Chapter 300 – The Silver Lining

Chapter 300 – The Silver Lining

The splitting headache made Kai wish he could slip back into nothingness. It felt as if his brain had been squeezed and pounded, worse than any skill strain or mana exhaustion he had experienced before. Yet, some stubborn instinct dragged him toward wakefulness.

Lucidity brought a new wave of pain. Everything hurt. From his head to his feet—probably his toes and ears too, if he could feel them. His body seemed wrapped in a hazy shroud as if his flesh and bone had been beaten to numbness.

Kai squeezed his eyes, unsure if they were open or closed. All he could see was darkness. Attempting to rub his face, his arm was held firmly above his head. He pulled harder, spiking the pain in his wrists.

What… Happened… Where am… I?

Something was deeply wrong. If only his head would stop throbbing enough to stitch his thoughts together…

Clenching his jaw, Kai delved into his muddled memories. It felt like moving a boulder just by blowing, but with each attempt, his mind became a little sharper, and the pain receded.

His body hung from his arms, compressing his chest and making it hard to breathe. From the hard metal edges that dug into his wrists, he was tied with steel cuffs.

Dammit.

Kai clenched his teeth and pulled himself upright to alleviate the strain. His legs were too unsteady to support him and similarly shackled. He rested his back against the icy stone wall, waiting to regain some Strength. Flexing his numb hands into fists, the chains rattled.

Shit. How…

As he regained control of his body, memories flooded back: the islands amidst the misty waters, the passage hidden in the meadow, the damp tunnels, and the betrayal. Searing rage boiled his blood, banishing the sluggish torpor.

That bitch! I’m going to slit her fucking throat.

While exact details remained fuzzy, he remembered enough. Caeli and her fuck-head brother lured them into a trap. When the array in the cell buzzed to life, it was already over. Mana drained from his veins and his skills turned unresponsive, similar to when he confronted the cultists during Niel’s kidnapping.

Disoriented and unable to cast spells, he had struggled to stand, let alone fight back. No living being could survive without mana—draining it was equivalent to siphoning their life away. His recollection of the fight was fuzzy. Masked men in black had swarmed the room, he had punched and clawed till darkness swallowed him.

From the stabbing pain each time he breathed, one of his ribs might be cracked. Those assholes hadn’t been gentle when they pummeled him to the ground, though at least he couldn’t feel any broken bones.

I should have realized something was off when they found the underground door unguarded.

His anger overrode the pain. In hindsight, the signs seemed so blatant. Caeli rushed them to check island after island till they randomly ran into the cultists opening a secret passage. Despite the strange coincidence, Kai thought his Luck was finally paying off.

Cursed gods, Virya told me a hundred times that Luck isn’t reliable. I played myself.

The descent underground had been even more convenient, but instead of stopping to reconsider, he had chased after Kea. Like a fucking moron. So now he was chained in an underground cell by a cult of bloodthirsty madmen, unable to help even himself, much less his sister.

As the gravity of his predicament sank in, panic threatened to submerge his mind. Brushing with a gruesome death was hardly new, but having his friends and family with him was a first. A tug confirmed that the shackles suppressed his mana and skills. He was in deep shit, and this time there was no one to help him out.

Valela knew of their plans, but even if she begged the Republic to investigate, the chances they’d find the hideout were slim. While the chances of getting rescued before the cultists used them for their unhinged purposes were akin to zero. The Stygian Circle didn’t kidnap people for pets and cuddles.

It’s not over till I’m dead. Time for my brain to pay rent.

Reining in his frantic worries, Kai slowed his breathing and analyzed the situation. As his senses sharpened, a faint glow came from beyond the metal door, reflecting on the bars of their cells. On his right, Kea hung limply against the rough stone wall, her breaths barely audible despite the proximity.

Thank Yatei, she’s alive.

