Chapter 3
Freedom
A bell rang from afar.
Eliron's yellow eyes drifted to the sleeping figure leaning against his arm. According to the child, it had been six months since they met. He can only trust that information from her.
Honestly he was in conflict with himself.
The child is the daughter of he who named himself Gashu, in commemoration of acquiring its lands. It is the Demon King for sure. However she is also blessed by the goddess.
It's impossible for her to have been born blessed. If she was, then she would not be here.
Forget reaching a year old, the child would have been eliminated as soon as the goddess' power was traced inside her.
As he watched, her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he thought he saw something new in her gaze—an awareness, as though her empty stare had filled with a glow.
Before he could say anything, Nameless placed a finger to her lips, hushing him. "The people's hearts are crying with hunger. There's movement aboveground."
Nameless gestured for him to stand, or rather get up on his legs. She walked closer to a tunnel, it was human-sized. "We can get out of here, Mister Eliron."
"I can't' get through there. I haven't learnt transformation magic yet."
"The goddess will bless you." She smiles, "You just have to hold my hand."
Nameless held out her hand.
Eliron's eyes trembled. Could it be? Can he get out of here?
Taking a deep breath, Eliron reached for her hand. The gigantic rocky flesh of his dirty scale touched the child and a blinding light occurred.
A golden glow rained down from the ceiling and enveloped his body, it shone so bright that he had to close his eyes.
"It's okay. You can open your eyes now."
When Eliron opened his eyes, he frowned.
"This is ridiculous."
Nameless was taller than Eliron's human form.
The girl didn't seem to mind it but it bothered him a bit. She immediately tugged on his hand and led him away.
According to the child, there was chaos above.
One of the adult slaves woke up from their trance after being hit and they fought back. The chaos opened up a window of hope in the hearts of the others who watched and the goddess blessed them to break free.
His yellow eyes traced the walls.
It was a dark tunnel but Nameless navigated through it perfectly. Eliron grew nervous. Rather than being trapped for a century, it was more nerve-wracking to taste freedom.
What if we get out but were found and dragged back? An underlying pessimism grew in him.
But as if she realized his fear, Nameless' hand squeezed his.
"Don't scare yourself before trying something. While there is a chance to fail, there is just as much chance to succeed."
"This is more than just trying something…"
"But isn't this your first time escaping? In the years you were trapped here, you had plenty of time to learn transformation magic, turn into something else and escape. But you didn't."
The girl stopped in her tracks and faced him. The familiar face of an old friend overlapping with hers in his mind, a friend long lost to him.
Seeing that face, Eliron lowered his eyes.
Nameless squeezed his hand again and turned away, tugging him forward. "I am not your saviour or guide. This is merely a part of life, a chance at another one. When we get out of here will you tell me why you refused to escape?"
Eliron bit his lip.
He wasn't unwilling but he hesitated. A century-worth of fear and pain buried deep threatened to consume him so he stayed quiet.
Nameless didn't mind the lack of answer.
She just held his small hand tightly.
From afar Eliron's senses heard the commotion.
"Nameless! Here!"
"Royce! Where are the others?!"
"They're in the forest. Follow me! Don't look back!"
A boy who was taller than than Eliron and Nameless guided them somewhere. Before Eliron could thoroughly check his identity, his eyes staring at the boy grazed past the him and towards the view above.
"It's… the night sky…" Eliron uttered in disbelief and amazement. He saw the stars and the dark beautiful sky, stretching beyond where the eyes can see.
He felt nervous again.
What if it was all a dream? He worried. What if this was just a taste of freedom.
However just as before, the warm hand tugging at him was a distinct sign of reassurance and reality. His eyes trailed lower. His yellow eyes reflected short purple hair, the back of the nameless girl.
When Eliron was amazed by the view, Royce and Nameless shared knowing glances.
The trance was officially lifted from the slaves.
