“... Freedom.”

  Kenji looked straight in the husband’s eyes. The wife was still glued to his chest in fear, and he embraced her tighter after Kenji said that.

  They both could die, for all he cared.

  He looked over to the luxury furniture burning at the other side. Servants still stood a couple steps in front of him, and guards’ yells echoed around as they tried to walk in through the fire he’d made.

  There was no way out now. That asshole Ren was gone, and Kenji was cornered. He’d kill him the next time he saw him.

  A dead corpse lay beside his feet. How would he escape?

  … Chief.

  He asked the husband, “Where’s the Chief Admin?!”

  “C-Chief lives next door.”

  … Fuck. What if there’s any gap between the door and the fire by the other side, which they could use to rescue him?! Fuck no!

  Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!

  He had to think of something else. He had to get outta here and kill that asshole. Or else, they’d fail in their mission.

  The fire flickered in front of his eyes. Should he step inside the fire?

  No, the soldiers would kill him instantly, and that’s if he doesn't burn up in flames. That’s just suicide for no reason at all. He had to think of something.

  ***

  With the fire in the middle of his fingertips, Itsuki lit the fuse-cord of the bomb. As it began burning, the three took off.

  It should work. Souta spent all that time on it, and Itsuki has to believe in his work now. It should work!

  A big explosion took place behind their backs. “Ahahahajhajhaaha!” Haruto laughed excitedly as he looked behind. “It worked! It worked!”

  “You doubt my abilities?!” Souta was ecstatic too.

  “No, it’s just that I didn't believe you the first time I saw it.”

  Souta laughed. “Fuck you!”

  “When did you start cussing, huh?!”

  “Lemme enjoy the moment!”

  Both of them were quite happy about it, and so was Itsuki. But he just maintained a slight smile as he turned around.

  Yeah, the fire was following them. The coal around the edges of this tunnel was burning. Another little explosion took place.

  “You guys know the way up, right?” Souta asked.

  “Obviously,” Haruto told him.

  They took a turn as they ran up the incline, and soon, they could see malnourished, thin men working peacefully with their axes. They all confusedly spun at them, noticed the havoc behind them, and yelled on top of their lungs as they dropped their stuff and joined them.

  They could see the opening some more feet above, right ahead of them. Finally, the coolest part of this shit was about to begin.

  “Get ready!” Itsuki shouted as they sprinted out of the adit onto the empty field. Another blast took place behind them as the last groups of people ran out and got on their knees.

  The whole entrance to the mine was now lit up in flames. People had gathered around to help the others that had just come out. Itsuki realized they probably shouldn't have blown their cover—they should have just acted like the others. But they’d sprinted too far away for that to happen.

  Some guards were running to them with their swords. Itsuki stopped and swung his axe at them. A mana-beam—a purple streak of mana in the shape of the blade on the axe—cut through the air and hit one of the guards’ flesh.

  Then he swung at the other one, and he missed. He had to aim carefully with this shit weapon, because the beam the axe’s design was gonna make would be like a bullet, not a usual large wave that a sword makes.

  Guess he’d just manage, though. And they were about to get to the armory anyways.

  Bullets came at them, but Haruto had already managed a mana-shield that provided them defense against them. Mana-beams from swords and stuff would penetrate, but most guards weren’t really trained in mana, luckily.

  Bullets pattered through their feet as Itsuki noticed the buildings on the other side of the fence. A column of smoke rose through some random building far behind the others. He smiled. Kenji and Ren had done their jobs.

  “Itsuk!” Haruto called out.

  Three guards by the door of the building they were running to. Itsuki tightened the grip on his weapon, pulled it up his chest, and swung it down.

  Then again. And then again.

  The three beams, one after the other, glided through the air as they hit those defenseless guards. Souta, holding his head down, asked, “How could you guys even do all this stuff?!”

  His voice blurred among the muskets yelling all over the place, all aiming at them as they broke through the door with their axes and ran inside.

  They ran through the empty foyer of the building. There were lamps all around the woodwork and stone-work, and the silence of the place was such a change of pace from all the commotion they’d made just outside.

  They ran to one of the corridors and went in. Luckily, there was nobody inside right now in the building, just as they’d predicted.

