Uriel was thrilled. Finally, the time had come! He had waited so long!

He was walking down the street of the second district. It was the middle of the night, and the only light came from occasional flashes of the storm raging high above him.

Uriel grimaced and ran through the heavy downpour. When he finally arrived at the house, he was completely drenched.

He knocked firmly on the door, and it opened shortly after. An old woman stood behind the entrance. It was the same woman who had delivered the letter to him a few days ago. She looked at him with cold, piercing eyes.

"Finally, you're here, Uriel. We've all been waiting for you."

"Sorry, miss, but I had to make some preparations of my own."

She looked him up and down, then sighed and simply shook her head.

"Just come in. The performance is about to start."

Uriel nodded and followed her inside, soaked clothes and all. He entered a large room, probably meant to be the living room.

About a dozen people had gathered here, whispering quietly to each other. When Uriel entered, all eyes turned to him. He only knew a few of them personally, and others he only knew by reputation, but they all seemed to know him.

They approached him, circling him despite his wet clothes, and shaking his hand. They asked him eagerly why they had been summoned here today, but Uriel didn't answer.

He didn't want to spoil the surprise.

Koal entered the room and saw the excited people conversing with each other. He looked at Uriel and nodded when their eyes met. These people who had gathered here today were among the most powerful and influential individuals in the camp.

Some community leaders were even present. But they had more in common than that. They all hated this camp. Koal had spent the past eight years convincing as many people as possible to share his views and did all in his might to help them rise to higher positions.

He had painstakingly built this organization from scratch, without Gerald or any other magician noticing. It was his greatest success.

Koal approached his wife and stood beside her. "Where is Nero?" he asked her.

She looked at him. "I don't know. I haven't seen him for almost two days."

Koal frowned in concern. "I hope nothing happened to him. We'll check on him tomorrow, but now we have to begin."

He clapped his hands loudly, and the room immediately fell silent. They all looked at him with anticipation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've brought you here today, but don't worry, it will be worth it. For years, we have been preparing to finally escape from this camp.

We have planned and schemed, made friends and enemies, risen and fallen. We've had successes and failures, but with great pride, I can say that we have all made it. We have all made it to this moment, to this very instant.

It is time for us to regain our freedom and put an end to the reign of these arrogant magicians! But we are still too few, and even those who follow us have doubts. The image of the magicians in the minds of the people is still too great.

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They still see the magicians as demigods who are invincible. They still see them as some great masters, placing them on a pedestal and blindly following their every command with zeal.

But from today onward, that will change. We will forcefully shatter the facade of the magicians. From today, people will learn that magicians are just as vulnerable as we are!"

"And how do we intend to do that?" someone from the back asked.

The group parted, giving Koal a view of an old, tall man who looked bitter.

"For ages, magicians have ruled over mortals. No one remembers a time before that. So how do we change the image of magicians in the minds of mortals? How do we transition centuries of oppression and violent domination in just one day?"

Koal shook his head. "Those are all valid objections, but just watch my brief demonstration. After that, you can raise your objections again."

"What demonstration?" asked the old man.

Koal said nothing but simply opened the door to his cellar. Uriel watched eagerly and was the first to step through the door. The others, who had hesitated, followed him.

Koal looked into his wife's eyes once more.

"We've been working towards this for years," he said, filled with anticipation but also caution. "From now on, nothing can go wrong. Do you know what you need to do?" he asked.

The woman nodded and bid farewell. She left the room, preparing for her next step.

Koal lit a small lantern and followed the people into his cellar. As he descended, the crowd made room for him in the cramped space. He stood in front of the door where Gerald was bound.

"Behind this door lies the only evidence of the magicians' mortality that we will ever need. But I must warn you, anyone who can't bear brutality and violence should turn back now. They will be told later what happened down here."

Some of the men and women seemed to consider it briefly, but curiosity ultimately won. Koal nodded satisfactorily and unlocked the door. He swung it wide open.

"Allow me to introduce you to the esteemed magician Gerald, a dear friend of my family!"

The door opened, and the light fell on the man bound to the chair. He slowly and laboriously lifted his head to look at the mortals gathered around him. Koal gestured to the man in the chair.

"As you can see, he is injured. He bleeds just like any other normal mortal in this world. Look!"

Koal approached the magician and ran his knife across his cheek. Gerald let out a brief scream as the blade cut through his flesh.

"While it is true that they are somewhat more resilient than us, they can be injured and even killed just as easily. And the best part is, they feel pain just like we do."

For quite some time, the people remained silent, observing Gerald.

"How do we know that he is really a magician?" one of the people asked.

"He is," Uriel said. "I know him. He often walks among the people and talks to them. He is different from the other magicians."

Agreement murmurs spread through the crowd.

Koal nodded. "Yes, he is even more brutal. Sir Vilor, would you like to tell them?"

The old man's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"This man, Gerald, is the worst of all the magicians. While the normal magicians merely seek free slave labor, this monster disguised as a human wants to use our children to create an artifact. He wants to sacrifice them and drain their blood, abusing them as a resource. He has taken away their future and hopes as magicians to pursue his own goals.

Hundreds of children with Affinity have already been killed by him, and there are more every day. He experiments on them and abuses them in his twisted attempts to find the most effective way to drain their magic. Every wound and injury you see, he deserves and even more."

The people didn't fully understand what the old man was rambling about, but they heard the hatred and profound contempt in his voice. He certainly didn't sound like a nice and firendly magician. The next words from Gerald only solidified those thoughts even more.

"You're all condemned to death! You'll all be slaughtered like the filthy pigs you are. If they find out what you have done, you won't last 10 minutes. I can already picture them tearing you apart. Your only chance of surviving would be, to untie me right now, and I might show you mer..."

Koal struck the man forcefully in the face, interrupting his speech.

"You only speak when you're asked!" Koal scolded angrily.

"Fuck you." Gerald began, but another blow followed.

Koal looked at him. "One more word from your mouth without being asked, and I'll send Nero back to you!"

Gerald flinched. He fell silent and said nothing more.

Koal raised his eyebrows in surprise. Is he really afraid of Nero? He had just guessed, but this reaction surprised him somewhat.

"Who is Nero?" one of the men asked. Koal smiled at him.

"A like-minded individual. I'll introduce him to you soon, don't worry."

Another brief silence followed.

"How were you able to capture him?" one of the men asked.

"Quite simple. I stabbed him in the back with a knife, and he passed out. He never expected that I, a lowly mortal, would deceive such a grand and majestic magician. None of them expect it."

Koal began to laugh.