I wake up stiff, in pain, and it’s dark. What the hell happened, where am I, why is there blood, and why am I so god damned itchy? Oh, right, I was whipped and poisoned by my best friend, but where am I? After looking around I conclude I’m in the alley beside where I was whipped, I can only assume I was dragged here so I’d be out of the way, but why didn’t Lan try to drag me back or at least wake me up. He was next to me right before I ran towards Axel. I hope he didn’t get punished too and that’s why he didn’t help me. I’ll just have to find out later, need to head back, this itch is getting worse the longer I sit here.

I get up and almost fall back down due to the wound reopening on my back, but I able to force myself to keep standing and start heading south, back to the Zero work zone. As I’m walking back, there is almost no one else on the roads so it must be late. This leaves my mind to wander, and I keep coming back to the events of today. Axel whipped me, ME! He was my last hope of leaving this life, no, you can’t call what I have been doing a life, existence that’s better, he was my last hope. I’m trapped, I will be a Zero, a slave for the rest of my existence, and there is nothing I can do about it. Thinking about it, my parents and the other Royals would probably have me killed for being a Zero, even if I was able to get anyone to believe I was once Rinox Firestorm.

If I want to live, I will have to forget the life I once had and just embrace this new existence. This doesn’t mean I won’t look for an escape, but I will no longer seek out my old life that only ever leads to pain. My old life is over, and just as Axel said, Rinox Firestorm heir to the Firestorm Family and son of the Emperor is dead. He was murdered and buried by his parents and friend. I will have to be Nox and Nox is a slave. I will try to be better than what I was. I see now I was a cruel, selfish, and all-around ass of a child. I punished people for no reason other than I was bored or some other perceived slight on my person. These last few days have indeed shown me that everything, or at least a lot of it, I was taught and brought up to believe is wrong.

With a new determination and identity, I look up and realize this life-changing thoughts and self-discovery took all of, three blocks of a hours journey back to the zone. You’d think something as groundbreaking as coming to terms with my new existence would at least take me halfway back. As I have this childish and pouty thought, I’m passing by a pleasant looking manor of some Noble house. In the front, fenced, garden of this manor is sitting a beautiful Prism Hare, a light-based monster with fur that changes color depending upon the how the light hits it, with a chain and collar around its neck looking at me.

Without much thought, I call out to it, “Hey little guy are you okay? That chain looks heavy.”

The Prism Hare hops closer and just looks into my eyes with his bright golden eyes. There seems to be a tinge of sadness to them.

“Was it your tamer that chained you up out here?” I ask while reaching my hand out to pet it and not expecting any response to my question.

But then the Hare shakes his head and steps closer so I can pet it.

This surprises me. I have never heard of a monster responding to someone who is not their tamer. So, I ask, “Do you have a tamer?” Just to see if it responds again.

Sure enough, the Hare steps back again and while looking me in the eyes shakes his head again.

It must have been caught either for a testing ceremony monster or as a gift for another Noble family. Prism Hares are quite a rare and powerful light based monster. “If I can remove your collar would you be able to escape?” I ask probably seeing a bit of myself in this poor monster.

This time the Hare hesitates and looks back at the manor then at me before nodding.

So, I get a closer look at the chain and collar. It’s a not a standard chain and collar it’s one infused with Dark mana. I was wondering how they were keeping a Prism Hare captive without a guard, but this makes sense. They are using its elemental weakness every monster has one, Fire to Water to Lightning to Earth to Fire, then there is Light and Dark who are weak to each other, and finally Holy and Demonic who again are weak to each other. So using this Dark chain and collar on a light monster like the Prism Hare will sap its power and make it unable to use even its weakest spells or abilities. Luckily, the collar was only held together with a buckle. So I reach through the fence and unbuckle the collar.

The Hare takes no time at all and hops over the 6-foot iron fence like it didn’t even exist. Once over the fence, the Prism Hare looks at me, sniffs, and shines a soft golden light. I feel a burning on my back again just like when Yars healed me and the pain I have been feeling disappears with the cleansing light. After the light fades, the Hare nods then runs off so fast it was just a rainbow blur heading to the west towards the Western Gate and then probably the Western Forest. With this good deed done and the unexpected reward, I start heading towards the work zone in much better spirit then I was just a few minutes ago.

About an hour later, I got back to the Zero kennel and when I get inside everyone is asleep. I checked the chow hall on the way in and unfortunately it was closed, that’s three days without food other than that piece of bread I ate this morning. This pain, unfortunately, was not cured by the Prism Hare, so I guess it’s another night of starving for me. I lay down on my hay pile and fall asleep with a smile thinking about the Prism Hare I let go and how pissed off that Noble family is going to be in the morning.

The next morning, which wasn’t much longer after I lay down, Nars comes in again and gives us the orders just to keep cleaning the Northeast today and left with as much motivation as he has shown for everything except the whipping he gave me the first day. Much like the day before I rush out the door to the chow hall to grab my tray of “food.” Today’s menu was the green bread, something yellow, and something purple.

This time I know better and don’t eat anything on my way back to the kennels. Sure enough, Bur is standing next to the door.

“Ah, you’re still alive Lan said last he saw you were getting punished by a Royal,” says Bur while looking at my tray. “You still owe me, so I am going to show some kindness and take everything you have but the bread.” As he says that he takes my tray and hands me back the bread.

I’m not stupid, so I only respond with a, “Thank you.” and leave to eat my bread. Which turned out to be the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life, which is saying a lot seeing as I was able to eat things cooked by the best chief’s in our Empire, but that was probably due to the starvation. While eating the bread, I decided to save a little in case I get hungry in the tunnels; this takes more willpower than I have ever needed. So I put the rest of the bread into my pocket and wait for Lan to get back from the chow hall.

Once Lan got back got back and sat down. I sat across from him and asked, “So what happened?”

“Oh, uh, well you ran right at that Royal like some crazy person. After that you shouted at him and then there was that big ass spider. When you started getting whipped I ran for it….” explains Lan with an abashed expression and not looking me in the eyes.

I shivered just thinking of the spider and say, “I don’t blame you.” I nod and leave the supply room. I may not blame him, but he could have come back for me, to at least check if I was alive. So it may be a little vindictive towards my only… I guess friend, but still, I don’t want to work with him, at least for today.

I get to the supply room and grab everything I need to work in the sewer. If I have the choice, I never want to work the surface again. So I make my way to the N

ortheast tunnels and the first side tunnel I go down cleaning everything in sight.

After a few hours and more shit than I care to admit I turn to head back to the kennels when I trip over something.

I look over to see what I tripped over and saw a small Green Slim with a chip in the core, “Oh no, I’m sorry little guy did I do that to your core?” I asked with worry looking around for the chip.

The Slime does this weird jiggle that makes me think of someone shaking their head. Confused I ask, “Your core has been broken for a while now then?”

Again the Slime does another jiggle that was definitely a nod. “Well, all the same, sorry for tripping over you,” I said apologizing to the Slime.

The Slime does his nod jiggle and goes to slime away. That’s when I remember the piece of bread I had, not needing it now that I’m about to go get more food at the chow hall I decide to yell out, “Hey, little guy I know it’s not much but here have some bread.”

It slimes back and does a weirdly cute jiggle kind of like a dance. I took that as a yes and set the bread on the ground. It slides right on top of the bread then stops, I see the bread kind of float into the center of it and start to dissolve.

“Well, I hope it was good. Bye, and I guess I’ll see you around the tunnels,” I wave at it and before I turn to leave the Slime lengthens and kind of waves back at me. I laugh and head back to the kennels to shower then hopefully get some food to eat.