Chapter 25

Several days passed, Zephyr remained in the cage with no intention escaping, he had given up. Every day, new things were brought to the chamber room where his cage was now relocated right beside the front seat where Draven sat.

New instruments were carried in cardboard boxes, some were shiny and glistening with sharpness while the other objects were dark in colour, some still dirty and stained with blood from the previous victims.

No matter what they did, no sounds were heard from inside the cage. The boy stayed silent, eyes empty, body on the floor with it wrapped in layers of thick chains. He was back to square one. Pathetic, he thought.

On the other hand, Castiel and Ethan were working hard to train and learn about the new rules and tactics. However, the thought on where Zephyr had disappeared to lingered at the back of their mind. They asked different individuals on insight about where Zephyr could be but their questions were answered with several grunts of confusion.

Ethan had enough and once his training was done, he rushed out of the area while sweating profusely. Stomping angrily while his patience ran thin, he's headed to Killan's room where he's always at during the afternoons.

Without knocking, Ethan slammed the door open with a furious look on his face, breathing heavily. "You know where Zephyr disappeared to, didn't you? Where is he?!" he demanded, his voice gradually getting louder.

Killan looked up at the kid in front of him acting as if he was a royalty. He scoffed and shook his head. "Who knows? You've been asking the same thing for 5 days in a row now. I heard you're bothering the others too."

"I won't anymore if you tell me where he is." Ethan snapped back. He then reconsidered the situation and decided to be a little more polite. "Can you at least let me see him? I need to know how he is doing."

Killan smiled and picked up his pen while he drifted it across his paper. "What can you do when you see him?" he questioned, sounding more serious now. "It's not up to me on whether Zephyr would be allowed out. But if he is indeed in a wretched state.." he said, getting softer at the end of his sentence while looking Ethan straight in the eyes.

Ethan wanted to say that he'll save Zephyr, but who was he kidding? "At least, let me know how is he doing and what are they doing to him. Please." His voice cracking while his eyes got red from holding back tears.

"My liege demands Zephyr to join him. However, that boy seems rather disobedient. They've decided to resort to another method." Killan vaguely described.

Ethan nodded and knew that was the maximum amount of information that he was going to get out of Killan. He placed his hands inside his pocket and held onto a sharp item, grasping it tightly while blood trickled down his fingertips.

Castiel has been searching around for Ethan when he realised that his friend was missing. Once he spotted a staggering Ethan who seemed to be a daze, he got even more worried.

"Sit down, I'll get you some water and.." Castiel eyes trailed down to Ethan's hands which was soaked in blood with a large wound in the middle of his palm. "bandages." He winced.

"Thanks." Ethan murmured. Once Castiel left to get resources he let out a loud frustrated sigh.

How could someone still rely on their dreams and expectations when they had been betrayed and swayed all their lives? They had honestly thought that they'd be safe once Damien's group rescued them, they were still naive and hopeful as they were still young children.

Reflecting back on it, the danger signs were obvious. Trusting people they barely know? What a joke. They might have the age of a kid but their mentality needs to expand and grow. Staying so gullible in such a bloodshed world was a huge mistake that they'll pay for with their measly life's.

No matter how trustworthy a person seems, one should never agree with their own judgement. It's a trait of foolishness. Only the wise shall remain cautious and never let their guard down.

"I'm back." Castiel said when he saw Ethan still wandering off. He seemed like he had a lot on his mind, too much for someone so young. He cautiously crept up to Ethan as to not frighten him.

However, Castiel was the one getting scared when Ethan suddenly tilted his head looked up at him with a pair of determined eyes. "Can I trust you?" he asked.

Castiel looked at Ethan, completely bemused by the unexpected question that had just spouted out from Ethan's pale lips that had appeared after he had started eating lesser.

Without even knowing it, Castiel unconsciously smiled and nodded. "You can trust me. I swear on my bloodline that I shall not betray your trust."

"I'm glad." Ethan replied with a gentle smile on his face while a single drop of tear rolled down his cheeks. At least, there was someone he could trust in this cruel bitter world.

The days that went by turned into weeks and soon turned into months but Ethan being the persistent person that he was, he continued asking Killan about Zephyr's well-being and whereabouts. He had to know how he was doing, even if he could not save him.

However, when more time went on, Ethan's questions and concerns were being ignored more often. He did not get any solid reply that would ever make him satisfied, it seemed like Killan had built a barrier while his mouth remained tightly shut. Ethan's questioning slowly reduced.

Castiel and Ethan rose up in ranks during the past few months, they were now a rank 4 in the Thanatos guild. The highest rank was a 15 while the lowest was a 0. They were both talented in many different aspects thus, the high rank for their age.

Since Killan was Castiel's trainer, he has convinced the younger to choose a weapon that he was familiar with. Castiel mastered the arts of using a whip, being able to swing it with a strong force that could tear a person in half. He was already strong enough, but with the techniques he learnt, he was terrifying in a one on one fight. If one were to trip up once, they would be grovelling on the floor in defeat instantly.

Ethan on the other hand, was taken in by another trainer that went by the alias 'Detonator'. He rarely appeared to teach the boy but instead left behind books and books of valuable information. And once in a blue moon, he would meet the boy in person. He had taught the boy how to use almost every far ranged weapons known to mankind. What Ethan settled on was instead a close ranged weapon, a gauntlet that allowed his power to be unleashed even within the glove compartment.

Soon, 3 years have passed and not surprisingly, the duo had become high rank members of Thanatos. They were nicknamed the troublemakers as everywhere they went, trouble followed with the amount of chaos they wreck.

While Castiel could only faintly remember the person they had met when they were younger, he barely even knew what Zephyr looked like anymore. He hasn't seen that person since the day he had went missing.

However, for Ethan, he would have reoccurring nightmares about Zephyr, they have never ended well. It only resulted in him panicking in his sleep and waking up with a jolt while drenched in sweat while Castiel comforted him. It was an endless cycle.

Somewhere beneath into the earth's crust lays a dungeon full of danger. It was dark with no easy way to navigate around, and even if they did find a way to the base, they didn't last that long.

"Kill him." Draven demanded, pointing at the figure who was kneeling beneath his feet and hugging it while the person begged for mercy. It was dreadfully annoying.

A soft metal sound being pulled out of a sheath could be heard before the head of the beggar fell to the floor like a pile of books. No blood could be seen, it was a swift clean cut. Just like an experienced butcher.

A person in a black cloak kept his blade as he vanished back to his position beside Draven. Standing upright while looking at the servants dragging the deceased body away. The eerie green eyes glowed in the dark, it was as if he was always watching. Even without moving, he could paralyse someone with a single glance if he had wished to do so.

Time is indeed fleeting.