"Good. Starting from today, you are my temporary disciple." Draven declared.
"Yes, Master!" Oscar bowed in respect to his new master.
Oscar's manners and etiquette as a student pleased Draven, who regarded those factors highly. He took Oscar's pickaxe and went toward the wall. "First, I'll teach you to mine this place properly."
"Master?" Oscar was confused. He thought his master would teach him some techniques or fighting styles. Instead, he was supposed to learn how to mine. How was this supposed to help him?
"No questions. Watch closely." Draven disregarded his new disciple's skepticism and breathed in.
Oscar waited, but the Warden stayed motionless. His wait lasted short as he saw Draven twitch slightly. The next moment, the pickaxe was swung with tremendous force and shattered a large portion of the tunnel, creating much headway.
Oscar nearly fell from the tremors with a shocked expression.
"Did you see?" Draven put the pickaxe down in front of the stunned Oscar.
"Master….what did you do?" Oscar asked in wonder.
"What did you see?" Draven repeated his question, putting his two fingers before Oscar's eyes, almost poking into them.
"Master?" Oscar trembled in fear.
"If you could not see anything, then those eyes are useless. I will take them out to rid my disciple of his problems."
He had suspicions about Draven's mental state, but this action solidified his belief. His master was crazy. Oscar desperately wished to run, but there was nowhere to hide from him, and he agreed to this training.
This Warden was a madman, just like the prisoners he watched.
"What….did….you….see?" Draven paused between each word in a more threatening tone.
Not wasting a single moment, Oscar spat out, "I saw you take a deep breath, ready yourself, and put all your power into one strike." The terrified and flustered Oscar was relieved of the pressure when Draven withdrew his hand. Oscar let out a sigh of relief.
His short respite was cut off when a fierce chop to his head made him yelp out in pain. It was Draven who struck him.
"That's obvious. I was asking if you saw what I did in each step."
"I don't know, Master." Oscar rubbed his aching head tenderly.
"Good!" Draven gave him a thumbs up. "If you could see, then there would be no need for me to teach you."
Oscar was aggrieved at Draven's bizarre words. No one would expect the answer to be 'I don't know', and no one would give that as an answer. This Warden, Draven, was truly insane and eccentric. Oscar believed all the years in this deep prison had addled Draven's brain.
"Did you just insult me?"
This question pierced straight into Oscar's heart, chilling it to ice. He only had a thought for a moment, but this Warden somehow knew.
"You wear too much of your thoughts on your face, eyes, and breath. I have much work to do on you before the end of your sentence." Draven sighed dramatically with his hand over his heart.
Oscar prostrated himself to Draven, attempting to appease the Warden's irked mood.
This display of respect pleased Draven as he paced around Oscar's kneeling body. This pacing continued for several cycles until he finally stopped near the exit. "You must do something first before I can begin teaching you."
"What must I do, Master?" Oscar was ready to do anything if it meant getting stronger.
"Simple! Beat up that prisoner John in your cell."
"Huh?" Oscar made a funny expression like an idiot.
"Defeat John. That is my requirement." Draven reiterated his order.
Oscar's heart sank, cursing at Draven's test. He had to find a way to defeat John or lose this opportunity. He slammed his fist to the ground to clear his head of all doubt and fear.
"I will do as you say." His clear, obsidian eyes resolutely stared at Draven, who was impressed by the youth's daringness.
"That is all. I shall leave. Once you've beaten John, I will take you to my quarters."
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To Oscar's astonishment, Draven sank through the floor until he disappeared completely. The bedrock did not have a hole and was undamaged. It was as if the warden was a ghost, slipping through as he pleased.
Oscar pinched himself to make sure it wasn't a dream. The entire time since he arrived here had been a nightmare. Draven was helping him for personal reasons, but it was still heartening to know someone was looking out for him.
The mood died down. Oscar tapped his fingers nervously. The task of defeating John was discouraging. John was tall, muscular, and powerful. In this place where Ein was sealed, John's physique made him a king. Compared to that belligerent hulk, the scrawny Oscar had little chance of victory.
"Get back to work!" The sentinel scolded Oscar after noticing no noise coming out from the tunnel.
Oscar hastily picked up his pickaxe and started to dig. His arms were quaking each time he lifted the pickaxe. After hours, he was finally liberated from his plight when the bell rang for the end of the shift.
The tired and dirt-covered Oscar limply dragged his pickaxe and bag as he walked out of the tunnel. In the end, he could only find that one ataerstone from earlier. He handed his bag to the sentinel and moved to the stairway. His dispirited expression fell even more at the long, winding stairs reaching the top.
It took an agonizing effort and time to get back to the top. Oscar saw his legs visibly trembling from the arduous climb. After the long climb up, he was led back to the main cell block, where all the other prisoners were idle in their cells.
Oscar was the last prisoner to return by a large margin of time. In cell number 19, he saw the other four cellmates were already sleeping.
