The creaking of the wheels began to slow.
Then stopped.
For a brief moment, nothing moved.
A strange silence settled in, heavy, suffocating… as if even the air hesitated to exist in this place.
Ryuji slowly lifted his head.
His vision blurred for a second before sharpening.
What he saw… wasn't just a mine.
It was an abyss.
A massive crater carved deep into the earth, its edges jagged like the wound of something torn open. Towering palisades surrounded it, reinforced with iron plates and spikes. Watchtowers loomed overhead, their silhouettes cutting into the sky.
Figures stood atop them.
Watching.
Always watching.
Chains hung everywhere, swaying slightly in the dry wind. Below, dozens… no, hundreds of bodies moved sluggishly, dragging tools, stones, or each other.
Cries echoed upward.
Orders followed.
Blows answered.
The sound never stopped.
The smell hit him next.
Dust. Sweat. Blood. Rot.
It clung to the throat. Refused to leave.
— "Welcome to the Prison."
One of the men near the cage let out a low chuckle.
— "Try not to die too fast."
Another spat on the ground.
— "If you survive here… you'll survive anywhere."
The cage door burst open with a sharp metallic crack.
— "Move."
Chains tightened instantly.
Ryuji's body jerked forward.
Pain shot through his arms, but he didn't react.
He stepped down.
One foot. Then the other.
The ground felt wrong. Too hard. Too real.
His legs trembled, threatening to give out beneath him.
But he stood.
Barely.
Around him, other slaves were being dragged out.
Some collapsed the moment they touched the ground.
Others didn't even try to stand.
Their eyes were empty.
Gone long before their bodies.
— "Line them up!"
Guards moved quickly, forcing order with kicks and strikes.
Ryuji was shoved into place among the others.
Close enough to feel their shaking.
Close enough to hear them breathe.
Uneven. Broken.
— "More newcomers…"
— "They look fresh."
— "They won't last."
The whispers came from everywhere.
Low. Crawling.
Like insects.
Ryuji didn't look at them.
Didn't need to.
He could feel their stares.
Then—
Another whisper.
Sharper.
— "Wait…"
— "It's him…"
— "The survivor…"
— "Of the Basilisk…"
A ripple spread through the line.
Subtle.
But real.
Some stepped back. Just slightly.
As if distance could protect them.
Others leaned forward, eyes wide, hungry for confirmation.
— "No way…"
— "That thing killed dozens…"
— "No one walks away from that…"
Ryuji remained still.
Silent.
But his mind didn't.
The memory flickered.
A shadow.
A roar.
Blood.
Then—
Nothing.
His jaw tightened.
Pointless.
The voice echoed faintly in the back of his mind.
Cold. Familiar.
His fingers curled.
— "Straighten up!"
A guard slammed the butt of his weapon against the ground.
The sound cracked through the air.
Silence followed instantly.
The line adjusted.
Bodies forced into shape.
Submission, carved into posture.
A man began walking between them.
Slow. Observant.
His gaze lingered on each face like he was calculating their worth.
— "Too weak."
— "Dead weight."
— "This one might last a bit…"
He stopped in front of Ryuji.
Their eyes met.
For a moment… nothing moved.
Then—
He clicked his tongue and walked on.
— "Nothing special."
Ryuji didn't react.
But something inside him twisted.
Not anger.
Not yet.
Something deeper.
Quieter.
Waiting.
Time stretched.
The noise of the pit continued below.
Metal striking stone.
Voices shouting.
Chains dragging.
Then—
It began to fade.
Gradually.
Unnaturally.
Like something pressing down on the world itself.
Heads turned.
Without being told.
A man was approaching.
His steps were slow.
Measured.
Each one deliberate.
His uniform was immaculate. Not a speck of dust. Not a single wrinkle.
It didn't belong here.
And yet—
It ruled here.
Behind him, guards dragged a man on his knees.
The slave's body shook violently.
His skin was marked, bruised, torn.
He could barely lift his head.
— "…please… I didn't mean…"
His voice broke before the sentence could.
A shiver passed through the crowd.
— "…him…"
— "It's him…"
— "Marcellus…"
The name didn't spread like a whisper.
It sank.
Heavy.
Like a stone in water.
Even the guards straightened.
Grips tightened.
Eyes forward.
Marcellus stepped into the center.
Stopped.
The dragged man was forced upright.
His legs gave out immediately.
He collapsed.
A guard yanked him back up.
— "Stand."
He couldn't.
Didn't matter.
— "Look at him."
Marcellus' voice cut clean through the air.
Calm.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
— "One of yours."
Silence.
No one dared shift.
— "A man who was given a chance."
He walked slowly, circling.
Like a predator with no need to rush.
— "Fed."
— "Sheltered."
— "Put to use."
Each word landed with quiet weight.
— "And yet…"
He stopped.
Turned.
— "He chose betrayal."
The slave broke.
— "I just wanted to go home! I swear! I wasn't trying to—"
— "Silence."
The word struck harder than a blow.
The man froze.
Breathing stopped.
Even the air seemed to hold itself.
— "To flee…"
Marcellus sighed softly.
Almost disappointed.
— "You still believe there is somewhere else to go?"
No answer.
— "This kingdom feeds you."
— "This kingdom protects you."
His gaze hardened.
— "Without it… you are nothing."
A tremor passed through the line.
— "And yet… you bite the hand that allows you to exist."
Some lowered their heads instantly.
Others stared, frozen in terror.
— "I was merciful."
A pause.
— "Too merciful."
The condemned man struggled weakly.
— "No— please! I can still work! I'll do anything—"
— "A lesson is necessary."
Silence.
Total.
Absolute.
Marcellus rested his hand on his sword.
— "Watch."
His voice dropped.
Colder.
Sharper.
— "Because this… is the price of freedom."
The blade slid free.
A clean, ringing sound.
For a brief second—
Everything stopped.
Then—
The strike.
Fast.
Precise.
Final.
The head hit the ground with a dull sound.
The body followed.
Blood spread slowly across the dirt.
No one screamed.
No one moved.
Even breathing felt forbidden.
Ryuji watched.
Didn't blink.
Didn't look away.
The red seeped into the ground.
Disappearing.
Like it never mattered.
Marcellus wiped his blade with practiced ease.
Turned.
— "Back to work."
Just like that.
Finished.
Meaningless.
Ryuji's hands trembled.
Slightly.
His chains rattled.
Soft.
Almost inaudible.
Pointless.
The voice returned.
Closer now.
Louder.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His breathing grew uneven.
Heavy.
Something burned inside his chest.
Spreading.
Expanding.
Breaking through everything else.
This wasn't anger.
It was beyond that.
A consuming force.
A rising storm with no intention of stopping.
The monster.
The kingdom.
These men.
Everything blurred together.
Targets.
His fingers tightened.
His nails pierced his skin.
Still—
Nothing.
No pain.
Only heat.
Only rage.
Only that voice.
His eyes darkened.
And something changed.
Subtle.
Irreversible.
For the first time—
Ryuji wasn't looking at the world like something crushing him.
He was looking at it…
like something that could be broken.
And one day—
He would