  Itsuki saw through the doors and slammed open one of them. The others followed. Haruto pushed the metal door close behind them as Itsuki looked around the place.

  Those creepy lamps’ light landed so softly on those muskets hanging all around the shelves. There were also swords at one corner. Itsuki smiled.

  “Finally…”

  ***

  Ren ran through the empty corridor of the Admins’ building, windows at one edge. The sword in his hand shone through the moon’s light.

  Ren looked at the ground. Other teens were worked up about the fire and the blasts at the other section beside. They were fighting the guards, and some fistfights had emerged. Ren smiled.

  This shit was going just as they all had planned. Now, he just gotta find Kenji. And then wait for Haruto and Itsuki to reach there for them.

  Ren turned to the other corner and began climbing up the other staircase. He’d found this secret staircase just a couple minutes ago, and not even the soldiers knew about it. This was probably made as a secret escape for the Admins.

  Whatever. They can suck his dick. He just had to save Kenji for now, and meet others.

  Their part of this plan was already fucked up. They’d lost a lot more time than they’d planned, and he didn't know if Kenji was even alive or now. He told ‘em that this plan wasn't gonna work.

  Whatever.

  ***

  Kenji stared down at his feet. The blood on his arm dripped through his fingertips. Most of it had dried up, though. And his pants had turned red too.

  The wound on his forearm stung. But not much. What stung him more was that he’d just fought and killed so many innocent people, whose bodies now burnt in the other room.

  He looked up at the door. The whole drawing-room was now engulfed in flames. Its wicked crackles echoed around his ears.

  He walked back, through the bed, to the window at the edge. So this is where he dies. And how he dies.

  He’d fucked everything up. Not just for him, but for others as well.

  And then he was calling Itsuki out for not trusting the gang enough. He was so fucking sure Itsuki wouldn't have fucked up this much if he were in his place.

  Ren had abandoned him. He didn't know if he got to the Chief Admin or not. And now, he was gonna be engulfed by this fire soon enough.

  Why was it so fucking hard to kill those fucking assholes?! They… had been torturing him for so fucking long. Fuck them. Fuck his morals. Fuck him.

  Fuck everybody.

  He looked at the ground. The rumors that Ren had spread were working—other kids had risen up in arms. There were arguments and even fistfights between them and the guards.

  Ren was a genius. Spreading those rumors that the guards were about to blow this whole place up really angered many of them. The guards were now fighting them while preparing for battle against their group of jailbreakers too.

  The fence at the edge of Kalin dungeon still hadn’t fallen off. That meant Itsuki and Haruto were still on the other side, the C-section. He could see the coal mine burning, though.

  Yeah, they did well. And they still are. And Kenji could do nothing but sit still, waiting for the flames to consume him all.

  ***

  The prisoners had stopped whatever they were doing and set their eyes on the flames that arose from the coal-mines of the Kal dungeon on the other side of the fence. Whispers blurred against the crackling of the flames.

  Guards walked to them and yelled at them, pointing their fingers at their tools and ordering them to get back to work. The prisoners, by this time, were angry. They all had heard the rumors.

  “These dungeons here have no more resources left to extract. The Empire thinks we’re no use to them anymore. So, they’re planning to burn this whole place down one random night.”

  “Some guys said they’ve heard the Admin talking to his superiors about this plan.”

  “These mines store coal and mana-gems. It won’t be hard for them to use that to burn it down.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “All of the cannibals here would be killed. And everyone would think it was an accident.”

  “We won’t go without a fight!”

  The prisoners raised their fists and stomped at the guards. More guards hurried by, got in position with their muskets, and began shooting at them.

  But they were heavily outnumbered—a lot fell down, but a lot more reached them and grabbed their collars. The fight was on, and on equal footing.

  By the Admin building too, the young prisoners stood up against the guards. Their eyes were filled with rage, their fists with power.

  “If we stand up against them, we’d die. If we don't, we’d still die. So it’s better to try and then die without regrets than to die like a fucking loser.”

  “This time, these sapiens would see the rage of us cannibals. That’s how they’d know how to treat a human like a human—whether a sapien or a cannibal.”