It was an unprecedented event and the trigger was Royce. Just before the riot, Royce served an official and was abused while brainwashed. However during the mistreatment the person mentioned Royce's parents, badmouthing them, and then for some reason the trance washed off.
When he was sent away, Nameless was guided by the goddess to find Royce and that's how the plan came to be.
Nameless memorized the layout of the palace where the Demon King and his wives resided thus also knowing where the device for the brainwashing was placed in.
The truth of the brainwashing was in a device called [Artificial Happiness], by triggering the brain with dark magic, it can showcase the person's dreamlike future. When their brain is out of function, the body responds well and is subjected to the next form of control making it susceptible to the most basic hypnotism.
Royce snuck into the area where the device was and broke its function button. It was the relatively easy part.
Everything was just a matter of domino effect once the trance wore off.
"Are you sure the Demon King won't be alerted with this? The people… why do they seem unafraid?" Eliron picked up on the children's knowing glances.
They were downcast.
Royce answered for him, "The Gashu is away. Everyone knows since they have a memory of preparing for his leave earlier…"
"But there is too much chaos. If he finds out…"
"The adults made up their minds. Let the children escape and sacrifice themselves no matter what it takes." Nameless answered with a soft voice as if she herself does not believe it.
"With the goddess' help, can't you–"
"The goddess' power is willed into existence because of hope, no matter the form or size. It is the adults' hope to die for their children and make sure they escape. Their hope was placed in me, realizing that I carry the goddess' abilities."
Eliron watched the girl carefully, Royce did too.
However Nameless was resolute as if it didn't bother her.
"Royce. You should've said goodbye to your father properly."
The boy clenched his fists.
Born to be mindless puppets like them didn't know filial connections nor understand emotions, however Royce felt so bad that he could feel his heart crack.
His father was the first adult to break free of the trance.
But he didn't escape, instead he rallied the adults and persuaded them to die for their children.
When Royce was finally face to faced with him, his father only gave him a name. Royce— it was a mix of Joyce and Rogan.
You're gonna be something great someday. You're our son after all. So don't look back and run, okay?
Royce fell into a daze as memory of just a few minutes ago flashed in his mind, but he couldn't settle into it when Nameless broke his focus.
"We're close so we just have to pass this bridge and—"
"Nameless!"
A bloodcurdling scream ripped into the night and Nameless immediately stopped, even Eliron bumped into her back.
His eyes found a hysterical woman kneeling, her hands had blood, and a trace of the same substance was splattered on the side of her face.
Eliron watched the woman carefully.
She was dressed lavishly, adorned in jewelry and makeup. However her eyes which held deep darkness could not be concealed no matter how shiny she looked.
He wanted to ask who she was but Royce grabbed his shoulder. "We have to get going first."
"This child is the dragon. If I let go of him, the transformation magic will be undone."
Royce who heard that pulled his hands back, eyeing Eliron in silent surprise.
But Nameless knelt down in front of the young dragon with a smile, "Mister Dragon, will you let me be unkind? Please do me a favor in exchange for granting your freedom."
The red-haired boy, Royce, held his breath at her boldness.
However Eliron didn't seem to mind. "What should I do?"
"When I let go and you turn back into a dragon, can you get all of us out of here? You can fly, right?"
Eliron sighed.
He was relieved that it was just that.
Despite his many years of confinement and harassment, he wasn't someone who liked hurting others, especially humans.
It was an awful instinct when humans were the beings who abused him the most.
"Okay."
Nameless smiled at the agreement and unhesitatingly let go.
Golden light bathed the child's body again. Royce immediately ran far in panic as Eliron's body transformed.
"Nameless! Y-you're making a big mistake! That dragon will be the death of us all!" The woman screamed from behind and crawled closer in spite. It seems that her legs were cut off but her adrenaline was high.
The woman paused just as the dragon transformed… Nameless, who turned back and met her mother's eyes, bathed in the same golden light spoke.
"No, mother. I will make sure you all die because of me."