I had already notified the Prince of my decision. A simple message had gone through, and moments later, his response came directly to me via his Gloss. It was a system he kept for emergencies, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to have it. But he didn’t hesitate to reach out. I didn’t mind—he was always blunt, always quick to get to the point.

  The notification pinged, and his voice crackled through my Gloss.

  “It’s terrible, isn’t it, kid? That isn’t my district. That would be the Warden Guild’s jurisdiction. I was also notified of how you handled things. Gotta say. That was brutal. Bloody. Try less theatrics next time, you can easily eliminate someone like that with one needle, behind the temple, right above their eye. Dig it in deep and POP, they’re out like a light. Try that next time. Regarding the prisoner, or should I say prisoners, you’ve chosen. Good lateral thinking. The pirate captain is an amazing choice, and glad you realized the value of the underworld. I knew that lesson is hard for most. Just please don’t dive down too deep there. Regarding the other prisoner though…yeah, we can start investigating. Something smells rotten, and it's not the bones in my workshop. Get her in your direct employ, and have yourself and V watch her at most times.”

  I paused, letting the message sink in.

  “Yeah, I get it. I’ll keep my distance from the darker parts of the underworld. As for 0010...I’ll keep an eye on her, but I need her in my employ. It’s the only way I’ll get anything out of her, I think.”

  I could hear a slight chuckle from the Prince’s side. "That's the spirit. It's good to see you're learning. Just remember, you are the one making the decisions now, kid. Not anyone else. Don’t let them manipulate you.”

  I nodded to myself, though I was sure the Prince couldn’t see me. "I won’t. But I still have a lot of questions. About the gate, about the mark, and about... what she really is. Something doesn’t add up."

  There was a brief pause before the Prince’s voice came back, more serious this time. “Yeah, keep your focus, kid. I’ll get my people working on that investigation. You just keep making sure you don’t lose yourself in the process. You’re walking a fine line. One wrong move, and you’ll be dealing with more than just a few prisoners. You’ll be dealing with forces that don’t care about right or wrong.”

  His words echoed in my head. Forces that don’t care about right or wrong. I couldn’t help but feel the weight of it. The underworld, the criminals, the people I was working with—none of them played by the same rules I was used to. And yet, I was the one who had to navigate it all. There was no safety net here. Just me, my decisions, and the consequences.

  “I understand. I’ll handle it.” I said, trying to steady my voice.

  “Good. Just remember, kid. Watch your back, and don’t let anyone think they can manipulate you. Keep those eyes sharp.”

  The message ended with a final ping. The screen went back to its neutral interface, but the words lingered in my mind.

  "Watch your back."

  I turned to Cordelia, who had been quietly listening in the background. Her expression was unreadable, but I could see the concern flickering in her eyes.

  “You heard him, right?” I asked, needing confirmation.

  She nodded, her voice calm but firm. “I did. And I agree. Be careful with 0010. There’s something strange about her, and not just her mark. There’s a darkness around her, something we can’t fully see yet.”

  “I know.” I looked down at my hands for a moment, feeling the weight of everything. "But I don’t have many options. I can’t leave her like this. Not with what she could be."

  Cordelia sighed, her usual calm demeanor returning. “Just don’t let your judgment be clouded by pity. You’ve made the right call so far, but now you have to keep it clear. You’re walking into dangerous territory.”

  I nodded, feeling the pressure of the situation building again. This wasn’t just about doing the right thing anymore—it was about survival. Making sure that I didn’t become another pawn in a much larger game.

  I turned toward the door. “I’ll handle this. I need to get back to V and make sure everything’s in order.”

  “Be careful,” Cordelia added as I walked toward the exit. “Don’t let the darkness of the situation drag you down.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if I believed it.

  ***

  I stood in the hallway just outside the room, listening to the exchange between V and 0010. The door was slightly ajar, and I was careful not to make a sound. I wasn’t sure what to make of the conversation I was overhearing, but there was a sharpness in V’s words that hit me like a stone. It wasn’t an offer—it was an ultimatum.

