Chapter 210.

PART 1.

After hearing that a letter has arrived for him, James goes to receive it. after reading it, he burns it to ashes, shocking the people in the room.

“Did he just burn his mail?”

“Maybe there was something in that letter which angered him?”

While the students suspect something foul, in reality, James gets some good news. Looks like there is going to be a prison break soon, and he has been ordered by Raven to remain on standby since they will likely need a healer.

He then leaves to speak with Slaughter. He will have to leave the Academy in two days.

PART 2.

After receiving the letter from Shin, Raven calls Josh, Tom, Avinash, and the Singh twins, to hammer out their plan with the information given by Shin. In particular, he is worried about Hatori’s health, so he discusses what they can do to move him quickly while dealing with other prisoners and guards.

“I say we play a message.” Said Bhavani. “Support us, and we’ll help you, go against us, and be thrown into the boiling waters.”

“I agree.” Said Ranveer. “That ought to get us some support from the prisoners.”

“I’ll work with Shin to extract Hatori,” said Tom. “I will look out for their safety.”

“Good. while the rest of us will handle the guards. I have managed to recruit some soldiers for this cause, but remember, we still will be outnumbered there, once we arrive.” Said Raven. “Be careful, and make sure that none of us end up in that same prison.”

“That would be a disaster.” Said Josh.

After the conclusion of this meeting, Raven goes to meet with General Sundar. He will share the details of his plan with him, and then ask to leave. He is doing this as a gesture of politeness. Whether the general agrees or not, Raven will be leaving to save his friend.

PART 3.

Shin waits after sending the letter. He is certain that he will know when the assault at the prison starts. Raven will keep the warden and the guards distracted, and Shin will extract Hatori. That was the general plan they agreed upon. It has likely been refined further after his letter.

“Ha!” laughed another prisoner in the cell right next to them. “I’m surprised that you are still not traumatized. That guy does not spare the fresh new meat.”

“That is a lie!” denied Shin’s cellmate hotly.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind much if he was a female.” Said Shin. “Come to think of it, aren’t there potions or rituals for that?”

“Never!” said the cellmate, making distance between himself and Shin, “I’m a manly man, part of the manly men club. I will never turn myself to another gender!”

“Speaking of manly men,” said Shin, changing the point, “What do you guys say to a riot?”

Several prisoners started to bang their bars, and the clamor startles the guards. After a few harsh words, the noise died down. “Just say the word kid.” Said one old prisoner.

“Yeah, we’re always ready to break some bones. Even if we have to pay a price for that later.” said the cellmate.

Shin has been building his rapport with other prisoners to ensure that they will help him out when needed. So far, he has not lost the game, and accidentally revealed the plan to them, something for which he is proud.

This was his biggest worry while coming here. he is not like Raven, who can make strategies, and execute them no matter how many steps they take.

PART 4.

Shravan Joshi walks out of his room. after being cooped up in there for months, he is finally coming out after the beating Hatori gave him. he could not step outside before, due to the fear, and the humiliation he experienced that day.

How can a crippled boy be so strong? ‘The expression of absolute loathing he had for me that day…’ he shutters remembering Hatori’s face.

As the prisoners see him walking among their cells, they jeered after seeing him. “Oh look, who returned. The man who had to tie a young man to a post before he dared to beat him up.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“That proved to be useless. He got savaged in the end.” Said the cellmate of the previous prisoner.

“Go back to your room. it is your good fortune that you have not met me outside. I would have destroyed you otherwise, you gutless man!” said another prisoner, banging on the cell. He is the victim of the same treatment Hatori got about two weeks ago.

Shravan scowled at these comments. How dare they mock him? Just when he was about to teach them a lesson, the prison shook. His heart lurched in his chest, thinking that the island was drowning due to some magical failure. When he failed to drown, he composed himself.

Only to lose it again, as all the cell doors open, and the prisoners get a look of surprise, before getting unsettling grins on their faces. Their magic is back, and their targets are right there, standing with clueless expressions.

As outside forces make their way into the holding area, Shin grabs a guard and hoists him up in the air for everyone to see. “Hey everyone, give me a riot!”

“Riot!” they chorused, and a brutal slugfest began between the guards and the prisoners.

PART 5.

Hatori is meditating in his cell. Ever since he reached for his magic, his burns have healed up completely, despite his magic being sealed. He is now levitating in the air with his legs crossed, focusing on this task completely. He can do this very easily now, given all the training he has gone through. But now that his magic is sealed up, it is proving to be a challenge once again.

He is contemplating the training method of deliberately sealing his magic, and making things difficult for himself to get even stronger. But whether it would work or not, he must discuss it with Zeko. He would not want to do crippling damage to himself in the name of training after all.

Meanwhile, across from his cell, Kalicharan watches this happening with a dumbfounded expression. ‘Looks like that boy wasn’t kidding when he said he could fly.’ He thought.

The prison gives a lurch, and the chains on Hatori’s body snap. His magic returns, and the door of his cell open with a loud squealing noise. He lands on his feet and sees that the same thing has happened with Kalicharan.

Hatori smiled. He knows what has happened. Of course, sensing some familiar signatures on this steel island also helps. “What happened?” asked Kalicharan.

He is unable to believe the flow of magic going through his body uninterrupted after many decades of being sealed. Hatori comes into his cell, and Kalicharan realizes how giant of a man he is. he grabs him under his shoulder, and hoists him on his feet. “I hope you can walk.”

Though Kalicharan is still in disbelief at the sudden turn of his fortune, he can hobble along with Hatori to the entrance of the isolated area.

PART 6.

The prisoners are beating and torturing Shravan and the guards, who tormented them for years. meanwhile, a message is playing on the loop. “All the prisoners, please board the ship. Pledge your support to the king and the throne, or else you will be left behind or thrown into the water.”

Shin navigates his way around in the chaos, looking for Hatori. he has already come out of his cell, that much Shin has been able to sense. He lets his magical sensing guide him, and he finds him with an old man, stumbling in the chaos. He grabs his shoulder, and points in a direction. As they move to the ship parked on the island, Shin is glad that Hatori did not attack him in the sudden bout of paranoia.

PART 7.

“Everything is ready, sir.” Said one soldier. He was with Raven, among the new trainees. Which is why he brought him here on this mission. “Our objective is secure, the prisoners are on board, and the traitors have been thrown to the sea or have been left on the island.”

As they started to fly, Raven orders. “End the illusion of the ship, and drown the damn thing.”

“At once, sir.” Said the soldier.

Some buttons are pressed, and after a large explosion, the island starts to drown. The ship can be seen flying away, while the guards and the prisoners who did not pledge their support holler for them to come back. Their screams turn into pleas for help, which then turn into screams of pain, as the boiling water consumes the prison entirely. the steel island took everyone present on it, no one survived or escaped aside from the people in the ship.