There was Boris, the creepy elder with no teeth. He was wily with his deceitful tongue; Gritz, a middle-aged man with scars over his face. He did not talk like the other three and preferred to pass his time by clicking his tongue; Serge, the man shorter than Oscar. Despite his underwhelming height, Serge had a very bulky build, making him look like a steel ball; And there was John, Oscar's target. They were like a pack of wolves that made Oscar feel dread.
Oscar tucked himself in his little corner. He wanted to take a seat but did not wish to fight in his current condition. The time was ticking for him to start the Warden's training. It would be pointless if he wasted all his time on fruitless efforts.
Oscar looked around more before staring upward. It should be late into the night, based on Oscar's estimates. Off to the side, he saw scraps of rations, most likely from the night distribution he had missed due to his lateness.
He relaxed and fell into a deep sleep. He reflected on how hectic this day had been, from getting his graded armament to the trials to this prison. 'At least sleep is still allowed here.'
…….
In a private room in the training area of the Outer Hall, two students clashed and collided with each other. They were Emily and Frederick, exchanging blow for blow. Their powers as Middle Apprentice Exalts were fierce, making the air ripple from their Ein.
The mix of green and orange Eins did not damage the floor or the walls because the training rooms could withstand such power.
"Break." Frederick was exhausted. He had just become a Middle Apprentice Exalt, so he was disadvantaged against Emily.
"It's good that you're working hard. But there's no point in overdoing it." Emily remarked that he was fighting too fiercely during their spars, draining his stamina and ein quickly.
"I have a month until Austin comes out. I need to get as far ahead of him as I can. Once he's out of the picture, I'll deal with Samuel." Frederick said seriously.
"Hey, that tiger bastard is mine." Emily spoke rebukingly to Frederick. She did not want her target to be taken away.
"It'll be whoever gets to him first."
Emily redid her ponytail; the orange hair reached down to her shoulders. It was shorter than before because she had cut it earlier to relieve some frustration.
Emily resolved to make the people involved in this farce of a trial pay, whether it was the Great Elder Robert or the mysterious person who requested Oscar's incarceration. She would make them apologize. Her first target was Samuel.
Frederick shut his mouth upon Emily's stern gaze. It was hard to talk with this woman without Oscar to mediate. Frederick became unenthusiastic, remembering Oscar's plight. His best friend was locked away in that horrible prison. "I wonder how Os is doing…."
"It's only a week. Have faith in him. He survived those grievous wounds; he's surprisingly stubborn despite his relaxed look."
Frederick understood Emily's words. He had noticed those qualities in Oscar from the first time he saw him during the enrollment trial.
"You're right. Let's get back to training. It'd be embarrassing to waste a week while Oscar's in prison." Frederick jumped to the middle of the room and egged Emily on for a battle.
"Someone is being disrespectful right now." Veins popped on Emily's face from Frederick's bold goading. She bolted toward Frederick with a vicious smile.
…….
The loud ringing of a bell awoke Oscar. His body felt lighter than yesterday, but the hunger was worse. The wounds had closed up, and his sore muscles recovered. Although he couldn't use his Ein, his body was still an Exalt's body with good basic recovery capabilities.
The other prisoners finally awoke with lazy expressions. All of them glanced up at the opening in the ceiling, waiting for something. Oscar knew what they were waiting for.
Rations fell through the hole, piling in the middle, signaling the start of the brawl. The crucial moment had come. Oscar also scrambled for the rations for the sake of any tiny portion.
The other prisoners noticed the newcomer's bold approach and swung their fists toward him. To their confusion, Oscar diverged from his straight course and went around, avoiding confrontation. His destination was plain to see. Serge and Gritz were shocked as Oscar got behind John and swung his chain-ridden hands to the hulk's back.
"URK." John groaned in pain from Oscar's unexpected attack. He was so focused on the rations and thought so little of the beaten boy that he neglected to pay attention.
Taking advantage of the moment, Oscar dove past him to the rations. He tore open one of the rations and brought a whole handful to his mouth, swallowing it instantly without chewing.
"You bastard!" John brought his mighty arms to Oscar's exposed back, slamming his chest and face to the floor.
Gritting his teeth, Oscar took another handful and shoved it in his mouth. This act infuriated John more, and he started beating him more.
"Spit it out!" He kicked Oscar's stomach, but Oscar clenched his mouth shut with his hands to stop anything from spilling out.
John howled in anger.
Oscar rolled away to the cell bars under the dazed eyes of the other prisoners. Boris laughed like a maniac at the comedy that occurred.
Someone finally got the better of John and made him lose out. The other prisoners had already gotten their portions and ate them without reserve.
John looked down at his hand. He was only able to grab half of his rations. The other prisoners took some of his while he was distracted by Oscar. His face contorted and twisted in rage, the veins popping on his brow. He saw the boy, Oscar, catching his breath near the cell entrance.
With heavy steps, John moved toward Oscar. He will not let this boy be cocky. He will teach him a lesson and beat him to an inch of his life.