  “You should consider his offer,” V’s voice was firm, the calmness laced with an edge of finality.

  I leaned against the wall, trying not to flinch at his tone.

  “I... it’s... it’s a gilded cage,” 0010’s voice, soft and hesitant, made my stomach tighten. She wasn’t sure. Couldn’t be sure. She had no one to trust here—certainly not the ones holding the reins of her life. “I’d be trading just one cage for another.”

  I could practically hear the defeat in her words, the weight of hopelessness seeping through the cracks. She had been broken, bent into something unnatural, something she could barely recognize as her own. I understood that feeling. But her hesitation... was that fear of losing even the smallest shred of autonomy?

  I could feel my chest tighten as I waited for V’s response, the words hanging in the air between them, the decision that would decide her fate.

  “Yeah. It would be. Sadly, I’ll be blunt with you, 0010. You don’t have the choice in the matter regarding it. Either you accept his offer, or we bring you to the guillotine tomorrow.” His voice dropped to an even colder level, sharp as a blade. "Your brand has refused us from identifying anyone guilty but you from the crime. You are out of time. He’s the chance you need, not the chance you want."

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, mentally bracing myself. The choice was already made for her, wasn’t it? It wasn’t really an offer—it was a demand wrapped in a thin veneer of mercy. Either accept my help, or be executed. The thought felt like poison in my mouth. And yet... her only real option, the one she needed to cling to, was the one she was being forced into.

  The silence on the other side of the door stretched out. I couldn’t hear her breathing, couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine the weight of it—the decision she had to make.

  What was I even offering her? A way out, yes. But it would come at a price. Freedom, but only as a shadow of it. A life bound by the very system that enslaved her in the first place. Would she accept that? Could I even offer her real freedom, or was it all just another cage, another prison?

  I stepped forward slowly, pushing open the door just enough to slip inside without announcing myself.

  I was greeted by the quiet sounds of her eating, the sickening irony of her consuming the flesh of a creature that had been torn apart in front of her. A minotaur’s remains, its body ripped and twisted, clearly a victim of the raw brutality she was capable of. The remains were cruelly marked with indentations, signs of the force she had used. Her strength manipulation, likely focused in her legs, allowed her to crush the beast, using her foot as an anchor, as her point of attack.

  I let my gaze linger on the scene, but my attention snapped back to her when V spoke again, his tone unyielding.

  “You know what happens if you refuse, 0010,” V continued, his eyes scanning the room, looking anywhere but at the young girl sitting there. She was still eating, chewing the meat mechanically, almost like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. “You’ll be disposed of. No more games, no more second chances. You’ve made your bed, and now you have to lie in it. And you know what I mean by that.”

  I could feel the tension in the air between them, an unspoken understanding of the stakes. For her, this wasn’t just about life and death. It was about losing whatever shred of hope she still had. Being consumed by the very thing she was supposed to escape.

  Her voice broke the silence, soft and raw. “I don’t have a choice.” She didn’t look up at either of us. Her eyes were focused on the dead meat in front of her, like it was all she could hold onto.

  I stepped into the room, my voice steady despite the way her words cut through me. “You always have a choice.”

  She glanced up at me then, her eyes wide with disbelief. For a moment, I thought she might speak, but then the weight of the moment seemed to hit her. The walls were closing in, and there was no easy way out.

  “You’re wrong,” she whispered, the bitterness in her voice cutting through the silence. “I haven’t had a choice in years.”

  I walked up to her slowly, pausing just out of reach. I wasn’t sure what I could offer her, but I wasn’t about to let her fall into that trap.

  “You have more than you think, Ten,” I said, my voice firm. “I’m giving you a choice. I’m not going to force you into anything. But if you want a chance at something better, you need to trust me. Trust that I’ll protect you.”

  V’s eyes darted between us, clearly aware that I wasn’t playing by the rules he had set. “You’re pushing too hard, Alexander. Let her decide. This isn’t a decision for you to make.”

