Several days had passed since his transposition. Only three days remained before the ill-fated date of his duel, and he wasn’t any closer to freedom. X devoted most of these days to gathering information and devising a strategy. What little time he had left, he used to prepare for a fight he knew he had no chance of surviving. He would have too few moments of clarity in his march towards redemption, once again by the hands of men, decreed by deceitful beings high on their own arrogance. To say the demon-gods left him no other choice would be a lie, regardless, X would use everything and everyone to his advantage. For now, he needed to find out what the slaves were planning and weigh his options carefully. Preparations had to be as precise as he could muster. A faint grin colored his mouth as he wiped dirt from a shelf, his daily schedule leaving ample time to scheme.

After the family returned to the mansion, Lord Derreick retreated to his study, while his wife and daughter enjoyed a rest in their chambers. Leandro cherished the rare occasions when his family arranged outings with him, but he always returned home more depressed than when he had left his quarters.

"Ekk's," the young Lord greeted the redheaded elf after summoning him to his room.

"How's your day, Leandro?"

The teen hesitated, his mind still wandering the thoughts that kept hammering him down. "Alright," he finally replied. "I spoke to my father and convinced him to let you have some free time each day to talk with me."

"I take it he wasn't thrilled about it?"

"He was surprised. My father sees you as a shady character. He asked what we talked about and laughed when I told him. But he did allow me to talk to you for a few hours each day. With the duel coming up, I think he doesn't mind my request."

“Merciful. And he ordered you to report back to him on everything we talk about, right?"

“Mhmm.”

"Of course, he did," X fixed his gaze on the young Lord, causing the teenage boy to lower his eyes. "Whether you tell him or not is up to you, but what's up to me is giving him something to earn his respect. What do you say?"

"My father's?"

X sighed. "I just want to talk and rest. I'm as frail as they come and have no magic tricks up my sleeve. What danger could the likes of me pose? But your father's words... I don't want to disappoint him. He thinks that highly of me, so I will oblige."

“Er... what do you mean? I don’t quite follow.”

"Leandro, wouldn't you want to attend the academy? To study with others your own age, away from your parents. Failing a grade, trying not to get too much of your own crap on your fellow students, breaking the teeth of those disparaging you or your friends, getting yours broken in return, ditching classes at every opportunity to go have fun somewhere else with your gang. Oh, and girls! If you think everything I've said sounds exciting, girls are exponentially fun. Until they’re not. Anyway, my point is, if given the opportunity, Leandro, wouldn't you give up everything to experience a little of that life?"

X's words weighed heavily on Leandro’s soul, reminding him of all he had missed out while being locked inside his sick body. Every time his sister returned home with stories of her life at the academy, envy and jealousy filled him. What was left for him? To be. To exist. Not to live.

"You still carry hope, don't you?" asked X.

"Yes..." whispered Leandro, wiping away a tear.

“I’m dying soon. I have no chance in the duel. I was born on the wrong side. No, I was born wrong. Sure, I no longer cry about it, I’ve come to terms with it, but if given a chance, I want to leave something behind. Something. Anything. And if someone like your father thinks this frail and useless carcass deserves the slightest of caution... Then I’m honored. And I have the wish— no, the duty to answer such... belief. I want that much. Of everyone I’ve met, I think you understand me.”

Leandro drilled his own mind in search of answers. He lowered his gaze, looking at his trembling hands. His own life had been sequestered in this room, in his own diseased body. While everyone else had fun, learned, and lived their existences to the fullest, he alone bore the dark designs of whatever deity put him there.

X stared down at him with a deeply engraved smirk, the conquered’s reflection shining in his ashen ocher eyes.

Leandro turned his gaze up, took a deep breath, and asked, “What do you have in mind?”

“Entertain me a question,” said X, his smile growing wider. “From a useless slave to a young upcoming Lord.”

Leandro leaned forward, eager to hear the elf’s query.

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"How would you escape this city?"

The young Lord considered the question. "That's a difficult one," he said.

"Impossible?"

“Contrary to what everyone would want you to believe, no, it’s not impossible. Would you do it alone?”

“Yes.”

“Your first problem would be the slave collar, which you don’t have. Well then, with this hurdle out of the way... Next challenge would be to leave this mansion undetected. Sneaky, careful, and patient actions would be required. Doable.”

