Bonds Beginning to Form
Later, as the group shared a simple dinner, Paige ate slowly, as if afraid the food might be taken away at any moment. Akari noticed and spoke gently:
"Paige, you can eat as much as you want. No one is going to take it from you."
The girl hesitated, but finally nodded, taking another piece of bread. After a while, her childlike curiosity began to show.
"Are you... warriors?" she asked, looking at Yuzuki and Akari with admiration. "How do you know how to fight so well?"
Akari smiled slightly before replying:
"Life taught us, Paige. And now we need to teach you too. We won't let anyone hurt you again."
Paige smiled—her first genuine smile in a long time. Gotier watched the scene with a thoughtful expression, his hands clutching the crucifix around his neck.
Yuzuki, despite his usual seriousness, felt something new. When Paige looked at him with gratitude, he answered with a slight smile. It was small, almost imperceptible, but it was there. Mao, noticing this, twisted within him.
"You really think you can be saved by this, Yuzuki?" mocked the demon, his voice now dripping with disdain. "Foolish human bonds. All they do is weaken you."
Yuzuki didn't respond. He knew the road ahead was long and dark, but for the first time in a long while, he had found a reason to fight that wasn't fueled solely by vengeance or despair.
And that night, as the fire died down and everyone settled in to sleep, the group—even in their sadness and hopelessness—began to feel more like an improvised family. Paige, lying between Akari and Yuzuki, slept deeply for the first time in years, while Gotier, always watchful, kept guard. Mao, even in his frustration, couldn't deny that something was changing.
And that change, however small, could be the key to facing what was yet to come.
Lost Bonds and Redemption
The group gathered around the fire, their silhouettes illuminated by the flickering light of the flames. Gotier remained silent, eyes fixed on little Paige as she nestled close to Akari, murmuring something softly. Yuzuki, sitting a bit apart, sharpened his sword with methodical movements, but everyone's thoughts converged in the same direction: the uncertain future in Salem and the ghosts of the past each one carried.
Gotier watched Paige with a mix of tenderness and sorrow. The girl's smile, even amidst misery, brought back memories of his own daughter. Her eyes had the same spark of hope his little girl used to show—before the Church of Holy Faith took everything from him.
"She's strong, isn't she?" murmured Akari, noticing Gotier's gaze.
The former priest nodded but didn't answer right away. He moved closer to the fire, sitting nearer to the flames as if needing their warmth to push away the cold he carried inside.
"Paige..." he called softly, his voice laced with a nearly paternal tone.
The girl looked up, curious but cautious. Even with her recent freedom, the shadow of her past life still lingered over her.
"Yes, Mister Gotier?" she replied with a shy smile.
"You... don't need to call me 'Mister.' Just Gotier."
She hesitated before nodding, a glimmer of gratitude in her eyes. Gotier continued:
"You remind me a lot of my daughter. She was cheerful like you. Strong, even when everything seemed lost."
Paige tilted her head, curious.
"Where is she now?"
The question was direct, but Gotier swallowed hard. He didn't want to burden her with the darkness of his past. Instead, he simply murmured:
"In a better place."
Akari noticed the tension and changed the subject, asking Paige to tell them more about her life before being sold into slavery. That was when the story of Fryr emerged.
The Story of Fryr
Paige hugged her knees and lowered her voice, as if afraid that something or someone might hear her.
She paused, her eyes full of tears.
"Fryr... she was like an older sister to me. Whenever I got beaten or went without food, she found a way to take care of me. But Mister Kubo... he was cruel to her. He did horrible things."
Gotier looked up, frowning slightly. "Fryr?"
Paige nodded, her small hands squeezing her knees as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. "She... was my friend. More than that, my sister. When I was..." she swallowed hard, "...when I was punished for making mistakes, Fryr would always take part of the blame. She said I had to survive, that my life could still get better. But she..." The words caught in her throat, and tears began to stream down her cheeks.
"I managed to escape, but Fryr... she didn't. And now..." Paige suddenly dropped to her knees, her trembling hands clutching the fabric of Yuzuki's clothes. "Please, help me save her! She saved my life so many times... I can't abandon her."
Akari, sitting nearby, moved closer and placed a comforting hand on Paige's shoulder. "What happened to her?"
"Kubo." The name spilled from her lips like poison. "He keeps her as a slave, like all the others. She... she suffers so much, but never complained. I can't bear to think of what he's doing to her. Please, Mister Gotier, Mister Yuzuki, Miss Akari, help me free her!" Paige knelt before them, her hands clasped in supplication. "I'll do anything! Please, save Fryr!"
