Shawn walked silently behind Morgan, and neither of them spoke. The steady rhythm of Morgan's footsteps echoed through the corridor, giving Shawn just enough to follow without difficulty. He had long grown accustomed to identifying people by the sound of their steps. Morgan's steps were always calm, measured, and never hurried, but today there was something different about them. It wasn't fear or hesitation, but they carried a weight Shawn couldn't quite describe.
The farther they walked, the quieter the manor became. The familiar sounds of servants going about their duties gradually disappeared, and even the scent lingering in the air changed. The fragrance of polished wood and flowers slowly faded away, replaced by the cold smell of metal and medicine. Shawn frowned. This wasn't the way to the library, nor was it the direction of the dining hall. Even the training courtyard lay elsewhere.
As they continued, another memory surfaced. Morgan's daughter, Ness had once warned him never to wander in this direction because it was forbidden. Back then, he hadn't thought much about it since Morgan's manor was filled with places he had no interest in exploring. Yet now, Morgan himself was leading him there.
"Eva," Shawn called out in his mind.
"Hmm?"
"I am afraid that this is the day Morgan had planned to act on me?"
Eva remained unusually quiet. After several moments, she finally spoke.
"...will we survive"
Eva's question made him silent. Trying to predict Morgan was impossible.
Eventually, Morgan stopped walking. A deep metallic sound echoed ahead as a heavy door slowly opened, and an even colder wave of air washed over Shawn. Morgan stepped inside first and said,
" Come in."
Shawn followed him.
The moment he entered, countless unfamiliar sounds reached his ears. He heard a faint humming, the bubbling of thick liquid, and metal gently vibrating. Somewhere nearby, heavy chains shifted against one another. His nose twitched at the sudden mix of medicine, metal, and a faint scent of blood.
There were more people inside the room than usual. He immediately recognized Morgan's presence, and another familiar person stood not too far away: Grandmaster Boulder. Apart from them were several servants whose breathing remained restrained, as though they were afraid to make the slightest mistake. Shawn's fingers slowly tightened into fists. Whatever this place was, it had been prepared long before he arrived.
"So..." Shawn muttered quietly, "this is where you've been hiding."
Morgan offered no response. Instead, his footsteps continued forward, and his silence was enough. Everything suddenly fell into place for Shawn. The library, the tutors, the endless books, the careful food, and his blindness. Every strange thing Morgan had done since bringing him here finally made sense.
Shawn let out a short, bitter laugh that held no joy.
"So this is it," his voice echoed through the chamber. "You've finally grown tired of pretending."
Silence followed. Not a single person answered him, and even the servants lowered their heads. Morgan neither defended himself nor denied Shawn's words. He simply stood there. To Shawn, that silence was all the answer he needed.
A servant cautiously stepped forward.
"Young Master..."
Before the servant could finish, Shawn took a step back.
"Don't touch me."
His voice remained calm, but the hatred behind it was impossible to hide.
"If you're going to kill me... at least let me walk there myself."
The servant froze, uncertain of what to do, until Morgan finally spoke.
"Let him be."
The servant immediately withdrew. Shawn followed the sound of Morgan's footsteps until they stopped before what felt like a raised platform. The air around it was colder than anywhere else in the room. He could hear countless thin metallic strands gently trembling, producing an almost inaudible hum. He had no idea what they were, but instinct alone told him that none of this was normal.
"Lie down," Morgan's voice remained as calm as ever.
Shawn frowned.
" Do I have to?" He asked. Him lying down here made him feel as if he was to be sacrificed. After all, from the smell of the room, he was sure that he could be slaughtered any time.
" Unless you want to experience the whole thing while being unconscious."
Shawn's smile disappeared.
Without another word, he slowly lowered himself onto the platform. The metal beneath him was freezing. Almost immediately, he felt heavy restraints being fastened around his wrists, his ankles, his waist, and his chest, one after another. Every movement from the servants was firm yet careful, as though whoever restrained him had repeated this exact process countless times before.
Shawn tested his strength against the restraints, but nothing moved.
"...Cowards," he muttered.
No one answered him.
Standing a short distance away, Boulder quietly observed the boy. From the moment Shawn entered the room, he hadn't begged or pleaded, nor had he even asked what was about to happen to him. Even now, despite the deep hatred evident in every word he spoke, there wasn't the slightest trace of fear in his heartbeat. There was only resolve.
Boulder slowly turned his gaze toward Morgan.
"You weren't exaggerating on the hatred."
Morgan didn't reply. His attention remained fixed entirely on the platform.
The entire chamber gradually came alive. Runes carved across the floor began emitting a faint golden glow, and the humming surrounding Shawn steadily intensified. One servant hurried over to a nearby console, while another checked several crystal containers connected by countless metallic wires. Everything had been prepared, and everything was perfectly ready.
Morgan took one final look down at Shawn, then shifted his gaze toward Boulder.
The old man gave him a single nod.
Morgan inhaled deeply.
"Begin."