"And once outside the mansion?"

"The real challenge would be escaping Saint Jaulea," explained Leandro. "The city is constantly being watched, and many slaves have been caught by simple onlookers or patrolling knights."

"Mhmm. What if a large group of rebelling slaves wanted out?"

"In that case, the city would be surrounded by a barrier,"

“Barrier?”

“Yeah, you know, a big sphere that protects the whole city. No one in, no one out. Well, it’s not impossible to break it, but that would require time and resources.”

“Time fleeing creatures won’t have... So, the answer is to act fast before getting trapped.”

“Exactly. That or prevent the barrier from being raised in the first place," explained Leandro.

“How’s the barrier deployed? Is there like a lever?”

"It's not a lever," replied Leandro with a laugh. "There are four gatekeepers, two at each entrance to the city. They have several enchantments that allow the barrier to function. I think they rotate every week or something like that.”"

“Piece of cake. And climbing the walls? Has anyone tried that?"

"Attempts have been made," spoke Leandro after a moment of silence. "But it's nearly impossible to dodge patrols and watchtowers."

“Uff... it all sounds too much for a simple elf like me.”

“There’s another possibility...” spoke Leandro.

"What's that?"

“Relics. We, high citizens, have a special magic item that allow us to cross the barrier.”

“Interesting.”

"As I told you, difficult, but not impossible.”

“Not impossible, but pretty darn close,” added X with a frown, his mind racing with challenges and possible solutions. He let his tense expression soften. “Just like your father suspected, I’m a threat. His wish was fulfilled, same as mine. Now I just need to get my hands on a relic or beg a gatekeeper for permission to leave. Then pray everyone else looks the other way as I walk through the gates and barrier. And all in less than three days. Yeah, I think I manage it.”

The two of them chuckled.

“But wouldn’t you at least try?”

"If I had several years and unlimited resources, sure. Why not? But no. Some destinies are firmly written in stone. Still, an elf can dream."

Leandro rose from his seat and walked over to a locked box on his table. He opened it and retrieved a necklace, tossing it to X, who almost dropped it. It shimmered with gold, the center featuring a dazzling turquoise rock embedded in it.

“Is this pure gold?” inquired X.

"Yes, except for the relic stone. The glowing rock that holds the magic."

X studied the necklace.

"This is my relic,” remarked Leandro. “The same as everyone else's, issued by the HUF."

"This one is used to cross the barrier?"

“Yep. We usually don’t wear them inside the mansion. They are reserved for outside use.”

Was it a test? Perhaps kindness? A sadistic type of kindness indeed. Freedom in hand, yet so far away. The redheaded elf returned the necklace. Now on his hands, Leandro looked at it, then at X.

"Don't you want it?" offered the young Lord.

"To escape? To just walk out the gates and tell everyone I wanted some fresh air?" X fixed his gaze on Leandro, his tone serious. "Don't test me like this, it's bordering on distasteful."

"I didn't mean it that way," stammered Leandro.

"Everyone knows it, in this mansion and elsewhere, that a slave like me doesn't stand a chance of escaping, even with a relic."

Was it mockery? Or innocent indulgence of being?

“You are as much a prisoner as me,” exclaimed the young Lord. A torrent of frustration came out all at once. “All this... I hate it all... I can’t stand it!”

“Then why don’t you escape? No one has a knife to your neck, nor are your hands or feet tied.”

The young Lord struggled to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. "Couldn't we escape together?"

"No, that wouldn't work. Make your own decisions, carry out your own actions.”

Leandro felt as he always did, dejected and ashamed. "You're a coward!" he cried, throwing the necklace to the ground. Like a child throwing a tantrum, he tried to hide his head on his chest, tears flowing down. X picked up the necklace.

"This is important," said the elf as he walked towards the table with the intent of placing the relic stone back inside the treasure box, and then closed it.

“Leandro...” The elf’s words were met with indifference, the young Lord gazed outside the window as red tones enveloped the sky.

“I’ll take my leave. Have a good day."

X learned a lot from their conversation, but much would still be left to chance. Would Leandro tell Lord Derreick? The elf was certain the young Lord wouldn’t, because it would be akin to betraying his own weak self.

[Taking advantage of youth. What a role model.]

When all is said and done, he’ll thank me for it.

[Quite the contrary will happen.]

He wouldn't be the first...