Chapter 25: The Liberation of Cinder
"The Church bastards used fake allegations to imprison me here! This entire jail is for the ones who found and collected evidence of the Church's irregular behavior. I gathered evidence that the real vicious criminals worked under the Head Cardinal and were not imprisoned in Abyssal AER Jail. I was caught and imprisoned."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Not because they were surprising. I had known the Church was corrupt, knew it was controlled by a dragon, knew it was capable of monstrous things. But hearing it from a victim, a man who had been erased and buried alive for the crime of seeking truth. That was different. That was proof.
His voice trembled with rage as he spoke, the years of injustice finally finding an outlet. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, knuckles white.
Oh... so this is how it worked. Was this the reason for that bastard's plan? Might be...
My father's plan to expose the Church, to use me as the catalyst for war. It made even more sense now. The Church wasn't just controlled by a dragon. It was actively persecuting anyone who discovered the truth. They had created an entire prison system for silencing dissenters. The Abyssal AER Jail wasn't a prison for criminals. It was a tomb for truth-tellers.
"Then none of these are criminals?" I asked, gesturing at the hollow figures in their cells.
Cinder met my gaze. "No. None of them."
The word was simple, devastating. Every husk in every cell, every mindless shell staring at walls, every broken soul shuffling in darkness. They were innocent. They had simply seen too much, known too much, spoken too much.
"So what should we do about these people?" I pressed. "They're innocent. But their minds have already been destroyed."
It was a practical question, not a moral one.
Cinder's brow furrowed. "Are you suggesting we kill them?" His voice was cautious, testing.
"That's one solution," I admitted. "But giving them a chance at rehabilitation is necessary. Killing them would be injustice. Besides, handling all of these prisoners would be incredibly hard with our limited hands."
I couldn't condemn innocent people to death, even if it was the practical choice. There had to be another way.
Cinder considered this, then offered a solution. "My comrades. They're hidden in the secret vault. They will definitely help."
Comrades. Other truth seekers. Other enemies of the Church. People who might still have their minds intact.
"Let's find them then," I decided. "We have a few hours until someone notices. The secret vault. Where is it?"
Cinder pointed to a random wall that didn't seem suspicious. Just another section of rough hewn stone, identical to every other wall in this labyrinth. "We need the key. It goes there."
I studied the wall, skeptical. "Are you sure?"
A firm nod. "I am. Just leave it to me."
He took the ring of Aetheric keys from my hands. His fingers moved with purpose, selecting one specific crystal. A deep crimson that pulsed with a slow, rhythmic light. He inserted it into a nearly invisible seam in the stone.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the stone began to shimmer, the surface rippling like water disturbed by a thrown stone. With a grinding rumble, a section of the wall collapsed inward, revealing a hidden chamber beyond.
Inside stood three different jails.
Three cells, each sealed with the same opalescent barriers that had held me. Inside, I could see three figures. Two men and a woman.
Cinder rushed forward, pressing against the barrier of the first cell. His face showed the desperation of someone finally reunited with family after years of separation. He glanced back at me. "Please. Take them out like you did with me."
I moved to follow but paused. "Why are they in this secret vault? And why weren't you in here with them? If they're your comrades, you should be together, right?"
The question was practical, not accusatory. If these people were important enough to hide in a secret vault, why was he in the general population?
Cinder turned to face me fully. "I truly don't understand how the Church thinks. But rest assured. I will never betray you. I swear this upon my Aether and my life."
The oath was serious. I nodded and turned to the first barrier.
Three years of training. Forty two million impacts. I could do this.
One by one, I breached the barriers. The technique was flawless now. The run up, the jump, the concentrated strike, the grab, the pull. Each prisoner emerged gasping, collapsing to the floor of the corridor, blinking in the dim light of freedom.
I checked the pulses. One man was dead.
His body was cold. No heartbeat. No breath. The years in that vault had been too much for him. His mind might have survived, but his body had given out.
"He's dead," I announced quietly. "No pulse."
Cinder's jaw tightened. Anger flashed across his features, but he controlled it. "At least the other two are safe," he managed.
His restraint impressed me. He had just lost a comrade, but he kept his focus.
After some time, the others woke. One was a woman in her thirties, the other a man in his forties.
The woman stirred first. Her hair was long and dark, matted from years without care, but her eyes were sharp and assessing. She took in the corridor, then me, with a look that weighed and measured in an instant.
The man followed. Bald, his face held the weathered look of a veteran.
I took support from a wall and stood, letting them enjoy their happy reunion.