Kai tried to extend Mana Observer to check her condition but was starkly rebuffed by his cuffs. Not being able to access his skill or mana was like losing a limb—an intrinsic part of him missing.

Inhale. Exhale. Keep calm. It’s not the first time this has happened. There is always a flaw to exploit.

He just had to analyze the enchantments in a runic alphabet he barely understood while in semi-complete darkness—no big deal. The chains wedged above his head didn’t help the examination. Several forceful tugs only served to scrape his wrists raw. There wasn’t the slightest give to hope brute strength would be the solution.

Dammit. If I can’t…

He squinted to make out Rain’s figure chained at the left end of the cell. Dark lines of blood crusted his temples down to his chin, his clothes were a patchwork of rips and blotches, and he sported an additional shackle around his neck.

When the treacherous siblings sprung their trap, he alone managed to put up some kind of resistance. Kai distinctly remembered the crunch when Rain threw a cultist back like a ragdoll, trying to reach the door. From his state, each punch had been repaid twice.

Merciful spirits… He can’t… No, they wouldn’t hang up a corpse.

Kai prayed to whatever entity was willing to listen. If Rain hadn’t died in the clash, his Constitution should pull him through, though he could offer no help in the meantime.

I must find a way out of here.

Being the only one awake increased his worry. “Kea…” Kai stretched the chains to nudge his sister with his knee. “Kea, are you—”

The scraping of boots froze his tongue. Two sets of heavy steps moved in their direction. Kai hung his head limply, forgetting to even breathe. It was too soon. He needed more time to come up with a plan.

Still as a corpse, the dull thuds moved closer before waning down the corridor; the guards strode past him without stopping.

Kai slumped in his shackles, Strength fleeing his limbs.

I’ve got time. They’re not here for me…

Seconds later, an odious creaking cut his relief short. The guards came back, a muffled shuffling added to their steps. Eyelids closed, Kai recognized the sound of a body being dragged.

“No, no, nonono… please, not again…” A faint sobbing left little doubts.

The body was alive, Kai didn’t know if he should be happy or scared. Whatever those psychos did here, he’d rather leave his curiosity unsatisfied. The cultists could be back for him and his sister at any moment, and he’d be powerless to stop them.

Think! What can I do? What are my options?

Chained without mana and skills—very few. His raw attributes and grade were meaningless in such a state. Favor was the only thing that might help him, and if his current predicament were anything to go for, it was foolish to rely on it.

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Hmm… Right, my ring!

Rubbing his numb and bleeding hands, he smiled, feeling the metal band still on his finger.

Thank Yatei I never showed them.

Fiddling with the smooth surface soothed his panic, though he couldn’t access the wealth of goods in his spatial storage without mana. Worse, he had been wearing his wand and serpent sword when he got captured, which meant they were in the cultists’ hands.

No matter where he looked, there wasn’t the tiniest foothold to leverage. If he had time, he might locate a flaw in the suppressing enchantments to break free. But even in ideal conditions, deciphering the jagged runes would require days, when he didn’t know if they had hours.

Basically, I’m utterly fucked… Kai tried to hunch his shoulders, but the chains denied him even that relief. No, there must be a way. Think clearly.

If he couldn’t find a solution himself, he’d have to look to others for it. Rain would be the most promising candidate if he weren’t gravely injured. “Hey, wake up please,” Kai whispered as loudly as he dared, but after a minute of trying, there wasn’t the slightest sign of stirring in him.

Dammit.

His attempts to nudge Kea awake proved equally fruitless. Mari was chained on his other side, her face wan even in the dim light. She had already been wounded before being captured. It was nice to know that not everyone in the group was a traitor, but she would be no help anyway.

Hmm… Where is Flynn?

In the dark, he had assumed they’d all be there. Kai squinted at the corners of the cell, Flynn’s familiar figure was noticeably absent despite the metal rings to secure two more prisoners to the stone wall.

Terror gripped his guts.

Did they already take him? or is he dead? Wait…