As the carriage moved deeper into the estate, several elderly servants quietly stepped closer to the path. They pretended to be sweeping the dirt or carrying heavy baskets of coal, but as the carriage passed by, they subtly leaned close, close enough to Benjamin who sat by the door."May the ancestors protect you both," an old laundry woman whispered under her breath, dropping a small piece of clean cloth near the carriage wheel as a sign of respect.Another young slave boy, whose face was covered in dirt, quickly reached out and brushed the dust off the side of the carriage as it slowed down, giving Benjamin a brief nod of pure respect before disappearing back into the night.It made Ben smile.The servants didn't know what had ensued in the dungeon but to them, he was just one of their own, a lowly servant who had fought back against their oppressors and survived the worst punishment the clan could offer.Benjamin looked at them all, seeing how every eye was on Rael with respect as

Meanwhile that same morning, back at the First Master pavilion, a beautiful healer had just finished wrapping the bandages around Thaddeus's chest who was still asleep.She was dressed in a light green robe and her long black hair rested neatly behind her back.She looked to be about their age and her face was calm and beautiful.She had purple eyes that seemed to be glowing faintly each time light hit them which mesmerized Ben.From the moment she entered till she finished wrapping Thaddeus's bandages, Benjamin stared at her."He'll need plenty of rest," she said, smiling at Benjamin who couldn't take his eyes off her.Benjamin nodded mindlessly.He had never seen a girl so pretty as this in all his years in the Sect and wondered who she was but he was too scared to ask her, afraid he'll get turned down.Just as the girl was about to leave the room, the door opened and the First Master walked in with another healer.Benjamin immediately stood up to greet him."Master."Xavier nodded

" What... what just happened?!" He stammered, clenching his fists in pure confusion. "Why did she say all those crazy things and then just ran out without giving answers? What do her words mean?" Thaddeus ran a hand through his hair while Benjamin stared at him." How are we even sure she won't tell anyone about us?" Benjamin continued to panic.Thaddeus didn't answer right away. He sat still, his mind racing as he thought about the fear in Iris's eyes.She hadn't just been staring at his body out of curiosity. He was sure she saw something, something that had scared her to the bone.He stared at him."I don't know what she saw," Thaddeus said softly. "But I'm sure she isn't going to tell anyone.""How are you so sure?" Benjamin asked, rubbing his head in frustration. "She's the Grandmaster's daughter! If she tells her brother or the Elders that you aren't a normal servant, we are dead! Didn't you see the way she rushed out?"Thaddeus gave him a slight chuckle. "If she wanted to exp

The next morning, physicians were in the room checking on the two boys when Xavier suddenly burst through the door, looking completely stressed out."Are they hurt? I heard someone attacked last night!" he demanded."We are fine, First Master." the two boys chorused together.Xavier nodded, then turned his gaze straight to the lead guard, who bowed his head in complete shame."How did this happen?""I'm sorry, master. We all got knocked out before we could detect a thing," the guard stammered."Then what are you still doing standing here? Go find out who did it!" Xavier yelled, and the lead guard practically sprinted out of the room.He turned back to Thaddeus. "I will make whoever is involved pay. Rael... do you by any chance see who it was?"Thaddeus shook his head. "No, master. I only came outside and saw the guards unconscious. I had no idea what happened."At the mention of that, Benjamin gave his friend a scrutinizing look.Even though, he wasn't there, he knew his friend was ly

Old Gable slowly dropped to his knees before the table. His calloused, dirty fingers reached out, barely touching the edge of the wooden plaque. "You're truly the chosen one." He whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. He looked up at the others, his eyes wide. "My grandfather... he was a guard for the main Infirmary fifty years ago. Before he died, he told me of this plaque, of the legend. He said one day, the Chosen One would bring it back and lead us to salvation."Reece, a stable boy, stared at the kneeling old man, completely speechless.Thaddeus stepped up to the table and looked straight into their eyes."I'm not asking you to trust me," he said softly. He tapped the wooden plaque. "Trust this.""If I fail... walk away. I will make sure you won't in any way be affected by the implications but If I succeed... stand with me."At his words, Old Gable bowed his head all the way to the dirt. The others followed.Reece, unsure if he should leave or stay, stood for a moment with