Chapter 57: Night Falls

Night does not always fall all at once. Sometimes it creeps in slowly, like an invisible poison that extinguishes lights one by one before anyone notices.
Edén knew this. He had felt it many times before… that darkness that does not come from the sky but from within — the one that settles in the chest where hope once lived. That night was no different: there were no stars, no promises, no certainties. Only a silent prison, fragile plans, and the constant doubt of who would betray first.
Because in places like this, everyone has a price. Morality is a luxury, loyalty an act of desperation… and kindness, a death sentence.
But even amid that thick darkness, those muffled screams and echoes of a war no one sees, there are those who still try to kindle a spark. Even knowing the wind will snuff it. Even knowing they may die trying.
Because sometimes — only sometimes — what defines a man is not what he achieves… but what he decides not to betray.
And tonight, Edén would make that decision.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The mess hall was wrapped in taut silence. The air smelled of rusty metal, damp walls and despair. Despite everything, three figures spoke as if time still belonged to them.
“Alright…” Amine broke the silence with an easy tone. “Got any idea how to get out of here, right?”
“No,” Edén answered with the same calm one uses to remark on the weather.
“Huh? So how do you plan to run?”
“Relax. I have my methods.”
Takemi crossed his arms, suspicious.
“It’s not that I’m backing out, but I don’t think a forced escape is a good idea. Besides, we can’t use our powers… and we don’t have weapons either.”
“I know,” Edén replied, not taking his eyes off the stale bread before him. “Can I ask something?”
“Yes. What is it?” Takemi asked.
“Is there anyone related to the king held in this place?”
They looked at one another. It was Amine who answered:
“Many say so, but we haven’t seen anyone so far.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s a rumor that goes around among the prisoners,” Amine added, shrugging. “They say the king locked them up for questioning his decisions.”
“I see…”
Edén looked away, thoughtful. The gears in his mind turned with surgical precision.
“What’s wrong?” Takemi asked, noticing he’d drifted off.
“Nothing. I was just thinking… Assuming that rumor is true… don’t you think some guard might have a family member locked up here?”
“What are you getting at?” Takemi frowned.
“Do you plan to take a hostage?” Amine raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
“Don’t be stupid,” Edén said, his tone unchanged. “We aren’t in any condition for that. We’ll promise them a way out for their families.”
“And how do you intend to do that? We don’t even know how to get out.” Amine protested.
“That’s why someone needs to negotiate with the guards, to get information,” Takemi concluded, connecting the dots.
Edén nodded.
“Exactly. But I think there’s someone who can negotiate better than we can.”
“You’re not going to…” Takemi’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Huh? What’s up?” Amine asked, not understanding.
The scene changed. The lights were dimmer and the atmosphere heavier. Edén stood before a reinforced door; rough breathing was audible from within.
“What do you want?” a deep voice growled from behind it.
“Some people told me you’re on good terms with the guards,” Edén said bluntly.
“Is that so? You come asking a favor?”
“It’s an order.”
A dry laugh rattled the door.
“You’d better stop dreaming, brat.”
“What’s the matter? Is there someone above you who can give you orders?”
The prisoner slammed the door, making the wall shudder.
“You’d better shut your mouth if you don’t want to die.”
“I know you’re not stupid,” Edén took another step closer. “And you’ll do what’s best for you. That’s why I’m here. You’re the only one who can pull this off.”
“Neither money, nor food, nor anything matters here. There’s nothing worth it… nothing you could give me.”
“I can give you your freedom. Not just from this place… freedom across the whole kingdom.”
There was a silence. Thick. Heavier than a thousand words.
“Actually,” Edén added in a low voice, “I’d love to cut your head off. I have a special hatred for killers. But sometimes you have to make hard choices to stay alive.”
The prisoner let out a laugh. “You’re just a kid who likes to dream big… Still, I’m not interested. There is no way to escape from here, and I’m not putting my life in the hands of a kid like you. Besides… you’d better hush. The cameras can hear us.”
“What cameras?”
“What?”
The monitors in the surveillance room were shown… all of them turned off.
“What have you done?”
“Just some business. Don’t you think they’re a good idea?”
“Dammit… who are you?”
“Just a kid who won’t waste his time locked up here.”
The prisoner peered through the crack, and for a moment his eyes reflected more than surprise. He saw the gaze of someone who’d lived beside death… and the man still held the look.
“I need a lot of guards on our side. I need a map of this place and a list of names of their relatives.”
“That’s a lot… And what do you plan to do with the names?”
“If I were a soothsayer, I could protect their families. But sadly, I’m not.”
“Free them?”
“Yes, that’s my aim. But for that I need you to negotiate. Offer them whatever it takes. I need it soon.”
He sighed. “Fine… but don’t forget. If necessary, I’ll kill you.”
“Relax. I expected as much. See you, killer.”
The cameras flicked back on. Edén walked away without looking back.
“This is going to be a long night,” the prisoner murmured, losing himself in his own thoughts.

