…

Fate: “Where... can I... hide?”

 

Fate sluggishly looked around his room, hoping to find somewhere he could hide. He found his answer in the stack of boxes in the back and began the process of stacking them into a stair-like shape. 

 

After a while of stacking the boxes up to the window, he grabbed some of the bottles gripped them tightly in his fist. 

 

-Let’s hope that this works…

 

A loud crash resounded throughout the room as the bottles were thrown through the window, shattering a large hole in the glass! 

…

Jacob: “H-how…?”

 

He stared blankly around the room before returning his gaze to the large hole that had been made in the window. The hole looked rushed, as did the staircase made out of old crates, but it certainly did look like a child could fit through it. 

 

-How long has that been open…? Nevermind that, how did he manage to arrange everything like this so fast?! The window hangs down to the ceiling, but from the height that the stairs reach...he definitely knew about the wall outside…

 

Although it wasn’t supposed to be visible, there was indeed a magically transparent wall outside that was at least a few feet high, right outside the window…

 

-Does that mean that he...managed to escape…? 

 

Jacob scratched his arm for a bit, seeming a bit conflicted by the events that were unfolding, but stopped after only a minute, however, after hearing some odd noises coming from the stairs…

 

He walked over to the bottom of the haphazardly constructed steps, only to discover that the odd noise was coming from the lowest set of boxes. The front of one of the boxes seemed to have been previously torn off and hastily fit in place. 

 

Jacob: “Is he actually…?”

 

Jacob gently lifted the front of the box off to reveal a sleeping Fate, whose ragged breathing had apparently been the source of the noise. The child’s breaths were short and rapid, he had patches of burnt skin from the explosion, and there were still shackles on his ankles.

 

He definitely looked like he had a rough time…

-But to think that he managed to get away under these circumstances...and make all of this just to fool anyone coming after him...I don’t see why the lady wishes to throw him away for a mere…

 

Jacob shook his head side to side, seemingly trying to deny what he was just about to think. He quickly snapped himself out of it and dragged the child’s ragged body out of the crate, placing him on the floor. 

 

He could hear footsteps coming from down the hall, heading towards the room. A figure appeared in the doorway just a few seconds later, it was Agatha…

…

Agatha walked into the room, observing the odd surroundings before turning her attention to Jacob and her child, who was sprawled out on the floor with numerous injuries.

 

-This...did it do all of this, unaided, and in so short a time..? 

 

She approached them and once she had reached their position, she leaned down to inspect the child. This was odd since for her, caring about Fate was quite abnormal, to say the least. She bid Jacob approach from his spot and he knelt at her side once he did so. 

 

Agatha: “These are injuries from the explosion of the artifact?”

 

Jacob nodded swiftly, showing no hesitation in his response. However, Agatha turned the flipped the child over and acknowledged the large amount of burnt and melted skin on its back.

 

-It looks like the signs of punishment that are delivered upon the wicked...the molten metal of the earth, poured into a wound so that it will never truly heal...it is only used upon those warriors of exceptionally high endurance...the amount is definitely lesser, so I suppose that it will survive...for now.

 

Agatha: “Repulsive...yet it is...somewhat impressive that it managed to last this long, not to mention the state of the room. Were there any other personnel in here before you arrived?”

 

She looked quite serious. It was true that this level of...hasty craftsmanship was more than a child should be able to handle, but what servant would think to come into this room? After all, Agatha had personally informed the entire staff of the child’s disownment, that they were to treat it as a living disease and to stay away from it unless performing their necessary duties.

 

Jacob: “No ma’am, neither Gladys nor Ivy were stationed here today and there was no other staff stationed even remotely close to here…”

 

Agatha gazed around the room one more time, trying to discern if there was something that Jacob didn’t know or was hiding from her, but she found nothing of note.

 

-I can’t trust either of them, even if Jacob has said that they were not here. I won’t take the risk that they attempted to aid this impure child out of...pity!

 

Agatha: “I see. However, you are to have the staff for this one’s caretaking switched over to another pair, and you are encouraged to question both of them about this. Do you understand me, Jacob?”

 

He nodded once more before retrieving a small tin from his pocket, opening it revealed a green balm which he began applying to the child’s wounds. While he did this, Agatha stood up and left the room with a sullen expression plastered on her face. However, she stopped for a moment and turned to face Jacob again.

 

Agatha: “Make sure that you move it to a more secluded room...one without any windows.”

 

Jacob nodded a third time and Agatha resumed her walk out of the room, but this time with a sadistic grin spread across her lips.

 

-The burn on its back is definitely a sign from the Goddess, that she wishes to punish it for being the vile creature that it is! I praise Luna, for she shines her light upon all that is blessed and punishes the wicked for their existence!

…

Fate: “Ughhh...ow!”

 

Fate was awoken a few minutes later by the sting from the balm on his wounds. He prepared to try and move around but discovered that Jacob was standing right in front of him.

 

-Damn, he must have found me! How the hell do I get out of here now?!

 

His plan was to rest inside the box until he got his strength back and could formulate a better escape plan, but he had been discovered and now, wouldn’t get a second chance!

