Outside the building, Kaiden was led toward the main compound. The path was packed dirt, well-worn from frequent use, with high wooden fences reinforcing the perimeter. A guard station stood at the entrance, where several armed men lounged about, some talking, others just watching the prisoners move about.

  As they approached, one of the guards looked up and gestured toward Kaiden. "Should I prepare a collar for this one?"

  Rork let out a short laugh. "Nah, this one's harmless—a Bracer. We gotta save those."

  Some kind of slave collar? Kaiden thought to himself. He could only assume the collar suppressed abilities. If that were the case, they likely had a limited supply, and they wouldn’t waste one on him if they didn’t think he was dangerous.

  There was no time to dwell on it as Rork nudged him forward, leading him past the guard station and into the compound.

  It was a grim sight.

  The space was vast, divided into different sections, each dedicated to a specific type of labor. To the right, a large excavation site sprawled across the landscape. Prisoners, covered in dirt and sweat, hauled heavy rocks and dug into the earth with pickaxes. The sound of metal striking stone echoed in the air, mixing with the occasional barked order from a guard.

  On the left, fields stretched out in neat rows. Crops were being tended by prisoners who bent over the soil, their hands caked in dirt. The contrast between the backbreaking mining operation and the quiet but relentless work of farming made it clear—this place was entirely self-sustaining.

  Men, women, even children, all wearing the same rough clothing as Kaiden, worked tirelessly. Some moved mechanically, eyes empty, while others cast wary glances toward the guards patrolling the area.

  One guard, standing near the mine entrance, cracked a whip over the back of a hunched-over man who had collapsed from exhaustion. The prisoner let out a sharp cry but struggled to his feet, resuming his work without a word.

  A few prisoners had injuries—deep bruises, fresh cuts, or signs of malnourishment. It was clear that medical care wasn’t a priority here. Either you worked, or you suffered.

  Kaiden clenched his jaw.

  Most of the prisoners didn’t wear collars. He noticed that now. A select few had them, but the majority simply worked under the threat of violence.

  A really limited supply.

  And if they were saving them, that meant the real threats were the ones with collars.

  As they walked, Rork said, "Lucky you, you get to work the easy job for the time being."

  "Easy job?" Kaiden asked, wary of what that could mean.

  "The medical ward," Rork said with a chuckle. "You gotta keep my laborers healthy so they can keep working," he added, laughing at his own words.

  Kaiden didn’t answer. He clenched his fist as he held himself back from striking the man.

  Thinking about his new assignment, he didn’t know how he felt. On one hand, healing the sick and injured was what he did. It was something good in the middle of all this wrong. But on the other hand, these people were only being treated so they could be sent back out to break their bodies all over again. Hell, the guards might even push them harder now that they had someone to patch them up.

  Rork then said, "If we wasn’t selling you, I’d have ya work there indefinitely. Our last healer died over three weeks ago."

  Kaiden’s stomach turned at that, but he bit his tongue. He wouldn’t give the man the satisfaction of seeing a reaction.

  They made their way toward the back of the compound, where a small, weathered building sat apart from the others. It looked barely functional, like an afterthought in the grand scheme of this miserable place.

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  Rork shoved the door open and gestured inside. Kaiden stepped in and immediately felt the weight of the place.

  It was a sorry excuse for a medical ward.

  The air smelled of blood and sweat, mixed with something foul, like old rot. The inside was dimly lit, a few oil lamps flickering on the walls, casting long shadows over the room. Cots lined the open area, most empty, but some occupied by suffering souls.

  An old, rickety operating table sat in the middle of the room. It looked more like a butcher’s slab than a place for healing.

  Then Kaiden’s eyes landed on the three people in the cots.

  His stomach clenched.

  These weren’t wounds from manual labor.

  The first was a man, barely conscious, his face swollen and bruised so badly that one eye was completely shut. His ribs stuck out against his thin skin, fresh welts covering his arms and legs.

