The night that was meant to be their last in the slave camp turned out to be deeply restless. Not far from their cell, a torch crackled drowsily, reeking of burnt oil, while dark silhouettes of overseers patrolled the entire area.
Grey lay awake on a thin pallet that looked more like a heap of rags than anything resembling a bed. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, as if eager to betray him before the escape even began.
He was exhausted. He knew he needed proper rest, but his body refused to obey.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he ran through every stage of the escape in his mind. He couldn't even say how many times he had imagined it. How often he had gone over the plan, searching for the smallest flaws, until his fingers began to tremble with fear.
He had to act fast.
Wait for the next night, slip the sleeping drug into the wine, wait it out, get out of the cell through the prepared tunnel, disable the magic array, slip past the perimeter, and disappear into the city streets.
When he explained it to Cheryl and Lily, it had sounded almost ridiculously simple.
But now, with only a few hours left before the escape, fear tightened its grip around his mind.
Although Grey had spoken with complete confidence in front of the girls, he himself could not maintain his usual composure.
He knew that the drop of the Source of Life was a legendary item, one that would undoubtedly have a powerful effect on Lily, but even in his boldest imaginings, he had never expected it to cause such chaos.
What unsettled him even more was the fact that the uninvited guest in his mind had awakened once again.
Even though the "otherworlder" behaved with unusual restraint this time and made no attempt to take over his body, Grey couldn't simply ignore such an important matter.
The boy wiped the sticky sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to lose his head. He needed to be in perfect condition so that nothing would slip past his notice.
At last, worn down by the wait, Grey sank into a heavy, fractured sleep.
Strange images filled his dreams. Screams, flashes of light and shadow, familiar faces blending with ones he had never seen. Everything twisted together in a feverish whirl, one he longed to escape, yet the deeper he struggled, the further he sank.
And then… warmth.
He found himself in someone's soft embrace.
A gentle, warm body pressed against him, and the anxiety began to fade. Turning slightly, Grey noticed a beautiful silver-haired girl quietly breathing as she nestled against his back.
"Grace?" Grey mumbled sleepily.
He wanted to jump up, to pull his long-lost sister into his arms, the one he had missed so much. But her face, lost in peaceful sleep, was so beautiful that he couldn't bring himself to wake her.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you're here," Grey thought through his hazy mind.
In her embrace, everything felt so quiet, so calm… almost as comforting as it had been in childhood, before they had started sleeping in separate rooms.
Grey smiled in his sleep and let himself drift even deeper.
When he woke, Grace was no longer beside him.
He was still in the slave camp, and Cheryl and Lily were already eating their meager breakfast.
"What a wonderful dream… But I have to admit, I'm glad it was only a fantasy. Grace should never know the life of a slave, and I wouldn't want her to see me in such a miserable state." Grey shook his head, returning to reality.
"Today! I will get out. I can't keep shaming my sister."
The sun lazily rose above the camp, bathing the gray barracks in a dull light.
Grey, along with Cheryl and Lily, went about their usual tasks—cleaning, tending to equipment, cooking, carrying water.
Everything moved as it always did, as if the tension of last night had never existed.
They barely spoke. Everything that needed to be said had already been said. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. Only now and then did Lily and Cheryl exchange short, barely audible phrases, glancing at each other as if searching for reassurance in one another's eyes.
Grey kept his distance.
He had always been reserved, but today that trait showed itself more clearly than ever. He didn't want to say a single unnecessary word, as if any careless phrase might expose them before the escape had even begun.
Break time came.
The slaves scattered out of habit, collapsing into shaded spots, sprawled across the enclosure like a herd of animals. The scorching sun, along with the sleepless night, had worn down even the overseers, so no one paid them much attention.
Not wanting to disrupt the routine, Grey went to find his protégés.
Garen, Reus, Kai, Alen, and Leo had gathered in a secluded corner. Their faces showed no emotion, only the stone indifference he himself had taught them to wear.
And yet, his presence made all of them, except Reus, drop their masks of calm.
"Heh-heh, teacher, I see Lily has finally recovered. What a shame we don't have to clean the storage today. I would have liked to personally check on her condition," the one who had held his mask the longest let out an uncertain laugh.
"That's right, Reus. Nothing's stopping you from talking to her right now. She and Cheryl are resting by the crates," Grey replied indifferently.
"No, no, I'll have time later. I don't want to miss training, or Alen will take my vice-captain spot."
"Are you sure?" Grey asked, giving the brown-haired boy a strange look, but he didn't bring up the escape plan. Although he had grown a bit closer to the guys, their relationship hadn't reached the point where he could entrust them with his life.
"I'm sure!" Reus repeated, not wanting to end up on the wrong side of the "instructor."
"If you don't want to, then shut up!" Garen barked. "Alex, do you know what exactly happened last night?! The restraining spells in our cells stopped working. The overseers were running around the cages all night. I heard one of the most experienced fighters, Ludwig, was called in for questioning, and he never came back…"
Grey flinched inwardly at the mention of last night's incident, but his face remained expressionless.
"Garen, you're slow enough as it is, don't clutter your head with more nonsense. Something happened, but what does it have to do with us? Better show me your progress. We don't have much time."
At his command, the small gang immediately came to life, as if some invisible weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
Without wasting words, they took their usual stances and began practicing basic movements, each their own.