 

However, Jacob didn’t seem to be hostile towards him. Instead, he seemed to have a curious and questioning gaze in his eyes…

 

Jacob: “Try not to strain yourself, young master. I have applied salve to your wounds, but it will take a good while for it to set and for your skin to heal. However, I can do nothing for the metal that has mixed into your skin, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

 

-He’s not attacking? He even put stuff on my wounds to heal them? Disregarding the pressing concern of the metal in my back, what the hell happened to make him like this?

 

Though Jacob had seemed to care somewhat about his well being before, it had been more than a year since then. This had been enough time for Fate to begin regarding everyone in the manor as potential enemies so this came as a shock to him, and rightfully so.

 

Jacob: “I shall return tomorrow, in order to place you in a new room. I do hope that you behave yourself this time, but keep in mind that the lady shall not be so forgiving as she was today…”

 

He closed the tin that was in his hands but placed it on the floor near Fate, instead of placing it back in his pocket. He then straightened his coat and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind himself with a slam.

 

Fate just sat there in pain and stunned silence, not comprehending the events that had just occurred. He had not been punished for his second breakout or for injuring his brother...Agatha or Issac should have been around to discipline him, or in Agatha’s case bring him to near death.

 

-He left healing ointment...Mother isn’t mad for what I did to Atlas, or furious at the fact that I escaped the dungeon?! 

 

Fate attempted to stretch his joints and check his wounds, but his limbs felt stiff. It seemed that he still wasn’t energized enough to move around, not by a long shot…

 

-Welp, guess I’m not moving for a good while...Since I’m stuck here though…

 

Fate: “...Journal, status page…”

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Name: Fate
• HP: 37.399/153.6
• MP: 5.2/30.80
• Level: 0
• Race: Human
• Age: 4 year-old(4 year(s), 0.6 month(s) (22+ years old)))
• Job: None
• Previous Jobs: None
• Titles: 【Familiar of Fate】

--------------------------------

• Stats: 
  • Strength: 17.95
  • Endurance: 34.215
  • Wisdom: 7.0
  • Intelligence: 8.31
  • Stamina: 20.0
  • Agility: 13.428
  • Fortune: 1.0
  • Magic: 14.90

            ---------------------------------

• Passive Skills:『Balance - (Lv.3)』, 『Natural MP Restoration』
• Active Skills: 『Mana Manipulation(Minor) - (Lv.3)』, 『Fire Magic(Minor) - (Lv.1)』
• Unique Skills: None
• Equipment: Fate’s Journal(Soul-bound)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

-Wow...that ordeal really boosted my stats...except 【Fortune】, but I don’t think I’ll know how to raise that for a while. It wasn’t listed in the stats section of the tutorial, so I probably have to gain some amount of it before any information appears. 

 

Fate studied his increased stats carefully, noting that 『Fire Magic』was at the minor grade just like   『Mana Manipulation』. It seemed that he wouldn’t be getting access to all facets of the skill right away, not without some work at least.

 

His HP had risen with his 【Endurance】, adding about half of the original total to the current one. The increases in the other stats were also understandable for him, except for 【Wisdom】. He didn’t believe that hiding in the same room that he had been kept in for so long was a wise idea, but he didn’t feel like he had any choice at the time. 

 

-I got caught, but somehow my sh*tty attempt at hiding was a wise decision? The flying f*ck is that supposed to mean?! 

 

Despite his internal cursing, Fate was thankful that his poor attempt at an escape had gone...well. He wasn’t dead and he would be able to heal and grow stronger from it, though it was more the first part that excited him the most.

 

Fate: “Guess that means that I got an opportunity to try escaping again, but I’ll have to do it in a different cell…”

 

-I just hope to hell that my little turd of a brother doesn’t come back anytime soon. Then again, he felt...off when I escaped...Maybe that means that he got injured from the explosion and that’s why they didn’t catch up to me until now? 

 

He might have felt grateful for that, but since it was his brother who had initiated multiple attacks and his imprisonment, he wasn’t feeling grateful to him in the slightest.

 

-I wonder where he is right now? I hope he’s in pain though.

…

 

Atlas: “Haaaaa…”

 

Atlas woke up on his nice, soft bed. It was as if the events in the prison cell had never occurred, but he knew that he would be lying to himself if he didn’t know what happened. The injuries that were all over his body told the story and he could feel every single one. He clenched his fist tightly and grumbled to himself, with seemingly no one around to hear him…

 

Atlas: “...I lost...I lost to that trash!”

 

He clenched his fist even tighter, digging his nails into his skin until they drew blood. Atlas had never thought for a second that he would be on the receiving end of both encounters with his trash of a brother, thus he was furious that this was the outcome. However, a great fear dwelt within his eyes and in his thoughts that he did not want to speak aloud.

 

-He...that trash…! He was able to use mana, I’m sure of it! Not only that, but he managed to escape while I was passed out on the floor like a coward! Mother will definitely be displeased with me…!

 

He shivered at the thought of what she might do to him since even when his lessons were harsh and the pain was intense, he had never once failed. 

 

Agatha: “My child.”

 

Atlas darted his gaze to see that his mother was sitting on the other side of the room with a velvet-clad book in her hands.

 

Atlas: "M-mother, what a pleasant...!"

 

Agatha: “We need to talk...”