flicker of calm in the middle of chaos.
The pale glow of the moon fell on the prison walls as midnight approached. Renji slept fitfully, still chained, when the first shout rang out from outside.
Cries of soldiers, the clash of metal against stone, and sharp explosions woke him suddenly. He lifted his head, blinking, and felt his heart pounding in his chest. Outside, chaos had begun.
Tiberku was there. His shadow moved swiftly along the walls, his bow shone in the torchlight, and his arrows cut through the air with a sharp hiss. The first volley struck the soldiers rushing toward the iron gates. Two bodies fell before they realized what was happening.
Another group raised their shields, but Tiberku fired a green arrow that exploded in a shower of sparks, forcing them to scatter. Another arrow, then another, each shot with desperation, without pause.
— "RENJIII! HOLD ON!" Tiberku shouted, his voice echoing across the thick walls.
Renji bit his lip. The chains cut into his flesh, but that cry set his blood alight again.
Soldiers now poured out from every corner. Dozens of footsteps thundered through the corridors and into the courtyard. Tiberku felt his supply of arrows running low, but he kept firing. He drew his bow until his muscles burned, each strike more violent than the last.
He fired a blue arrow, shaking the wall of the gate. He fired a red one, which burst into flames, engulfing three men at once. But for each soldier he felled, five more took their place.
— "I have to reach him… now!" he muttered through clenched teeth, drenched in sweat.
When the soldiers completely surrounded him, Tiberku raised his bow for one final attempt. He loaded a black arrow, different from all the rest. He clenched his jaw and shot it straight into the stone ground before the prison.
The impact thundered. The earth cracked, the walls shook, and the stone collapsed into a long tunnel descending beneath the prison. Dust rose, and the soldiers froze, confused.
Tiberku leapt into the opening and slid through the debris, disappearing underground. The tunnel created by his arrow stretched like a vein beneath the earth, down into the deep dungeons.
Renji slowly lifted his head as the cell wall began to tremble. Chunks of stone fell from the ceiling, and a cloud of dust filled the room. Out of the rubble, Tiberku appeared, panting, bow on his back, his hands bloody and covered in dirt.
— "Renji… I made it!" he said, his voice desperate but still determined.
Renji's eyes widened, and for the first time after days of torment, the chains no longer seemed invincible.
Tiberku froze when he saw him. His eyes widened, and his mouth went dry. Renji's body was nothing but wounds, burns, and cuts. The chains had torn his flesh, and his gaze was lost, extinguished.
— "Gods… what have they done to you…", he muttered, fists clenched.
Renji tried to open his mouth but let out only a weak groan. His legs dangled helplessly. Tiberku realized immediately: Renji could not run, not even walk.
— "Then I'll carry you. I won't leave you here."
He raised his bow and drew two arrows from his quiver. He struck them quickly into the chains binding Renji. On impact, the iron cracked and shattered with sparks, the echo spreading through the corridor. The chains fell to the floor, leaving Renji limp in Tiberku's arms.
Tiberku lifted him onto his back, feeling the weight of his drained body. Blood and sweat soaked his clothes, but he did not hesitate for a moment.
— "Hold on, Renji. I didn't come this far to let you die."
The footsteps of soldiers echoed already in the tunnel. Their torches lit the cracked walls, and their shouts grew closer.
Tiberku grabbed another arrow, this time its tip engraved with runes. He fired it straight into the side wall of the cell. On impact, the stone exploded, opening a new passage as the cold night air burst inside.
Dust and stone fragments collapsed around them, but beyond the rubble lay the sky and the light of the moon.
Tiberku tightened his grip on Renji and stepped through the debris, knowing every second counted before the dozens of soldiers caught up.
He clenched his teeth, Renji on his back. Behind them, the soldiers' cries filled the night. The thundering of hooves shook the ground, and torch flames lit the stone walls.
A rider broke away from the group and charged at him. Tiberku saw the spearhead only for a moment before the blade pierced his leg. Pain tore a scream from him. He fell to his knees, feeling blood flood his boot.
He heard Renji's weak groan behind him, and that gave him strength. With trembling hands, Tiberku raised his bow. He fired three arrows at once, sharp and violent. The air filled with hissing, and the soldiers halted for a second. Without breathing, he fired another into the ground. The impact raised a thick cloud of dust, covering the soldiers.
Tiberku pushed himself up and lifted Renji onto his back again. His muscles trembled, his body staggered, but he moved forward, limping. Each step was a blade tearing into his flesh, but he had no choice.
