“So, it seems like you bested Blaire in chess. That’s not an easy feat.” Alex glanced over his shoulder at Tucker as they moved down the corridor. “I expected you to be smug, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

  Tucker forced a thin chuckle through his lips. One that was barely more than a breath. “I guess… I’m just a bit tired these days.”

  “I see... well in that case I have some good news for you.” Alex’s lips curled upwards. “Your next mission will most likely be on the front lines within one of the bastion cities.”

  The rookie paused for a moment and stopped in place. “My next mission? Not ours?”

  Alex cleared his throat and stopped. He turned to face Tucker and nodded. “That’s correct. It’s been decided that you’ll be sent to the front lines for the time being.”

  “What?” Tucker furiously raised his voice, but Alex shook his head.

  “You can’t always have an emotional reaction to what happens, Tucker. It’s time you learn that.”

  “But isn’t the scarlet seal enough of a punishment?” Tucker refuted. He had already been stripped of his previous achievements and restricted from earning any new ones. So why was he also being thrown onto the side?

  “Sadly, it’s not. Not for something of that level.” Alex’s voice carried a sense of regret that struck Tucker’s heart.

  Tucker clenched his fists and knew that there was nothing he could do but accept it. “Then what about you guys?”

  “We’ll be continuing our usual operations. The Head Administrator hasn’t said what, but most likely we’ll be going our separate ways.” Alex gestured at Tucker to follow as he continued walking down the hall. He could see the disheartened expression on the rookie and chuckled. “There’s no need to make that face. It’s not like we won’t see each other again.”

  Tucker took small strides down the hall and nodded. He didn’t know when he would be allowed to go on missions behind enemy lines again, and parts of him felt like he’d never be given the chance to do so, but Alex was right. As long as they were both in the same world, they would eventually run into each other again.

  “I guess I fucked up pretty bad this time.” Tucker weakly laughed.

  “Depends on how you look at it. You did what you felt was right, and it takes guts to do that. I just think that for a guy as smart as you, you could have done a better job.” Alex stopped by a staircase guarded by two obsidian-clad knights with dragon-shaped helms. He held up his badge as they tapped their spears on the ground, sending a ripple of energy through the metal doors, depicting a seven-headed dragon chained beneath an ocean.

  “Is this also another punishment?” Tucker asked.

  “No, not in this case. We’re heading down to see that child you brought back. She woke up, and the custodians sent word for us to take a look.”

  “Is… is she being treated alright?”

  “I believe so. The custodians wouldn’t torture a child. She has been chained with mana-draining cuffs, though.” Alex stopped in front of a steel door near the entrance and slid the metal shutter open. “I doubt you would take anyone’s word for it, so I figured it would be easier to show you.”

  Tucker leaned closer and peered through the narrow opening in the door. The holding cell could only be described as a box with smooth stone walls and no visible lighting except for a dim lantern in the corner of the room. One that was barely enough to provide light. He stared at the emotionless girl sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands cupped before her lap. She was motionless, and her blue gaze was hollow. “This isn’t the right place to keep her.”

  “My thought exactly, but where would we send her?” Alex glanced through the opening. “We’ll be heading out soon, so it’ll be difficult to find accommodations.”

  “I don’t know, but would it be alright for me to talk to her?”

  Alex cast a brief glance at one of the custodians before gesturing toward the steel door. Once the custodian noticed the signal, he gave a slight nod and stepped forward. The faint jingling entered their ears in an uneven rhythm with each step. Then in a second, he unlocked the door and pushed it open, motioning for Tucker to enter.

  The rookie entered the room and soon heard the metal door sliding close once more. Tucker stared at the young girl, noticing her clean and healed skin. Unlike before, her unkept appearance had been tidied, and her amber hair seemed to have more volume in its new state. He kept a safe distance away from her, and once she noticed his presence, Tucker smiled.

  “It seems like you received medical aid. Hopefully it wasn’t anything too uncomfortable.” Tucker knelt on the ground so that they were eye level with each other. “Do you feel any pain?”

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  The girl remained motionless.

  “It’s okay if you’re uncomfortable speaking; you can just nod or shake your head instead.”

  The girl hesitantly nodded.

  “That’s good that you can hear me. I won’t ask any crazy questions the other guys probably tried.” Tucker pointed at the two who were watching through the narrow opening, causing the girl to look over as well. Once Alex and the custodian noticed this, they both quickly closed the slit. “They’re mean looking people but they’re nice. Did the guy in the dark green robe scare you?”

  The girl nodded.

  “See, those guys always look like that, but once you get to know them, they aren’t that bad.” Tucker stared at the trembling child with a warm gaze. She was scared, and he was worried. Worried about what would happen if he left, and she was still locked up in this cell. Tucker looked around the eerie room. “Would you like to leave here?”

  She shook her head, catching Tucker by surprise.

  “Why? Are you scared of what’s outside?” Tucker asked.

