In a solemn office filled with medals and battle portraits, a soldier is reporting to someone.
Soldier: Sir Douglas, the number of illegal immigrants is growing. How should we handle them?
Douglas: Those people are truly a nuisance. Issue my order: in three days, all of them will be executed in the square. Let this serve as a warning to those who dare to sneak in. (The soldier responds with a sharp "Yes, sir" and leaves.)
In a pavilion in a flower garden, a woman is sipping tea when she suddenly feels uneasy. Her face pales, and her body seems weary. She raises a hand to her forehead. A maid speaks up.
Maid: Madam, are you all right?
Jean: I suddenly feel uneasy, as if something bad is about to happen.
The scene shifts to Amai, who has been stripped of all his belongings and imprisoned. Outside, the guards are rummaging through his luggage, and Amai begins to piece things together.
Amai (thinking): "Those guards and that Gazal guy—they must be in cahoots. I should have been more careful. Getting caught like this is just plain reckless. Now instead of finding a way into the city, I have to figure out how to escape from here."
The prison door opens, and a soldier in uniform steps inside, standing in front of all the cells.
Soldier: By the order of Sir Douglas, all who attempt to infiltrate the city have committed a grave crime, disturbing the peace of its citizens. To maintain order and the safety of our people, all of you will be executed in three days.
As the soldier finishes, all the prisoners erupt into shouts, cursing, insulting, and screaming. Most of them do not deserve to die—they could have been deceived like Amai, driven by hardship to this place. Or perhaps they were victims of the monstrous creatures of the legion. Amai grows increasingly anxious, realizing he is in a dire situation.
Amai (thinking): "This is really bad. I have to find a way out of here. If I don't act within three days, I'll be dead. I must figure something out before then."
Two days later, Amai finalizes his escape plan. Over the past two days, he has carefully observed the guards' behavior and their shift schedules. For Amai, these days feel like torture compared to the peaceful life he once led in the Apat forest. As he ponders, doubts creep into his mind: Are humans truly this ugly? Were his parents like this too? Is returning home the right decision? Regardless, escaping is his top priority. Tonight, he will act during a moment of lax security. The guards change shifts every three hours, with two guards on duty at all times. During the shift change, one guard leaves to fetch the replacements, leaving only one behind. That's the perfect time to act.
One guard speaks:
Guard 1: It's time. Go call the next two. Staying in this filthy place is driving me crazy.
Guard 2: Got it. I'm on it.
As the second guard leaves the dungeon and shuts the door, Amai calls out.
Amai: Hey, you damn warden! One day, I'll crush you under my feet like the trash you are!
Warden: Where'd you pick that line up? Hahaha! I hear that a lot. You'll die soon anyway. When the time comes, I'll chop you up and toss you into the river.
Amai (thinking): "It seems taunting someone this hardened won't work. In that case..."
Amai picks up a stone from the corner of his cell and throws it straight at the warden's head.
Warden: YOU LITTLE BASTARD! You've got a death wish, don't you?!
Fuming, the warden storms over, whip in hand, and unlocks Amai's cell. As he steps inside and raises the whip, the whip suddenly freezes mid-air. The warden looks terrified.
Warden: You... you know magic?! Damn it! (He turns and runs to report this.)
As the warden runs, he starts yelling but quickly realizes his throat seems incapable of producing sound. He turns back toward Amai with a look of fear. Amai charges and knocks the warden unconscious. As the warden collapses to the ground, Amai considers killing him. To Amai, killing a person doesn't feel much different from hunting animals in the forest. However, he recalls the words of Oga: "Those who kill their own kind are forsaken by the world." Amai stops himself and takes the keys from the warden.
He proceeds to unlock the cells. As he opens the last few, two more guards arrive for the shift change. The prisoners, who have endured endless humiliation and cruelty, unleash their pent-up rage, attacking the new guards. Chaos erupts in the dungeon. Amai uses this distraction to slip away unnoticed.
At the end of the corridor, he rummages through a pile of filthy garbage, searching for his belongings. When he finally finds them, he uses wind magic to gather everything, though it includes some trash. After all, the guards wouldn't have been kind enough to neatly repack his things.
Most of the prisoners have escaped by now. More guards rush into the dungeon. Amai realizes he has wasted too much time searching. Over ten guards charge into the room, attempting to seize him. Quickly, he casts a wind spell, creating a path and knocking the guards aside. While running, he avoids their pursuit with the agility honed during his years in the forest. But then, the mages arrive.
They cast golden rings of light that seem to bind whatever they touch. Amai evades most of them, leaping across rooftops and darting through streets. Yet, the pursuit doesn't end. Suddenly, an oppressive force bears down on him, stopping him in his tracks. In an instant, a ring of light binds him.
Amai falls face-first onto the ground, dirt covering his face. The impact is painfully jarring. As he lifts his head, he sees a group of people before him, led by a tall man in a uniform adorned with medals. Behind the man are several soldiers, a maid, and an elegantly dressed woman.
Douglas: What chaos have you all caused in my absence? Take him away! I will personally oversee his execution.
Amai (thinking): "Seriously? Of all the places to run, I end up here with him?"
The elegant woman, Jean, looks down at the dust-covered Amai. Something about him feels familiar, but she cannot place what it is.