'Of course it wasn’t going to be this easy. I got too comfortable,’ Alhen thought.

  He slightly opened a door and saw, through the crack in front of him, a group of people roaming, blocking the door he thought to be the exit.

  ‘I need to get out of here soon, they could realize that their boss hasn’t come back and check. Also, I have lost too much blood. I need to hurry and get treated.’

  ‘I wonder why that whole place where I was tortured didn’t have anyone there, though, maybe Kalle didn’t want anyone near his fun zone.’

  Alhen’s eyes darted around, wishing he were a master at stealth to exit the building without raising any alarms.

  ‘Erne, I haven’t seen him around here. I hope that thing doesn’t appear anytime soon, or else I will be done before I can even blink.’

  He was currently hidden behind a doorway leading out of the torture rooms.

  The inside looked different from what he remembered, seeming to be the definition of luxury.

  It had the same vibe as when he walked through the royal castle, appearing clean, neat, and expensive.

  ‘Why is everyone so obsessed with gold?’ Alhen thought.

  No matter where you looked, it was everywhere.

  It was on the handrails of the stairs to the second floor, on the chandelier above them, on the intricate lines of the floor and wall, and on the armor of the guards as well.

  ‘I need to create a distraction; there are simply too many guards. If I’m discovered, there’s no doubt that I’m done for.’

  Alhen didn’t have anything on him right now. He thought about the rooms visited, but they had nothing that could be of use.

  ‘Alright, at the end of the hallway, there’s the bathroom where I woke up some time ago.’

  ‘The rooms along the hallway have objects, but I don’t know if they will be useful. If I throw something, it will only reveal my location… Argh!’ He screamed in his mind.

  ‘This is too difficult. Did I really overcome that challenge only to stumble upon a harder one?’

  Frustration swelled within him.

  There didn’t seem to be anything to do apart from waiting for something to happen, and that’s what he did.

  A minute, ten minutes, half an hour, and an hour, Alhen had hidden for that long, and there were no changes.

  The guards barely moved an inch, keeping the same amount of focus on their task, resembling highly efficient machines.

  His stamina drained rapidly, and his body shivered from the cold.

  He visibly sighed, his shoulders dropping a bit.

  ‘I feel better, but I guess I should look around, better than wasting my time here,’ he thought.

  Alhen turned back into the hallway and started opening doors.

  He already knew what was behind them, but still hoped something useful would pop up.

  He went on doing this until stumbling into the room where he was tortured.

  Kalle’s body remained on the floor, and the blood had pooled, making a bloody mess on it.

  The smell in the room had intensified, making him gag and cover his nose from disgust.

  The upper part of Kalle’s face was destroyed, but looking at his lower face, Alhen realized his mistake.

  Kalle was smiling; he had forgotten to wipe that smile off his face.

  Alhen approached with brisk steps and kicked him hard a few times until that smile was erased from his face.

  "Serves you right," he said after finishing.

  He breathed heavily; it took him only a few seconds for him to forget about the matter and look around the room.

  His gaze found the metal tray next to the wall and the plate in which Kalle had served him food.

  ‘Right, how could I not have thought of that before?’ he wondered.

  Approaching the tray, he froze for a moment with his hand touching the lid of what was once going to be his food before he killed the one responsible for making it.

  ‘I wonder what he thought would be a good idea to feed me with.’

  Despite his curiosity, he hesitated to lift the lid, since the source of the bad smell came from there.

  His worries didn’t stop him, however, and he lifted the lid to look inside.

  As his gaze fell on the contents, Alhen jumped in surprise and sent the tray tumbling to the ground with the tools scattering around the floor.

  A chill went up his spine as he lay with his butt on the floor.

  ‘Was Kalle really going to feed me that!?’ Alhen exclaimed to himself, not believing what he saw.

  On the floor lay something akin to the agonizing head of a wet, dark, dead chick.

  Its tongue hung from its mouth, dripping with liquid, and its eyes were half open, staring at him with a pained expression.

  Alhen couldn’t take it anymore; he covered his mouth, stood, and ran outside, his heart still shaking from what he had seen.

  ‘I knew Kalle was insane, but that’s on another level. I can’t believe that he would feed someone something like that, no matter how crazy he is! Eating that thing would have given me trauma for years or my whole life,’ Alhen thought.

  He shook his head and considered picking up something from the tray of tools, but that thing inside the room made him not want to step into it again.

  ‘I will figure something out, most of the stuff inside there will not be able to help me either way. Kalle said it himself, he was not a fighter, but he was strong, way too strong for me. Those people outside must be trained to protect him and kill anyone who causes trouble; there’s no way I’m standing up to them.’

  With no more plans, Alhen froze, wondering what to do.

  He began walking the hallways without a clear objective, only to end up exactly where he started.

  Alhen sighed and peeked where guards were supposed to be in hopes of something having changed, and it did.

  He saw no one; everything was deadly quiet.

  ‘Did something happen? Where is everyone?’ Alhen wondered.

  He was about to step outside when he stopped, remembering the time in the king’s dining hall where the servants hid in plain sight, appearing out of nowhere and startling him.