  She nodded once more causing Tucker to smile.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take you somewhere safe and better than a damp place like this. You don’t belong in a cell.” Tucker held out his hand but as he moved forward, she flinched. The look of dread in her eyes caused his heart to ache. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what they did to her. Tucker held out his palm several inches away from her. “My name’s Tucker, do you have a name?”

  Upon seeing her nod, Tucker asked. “Could you write the characters on my palm so I know what it is?”

  The girl hesitated but soon moved closer and drew several characters on the palm of Tucker’s hand.

  “Adira? That’s a good name, do you know what it means?” Tucker watched as she shook her head. “It means you’re strong and noble. Way better than my name which means soft.”

  Adira showed a weak smile causing Tucker to grin.

  “Aha! I see you can smile after all. That’s good. I knew this place was probably dampening your mood, so what do you think?” Tucker held out his hand once more. “Would you like to leave this place and go somewhere nicer?”

  .

  .

  .

  Adira sat there in confusion at the sudden gesture. Why was he going so far to help her? It didn’t make sense to her and from what she heard earlier. Tucker had been punished before for something he did, but she didn’t know what.

  Her arms trembled, she didn’t know what to do. Who to trust.

  The mages from the tower did all sorts of atrocities to them. Offering sweet lies that would trick them into falling for their experiments, yet unlike the mages. She didn’t see the darkness hidden within Tucker’s eyes. Only a sincerity that seemed to have no ends. But why? Why was he being so nice to her?

  The shackles that restrained her hands clearly showed that she was a prisoner, but their actions didn’t make sense. Why would they bother cleaning her with magic and providing her with a fresh set of clothes? What were they after?

  She didn’t know, and that scared her.

  Yet a part of her wanted to trust Tucker. To see where it would go, and so, she reached out her hand. Placing it in Tucker’s palm as the chains rattled in the air.

  “Hm, these could be a problem.”

  The words from Tucker caused her to flinch. She watched helplessly as the man before her raised his other hand in the air. Her body trembled uncontrollably, he was going to hit her and no matter how much she wanted to run, there was nowhere to go.

  “Wait Tucker stop!” A voice from the doorway erupted as an old man burst through.

  But it was too late and Adira immediately shut her eyes as the sound of metal shattering entered her ears. She sat there mortified, feeling the ground slightly shake as several metal chains hit the floor. Adira slowly opened her eyes in a daze while staring at the shackles on her wrists. The chains connecting them were broken and she could freely move her hands.

  “What the fuck are you doing!” The old man grabbed Tucker by the collar and lifted him to his feet. “Are you stupid?!”

  “I mean, they seem uncomfortable and I’m ninety percent sure she won’t do anything, so relax for a bit Alex,” Tucker said.

  “Yes, but those cuffs are a safety precaution you idiot!” Alex turned his gaze to the custodian who entered the cell. “Custodian, I’m sorry for my rookie’s—”

  The custodian raised his hand and sighed, used to Tucker’s random bullshit. “It’s fine. Your rookie is brighter than you think. The mana draining effect is only in the shackles themselves. The chains are just to restrict the prisoner’s hand movements, but that won’t matter if you plan to take her out anyway.”

  “See? No need to worry, besides at this point, what else are they going to do? I’ve already received the highest punishment possible.” Tucker smirked and waved his hand, causing Alex’s frown to deepen.

  “You’re a moron, I don’t even know how you can be so free spirited like this.”

  “Yeah, but I’m your moron.” Tucker let out a small chuckle as Alex shook him, causing Adira to smile.

  She watched as the unfamiliar scene unfolded before her. It was completely different from how the mages handled their affairs; they would never break the chains that restricted her. Yet seeing the interaction between the three made her heart feel at ease.

  “Just get the hell out of here, Salamander. Every time I see your rookie, he gives me a headache.” The custodian rubbed the side of his temple.

  “Yeah… I get that.” Alex released a heavy exhale and gestured at Tucker and Adira to follow. “You heard him, let’s go.”

  Adira nodded, but right before she could hop off the bed, Tucker stopped her.

  “Did they at least give you shoes?” Tucker asked.

  She shook her head, and before she could protest, Tucker gently lifted her in his arms.

  Tucker’s lip curled upwards. “We can’t have a noble girl like you walking on your bare feet.”

  Adira’s face burned as she clutched onto the fabric of Tucker’s cloak, so that she didn’t fall. “Y-you can put me down, I-It’s okay, I can walk,” she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “It’s alright! There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Tucker said.

  Adira lowered her gaze from Tucker’s. This wasn’t anything like the mages from the tower. And once she left the cell, she knew for certain that they had taken her somewhere else. Unlike the dark and dreary confinement she was used to, there were countless stone arches with intricate designs. Along with rows and rows of magic lanterns to light the way. Her heart beat uncontrollably as she gazed at the clear night sky, feeling the fresh breeze brush against her skin. It had been so long since she saw such a sight, and before she knew it.

  Small beads of water formed on the corner of her eyes. She didn’t know where she was anymore, but that didn’t matter. Anywhere was better than the mage’s tower and, for once in a long time. It finally felt like she was free.