"ALL FELLOW INMATES RETURN TO YOUR CELLS."
Carlos shouted across the mess hall, the Black Bulls had already closed the mines and were now cooperating with the Fire Fighters to get everyone back in their cell's.
When the inmates saw the top members of two gangs telling them to leave, they didn't dare to complain. Hundreds of prisoners rushed out of the mess hall and into their respective blocks.
RUMBLE.
The ground they were standing on began to shake violently causing Carlos and gang to realise that they were out of time, he and the others ran back to their own cells.
Back in Block-D Ren was nervously waiting for his plan to take effect. As soon as he entered the cell, he had noticed that the Headmaster was nowhere to be seen but that mattered little, soon he would either escape the prison or die trying.
A few weeks ago, just before the Black Bulls were made aware of his plan, Ren had paid the boss of the Fire fighters a visit. In addition to getting him to martyr himself, Ren also got him to spill all the information from when he had served as an executioner.
From what he was told, Ren deduced that the explosion would blow apart the section of the prison were the wardens resided and make a nice little escape route in the process. The only problem was that one couldn't predict something as irrational as a volcanic explosion. Ren had failed to mention to those involved that there was a good chance that this section of the prison would be submerged in magma. Although he was willing to take the risk, he wasn't sure if the others would be so co-operative if they learned this.
Another issue was the anklets, while they were on, the inmates couldn't use magic, making their escape that more difficult. If worst came to worst, Ren was fully prepared to sever his foot and hope Roxy could do something about it later. Under normal circumstances doing this would alert the Wardens and an Executioner would promptly arrive at your door step but hopefully they would all be blown sky high before that happened.
Now came the last and most troublesome problem, assuming that everything went well and they escaped the prison successfully, how would he get back to the village. Ren wasn't naïve, he knew that a volcanic eruption would have devastating effects on the whole Ignis kingdom.
Although they wouldn't be completely destroyed thanks to defensive formations, the ones in charge would probably close all borders and prevent anyone from leaving while they began the restoration process.
If the Headmaster showed his face at some point Ren would ask him to take him to the village as a part of their deal. Of course, Ren wasn't counting on it, he knew the headmaster was strong but that shady character wasn't worth depending on. He didn't even know if that man was capable of such a feat.
One thing that Ren tried not to think about was the death toll caused by the eruption, there was no avoiding it though, anyone who couldn't evacuate to a safe area in time would die, there was no excusing that.
Ren felt the tremors get more intense, any second now the pressure inside the crater would reach the critical point and their escape would start.
***
A scrawny figure was floating in the air high above the volcano, he looked on in fascination as the whole ground began to shake.
"I guess that fool can do it if he tries, this is something even I've never seen."
BOOOOOM.
A huge pillar of magma shot out of the crater reaching into the sky, Hundreds of flaming, house-sized boulders were sent flying in all directions leaving behind bright orange trails in the air. Thick clouds of smoke began to rise from the crater as lava began to pour down the sides of the volcano towards the kingdom below.
The figure glanced at the kingdom and the hundreds of boulders heading towards it and sighed deeply.
"I should probably do something about that shouldn't I."
He said and a moment later he vanished into thin air.
***
Ren heard an explosion so loud it was painful. the tremors peaked and the shaking was so violent that the bunk bed fell on its side. Ren hunkered down in his cell while he patiently waited for the tremors to stop, it took around half an hour for the shaking to completely stop but when it did, he was one of the first out of his cell.
From here on out, time would be the crucial factor. He ran out of Block- D and saw that the black bulls and the fire fighters were gathering at the mess hall, he quickly caught sight of Carlos, standing next to him was Pedro III and Juan of the fire fighters
"It's time."
Ren yelled at Carlos, causing him to clear his throat and shout at the top of his lungs.
"Attention all inmates, the Black bulls and the fire fighters have teamed up to escape the I.M.S. Anyone who wants to leave this hell come along now. Otherwise, you can go rot in hell."
A short while later inmates began to pour out of the block and gather at the mess hall. Not wasting a second Ren called Juan over.
