Sariel groaned softly as he stirred awake. His eyes blinked open, taking in the sight of a small, cold, concrete room. Empty, devoid of anything but silence.

Where the hell am I?

Voices echoed from the other side of the door. Familiar voices. It was the mean woman and the guy who reminded him of Neil. The ones he met last night.

“This is not what we agreed to,” the woman’s voice snapped. “Are you underestimating me? The tattoos should be more than enough proof.”

“They are,” A new yet familiar voice responded calmly. “But I still need to test his regeneration, as per our agreement.”

“…”

“Get it done quickly. We’ve noticed some slayers sniffing around, probably keeping tabs on him,” the man from last night said.

“I intend too.”

They sold me off… to someone.

His hands clenched in frustration. He needed to get out of here.

The door creaked open, and in lumbered a man, he was big and had a black mask over his face. However his eyes and mouth were visible through the holes in the mask. He had a blank expression, but there was something unsettlingly familiar about him.

Sariel body reacted before he could think—he leapt back instinctively.

My legs… they’re back--

A thick hand gripped his shirt, slamming him down onto the concrete. Pain exploded through his body as his back hit the floor with a heavy thud.

The man loomed over him, grinning slightly. “Sorry, kiddo, but you’re expensive. Gotta make sure you’re as good as they claim. We need to run some tests on that regeneration of yours.”

Sariel’s eyes widened. "Stay back!"

The man pulled out a short scythe, its blade gleaming under the dull light. “I’m surprised you haven’t mutated yet.”

“Mutated?” Sariel’s voice cracked as he struggled to sit up. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The man gestured lazily toward Sariel’s arm. “We injected you with something while you were out. It’s a special growth hormone we use for animas to speed up their development. You got the strongest dose. Should’ve bloated you up and killed you hours ago.”

Sariel’s blood ran cold. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

The man sat down with a grunt, staring at him with dead eyes. “Meat.”

“Meat?” Sariel’s brows furrowed. “What… what does that mean?”

“You’re gonna be an infinite source of meat for us.”

Sariel’s breath hitched. “What the hell?! Meat?! You’ve lost your mind! I’m a damn human like you! You can’t do that! Are you trying to scare me?”

The man didn’t flinch. His tone remained cold and detached. “I’m not joking, kid. You’re not the first. We’ve been kidnapping slayer trainees and amateur hunters for a while now—usually the ones training outside the city, near the Eginsis Forest.”

Sariel’s heart pounded in his chest. He’s lying. He has to be lying…

“We make it look like animas got to them,” the man continued, tightening his fist. “Leave behind some bloody clothes, and no one suspects a thing.”

No… this can’t be real. He’s trying to break me down mentally.

Sariel forced a laugh. “You’re full of crap. No one’s insane enough to do that.”

The man’s dead eyes locked onto Sariel. “Believe what you want. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Sariel felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He forced himself to keep going. “So… you sell this ‘meat’ to people?”

“No. It’s for our farm. The better the meat, the better they grow.”

Sariel’s mind raced. Animal farm? That… I’ve heard about something like that… Hogquels, they were growing at a ridiculous rate back in the city…

The realization hit him like a brick.

No way.

The man’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. “We inject the animas with growth hormones, but they still need calories to grow. That’s where you come in. Trainees are easy to snatch; you’re not as strong or experienced as full slayers.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Sariel’s lips trembled as he forced out his question. “Silverback Hunter Association? Lurock.”

Lurock nodded, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. “Yes.”

Sariel’s eyes narrowed as recognition finally clicked. Of course…

The man in front of him was the same one who had offered him work on his farm back in the city. The memory hit like a cruel joke.

“So, when you approached me back in the city, you already knew I could regenerate?” Sariel asked, his voice dripping with bitterness.

It was obvious why the man wanted him to work on his farm now.

Lurock shook his head casually. “Nah. Surprised you recognized me, though. I didn’t come after you for regeneration—hell, I didn’t even know you could do that. You were an easy target, that was all”

He leaned back, as if he had all the time in the world. “But I’ll admit, when I heard about you—this kid who’s protected from soul-reading? That piqued my interest. Especially when all that info on you suddenly started getting real quiet, like people were trying to keep you hidden. Realistically, every single person in the continent would have been aware of your existence in a week... yet a lot of the people in the damn city didn't even hear of the rumors. Isn't that suspicious?”

Sariel couldn't focus on his words. The fear of dying was of greater concerned.

Sariel’s mind was racing. There’s no way out of this, is there?

He considered using imperia to flee, but quickly dismissed the thought. The man had overpowered him so effortlessly earlier. The power up wouldn't be enough to overcome him.

Sariel glared at the man, his hatred burning through the fear. He wanted Lurock dead—no, he needed him dead.

The man raised an eyebrow, noticing the intensity in Sariel’s stare. “What? You think I’m worse than those kids’ father?” He clicked his tongue, sounding almost bored. “Yeah, I’m talking about the ones you were taking care of. Fun fact: I had planned to have them kidnapped. One of my guys led them out of the city, hoping to bring them straight to me. But things didn’t go as planned.”

