After parting ways with the driver, Fenris ventured back into the forest, retracing his steps to the clearing where they had last seen the young woman. Looking around, he noticed something on the ground: a trail of blood droplets. Perhaps the girl had bitten her nail, thinking Fenris and the other boy would come looking for her, making it easier for them to track her down.
"Perfect, this'll help," Fenris muttered to himself. He moved through the dense forest, following the bloodstains that led him through the underbrush to a more open area where paths were marked by frequent use. Suddenly, the trail disappeared, but he quickly reoriented himself by the sound of clanging metal nearby.
After walking for a while, he arrived at what appeared to be the entrance of a cave. Venturing inside, he discovered a quarry. His eyes widened at the sight before him: dozens of slaves working tirelessly, chained and under the watchful eyes of armed guards. Whips cracked through the air with sharp snaps, mingling with cries of pain, and the air was thick with the stench of sweat and despair. The slaves wore tattered rags that barely covered their bodies. Most of them were young, not much older than Fenris.
Fenris watched in horror, his mind racing to devise a plan to free them all. A misstep caused him to tread on a dry branch, which snapped loudly under his weight. The sound echoed across the quarry, alerting the nearby guards.
"Who's there?" shouted one of the guards, his gaze fixed on Fenris's hiding spot. Fenris tried to run, but the uneven terrain betrayed him, and he stumbled. Before he could get up, a guard had already caught up to him.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" the guard said with a mocking grin. "Lost, little one?" Fenris didn't respond, desperately searching for an escape, but the guards didn't give him a chance to move. One of them studied him closely.
"Isn't this the brat from earlier? The master's going to love this," he said, turning to the other guards. "Tie him up and take him to Silstoner."
One of the guards pulled out a rope and tied Fenris's hands behind his back, dragging him through the quarry. The slaves looked at him with pity on their faces but also a glimmer of hope, seeing someone who might have come to help them.
"What are you staring at? Get back to work!" barked the guards, lashing the slaves with whips that left their already bruised backs even redder.
After several minutes of being dragged across the dusty quarry, they descended a staircase and stopped in a spacious room adorned with luxurious rugs and dark wooden furniture. There stood the man Fenris had seen before, and beside him was the young woman who had asked for their help, lying on the floor, covered in wounds. When the group arrived, Silstoner turned and locked eyes with Fenris's defiant gaze.
"Well, look who we have here. Didn't I tell you to get off my property?" Silstoner said with a tone of disdain. Ignoring him, Fenris shifted his gaze to the young woman lying naked on the floor, then returned a look of utter disgust to Silstoner.
"You're a monster. How can you treat people like this?" Fenris protested, prompting Silstoner to laugh.
"People, you say?" the man murmured with scorn, turning to the girl on the floor. "People are people, and slaves are slaves. Two completely different things. They're nothing but trash." Silstoner delivered a brutal slap to the girl's face.
"Stop it!" Fenris shouted, horrified as he watched the young woman being mercilessly beaten.
"And trash is only good for being thrown out!" Silstoner bellowed, raising his hand to strike her again.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the staircase, approaching rapidly. Just as Silstoner was about to land another blow, someone burst into the room with a leap, delivering a powerful kick that sent Silstoner rolling into the wall.
"You're back!" Fenris exclaimed, recognizing the intruder.
Recovering, Silstoner rose with difficulty, rage contorting his face as he glared at the newcomer.
"What are you waiting for? Kill him!" Silstoner commanded.
The guards obeyed, charging at the young man with their swords drawn. However, he didn't move. He stood still, his eyes closed, one hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword. His calm demeanor baffled the guards.
"What's the matter? Scared?" one of the guards sneered as he laughed. But just as they were about to strike, the young man sprang into action.
"Zenith Style: Rupture Zone."
With a single motion, the young man swung his sword in an arc, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the guards within range flying. Three more guards approached and summoned their guardians, but the young man remained unfazed. With a skillful feint, he disarmed one guard and used his sword to block the other two. In a swift move, he knocked the sword from one guard's hands and delivered a spinning kick that sent the last guard to the ground.
Silstoner watched in shock as the young man defeated his men effortlessly. Wasting no time, the newcomer cut the ropes binding Fenris and handed him a small iron key.
"Here, free the slaves while I deal with this scum," he said to Fenris. Silstoner looked down at his waist and realized his key was gone; the young man had stolen it during the earlier skirmish. Fenris nodded and ran toward the cells with the key. The young man turned his attention to the girl's lifeless body on the floor, then faced the nobleman.
"Is she dead?"
"Do you really care about the life of that nobody? Honestly, she barely kept up with me," Silstoner mocked with a grin.
The young man clenched his teeth in fury and unsheathed his sword again.
"You're worse than filth. Stand up. I'll take you down myself," he said firmly.
Silstoner began to rise, a smirk forming on his face.
"Don't think you're anything special just because you defeated my guards. I see you've mastered the Zenith Style. Impressive for someone your age. However…" Silstoner grabbed the whip at his waist, which crackled with sparks. "It won't help you against a Sacred Binder."
"A Sacred Binder?" the young man exclaimed, surprised.
"What's the matter? Losing your nerve?" Silstoner taunted.
The young man smiled.
"Quite the opposite—I've been waiting for a chance to face a Sacred Binder."
"You're an interesting boy. Might I know your name?"
"Sorry, I'm not in the habit of giving my name to just anyone."
"A cautious one. I like that. Would you consider joining my squad? I'll pay you handsomely," Silstoner offered.
The young man lunged with his sword, stopping just millimeters from Silstoner's face.
"Does that answer your question?" he asked. Instead of being intimidated, Silstoner began laughing, surprising the young man, who withdrew his sword.
"You seem awfully pleased. Don't you realize that while we've been talking, all your slaves are escaping?"
"Escaping?" Silstoner laughed even harder.
"What's so funny?"
"Even if they're freed, those slaves will never escape my grasp. Fear has them paralyzed," Silstoner replied with a cruel smile. "They know all that awaits them out there is misery. They'd rather stick to the safety of what they know."
"To think you've lost your humanity to such a degree…"