The Weight of Vengeance

"You are foolish," she said softly, placing the glass shard on the table. She tore a piece of cloth from her tattered nightgown, exposing a portion of her thigh.

Her movements were careful and practiced. They were the actions of someone who had tended to wounds countless times before.

Shin chuckled, shaking his head. "People who live in ignorance, laziness, and complacency eventually face their reckoning. And look where we are now," he added, watching her.

She wrapped the fabric around her wounded hand, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, it wouldn't take long.

She had learned after the first set of bite marks that her body healed far faster than normal. A blessing and a curse.

Even when the wounds closed, the scars remained. Her arms and legs bore countless bite marks.

Deep scars across her back served as silent reminders of past beatings. A long scar stretched from above her eye down to her cheek, a permanent mark of suffering.

Once the Lichtensteins had discovered her healing ability, they allowed the beatings to continue without fear of killing her. And if she did die, it wouldn't matter.

There would always be another. And another. And another. Unless...

"The Lichtensteins are a powerful family, which I assume you already know," she said quietly. "They have ties to several royal families, including the Imperial Crown, the King, and the Queen of this country. The Crown trusts them to create creatures powerful enough to be trained for military use." She exhaled, her voice steady but bitter.

"I don't know if the Crown is aware of their atrocities, but since there has been no word of it, it seems they turn a blind eye." She met his gaze. "As long as the Lichtensteins continue to deliver results, nothing will change."

Shin listened intently, raising an eyebrow. This was news to him.

He hadn't realized their influence stretched so far. No wonder they operated with impunity.

The deeper their ties to the ruling elite, the harder they were to bring down. He wondered how many people they had bribed, blackmailed, or murdered to maintain their standing.

As she spoke, her mind worked quickly, piecing together the situation while retrieving her hidden belongings. Shin leaned against the wall, watching as she removed a loose brick.

A small smile crossed her lips as she pulled out a black circular object. She tucked it into a pouch sewn into her gown.

His curiosity was piqued, but he remained silent. "What is that?" he finally asked.

She hesitated before answering. "Something important."

She grabbed the hem of her potato sack gown and, without hesitation, ripped the fabric up to her thighs. The rough material fell away in jagged edges, but she didn't care.

She needed to be able to run. To fight. Slinging her bag tightly across her back, she turned to face him, arms crossed.

"I want to do it. I want to kill them. And no one, neither you nor anyone else, will stand in my way," she said firmly. "Their deaths belong to me."

Her eyes burned with rage, vengeance, and determination. "I should be the one to hunt them like the animals they are."

She stepped closer before brushing past him. Her fingers trailed over a small blade, slipping it into her palm.

The weight of the weapon felt familiar and comforting. She had wielded similar ones before, against those who had thought they owned her.

Shin observed her closely. Though malnourished, she moved with an effortless grace.

It was as if the hunger gnawing at her belly meant nothing. Her Kitsune heritage granted her an innate resilience, a strength that defied her frail appearance.

Years of suffering had conditioned her to endure pain without flinching. To walk everything off like it was nothing.

He wondered how much of it was instinct, and how much was the sheer force of will.

Shin raised an eyebrow at her resolve. "It won't be easy," he warned.

"But I won't stop you. Taking down the Lichtensteins is my mission too. If revenge is what you seek, then fight for it," he said simply. He saw the same emotions in her eyes that had once burned in his own.

Determination. Hope. An unquenchable thirst for vengeance.

He could sense faint magic within her. Perhaps she hadn't realized it yet.

Had she been a slave since birth? The thought stirred an unfamiliar pang of pity within him.

He wanted to see how strong she would truly be. A tense silence passed between them before she finally spoke again.

"First, we end the suffering of the breeders," she said, her voice steady.

Shin frowned. He thought he had already destroyed the breeder rooms.

But if she was right, then there were more hidden chambers in this house of horrors. "Point the way."

She nodded and took off, moving through the shadows with practiced ease. Shin remained silent, letting her lead the way.

The halls were eerily quiet. The air was thick with the scent of blood, sweat, and rot.

They passed the bodies of guards, some still twitching as their lives drained from them. Laverna stepped over them without hesitation, her movements precise and controlled.

Shin studied her as they moved. She didn't flinch at the carnage.

If anything, she seemed almost... comfortable. How long had she lived in this nightmare?

How many horrors had she endured? He knew vengeance was a powerful force, but it was also a fragile one.

If she let it consume her entirely, it could destroy her before she ever had a chance to reclaim her freedom. A sudden noise stopped them both in their tracks.

A faint whimper. Laverna's ears twitched. She turned her head toward a nearby door, fingers tightening around her blade.

"In there," she whispered. Shin nodded.

He pressed himself against the wall, listening. More sounds followed, muffled cries, the shuffle of movement.

His grip on his weapon tightened. He knew what they would find inside.

Laverna didn't hesitate. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit, the air stagnant. A row of cages lined the walls, filled with trembling, malnourished figures.

Women, barely clothed, their eyes hollow. Some barely reacted to their presence, too broken to acknowledge the possibility of rescue.

One of them, a young girl, clutched the bars of her cage and stared at Laverna with wide eyes. "Are you... here to save us?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Laverna swallowed hard. "Yes."

Shin exhaled slowly. He had seen many atrocities in his time, but this... this was something else.

He glanced at Laverna. Her expression was unreadable, but he could see the way her fingers trembled slightly as she gripped her blade.

"We free them. Now," she said. Shin nodded.

No more words were needed. They had work to do.

As they moved between the cages, Shin counted the prisoners. Some were unconscious, their bodies barely clinging to life, while others shivered, uncertain whether to hope or fear.

He glanced at Laverna, her jaw tight as she knelt beside one of the cages, examining its lock. The girl who had spoken earlier watched her with cautious hope.

"Can you really get us out?" Laverna didn't hesitate. "Yes. And we will make sure you're safe."

Shin stepped forward, gripping his sword. "We'll deal with the remaining guards. No one will stop us."

The girl's lips parted slightly, as if daring to believe. "Then please... hurry."

Laverna nodded and stood. They had to move fast. They had to end this nightmare.