††† Haylee †††

When Haylee entered the sewers from the opposite side again, she quickly shifted to her fully feline form and sprinted through the tunnels. She was anxious and furious at the same time. Eurydike was convinced that Siegfried was the key to everything they wanted to achieve, and she trusted Haylee with his safety.

Her claws bit into the stone as she turned from a sideway into the main tunnel, muscular hindlegs propelling her forward without losing velocity.

When she reached the gate chamber, Haylee changed back into her human form within a few seconds. Siegfried was propped up against a wall with his eyes closed but still breathing.

"Siegfried, you're alive," Haylee cried out to the blooded warrior.

"Alive and hungry," his voice came ragged. "You got any meat in that bag?"

Haylee failed to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, you're definitely alive," she grinned. Her steps faltered for a spell when she saw the chest of his attacker rising. "What are you going to do about that guy?" She brandished a single claw, throwing Sieg a questioning look.

"Let him live and bandage his wounds, please, but see if Eurydike added a rope to our supplies to restrain him. I need to talk to him," Sieg answered.

The cat-girl raised a brow at him while moving over to the lever for the gate. It seemed Siegfried had stopped the bleeding and already healed part of the damage. But she still felt a pang of guilt. The wide gash covering his whole upper body must have been quite deep, and he was still lying in a puddle of his own blood.

Haylee opened the gate and retrieved the backpack she had dropped there. After handing Sieg a dozen strips of dried meat, nuts and beans to help his body produce more blood, she took care of the still-unconscious young man in the black leather garb.

"No visible changes. That's rare," Haylee observed. "What's his ability?"

"He has none," Siegfried answered between two bites and grinning at her perplexed expression. "His name is Hall, newest recruit of our division and the youngest at sixteen years. He's a normal human."

"How in the underworld did that boy manage to mangle you like that?"

Siegfried chuckled, "He's easy to underestimate, isn't he?" His smile faltered when he looked back to the boy. "Hall's family died a cruel way… it's a miracle he didn't break from it. But it did form him into a dangerous young man." He eyed the unusual outfit of Hall again. "That black leather garb isn't from the guard. Must be his own acquisition. I reckon that he only joined the guard to get intel on different changelings and then hunt them by himself afterwards."

Haylee noticed the change in posture as Siegfried stood up and walked towards their captive. His jaw was set with strain, but his eyes showed sympathy.

"He is a victim to the lies of Akali's servants, just like we are," Sieg continued. The damaged leather vest creaked as he knelt down in front of the boy. "And his talent, combined with his grim determination, turned Hall into a frightening individual, forged by the pain of loss. He just needs a different target for his vengeance. He needs to know the truth."

Haylee didn't interrupt Siegfried. The way he leaned towards his former companion, gaze fixed on the pale face, she knew that he wasn't talking to her anymore.

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††† Siegfried †††

"I know you're awake again, Hall," Sieg intoned. "I can see your blood pumping faster through the vein on your neck."

Hall's eyes shot open wide, and pure hatred rolled off his gaze like a dark wave, causing Haylee to instinctively bare her claws. "If you thought of torturing me for information, you got the wrong man, filth," he spat, visibly biting down a grunt of pain. His cracked ribs must have protested again.

Siegfried sighed, "No one's going to torture you, Hall. We bound you, so you would have to listen."

"I'll not believe a single word that comes out of your twisted mouth, changeling!"

"Use your head, Hall! There would be no merit in keeping you alive to a changeling. I know you don’t want to hear the truth, and by the gods, I know the truth will be harder for you to accept than for most. But you need to know."

Hall didn't respond. He held Siegfried's intense gaze with a look of boundless contempt.

And so, Siegfried started explaining everything he knew about the 'evolved people' and the process of changing. All the while observing Hall's reaction and composure. He left out that servants of Akali must know the truth about the evolving people to not overwhelm him.

There was only hate and defiance visible in the intricate features of the boy's face in the beginning. But for a flash here and there, Sieg thought to catch a flicker of doubt as logic tried to pry open a hole into the thick walls that shielded Hall's mind.

"You think I would believe any of that shit?" Hall raised his voice, despite the pain it must have caused him. "You think I would trust you more than the Red Brigade, who has kept your kind from overrunning the city?" He almost shrieked now, and Sieg knew Hall already believed him. But the madness that now shone in the boy's eyes made him swallow. Of course, the honest look of compassion on Sieg's face only stimulated Hall's rage further.

"It cannot be true!" he shouted. His face was reddening already, and his gaze unfocused. "It cannot be!" Hall cried out again, his voice breaking in a way that pierced Siegfried's heart. "For what? What did my father and brother die for?" he screamed at the only man he could direct his hatred and pain at right now. "My father strangled a changeling to death to save me! He was a hero!" Tears flowed freely as he cried, and Haylee couldn't hold back either anymore. "My mother gave up on life because a changeling took her husband and son! A changeling!"

Siegfried took shaky breaths, fighting for composure as Hall broke down into sobbing. He asked Haylee with a glance to look out for any unwanted company as someone was surely coming down to investigate the noise.

When Hall had no strength left to cry, his eyes seemed lifeless and hollow. Sieg already feared the worst. It would be no surprise if this was just too much for a sixteen-year-old's mind to bear. Guilt gnawed at his conscience as the silence stretched on.

And then, suddenly, the fate-stricken young man refocused his gaze and a fire, hot-burning like molten metal replaced the emptiness. He shook again now but not out of grief. His body shook from barely contained rage like Sieg had not seen it in all his life. He whispered only two words, his voice dripping like acid, carrying the promise of vengeance.

"They knew."

At first, Sieg didn't know what to say. His first impulse was to hug the brave young man, but he knew that compassion was not what Hall needed now. So instead, he cut the ropes that held him and offered a hand to help him up. Hall accepted with a grunt, and their eyes met. An apology was neither needed nor wanted.

"Thank you, Siegfried," was all Hall said, and it was all Sieg wanted to hear.

"That's what friends are there for, Hall." He looked again at the dark attire and made up his mind. There was no way to keep the boy from fighting the Red Brigade, but he didn't need to do it alone. "Get in contact with Bolverk. He knows everything and will start building a resistance movement in the city. You can't beat an enforcer in a straight-up fight, but with your cunning and athletic training, you can let them bleed, nonetheless. The resistance can supply you with information, and if you have the location, you can use the cover of the night to assassinate them," Siegfried suggested.

The tall warrior's gaze softened as he thought of one last piece of advice. "Stay in the shadows and never let anyone see your face. During the day, you can keep living your life, make some friends — take whatever you can get. Only hunt at night, and don’t let anyone but Bolverk know, not even Svana!"

They grasped each other's forearm, and Siegfried nodded a farewell. "Live in the light, kill in the shadows."

Sieg stared at Hall’s retreating form until the darkness of the sewers swallowed it. If Eurydike was right, his success in The Wilds could prevent children from facing a similar fate in the future. He vowed to give it his all.