Another group of soldiers appeared ahead. Tiberku didn't stop. He drew a rune-marked arrow and fired it into the side wall. On impact, the wall exploded in a web of glowing energy, blocking the path and burying the soldiers in debris.
The shouts of rage and the thunder of hooves followed him, but the western gate was already in sight. There waited his only hope: the horse he had hidden before the assault.
He gathered his last strength and fired another arrow into the gate wall. The explosion shook the courtyard, and dust once again covered the soldiers. He stumbled, nearly falling, but reached the horse.
He threw Renji onto the saddle and climbed up after him, every fiber of his body trembling with pain and exhaustion. The night was not just darkness, it was a heavy space pressing down, every step of the horse vibrating in his chest like a warning.
Behind him came a relentless thunder. Two riders closed in with deadly determination. Renji, his eyes wide and filled with desperate clarity, whispered:
— "Kaiz…"
Tiberku turned his head, heart racing wildly. The silhouettes behind them were clear: Kaizen and Hikaru, charging straight toward them like two inevitable forces. He didn't know exactly who they were, but one thing was clear: the armor and weapon of one glowed faintly in the torchlight, and on his sword pulsed a dark blood, almost alive. Tiberku's instincts screamed. These were no ordinary foes. Their presence carried a power that shook him, warning that any direct clash would mean death.
Fear and despair mixed with fury and resolve inside him. He had no chance, but surrender meant death. Every heartbeat told him he had to push his limits beyond anything he thought possible.
He gripped the reins, bit his bloodied lip, and shouted to draw out his last strength:
— "Don't stop! Don't give in!"
The horse felt his tension and answered with a furious gallop. The ground and air merged into a roar that beat like a warning, and Tiberku felt every second as if it were his last thread binding him to life. The thunder behind, his heartbeat, his pain, and Renji's weight all blended into a chaotic rhythm that pushed his body forward.
The night carried him, and he ran not just from soldiers and riders, but from the inevitability of his own limits. Every moment was so dense that he felt if he hesitated even for a fraction of a second, everything would end.
The army had stopped chasing, lost in the night and the chaos from the prison's explosion. Still, Tiberku felt no relief. Behind him, the silhouettes of the two riders remained clear, relentless, unwavering.
The wind carried a sound that made him shudder, then out of the darkness, a powerful cry split the night. Kaizen's voice boomed over the gallop, furious and crushing:
— "Renji! You run in vain! Everything you've done, everything you've tried… nothing can save you anymore!"
The words pierced his mind like blades. Tiberku felt blood surge hotter in his veins, adrenaline forcing him to limp faster. Any wrong move could be fatal, and behind him the threat remained constant.
The gallop went on, each second a test of instinct. Ahead of him was not just escape, but a labyrinth of fear and desperation.
Renji began to scream, his voice tearing through the night. Fear and shock overwhelmed him, and every cry slipped out uncontrollably. Tiberku felt him trembling on his back and hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do.
The horse, sensing the panic and desperate effort, pushed through the forest until it stumbled on a large root. In a fraction of a second, it fell along with Tiberku and Renji, the ground and leaves jolting their bodies.
Tiberku gasped and looked around. He knew they had no time to try mounting again, the pursuers' tracks already visible among the trees. They couldn't wait; every second lost meant danger closing in.
Without hesitation, he lifted Renji onto his back, holding him close. His eyes searched among the trees, every sound keeping him on edge.
He began running through the forest, long strides dodging roots and trunks. Leaves tore under his boots, and adrenaline drove him forward. The horse's hooves were no longer behind them, but the danger was. Every moment was a struggle for survival, and Tiberku knew he couldn't afford a mistake.
He ran for minutes through the woods, Renji heavy on his back. Every breath was an effort, every step a test of endurance. The hoofbeats no longer sounded, but he knew they were not completely safe.
Through the trees, he saw the faint lights of a village. The houses were small, the streets almost empty, and darkness spread thick over the rooftops. Tiberku breathed a little easier but didn't lose vigilance.
He slipped through the quiet alleys and found a house with an attic door at the back, hidden in shadow. Carefully, he carried Renji inside and climbed the stairs to the attic. There, in complete darkness, he laid Renji down on the floor and pulled him close.
Renji groaned faintly, still caught between fear and exhaustion. Tiberku rested his forehead against his shoulder and took a deep breath, letting the adrenaline fade for a moment. The village was silent, only the wind whistling through the rooftops.
For the first time since the escape began, they felt safe, if only for a few moments. The night embraced them with complete darkness, hiding them from every curious eye or deadly pursuer.
Renji slowly began to relax, and Tiberku knew that here, in the attic's darkness, they could gather strength for what was to come.