It was noon. The sun was directly overhead, casting a blazing heat over the land.
Hedric and his men had arrived at the bandit camp. Elias had been chained up in a stable, poisoned with a paralyzing drug to prevent his escape. The substance didn't kill, but it rendered his body completely motionless—its effects were terrifyingly potent.
At the headquarters, Hedric was in a heated argument with the leader of the bandits. The man slammed his hands on the table and shouted:
"How dare you bring that demon into my camp?! He killed half of my men! This wasn't part of our deal, Hedric!"
The bandit leader was a broad-shouldered man with a long beard. He was nearly bald, save for a thick brown braid trailing down from the back of his head to his shoulder. A dragon tattoo snaked along the side of his scalp, while a scorpion was inked onto his hand. His light brown eyes sat above a large nose, one missing ear, and a deep scar that cut across his left cheek.
"Our deal was for me to kill Edward. And he is dead. If your men are worthless trash, that's your problem, not mine, Victor."
Victor gritted his teeth. "Fine. But our deal didn't say you'd bring back just one chest of gold and a scrawny child."
"Watch your tongue, fool. I am a noble sworn to the king—I answer to no one but him."
Hedric downed a cup of wine in one go, wiped his mouth, and smirked.
"Besides... that child is no ordinary boy."
Over the next few minutes, Hedric explained everything to Victor—leaving out the part about his final conversation with Edward. He detailed Elias's potential and how much he could be worth.
Victor frowned. "Damn it… What's your plan? If you're thinking of selling him to slavers right away, they won't pay much. And I doubt the kid's gonna use magic to make himself appealing."
"I have a brilliant plan to make him mine completely. Just leave it to me. The real payday is in three years—at the Ludus Cruoris."
"The more slaves he defeats there, the higher his price will rise. Think about it… a child using transformation magic. He's only five now, but in three years, he could defeat even the strongest gladiator-slaves on the continent."
Hedric's excitement was impossible to miss.
Victor stroked his beard, pondering for a while before finally nodding. "You're right… Fine. But I want 50% of the earnings. I'll be the one feeding and housing him, after all."
"Forty-five," Hedric countered. "Not a coin more."
"Hah! Always a stingy bastard."
The two men laughed and poured themselves more drinks.
---
Meanwhile, Elias was slowly regaining consciousness in the stable.
"Ugh… my head…" He held his forehead, groaning. "It hurts so bad…"
His eyes flew open in shock. "W-What? I'm… alive?" He fell back onto the straw. "So it was a dream…? What a ridiculous dream…"
As he muttered to himself, a strange feeling in his throat drew his attention. He looked down at the chains binding him—and the memory came flooding back. Damn it… I was captured… wasn't I?
He sat up abruptly, dropping to his knees and trying to pull the chains apart.
"Damn it… I need to get back to my mother and father… If I can sneak out of here—"
But the moment he tried to move, a stabbing pain pierced his skull, making him groan in agony. His head had been pounding since waking up, but any movement felt like nails being hammered into his brain.
Writhing in pain, he waited for the pressure to ease. When it finally dulled, he looked around. Horses and sheep surrounded him in the stable, and it didn't take him long to notice the reinforced wooden barrier keeping him in.
"Damn it… Damn it… Damn it all!"
Suddenly, Elias curled up and began sobbing. He cried for several minutes—loud, broken sobs—before falling silent. The only sounds left were the clopping of hooves and the soft moan of the wind.
The wind... Elias thought. His mind returned to the wind blades he had summoned during his transformation.
If I master that, I can grow stronger. I won't need to transform anymore… No! That alone isn't enough. That man used a rare-tier spell…
And it's so cruel… Splitting people in half with magic is horrifying.
He clutched his head between his hands. I need to grow stronger… much stronger!
Crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees, he assumed a meditative position. Despite the straw beneath him, he could feel the earth.
Amazing… I must have an affinity with earth too. That means I could master two elements someday…
Just as that thought took root, the stable door burst open.
Guards entered, grabbed Elias by the arms, and forced his head down to face the ground. Moments later, Hedric, Victor, and a few others stepped inside. They carried a bucket of water and iron rods engraved with strange symbols. Others began gathering straw into a pile.
Hedric was the first to speak. "Listen well, boy. You are now my slave. That means you obey me."
Despite the pressure on his neck, Elias raised his head and glared at Hedric with pure hatred.
"You should blame your father for this, not me. If he truly saw you as his son, he wouldn't have handed you over to us."
Hedric pressed his boot down on Elias's head, forcing his forehead into the dirt. The leather sole scraped his face, making him scream.
"Well, well, you can speak." Hedric grinned wickedly. "But if you ever try to escape or disobey me, I'll kill you first—and then your beloved family."
With that, he drew a dagger and slashed Elias's hand. The wound healed almost instantly.
"So it wasn't an illusion… I don't know what kind of experiments they did to you, but you'll be a goldmine for me."
Behind him, the men lit a bundle of straw and heated the symbol-carved iron in the flame. Once glowing red, they cooled it slightly in water. The tip still radiated intense heat, its orange-red color glowing ominously.
"We're ready for the seal, sir."
"Proceed."
Hedric and Victor stepped back, their faces curled into vile grins.
One guard twisted Elias's arms behind his back while the other forced his chin upward. Elias squirmed and fought to escape, but the chains rendered him helpless.
"No! Please don't—!" he tried to say, but they forced his mouth open.
As he thrashed and flailed, the man with the iron rod stepped forward and pressed the glowing symbol to Elias's tongue.
A blood-curdling scream ripped from the boy's lungs.
His entire body convulsed as the searing pain overwhelmed him. The iron remained there a few moments longer before it was finally pulled away—leaving behind a deep, dark mark etched into his tongue.
Elias cried, clutching his mouth in agony.
You won't be able to speak anymore, Hedric thought. This seal does more than burn your tongue—it's inscribed with poison and ancient spells that render it completely useless. And the symbol belongs to House Fredross. You're my property now, little monster. You won't speak again. You're nothing more than a beast.
Now show me those eyes… those terrifying eyes full of hate.
At last, they all exited the stable. Elias remained chained in the corner, his eyes swollen with tears, pain radiating from every nerve in his body—but his thoughts remained sharp.
Damn it… What do I do now? What am I supposed to do?
Guide me, O Wise Clock…