The corridor was on the edge of collapse.
Tension.
Fear.
Violence—
Ready to snap at any second.
The boy darted ahead, weaving between bodies, slipping past prisoners as his eyes searched desperately.
Cell after cell.
Face after face.
*Not her… not her… not her…*
His breathing grew sharper.
Faster.
But he didn't stop.
Behind him—
**Clink… drag… clink…**
Draven walked.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Chains scraping against the ground with every step.
And now—
Something else followed.
**Thud… drag… thud…**
The unconscious man from earlier.
Gripped by the ankle.
Being pulled along like dead weight.
His body left a faint trail across the wet stone.
Draven didn't even look down at him.
Didn't explain.
Didn't care.
His gaze remained forward.
Watching.
Measuring.
The shifting movements of everyone around him.
Some prisoners glanced his way—
At the chains.
At the body he dragged.
At the way he moved like none of this mattered.
And instinctively—
They avoided him.
Because something about it felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The boy glanced back once—
Just for a second.
His eyes landed on the body being dragged.
"…Why are you bringing him…?"
His voice was tense.
Confused.
Draven didn't stop walking.
"…Insurance."
Flat.
Simple.
Another step.
**Clink… drag…**
"Or bait."
A faint pause.
"…depends."
The boy frowned—but didn't question further.
Didn't have the luxury to.
A sudden burst of mana erupted to the side—
Two prisoners clashed violently, one screaming as he was slammed into a wall.
The massacre—
Had started.
For real this time.
Draven's eyes shifted briefly.
Then back forward.
Uninterested.
"…And shut up and keep looking."
His voice cut through again.
Cold.
"Before someone else finds her first."
The boy's heart pounded harder.
And he pushed himself faster—
Because now—
It wasn't just about finding her.
It was about reaching her—
Before the chaos did.
The boy didn't even see it coming.
One moment he was moving—
Scanning—
The next—
A presence closed in.
Fast.
Too fast.
A blur from the side—
A strike aimed straight for his neck.
His eyes widened—
Body too slow to react—
But—
Draven moved.
Instantly.
No hesitation.
The chain in his grip tightened—
Then he swung.
The unconscious body he'd been dragging was launched forward like a projectile.
**THUD—CRASH**
It slammed toward the attacker with brutal force.
The figure reacted just as fast—
Turning—
Catching—
Then smashing the body hard against the cell bars.
**BANG**
Metal rang out.
The body crumpled.
Limp.
Broken further.
Silence—just for a second.
Then—
The figure straightened.
Stepping forward into the dim light.
Tall.
Lean.
Eyes sharp.
Cold.
His gaze flicked from the body—
To Draven—
Then to the boy.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"…Close one."
His voice was calm.
Almost amused.
The boy staggered back a step, breathing uneven.
He hadn't even registered the attack properly.
"…Tch—"
The man rolled his shoulder slightly.
"Using a body as a weapon?"
A glance at the crumpled figure.
"…That's a new one."
Draven didn't respond.
His chains settled with a soft **clink** as he stopped walking.
Red eyes lifting.
Locking onto the man.
Empty.
The man's smirk widened slightly.
"Guess I picked the right target after all."
Mana flickered around him.
Sharper than the others.
More controlled.
More dangerous.
The boy felt it instantly—
*This one… is different.*
Draven's gaze didn't change.
"…You should just stay aside."
Flat.
Uninterested.
The man chuckled.
"And miss this?"
He took a step forward.
Mana building around his arm.
"Not a chance."
The air tightened.
Heavy.
Because unlike the others—
This wasn't panic.
This wasn't desperation.
This—
Was someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
And chose to fight anyway.
Draven's eyes didn't shift.
Didn't soften.
Didn't sharpen either.
They just stayed on him—
Flat.
Cold.
"…There's always one."
His voice cut through the noise around them.
Calm.
Dismissive.
"A bastard stupid enough to walk into something he doesn't understand."
The man stepped fully into the dim light now.
Brown hair.
Sharp yellow eyes that gleamed with interest rather than fear.
He didn't look tense.
Didn't look desperate.
If anything—
He looked… curious.
He glanced down briefly at the chains wrapped around Draven's body.
Then back up again.
A small smirk formed.
"…Maybe."
He shrugged lightly.
"But I'd call it something else."
A step forward.
Unhurried.
"Interest."
His gaze locked onto the chains again.
Lingering.
"Out of everyone here…"
A faint tilt of his head.
"…you're the only one still wearing those."
Another step.
Slow.
Measured.
"So I'm wondering…"
His smile widened slightly.
"…is there a reason for that?"
The boy, still a few steps behind Draven, felt his chest tighten.
Because that question—
Was the wrong one to ask.
Draven didn't answer immediately.
His chains shifted slightly as he adjusted his stance.
A faint **clink** echoing between them.
Then—
"…Yeah."
Simple.
Direct.
The man's eyes narrowed just a bit.
Interested.
Draven's head tilted slightly.
"…Because I haven't taken them off."
A pause.
Silence stretched for a fraction of a second—
Then the man laughed.
Low.
Amused.
"…That's it?"
He shook his head slightly.
"You're funny."
But his eyes—
Didn't relax.
Because something about that answer—
Felt wrong.
Draven took a step forward.
Chains dragging.
Closing the distance just a little.
"…If you're done talking."
His voice dropped slightly.
Colder.
"…get lost."
The man didn't.
Didn't even flinch.
Instead—
Mana flared stronger around him.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…I think I'll stay."
A grin.
Challenging.
"Because now I'm even more interested."
The air between them tightened instantly.
Because this time—
Neither of them was walking away.
For a moment—
Neither of them moved.
The noise of the prison faded into the background.
Screams.
Clashes.
Death—
All distant.
Because right here—
Something else had taken hold.
The man's yellow eyes sharpened, locking onto Draven with clear intent now.
Not curiosity anymore.
Recognition.
Instinct.
"…Yeah."
He exhaled slowly.
"I knew it."
Mana surged around him—
Not wild.
Not desperate.
Controlled.
Refined.
"You're not normal."
Draven didn't respond.
Didn't deny it either.
He just stood there—
Chains hanging.
Dragging.
As if they meant nothing.
The man bent slightly at the knees—
Posture shifting.
Ready.
"Let's see what you are then."
And he vanished.
A burst of speed—
Closing the distance instantly—
His fist shot forward, coated in compressed mana, aimed straight for Draven's throat—
But—
Draven moved.
A slight shift.
Minimal.
The strike brushed past his neck instead of crushing it.
And in that same motion—
Draven stepped in.
Close.
Too close.
The man's eyes widened slightly—
*Fast.*
Draven's chained hands came up—
Restricted—
But precise.
He drove his forehead forward—
**CRACK**
Another brutal headbutt.
The man staggered—
But didn't fall.
His body twisted mid-step, forcing distance between them as he slid back across the ground.
He wiped the blood from his nose.
Then smiled.
Wider.
"…Good."
Excitement crept in now.
Real.
"Again."
He launched forward—
Faster this time—
A barrage of strikes followed—
Fists.
Elbows.
Kicks—
Each one reinforced with mana.
Each one aimed to kill.
Draven didn't retreat.
Didn't rush either.
He moved just enough.
Dodging by inches.
Blocking what he had to—
Chains rattling with every motion.
A kick slammed into his side—
**THUD**
His body shifted—
But he didn't break stance.
A punch grazed his cheek—
Another aimed for his chest—
Draven slipped inside again—
Closing distance.
Always closing distance.
The man clicked his tongue—
*He's forcing close combat.*