  ***

  Itsuki walked out of the shelves with a lantern in one hand and a musket in his other. Haruto wore the guards’ coatee and turned to the other two, who smiled. Haruto smiled back.

  “Looks cool,” Souta said. “Get one for me too.”

  He took out another dark-blue coatee from the wardrobe and threw it at Souta, who opened it and had a look at the insides. He touched it with his fingertips to feel it better. “It’s such a soft cloth.”

  “Yeah, right? It’s very comfortable.”

  It really seemed like expensive material. Itsuki walked to him and felt it too. It… was a lot better than the cheap, rough pieces of shit that they gave the prisoners to wear.

  “Y’know, these uniforms could help us camouflage better.”

  “... Makes sense.” Haruto thought for a moment about it, and smiled. “If we’re shooting at the guards with these clothes on, the other guards won’t know what side they have to support—which would delay their reactions.”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s such a good idea,” Souta praised. “Let’s get changed, then.”

  Itsuki was already draped in weapons. So, now he had to take his scabbard, musket, and all that stuff off. He then took the buttons off his shirt and revealed the grenade-belt on his chest, filled with bombs.

  “What the fuck, Itsuki?” Haruto looked at him carefully taking off the belt and keeping it on the ground. “Do you think we’d need such powerful stuff?”

  “Probably,” Itsuki replied. “You never know what might help in a war, right?” He took his pants off and took up the clean, white one from the pair Haruto had kept in front of him.

  “Do we get ‘em too?”

  “You can,” he said as he pulled his pants up. Wait, what if… “No, don't.”

  “Huh?”

  He took up the shirt and frowned at the grenade-belt. “What if a bullet hits ‘em?”

  “... Yeah, you’d be gone,” Souta said. “You might survive a bullet, but definitely not a grenade blast.”

  “But we’d have mana-shields. Bullets shouldn't… penetrate…” Even Haruto was unsure of the mana-shields, because he knew it too, just as well as Itsuki. That the mana-shields might not work.

  But he still had a point, though. The chances that a bullet would penetrate through their mana-shield was still really low, and the chances that the bullet would actually hit these grenades was even lower. Itsuki thought for a moment as he buttoned his shirt.

  Finally, he made a decision. “Nah, fuck them. We don't need this shit. We’re strong enough for now. Especially because we know mana-manipulation and they don't.”

  Itsuki took up the navy-blue coatee and wore it above his white pair of shirt-pants. He then crouched down and stuffed his bare foot inside one of the boots.

  As Itsuki tied his laces, Souta was done with the uniform. He turned over to the mirror and had a glimpse of his clothes. Haruto did the same.

  Itsuki stood up after he was done with the boots and looked at their reflection. The rich navy-blue cloth felt so good on the three young boys. “Feels like we were just inducted into the army today,” Haruto said with a smile.

  The pants were really loose for all three of them. But Itsuki liked his clothes comfortable like that, so he didn't mind. He took back up the musket, wore the ammo-pouch on his waist, and slung the scabbard around his torso. He then turned to others. “We don't have a lot of time.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Aye,” he jokingly corrected them. “That’s what you use now.”

  “Aye,” both of them said at once.

  “Seems like they’ve already abandoned this building to quench the fires down.”

  “Not just the fires,” Itsuki explained. “The other inmates must be scared too now, if Ren’s rumors have worked. They’d keep the guards busy too.”

  “Hmm,” he nodded.

  They were in a really comfortable position for now, where they could get a chance to change clothes and get weapons. It was some sort of a break between the constant fights they were about to have. But the same couldn't be said for Ren and Kenji. Itsuki feared they must be fighting with scraps of weapons at some corner of the camp.

  They’d lost a lot of time here. They had to be quick from now on. And reach their friends with weapons as soon as possible. The fence should have been broken by now.

  Itsuki hung the bayonet and pulled his sword out. He looked at his own reflection on the blade—the dark bags around his eyes didn't look really healthy. He gulped in.

  “There’s a secret I have to reveal to you guys, once we get out,” he suddenly announced.

