Hours after their abrupt arrest from their abodes, the goblins and elves sit in the crepuscular train, not knowing the place they're headed. Kazz's grip on Isamu's arm tightens as he worries about the situation. "Papa, where are we going?"
"I don't know, but, don't worry, nothing will happen to us… I promise," Isamu gives Kazz a reassuring touch, placing his hand on his shoulder.
To pass the time, everyone on the train dozes off until the sound of a horn jolts them awake. The soldiers wrench the train door open and clamp their hands around the goblins' and elves' wrists. "Get out and follow us!" says a soldier
With the Ozanian soldiers leading the way, the goblins and elves are taken to a work area in the field, where they find themselves surrounded by a cacophony of clanging, banging, and whirring machines. "Take off your shoes," says a soldier.
An elf takes off his shoes and feels the damp, cold texture of the mud beneath his feet. "But this dirt is cold and muddy I-"
The soldier aims and releases an ion bolt blast, the force of which sends a jolt through the air toward the elf's feet. "Don't make me repeat myself, take off your shoes, or we'll start killing you all," As requested by a soldier, the goblins and elves take off their shoes.
Another soldier chucks stiff, orange prison uniforms toward them, and the material makes a swishing sound as it flies through the air. "Now, put these on."
As the group dons their uniforms, a tall, tan-skinned man with short, right-side-parted brown hair and menacing red swirled eyes stands in the front and center, wearing a crisp, black Ozanian uniform. "Form a line shoulder to shoulder," The Goblins and Elves line up side-by-side across the premises. "I am Captain Kyoko of the Ozanian Army and enforcer of one of many labor prisons for Ozania; because of the recent crimes you all have committed against us, you will be imprisoned, and you will stay here in Prison Camp I-010 until Ozania decides you are released. To compensate for this time, you will work fourteen hours daily to benefit our empire. You will receive daily rations to ensure you have enough strength to work. You will follow every order we give you. If you decide you don't want to, you will be killed, tortured, or exiled."
Seeing the cruelty of the situation, an elf steps out of line; their face contorted with rage. "This is unjust. Most of us here are innocent! We did nothing wrong, so why are you imprisoning us?! Th-" Kyoko shoots a Lava JōKai blast from his Black JōKai pistol at the elf, the searing heat from the molten lava penetrating his stomach and killing him.
Kyoko's eyes narrow as he glances at the prisoners, his expression full of intensity. "Anyone else have something they'd like to share?"
"…"
"Good, glad you can follow orders. Men, let's escort them to their living quarters."
The Soldiers march in formation, escorting the Goblins and Elves to their living quarters. The living quarters contain multiple bunk beds, a creaky, decaying floor, and a flickering candlelight faintly illuminating it. "This is where you will sleep for the rest of your lives. Beginning tomorrow, you all become full-fledged workers for Ozania. Get some rest. This work is taxing," says a soldier.
Kazz scrambles to Kiyo, his heart pounding in his chest from the uncertain situation, and he embraces her. "M-mom, will we live this way for the rest of our lives?"
"No, this will end someday. The empire can only allow treason for so long."
"End? Do you realize that bastard Rozar has all the power in the empire right now? He could kill us all on a whim if he wants. This will be our lives until that scumbag dies, and I don't see that happening for decades," says an elf.
"I know what you're saying, but we can't give up hope."
"Hope, look around you. There is no hope," The goblin curls up on his bunk bed and drifts off to sleep, the soft mattress cradling his body.
"It's fine, everyone. I'll figure out a plan to set us all free," says Isamu
"When father?" asks Mariko.
"It's going to take some time. Right now, all I can say is to hold on and survive. This labor will be brutal, but we can make it if we look out for one another."
After four hours, a sharp, shrill alarm rips through the air, alerting the goblins and elves. The soldiers barge into the barracks, shouting and banging their shields to stir the sleeping goblins and elves. "Get up, you all! It's time to go to work!"
The soldiers escort the goblins and elves back to the work area they had been in the day before, the sun's heat beating down on their shoulders. "Your job for today is to provide fuel for this smelter. The workers on the other side will smelt the iron to produce armor and weapons. You all have one week to fill out all the weapons and armor shelves. If it isn't full by the time we want it to be, we'll kill 30 of you. Get to work."
For a grueling five hours, the Goblins work, shoveling the tough coal into the smelting furnace to energize it. As they work, Isamu notices an elderly Goblin struggling to stay upright, his frail body trembling with exhaustion. "Here, you need this more than I do," Isamu passes him a cold bottle of water and a bright, juicy tangerine.
"B-but these are your rations. You don't have to give them to a weak old man like me."
"No, it's fine. I can go a long time without eating and drinking," Isamu forms a warm, inviting smile, the corners of his lips curving upward.
"Thank you," The elder savors the sweet and tangy flavor of the juicy tangerine and gulps down the cold water to quench his thirst.
While observing from afar, a group of soldiers eye Isamu as if they were plotting something sinister. "So that's the one who is plotting to escape, right?" asked one soldier
"Yeah, we heard him going on about it, and to make matters worse, he's a former Ozanian Captain."
"So we should eliminate him while we can. Escape will be inevitable with him on their side."
