Borin stood there all proud, his chest puffed out as everyone gathered around him by the wall. “Look at this—I found us a way out!” he said, knocking on the spot. It made a hollow sound, different from the solid part he tapped next. “Hear that? It’s not the same.”

  Anya nodded, her blue eyes showing she was impressed. “Good job. Now,” she turned to 2749, her voice strong, “punch that wall. Let’s see if we can get out of here.”

  Everyone stepped back a bit, as 2749 was about to punch. 2749 didn’t say a word, just raised his fist. A dark, shadowy glow started moving around his hand, looking like a weird shadow coming alive.

  Then,

  BOOM!, he hit the wall hard. Dust flew everywhere, pieces of rock falling out, and a big, cave-like hole opened up, about as wide as 3 people standing side by side. A bit of light came through it, shining into the dark tunnel.

  Era held the ntern in one hand and squinted at the light coming through. “Guess we don’t need this now,” she said, setting the ntern down on the ground..

  Borin, right next to her, let out a big cheer. “Freedom, baby!” he shouted, running toward the hole and pushing past 2749.

  But the second he stepped through, there was nothing under him. “AHHH! AHH!” Borin yelled, his voice echoing all over as he waved his arms around, his scaly cws grabbing at the edge of the wall to hold on.

  Era and Anya got alert fast, stepping closer to look out the hole. Outside was a huge, dark pit, wrapping around the whole mountain like a shadowy moat. On the other side, they could see ft nd under a gray sky—close enough to spot, but way too far to reach, with the deep pit that almost took Borin down.

  Borin was dangling there, barely hanging on, staring up at Anya and Era with big, scared eyes. “Hey, don’t just stand there—help me!” he yelled, sounding super freaked out.

  Anya and Era jumped in fast, each grabbing an arm and pulling hard to get him up. “Hey, weirdo, help us out!” Era called to 2749, who stepped up quietly. They pulled hard, yanking Borin back up, his boots scraping the ground as he nded, breathing hard. 2749 just stood there, looking like it was no big deal.

  Era flopped down on the ground with a big sigh, grinning at Borin. “So, you still wanna go first, stupid?” she teased, pretending to be all sweet.

  Borin shot her a mean look, brushing dirt off his robe. He was mad, so he muttered, “Next time, I’m shoving you out there first—see how you like it.”

  Anya got up, wiped her hands on her robe, and peeked out the hole again. “How’re we supposed to cross this thing?” she asked, her blue eyes squinting as she looked down at the pit. “It’s too deep. No one’s surviving that fall. There’s gotta be another way.”

  Era groaned, still sitting there. “I’m so tired and hungry. Can’t we just climb down or jump? We’re 1st rank squire knights already—aren’t we tough enough?”

  Anya shook her head. “No way. Look at it.” She pointed down. “It’s gotta be at least a hundred meters deep, and the other side’s just as far. We’d be ft as pancakes before we hit the bottom.”

  Era got up slow and walked to the hole. Past the pit, she saw green trees moving in the wind, their leaves shining a bit, but the ft nd was miles away. She sighed, her pink eyes looking kinda hopeful but also annoyed. “We’re so close, but still so far,” she said quietly, staring at the outside world like it was teasing her.

  Anya crossed her arms, her blue eyes checking out the pit. “We better find another way fast. There’s gotta be some other way outta this pce.”

  Borin and Era both sighed, looking worn out.

  But 2749 just stood there, staring at the ft nd across the pit, where trees and grass moved under the gray sky. Something about it hit him deep, like a memory from a long time ago.

  He saw himself as a kid, ughing while climbing a tree, hearing his own ugh in his head. He got so caught up, he walked right to the edge of the hole without thinking. Suddenly, a dark glow started swirling around his legs, like a storm, and—*BOOM!*—he jumped.

  The loud noise made Anya, Borin, and Era turn fast. “What was that?!” Borin said, spinning around. They ran to the hole, hearts racing, thinking he fell into the pit. But when they got there, they saw 2749 flying through the air, moving like he knew exactly what he was doing. He nded perfect on the other side, right on the edge of the ft nd, standing steady on the grass.

  All three of them gasped, their faces lighting up with shock and excitement. “He made it!” Era cheered, her pink eyes big and bright. Anya nodded fast. “He can help us—maybe grab a tree or something to make a bridge across!”

