It was the same day as any other day in the pit. The only difference was that Ashwin had a rough night. He felt like he had woken up and fallen asleep dozens of times. The cold grips of the nightmares wouldn't let go until the sun began to shine through the iron bars. Only then could he finally sleep soundly, but it cost him his breakfast too.

Tired and hungry, the boy sat on the cleanest hay he could find in the pit. The apes were busy grooming, aside from a couple of young males in the center. These two were yawning at each other, clearly showing their teeth. Ashwin already knew that this was a form of threat. But since there was no food and no females among them, what was at stake was rank in the group.

The boy turned his gaze towards the metal door with a small window. The window was now shut with an iron latch, which the guards sometimes removed during feeding time. This was considered more dangerous, so food was usually just thrown through a ceiling hatch. 'Well, the window is too small for any apes to escape - they are too broad-shouldered.' And he wasn't sure if he could fit through it now either. A year ago, maybe, but now... Ashwin lay down in the hay. Perhaps it would be best just to fall asleep again. Entering into dreams of escape was like getting caught in quicksand. He closed his eyes - staring at the stone walls and metal door every day had become unbearable.

When he woke up, the sun was already setting, coloring the visible sky in bright red and purple. But what really made him open his eyes was the noise - the familiar noise of cheering from the arena. It was time for another execution.

Ashwin sat down and looked up at the ceiling as the guards brought another victim of the Rajah's justice - a girl about sixteen or eighteen, dressed in a long, sky-colored dress with a foreign look to it. At first, the boy thought she had become pale from fear, but upon closer inspection, he recognized her as a Kean citizen, known for her black hair and fair skin. The crowd was as loud as ever, but the girl seemed calm and silent.

'She must be in shock, standing one step away from a terrible death.' Sad by the execution, the boy looked at Scarface. The apes' leader sat at the rock and didn't budge an inch. He won't save the girl like he once saved the boy. He has no reason to. Those thoughts were interrupted by commotion as the iron bars were moved away. One push, and the girl fell into the dungeon.

The scent of blood filled the pit. Nothing was new – it was always like this on execution day. Convicts struggled and screamed, but everything was futile and resulted in their ugly death. This time, the victim was a young girl. Ashwin couldn't bear to watch her be torn apart, so he faced the wall. What was unusual was that the apes' screams sounded different and the sounds of struggling were abruptly silenced. Curious, Ashwin turned back.

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The girl was standing in the middle of the pit, unscathed, holding a knife. The blade and her dress were stained with blood. Ashwin didn't recognize her stance, though he had watched Cheda's soldiers train and had been taught to wield a sword himself. Surrounded by apes, the girl stayed as calm as if she had been standing before iron bars. The animals that had attacked her first were now squirming on the ground, clutching their necks and eyes.

The boy gaped at the scene which had never happened before in the pit. It was shocking that this girl had been cunning enough to bring a knife with her. But she had even injured some of the apes, forcing others to retreat to the corners of the dungeon. The animals hooted, as if trying to figure out what to do next. Their gazes rushed between the potential victim and their leader. Scarface stood up, but didn't move yet. For a moment Ashwin stopped breathing. The whole pit was waiting for a signal.

And then the ground shook. A few of those standing fell down. Most could keep their feet but started to look around. Being locked in the dungeon, they couldn't see the reason for the rumbling sounds that accompanied the shaking. It sounded like thunder, giving Ashwin an idea. "Explosion. But why? Was it an accident at the factory?" He had no time to question the situation as a new explosion, even stronger, shook the ground and filled the air with screams. People called out for their loved ones, the guards, and prayed to heaven. In the midst of chaos, no one cared about the execution, except for those in the pit.

Ashwin looked around, and to his surprise, the girl was already near the metal door. Without thinking, the boy moved forward and raised his right hand, trying to get her attention. It was obvious to him that the door couldn't be opened, but he feared that if the girl turned her back to the apes, they would jump and tear her apart. He didn't have the chance to tell her this. After a brief commotion on the other side of the door, the iron latch slid to the side. A man from Kean's origins looked into the pit and shouted, "Hurry!"

To Ashwin's surprise, the girl turned around and, in an instant, slipped through the window. Astounded by her ridiculous agility, the boy stared at the door for a moment, not sure he could repeat the trick. But the man closed the window before he even tried, or before the angry apes could grab him by the hand. Despite this being expected, Ashwin lowered his hand and stared at the door helplessly.

The sound of the pair running away echoed through the hall. Apes were already checking on the injured, when someone's footsteps approached the dungeon again.

"What are you doing? Hurry up, we need to go!" the man's voice sounded from a distance, despite his shouting. He did not get an answer. Instead, with a creaking sound, the lever was pulled down and the permanently locked metal door opened.

The boy and the apes froze for a moment, staring in disbelief at the open hall. The girl, on the other side of the metal door, was already running away without looking back. Ashwin regained his senses only when someone screamed. Hastily, he turned around. Without a hint of doubt, the beast, which was calmly watching the commotion, crossed the pit in a few leaps. Standing on the doorstep, Scarface bellowed. That was the signal. The animals rushed through the open door. Ashwin, like an enchanted one, followed them. His thoughts were in disarray, but he knew one thing for sure - he needed to run from this prison before the guards locked him up again.