Kyren couldn't see the face of the woman speaking, but something about her voice told him she was beautiful.
"Where are we?" Lydel spoke up.
"Jail, obviously," the voice called back.
"What did y'all do? All we did was walk through the gates," Kyren said.
"Same. They've gone tyrannical. They're going to call you spies," the woman said softly.
An old man in the neighboring cell finally spoke up, a chuckle slipping from his lips. "I've lived in this outpost my whole life. They locked me up for stealing some bread."
Kyren exhaled sharply. "So when are we breaking out?"
"We're not. We've already tried," the woman replied.
Kyren leaned his head back against the cold stone wall. "I'll try again. And when I get out, I'll free you too."
A pause. Then her voice, laced with something unreadable. "If you're serious about this, your only chance is when they take you for questioning."
Kyren had been wondering since he first heard her voice, so he finally asked, "What's your name?"
She gave a soft, almost amused hum. "If you want to know, free me. Then I'll tell you everything."
Before Kyren could press further, the heavy doors burst open. Two men in red robes stood in front of Kyren's cell, and two more in front of Lydel's. A man in a silver robe followed behind them, keys jingling at his side. He gestured toward Lydel first. The guards entered, yanking Lydel to his feet, shackles clanking as they dragged him out. Thick metal cuffs bound his wrists and ankles, linked together by heavy chains.
Kyren tensed as they disappeared through the door, the silver-robed man following. The cell door slammed shut behind them.
"Damn. I thought they'd take us both. This just got harder." Kyren muttered.
"Do you not believe in your friend?" the woman asked.
"I believe in him getting away. I don't believe in him coming back to free us." His head slumped forward, frustration curling in his gut. The shackles on his wrists and ankles were thick, the chains sturdy. He needed a plan.
His thoughts were interrupted by the system's chime. The notification bell in his vision blinked faster than ever before. Kyren opened it, and his eyes widened at the new secret mission.
Secret Mission: Break Your Chains
Rewards: Skill, Trait
Kyren's lips curled into a smirk. Perfect.
Kyren summoned his blade. He placed the weakest chain link against the ground and raised the hilt of Lion's Requiem.
He swung.
The impact rang through the cell. Again. Again. His arms ached, his breath came faster, but he could see it—the metal fracturing under repeated blows.
"Ching."
The link shattered. His hands and feet were still shackled, but he could move.
Kyren immediately turned his focus to the chain binding his ankles. Another weak point. His dagger vibrated with mana as he slashed downward, and the link snapped cleanly under the enhanced edge.
Only the shackles on his wrists remained. Kyren twisted, barely able to angle his arms properly, and slammed the hilt against the weak spot. Each strike sent jolts of pain through his arms, his chest tightening with exhaustion. His breath turned ragged, his vision blurred at the edges.
He could hear them coming.
The thought of the cultists returning, finding him mid-escape—it made his limbs feel heavy. He gritted his teeth, forced himself to keep going. The system had given him a way out. He just had to finish it.
One more strike.
Crack.
The final link broke. The shackles hung loosely from his wrists, but he was free.
Secret Mission Completed.
Rewards Have Been Given.
Kyren opened the system.
Skill: "Predator's Overkill" – The more Kyren analyzes his opponent with "Predator's Eye," the stronger and more precise his strikes.
Trait: "Predator's Eye" – Grants enhanced perception, revealing flaws and weaknesses in enemies and objects.
He focused, activating his trait for the first time. "Predator's Eye." His vision sharpened, the world around him shifting. Every object, every surface, every detail became clearer, more defined.
As the trait fully activated, Kyren's vision sharpened even further. The room shifted—no, clarified. He could see the faint fractures in the stone walls, the stress points in the metal bars, the way the old man's joints trembled slightly with age. If he focused, he could almost predict where things would break before they did.
Kyren took a slow breath, forcing himself to remain still. He kept his dagger hidden beneath his leg and sent Lion's Requiem back into his inventory.
No one spoke. From the other cells, the prisoners must have thought he'd lost his mind. Even the old man didn't look at him.
Good.
Kyren sat in silence, waiting. He just hoped Lydel had gotten away.
The doors flew open.
Lydel was dragged inside and thrown to the ground. Blood dripped from his mouth, his breathing uneven.
Kyren clenched his fists.
The silver-robed man shut Lydel's cell and turned toward Kyren, his expression twisted into a wicked grin. Slowly, he inserted the key into Kyren's lock.
The door creaked open.
The two guards in red robes stepped forward—but Kyren moved first.
He exploded forward, dagger flashing in his grip.
Predator's Eye made everything slow.
The guards were unarmed—he saw it instantly, saw the way their hands hesitated, saw the slight tension in their shoulders. He cut one's throat cleanly, pivoted before the body hit the ground, and buried his blade into the second guard's back.
The man in silver barely had time to react before Kyren slammed the hilt of his dagger into his face. The impact sent him flying back, slamming against the stone wall.
Kyren heard a blade slicing toward him. He ducked instinctively—no, deliberately.
He didn't just dodge. He moved exactly where he needed to.
His eyes locked onto the attacker's ribs. Weak point.
Kyren jammed his dagger between them. He twisted the blade, then kicked the man back, yanking the weapon free.
It had taken seconds.
The last guard was still in the cell. Kyren turned, smirked, and shut the door, locking him inside.
He turned back to the silver-robed man, who lay slumped on the ground. Kyren knelt, pulling the keys from his belt.
One by one, he unlocked the cells, saving the woman's for last.
As he pushed the door open, he looked at her. "So, you gonna tell me that name now?"