The dim light in the mess hall barely hid the trembling in the hands of those present. Amid the clatter of spoons hitting metal trays, three voices kept a low tone, as if sharing a secret too big for this forgotten world.
“Did you get any information?” Amine asked, his mouth half full of stale bread.
“Yes… something like that,” Edén answered without lifting his gaze.
Takemi watched him with mild surprise.
“I’m surprised that guy agreed to negotiate.”
“He’s human. After all, there is always something we want,” Edén said, turning the spoon between his fingers.
“Yes… we always cling to something…” Takemi repeated, as if those words weighed on him.
“Well,” Amine interjected, brushing crumbs from his uniform, “do you know when we’re getting out?”
“In two days. Everything’s arranged.”
Takemi choked a little.
“That fast? How is that possible?”
“All thanks to that guy. He knows how to negotiate better than I expected.”
“I hope he didn’t bargain with our lives,” Amine quipped, though his eyes betrayed doubt.
“I doubt he bargained with his own,” Edén replied. “Maybe with mine… but that’s fine. I can take care of it.”
Takemi looked at him for a second, then smiled softly.
“Edén, thank you.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I always thought I’d die locked up here doing nothing. But you… you’ve been an inspiration to me. I’m glad I met you.”
“Don’t talk like you’re already dying, idiot,” Edén replied with a half-smile. “We’re all getting out of here. Together.”
“That’s it, that’s it,” Amine added with feigned enthusiasm.

But inside, Edén couldn’t shake the knot forming in his stomach.
“This is bad…” he thought, as something dark began to embrace him in his mind.
An invisible shadow slipped behind him. Dark spirits danced around him, as if delighting in the fate of his companions.
“I can’t appreciate my tools… I can’t…”

Days passed as if they were a single instant; night again dressed the Santay prison, and in that mess hall something had already been prepared — a plan.
At that moment, a crash broke the prison’s daily rhythm.
“Emergency, emergency!” a voice screamed over the loudspeakers. “The cell doors have been unlocked! Prisoners are escaping!”
“The time has come,” Edén thought, rising abruptly.

Chaos erupted. Shouts, bangs, metallic creaks and footsteps echoed through every corridor. A brawl engulfed the dining halls while alarms screamed like war sirens.
Edén ran through the passages, but a figure stepped into his path.
“Shit…”
Orze grabbed his wrist with force.
“Let go of me, you bastard!”
But the guard didn’t attack. He simply looked at him, as if trying to etch his face into memory.
“What? You already caught me. What more do you want?”
“Not a bad plan… good luck,” Orze whispered before letting him go and vanishing into the smoke and screams.
“What the hell was that…?” Edén stood puzzled for a few seconds, then shook his head. “I have no time to waste. I must fulfill my part.”

He ran through the chaos, scanning the open cells with his eyes. He had a mission.
“Amine!”
“Yes!” came his voice from a corner.
Amine placed his hand on Edén’s shoulder, and in an instant the information flowed through his ability. Like a pulse, it spread across the area.
“Thanks.”
“See? I’m awesome, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say…”
“Lucky it wasn’t an idiot. His skill was perfect for creating the escape zone for the rest…” Edén thought.