"Unlock the door we're leaving this place."
Ren shouted over the loud commotion in the mess hall, Juan seemed to understand him and made his way to the same door that the warden had pushed Ren through when he first arrived. After seeing this Ren gave Carlos a thumbs up, signalling him to make another announcement.
"Follow me and I will lead you out of this place."
He roared, immediately heading towards the door Juan had just now opened. When the prisoners saw that the door had actually been unlocked and that Carlos wasn't bluffing, their eyes burned with a feverish excitement, some of them ran back into their cells to tell the others who had remained in their cells.
Everyone was excited at the prospect of leaving this place, they quickly followed Carlos through the door along with Ren who was mixed in with the crowd
The group was two hundred strong and all of them marched down the dark tunnel in a disorderly fashion, they pushed and shoved their way with Carlos and Juan leading the pack.
After walking for a little while they saw light at the end of the tunnel… day light, the heat had gotten consistently stronger throughout their journey but now it mattered little, they had finally arrived at the solitary confinement area in the crater of the volcano.
Ren was grinning ear to ear, the eruption had been perfect, on top of destroying the solid steel door that blocked off the path to solitary, it had blown apart the top of the volcano in such a way that the impossibly high climb from before was now only a few meters… a mere few meters and they would be out of this hell.
"ALL INMATES RETURN TO YOUR CELLS IMMEADIATELY"
A loud voice made Ren turn his head and see that behind them was the fat Warden who had both inducted him to prison as well as send him to solitary gathered around him were twenty executioners in their usual black uniforms staring back at them with cold emotionless eyes.
Ren was shocked, wasn't that explosion meant to take care of all the Wardens. He looked past the group of executioners, there was no one else behind them. Ren guessed that this group had somehow managed to escape the wrath of the volcano, while the other Wardens had been incinerated.
"Why would we do that, you can't stop all of us."
Someone in the group shouted and was met with the cheers of the others. Yet, the warden looked unfazed.
"I don't need to… I see your all still wearing your anklets. They're programmed so that the moment you set foot out of this prison all the aether in your body will be sucked out and sent back all at once… the result can only be death."
The warden said coldly, his words made Ren frown. If what he was saying was true then it was a major problem.
"He's lying, he's desperate now that we've come this far. If we give up now, we will all be executed for trying to escape the prison."
Carlos yelled at the crowd, people saw the logic in his words and nodded their heads in approval, who would give up now, when they were so close.
"If you think I'm lying then why don't you test it out... but to anyone who wants to live, if you return to your cells within five minutes, we won't execute you."
He said casually but hose nonchalant words prompted intense discussions within the inmates, no one wanted to be the hero that tested if the Warden was lying or not. Some of the more decisive inmates started to leave the group and head towards the Warden.
Ren was feeling immensely frustrated, was all his effort the past month useless. He had half the mind to test out the anklet himself or at least sever of his foot. As Ren was thinking on his next move more people started to leave the group and Ren was beginning to feel hopeless.
"Oi fool, why the long face… shouldn't you be happy that I've been looking for you."
A rough and familiar voice made Ren look up and lay eyes on the spectacled man known to him as the Headmaster.
"Where the hell have you been."
Ren asked in surprise, the headmaster had completely disappeared during the events of the explosion.
"I was busy cleaning up your mess… but never mind that. I know that you haven't met the conditions of our deal just yet but rejoice, that eruption was pretty good by itself. For the first time in a long time, I saw something truly fascinating… the favour, what is it?"
He asked while readjusting his glass's. Ren was shocked but there was little time for delay he blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"Get these damn anklets off."
Ren yelled hastily, although Ren expected his first instinct to be to escape and leave the prisoners behind to fend for themselves, it seemed that he wasn't as ruthless as he liked to believe.
"Consider it done."
The headmaster said while smirking, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
CLANK.
Hundreds of metallic thuds could be heard as the anklets around the inmate's legs dropped to the floor. Numerous auras began to surge out from the crowd, making Ren suffocate under the immense pressure. His own anklet had also dropped off and despite the heavy auras surrounding him, the feeling of regaining control of his aether was euphoric.
