Emancipation

This was the nation Sarvos, one of the countries affiliated with the Great Nations Yabamiah and Roehel, which had been in an alliance for decades now. As a Nation under these two Great Nations, it was inconceivable to think of any surrounding Nation that would dare attack them.

'Sarvos is right next to the Great Nation of Roehel, and even to its West—though quite a distance away—is Yabamiah.' It also had a fellow Nation called Ranial to the North, and both Nations were under Yabamiah and Roehel's protection.

Sarvos was also surrounded by tropical forests and mostly elements of nature, which meant there weren't smaller civilizations around it. Even if there were, none of them would dare attack Sarvos for very obvious reasons.

'Which means this can't be one of the Nations.' He thought to himself. 'But it also doesn't make sense for an independent organization to do something like this and get so far.'

This was a secret facility hidden deep within Sarvos' Capital. From what he had gathered, through eavesdropping and years of observation, it was one of the most valuable places in Sarvos, which also made it the most fortified.

The reason for its importance was that this place didn't just serve as a prison camp for Arcane Vessels, but it was also a storage space for Arcane Instruments; Armaments that the imprisoned Vessels had to fill up with Ne'sh. A single Armament was worth a fortune, and this place was chock full of them.

During his time here, Theo had encountered and handled so many of them that he was able to understand the value this place had.

'Other than the Royal Palace, I doubt there's any other place in Sarvos that holds such relevance.'

Hence, the security had to be proportionate.

If any squad of Mercenaries were to even attempt to infiltrate such a place, they would be struck dead before they got anywhere. Likewise, any other rebel organization or terrorist group would encounter the same fate.

The only body that could stand a chance against them was the Ak'ashi Guild… but why would they be concerned with a place like this?

From what Theo knew about them… this just wasn't their style.

'B-but hold on…!' Just as his eyes slowly began to twitch as he realized something, his room began to shake a little more violently, as with the other rooms in the ward. 

Sand and crumbs of concrete fell from the ceiling, and even the iron bars that Theo was now tightly clutching were vibrating at a much higher frequency than before. As the situation escalated, so did the shouts and screams of the prisoners.

But Theo did not hear any of those, neither did he feel the tremors that were getting increasingly more aggressive.

Instead, he was more invested in the pieces that were slowly assembling in his mind.

'That man… how did he manage to get in here? He said he wasn't one of the people involved, yet how could he have gotten access to this place?' Back then, Theo didn't think much of it because there was no real need to.

But now… he couldn't help but wonder.

'He called himself Shen, which is the same as the first name of the Supreme Lord Of Tyranny.' As Theo thought about this, he swallowed hard.

'Supreme Lord of Tyranny… also the Head of the Ak'ashi Guild…' 

The rumbles increased, and at that moment the voices of the people reached a roaring crescendo.

'... Shen Ak'ashi.'

BOOM!!!

Right there and then, the solid metal doors that blocked off the ward from the rest of the facility were blown apart in an instant.

This forced everyone to fall silent, right before the resulting smoke caused them to cough.

"Koff… ack… argh!" Theo joined them in this, unable to help the natural reaction to the rising dust and stinging smoke that now pervaded the ward.

All of it vanished in an instant, though—as if sucked away by an invisible vortex.

'H-huh…?' 

As Theo was still recovering from the cough, a figure approached his cell, forcing him to lift his gaze and look at the spectacular woman who stood before him.

The lady had long white hair, with crimson eyes that seemed to glow like a rare gem. She wore a skimpy black dress, with high-heeled shoes that had straps extending all the way to her knees. On her two hands were white gloves too, and all of these were complemented by the golden earrings dangling on her two ears.

This woman was spectacular, and everything about her felt so fancy.

She clearly did not belong in such a dark, dreary, grimy, smelly, and utterly revolting place. Even at that, she gave off a radiating smile as her eyes rested on Theo.

"Young man…" The moment she spoke, every other sound was drowned out. Her voice felt melodious, and her accent was clean and posh. 

"... Are you Theo?"

Theo couldn't properly speak yet, as he was still somewhat mesmerized with her beauty. Plus, he was still recoiling from the discovery he had just made.

Hence, he simply nodded his head.

"Good." She gave him a pleasant smile, closing her eyes sweetly. "Now step back for a moment."

Theo obeyed instantly, and she stretched out one of her hands the moment he took enough steps backwards.

BOOM!

Right there and then, the iron bars broke apart, forming a man-sized hole. If there was any doubt in his mind before, none existed anymore.

This lady was the one responsible for all of those explosions!

"Come now… let's go." She beckoned at him, and he instantly walked forward, stepping out of the cell he had lived in for years.

Despite the allure of freedom, and the heavy pounding in his heart, Theo couldn't help but turn back and look at his dirty room… and then at the other rooms that existed in the ward.

"What about them?" He asked, turning to the white-haired lady who stood next to him.

She shrugged, almost as if she couldn't be bothered by the rest of the prisoners.

"They're not my mission."

It was a harsh, but honest response. She had come for him, and only him. Why she did so was left to anyone's guess, but Theo felt already knew the answer.

"Did Shen send you here?"

"You met Shen?" She raised her brows as she looked at him, her expression showing mild annoyance.

This forced him to look away from her, even though he didn't know why she suddenly looked upset. It didn't seem like he was the cause, though, so after a few moments of silence, he raised his head and looked at her.

"Yes. He told me—"

"Save it for later. Let's go." She dragged him by the hand and swiftly walked away from where they stood.

Theo, staggering a little, did his best to keep up with her.

He could hear the shouts and bellows of the prisoners as he left them behind, feeling an ounce of guilt in his heart as their voices turned into echoes.

Until finally, he couldn't hear them anymore.