After escaping from being kidnapped, Zephyrine decided to hide himself in the tree instead of returning to the cabin. As he began to feel safer in hiding, he was suddenly startled by the loud shout of a man walking by.
"THAT BRAT! He dared stab me in the shoulder and leg!"
"You should have been more careful."
Zephyrine listens to the two as they speak, still unable to see the two in the darkness of the night.
"I didn't know that brat had a weapon with him!"
"Even so you shouldn't have let him get away. We could have sold him for 40 gold coins."
"And how are you planning to even sell him?"
Their voices continued to get lower and lower as they moved further away. Zephyrine want to continue listening into their conversation but the risk of him getting noticed in the silence of the night is too high.
At the time he could only think to himself "I can't get caught. I have to stay." As the voice of the two finally disappeared, he was finally able to catch his breath and his eyes slowly closed.
Sleeping peacefully up in the trees, Zephyrine awakened by the morning light shining pass the leaves. Feeling tired from hiding all night, he attempted to fall back asleep but he felt hungry from only eating bread the day before. Jumping down from the tree, he walks nearby looking for berries not going any deeper in the forest.
Finally finding some red berries to fill his stomach, he continued into the remains of the house, in search of anything he could use. The dirt was discolored, no house remains standing, and the black puddles still remain. He ravaged through the remains of the fallen house and came out with nothing but splinters on his hand from the woods.
"ouch..."
About to leave the piles of wood, he heard someone from behind him shouting.
"It's you! Little Brat!"
A man with long brown hair down to his shoulders with bandages wrapped around his left shoulder and ankle, pointing at Zephyrine, began to run towards him.
Zephyrine, ignoring the spiking pain from the splinters, held his knife, ready to stab the man again.
"You..."
The man stopped before running straight into the knife, yet he was not frightened by it. He grinned and began to say "Hey, little child. Do you want to go into the city?"
Zephyrine was startled by his words, wanting to leave this nightmare for so long and now he was given the chance. He didn't know what to say when the one who is offering it is the one who attempted to kidnap him.
"How would they even allow you to enter the city?"
The man's smile widened.
"Simple. We have a deal with a wealthy family to help them find a young healthy child to be their servant."
He thought about the offer for a bit and decided, to get away from the fiends this could be his only chance.
"How would we do this then?"
"Then just follow me and I'll take you to the family."
"You go ahead first and I'll follow you."
The man walked forward as Zephyrine followed him with his knife still in hand. They head from the ruins at the south gate to a giant tent set up near the west gate. Zephyrine was stunned by the giant tent made with white silk and embroidered with the symbol of a dove soaring the sky. He walked into the tent following the man and as they entered a young man in a white cloak spoke.
"Is this the one?"
"Yes sir but it seems that this little one is threatening you with the weapon in his hand."
"You!"
Before Zephyrine could continue speaking, a guard in armor held him down to the ground.
"Umm... So sir, our deal."
"No worries I remember."
The man took out a bag tied closed with a string and threw it onto the grown. The second that it landed, the man got down to his knees and grabbed the bag and left.
"What's happening?"
Zephyrine still pressed to the ground, questioning what was happening.
"Oh? He didn't tell you. Well then, you are going to become a slave."
"What?! What do you mean slave?"
"What is there need to be said? A young child your age will be sold for a high price. How do you think we stay in the city?"
Zephyrine in shock of his foolishness, he stayed in silence. The guard picked him up and placed chains on his arms and legs then threw him into an iron cage.
"Sir it's complete."
"Alright, then are the others back?"
At the side of the tent Zephyrine sat there not knowing what to do. Having nothing he could use and his knife left on the ground. As he falls deeper into his thoughts, he is brought back from the sudden call of a person coming into the tent.
"Sir! We brought it back."
Two people completely covering their face and in black clothing, came in dragging a person with them covered in blood. They gave a bag to the guard and was brought to the noble. Zephyrine looks up and realizes the man to be the one who lied and brought him here.
"What's going on?!"
A guard lifted his sword and struck the front of the cage knocking Zephyrine back. The noble stood up and laughed as he walked towards him.
"Nothing. I'm just taking back what was mine."
Looking into his eyes, there was nothing but excitement and joy. He kicked the cage and walked out of the tent.
"Pack up we're leaving."
The guard grabbed the cage that Zephyrine was in and placed a wagon. In the wagon there were jars filled with black liquid, Zephyrine could only think of breaking all the jars that he saw before him.
"Collecting such disgusting things!" He thought.
He turned around to look towards the guards near the tent and saw the noble standing before it. There he stands as he pulls out a scroll with a magic formula written on it, applying a bit of mana to activate the scroll. He threw the scroll towards the tent and the scroll began to release flames burning the tent to the ground along with the corpse.
"Let's go"
He walked into a white carriage and they moved away from the burning tent. They headed to the west gate and as they approached it, they were stopped by the gate guards. The silver guards stood in front of the gate and one silver guard stepped forward and said "Do you have permission to enter the city?"
A butler came out of one of the carriages ahead and spoke.
"We are the people of count Skywings."
He took out a token with the symbol of the Skywings family and the silver guards quickly stepped aside. Without having their carriages or wagons being searched, they got into the city.
They drove through the city. Zephyrine wanted to take a look at the cit but; he couldn't reach anything outside of the cage and there was no opening that he could see through. He could only hear the sound of the chains striking the cage.
Finally they arrived in front of the count's mansion, the gates opened and they drove in. Instead of stopping at the front door of the mansion, the wagon continued to move to the backyard of the mansion. A guard came into the wagon and took Zephyrine out, then dropped him onto the ground.
"Open it." The count told the guards.
The guards pushed a statue of a giant dove aside, revealing a stair going down into a room. Zephyrine was lifted and brought down into the room. There it was lit with torches, as he was brought down, he noticed multiple cages in the room but most of them were empty.
"Enjoy your time alone." Skywings said.
The guards put out the torches, leaving Zephyrine in the dark and close the entrance with the statue.