“You want to go fight the Warden right? Then you should just accept him as your guide.” Walnut told them. “If that’s all there is to talk about, then I have to get going.”

That was the last thing he told before leading them out of his home. He locked it up before hurrying to the lift.

Yoru sat on a bench watching kids run off with food in their hand. The food stalls were filled with plenty of sizzling meat and customers that lined up one after another to get their lunch. Yoru watched as they exchanged money to get their food, then turned her gaze towards Aria, who was gawking mindlessly at the sunroot. Drool dripped down from the corner of her mouth. With those wings on her back, she looked like a broken angel.

A city at the bottom of the abyss was too plain for her taste. One that should be rife with criminals, yet the same criminals went about their lives as if there was nothing to worry about.

It was all wrong.

Why weren’t they suffering like they should be?

They were criminals weren’t they? They committed crimes, they murdered, raped, pillaged, stole, and yet, they were sent down here to the Wishing Well, and did not suffer for any of the pain they caused anyone else.

And what tore and shredded her insides was that idiot prince, who smiled without a care in the world.

Her fists shook, turning white.

It wasn’t fair.

She had been a victim of Cedar, and that prince forgot what he had done to her. The rage threatened to burn a hole in her heart.

Her ears flicked when she heard Kenichi’s heavy footsteps. The solemn bear held a skewer in both hands, and offered her one.

“Eat.”

She took the skewer and he sat down next to her. He looked over to Aria, the girl was playing with an wooden skewer stick pretending it was a sword. He smiled and then chomped on his skewer, taking half of its contents in one bite.

He then looked over to regard her.

“You have a frightening look on your face. I can imagine what you’re thinking, Yoru. These people were exiled here. They will no longer see the sun or bath in its light. The only thing they have is the false light above us.”

“But they have more than that! Family! Friends! A life full of happiness! That idiot prince, who killed Elm, why does he get to live?! I killed him, and yet he still breathes and smiles like an idiot! He doesn’t even remember any of it!” She was surprised by how wild her voice had become, she breathed hard, her emotions uncorked. She wasn’t usually like this. She knew, but she couldn’t control herself.

Kenichi smiled and placed a hand on her head, bringing her head to his chest.

“I know it hurts.”

“I can’t do it.” She murmured under her breath. “My pride and hatred will not allow me to work with that man.”

“Even if he knew the path down to the Seal? Even if it means abandoning our duty?” Kenichi posed that question to her.

She looked directly into his brown eyes.

“Yes.”

“I see. Well, it’s fine. We will find another way then,” Kenichi said.

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“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure Aria will be able to help us-”

Kenichi stood up from the stone bench. His eyes wild as he looked around desperately.

“Where is she?” He looked to her. “Where did she go?”

Yoru turned to where she had last seen Aria.

She was gone.

#

When Walnut had been sent down to the bottom of the Wishing Well, he didn’t imagine himself being a politician. He was a bandit, a pretty infamous one at that. He would haul his giant axe and with a single cut, could slice three men.

Now here he was listening to a mumbling old man representing fifth ring mutter some things about pipes and cracked cobblestone and asking for resources for fixing those roads. Walnut looked over the paperwork, and it was sound. They needed to fix this, but they didn’t currently have the budget and the labor yet. It would be approved, but the time line for this would probably take at least a year.

There were stories of this old man. In his younger days, it was said that he bedded thousands of women. There were stories that at least a quarter of the residents on the fifth ring were related to him. Despite his advanced age, the old man, said to be a hundred and two, was said to have had a helping hand in spawning another boy. It was said he was thrown down here because he spurned a certain high ranking noblewoman aboveground.

The old man and him weren’t the only ones out of place.

Each of the council members were infamous in there own way. The man with the scar over his left eye from the First Ring was said to be the former Leader of the Shatter Foxes, a dark guild known for their assassins. The woman in the red dress from the Second Ring was said to be have been the fiancée of a prince from another kingdom who had been exiled and had their engagement annulled after less than savory rumors came out about her.

The man from the fourth was a renowned priest that had dabbled in the slave trade. The sixth was a woman that killed three dukes before she was caught.

It was a rather strange group to be sure, and yet all of them were deathly serious in tackling government manner in a way that shouldn’t be possible.

“All in favor of getting Raymond’s proposal?” The assassin asked.

“AYE!” All six of them raised their hands to approve.

“The votes are unanimous. Which leaves the final item on our agenda. The Warden, if you could, please speak.” The assassin put down his paper and stared at the crystal in the center of the mahogany round table they sat at.

“The Harvest is coming.” The Warden’s voice came through the crystal. “Yet, the offering that were supposed to be given to me were stolen by a certain prince. Councilman Three. You promised that he would not interfere. It was the reason why I allowed him to live.”

Every eyes turned to Walnut. The bandit scratched the back of his head and gave a huge sigh.

“Yeah, that was my bad. I didn’t think he would see the elevator come down.”

“Due to the lack of talent in the last few drops, I have taken into my own hands to take some of the ones with potential.”

To that announcement, all six of them gave each other grim looks. None of them spoke, but within their silence, Councilman One was elected to speak.

“Taking our constituents is not part of the deal we made with you Warden,” Councilman One said. “You promised not lay a hand on them.”

“Circumstances change and promises that were sworn must also change. All of you playing around governing like the fools aboveground. I allowed pretenders to do what you wanted, but remember the reality, you are prisoners down here. I am the Warden. Your lives are mine. I am the King, and my verdict is law. The Harvest is coming, and there isn’t nearly enough to begin the ritual. The Seal will break if I don’t take actions in my own hands. Do you understand? For a hundred you save a hundreds of thousand.”

“We still will not sit back and-”

“It’s already done. I’ve taken those that show promise, except for one who escaped.”

Walnut could feel the silence bear down on him. He knew the Warden was speaking about Kagami, but he still needed to fight for him.

“I’m sorry for what the Prince has caused. Truly I am, but I-”

“No. You will send him to me. You will send the three you promised you would send as well. If not the Prince, you can take his place Councilman.”

At that, Walnut fixed his jaw, clenching it shut and forced himself to smile to prevent him to yell at the monster.

“A shame. I enjoyed him quite a bit.” His voice visibly strained.

“I’m glad we could come to an understanding,” the Warden said. “Send them tomorrow. My patience has run thin.”

“They’ll come. After all, they declared to me that they’re coming for your head.”

“I already know that. I have one of their comrades in captivity. He has told me everything I need to know. Now, other than that, I must inform you all of a new development. No supplies came today, instead my spiders report to me that the workers by the Elevator have all died. Do with that information as you will.”

The crystal ball crackled in disconnection. A cold wind passed as the six digested that information. In unison, all of them scrambled out of their chairs and ran out of the meeting room to start to mobilize their men to investigate the area.