From the corridors, guards could be seen escorting their relatives toward safe routes. The riot had begun, but most still didn’t know who had engineered it.
“Escape route B has been a success,” Takemi said as he ran toward him. “Now it’s our turn to leave.”

But the illusion lasted little. A blood-curdling scream and a body torn apart flying through the air reminded them of reality.
“Looks like we’ll have to deal with that monster first,” Edén grunted, watching the mutated giant crush a prisoner against the floor.
“Yes… that’s right.”
“Can I take care of it for you?”
“Huh? Yes. I can hold it off… but I doubt I can kill it. Those bastards were created by experiments. They’re too resistant.”
“Those…? Are there more?”
“Yes. But the vast majority are in the high-security zone.”
“My luck is terrible…” Edén muttered to himself.
“Amine, Takemi… wait here. I still have a debt to pay.”
“All right,” Takemi replied without hesitation.
“Leave this to us,” Amine added with a confident smile.

Without wasting another second, Edén launched himself at full speed toward the darkest levels of hell.
His steps were swift, his breathing ragged, but his mind fixed on a single objective.
“I don’t think I can fight properly… Best to get in fast, take it, and get out.”

The monsters, deformed inside and out, tried to intercept him. But Edén danced among them like an invisible specter, dodging every attack, every claw, every attempt to stop his destiny.
“I’m close. Almost there.”

Then something stopped him.
It wasn’t a barrier, nor a trap, nor even a wound.
It was fear.
“What the hell…? Why…? Why am I afraid?”
An invisible pressure squeezed his chest. The air thickened. The ground trembled with each beat. From the deepest cell, a suffocating energy began to leak like poisonous gas.
“What is this power…?”

Then, an unexpected sound.
A slow, deliberate clap. Sarcastic.
The disfigured body of prisoner 1 fell at his feet, like a warning made flesh.
Edén stepped back, eyes wide as saucers.
“What the hell is happening…?”

The silence after Prisoner 1 fell was broken only by slow, heavy footsteps. The figure of Guayas emerged from the darkness with a crooked smile and eyes empty of compassion.
“We should give this man a reward,” he said mockingly. “I never thought someone of his class could keep secrets like that.”
Edén clenched his fists hard.
“Guayas…”
“I thought this rat would spill everything in the first minute… but who would’ve thought? He’s the first person I know who lasted two days of torture without saying a word. Impressive, isn’t it?”
“You… why?”
Guayas stepped closer, still smiling.
“As recognition of his bravery, I’ll have to promote him from rat… to premium rat. Don’t you think that’s an honorable title?”
“You bastard! What have you done to him?”
“Nothing he didn’t already know. I hired him to kill you or to get information from you. But the idiot let himself be carried away by his feelings… He has a daughter outside the kingdom, did you know? All he wanted was to see her, but for some absurd reason he decided to protect you instead. Before her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Edén roared, desperate.
Prisoner 1, still breathing, spat blood to the side. His voice was barely a thread.
“There are things kids shouldn’t know… Besides… she wouldn’t be proud of me. I abandoned her… so they wouldn’t find her… I don’t think she’ll forgive me. I’m a horrible father.”
“Damn it! Why did you do this?! Idiot! You shouldn’t have protected me! You should have seen her! Why do you think she wouldn’t forgive you…? You protected her! You’re not a bad father!”
The prisoner smiled tenderly and weakly.
“Kid… you’re loud. You’re just like her…”
Guayas let out a cynical laugh.
“How touching. Paternal love is quite the show, isn’t it?”
“I’ll kill you!” Edén shouted, tears springing from rage and grief.
“Kid,” Prisoner 1 rasped once more, barely conscious, “go. If you let this idiot kill you… I’ll come and kill you again.”
“But—”
“Go now!”
Edén trembled, helpless. He crouched beside him, grinding his teeth.
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t keep my promise.”
“Thank you…” the man whispered, then closed his eyes for the last time.

