The rest of the lesson went by quickly. Owen's mind had wandered off elsewhere after his spar with Grace, and so he couldn't say for certain how long the lesson lasted. However, when the class had finally ended, Sonya approached his desk before he was able to leave. She looked next to him at Isaac who had been seated beside him.

"Isaac I trust you, so I would like to give you the responsibility of looking after the new guy during his first week here," she said, "So I'll be counting on you, got it?"

"Sure thing," Isaac replied.

"Great." Sonya turned her attention to Owen. "I’ll see you later after lunch then. Now, you two better get going."

They both stood up from their seats and walked out of the room. Once they were out in the corridor, Isaac stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn.

"Man, I'm starving. Let's go get some food."

Owen followed him down the corridor and through the doors to the main hall. Once inside, Isaac led him through the crowds of people towards the corridor they had gone through earlier that day. But when they reached the corridor, Owen noticed a set of open double doors on the left side of the corridor where people were streaming into. They were heading up a flight of stairs. Isaac noticed him looking at the crowd.

"Ah, that's where we're going. Follow me." he said, before pushing past the crowd and heading up the stairs. Owen followed him up the stairs, and after climbing for what felt like a minute, they reached the top. They had arrived at a large landing, which opened up into a huge dome shaped room. The roof of the room was entirely transparent, letting in the light from above. A bright blue sky and white clouds hung over them. It was almost as if they were outside.

The far off walls of the room were lined with rows of tables and benches. People were already seated at them, enjoying their food. There was another large crowd of people standing in line waiting to order food. From what Owen could see, there were five separate lines. Each one with a different sign hanging above it. He read the signs from left to right. "Floor 1", "Floor 2", "Floor 3", "Floor 4" and "Floor 5".

"Alright, let's get in line." said Isaac. He led the way over to the "Floor 1" line. When they reached the end of the line, Owen looked over at Isaac with a curious expression on his face. "Why did we line up under floor 1?"

"Because this is our floor. Look at your uniform, it says floor 1 doesn't it?" Isaac said, pointing to his chest. "We are assigned a specific floor number depending on our loyalty score. The higher the score the higher the floor. And better the privileges you'll get."

"So, that means I'm stuck at the bottom, huh?"

"Yes. Though you can eventually move up a floor if you prove yourself loyal to Arden."

Owen chuckled. "I guess I'll never be moving up then."

Isaac laughed back, shaking his head. "Man, you're a riot."

They moved up the line slowly until finally they reached the front. A dispenser stood in front of them, with a small screen displaying a list of food choices. Isaac picked out his meal and placed his hand on the screen. The machine beeped in response, and then a drawer opened up in the front of it, sliding out with a plate of food on top. It was some sort of noodle dish. He grabbed the plate of food and then moved away from the machine. Owen did the same thing, selecting a random dish and putting his hand on the screen. A moment later, the drawer slid out and a plate of food appeared. It was chicken.

"Looks good, doesn't it?" Isaac commented as he led the way towards an empty table.

"Yeah." Owen replied, picking up the plate of chicken. They sat down at the table and began eating their meals.

"So what do you think so far?" asked Isaac, slurping up a mouthful of noodles.

Owen shrugged. "It's not bad. I'll say that much. I thought they'd just keep us locked up in our rooms all day long, but looks like that's not the case here. Though it sucks that I can't see my family right now."

Owen shrugged. "It's not bad. I'll say that much. I thought they'd just keep us locked up in our rooms all day long, but looks like that's not the case here. Though it kind of sucks that I can't see my family right now."

Isaac nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's been four years since I've seen mine."

Owen looked up from his plate of food. "Four years?"

"Yeah. I was caught when I was fifteen."

"Damn. You've been here that long? Is there no way to get out of here?"

"There is," sighed Isaac. "You just have to reach floor ten, and once you do, Arden will welcome you into their ranks as a full-fledged member."

Owen raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? If that's the only way to leave this place, why are you still on floor one? Aren't you planning on seeing your family?"

