The prison did not scream when it woke.

  It groaned.

  Heavy stone walls vibrated as sigils reignited one by one, pale blue light crawling across iron bars and sealed doors. Somewhere far above, bells rang—not alarms yet, but warnings. The kind that said something was wrong, not everything was lost.

  Akitsu Shouga ran barefoot across frozen stone.

  “Left,” Seraphine Orion whispered.

  Kael Ardent followed without questioning it, chains still hanging loosely from his wrists as frost shattered behind them. His breath came fast, not from exhaustion, but from disbelief.

  “This is actually happening,” Kael muttered. “We’re actually—”

  “Not yet,” Akitsu cut in. “Don’t say it.”

  The small spirit girl floated just ahead of them, white hair brushing her shoulders, bare feet never touching the ground. Wherever she passed, iron hinges stiffened, locks crystallized, magic fell silent.

  Absolute zero.

  A turn.

  Another corridor.

  Then—

  A clatter.

  Kael’s foot caught on something soft.

  He stumbled.

  The sound echoed far too loudly.

  They all froze.

  Slowly, Kael looked down.

  A wooden food cart lay overturned, bowls rolling gently across the floor. Thin soup leaked like blood between the cracks of the stone.

  “…You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kael whispered.

  A voice shouted from down the hall.

  “HEY—!”

  Akitsu sighed. “That’s on you.”

  Footsteps thundered.

  Torches flared to life.

  Seraphine hissed, “They’ve noticed.”

  The spirit girl tilted her head, confused. “Should I freeze them?”

  “No,” Akitsu said immediately. “Not yet.”

  Guards poured into the corridor—five, then eight, armored and armed with suppression pikes. Their captain raised a hand.

  “There! The prisoners!”

  Kael straightened, eyes hard. “Akitsu.”

  “Yeah.”

  They ran.

  The spirit girl snapped her fingers.

  The floor flash-froze.

  Guards slipped, crashed, cursed as metal shattered against ice. One managed to stay upright long enough to swing his pike—

  Kael ripped the weapon from his hands and slammed the guard into the wall.

  “I really didn’t want to do this again,” Kael muttered.

  More footsteps.

  More shouts.

  Seraphine floated upward, vines tearing through the ceiling stones.

  “Belongings room is two corridors east,” she said. “They’ll seal it soon.”

  Akitsu nodded. “Then we don’t slow down.”

  They burst through a reinforced door just as a barrier snapped into place behind them.

  Inside—rows of lockers. Confiscated weapons. Clothing folded neatly.

  Kael didn’t hesitate.

  He grabbed his academy uniform—black blazer, white shirt—then reached deeper.

  A white katana rested on a silk cloth.

  Rosary.

  The blade hummed softly as he lifted it.

  “…Missed you,” Kael said.

  He slid the sheath onto his belt, then tore the disciplinary committee sash from his uniform and tossed it aside.

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  “I’m done pretending.”

  Akitsu pulled on his clothes quickly—the familiar red blazer, worn but intact. His fingers trembled only once as he reached into a small box.

  A pink charm bracelet.

  Kaoru’s.

  He fastened it around his wrist without a word.

  Seraphine glanced at him. “You ready?”

  “No,” Akitsu said. “But let’s go anyway.”

  They exited through the opposite door—

  Straight into three guards.

  “…Oh,” one of them said.

  Kael groaned. “Again?”

  The fight was short and messy.

  Akitsu moved without hesitation—too practiced, too calm. Kael’s blade cut through armor like memory through time. The spirit girl froze walls, ceilings, air itself, blocking reinforcements in seconds.

  But noise had already spread.

  Bells rang fully now.

  The prison roared awake.

  Seraphine’s eyes widened. “This is escalating fast.”

  “Good,” Akitsu said. “Means we’re doing it right.”

  They sprinted upward—stairs, ladders, broken walkways—until moonlight exploded into view.

  The outer yard.

  Dozens of guards waited.

  Archers raised bows.

  Kael swore. “That’s too many.”

  Akitsu stepped forward.

  “I’ll draw them.”

  Seraphine grabbed his sleeve. “Don’t be stupid.”

  He looked back at her.

  “…I always am.”

  Before she could stop him, Akitsu ran.

  Arrows flew.

  One grazed his shoulder.

  Another shattered against sudden ice as the spirit girl screamed, “Father!”

  The air dropped to nothing.

  Arrows froze mid-flight and shattered.

  Kael stared. “That power is insane.”

  Akitsu skidded to a halt beside him. “Remind me never to upset her.”

  The girl floated higher, eyes glowing pale blue.

  “Run,” she said softly.

  The gates froze solid.

  Then shattered.

  They ran.

  Past the outer wall.

  Past the sea cliffs, waves crashing violently below.

  Past pursuit horns fading behind them.

  The Lively Forest swallowed them whole.

  Branches lashed at their faces as they ran blindly, breath tearing at their lungs. Only when the sound of pursuit finally vanished did they stop.

  Kael collapsed against a tree, laughing weakly.

  “…We escaped,” he said. “We actually escaped.”

  Akitsu leaned forward, hands on his knees.

  “For now.”

  Seraphine settled beside them, humanoid form flickering faintly. “That was… far louder than planned.”

  Kael smirked. “You mean tripping over soup?”

  “…Yes.”

  The spirit girl hovered quietly near Akitsu.

  “Father,” she said again, softer now.

  He looked at her, truly looked this time.

  “…We’ll talk,” he said gently. “Soon.”

  She smiled.

  Above them, the forest whispered.

  Far behind, the prison burned with panic.

  And far beyond that—

  Two unseen figures watched the escape unfold.

  “One more run,” a voice murmured.

  “Interesting,” another replied.

  The night deepened.

  And the kingdom shifted—just a little.