  They were buzzing with hope as 2749 walked over to a tree nearby, his mind still stuck on that old memory. He reached up, trying to climb it like he did in his head, his scarred hands grabbing the rough bark.

  Era put her hands around her mouth and shouted across the valley. “Hey, weirdo!” Her voice bounced off the pit’s walls, coming back all weird and echoey, like a ghost calling her name. “What’re you doing? Can you help us get there too or Find a rope or something so we can get over there!”

  2749 stopped climbing, looking back at the three of them standing by the mountain’s hole, the big valley stretching between them. He gave a slow nod, then jumped down from the tree. He took a few steps back, and that dark glow started up again, shadows moving around him like a storm ready to break loose. With a loud *BOOM!* he jumped back across the valley, the air shaking behind him as he flew toward them.

  Anya, Borin, and Era stepped back quickly, their eyes wide as 2749 came flying in. He nded with a loud thud right in front of them, dust flying up around his feet like a little sandstorm. 2749 didn’t say anything, just stepped up and grabbed Era, his arm going around her middle. He picked her up easily, turning her so she was ft across his arm, her body flipped sideways—legs dangling on one side, head on the other, like she was a board.

  Era let out a small squeak, her arms filing a bit to stay banced. “Whoa, weirdo, what’s this?!” she yelped, looking up at his face. But then her eyes dropped lower, seeing his bare body—everything out in the open now with her at this angle. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she shut her eyes tight. “Geez, you sure you can jump like this?” she asked, her voice all shaky with worry.

  2749 just nodded, his face bnk as always.

  Era swallowed hard, holding onto his arm tight. ““Okay, fine—but don’t drop me,” Era said, her voice a bit shaky. That dark glow started up around 2749 again, shadows spinning around him like a wild tornado, and with a BOOM!, he jumped across the valley, the air rumbling behind them like thunder.

  While they were flying through the air, Era looked down, her stomach doing flips at the sight of the deep, dark valley below. It was so bck and endless, like a big mouth ready to eat them up—she couldn’t even see the bottom.

  She gnced back at the mountain they’d escaped from, its rough shape sticking up against the gray sky. Memories hit her hard—years stuck in that awful b, the experiments, the pain, all fshing through her head like a bad dream.

  Before she could think too much, they nded with a hard *thud* on the other side. 2749 turned her back upright, setting her down on the grass.

  Era wobbled a bit, catching her breath, then stretched her arms out wide, her big Valerius robe fpping in the wind, the bck fabric all dirty but still shining a little, like it held some of the b’s magic.

  Era looked around at the ft nd, the green trees swaying a bit in the breeze, and the wide open sky up above. A big grin spread across her face, her pink eyes shining bright like tiny stars. “Finally, I’m free!” she shouted, her voice all wobbly with joy.

  She turned to 2749, who was still standing there like a statue. “Go get those two here too, weirdo!” she said, pointing back to the mountain.

  2749 nodded and jumped back across the valley with another *BOOM!*, coming back fast with Anya and Borin. He’d picked them both up at once, one under each arm, holding them sideways like he did with Era. They nded with a heavy thud, and 2749 set them down, turning them upright again.

  Borin dropped to his knees right away, kissing the ground like it was his best friend. “Oh man, I’m never doing that again!” he said, his voice all wobbly but happy. “Sweet freedom—I finally feel safe!” He patted the grass like he was thanking it.

  Era looked around, hands on her hips, taking in the view. The trees far off rustled, their leaves shining a bit in the sunlight, and the air smelled clean, like a fresh start. Her face got softer, a little smile showing up.“Mummy… Daddy… I’m coming back,” she whispered, her voice real quiet and full of how much she missed them.

  Memories of her parents came back—hugs, ughter, a home she hadn’t seen in forever. Her pink eyes got all shiny with tears, happy and sad at the same time, as she stood there on the edge of something new.

  Anya, though, was already thinking hard, her mind going a mile a minute. She stood off to the side, her blue eyes looking out at the horizon, her forehead all wrinkled. Freedom wasn’t enough—there were still so many questions. Why did Valerius abandon the b? Where are we right now? What dangers are still waiting for us out there? How are we going to find our families? How many years have even passed since we were brought here?