Reeza shuffled wearily through a gloomy subterranean corridor, her steps eg against the cold stone walls until she emerged into a chamber bathed in dim light.

  Her iurmoil etched deep lines on her face, and shadows pooled beh her tired eyes. Paying little heed to the imposing guards heavy armor, she let her gaze wao the rows of prison cells lining the wall behind them, yearning for even a fleeting glimpse of her mother.

  She had been diligently tallying every piece of gold she fuo Casimir, keenly aware of nearing their agreed-upon quota. Over a year had passed, marked by a trail of blood, tears, and sacrifices—her own mortality, her peaind, and even fragments of her soul—all id bare to reach this pivotal moment.

  With one final scam or a dari, she would’ve secured enough funds to buy her mother’s freedom. In what had bee somewhat of a ritual, she regurly came by seeking so her mother’s eyes, a silent affirmation before each job. Yet, as her gaze swept past the vigint guards and through the unfiving bars of the cell, her mother’s familiar visage couldn’t be found amongst the others.

  Did they… ge her cell?

  Reeza’s slender eyebrows kled. No. Iire year she’s been in captivity, her holding cell had never ged.

  Refusing to rely on mere jecture when her mother’s life was at stake, Reeza rashly attempted to slip past the guards, only to be swiftly subdued.

  “You know the drill,” one of them spat.

  “Restricted area, ry,” the other decred, delivering a stinging blow to her cheek with the hilt of his spear.

  Reeza staggered back, fury c through her veins as she gritted her teeth. She sized up the two bastards before her aantly admitted she couldn’t best them alone.

  Pushing aside the throbbing ache in her cheek, she hurriedly darted around a er, her mind rag to find another path into the chamber. But all she mao find was more danger lurking in the shadows.

  With the precision of a well-oiled mae, a powerful hand shot out from the darkness, its fingers deftly closing around her neck.

  WHOOSHH!

  The assaint hoisted her into the air, then forcefully smmed her against the wall with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. Reeza’s eyes widened in terror, her legs kig futilely as she struggled against the iron grip strig her throat.

  Saliva dribbled from the ers of her mouth, her face t into a sickly shade of purple as the pressure intensified. But her tiny fingers couldn’t break the vice-like grip. Instead, the grip gradually tightehreatening to snap her neck.

  “Please don’t hurt her,” Petu’s voice cracked with desperation as she threw herself at the avenger’s feet.

  Daisuke’s head so the side, his eyes narrowing with a chilling iy that made Petu shrink ba fear.

  “…I-It’s you,” Reeza wheezed, sacrifig precious air to speak.

  Daisuke found her eyes, his gaze burning with malicious i. He didn’t o speak; they both knew what she had done—and what he sought wasn’t a simple apology, but her slow and agonizing demise. And as her neck tio bend, that dark desire edged closer to fruition.

  “It’s her mother!” Petu’s cry suddenly cut through the tension, her fiightening around Daisuke’s cloak. “She’s being forced to do these things… because they’re holding her mother hostage!”

  Daisuke’s fingers stilled, the Eye of Verity firming her cim.

  “What would you do,” Petu sobbed softly, “if your own mother was in a simir position… and you were too powerless to fight back?”

  A muscle worked in Daisuke’s jaw. It was already far too te for his own mother, but the memory of his futile pleas just before Zephyr’s demise lingered like a bitter aftertaste. He had begged the thugs, anything to spare their lives, even promising future payment in a futile attempt to buy mercy.

  Daisuke brushed aside the haunting memory before he could remember Zephyr’s anguished cry as he was ripped from existence. Before he could redirect his focus, Reeza’s relentless assault began—a barrage of kicks raining down on his chest, each blow driving him back further.

  “If you’re here for revehen just go ahead and do it!” she spat, her eyes abze with a storm of emotions—anger, sorrow, a swirling within them. “Otherwise, just go!”

