The faint murmur of voices pierced through the darkness, dragging a man's consciousness back from the void. He lay motionless on a wooden plank—bare, splintered, without even a thread of bedding to cushion his battered body.The space around him was suffocating. Narrow. Cramped. Like a coffin."I thought he was dead," a gruff voice muttered nearby. "Looks like a damn mummy.""You idiot! Can't you see his chest moving? He's breathing, moron.""Who are you calling a moron?! You're dumber than a donkey. Whatever—just go fetch water from that basin over there.""Look who's talking! You look more like a donkey than I do. Stop ordering me around like we're not equals!"Grumbling under his breath, one of the men stomped away toward a stone basin in the corner. When he returned, he lifted the container high—and without warning, dumped the entire contents over the prone figure's body.SPLASH!"WHAT THE HELL?!"The shock of icy water jolted the man awake. His eyes snapped open, fury blazing in

Edrick fell silent for a moment.Staring intently at the face of God Mervous with a gaze full of doubt."Are you serious about what you're saying, Kayrus? Leave? I mean... run away? We're going to escape from this place?"Edrick's voice sounded trembling, as if he couldn't believe the words he had just heard. He repeated the same question, making sure that his hearing wasn't wrong.God Mervous stared sharply, full of conviction. "I'm very serious, Edrick. Aren't you tired of all this? Don't you want to experience true freedom?"It wasn't without reason that God Mervous was so insistent on inviting the man before him. His heart was moved by Edrick's suffering—working without rest, without wages, continuously tortured and forced. The man who had cared for him sincerely deserved to breathe the air of freedom."I'm doubtful, Kayrus." Edrick shook his head slowly. "They will find us quickly. Besides, there are guards at every corner of this place. We have no chance to escape.""I can take

Libradon watched the man who had become his slave for a long time. While God Mervous' gaze never left the figure that resembled Goddess Earth, Libradon gave him a lopsided smile. Although Libradon was not sure what God Mervous' gaze actually meant, one thing he did know was that the man must have been in awe of the beauty of the woman at his side. "Welcome, chosen slave. I know you regret your actions."Libradon said with both arms outstretched, his feet beginning to step down from his oversized chair. The man seemed to smile sarcastically as his eyes met God Mervous'. God Mervous deliberately returned the man's gaze as he heard his words that seemed to emphasize how mighty and powerful he was. "How does it feel to be in this magnificent palace, slave? Are you proud? Are you happy? You've never found a paradise like this before, have you?" Libradon gave God Mervous a sharp look. The man was momentarily taken aback when he realized that God Mervous was not the least bit afraid

That night, Teresa could not sleep.She had been lying down for almost an hour, staring at the ceiling of her lavish chamber — gold carvings along its edges, silk cloth hanging from the posts of her bed, all the luxury she usually paid no attention to. Tonight, everything felt heavy. Oppressive. Like stones being laid slowly on her chest without her realizing it.The candles in the corners of the room flickered in the silence. Her own shadow on the wall moved languidly, as if more restless than she was willing to admit.*"She looks so much like you. I even thought it was you."*Her servant's words kept spinning in her head, over and over, like a needle piercing the same spot without end.Teresa rolled over and stared at the window. The night sky stretched out full of stars, cold and distant, indifferent to everything churning beneath it. A thin breeze crept in through a gap in the window that hadn't been shut all the way, carrying the smell of wet earth and the late hour of the night.

Edrick could not sleep.For three nights in a row he had lain on the thin straw that served as his bed, staring at the same stone ceiling, listening to the snores of other slaves who had long since made their peace with exhaustion, and his eyes would not close.His thoughts always returned to the same place.Kayrus.Edrick turned onto his side, facing the wall. The wounds on his back still stung when the rough fabric shifted against his skin, but the pain no longer felt important. There was something heavier than a physical wound that he carried with him wherever he went.The guilt never left.It only grew larger with each passing day, spreading quietly like roots splitting through stone, finding every gap inside a chest that was already too tired.He was the one who had brought Kayrus to that cave. He was the one who had followed information that turned out to be wrong. He was the one who had been foolish enough to trust rumors he had picked up from a corner of the dining hall, from