  Haruto and Souta looked up at him. But he couldn't meet their eyes like this. Not now. Haruto understood that, probably, and he patted his shoulder. Then he walked away. “Alright. Let’s focus on the mission for now.”

  Souta’s eyes said it—he really wanted to ask what was up, but he let Haruto take the lead in the situation for now and stayed silent.

  Itsuki took a deep breath. He’d spent all of the last three years keeping that secret inside his chest, making sure nobody knew. To stay away from trouble inside the prison.

  But, once they’re out, he was free. And he could trust them enough now. Especially Haruto.

  ***

  The three were finally ready. They loaded their muskets in the middle of the dark room, surrounded by weapons, in silence. Creepy, but the situation was tense now.

  Footsteps echoed on the other side of the door that lay just in front of them, on the other side of the shelves. They were opening one door after the other, upsetting stuff and searching for them.

  It seemed like there were four or five of them. Luckily, they could handle this many guards, especially because their enemies used muskets and weren’t mana-manipulators.

  Itsuki stood up and took cover behind one of the shelves. “Quickly,” he whispered to Haruto, who was still stuffing the cartridge in with the ramrod. He finally got up and stood by the other shelf. Souta walked over to the third one, farthest from the door.

  They all stood still. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Haruto was really scared, but he held it inside and puffed his chest to calm himself down.

  Yeah, they were gonna take part in an actual gunfight. And even a mana-fight, if it came to that.

  It would be exciting, but deadly.

  The door was slammed open. Itsuki wasted no time to take the aim and shoot the first guard.

  The bullet hit his chest and spewed out a lot of blood. The guy fell back on his own comrade, who then lost control of his weapon and was shot by Haruto.

  “Walk back! They’re inside!”

  Itsuki quickly bit another cartridge off, stuffed it inside the muzzle, pushed it in with the ramrod, and was ready for the next shot. It was quite a process, but worth it.

  Two guards took cover on each edge of the door, on the corridor. Itsuki and Haruto would be able to secure this. It’d be a bit tough for Souta, because the shelves got in his vision.

  So, it was a two-versus-two for now. Haruto finally reloaded his musket and looked at Itsuki. Their eyes met. And they smiled.

  Would they die there? Probably. But it’d be a fucking cool death.

  And they weren’t giving up just yet. Itsuki spun, and noticed that none of them were out firing. He waited for a moment, and when a guy suddenly began to turn to take a shot, he pulled the trigger.

  The gunshot hit the guy’s shoulder, and he quickly jerked back to safety. As Itsuki hid himself too as he heard how the musket slipped from his hands and fell on the ground. He’d probably given up.

  The second one popped up and shot, and just as the bullet went past him, Haruto spun and went for a shot. Too late, though, for the second one was back behind the covers.

  Itsuki pushed the next cartridge in the muzzle through the ramrod and then held the trigger again. As Haruto began doing the same, he turned his head behind the shelf, noticing what the other guys were up to.

  Silence. Eerie silence. Then one of them spun out and Itsuki jerked his head in. The gunshot hit the shelf just beside him.

  It was gonna be tough. These muskets were too slow for fights like this. He looked around to find a weapon on which he could use his bound-mana.

  Muskets, spare muzzles and ramrods, swords… bayonets. At the far corner of the room, that bunch of bayonets hung silently, hidden in the darkness.

  Itsuki took big steps and hurried through the shelves, went past Souta, and reached the corner. He picked up one of them and attached it to the muzzle of his musket.

  Souta looked over confusedly. Itsuki smiled at him and threw another one at him. Souta caught it. Itsuki took another one and ran back to his place. He threw the other bayonet at Haruto, who fumbled with the catch for a moment before regaining his balance. “Why this?” Haruto whispered.

  “We’re going all in,” Itsuki explained.

  Haruto smirked as he attached the blade to his musket. “What do we do, huh?”

  “You give me cover. Just keep shooting at the door. Don’t let them take their shot. I’d do the rest.”

  “Alright.”

  Haruto spun around and shot at the empty ground in the middle of the door. He then reloaded and fired the next moment.

  He was quick. So Itsuki gotta be too. He tiptoed through the other side of the shelf, where he was sure the guys at the door won't be able to see him, and he reached just to the edge.

