When Ali regained consciousness, he found himself in darkness. His hands and feet were both shackled together while the rest of his body could barely move in the tight space. In a way, he felt like he was in an actual coffin. The only problem was he didn’t know if he was in a closed space and, if so, how much air he had before he would suffocate to death. The teenager focused and managed to summon Tian.

Can you figure out where I am? And a way out would be nice as well.

Ali was surprised to find that his abilities weren’t completely sealed away. He tried to use his air slash but he couldn’t even accumulate MP for it. After trying and failing to use his other abilities, he concluded that only summoning abilities were still possible. After what felt like a long time, Tian returned.

You are within a coffin of some sort. There are a number of holes cut into it so you aren’t going to suffocate anytime soon. Your coffin is one of hundreds in a massive room but I didn’t see anyone else. I can explore further if that’s what you want.

Can you please remove the shackles on my hands and feet? I can try to break open the coffin afterwards.

The air serpent did as he asked but the teenager quickly realized that he physically couldn’t do anything to the coffin itself. Unless he unlocked a super strength ability that wasn’t suppressed, he doubted that he could break the coffin lid open with his fists. He asked Tian if there were ways the air serpent could open the coffin. Several minutes later, Tian reported back that he did find mechanisms responsible for keeping the coffins shut and that he needed a lot of time to figure out how they worked before the teenager could escape the coffin. For what seemed like hours, Ali waited until Tian succeeded in opening the lid. Pushing with all his strength, he succeeded in pushing the lid over the coffin edge. He then listened until he heard the lid crash into something below him.

That's a long way down. I hope I can get down before I find a place to hide. Then, we can figure out how to escape this place.

With Tian’s help, the teenager managed to navigate along the narrow paths that ran along one length of the coffins. The room was only slightly more lit than inside the coffin so Ali had to be careful where he stepped. As proven by the coffin lid earlier, a mistake would cost him his life. Tian eventually led him to a small room that appeared to be storage space. During his trip to the room, neither he nor Tian noticed anyone. Whoever was responsible for his kidnapping was nowhere to be seen. The storage space had a few empty crates but they were all empty. Ali took a moment to look inside but he couldn't get any clues on what was once inside the crates.

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“Ah! Help! Get me out of here!”

As Ali had suspected after he exited his coffin, there were victims like him in the other coffins and, upon discovering their predicament, were screaming for help loudly. Fearing that the guards in the place might arrive soon, he and Tian quickly found a dark corner and waited there. It didn’t take long for three denizens to come out through one of the many tunnels leading into the room.

“What a wonderful sound,” said one of the denizens. “All that pain and agony is truly delicious! The master will surely be pleased! These offerings should be plenty!”

After standing there for a few minutes, the three denizens retreated back to where they came from. The victims in the coffins eventually quieted down when they realized no amount of screaming could save them. Once the room quieted down, Ali and Tian emerged from the darkness to explore another storeroom that was connected to the big room. Except for cremation tools, they found nothing else that would be useful. As a precaution, Ali returned to the shadows while Tian continued exploring. They hoped that the air serpent could remain concealed while he searched for a way out.

I wonder if Aok has realized that I went missing. Even if he did, what can he do?

The teenager tried to piece together what happened in the slums and the denizens but he lacked too many pieces. He knew that he had to see more of this place before he had a clue. A part of him hoped he could save all the poor souls in the coffins but he had to prioritize his own safety first. When Tian returned, Ali was told that there wasn't anything useful in the vicinity. The teenager had to go down one of the many tunnels and hoped he would get lucky. With no choice in the matter, he picked a tunnel at random and began walking down it while Tian was several meters ahead to notify him of any guards.

Tian, is there a way for Mika to find me?

Ali had hoped that, by being the summoner, he would have something Mika could track him down with. He didn’t mind if it took time but it would be something to look forward to. Sadly, the air serpent stated that they had no way of tracking down their summoner without specific abilities which neither of them possessed. Even if they had a choice, no summonee would assume their summoner got kidnapped one day and the two of them were separated. Seeing the point in the air serpent’s words, Ali returned his attention to the present. He had no abilities except air serpent which greatly limited his capabilities to defend himself. Regardless of how he approached his escape, he had to avoid being detected at all times.

I can see a few guards patrolling up ahead. Luckily, there are some alleyways you can hide in while we make our way within the darkness.

Let’s hope they don’t have the greatest hearing then.