The soldiers approach Isamu, holding multiple torture weapons in their hands. The elder's wide eyes shine with fear as they attempt to strike Isamu with an electric pole. "Behind you!" A soldier attacks Isamu on the back with a metal pole, causing Isamu to fall.
"Father!" Kazumi attempts to run toward Isamu, but Mariko holds him back.
"Brother, don't go in there. They're going to hurt you if you do."
"I know that, but I don't wanna just sit around watching! They could kill him!"
Kiyo steps in front of Kazumi, her hand resting on his shoulder. "No, your sister is right, Kazumi. Just stay back. We'll have to hope your father makes it."
Isamu looks at the soldiers with a puzzled expression, his body still recovering from the strike. "What did I do?"
"You violated a rule of plotting an escape, and for that, you will be punished," The soldiers continue their relentless beating on Isamu with electric staffs.
Isamu smiles smugly and glares at the soldiers with a boastful attitude. "Is that all you got?"
"I figured this would happen. Weapons like these have little to no effect on a Supernatural."
"Leave it to me then. I'll take him down a peg," Kyoko strides in, his Lava JōKai pole casting an orange hue and giving off an intense heat. Kyoko delivers a powerful blow to Isamu's back, causing his shirt to fly off his body, the heat of the Lava infused pole leaving a burn mark on his back. Isamu screams in agony, his pained yelp echoing throughout the work area. "Not so cocky now, are you?"
"Papa!" says Kazz, Kazumi and Mariko.
Kyoko continues to strike Isamu's back with the lava pole, the searing heat from it charring his back the more he gets hit. "Kazz, don't watch this," Kiyo places her hands over Kazz's eyes to keep him from watching the horrific scene.
After forty minutes, Isamu falls to the ground. "Look at him, Captain. He can hardly stand now."
"And look at his back. It's burnt to a crisp."
Kyoko turns back toward the goblins and elves, their eyes wide with terror as they watch the event unfold. "For those of you who want to plot an escape, let this be an example of what will happen to you."
Isamu lies on the ground, his breaths coming out in brief gasps as he digs his fingers into the cold dirt. "I can't die like this. It'd be a shame to do so pathetically," Surprisingly, Isamu stands with his head held high, despite the insufferable beating he endured.
The soldier whirls around, his brows raised in shock. "Captain, he's standing!"
"Such impudence. I'll finish him," Kyoko releases his grip on the pole, and then he feels the familiar grip of his pistol as he removes it from his holster.
Isamu's vision dims and pulsates as he moves between life and death. "It seems it's my time. I must give a message to my family before I pass on," Thought Isamu. Isamu looks toward his family with a determined expression, a confident gleam in his eye. "Listen, guys, my time is coming to an end. I'm about to die."
"Don't say that. You can still make it!" says Kazumi.
"It's alright, you all. Just listen to what I have to say. I want you all to care of each other with all of your might. Look after each other until this all ends, and make sure none of you are left behind. Even though it looks bleak right now, don't lose hope. Even if they spit in your face, mock you, ridicule you keep your head high. Do whatever you can to survive and live on, and better days will come," Kyoko charges his Lava JōKai blaster, the gears clicking reverberating in the air as he aims it at Isamu's chest. "I love you all.... goodbye." Kyoko fires a destructive lava blast from his blaster, the scorching heat wave penetrating through Isamu's chest, and he falls forward onto the cold dirt and perishes.
Kiyo collapses to the ground, her heart aching with sorrow. "No!"
"Mother!" Mariko and Kazumi embrace Kiyo, providing a helping hand.
Kazz embraces Kiyo, feeling her sorrow and grief for Isamu's death. "I can't cry. I can't be weak. I'll be strong for you, Father," Kazz thinks to himself.
"Continue your work," Kyoko holsters his pistol and marches out of the camp with his soldiers in tow.
Kiyo casts a sorrowful, fleeting look toward Isamu's lifeless body. "Kazumi honey, find me a shovel, please."
"Sure thing," Kazumi scans the area, his eyes darting back and forth, until he spots a shovel and hands it to Kiyo. "Here you are, mother."
"Thank you," As Kiyo digs the grave for Isamu, the dirt clumps thudding onto the pile, memories of their life together overwhelm her, causing her to cry and fall to the ground. "I can't! I can't!"
The other prisoners gather around Kiyo, the shovels rattling against the ground as they help her dig the hole. "Don't worry, mam. We'll help you," The goblins fill in the gap, the dust and dirt clinging to Isamu's lifeless body.
Kiyo wipes away her tears and beams a warm, watery smile at them. "Thank you all so much."
"You're welcome. You don't have to go through this time of hardship by yourself," said a Goblin.
Each person pays their respects by laying items of significance on Isamu's burial ground amidst the quiet solemnity. Kazz, being the last one there, takes out the necklace his father gave him.
Kazz looks upon Isamu's grave, his eyes misting over as he hears his father's words echo in his mind. "Never rush time, no matter what. This will remind you that everything good in life comes when you need it, not when it's rushed or if you try to force it to come. Let it come naturally, and I promise you, my son, you will receive great rewards," Kazz grips the watch tight. "I promise I won't give up hope, father."