The children of cage 12

Hale followed the weak pulling sensation that could be felt when he neared his body. When his eyes opened, they closed immediately from a scalding heat. His eyeballs, no, his whole body was being roasted. He pushed against the opening of the chamber that he saw in his soul form and tumbled out gracelessly. Thankfully the feeding door didn’t have a fastener. The designer probably didn’t expect anything living to be thrown in.

Pain started hitting his body when the adrenaline wore off after the narrow escape from death but he forcibly stood up. The boy stared at the roaring fire, hesitating for a moment, but eventually threw himself back in hell. His hands failed to find purchase but after much groping he pulled out two smoking corpses.

Violent coughs almost sent him to the ground again. He closed the heated door and persisted in dragging them under the table in case the operator was around. They all suffered various degrees of burns but it seemed that the furnace had not been turned on for long. He closed the eyes of the charred men.

Information perceived in the etheric dimension was different from looking with the physical eye. He saw before entering his body that, unlike his half-dead body, there was no glow of life in them. The sole consolation being that they didn’t get to have the unique experience of being burned alive.

Hale grabbed an Arcanium shackle from a tall rack that held rows of them, wondering if they once sat on the wrists of those who were fed to fire. His golden eyes flitted to the charred corpses one last time. Hopefully their bodies would be safe until their families could get to them.

ↂ

In the main room, as though sensing that Hale was ready, Katharin placed both hands on the magic circle. A pure and blinding white light shone with the lavender-haired girl at the core and disappeared along with the captives.

ↂ

The children of cage 12 gathered in a waiting room to make their individual statements.

Some criminals in the designated area who either carried spare shackles with them or for whatever reason were in contact with Arcanium, were also teleported with them and caught by guards when the alarm was raised.

Pursuers had been sent to the dungeon but Hale didn’t have much hope of a full capture, even with the facial features he recited vividly. The celestials’ technology, homini’s and daemons’ magic, anima’s transformation arts… There were too many ways to disguise in this world.

Hale thought that was the reason why the criminals didn’t cover their faces but Katharin presented a more chilling theory—they knew none of them would live to tell the tale. If Delys wasn’t fast asleep, her face would have turned blue.

“Let me catch you up on all the action you missed!” The epic story of how they fought against the evil villain came out of Lily’s mouth.

Hale wouldn’t wake up when their meal for the day was delivered and a check showed that he was “dead”. The trafficker wanted to remove the “corpse” but faced severe opposition from Katharin. The other kids didn’t know that Hale was alive but they stood on Katharin’s side. The kids were beaten and then put down by stun guns and tranquilizers.

Because of me…? A sour feeling rose up in Hale.

“Don’t cry.” Nikolai casually tore the cleanest part of his shirt hem and pushed it in front of the boy with reddened eyes. That was the first time Hale heard the quiet elf speak.

Lily smirked, “What, are you touched?~”

“I just wanted to say that resisting your captor wasn’t the best course of action.” Hale denied.

Good old Tomas saved Hale by interrupting and recounting how Katharin got attacked.

“We all knew you and Kat were up to something but it could only be good for us so we helped to cover up,” Chase jumped in to claim credit. Hale’s gaze lingered on the little thief. She wasn’t exactly trustworthy but being opportunistic had its benefits.

“But Hermin, if that was her real name, turned out to be a spy!!” Lily gnashed her sharp teeth. “If Nikolai didn’t stop her, poor Kat—” she scanned Katharin’s beautiful face for signs of rejection and continued when she didn’t see any, “—would have been stupefied! The nerve of that lying gorgon descendant!”

The dark elf sat next to Hermin because he had his suspicions. Nikolai was the second to enter the cage and Hermin was already inside. Based on the estimated periodic release of sedatives, she should have been gassed once but there was no lethargy in her. That said, she could have been especially resistant to the chemicals so Nikolai didn’t voice his doubts and simply stayed close and offered his body as the first line of defense.

“Isn’t he amazing?! You’ll be my first choice for a sleuth if I open a detective agency!!!” Lily grasped the boy’s hands and bounced in her seat. Nikolai looked down, as if hoping that his long bangs would hide his face but he probably didn’t notice that his flushed ears were in full view.

ↂ

“Promise, to, message me?” Large drops of water fell from Delys’ small face.

Lily rubbed their cheeks together, her voice a little hoarse as she said, “Of course!

“Farewell, friends. The Pereira will always welcome you,” Tomas took off his bowler hat and gave a little gentleman’s bow.

Katharin’s gaze turned to everyone intently, and fell on Hale last.

“See you again.”

“Yeah, see you.”

At the academy.