The faint sound of droplets echoed in the silence, each fall striking stone with a hollow drip. The footsteps that followed were slow and heavy, resonating along the damp corridor. At first, the passage was shrouded in shadow, but as the two figures advanced, the darkness surrendered to the glow of torches mounted along the walls, their flames swaying faintly with each step. One, in armor, led the way; the other, wrapped in a cloak, followed close behind. A guard escorting Shin.
"Your friend caused a lot of trouble yesterday while drunk in the great hall with the other guards," the guard said. "But the lord is willing to drop the whole thing, in return for you leaving as soon as possible—before nightfall."
Shin responded, "No need for that. We've already packed and are ready to leave. We don't risk traveling at night."
The guard nodded slightly, walking ahead.
"I understand," he said. "Still… it's something to meet the famous Silent Sword. I've heard how you easily kill—"
"Are we close?" Shin cut in. "Feels like we've been walking for a while. Why is it so deep underground? Why not use those cells up in the courtyard?"
"Those aren't cells," the guard replied. "They're hounds' cages. The hounds died a month ago. Easier to isolate prisoners down here… the darkness makes them compliant, easier to deal with."
He stopped, unlocking the first door to the right. Along the corridor, three more doors lined the same side, each wooden, banded with steel, with a small barred window for passing food. At the far end stood a heavier door—steel, unbroken by any window.
"And that one?" Shin asked. "Where does it lead?"
"Oh, that's the vault," the guard said.
"The vault?" Shin raised a brow. "Of all places to keep treasures, they chose here, next to criminals?"
The guard gave a dry laugh.
"No," he said. "I was told it was used for this winter's rations. To prevent theft, I suppose. It was a long winter, after all."
"You weren't here in winter?" Shin asked.
"No. I came from another fortress with other survivors," the guard answered. "We came here after the food ran out and, as everyone knows, the lord of Maarath is always welcoming. But it was no different from any other place. The current lord only welcomed capable men. The others continued their journey toward other fortresses."
He proceeded to open the cell door. Shin stepped inside.
"Wake up, Peter. Wake up, you drunken idiot," Shin said.
His boot nudged hard against the figure slumped on the straw.
"…Captain?" Peter groaned. "Did they catch you too?"
"I'm here to get you out," Shin replied. "We're leaving the fortress right now."
"Already?" Peter asked.
"Yes," Shin said. "No thanks to you."
"But, Captain, it's not my fault!" Peter protested. "Those coward guards were badmouthing us, saying we're just a bunch of thugs with an overrated reputatio—"
"Enough."
Peter stumbled out of the cell, rubbing his head. Shin followed behind him, but as soon as Shin turned his back toward the steel door at the end of the corridor, he stopped. His blade, holstered at his waist, quivered slightly, as though alive.
He placed his hand on the handle and twisted.
"Captain? What's wrong?" Peter asked.
Shin stood silent, eyes closed, facing the steel door. A faint stir of air pressed from beneath it, scattering dust along the floor. His eyes opened.
"Breathing…" he muttered, frowning. "But is it a person? Multiple? A beast?"
He turned to the guard.
"There's someone in there, Peter," Shin said.
Peter moved without a word, pulling a dagger from thin air and striking the guard on the back of the head with the handle. The man crumpled to the floor.
"So," Peter asked, "how did it go?"
"We searched the fortress and found nothing," Shin said. "Everyone we questioned wasn't present during winter, which makes it even stranger. This is the last place below we haven't checked. And, Peter, all you had to do was make a scene—not get drunk and start fighting everyone."
Peter chuckled awkwardly.
Shin's grip tightened on his sword as he stepped toward the steel door, studying the hinges. In one swift motion, his blade sliced through stone and metal. Sparks hissed as steel carved a clean arc through rock and iron alike. The hinges gave way, and the door leaned, then crashed to the floor.
Darkness lingered inside. Shin lifted a torch from the wall, its glow spilling into the room. They entered slowly.
Peter froze. Shin stood rigid, only a few steps into the chamber.
A vast round room stretched out before them, roughly thirty meters in diameter, filled with bones—skulls small and large scattered across the stone. In the middle of the chamber knelt a child, shackled from head to toe. Chains as thick as wrists wrapped around his body. Heavy cuffs bound his neck, his stomach, his arms, and his ankles.
Peter's hands twitched. "Shin… am I hallucinating?"
"I wish you were," Shin replied. "This is far worse than we anticipated."
He stepped closer to the chained child, studying him. The boy had black hair streaked with strands of white, pale skin, rags of clothing, and a leather muzzle strapped over his mouth. The boy's chest barely moved.
"He doesn't seem to be breathing," Shin murmured. "Then what was that faint breeze?"