  The second was a woman with a deep gash across her thigh, dried blood crusting over the wound. Her breathing was labored, and she stared at nothing, expression hollow.

  The third was a boy. No older than thirteen. His arms were wrapped in filthy bandages, blood seeping through them. He was shaking, either from pain or fear—probably both.

  Kaiden’s face burned with anger.

  How could they treat people like this?

  Rork, oblivious or just uncaring, gave Kaiden a mocking grin. "Looks like you can already get to work." He clapped a hand on Kaiden’s shoulder, then laughed. "But don’t get too comfortable. You’ll only be here for a few days tops while we work out your deal with his eminence," he said, voice thick with mockery.

  Kaiden got to work immediately, casting Healing Touch and Cure Poison on all three patients. Cure Poison was probably not needed, but he did it just in case. He didn’t truly know what conditions these people were in. The effects were noticeable right away—wounds started to close, bruises lightened, and their breathing steadied. But his abilities weren’t strong enough to heal them as quickly as a potion would. It would take multiple casts to get them back into shape.

  At least their lives weren’t in danger. That was something.

  As he worked, he noticed the man was the only one in chains and wearing a collar. Why the chains? He wondered. Shackles bound the man’s wrists and ankles, heavy and restrictive. That probably meant one of two things—either he was strong enough to be a real threat even without abilities, or the chains were punishment for something. Either way, it meant someone wanted to make sure he couldn’t move freely.

  The woman and the boy remained silent, even as Kaiden tended to them. They didn’t thank him, didn’t acknowledge his presence. He even tried introducing himself, but they gave no response. It was like they didn’t even register his existence.

  He studied them closely. The woman’s expression was hollow, empty, as if she had already accepted her fate. Her hands trembled slightly, though whether from pain or exhaustion, Kaiden wasn’t sure. The boy, younger than he first realized, sat curled in his cot, arms wrapped around himself. His eyes barely moved, only darting away if Kaiden looked at him directly.

  They were afraid. Not of him, but of something.

  Kaiden swallowed, forcing himself to push his emotions aside. Right now, his priority was healing them. He could think about everything else later.

  The man was still unconscious. He hadn’t moved since Kaiden started treating him, his breathing slow and steady, but his body was covered in bruises, deep ones that spoke of repeated beatings. Whoever he was, he had suffered more than just a few rough days.

  Kaiden then eyed the collar and activated Arcane Vision. Immediately, runes illuminated all over the metal, glowing faintly with energy. He studied them carefully, trying to pick out anything familiar.

  Surprisingly, there were actually a few he recognized, but only a handful. Most of the symbols were foreign, more intricate than anything he had seen before.

  He carefully rolled the man onto his side, making sure to get a full look at all the runes carved into the collar. Then, he rolled him the other way to check the rest, taking in every detail.

  He didn’t even know how the collar actually worked. Did it block all abilities? Did it just drain all mana? Or was it a pain response?

  For now, he focused on one thing—memorizing the runes. He could analyze them later, and now that he was a Spell Scribe, they could prove useful. The more he saw, the more he could learn.

  Wait a moment…

  He was a Spell Scribe now, and that came with two abilities. One of which he hadn’t even tried yet.

  Might as well give it a go now.

  Kaiden activated Rune Dissolution, and immediately, a quill appeared in his hand. It looked almost identical to the one used for inscribing runes, except this one was slightly shorter in length. The grip was slimmer, and the tip seemed to have a different hue of blue.

  He leaned in close, positioning the quill just above one of the runes on the collar. If he could dissolve just a single rune, maybe he could free the man.

  The tip of the quill hovered over the glowing inscription.

  Would it erase instantly? Fade gradually? Would it trigger something? There was no telling what would happen if he tampered with the rune structure. But he had to know.

  As long as it didn’t just blow up, it would be fine. It shouldn’t just blow up, right? He inhaled, steadying his nerves.

  Then—

  "What the fuck are you doing?"