Silence returned for a second… until a new voice cut through the air.
“What a lovely scene, don’t you think, Edén?”
Edén spun around violently. Amine was there… Takemi’s badly wounded body slumped over his arm.
“Takemi!”
“Hey you,” Amine said, tossing the body as if it weighed nothing. “I already did my part. You’d better pay me.”
“Amine? What are you doing?”
Guayas chuckled, crossing his arms.
“I thought you were smarter, Edén. But it seems you missed the obvious. Who do you think gave me all the information? Right now my guards are rounding up all the traitors… And soon they’ll kill their families.”
“Amine?! Why?!”
“Shut up,” Amine snapped. “You all have your ideals, right? Well I have mine. I only need a little gold, nothing more.”
“See?” Guayas said, amused. “Every rat has a price. That’s why they’re the best tools.”
With a mocking grin, he tossed a bag full of coins at the traitor.
“Yeah, yeah… This will solve all my—” Amine began to say.
But a spear pierced his skull before he could finish the sentence. His body collapsed lifeless at Edén’s feet.

The world fell silent.
Takemi, still alive, gasped weakly. Edén, frozen, couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.
“Rats… remain rats,” Guayas said calmly, pocketing the hand that had thrown the spear. “You can always replace them when it’s time.”
Edén didn’t answer. His mind sank into a whirlwind of guilt and rage.
“We’re finished… My plan failed… Takemi is dying… Nothing is left. I am—”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to back down now?” interrupted a faint voice.
It was Takemi. Barely conscious. Barely alive.
“What…?” Edén looked at him, surprised.
“I thought you were braver…”
“But… there’s nothing to be done now. I… I was wrong.”
“So? What’s the harm?” Takemi whispered, with a small smile.
Edén stared at him, confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“That only proves you’re human. Actually… I thought you had a plan to leave us behind. But… you didn’t even abandon him, who was a killer. You’re a good person, Edén.”
“Takemi…”
“Please… take care of this for me,” he whispered, handing him a small golden object.
“Takemi…”
“Thank you…”
And with that word, his body went still in Edén’s arms.
“Takemi…? Takemi? Hey, stop joking! Hey!”

Edén collapsed to his knees. His tears fell onto his friend’s cold chest.
“I’m sick of waiting!” Guayas shouted. “Die!”
But before the attack could reach him, a shadow sliced through it and split his strike in two. A figure with white hair and pink eyes appeared before Edén.
“Hey, hey… can’t you see this is a delicate moment?”
“Who the hell are you?!” Guayas shouted, stepping back. His composure shook. “How is he here…? When did he get in…?”
“Sorry,” the stranger said, scratching his head. “I don’t like interrogations.”
Guayas took another step back. His instinct screamed that he shouldn’t stay.
“I can’t beat him now. I need that… I need to retreat…”
And with that, Guayas turned on his heel and fled at top speed.
“What?! He ran away?” the stranger murmured, sighing in resignation. “That guy never stops giving me work…”

He turned to Edén, who remained shattered.
“Hey, you.”
“What do you want…?” Edén answered, exhausted.
“I don’t know if this helps, but your plan wasn’t a complete failure. The guards… and their families… are alive.”
“W-What did you say…?”
“It wasn’t a bad plan. You just needed to mistrust the others a little more.”
The bodies of Guayas’s soldiers were shown—defeated before they could act.
“Who are you?”
“Questions later. I’ve got a mission to finish. You coming?”
Edén looked at the bodies of Takemi and Prisoner 1.
“…I’ll go.”
The stranger barely smiled.
“Let’s get him. But first…”
He produced some weapons and handed them over.
“You’ll need these. That guy didn’t flee out of cowardice. He’s planning something. Something big.”
Edén gripped the weapons hard. His gaze began to shine again.
“I’ll avenge them. Both of them. At any cost.”

The lifeless bodies of Prisoner 1 and Takemi lay motionless.
“I swear it,” Edén thought.