  ‘That’s right, what are the chances of some people like that being in the shadows right now? Extra security for the king’s son.’

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  Alhen started tapping the floor with his foot out of nervousness, trying to decide on the best course of action.

  ‘Should I leave? This is what I was waiting for, right?’ Alhen hesitated.

  Just as indecisiveness was starting to gnaw at him, he saw something barely poking out of the corner of a wall.

  It was a dark object he recognized, but he didn’t know from where. He squinted to get a better look and eventually distinguished what it was.

  ‘There’s no doubt that is a shoe. But why would a shoe be lying around in here? It doesn’t make sense.’

  Alhen thought about what it could mean, and the next second, he opened his eyes widely.

  He looked around to make sure that there was no one and rushed outside to find a pile of corpses being hidden by a sharp corner on a wall.

  Open throats, necks, split bodies, and cut heads, that’s what he saw.

  Blood piled on the floor without stopping, and Alhen’s mind took a second to process the meaning behind this.

  ‘Is the one that caused this… still here?’

  He didn’t wait for that thought to finish and rushed to the exit.

  If there was someone, he didn’t doubt that they had spotted him when he went to check the corpses.

  Looking around, his heartbeat rose; there was a blood trail going up the stairs, and all the guards seemed to be dead.

  This wasn’t what stood out to him, however.

  A man stood looking at him, his figure barely discernible in the dim light above.

  Without stopping to think, he kept on running and took hold of the handle, managing to open it to his momentary relief.

  Stepping outside, he found himself in a small, well-kept garden, and the moonlight struck his face.

  The cold air brushed against his body, making him shiver even more, but he kept on running, never stopping.

  The wound on his eye burned, and as he clutched his head, he heard footsteps rapidly approaching him from behind.

  “Where do you think you are going?” A voice rang out.

  Alhen looked back in fright, not understanding how the person had gotten close that fast.

  As soon as he looked behind him and saw the mysterious person, he found him familiar.

  When he saw the crow mask and the familiar cane, Alhen visibly relaxed.

  It was Alaran who was calm and composed.

  Alhen couldn’t help but notice that his mentor’s clothes were clean, way too clean for someone who had caused all that bloodbath inside the mansion.

  “Alaran! You are here. How did you find me?” From the shock and shivering that escaped his mouth, Alaran softened his gaze under the mask.

  “Kid, I was worried that you would already be dead. I can see that by your state that your time here did not do you any good,” Alaran said, looking specifically at the bandage over Alhen’s eye.

  Alhen didn’t know how to feel, but in the end, his sole eye watered.

  “Yeah, it was… hard,” Alhen said, remembering all the suffering he had to endure, and all the mental games he’d played with that psychopath.

  He didn’t want to cry; he was tired from crying, but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

  No sound came out of his mouth, and he looked away from his mentor, not wanting him to see him in that state.

  “Do not worry, kid, it is already over.”

  Alaran approached and firmly hugged him.

  Alhen could sense that Alaran didn’t feel comfortable; his hands trembled, and he hesitated for a few seconds before embracing him fully.

  His grip tightened as the seconds passed, and Alhen felt his mentor’s body gradually relax.

  “I am just glad that you are fine, you are alive and well, and your wounds are something that can be treated,” Alaran said

  Alhen nodded slowly and got out of his embrace.

  Tears still fell, but he had visibly calmed down.

  “You still haven’t answered my question: how did you know that I was here?” Alhen asked.

  “Kid, I am the best tracker in all of Yhia. If I didn’t manage to find you, I would retire and hang myself,” Alaran replied with a deadpan expression.

  Alhen knew that he was only trying to lighten the mood, but his mentor’s sense of humor was strange to him.

  However, it worked; Alhen smiled, and Alaran nodded, indicating he should follow.

  He didn’t argue and walked with his mentor.

  They left the garden through some highly decorated gates adorned with gold patterns and saw a run-down area; the building they were in stuck out like a sore thumb.

  Amongst the slum and garbage, a pristine mansion stood in the middle, and that’s where Alhen and Alaran had come out from.

  “Where are we?” Alhen asked.

  “We are near the Lunar district. Going through it is the only way to reach this location, and it is only a few minutes away from here,” Alaran responded.

  Alhen fell silent as painful memories of his friend Henry resurfaced, but he didn’t get absorbed in his thoughts.

  They walked and eventually reached a short wall that was barely taller than Alaran.

  Guards stood perched in front of a thick wooden door that looked to weigh a few hundred kilograms, and Alhen noticed that their gazes were fixated on them.

  “Do not say anything, let me handle the situation,” Alaran said.

  Alhen nodded briefly as they arrived before the guards.

  “Halt! I saw both of you coming from the direction of Master Kalle’s mansion. You will be held here until we-” the guard didn’t have time to finish.

  Alaran, with his cane, pierced the throat of the guard before decapitating him in a swift motion.

  He wasn’t done there, however, before the other guard could come back from his shock, his mentor grabbed his head with one hand, lifted him into the air, and crushed his head like a watermelon.

  The blood barely fazed Alaran, and Alhen looked on from the side, wide-eyed.

  ‘How much power does he have?’ he thought.