  I turned my gaze on him, my jaw tight. “I’m not deciding for her, V. I’m offering her a chance to decide for herself. She deserves that much.”

  For the first time, she looked at me fully, the weight of her gaze piercing through me. She wasn’t looking at me like I was a savior. No, she was measuring me, analyzing me.

  And then, in the smallest whisper, her words came out. “I’ll take the offer. I’ll work for you.”

  I exhaled slowly, relieved, but I could already see the layers of doubt in her eyes. This wasn’t going to be easy, for either of us. But maybe, just maybe, this was the first step toward something better for her.

  “I won’t let you regret this,” I said, my voice quiet but steady.

  I stood there, fists clenched at my sides, my breath coming heavy and steady as I glared at V. The room seemed to warp, the edges blurring in the heat of the moment. I could feel my anger rise, hot like a forge burning everything in its path. My thoughts were a swirling storm, clouded with the weight of everything I had witnessed. The faces of the dead. The child butcher. The look in Ten’s eyes.

  V, standing in front of me, didn’t flinch. He just took a step back, his face unreadable, but I could see the flash of amusement behind his eyes. It made my stomach churn. His casual demeanor was infuriating, like he knew he had control of this situation, like he knew how much power he had over me. Over her.

  “Monster?” V repeated, his voice low, almost taunting. “Maybe. But I’m not the one making the hard choices here, Alexander. You are. You signed the contract. You’re playing the game now.”

  I growled, stepping forward so that my horn pressed against his forehead, just hard enough to draw a drop of his blood. He didn’t even flinch. His smile widened, and I could taste the sharp bitterness of frustration on my tongue.

  “You think I want this?” I snarled. “You think I want to play these games with people’s lives? I didn’t sign up to be a goddamn judge, jury, and executioner. But here I am. And you…” I paused, struggling to keep my voice steady, “You think this is all just a game to you, don’t you? These are people. They’re not just pawns. They’re lives. And yet, you treat them like nothing more than cattle.”

  V’s expression never wavered, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something that told me he understood exactly what I was saying, and that he didn’t care. It wasn’t about the lives for him. It was about control. It was about power.

  “You don’t get it, do you?” I continued, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “I’m trying to fix what you broke. Trying to offer them something better. You took away any hope they had, and now you want me to just sit back and watch it all crumble? To play by your rules?”

  V tilted his head, his grin widening even more. “You have no choice, Alexander. None of us do. We play the cards we’re dealt. And you, my friend, are playing a hand that’s already been stacked against you. You can’t undo what’s been done. You can’t fix every broken thing. Not every life is worth saving.”

  I felt the fire in my chest flare up again, and I had to remind myself to breathe, to hold back the urge to rip him apart right there. The anger was overwhelming, but I knew I couldn’t let it control me. Not now.

  “Please tell me I don’t have to accept you,” I spat out, my voice thick with fury and disgust. The weight of my words hung in the air between us, as if I could somehow force him to understand. But I knew better. He wasn’t someone who understood. He didn’t care about right or wrong. He only cared about the game.

  V’s expression softened for just a second, and for a brief moment, I almost thought he might say something—anything—that could make me feel like he understood. But then he just shrugged, his grin returning.

  “Sorry, kid,” he said, his voice laced with mock sympathy. “You’ve already accepted me. The moment you stepped into this world, you accepted the cost. You don’t get to back out now. There’s no easy way out of this, no knight in shining armor to come rescue you. You’re in the deep end now. Might as well start swimming.”

  I took a step back, my mind racing. The weight of his words pressed down on me like a vice, suffocating every last shred of hope. There was no easy way out. No simple solution to the mess I had walked into. But I had made my choice, and I was going to stick to it.

  With a final glare at V, I turned and left the room, leaving him to whatever twisted games he played behind closed doors. But as I walked away, I could feel the promise I had made to myself tightening like a noose around my neck. I would fix this. I would clear Ten’s name. And no matter what it cost me, I would make sure she had a chance to be free.

  Even if it meant I had to become something darker to do it.