Cries Unheard

In the yard, where everyone watched and monitored Seiya, Mr. Sanio's eyes were fixed intently on the screen.

"Agh, he's having a breakdown" sighed the woman in a suit, her demeanor exuding the poise of a secretary.

"What should we d—" she began, only to be cut off as Mr. Sanio rose to his feet with urgency.

"Bring him back! Immediately!" he ordered, his voice heated and commanding.

The Awakened workers, poised and handling the equipment, hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?! You there! Bring him back!" Mr. Sanio's finger jabbed toward a female Awakener, who flinched at being singled out for the daunting task.

"Immediately!" he added coldly at her hesitation.

"Y-yes, sir," she stammered, her eyes squeezing shut as she stretched out her hand to activate her ability.

In an instant, Seiya was teleported from the dungeon to the yard, the gate dissolving into nothingness.

The female Awakener who facilitated Seiya's extraction, coughed up blood before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

None of those present appeared severely troubled by this outcome, standing awkwardly still—this was the norm, after all.

In this world, gates were the domain of monsters, not humans. The act of forcibly opening a gate defied the world's laws, though the SOH ceaselessly researches ways to circumvent these restrictions. A gate could only be closed once the dungeon's monsters were eradicated. Should a human enter, they could only exit after vanquishing all the monsters within.

To forcibly extract a person from a dungeon, as was just done, violated the natural order thereby exacting a grim price—a life for a life. The female Awakener had sacrificed her life to bring Seiya out.

Seiya lay unconscious on the ground, the unnatural toll of his forced teleportation weighing heavily on him.

"Check if he needs medical attention" Seiya's father commanded.

After a thorough examination, Seiya was taken to his room, still unconscious.

"He has a long way to go" Seiya's father sighed heavily as he left the yard.

He entered a dimly lit room stained crimson with blood. This was where the children who bore the consequences of Seiya's failures were kept.

A cruel smile played on Mr. Sanio's lips as he stepped through the carnage. By his orders, the children were slaughtered with each of Seiya's defeats in the dungeon. Their deaths were brutal—some decapitated, others dismembered or crushed under heavy machinery.

The once bright, cheerful room had transformed into a grotesque morgue.

At the far corner of the room, a lone boy trembled against the wall, his body quaking with terror.The boy, having witnessed the grisly deaths of his peers, was utterly traumatized.

"Oh my! NA-171, what are you doing there?" Mr. Sanio's voice was mocking as he addressed the child by his code name.

The boy flinched but remained silent, his wide spread eyes glistening with tears.

"You're shaking so much. Is it fear from watching your peers die, or... excitement at being the only one left alive?" Mr. Sanio's grin twisted into a stern expression.

The child remained mute, trembling. Mr. Sanio's tone grew colder.

"Stand up!" he commanded sharply, and the boy immediately staggered to his feet, his legs wobbling.

"Get over this immediately! You saw everything, didn't you? Those deaths weren't my fault—It's all because Seiya failed to complete his task" Mr. Sanio declared, and the boy froze as if realizing something.

"Yes. I spared you out of the goodness of my heart. Otherwise, you'd be dead too. Remember, the blame isn't mine; it's the fault of the one who failed his task, is it not?" He stared harshly at the boy until he nodded.

"Good. Be grateful for the life I've given you. Go on, you're free to leave."

A worker led the boy away.

"A failure today, but somehow, I feel everything will fall into place soon" Mr. Sanio breathed, relaxed.

---

Hours after being brought out of the dungeon, Seiya stirred in his bed, his body aching as he regained consciousness.

He bolted upright, panic flooding his senses as memories of the dungeon and his forced extraction resurfaced. Stumbling to the metal door, he pounded on it desperately. 

"I need to see my father! Please!" He cried, his voice cracking with despair.

The guard, who had momentarily stepped away, returned upon hearing the commotion.

"Quiet down and stop making a fuss!" the guard yelled at Seiya, who continued banging on the door.

"My father, I want to see him! Please bring him here!" Seiya cried out, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded.

Word quickly reached Mr. Sanio, who arrived promptly.

"What is this? Throwing a tantrum like a child..." He paused before continuing, "Well, you are a child." He peered at Seiya through the door's girlle.

Seiya ceased his fussing at the sight of his father.

"The children are having dinner in the dining hall. Join them, and afterward, you can tell me whatever you need to" Mr. Sanio said before leaving.

Seiya was given clean clothes and escorted to the dining hall, where murmurs and glares greeted him. Ignoring them, he grabbed a tray and was served. 

As he turned, a fist slammed into his face, sending him sprawling into a nearby table. His glasses flew off, his vision blurred. 

Looking up, he saw the children gathering around him. The boy who had punched him stood at the front, seething with rage.

"You bastard!" Eiro, the boy who's used to bullying Seiya, grabbed him by the collar. "How hard was it to complete the task? Because of you, those children had to die!" he shouted, slamming Seiya onto the table and landing blow after blow.

Accusations filled the air:

"He must have refused the task because he's the Master's son"

"He didn't care about those children since he wasn't the one dying"

"He must have enjoyed watching them die for his pride."

"Why even are their lives tied to you?! Why are they the ones who get to die for your foolish pride and inability to complete a task?!" The boy raged more, landing heavier punches on Seiya.

As the group pummeled him to vent their frustration, Seiya could only shield himself with his tiny arms. Blood seeped from the tear and bruises they made—tears streaming down his face as he remained pressed under the kids. 

Seiya's heart ached, everything within him ached badly. His lips trembled hardly as he struggled to voice out what his heart kept repeating inside him.

He wanted to tell them, he wanted to let them know, he wanted them to hear the aching voice within him saying: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So sorry. 

But no matter how much Seiya tried, his lips only trembled with no words coming out. He wanted those words out yet why wasn't it coming out? His heart was getting drowned in tears as were his eyes.

Through his blurred vision , he spotted the familiar boy with light blue hair, the one who had once stood up for him. Their eyes met but the boy looked away, feigning ignorance and unwilling to intervene.

The beatings continued until the group grew tired, spitting on Seiya before leaving him bloodied on the floor. 

Seiya huffed, his entire body aching. They all watched as he struggled up, trembling and trudging with wobbling legs.

With the situation being too overwhelming, Seiya couldn't find his glasses in that state. He had to make do with his blurred vision.

Bruised and trembling, Seiya grabbed another tray and got served—forcing himself to eat through the ache and pain. 

Though he couldn't down most of it due to his aching stomach and mouth, he tried his hardest to eat.

Afterward, Seiya limped out of the cafeteria, his vision blurred, bumping into objects along the way.

---

Seiya was led to his father's office, where Mr Sanio waited with his back turned.

Standing stiffly, Seiya's nerves barely contained, trying to summon the courage to speak.