  He was just beside the door now, behind the shelf still. Haruto was behind, at the back corner, and he kept shooting. The guards really didn't come out to fight him. Haruto was doing well.

  They were in range now. Itsuki spun out and swung his bayonet in a horizon, aiming right at the door. His mana cut through the air, broke through the bricks, and hit the other guy by his chest. The stones rained all over the place for a moment as the guard lay down, pieces of bricks all around and over him.

  A pool of blood engulfed him from all sides. His chest didn't move. He was dead.

  The other one felt the impact of the wall breaking down behind his back too, and he was down on the ground head-first. Stones rolled over and hit each other as he tried to push himself up.

  Itsuki stepped over to him through all that rubble and stared at the back of the guard. He was twisting over to him, probably having a look at his face. Then his head thumped at the ground again.

  It was hard to believe—this torso was the same one that had been ruling over him for the past couple of years. This same navy-blue torso had hit him with whips, their boots, and whatnot.

  All of these fucking torsos deserved a death like this.

  He pulled his bayonet up and simply stabbed the torso. It was weak. Too weak. So it stopped moving. Taking breaths.

  Haruto and Souta came up to him, observed the dead bodies, and stayed silent for a second. None of them had thought that they’d be able to fight back one day.

  That they’d be able to kill the immortal.

  This… This mana shit was incredible. Insane. Unbelievable.

  “Let’s get outta here.”

  ***

  The three ran past the lamps at the edges of the corridor. They clenched their bayonets, swords, and other blades in their hands—they didn't need bullets anymore.

  They had a much more powerful weapon than that: mana. And mana was what’d help them win this battle.

  As they approached the foyer, they noticed more soldiers. The soldiers took position, placed their muskets on their shoulders, and began shooting. The bullets came straight at them and hit their mana-shield.

  Haruto smiled as Itsuki swung his sword at them. The purple streaks again did their job. They cut through the edges of the corridor, went straight through the foyer, and slashed them all. Blood splattered and pieces of flesh spew all over the floor.

  “Ahahahahahahaa!” Haruto got too excited about it. “Motherfuckers, see y’all later!” Souta was shocked, but he didn't say anything.

  They hurried through the foyer, and just as they were halfway through, a mana streak hit the wall just above the door. They all pushed the brakes on their feet as they saw pieces of stone crumbling down over the entrance, taking over the only exit that they had.

  Their exit was blocked. Fuck. Itsuki spun back to see who did all that.

  On the first floor, atop the railing, a guard was looking down at them. Smirking.

  Itsuki didn't have a good feeling about him. The guy jumped down the floor and landed on his legs, unharmed. He must have used mana for this shit too, somehow.

  Souta pulled his musket up and shot at that guy. But the gunshot obviously didn't hit him.

  The guy laughed as he raised his sword up. “Ya guys are so innocent. Ahahahahahahhaa!

  “Ahahahahahahahahahahaa!”

  Haruto gulped. Fuck, his teammates were scared. He was alone in this shit, then.

  He dashed at him. Haruto followed him.

  Itsuki swung his sword hard at him from some meters away, and so did that guy. Their mana streaks hit each other and exploded, lighting the place for a moment before the thunder hit everybody’s ears.

  The two were thrown aback, on their butts. Itsuki jumped up on his feet and was back up again, while Haruto took some time. His legs were trembling.

  Fuck. “This is not the time to be scared, Haruto!”

  “I-I kn—”

  “Remember all those fucking times they’ve beaten you naked! Just because they wanted to have some fun!”

  Haruto froze for a moment. Itsuki knew he’d hit right where it stung, but he just had to do it right now. He needed his rage in this one.

  The flames flickered. And the guy still stood on the other side. It seemed as if the blast didn't even flinch him.

  His face was pitch-black. No eyes, ears, lips. No emotions.

  This was the enemy they had to beat. A sapien. That had no emotions for people like them. For cannibals like them.

  Itsuki was out of his daydreams, and he could see his soft pale face over his slender, powerful body through the light of the fire they’d just made.

  “... Itsuki, right?” he smirked. “Or should I say… Ishaan?”