They embraced, whispered words I couldn't hear, clutched each other like drowning sailors finding land. Years of separation, years of isolation, ended in this dark corridor. I gave them their moment. It was the least I could do.
"Hey," I interrupted finally. "We don't have time. We need to prepare to save the other prisoners. And I need your names."
The moment shattered. They looked at me, really looked, and saw the child who had freed them. A boy of twelve, small but coiled with impossible strength.
The first one I'd saved spoke first. "I'm Cinder."
He pointed to the woman. She pushed her long hair back. "I'm Mirabel."
The bald man nodded. "Name's Roran."
Mirabel's eyes narrowed. "That golden hair. Are you from House Theodore?"
The question I had been dreading. My hair was a beacon, a brand, a mark of everything I wanted to escape. In the dim light, it probably glowed like a warning sign.
I deflected quickly. "Yes. But we don't have time for chit chat or questions. We need to move fast. Cinder will come with me to kill the guards. You two will save the prisoners. Remember, every minute counts. Every minute is a potential prisoner lost."
I couldn't afford to explain. Couldn't afford to let them question my motives or my loyalties. I had to keep them moving, keep them focused on the mission.
I tossed the keys. "Take these. Save the ones who've been trapped here for eternity."
Mirabel caught them mid air, her reflexes sharp despite years of imprisonment. She nodded once, a silent acknowledgment, and then she and Roran were gone, moving down the corridor toward the cells filled with the mindless husks.
Cinder fell into step beside me. "It's just us now. What's the plan?"
I looked at him. This man, this stranger, who had sworn loyalty to me on his very soul. He was my weapon. My ally.
"Kill them all."
We started moving.
As we walked, Cinder extended his hand, palm up, and concentrated. Light gathered. Not the opalescent glow of the barriers, but something sharper, harder. It coalesced in his palm, extending, shaping, until...
He created an Aether sword. Since he didn't have one. Oh. So that's how an Aether sword is made.
The blade was beautiful. Translucent, edged with light, humming with contained power. It looked like it could cut through anything. I watched the way he held it, the angle of his wrist, the subtle shifts in his grip. I memorized it all.
"I've subdued two of them," I explained. "Here's the plan. I'll be the scout. Since I'm Aetherless, no one will be able to detect me."
Cinder's eyes widened slightly. "Yes, I can see your Aetherlessness. I wasn't able to locate you before."
I stopped. Turned. Stared at him.
Huh? How? Lyra hadn't been able to sense my Aetherless state. How did he do it?
The question burned, but I pushed it down. Not important right now. Survival first. Answers later.
"Let's go." We moved.
---
We retraced the path to where I'd gotten the keys. No one discovered us.
The guard station remained quiet. The sleeping guard still slumped in his chair, the mask still over his face. Our passage left no trace.
After roaming for a long time, we moved upward.
The prison was a vertical labyrinth, levels stacked upon levels. We climbed, using the paths I had memorized during my descent three years ago. The air grew slightly less stale, slightly warmer. We were approaching the surface.
Three guards stood in the chamber ahead.
They occupied a small way station between levels. One paced in a slow, repetitive circle. A patrol pattern, bored and automatic. The other two stood by a door, talking in low voices.
I murmured, "I'll tackle the pacer. You cut off his head."
Cinder nodded. No questions. No hesitation.
I positioned myself in the shadows, waiting for the pacing guard to reach the farthest point in his circuit. When he turned his back, I moved.
I charged him from behind, a WWE style tackle, and slammed him into the ground.
The impact drove the air from his lungs. He tried to scream, to reach for his weapon, to activate some alarm. But I was faster. I pinned his arms, my body a weight on his back, my knee driving into his spine.
Before he could speak or write any Aetheric messages, Cinder's blade fell.
The Aether sword passed through flesh and bone like light through air. The guard's body went limp. No sound. No alarm. Just silence and the wet thud of a head hitting stone.
The remaining two fell to Cinder in rapid succession.
He moved like water. I focused on the movement of his sword. A vertical slash angled forty five degrees left, cutting the first guard's body in half. The man fell in two pieces, his expression frozen in surprise.
Cinder flowed to the next, driving the blade into his heart. In and out. The guard crumpled.
Three kills in as many seconds. Clean. Efficient. Merciful in their swiftness.
Cinder dragged the bodies into an empty cell.
We stood in the sudden silence, surrounded by the evidence of our violence.
Now only a few spots remained where guards should be present.
We drifted onward.