Lainus took a few heavy steps before he could steady his numb legs, walking with the help of the petite girl — Tia, in front of him as they slowly moved toward the iron bars. As Lainus stood upright he could see more clearly around him. Even though the lights were dim, the details became sharper.
They were in a filthy cell. Three stone walls surrounded them, solid and windowless. The fourth side was made of thick iron bars, caked with dirt and rust. The ground was coated in scattered hay and grime — it was more like an animal pen than a cell, but far worse. The smell was unbearable. When Lainus's sense of smell suddenly returned, his stomach nearly retched; a repulsive stench of sweat, rot, and human waste filled the air. There was no furniture. No blankets. There was only the cold, hard walls and the dirty ground.
Looking around, there were seven other children in the cell, each connected by a tight collar around their necks. They all had tired looks — malnourished, filthy, their clothes were torn. Their faces were gloomy, their eyes were empty. Most sat alone in their isolated corners, avoiding others, as their despaired eyes stared at nothing. None of them spoke a word, or at least spoke in a loud voice, as if making a sound would bring something terrible down upon them.
Just like Tia and Lainus, they all stood when the bell rang and shuffled toward the bars, eyes fixed on the floor.
Lainus's expression remained blank. Emotionless. As if he had seen worse.
As he came closer to the iron bars, he could see more of the hall beyond. It stretched far into the darkness. There were dozens of cells, maybe more. He couldn't see the end. Each one held more slaves, all wearing collars just like his.
In the middle of the hall, faint low sunlight filtered in from somewhere above.
A sudden figure emerged from the shadows.
It was a fat old man, walking with the help of a wooden cane. In his left hand, he carried a small bell, which he rang continuously.
Clang, Clang, Clang
Behind him followed two armored guards, in their arms were large baskets filled with bread — stale, hard loaves that looked spoiled.
They passed each cell, the guards threw a few pieces of old, rotten bread through the bars, barely glancing at the slaves inside. The amount was pathetically small compared to the number of people crammed into each cell.
The slaves with collars didn't dare approach the food while the guards were watching. They only stared at it with hungry, desperate eyes. Once the guards passed farther away, they silently scrambled for the bread, fighting over it without making a sound — too terrified to make any noise.
While all the slaves were focused on the food, Lainus was more focused on the old man walking in front of the guards. 'So the one holding the cane is the overseer of the slaves here, Master Vek. From what I could gather from Lainus's memories, he's a sadistic old man who likes to torture slaves for fun from time to time.'
'Yesterday, he wasn't in a good mood for some reason, so he told the guards to give each cell only one piece of bread. Tia and her brother weren't able to eat anything yesterday, so he begged Vek to throw one more piece of bread. But when Vek heard him, he got angrier. He ordered the guards to open the cell door, then violently struck Lainus again and again with his cane until he fell unconscious. He never woke up that night.' His head started to itch as he tried to remember the memories of his current body's previous owner.
The overseer with the cane and bell reached the cell where Lainus was standing. The two guards followed, preparing to throw in their portion.
His eyes swept over the slaves that lined up behind the bars — a blonde boy, a girl with brown hair, Tia, and the others. But suddenly, when his gaze landed on Lainus, his expression darkened.
"Oh?" His voice was loud, cutting through the silence like a blade. Vek's words echoed down the entire hall, reaching even the farthest cells. Slaves who had been fighting over bread froze mid-motion, their bodies stiff with fear. "Weren't you the filthy piece of shit I disciplined yesterday for being greedy?... Huh. I thought you'd be a corpse by now." The overseer's sly smile twisted into something uglier.
Lainus froze.
His mind quickly raced, cold and analytical even as his heart pounded in this small, weak chest.
'_Ahh! This sadistic pig noticed me. Of course he did. Bastards like him always remember the ones that get on their nerves..._'
'Huff... I must stay calm... Now that I think about it, I guess I'm not better than you, am I? We both do monstrous things for our fun and benefit. The only difference is you wear it on your face, and I learned to hide behind a fake one'
'I must please him to get him off me...'
Lainus slowly lowered his head, letting his small body tremble just enough to look genuine. When he spoke, his voice was soft, shaking, filled with manufactured fear and worship.
"T-Thank you... Master Vek... for your discipline yesterday." He swallowed hard, as if forcing the words out. "I... I was foolish. You were right to punish this worthless slave. I am nothing... less than dirt beneath your feet. Please... please forgive my arrogance. I will never forget the lesson you taught me."
