Shed stared at the information about the four gladiators for a long time, eyes wide with astonishment.
Although he had imagined that the gladiators in the room with him were of a higher rank than Spruce, he certainly hadn't thought they could be Champion rank.
A shiver of fear ran down his spine. When he finally looked up, he realized he could barely maintain his composure as he looked at them.
He felt intimidated, yet he couldn't let it show.
"Can you trust us a little more now?" Vaus asked with a confident smile, breaking the silence.
Indeed, Shed did feel a bit more inclined to trust them. After all, they had revealed their identities and, in a way, put themselves at risk by doing so.
What if Shed sold their identities and intentions to the Colosseum in exchange for some kind of benefit?
'Why did they reveal their identities? The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that they have some kind of guarantee that I won't spill everything if I refuse their offer… maybe that big man really does have a skill that allows him to judge people, but then why didn't he come to speak to me first in the Colosseum corridors? If he had such a skill, he could have judged me there without letting me learn all these things about them and their organization… they must have something that ensures my silence… if that's the case… then perhaps all their actions… wearing masks they later removed so easily… hiding their identities only to reveal them afterward… were simply tactics to earn my trust…'
Thinking this, Shed broke into a cold sweat and swallowed nervously.
"If I were to refuse your offer…" Shed fixed his gaze on Vaus, "what would happen to me?"
Perhaps intrigued or surprised by Shed's question, Vaus chuckled.
"Nothing will happen to you… it will be as if none of this ever happened…"
Even though his words contained no threats, Shed still felt threatened.
"I will forget everything…" Shed speculated aloud.
A soft, ethereal laugh from Xhia echoed in the room, sending a shiver down Shed's spine.
Vaus looked at him with an even more piercing gaze, if that were possible.
"Shed, you seem like a smart person… you would really be helpful to us," Vaus spoke in a serious tone. "And besides, don't you want to get out of here too? Don't you want to escape this prison that our jailers have made so beautiful that we've almost become addicted to it? So much so that we forget what they've done to us!? SO MUCH THAT WE ACCEPT WHAT THEY'VE TAKEN FROM US!?"
The questions he posed followed a crescendo, not only in tone and volume but also in emotional intensity.
Shed would have been lying if he said those words hadn't moved him.
He felt his heart racing, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
He was already fairly convinced to accept their offer before that speech, especially since such an opportunity would likely never come again… but now he was certain he would accept it.
"I would be immensely pleased to get out of here with you." He then stated confidently, with a smile that was now fully formed on his face and eyes that looked far ahead.
He had said it; deep down, he knew that he would no longer be able to turn back.
Vaus sighed deeply, releasing some of the tension from his body.
"Good… I'm glad you accepted… I don't like having to play with people's memories like our jailers do…"
Vaus genuinely seemed relieved by this, and even Gonorot appeared to breathe a sigh of relief, while Xhia's hair seemed to move in a calmer, more orderly fashion.
"However… I would like to receive support from you to become stronger as soon as possible, because right now I don't know how I could be of any help to Champion ranks in escaping from here…"
"Oh, of course… besides funding you financially, we will also help you become stronger, and… regarding this…"
Vaus looked behind Shed, in Alice's direction.
"NO."
She responded sharply to his gaze, understanding what Vaus wanted to propose.
"Come on, Alice, you're the best among us in everything related to Ka, I would be really grateful if you taught him how to use it to its fullest…"
Saying this, Vaus looked at her intently.
Shed turned to look at Alice. Vaus's words seemed to have a particular effect on her, and each time their eyes met, she would abruptly turn away, showing embarrassment.
"You know I don't like doing these things…" she muttered weakly, devoid of any confidence.
'Am I imagining things, or…' Shed thought, observing their interaction.
"Don't you think that Shed here could be very useful to us in the future if today he had a teacher as skilled as you to guide him?" Vaus asked in a suggestive tone.
Alice let out a few strangled murmurs, looking down at the floor.
"Fine…" she sighed, "I'll teach him…"
'That was really easy for him to convince her… maybe I'm not just imagining things…' Shed thought, intrigued.
"Perfect! Thank you so much, Alice…"
He smiled at her, and she sighed deeply.
"Moving on to other matters…" Vaus changed the subject quickly, fixing his gaze on Shed. His expression had become serious again.
"There's another thing you could have access to, if you wish, and that's your memories…"
At his words, Shed's eyes widened in disbelief, thinking he must have misheard.
"What? My… memories? I think I didn't hear correctly…" His voice trembled slightly.
"You heard right. If you want, we can give you your memories back… I didn't mention this earlier because I didn't want you to join our cause just for that reason. Oh, and of course, you won't be able to get your memories right away, but only when you become an important enough member of our organization, and when we can fully trust you."
He explained.
Shed's heart started pounding rapidly, his hands trembling, while a gentle smile spread across his face. If he previously had any doubts about the correctness of his decision to ally with them, he was now more sure than ever of the soundness of his choice. Not just because he could recover his memories, but also because if their organization had access to such a valuable asset, it meant it was truly powerful, with significant connections.
The conversation didn't last much longer. Vaus explained to Shed how they would fund him in the not-too-distant future, specifically informing him that a major company would attempt to sponsor him, encouraging him to accept their offer. Vaus didn't reveal much about the organization Shed had agreed to join, other than that it was called "Hope," telling him that he would learn more over time.
Shed then arranged his training sessions with Alice… or rather, Alice quickly set the days, times, and location for their meetings, leaving Shed no room for negotiation.
After exchanging contacts with the four, Shed was finally free to leave the apartment. The tension he had built up during that time finally eased, and a hint of fatigue took its place, balanced, however, by immense excitement.
'What on earth just happened…'
What he had just experienced didn't feel real, yet it had to be, unless, of course, everything that had happened to him was nothing but a creation of his mind, maybe while he was having a wild dream, perhaps lying on a bed in a feverish state… but… that didn't seem to be the case.
Shed checked the time; to him, it felt like he had spent hours inside, but to his surprise, he had only been in that apartment for a bit more than half an hour.
'I should go back to my apartment to sort out my thoughts…'