Cliff’s voice was filled with despair as he asked, "How are we going to escape?"

We have been locked up in our prison cells for a few hours now. The walls were black, and the chains we wore were pitch white, a stark contrast to our surroundings.

I tried to remain positive and replied, "This is not the time to despair. We need to find a way out of this mess for ourselves." Davy was frustrated and said, "But how are we supposed to do that when we are completely powerless? Even with our enhanced states, we cannot break these chains. My fire wouldn’t even leave a mark on them."

Davy was right. The chains seemed to be made of some sort of special material. Soon, all of our eyes turned on Kei. The elderly man had called him the main reason for our imprisonment, and we wanted an answer.

Kei remained silent with his gaze lowered, but then he spoke up: "I had suspicions previously, but I am certain after hearing that old man’s words. That was the final piece of the puzzle. My nexus is death."

The entire space in the room went silent. As Kei told me the night we were ambushed by those black monsters, it immediately occurred to me that he had spent most of his life as an orphan in a cemetery. He had grown up among the dead.

It all makes sense now. I realised that Kei’s revelation explained why the bird’s wing lost its colour and became lifeless after being touched by Kei. His subconscious manifestation of "death" had caused the wing to lose all its vitality and life force. "I see," I said, acknowledging Kei’s revelation.

Cliff and Davy looked at us questioningly, and Kei went on to elaborate on his life and the incident with the bird, as well as our journey to Avery’s hideout. I explained that I had kept quiet about it because Avery had asked us not to tell anyone.

"And you kept this from us?" Davy asked with an accusatory tone. "I’m sorry; Avery asked us not to tell anyone," I replied, feeling apologetic.

"It’s fine. We understand why you didn’t tell us earlier." Cliff reassured me.

"Which reminds me, Wallace, I have something to tell you. I saw you as we were struggling with the "midnight maw," as the old man had put it." Davy started.

I kept thinking about how I still had no idea what had transpired. Just as it was about to fall to the earth, my dagger unexpectedly landed in the creature’s eye.

"Even I couldn’t figure out what had happened, but the most reasonable and accurate theory would be that you generated a very quick wind burst that transported your weapon to the beast’s eye. You most likely are a wind weaver". Davy elucidated.

Even though his justification made sense, something seemed off. There would be sound if I weaved a gust of wind, but I hadn’t heard anything, and I did not even possess any special connection to wind.

Regardless, I chose to accept the wind's explanation because I had no other ideas. In addition, Davy was engaged in battle with the beast, and I wasn’t quite rational at the time. Perhaps I simply missed it.

"And thus Wallace and Kei can now participate in the first stage of sol-weaving as well." Cliff groaned. "My family is a line of wood-weavers that literally lives in a treehouse. I have been exposed to wood since I was born. But I still cannot reach even the first stage." He let out a low voice.

"Eventually, you will." I reassured him.

A sudden realisation hit me as I pondered how my weapon had acted. It was gone—completely vanished. The midnight maw had fled after my weapon had pierced its eye, the blade still embedded within it.

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This was the second time it had happened, as the first weapon met the same fate after I used it to damage the bird’s leg. I was left weaponless now, and it was time for me to say goodbye to those strange weapons that had helped me throughout my journey.

However, I needed something more permanent, more compatible, and more robust. While those weapons had been useful in their own right, they were not practical for long-term use. I realised that I wasn’t particularly adept at handling ranged weapons, unlike Kei, who always retrieved his daggers after throwing them.

I needed to find a weapon that was more suited to my strengths and preferences, something that would complement my abilities and enhance my fighting style.

As I gazed upon the chains that restrained me and my companions, I couldn’t help but notice their peculiar glow. The brilliant white colour of the metal indicated that it was not a normal material. The chains were probably forged from a special kind of metal designed to withstand incredible physical stress and even the scorching heat of fire. It dawned on me that I had seen a similar substance on the weapons of the guards who had brought us here.

As I contemplated my situation, I realised that I needed a weapon that could match the strength and durability of these chains.

Davy’s voice interrupted what I was thinking. "Avoid getting sidetracked. We are still confined here; that much is true."

"Right. We need to focus on finding a way out." I said, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Would you possibly let us go?" I questioned the guard who was roaming the area outside our prison and keeping an eye on us.

The guard retorted in a commanding manner, "I do not know what you disgusting animals are conspiring here for, but one more word and I’ll have your tongue cut off."

"You don’t need to be so obnoxious." Cliff made a remark.

"Eno-". The guard was going to speak when he stopped. The guard suddenly lost his equilibrium, and I saw him fall to the ground unconscious.

The person who had struck him from behind before me was clearly visible to my eyes.

There was a girl who appeared to be in my age range. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, shimmering in the dim light of the prison cell. Her fair skin was as smooth as silk, and her cyan-blue eyes sparkled like precious gems. She wore a dark brown battle robe that hugged her curves, emphasising her healthy and athletic physique.

She spoke in a nervous tone and began to unlock the door to our cell using the key she had retrieved from the fallen guard’s pocket. "Let’s get you out of here," she said. I couldn’t help but ask, "Who are you?"

"Elsie Woodward," she replied. "I am a Venturer like you, and I happened to see you being escorted here. I know a passage out of this prison that is connected to underground tunnels. I have come here to help."

She exposed a mark to us by showing us the back of her hand. My eyes turned to my own hand, which bore a mark resembling hers. It had changed shape when I progressed to a different realm after I had obtained it after I had entered limbo. Every time I boarded the grand elevator, it shone.

We knew it was a "Ventureseal" because Davy had told us so, and it was evidence that we were Venturers. She claimed to be one of us, and the fact that she had a comparable one proved that she was.

"Your belongings are being kept in the next room. You should retrieve them first. Come follow me." She finished

I was suspicious. How had she managed to penetrate the prison’s defences and find us? And why did she want to help us? My companions shared my scepticism, but we had no other options, so we didn’t resist as she unlocked our cuffs one by one. Despite my doubts, I couldn’t deny that this was our only hope.

My companions followed her lead one by one, but I stood there and kept my gaze on the chains that were lying there on the ground. If what the girl named Elsie had told us was true, I would have to leave Avylrath and would no longer have the opportunity to obtain the unique metal that these chains were composed of.

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Something about those chains kept pulling me towards them, as if they had some sort of magnetic pull. My gut was telling me that I should take them with me.

"Wallace, do you intend to pass away? If not, please come." Cliff questioned me from behind me, sounding a little more upbeat now than he had earlier.

In that moment, I made up my mind. I would take the chains with me. It might be risky, but the potential benefits outweighed the risks. As I picked up the chains, their weight felt heavy in my hands, but I was determined to carry them with me. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them yet, but I knew that they could be useful later.

With that thought in mind, I followed my companions, catching up to them just as they were about to escape out of my sight.