The other prisoners were all feeling similar to Ren, some of them had been locked up for decades without their Aether. Cheers broke out in the crowds but ultimately their eyes where all fixed on one person… the warden.
"Oh shi-"
The warden began to curse, but before he could finish his sentence a rain of multicoloured spells descended on him and the executioners. The last thing the fat Warden saw was a small black-haired child raising his middle finger at him.
BOOOM.
A massive explosion occurred right where they were standing and when the dust cleared moments later, all that was left was a small crater and a black scorch mark. Cheers erupted across the group but once they died down some of the sharper ones began to have their doubts.
"What now?"
This burning question was on the minds of some of the prisoner, they may have escaped but surely, they would be hunted down by the rest of the kingdom. Although their escape was a good thing, the inmates didn't like the idea of living their lives in fear.
This was something Ren had predicted, even though what they did from now on was none of his concern, he had to put on a show of comradery for the Black Bulls so they would support his plan, which is why he had already gone over this with Carlos.
Ren found Carlos and gave him a thumbs up, which was the signal they had agreed upon. the inmates wouldn't listen to a kid like him, even if he was a celebrity shrimp, this was the reason Carlos had led the escape, now that they were successful in that, Carlos had to be one of the most admired inmates in the prison.
Once Carlos received the signal, he grinned at Ren and promptly cleared his throat, beginning the speech he had rehearsed with Ren.
"Listen up louts, now that we have escaped some of you may be worried about what comes next… will we be hunted down the kingdom, will we have to live our lives in fear of being caught…. But I'm telling you none of that will happen."
"Take a look around, after fifty years of inmates being sent to this prison, we number over two hundred, every single one of those two hundred is a breaker. Now you tell me who can hunt down two hundred breakers. Our current strength is something even a kingdom can't take lightly… but if you still don't believe in yourselves… then believe in me."
Carlos roared and a heavy aura surged out of his body stunning the prisoners, Ren included. The last part of his speech was something they hadn't planned and was Carlos's own doing but that wasn't the shocking part.
Ren had met a few Rank two breakers, princess Tang Yue and Li Ming specifically but the pressure he got from them didn't hold a candle to the majestic aura exuding out of Carlos's body, this was unmistakably the aura of a Rank Three.
Cheers once again surged throughout the crowds and the ones who previously held doubts were now beginning to hope but Carlos wasn't done talking just yet.
"As prisoners… No, former prisoners of the I.M.S, many of us hold grudges and hatred towards the others. I want you to leave the past behind these walls, remember that we are only strong as a group, not as individuals. If we let our past split us apart, we will go from being feared by the kingdom to easy pickings."
"From this point on we are a community two hundred strong, the people around you will be your allies for the rest of your lives, if you think differently… well, then the kingdom will be the least of your concerns."
Carlos spoke with a firm tone. he was probably the strongest inmate around and his threat was taken seriously.
Although some of the inmates were reluctant to let go of their past, others couldn't be happier. Once the anklets had been removed, they had come to realise that the people they wanted to beat to a bloody pulp were now a lot stronger than them.
"Lastly don't forget that today we escaped hell and that's worth celebrating."
Carlos yelled, raising his fist high into the air. The cheers only grew louder, the current atmosphere was electric. Even Ren couldn't stop a wide grin from appearing on his face.
With the celebrations refusing to die down, Carlos made his way over to Ren.
"I never thought I would see the open skies again, its beautiful aint it shrimp."
He said while putting his arm around Ren's shoulder and gazing up in awe at the clear blue skies.
"Even though it's only been little over a month for me, I have to say I agree... why didn't you mention that you were so strong."
Ren asked, curios as to why Carlos had failed to mention something so important. His question made Carlos chuckle.
"I had to keep some secrets to myself didn't I."
He said while pinching Ren's cheek, but all of a sudden his face turned serious.