Sariel’s blood ran cold. “What do you mean?” he muttered.

The man shrugged. “Something went wrong."

But something didn’t add up. If that was the plan, why didn’t he just kidnap them?

Then it clicked. The bears. The attack on the kids had probably been orchestrated too. It wasn’t a kidnapping—it was a setup for an assassination.

I was just the wild card… the variable that threw off the outcome.

Before Sariel could piece more together, the man snapped his fingers.

The door creaked open, and the sound of heavy, dragging footsteps filled the room. A bloodied figure was kicked inside, tumbling to the floor in a heap. His body was wrapped in metal cables, and strange handcuffs bound his wrists.

“Damn… it…” the man groaned, coughing painfully. His face was swollen and stained with dried blood, but despite his battered state, Sariel recognized him.

It was Lilan and Kai’s father.

Lurock pointed at Lilan’s father. “This man tried to leave the Silverback Hunters Association. What better way to punish him than by killing his children right in front of him?”

Sariel felt the air change, the background noise fading as if someone had turned down the volume. The man’s cruel words echoed in his head.

He must’ve heard that wrong. He couldn’t have actually said that.

Lilan’s father’s face twisted in a mixture of rage and despair. “Don’t do this! They’re just kids!”

Lurock barely reacted. “Call me ‘Boss.’”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of screams erupted from the next room.

“S-stop! Argh! My arms!”

“Aughhh!”

The cries of children, accompanied by the sickening sounds of flesh being torn and bones cracking, filled the air. It reverberated in Sariel’s mind, playing over and over.

He bit down on his lip until he tasted blood.

I need to kill him. But how? How can I match his speed? He’s as fast as that damned silver bear… But none of that matters! I’ll find a way out of here. I just need to—

Pain erupted in Sariel's abdomen, and his body was slammed against the wall.

THUD!

A wave of searing heat hit Sariel as he tried to gather his senses. Lurock stood with his palm outstretched toward him.

“You want to see it?” Lurock asked, his tone casual, almost bored.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sariel asked, his voice cracking.

“I’ll kill you!” Lilan’s father roared, trying to charge forward, but the metal cables yanked him down, causing him to fall hard on his chin. “I swear I’ll kill you! No matter what!”

Ignoring the outburst, Lurock stretched his hand toward the wall. A red, whip-like structure shot out, latching onto the surface. He yanked it, and a hidden door slid open.

From within spilled blood, bones, and intestines.

Sariel’s stomach churned.

Lilan’s father stared, his mouth open, unable to make a sound.

Lurock then said, “Those are fake.”

With a snap of his fingers, Lurock ordered, “Bring the kids in.”

Sariel wasn't sure if to be relieved or not.

Kai and Lilan were pushed into the room. They both seemed unharmed.

Their father’s voice cracked with worry. “Are you two okay?! Answer me!”

Lilan spat on the ground, though her expression shifted when she saw her father’s battered form. “Dad! You’re hurt!”

Kai, eyes wide in disbelief, stared at his father as though seeing a broken god. It was more than just seeing him injured—it was watching the man he idolized, the man he wanted to be like brought low.

Neither of them noticed Sariel at first, but he didn’t blame them.

Lurock turned back to their father, his face blank. “Who should I kill?”

Of course this was his plan. All this just because the father wanted to quit?

The father remained silent, too broken to respond.

“I asked, who shall I kill?” Lurock seemed almost perplexed, as if the father’s silence was a misunderstanding.

“Oh, you thought I was talking about the kids.” The man’s smile grew twisted. “No. I’m asking you to choose between them…” He glanced at Sariel, pulling out a small scythe and tossing it. The blade buried itself deep in Sariel’s shoulder.

Sariel gasped, pain radiating through his body.

Kai and Lilan whipped around, finally noticing him.

“Wha—what are you doing here?!” Kai shouted, confused and angry.

Sariel winced. Like I had a choice.

“Him. Kill him,” their father said, locking eyes with Sariel.

Sariel wasn’t surprised. He knew the man would choose him. But Lurock wasn’t about to waste his investment—he hadn’t paid so much for Sariel’s regenerative abilities just to kill him off now. Lurock had plans, and Sariel was to be his endless slab of regenerating flesh.

“Leave Sariel alone!” Lilan’s voice cut through.

Lurock approached her, crouching down to meet her gaze. “You want to trade lives?”

“Boss! Ignore her! She’s just a child! I gave you my answer—him, not my kids!” her father begged.

Lurock didn’t respond, only waiting for Lilan's answer.

“Leave her alone!” The father’s voice cracked again, pleading now. “Please… leave my child alone.”

Lilan was silent, deep in thought.

Sariel’s heart clenched. "Don’t be stupid, Lilan…"

“I’ll trade my life if you let everyone else go, including Sariel,” Lilan said, her voice steady, her eyes filled with determination.

Of course, she was a goddamn fool.