Alliances In The Shadow

Thanks to the laws put in place by the world government and nobles, the original inhabitants of Ablauf don't have to go through the Prison Entrance Exam.

As a result, Layla woke up in a dimly lit place, staring at a rusty old ceiling. However, that was the least of her worries, as she soon noticed the scent she hated the most entering her nostrils.

Cough—! Cough—! Cough—!

She coughed hard and loud, resembling a tuberculosis patient.

"Who the fuck is smoking?!"

"I am the one."

Layla sat up straight, her body, and looked at the towering man standing at the door of her cell.

'Judging by his abnormal height and masculinity, he is a half alien, half human,' Layla quickly assessed.

However, she couldn't utter a word in front of the ebony-skinned man. No matter which angle I look at him from, he doesn't look like a person.'

He had too much hair on his body, with a face similar to that of a lion, two fangs protruding out of his mouth, and claws instead of nails.

Before Layla could say anything, the man leaning on the cell bars spoke quickly, "I was beaten by the Leo cutter ant. In exchange for turning my body into a lion, my physical body started growing lion features."

Layla nodded in understanding as she got out of her bed, and watched the man with weariness in her silver eyes. The lion man removed his cigarette and smiled.

"There is no need to panic, little girl. This is Galactic Prison, a place where criminals and adventurers are kept."

"Adventurers?!"

Seeing the startled expression on the girl's face, Aslan started walking towards the young alien.

"Yes, those crazy adventurers are kept here."

Layla's face cringed as she thought of the bastard who killed in cold blood, and now she was in Galactic Prison, a place where those adventurers began their journey in Ablauf.

'I will kill them all.'

Aslan could read the girl's mind like an open book, as she wasn't too good at hiding her feelings.

Taking this chance, the brown-eyed man took hold of her left shoulder.

"I am Aslan the executioner. My job is to kill all the other worlders who arrive in this prison."

"..."

At the silver-haired girl's silence, he continued, "I can see that you dislike adventurers as much as I do. Why don't you work with me to end all of them as we secure our spot in this prison?"

As Layla grappled with the weight of Aslan's proposition, a tumult of conflicting emotions churned within her.

On one hand, the prospect of aligning herself with a self-proclaimed executioner was chilling, yet there was an undeniable allure to the idea of killing all the other worlders before they became adventurers.

Thanks to the shift of power, the Galactic Prison was now an inescapable maze, which only amplified her sense of entrapment.

The echo of her heartbeats reverberated through her slender body as Layla's mind raced, each second mirroring the tumult of thoughts and feelings that consumed her.

The air crackled with unspoken tension as Aslan's piercing brown eyes bore into her, awaiting her response with a predatory patience that sent a shiver down her spine.

Finally, a steely resolve settled in Layla's gaze, her silver hair glinting in the dim light as she lifted her chin defiantly.

In a voice laced with determination, she spoke, each word ringing with a quiet intensity that belied the turmoil within her.

"Fine, I will work with you as an assassin."

Aslan raised a brow, "Assassin? You are the first person to declare such a title to me. I hope to see all those other worlders bleeding on the ground."

"You can count on it."

The events of three years ago played in Layla's mind, as Tito played his mojo on her.

She was not the best at hiding things, so to an attentive person like Black and White she was like a free newspaper. Knowing her short comings she just had to admit. 

"You already knew the location of Aslan's cell! Why don't you just take everyone there and stop bothering me?!"

'That's true,' Tito commented in his mind at her loud exclamation.

However, the need to admit it out loud didn't even cross his mind, "Silver Widow, just why do you keep on rejecting me? Just admit it, I do have the ability to read minds."

"..."

Layla couldn't accept such obvious lies, "If you can read my mind, then tell me what I am thinking now."

With a serious expression on his face, Tito closed his eyes and pretended to meditate, 

"Right now, you are thinking that you wish your chest was the same size as Encender's."

Although that thought wasn't on her mind at the moment, her face couldn't help but blush as it was an undeniable fact. 

Meron's cheeks also turned slightly pink. The current her was lacking in that aspect compared to the little Tohil. 

On the other hand, Encender found herself blushing more than the other girls. It was an honest fact that she was blessed with a bigger bosom than her peers, but she didn't want people to bring that up.

"No! That's not what she's thinking at all!" Rajah spoke up for Layla. "I think all girls are beautiful! It doesn't matter if they are big or small!"

Tito turned sideways to look at his black-haired cellmates with narrowed eyes full of disbelief. 

'No one cares about personal preferences! At the very least, please don't publicize the fact that you are a virgin.'

In the end, the golden-eyed man just sighed as his hand touched Meron's left shoulder. "You can let Silver Widow go now. I can lead us to Aslan's cell. He is the one who tried to kill us first... and he has something to say to our little red panda leader."

Meron looked over at Encender to see if she approved of Tito's words, and when the light brown-haired girl nodded, that's when she let go of Layla, who remained lying on the cold floor.