From the outside, the exercises looked rather ridiculous, since the boys held no weapons in their hands, but none of them cared. They had already seen the effectiveness of Grey's training and followed his instructions with proper dedication.
Their muscles rolled tensely beneath their skin, their faces set in focus.
Grey watched every movement closely. The boys weren't particularly smart or talented, but they more than made up for it with effort. When it came to strength, they gave everything they had, and he couldn't help but respect that.
"Don't rush!" Grey threw a short remark at Alen. "Better slow, but precise."
"You, raise your hand higher! Aim above the waist!" he ordered Leo.
"Don't break your stance, Kai! Hold it to the end!"
Grey didn't shout, didn't get angry. His voice was quiet but firm, carrying an unquestionable authority, and the boys unconsciously fell into his rhythm.
At that moment, as he trained the fighters, Grey's attention was completely fixed on them. All the worry and uncertainty vanished in an instant. It was a strange state, yet it calmed him deeply, as if this was exactly what he was meant to be doing.
Finally, catching a moment when the others were absorbed in their exercises, Grey signaled to two of the boys, Reus and Garen.
They slipped out of the circle unnoticed, wiping sweat from their foreheads, and came closer.
"Garen, Reus, do you remember what I asked of you when you decided to train under me?" Grey asked in a lowered voice once they had moved a bit farther from the others.
"Of course, boss! We're supposed to stand under your command if you're ever in danger. Has the time finally come?!" Garen started excitedly, as if he couldn't wait to throw himself into a proper fight.
Although Reus said nothing, he gave a firm nod and fixed Grey with a questioning look.
"No, I'm not in danger right now. But I didn't ask that of you for nothing…"
"Don't drag it out, boss, just say it! I can't wait to smash someone, as long as it's not Quintilian," Garen cut in, just as excited as before.
"Calm down, this is a bit different from what you're imagining," Grey began to explain.
"The thing is, about a month ago, during one of the slave exhibitions, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Mister Harmon and an adept of the Cult of the Merciful Flame. They were discussing the sale of an entire batch of child slaves for the upcoming solstice. Do you understand what that means?"
Reus's face instantly turned pale, but Garen only scratched his head in confusion.
"Uh, boss, I'm not sure… We're all getting sold to new masters? You're worried they'll treat you badly there? Don't worry, me and the guys won't let anyone push you around."
"Captain, kindly shut up for a moment! Alex, are you sure you heard it right? W-was it really the Cult of the Merciful Flame?" Reus interrupted, his voice unsteady.
"I see you understand what's worrying me, Reus. But let me spell it out for our brainless powerhouse."
"The Cult of the Merciful Flame wants to buy an entire batch of young slaves for the day of the solstice. The priest specifically stressed that the slaves must be pure, both in body and soul. You don't need to be a genius to figure out what they're preparing. They're planning a ritual sacrifice. And we could be the offering. Do you get it now, Garen?"
At last, Garen's face twisted, whether from fear or disgust.
He glanced at Reus uncertainly, hoping to hear a denial, but when he received a grim nod from his deputy, his expression only darkened further.
"That's right. I chose to train you because I wanted to prepare properly. I don't want to die. I'm sure you don't either. That's why I focused so much on survival in the wild and the art of sabotage. You need to be able to stand your ground and break free from the cultists' chains."
Before they could react, Grey continued in a calm voice.
"Don't worry, they shouldn't brand you with a slave mark. From the cult's perspective, that would be no different from tainting your souls. It would be a direct insult to their god. They wouldn't dare do something like that."
He pulled out a small vial filled with a clear liquid and handed it to Reus.
"Here, Reus. Take this poison. I prepared it while working in the kitchen. It's potent, so be careful with the dosage. I'm sure you know what to do."
"Garen, I want you to be mentally ready for a hard fight when the time comes. Your strength and confidence will be needed. If you can, save the other children too, but don't play the hero. Your first priority is to take care of yourselves," Grey finished.
Holding the crude clay vial of poison, Reus stared at his benefactor in confusion.
While Garen struggled to process everything he had just heard, he gave Grey an uncertain thanks and finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Wouldn't it be better to keep this poison for yourself? Why does everything you're saying sound like you're not planning to take part in escaping the cultists?"
"You're too perceptive for your own good," Grey forced out with a weary look. "It's true, I have a plan to avoid falling into the cultists' hands. But I'm not sure everything will go smoothly. More than that, even if we're bought together, there's no guarantee we'll end up in the same cell when the time comes to act. I want you to be prepared," Grey explained, trying not to go into details.
"You want someone else to buy you at the next auction?" Reus guessed, as if everything had fallen into place.
"Something like that. You know how these things go," Grey replied vaguely.
When Garen finally caught up, Grey explained a few details of the plan he had prepared in case the escape failed. If they ended up in the cultists' hands—with him or without him—they would know what to do.
Before long, the boys returned to their interrupted training, as the break was quickly coming to an end.
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Hello, everyone. Sorry for missing a day. I recently started a new job and was completely drained after a long, exhausting day, so I just couldn't find the strength to even make it to my computer.
As always, I'm truly grateful for your support. Likes, comments, reviews, and donations on Patreon motivate me to work harder. It's thanks to your reactions that I found the strength to publish this chapter.