"Of course I am. But," Isaac's gaze turned distant, and he paused in thought for a moment. "But I'm not so sure if I want to leave here any more."

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Owen narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Isaac looked back at him and smiled. "I mean, that I don't mind staying here. As long as I'm here, I'll be fed, clothed and protected. That's all I need really."

Owen shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Whatever you say, man. I'm still getting out of here though."

"I hope you do," said Isaac. "But you'll have to start behaving if you ever want to reach floor ten."

"I'll pass." Owen said, taking a bite of his chicken. "I'd rather die than become a dog of Arden."

"How are you going to leave then?"

Owen grinned. "I'll just have to fight my way out."

"You know that's impossible, right?" Isaac said, letting out a laugh. "Arden has advanced essence users. You'll never make a dent in them."

"I don't know about that. If I can find a way to get stronger quickly, then I might just be able to do it." Owen said, as he continued eating his meal. He was lost in thought after that, and Isaac didn't press the issue any further.

Owen's mind would have continued to wander off elsewhere, but suddenly, he heard something that pulled his attention back to reality. It was the sound of someone crying. He turned to look at the source of the sound and noticed that a young boy was being dragged by the hair across the floor by an older man.

"Let go!" the boy cried out in between sobs, as he struggled to get loose from the man's grip.

Owen's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold. He recognized the kid, it was the boy he had bumped into earlier that morning.

"What's the guy doing with the kid?" asked Owen.

Isaac looked over and saw what was going on as well. He let out a sigh of disappointment. "I'm not surprised. Looks like the kid is going to be robbed for his pills."

"Pills?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, aether pills. It's something you can get from the vending machines. They are what allow essence users to advance to their next rank. However, there's a limited supply of them, so sometimes people will try to steal them from others.”

"How did he get them?"

"He must have got them because he's new. They give a few to each newcomer, so you can start advancing your rank as quickly as possible. Though you probably won't get any because of your loyalty score."

"Right." Owen replied absent-mindedly. His eyes were focused on the kid being dragged away. The boy continued to struggle, but his efforts were futile.

Owen stood up from his seat. "I'll be right back."

Isaac was quick to respond. "You shouldn't get involved in this. It won't do you any good."

Owen turned back to face Isaac. "What, you're saying I should just sit back and watch?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You'll only make things worse for yourself if you get involved. You see this inhibitor bracelet?" Isaac raised his hand into the air, showing off the black band on his wrist. "Only the people on floor one wear them. People on higher floors don't. Do you know what that means? They are allowed to use essence."

Owen glanced back at the man dragging away the kid. The guy didn't have an inhibitor bracelet on him.

"So?" Owen said. "I've already fought against someone without essence. I'll take my chances."

Isaac sighed in exasperation. "Fine, suit yourself. But just don't get me involved in this."

"Sure." Owen replied as he walked away. He moved swiftly, his steps confident as he made his way towards where the two were. As he got closer, he heard a beep come from his wrist. For whatever reason, the LED on the screen was red, indicating that it had been switched off. He didn't know the reason why it did, but he was thankful as he didn’t feel the oppressive feeling of the bracelet any more.

The other inmates who had been ignoring the scene until now stopped to watch as the new guy approached. Their eyes followed him as he closed the distance between him and the man, who also noticed him coming. He stopped and turned his head to look back at Owen. The boy was still being held by his hair in one hand. The man with his spiked up hair and unkept messy beard, looked Owen up and down before speaking.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" he asked in a gruff tone.

"Let the kid go."

"What's it to you?" the man sneered. "This ain't any of your business."

He then stared at Owen's chest, reading the words on his jumpsuit. His teeth clenched in anger as he spat out, "And who are you to tell me what to do you damn floor one bastard. You think you can order me around?"

He dropped the kid onto the ground and took a step towards Owen. His body glowed with a red aura, as essence flowed throughout his body. The man's fist clenched as he spoke again. "I'll give you one chance. Bow down and apologize to me, or I'll beat the shit out of you."