Yuzuki looked at her, surprised by the intensity of her words. He was never good at dealing with emotions, but there was something in her sincerity that touched him. Akari hugged Paige, offering comfort.
"We'll help. Fryr deserves the same chance you had. Right, Yuzuki?"
Yuzuki slowly nodded. Gotier, however, remained silent, his thoughts a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. He knew what it meant to confront someone like Kubo, especially in a city like Salem.
Silence fell over the group, heavy and full of emotion. Gotier looked at Paige, seeing not just the fragile girl before him, but also his own lost daughter. The memory hit him like a blow: his little girl running toward him, laughing, her smile as bright as the sun. He closed his eyes, trying to push the pain away.
"We'll help her," Gotier finally said, his voice hoarse. "Not because you're begging, but because it's the right thing to do."
Yuzuki watched the scene in silence, his expression somber. Inside him, Mao whispered:
"Do you really think saving a slave will change anything? This world is rotten, Yuzuki. One act of kindness won't cleanse it."
"Shut up," Yuzuki muttered, almost inaudibly, but with a firmness that made Mao shrink back.
Akari gently helped Paige to her feet. "We'll save your friend. But we need to know where she is and who's guarding her."
Paige nodded, wiping her tears. "Kubo keeps her in his mansion. It's well protected, full of guards. But there's more..." She hesitated. "Zeke is there too. He works for Kubo now."
Yuzuki froze upon hearing the name. "Zeke? What do you mean?"
"He's Kubo's head of security," Paige replied. "I don't know why he's here, but he's strong. He... he's dangerous."
The memory of Zeke surfaced in Yuzuki's mind: the man who almost stopped him from fleeing the Island of Kugutsu, a relentless and brutal warrior. How had he ended up in Salem, serving a slaver?
"Zeke..." he murmured, fists clenched. "I met him on the Island of Kugutsu. He tried to stop me from escaping. I don't understand how he ended up here."
Gotier raised an eyebrow.
"Who's Zeke?"
Yuzuki explained with a dark tone:
"He was one of the island's guards. A fierce warrior, loyal to the king. But what is he doing as a slave? And more importantly... why is he protecting Kubo?"
Mao, who had remained silent until then, chuckled softly in Yuzuki's mind.
"Looks like fate's threads are crossing again, boy. Will you face your past or run like last time?"
Yuzuki ignored the provocation, but couldn't shake the growing unease in his chest. Akari placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It doesn't matter who he was. What matters is what we do now. We'll save Fryr and the other slaves. And if Zeke stands in our way... we'll deal with it."
"We'll investigate," said Akari, her determination clear. "Paige, tell us everything you know about Kubo, Zeke, and the mansion. We'll prepare."
As Paige began to describe the horrors of Kubo's mansion, Gotier looked toward the nearby river. The moon reflected on the dark water, and he tightened the old crucifix in his hands. "I won't fail this time," he murmured to himself.
Akari noticed his tension and placed a hand on his arm. "Gotier, are you okay?"
He took a deep breath, hiding the storm inside. "I am. We'll save Fryr and everyone else. And if necessary, we'll put an end to Kubo and everything he stands for."
Yuzuki looked at Gotier, then at Paige, and for the first time in a long while, a faint smile appeared on his face. Maybe saving someone could give him a purpose, even if just for a brief moment.
However, inside him, Mao only laughed.
"Let the theater begin."
The Plan
The group devised a plan to infiltrate Kubo's mansion. Gotier would use his knowledge of Dankai (a protective barrier) to break the seals at the main entrance, while Yuzuki and Akari would handle the security. Paige, though desperate to help, was convinced to stay out of the fight.
Before they left, Gotier approached her and held her small, injured hands.
"Paige, you gave us a reason to fight. Now trust us to bring Fryr back."
She nodded, though tears still ran down her cheeks. When Yuzuki saw her like that, something inside him cracked — a wall of coldness he had maintained for so long.
"We'll bring your friend back. I promise, Paige."
Mao let out a grunt of disgust in Yuzuki's mind.
"Promises... so human. Let's see how long this 'compassion' of yours lasts when the blood starts spilling."
Yuzuki ignored him, but he knew the battle ahead would be more than just a physical confrontation. He would have to face both the external demons and the ones within.