His words dripped with submissive reverence, each one carefully chosen to stroke the old man's ego. He made himself small, insignificant — it was like seeing an insect groveling before a god.
Silence.
The entire hall went dead quiet. Everything was still. No one dared to speak a word, whether it was the slaves or the guards, they all awaited the overseer's response.
Lainus slowly raised his head, just enough to see Vek's reaction.
The overseer was staring at him intensely, eyes narrowed, trying to read him.
Lainus's mind was already calculating.
_'That's bad! he's not swayed, If he comes in and swings that cane at me again, what do I do?'_
_'Should I just let him hit me? No.. this body's too weak. Another beating like yesterday could cripple me. Or worse, kill me...'_
_'Do I try to dodge? Run?'_
He immediately dismissed the idea.
_'No. NO. Try to escape in this situation is suicide. Two armored guards behind him are in good shape, and I'm in this malnourished child's body with numb legs. I wouldn't make it three steps.'_
His eyes flicked down to the collar around his neck.
_'And this thing... In a world with people who can cut trees with their fingertips and strange creatures I've never seen before, it wouldn't be surprising if this collar has some strange abilities. Maybe it has some kind of tracking magic. Or worse, maybe it can kill me remotely if I disobey.'_
_'And the bread... What if there's something in it? Poison? A sedative? Some kind of control substance to keep slaves docile?'_
Due to his previous life's experience and betrayals, Lainus had become paranoid, constantly contemplating every possible consequence of his actions or words. His mind had become sharp, always analyzing the possible future outcomes — he was like an eagle, waiting patiently for the snake to lower its guard before striking.
His thoughts raced, reviewing every possibility, every risk.
Then—
The overseer's grim expression transformed again.
Into a sly smile.
"Ah, I see." Vek's voice was mocking, dripping with satisfaction. "So there are some rats in this shithole who can learn their lessons. Good. Very good." He tapped his cane against the bars with a sharp clang. "Maybe you're not completely stupid after all, boy. Keep that attitude, and you might just survive long enough to be sold."
He gestured lazily to the guards. "Give this cell an extra piece. The brat's earned it."
And the overseer just continued moving as if nothing had happened. At the next moment, the guards threw four pieces of bread into their cell, and another piece directly toward Lainus. Then they continued moving without even glancing back.
Lainus took a deep breath and bent down to grab his bread. Suddenly, small hands grabbed his back gently.
It was Tia.
Her expression was a mix of worry and horror. Her eyes were red, still wet with tears she'd been holding back. She was trembling slightly, relieved that nothing terrible had happened to her brother again.
"Lainus..." Her voice was shaky, barely above a whisper. "I thought... I thought he was going to hurt you again. I was so scared. Are you... are you really okay?"
Lainus looked at her, his face carefully neutral. He forced a small, reassuring smile.
"I'm okay. Don't worry." He placed a hand on her shoulder, mimicking the gesture of a caring older brother. "Master Vek was just testing me. I learned my lesson. Everything's fine now."
Tia's eyes looked at his face, still uncertain. Then her expression darkened, and she looked down at the dirty ground.
"Do you think..." She hesitated, her voice dropping even lower. "Do you think we'll ever get out of here, Lainus? Or are we going to die in this place?"
Lainus paused. He could see the despair in her eyes—a child who'd lost all hope.
He smiled warmly at her.
But internally, he was coldly assessing her worth.
'Can I use you to escape? Or just use you as bait to buy myself time when the time comes?'
He blankly glanced at the petite girl's fragile frame.
_'Probably the latter.'_
There was no guilt in the thought. No hesitation.
For Lainus, this way of thinking wasn't inhuman; in fact, it was being human in its purest form — a survival instinct present in every living being, shaped by the world's indifference.
Deep down, everyone is self-serving. The only difference is who admits it.
You help people when they're useful. You abandon them when they're not. That's not evil — that's efficient.
The same goes for everyone else: they only help when it benefits them. They betray when it benefits them more. Today's ally can be future's obstacle at any moment.
This was his only way to survive in a world that didn't care whether you lived or died.
"We'll find a way," he said simply, his voice calm.
Tia looked up at him, a faint glimmer of hope flickering in her tired eyes. She nodded slowly, wanting desperately to believe him.
"Really?" she whispered.
"Really." he lied smoothly.
She smiled, small, fragile, but genuine.
Lainus felt nothing.