"Shrimp like we talked about earlier, I plan to take all the inmates to the forest and build our own little place there… I feel like I know the answer already, but are you coming."
He asked sincerely. Ren had a complicated expression on his face, he slowly shook his head.
"I have people I need to return to at all costs, it's one of the forces that drove me to escape the prison… I wish you the best of luck though."
Ren said somewhat bitterly, although he didn't want to admit it, he had grown close to Carlos and the Black Bulls over this past month.
"It's alright even though we'll miss you I'm sure we will see each other again… wait here a second."
Carlos said before walking off into the crowd, he returned a few minutes later with all of the Black Bulls, Pedro III included. They immediately swarmed Ren and at some point, he felt himself being lifted into the air.
"Three cheers to the shrimp."
Carlos yelled and Ren was thrown high into the air by the massive members of the Black Bulls, he fell into them and was immediately thrown up into the air again.
"Never forget that you were a part of the Black Bulls shrimp, you will always be welcome where we end up"
Carlos shouted as Ren was thrown up once more.
"We'll tell the rest of the prisoners about you when we settle down… we'll tell them how one little shrimp orchestrated the break out of a prison that was once considered unbreakable."
He said while Ren fell back down… only to be thrown up in to the air again.
"As long as our Inferno village stands, people will never forget about you… You will always be remembered as a hero."
***
By the time that Ren had said his goodbyes to the Black Bulls, he was a bit rattled from all the air time, having mostly recovered a short while later, he felt that it was time for him to head back to the village, taking one last glance at the inmates who were losing themselves in the celebrations he turned around.
"Leaving without saying goodbye, where are your manners fool."
The headmaster said appearing out of nowhere. Ren turned around, at first, he was going to say a short goodbye and continue leaving but then he realised something. He ran towards the headmaster with his arms outstretched, before he could even get close an unknown force made him trip and fall to the ground.
"What are you trying to do fool."
The headmaster said, Ren picked himself of the floor, back in solitary he had deliriously promised himself to give this man a hug.
"As I recall you owe me a favour for breaking out of the prison."
Ren said, pretending that what had just occurred never happened. In truth Ren was dreading the long journey back to the village, if he could get the headmaster to take him back then he could avoid a week-long journey.
"And as I recall you used up that favour by getting me to take off those anklets."
He fired back but this wasn't what Ren was getting at.
"That favour was because of the volcano exploding, as far as I'm aware our deal still stands."
Ren said smugly causing the headmasters eyes to narrow. Ren could now be said to have broken out of the prison and although it was just sophistry, Ren hoped that the Headmasters pride would allow this to work.
"Consider it already paid off, I cleaned up your mess so you didn't become a mass murderer."
His word shocked Ren, did the headmaster actually prevent the deaths of the people who couldn't evacuate in time, just how strong was he. However, the Headmasters potential strength didn't deter Ren in fact only made him more determined.
"It's not like I asked you to do that, it was your choice."
Ren continued to argue, causing the headmaster to sigh.
"Fine… you probably want to go to that stupid village right."
He said causing Ren to be stunned. How did he know about that? Ren was sure that he never told him about that. He immediately thought back to when he first met the headmaster and blacked out, was it possible that he read his memories.
Ren nodded his head, right now that invasion of his privacy was a small matter. What was important was getting back to the village.
"I'll take you to the village now… be proud of the fact that a mere fool extorted someone like me."
Ren asked, from what Roxy told him the kingdoms were covered in arrays that prevented you from entering through spatial magic, this was the reason they had to cross all the borders on foot when travelling to the Kingdom of Ventus.
When he was caught in the spatial array on the abandoned island, he was already outside the Kingdom of wind's borders, then he was relocated above the Kingdom of Ignis and simply fell through the array.
When he voiced those concerns to the headmaster he chuckled.
"It makes sense that's all Roxy is capable off, she doesn't have the finesse required for such a thing, oh yes remind her that she owes me one for helping out her disciple… see you around fool."
Before Ren could ask how the Headmaster knew his master he was wrapped up in a blinding purple light and his surroundings blurred.