Time stopped meaning anything in the cell.
There was no window.
No sunlight.
Only the slow drip of water somewhere in the corridor and the dull ache in Michael's wrists where the shackles bit into his skin.
The first day he shouted.
No one answered.
The second day he tried to count the hours between footsteps.
By the third day the guards stopped even looking at him when they pushed food through the bars.
Moldy bread.
Gray soup.
Always the same.
Always cold.
The shackles never loosened.
The warmth inside him never returned.
By the fifth day Michael stopped expecting anyone to come.
By the sixth day he wasn't sure if this was the "training" Leonas had mentioned... or if they had simply forgotten about him.
He was sitting against the wall when he heard footsteps.
Different footsteps.
Careful ones.
Michael slowly lifted his head.
A figure appeared outside the bars.
Henry.
The young guard glanced down the corridor before stepping closer.
"Don't make noise," he whispered.
Michael blinked in surprise.
Henry crouched and slid something through the bars.
Not the usual tray.
A piece of bread.
Real bread.
Fresh.
Michael stared at it like it might disappear.
"Go on," Henry said quietly.
Michael grabbed it immediately.
The smell alone made him almost dizzy.
He took a bite.
Soft.
Warm.
Nothing like the prison food.
"Why are you doing this?" Michael asked between bites.
Henry shrugged awkwardly.
"You looked like you were going to starve."
He leaned against the wall beside the cell, lowering his voice.
"They call this training."
Michael frowned.
"This?"
Henry nodded.
"They leave new mages alone for a while. Break routine. Make them easier to control later."
Michael looked down at the shackles.
"They're doing a good job."
Henry didn't reply to that.
For a moment the corridor was quiet.
Then Henry spoke again.
"I just finished the academy," he said.
Michael glanced up.
"The academy?"
Henry nodded.
"Royal academy in Loudenseff."
There was a hint of pride in his voice.
"That's where nobles learn magic properly."
Michael swallowed another bite of bread.
"What do they teach you?"
Henry seemed glad to talk about something normal
"A lot of things."
He began counting on his fingers
"Mana control first. That's the hardest class."
"Then combat training."
"With swords?" Michael asked.
Henry smiled slightly.
"With swords, magic or both if you're good enough."
He continued.
"There are seal classes too. Containment magic. Binding spells."
Michael shifted slightly, listening.
"And history," Henry added.
"History of Loudenseff. That one nearly killed me from boredom."
Michael almost smiled.
Henry relaxed a little.
"They also make you study the noble families."
Michael looked curious.
"Why?"
"Because those families run everything."
Henry scratched the back of his neck.
"Take the Decia family."
Michael had never heard the name.
"They're new nobles," Henry explained. "Not very strong with magic originally. Mostly sword fighters."
"So how did they become nobles?"
Henry lowered his voice slightly.
"They led an expedition into the Magical Forest years ago."
Michael leaned forward slightly.
"They came back with a spell no one had ever seen before."
"For the king."
"That's how they got their title."
Michael frowned.
"And now?"
"Now they're marrying into magic families," Henry said. "Trying to build power."
Michael absorbed that.
Henry continued.
"Then there's Selana."
His tone changed slightly.
"They're old. Very old."
"Been around since Loudenseff was founded."
Michael could hear respect in his voice.
"They're the best spellcasters in the kingdom. Most new spell techniques come from them."
"And the king lets them do that?" Michael asked.
Henry shrugged.
"They've always served the throne."
He paused.
"Same with the Bodder family."
"Who are they?"
"They were created to serve the king directly," Henry said.
"Messengers. Commanders. Loyalists."
Michael hesitated.
"…Have you ever seen the king?"
Henry went quiet for a second.
"…No."
That answer hung in the air.
Then Henry shook his head.
"Anyway."
He tapped the bars lightly.
"What about you?"
Michael looked confused.
"What about me?"
"Your magic."
Michael looked down at the shackles again.
"I don't even know what it is."
Henry studied him.
"That's strange."
While they spoke, something subtle was happening.
The metal around Michael's wrists felt… different.
Not hot.
Not cold.
Alive.
The faint warmth in his chest flickered.
Hungry.
Henry didn't notice.
"I can show you mine," Henry said suddenly.
He pulled a small metal piece from his belt.
A coin.
He held it in his palm.
The coin bent slowly.
Twisting like soft clay.
Michael stared.
"You're doing that?"
Henry grinned slightly.
"Metal control."
He straightened the coin again.
"Useful in combat."
The shackles around Michael's wrists gave the faintest tremor.
Neither of them noticed.
Michael felt something pulling inside him.
Instinct.
Like breathing.
Like hunger.
Henry suddenly rubbed his neck.
"…Weird."
"What?" Michael asked.
"Nothing."
Henry stood.
"I should go before Leonas comes back."
He slid another piece of bread through the bars.
"Try to survive until tomorrow."
Michael nodded.
Henry walked away.
The corridor fell silent again.
Michael sat there for a long time.
Then something changed.
A crack.
He looked down.
The shackles were splitting.
Metal flaked apart like rust.
"What…?"
The warmth flooded back into his chest.
Stronger than before.
His body felt lighter.
Sharper.
Awake.
Michael slowly stood.
The broken shackles dropped to the floor.
He stared at his hands.
Then at the bars of the cell.
Without thinking, he touched them.
The metal moved.
It bent outward.
Obeying him.
Michael froze.
His heart started racing.
The bars twisted apart, tearing open into a wide gap.
Cold air rushed through the opening.
Michael didn't question it.
He climbed through.
Then ran.
Up the stone corridor.
Up the stairs.
Toward the surface.
Toward freedom.
---
The next morning.
Henry walked down the corridor with a piece of bread hidden in his sleeve.
He stopped at the cell.
The door was still locked.
But something was wrong.
Henry slowly stepped closer.
His stomach dropped.
The bars were gone.
Torn open like paper.
The shackles lay shattered on the floor.
And the cell was empty.
"…No."
Henry spun around and ran down the corridor.
"LEONAS!"
His voice echoed through the prison.
"We have a problem."