Roneth still couldn't believe what he had just heard. The thought refused to settle in his mind, no matter how hard he tried. A vampire—no, an obsidian seraph itself—was sitting right in front of him, trapped in the same glowing cage, speaking in a calm and controlled voice as if this revelation meant nothing. Roneth's eyes kept drifting toward Damien again and again, as if expecting fangs to suddenly appear or dark wings to tear through his back.
The faint light of the binding cage reflected on Damien's face, making his sharp features look even more unreal. Roneth swallowed hard. Stories about obsidian seraphs were told in whispers, usually ending with entire villages reduced to ash or drained of life. And now one of them was here… planning an escape.
Eamon noticed Roneth's stiff posture and unfocused stare.
"So," Eamon said in a low voice, breaking the heavy silence, "Damien, what's the plan?"
Damien slowly lifted his gaze, his red eyes scanning the forest outside the cage. Soldiers moved casually now, their earlier tension fading. Gorochi walked ahead with Haizer, laughing loudly as if victory was already his.
"The plan is simple," Damien said. "They won't always be watching us. To them, this cage is absolute. They believe it's impossible for anyone to escape."
Roneth clenched his fists. The memory of Gorochi's laughter still burned in his ears.
"So they'll relax," Damien continued. "They'll talk, laugh, maybe even argue. And when they look away—even for a few seconds—I'll slip out of the cage and attack it from the outside."
Eamon nodded slowly. "Okay."
"But," Damien added, his tone sharpening, "we will have to be very fast. Haizer is here. The moment the cage breaks, he won't hesitate. He'll attack immediately."
Damien's eyes met Eamon's, then shifted to Roneth.
"So the instant the cage disappears," Damien said, "you both must be ready to fight."
The forest grew quieter as the group walked deeper between thick trees. The river sounds faded behind them, replaced by the crunch of boots on dry leaves.
Damien turned fully toward Roneth now.
"Roneth," he said, "you'll handle the soldiers. Protect Korran's family at the same time. Eamon and I will take Gorochi and Haizer."
Roneth straightened, his grip tightening around his swords.
"Got it, vampire," Roneth said firmly. "You can count on me."
Damien sighed in irritation.
"Stop calling me vampire," he said. "My name is Damien."
Roneth waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Alright."
Eamon let out a small breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Well then," Eamon said, "we wait for the opportunity for Damien to sneak out of the cage."
Outside, Gorochi finally seemed satisfied with his taunts. He raised one thick hand and made a sharp gesture in the air. The glowing cage shuddered slightly, then began to move forward, floating just above the forest floor.
"Move," Gorochi barked.
The soldiers adjusted their formation, surrounding the cage from all sides. Haizer walked silently beside it, his dark presence pressing down like a weight. Gorochi walked ahead, hands clasped behind his back, humming to himself.
They moved away from the river and deeper into the forest, toward the prison. Tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, casting long shadows that stretched across the path.
Inside the cage, Damien and Roneth grew more anxious with every step. The glow of the binding strings flickered softly, reminding them of how trapped they were. Eamon's mind raced. Every second felt stolen from them.
Eamon stared at the glowing lines of the cage, his brows furrowed. He was thinking—not about fear, not about Gorochi—but about possibilities.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
He turned sharply toward Damien and Roneth.
"Damien," Eamon whispered urgently, "tell me something. Can one use magic inside this cage?"
Damien blinked, slightly surprised by the question.
"Yes," Damien replied. "You can cast spells inside the cage. But the power won't go outside. This cage absorbs and nullifies the impact."
Eamon's shoulders dropped slightly, but he didn't give up.
"So… to break this cage from the inside?" Eamon asked.
"You'd need a Tier Four or higher spell," Damien answered calmly.
Eamon let out a quiet breath. "I can only go up to Tier Three."
Damien looked at Roneth. "What about you?"
Roneth shook his head. "I can't use magic spells. All I can do is fuse my mana with my swords."
Damien stared at him for a moment, clearly surprised.
"What…?" Damien muttered. "Oh. Okay."
There were a hundred questions in his mind, but this was not the time. He nodded once and looked back at Eamon.
Eamon stayed silent, his eyes lowering to the ground. His fingers curled slowly, as if holding onto a fragile thought.
Then his head snapped up.
"I have a plan," Eamon said.
Both Damien and Roneth turned toward him immediately.
"Listen carefully," Eamon continued. "I'll use a fire spell. It won't be powerful. But it will act like a veil."
Damien leaned closer, intrigued.
"It will hide everything inside the cage," Eamon explained. "Smoke, heat, flames—enough to block vision."
Roneth's eyes lit up.
"When the soldiers outside panic," Eamon went on, "and chaos breaks out… Damien, you take that moment. You slip out of the cage and attack it from outside with full force."
Damien nodded slowly, a faint smile forming on his lips. "Got it."
Roneth cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Alright," he said. "Let's do this."
Outside the cage, Gorochi laughed loudly, unaware that the quiet glow behind him was about to turn into fire.