Owen smirked. He spread his arms open in front of him, his palms facing forward, inviting the man to attack. "Go right ahead."

The man was quick to accept his invitation. He dashed forward, his fist drawn back as he prepared to punch. But just when he was about to throw the punch, his fist froze in place, inches away from Owen's face. He tried to move, but his arm wouldn't budge.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to hit me?"

"What are you doing to me?" the man snarled. "You’re from floor one, how are you doing this?"

Owen didn't answer him. Instead, he raised his arm up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

The man watched helplessly as Owen forced the man down. He resisted, but to no avail. A few moments later, his head was touching the floor.

"Weren't you going to beat me up?" asked Owen, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Looks like you can't even touch me though."

The man's body began to tremble as he struggled against Owen's hold. Eventually his struggles ceased and the essence surrounding his body faded away.

Owen then knelt down beside him and leaned in close. He whispered into the man's ear.

"Apologize to me and the kid."

The man bit his lip as he fought against the urge to resist. Finally, he relented. "I'm sorry."

"You're what?"

"I'm sorry, alright!"

"Good boy." Owen patted him on the back of the head before standing back up. "You're free to go now."

The man quickly got up and ran away without looking back. Owen turned his attention to the boy lying on the floor. Wide eyes stared up at Owen, as he looked at him with wonder. Owen put his hands in his pocket and asked, "You okay there kid?"

The boy nodded slowly.

"Good." He then held out his hand to the boy. "I'm Owen by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm..." the boy hesitated, as he reached out to take his hand. "I'm... Will. My name is Will."

Owen gestured with his head towards the direction where he came from. "Okay let's go."

"W-what?"

Not bothering to explain himself, Owen walked off, heading back to his table where Isaac was still seated. Will, almost stumbling, followed after him. When they arrived back at the table, Isaac let out an exasperated sigh.

"And you brought the kid here as well, huh?"

"Yeah, I did." said Owen as he sat back down.

Will stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Owen gestured to the seat beside him. "Come sit here kid."

Will looked over at Isaac for confirmation. Isaac rolled his eyes and nodded his head in approval. "Just sit down already."

Will complied and took the empty seat beside Owen. Owen turned to Will as he rested his head against his hand. "So, the guy was trying to steal your aether pills? Guess you hid them pretty well if he couldn't find them."

Will looked down at his hands, his eyes wide with worry.

"Don't worry, I won't try to steal them from you." Owen reassured him.

Will seemed to relax a bit. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out, well, nothing.

Owen raised an eyebrow. He was about to question the boy, when he noticed Will beginning to concentrate. Soon, a circular silver box materialized into his hand. Will then placed it on the table and pressed down on a small button on its top. The box popped open, revealing ten white capsules inside.

Owen eyed the pills with interest. He turned to Will. "So, I helped you out today. But tomorrow that guy might come for you again. If you want to, you can hire me to-"

Before he could finish, Will pushed the box towards him.

Owen was taken aback. "What are you doing?"

"I-I don't need them," Will said quietly. "I don't care about becoming stronger, I just want to live in peace."

Owen stared at the boy, not knowing how to react. Finally, he let out a sigh. He pushed the box back to Will. "You shouldn't easily hand out something so valuable to a stranger."

Isaac nodded in agreement. "The new guy is right. You're giving away your only chance of advancement to a guy you just met."

"Oh..." Will mumbled, his face dropping with disappointment.

Owen couldn't help but feel bad for the kid. He crossed his arms over his chest, as he tried to think of something to say. "Will. How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen."

"So you just recently got your essence ability, right?"

Will nodded in response.

"In that case, let's make a deal. You won't survive long in this place if you don't know how to fight for yourself. And I need some of those pills to become stronger as quickly as possible. So how about this: I'll train you on how to fight, and in exchange you give me half of those pills. Deal?" Owen stretched out his hand towards him.

Will hesitated for a moment, but he finally reached out and shook his hand.

"Ah... okay. It’s a deal."