  With a dismissive gesture, Daisuke callously flung her aside without a sed thought, sending her crashing to the ground in a graceless heap.

  “You should e with us,” Petu implored the girl, her smile fragile but hopeful as she gestured towards Daisuke. “He’s agreed to help me and my husband. With all of us w together, we’ll have a much better ce of resg your mother. And about Casimir… don’t trust him; he won’t honor his agreement with you, I’m certain of it.”

  Reeza’s gaze flickered betweeu and Daisuke, a flush of color returning to her cheeks along with a defiant gleam in her eyes. “This is my problem,” she argued, her tone flippant as she absently rubbed her slender neck. “I’ll ha myself. I don’t need your help.”

  The Florian’s brows kogether in a scowl, but beh her disdainful gre, a turbulent sea ret ed. After the unspeakable deeds she had itted against Daisuke, she couldn’t possibly bring herself to accept his aid; she felt unworthy of it. And what if he wasn’t strong enough to save her mother?

  She couldn’t help but recall the one-sided assault that had led to Zephyr’s tragic demise. Was his anger and thirst for revenge clouding his judgment? Did he truly believe he had grown powerful enough to rival those thugs in such a brief span of time? The thought g her, a seed of doubt taking root. What if his attempts to rescue them only served to provoke further danger, potentially leading to her mother’s death?

  Reeza slowly pushed to her feet and swept a hand to wipe away the blemish from her cheek. Casting a sidelong g Daisuke and theu, she spoke with a hint of warning ione. “…If you don’t want to end up dead, I suggest you both turn baow. You’re both way in over your heads,” she cautioned before departing.

  Rage ed within Daisuke as he watched her depart, but beh his seething anger, he couldn’t ighe parallels between the girl’s plight au’s. If he harmed her in any way, it may soothe his anger now, but the deed would undoubtedly leave a bitter taste in his mouth afterwards.

  ***

  Daisuke didn’t hesitate to unleash his pent-up anger and frustration owo heavily armored sentries guarding the imprisoned sves. Petu, who would normally freeze at the sight of violence, hurried past the incapacitated men and into the dreary chamber.

  The Florian women within the cells stirred like frightened sheep at her arrival, their faces drained of color. Petu’s gaze swept urgently over them, abs their desperate pleas for aid and freedom. Despite their cries, she tinued down the line of cells until she reached the st one, which housed a mix of human men and women.

  At her soft call, a man staggered forward, reag through the metallic bars to tenderly encase her small hands within his own. For a fleeting moment, they shared a tranquil oasis amidst the turmoil, finding so each other’s touch before the harsh grip of reality recimed them once more.

  “Pet,” he breathed, his eyes wide with arm. “What’re you doing here? How did you mao get past the guards?”

  Petu offered a small smile, gesturing to the silver-haired boy roached them. “This is Haxks. He’s agreed to help us escape.”

  The man’s gaze swept over the small child who was a year shy of being a teen and found himself less than impressed. For a moment, he questioned whether the gravity of their situation had clouded his wife’s judgment. “Honey—”

  The man’s word caught in his throat as the boy effortlessly materialized a menag-looking dagger in his hand. Daisuke’s eyes flicked to the metallic bars of the cell, pting whether the Lipanthyer’s Fang could breach the thick alloy.

  BOONGGGG!

  With a mighty swing, he brought the dagger down, leaving behind only a fai ial. A collective wince rippled through the chamber as everyone instinctively covered their ears, the harsh reverberations pierg the air and foretelling of ominous sequences.

  In anticipation of what y ahead, the sves instinctively ducked their heads areated deeper into their cells, seeking so each other’s presence as they braced to weather the impending storm.

  “Y-You! What have you done?” Petu’s husband rebuked, his voice ced with panic. “Honey,” he whispered urgently, his eyes wide with fear. “You must flee right this moment,” he implored, then turned his acg gaze towards Daisuke. “You’ve sealed our fate!”