Two weeks later was enough to adapt himself to life in prison.

Most people were innocents these days in most prisons in Aether.

But the isolation from the outside world made everybody slowly become what they were.

If one doesn't become a hunter, the others will hunt the bunny.

Life was like that, but of course, only those who remain sane are the ones who never forget their morals.

And Mike got used to life in prison without leaving his morals behind.

Anyway, life was not fair for him.

Life was hard for most people, especially in a place like that.

But there were calm days anyway,

Like right now, for example.

Mike was taking a break on a bench with a few others, they were playing a basketball game.

But they took turns since there were many people for just one basketball court.

Actually, that same court was used for soccer and basketball at the same time, so the prisoners took different days for each sport.

Those were the only sports to play, and actually, it was hard to get the ball for a basketball match.

There was not much support for sports in Aether to start with.

They could try to improvise a soccer ball, but it was difficult to make one for basketball.

Anyway, sometimes, even when relaxing, problems arise out of nowhere.

Just like right now, a group was approaching the court. They discussed with the others playing but in the end, the ones playing could only sigh and leave.

"It was about to get heated, what the fuck happened?" Asked one of the people resting on the bench to another who was playing previously.

"The big fuckers- I mean, the big guys there got the approval from the big boss"

The man signaled to a corner of the yard not far away.

In there, one of the rarely seen-on-yard big bosses was standing.

He was hiding from the sun in the shadow of the wall, avoiding the sunlight.

"Well, we can do nothing, let's see the game at least, not like we have something better to do anyway, plus, if they are approved by that boss, there is money running around"

"What do you mean" Asked Mike this time.

"When the sharks are seen in certain places it means something, like the boss right there"

The boss in the shadow of the wall was the owner of some big casinos in the country.

Casinos were illegal in Aether, that's why he got captured after a trap made by a competitor.

Anyway, that competitor went missing after that and was found days later, dead.

But it made no trouble for the big boss there to administrate his casinos all around the country from inside his cell.

There were indeed not only ability users in the spartan prison, there were normal humans too.

And those normal humans were the ones in the cell block 1.

So, before the game could start the bets were on, and people were comparing players.

In a game between teams, the ones with the most ability users should win, but the two teams had the same number of them on each side.

As they were discussing the teams to place their bets, Mike was talking with Oliver.

"Is strange to see 'stick bones' in the same team with 'crawler'" Said Oliver.

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"To me is strange to see 'crawler' not behind Joshua"

"The man barely survived after himself to Thomas that day you two got sent to the isolation block"

While saying that name, Oliver looked towards the big boss; his name was Thomas.

"Oh, and don't get too comforted, I heard Joshua is going to be free from the isolation cell soon"

After Joshua was released 10 days ago, he got in trouble with the big bosses.

The man barely had any time to hold grudges.

So, after some problems, he got in trouble with the guards and was sent to the isolation block again.

It was said he should get more months to his sentence after that.

But while the news was good for Mike it was only a temporal freedom.

Once Joshua gets out of the isolation block, he would start searching for the perfect time to beat up Mike.

Since, after all, the big bosses of the prison would not play with the same toy every day.

Some guards were looking at the yard from the top of the walls.

From below, one could still hear them talking, they were taking part in the gambling too.

For Thomas Crane, just relying on the bets between prisoners wasn't enough.

Thomas even reached the guards and the female pavilion, even the warden sometimes placed bets.

Just the game today was a small event, so it was not much of a difference from normal gambling.

Still, the guards were taking their bets too.

It meant there was more pressure on the prisoners who were to play than usual, if one of them performed poorly, only problems with the guards would wait for them.

Lucky for them it was just a small event this time, but still some problems would happen, so they were serious.

The game started and the bets closed.

Some time passed and in the middle of the game a guard could be seen running toward the others, quickly informed them and one of those guards made a signal to Thomas.

Thomas went close to a lower section of a path and talked with one of the guards.

Mike, like everyone else, was curious.

But no one could listen to it, and the situation looked no good from the face Thomas was making.

The guard left quickly, but no one stopped the match, so everyone thought it was nothing to worry about.

...

From the guard's POV.

"Fuck! Fuck! Why today? I wanted to leave home earlier today" The guard was cursing in low voice.

Why instead of later did they arrive today? That was his luck, just some minutes before leaving his turn to another guard, some people arrived at the prison.

And they were no normal people.

Even the warden, who barely took any action in the prison, was there, greeting and pleasing the guests.

It should be nothing serious but he got orders from the warden, and Thomas wasn't happy with those orders.

Thomas started to negotiate only after hearing about the guests' origins.

He didn't want to reveal the info, but there was no other option.

He reached his destination and saw the warden impatiently waiting in front of a door.

"Done?" asked the warden in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the other side of the door.

He wore a normal military uniform, unlike the others' clothing, not wearing any mask.

The guard quickly informed in a low voice too.

"Sir! Prisoner Thomas Crane informed about not wanting to cooperate, however, to convince him I told him some information about the guest"

"Don't tell me you told him everything"

"No sir! I swear it! I only told him a little, and he told me he is willing to send some people from the teams to return their cells, but not everybody; and as for the other prisoners looking at the game, they can be sent too, only the ones playing the match need to keep playing"

The guard talked quick to not get scolded, but still talked without any mistakes and made his words clear.

The warden was thinking but then, the door suddenly opened, and from inside a woman was staring at them with cold eyes.

"Is there any problem?" She asked.

"There was one, but is solved, just a little minuscule issue quickly solved" Said the warden "You go there and inform the other that is fine to do it that way" He said to the guard.

"Yes Sir!" The guard quickly left while giving orders through the radio.

The warden had no other option, being faced from one side with Thomas and from the other with that woman, he had to think quick.

"There should be no problem, relax yourselves a little bit, Lady... eh..."

"Sure" The woman said and went inside the room again, closing the door.

The warden was just trying to ask her name but instead looked quite pathetic after the woman left him there.

Still, he held no grudges.

The woman before was the bodyguard of a woman with a great power in the country after all. Rose Slades' bodyguard.

Back into the yard, the guard talked through the speakers.

"Prisoners from cell block 2, excluding those at the current... ongoing task. All of you, go back to the cell block 2. I repeat, those prisoners from cell block 2 excluding those at the current ongoing task, return to your cell, now!"

The guard called a few names from the current match too.

But just a few, he didn't want to annoy Thomas by asking for too many. Also, he made sure to leave the same number for each team.