The boy's eyes opened. He strained against the chains; iron screamed against stone. The walls trembled, as if some beast were shaking the entire room. The chains howled as they stretched toward their limits, as though about to snap in submission.
Peter stared at the anchors driven into the stone. "Those chains…" he muttered.
Shin unfastened the leather muzzle covering the boy's mouth. The child gasped, drawing in a ragged breath.
"Release me," the child said.
"What are you?" Shin asked. "And what is this place?"
The child stayed silent and began fighting the chains again. Peter watched, while Shin took a step back.
"I'll ask again," Shin said calmly. "What are you? Did you do this?" He pointed to the tiny skulls scattered around them.
"I am human, same as you," the child answered, anger in his tone. "Release—"
"No human has this much strength without Akrion," Shin said. "Especially a child. I can't sense anything from you." He turned toward Peter.
Peter's eyes glowed red for a moment, then faded back to their natural hazel. "Shin, I don't think he's using Akrion," Peter said. "He doesn't have any."
"Akrion?" the child repeated. "I don't know what you're talking about. But I didn't do this. You want to know what happened? Set me free."
"Hey, Shin—ah, Captain—you're not seriously thinking about it, right?" Peter said. "It could be a trap."
Shin stepped closer to the child and stared down at him. "I'll set you free," he said, "but know this—I won't hesitate to cut down a child."
He slashed through the cuffs. The chains sagged, their weight clattering against the cold stone floor.
"Stop calling me that," the boy said. "I'm not that young. I'm just small. You can call me Ren."
"You look about thirteen, fourteen years old," Shin said.
Ren rubbed his wrists and neck, then pushed his hair back, revealing his eyes and forehead. He looked straight at Peter and smiled.
In an instant, he crossed the room—his fist already thrown as he reached Peter. His punch neared Peter's abdomen, but halted at the last moment. Peter still faced forward, seemingly unaware, yet Shin was already there, one hand clamped around Ren's wrist, stopping the blow. Ren looked up, meeting Shin's gaze. Shin stared down, his eyes serious, while Ren's were half‑lidded and lazy.
"Hm. You're fast," Ren said with a smug grin. "Your friend is lucky."
"I know you had no intention of harming him," Shin replied calmly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to stop that strength of yours. Besides, you're the lucky one."
"What…?" Ren muttered, looking slowly down.
A dagger revealed itself from thin air, its tip hovering near his neck. Peter was still facing forward, toward where Ren had stood before, which made Ren realize Peter's intent. Instead of following Ren with his eyes, Peter had kept staring ahead, pretending Ren was faster than his reflexes, baiting him in. In that moment, Ren understood Peter was cunning—and wondered what kind of dagger that was.
Ren brushed it off and stepped back with a smile. Peter slid the dagger away behind him.
"There won't be a second chance, kid," Peter said as he turned to leave.
"I look forward to it," Ren replied.
"Enough," Shin said. "Now—what happened here? And why were you locked there?"
Ren's smile faded. An angry look shaped his face as he stared at the bones. "Not here," he said. "We need to leave first. Then I'll tell you exactly what happened."
He walked toward the door, stepped out into the corridor—and collapsed after only a few steps. Peter, standing outside, watched him drop.
"What's our next move, Captain?" Peter asked.
Shin approached and lifted the ragged shirt from Ren's back, revealing scars everywhere and a body thinned by hunger.
"How long do you think he was down there?" Peter asked.
Shin's fingers brushed across a mark on Ren's back—a perfect red circle, like a birthmark. Shin's face tightened in surprise, as if he had seen it before and the sight of it here stunned him. "I don't know," he said quietly.
He slipped off his coat. The short‑sleeved shirt underneath clung to his frame, shaped by hard muscle. He wrapped the coat around Ren and picked him up.
"Check ahead," Shin said. "We need to smuggle him out of the fortress. We're supposed to be gone before nightfall."
They hurried through the corridors. The prison lay deep underground, and the fortress below was a maze, but eventually they reached the stairs leading up to the courtyard. Peter went first, then returned carrying an empty barrel. They hid Ren inside and both headed out toward the wagon, where Bjorn stood waiting in the courtyard.
"Bjorn, take Peter and set camp near the edge of the forest," Shin said. "I'll look for Lili and Jonathan."
"No—let me search for them," Peter cut in. "That way they keep their eyes on me. Have Bjorn meet us at the village. They'll be afraid to follow us there."
"Alright, I'll set camp," Shin said. "But Peter—make haste, before they realize what happened."
Shin climbed into the wagon and pulled the curtain shut. Bjorn hopped onto the driver's seat and steered them toward the gate. Inside, Shin stared at the unconscious Ren lying before him, wondering what he had just brought out of the dark.