  Alaran, without saying a word, kicked both bodies to the side, clearing the path before opening the door just enough for them to fit in.

  “Get in, I want to get out of this place already,” Alaran said.

  Alhen didn’t hesitate for a second and entered through the wide-open doors.

  The smell inside was terrible, but not more than what he had endured with Kalle’s so-called dish.

  ‘So this is the place that Henry was talking about. A run-down, hungry, and poor district that makes you want to leave as soon as possible.’

  The ceiling was low, extremely so, and the houses around him were barely large enough to accommodate two people, appearing thin and small.

  ‘How did Henry live here? Was he also in one of these houses? Every cycle, he had to see people despairing and suffering; how was he able to stand it? I wouldn’t have been able to handle it if I were in his place,’ Alhen thought.

  In front of him, many people were sitting on the rough ground, looking emaciated, dehydrated, and on the verge of dying.

  The cause of the smell was revealed when Alhen saw piss stains and shit stains in the pants of the people present.

  Their huddled bodies intensified the smell, and they looked at Alhen without light in their eyes, appearing dead rather than alive.

  Alhen heard the door close behind him and felt his mentor standing beside him.

  “This is the reality for those who live in the Lunar District; they are all suffering, dying, and there is no hope for any of them… Come on, let us quickly get out of here,” Alaran commented before walking.

  Alhen followed after him, and as they walked through the streets, he could feel some gazes burning into his back.

  Some people on the ground looked at them with hungry, angry eyes.

  They looked hostile, but one look from Alaran was enough to keep them in check.

  Alaran’s body, which almost reached the ceiling and was full of muscle, gave off an intimidating aura.

  It didn’t help that they both wore hunter clothes, and no one wanted to mess with a possibly dangerous person.

  Alhen saw a kid lying on the side, dead, but none bothered even to spare him a glance, something that seemed far too common in this district.

  They walked for hours on end, the sight becoming more indigestible as they advanced.

  Alhen was exhausted from all the injuries plaguing his body, and after a moment of distraction, he tripped and fell.

  He barely felt the pain, but he couldn’t get up, his muscles having lost strength.

  “Heh! Heh! Heh!” Alhen heard what sounded like a man grunting and laughing grow stronger.

  Alhen looked to his side and widened his eyes as he saw a bald man with crooked, yellow teeth crawling at him with desperation.

  “Wha-” Alhen let out, but the next second, Alaran stomped his head on the ground, killing him instantly and staining the floor red.

  Alhen didn’t have time to snap out of his shock as he felt himself get picked up.

  Alaran carried him on his back without any jokes or calling him stupid, something that surprised him.

  It was a quiet walk after that, and both of them made it to the door leading out of the district, being guarded by two guards as usual.

  Alhen didn’t have the energy to keep himself awake any longer.

  The sleep deprivation, hunger, and injuries made him pass out before they could reach the door.

  Alhen found himself in the infirmary again, taking the blue vial that healed his injuries, but didn’t heal them completely.

  The wounds on his fingers had healed somewhat, but his nails were still missing.

  His eye socket had healed, no longer bleeding, but there was no trace of the eye that should have been there; instead, a black cloth covered the area.

  Alaran entered the room, and Alhen’s eyes widened at what he saw.

  It was his thuls and artifact.

  "How did you get them back!?" Alhen exclaimed, a small smile forming on his face.

  “I found it inside that mansion. I was following a trail of your scent that led me to the thuls, but I also got this,” Alaran said before taking something from the pocket on his jacket and showing it to Alhen.

  “That’s my eye!”

  Alhen could recognize its shape as if it were the back of his hand.

  It floated in a cylindrical glass filled with a green liquid, appearing to look directly at Alhen, as if it knew it was part of him.

  He didn’t even know what to say, but after a few seconds, only gratitude could be heard coming out of his lips.

  “Thank you for everything,” Alhen said with a slight smile.

  Alaran’s gaze remained on his lying body for a few seconds before leaving his thuls in a desk beside him.

  Alaran silently stepped away, then stopped halfway and looked behind him.

  He gave Alhen a nod and left the infirmary room.

  Alhen lay alone with his thoughts; he saw only half of the room, the other half being obscured by the lack of his eye.

  He gazed at his nailless hands and trembled.

  His breathing quickly stabilized, and he was able to think clearly.

  ‘I killed Kalle, son of the King… It’s over.’ Alhen clutched his head, contemplating the consequences of his actions.

  Alhen had killed him in self-defense, but that wouldn’t sit well with the royal family.

  ‘Wait a second. Kalle and the royal family are fearful of Father Vincent, the Kovesh… Kalle definitely didn’t say that he kidnapped me to anyone, and they would have no reason to suspect me,’ he thought.

  His head rested on the pillow, the hard, straw-like texture putting pressure on the back of his head.

  His left arm hung loosely at the side of the bed as he stared at the ceiling, contemplating his situation.

  ‘I hope that evidence that I killed Kalle is not found; if I’m lucky, I will never be caught.’

  Thinking about it for a second, he then shook his head.

  ‘I have to tell Father Vincent what happened, no matter how much I hate him, he will know what to do.’

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