CHAPTER 99: OUROBOROS: OUR PATH

However deep his despair sank, Adrian was always found by light. The door burst open without warning, and even with the rough sack tied over his head, he could see the glow bleeding through the fabric.

It made him blink rapidly as his cold, swollen eyes struggled to adjust.

"Adrian?"

The voice reached him first. Familiar and steady. It was Silas.

The next second, hands fumbled at his side, tugging the sack off with frantic urgency. Adrian squinted as light filled his vision, and the first thing he saw was Silas’ face panicked and worried, hair messy from running.

"Silas?" His voice cracked, and tears slipped down before he could stop them. "I—"

He didn’t get another word out. Silas pulled him into a tight embrace, arms tightening as if he feared Adrian might disappear again.

The usually grounded boy was trembling so hard it made Adrian’s breath hitch. Warm drops soaked into his shirt, sliding down his collar.

"Shhh, it’s okay," Silas whispered with a shaking voice, one hand rubbing his back in slow, desperate circles. "You don’t have to explain anything anymore."

Adrian sagged into him, letting his forehead rest on Silas’ shoulder. The warmth, the smell of dust and blood, and something familiar, washed over him like safety finally returned.

He wasn’t alone anymore. Not in that darkness.

---

"Ouch, that hurts," Adrian muttered later, flinching as Silas dabbed the cut at the corner of his mouth with cotton soaked in antiseptic.

They were alone in the empty infirmary. No staff bothered to come this late, so Silas took over with all the determination of someone who’d fight death itself if needed.

"That bastard Marcus," Silas grumbled, jaw tense as he pressed the cotton with a bit too much force. "If I see him again, I swear I’m punching him straight in the teeth."

"There’s no need," Adrian said, clenching his fists. "I’ll beat him in the match. And I’ll embarrass him even more. He’s nothing without his little group anyway."

Silas paused, tossed the used cotton aside, and focused on cleaning the scrapes on Adrian’s knees.

The skin was rubbed raw and bleeding, and there were bruises blooming everywhere, dark and ugly. Silas frowned at each one as if memorizing them for vengeance.

Adrian knew why he’d been targeted. Being smaller than the others made him easy prey. Which only strengthened his personal mission: he would grow taller. Taller than all of them. He would make sure of it.

"Adrian..." Silas’ voice changed, softer and oddly hesitant. His hands slowed as he fidgeted with a fresh bandage.

"I’ve been thinking about your decision. About forgetting Lucien. And... I think I’m okay with it."

Adrian looked up, startled.

"In the future, you’ll be an adult," Silas continued. "It’s your life, so you should choose your own path. Even if I’m not part of that path, I’ll accept it. I just want you to take care of yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Adrian frowned. "I-I’ve been thinking about it... I was terrified when I started to forget his face and his voice."

He drew in a breath as something hot tightened in his chest. "Maybe Lucas has a reason for not searching for us. I want to try to understand that."

Silas’ eyes widened. "So... you’ll continue our plan?"

Adrian shook his head. "Lucero has already taken care of us for two years. I don’t want to burden them more than this."

He grabbed Silas’ arms, strength returning to his gaze. "Let’s choose a path where we can meet Lucien again. But when that time comes, we’ll be our own people. We’ll be strong. And Lucien will be proud of us."

Silas’ whole face lit up. "Yes. Let’s make him stare at us in awe. Let’s be rich enough to take his hand in marriage, and all three of us will get married."

"You’re right. That’s a good plan," Adrian said, nodding firmly. "Let’s buy that island and have as many children as we want."

Both of them burst out laughing, the ridiculousness almost dizzying after such a dark night.

Adrian winced when his lip hurt, but that only made Silas laugh harder. The room slowly filled with warmth, and somewhere between their laughter and the lingering pain, the despair they carried softened into something brighter. Something hopeful.

***

The match was held the next day. Silas stood on the sidelines, refusing to compete because he didn’t want to risk being pitted against Adrian.

That trust sat warm in Adrian’s chest, but he didn’t have the luxury of savoring it. Not now. Not with his fifth and final opponent standing in front of him.

Marcus.

The boy grinned as if he had already won. That cocky smirk made Adrian’s jaw tick. He wanted nothing more than to rearrange Marcus’s face until he didn’t recognize himself in the mirror.

"You ready, Cross?" Marcus taunted, flipping his dagger to show off his skill.

"Anytime, loser," Adrian shot back.

The instructor raised the whistle. One sharp blow and the match began.

Marcus charged first, slashing downward in a vicious arc meant to split Adrian’s arm open. Adrian pivoted aside, feeling the blade slice air near his cheek.

He retaliated with a quick jab toward Marcus’s ribs, forcing the older boy to jump back. Metal sparked when Marcus countered with a sideways cut, their daggers clashing in a sharp ring that vibrated up Adrian’s wrist.

"Hah, you’re finally able to fight back, huh?" Marcus said, sweat started to tickle his temple.

"Shut up."

Adrian ducked low, trying to slip under the boy’s guard, but Marcus kicked him in the thigh, sending pain shooting up his leg.

Adrian stumbled, and Marcus seized the opening as his blade swung in a tight angle aimed at Adrian’s neck.

Adrian barely blocked in time, the impact jarring his shoulder. And then Marcus did what cowards always did: he cheated. He kicked Adrian’s knee out and grabbed his collar, slamming him down into the dirt.

The dagger flew from Adrian’s hand.

Marcus straddled him, knife raised. "Game over, Cross."

Wrong.

Adrian’s hand shot up, gripping Marcus’s wrist hard enough to numb his fingers. With a sharp twist, the knife dropped from Marcus’s hand and clattered beside them.

Adrian bucked upward, flipping them over in one movement making the situation flip, now he was on top.

Marcus’s eyes went wide.

Adrian grabbed him by the front of his shirt and smashed his fist into Marcus’s cheek over and over again.

"This is for the time you tripped me and embarrassed me in front of everyone!"

"This is for the time you bullied Silas to terrorize me!"

"This is for kidnapping me and gagging me like a coward!"

Tine trainees nodded in approval as Marcus’s head snapped back with each hit, blood spraying from his split lip.

"You like picking on people weaker than you?! Now, you pay the price!" Adrian shouted as he pinned Marcus’s arms with his knees.

"Fuck you, Cross!"

Marcus tried to twist free, but Adrian punched him again, knuckles cracking against bone.

The fight was no longer elegant. No technique. Just raw fury, pain, and a year’s worth of swallowed humiliation erupting at once.

Marcus’s struggles weakened. His breathing hitched.

Adrian raised his fist for another strike but the instructor’s whistle cut through the air.

"Enough! Winner: Adrian Cross!"

Adrian stayed there for a heartbeat, chest heaving, fists trembling. Only when Marcus went limp beneath him did he finally push himself up, wiping the blood from his knuckles with a slow, controlled swipe.

He didn’t smile.

He didn’t need to.

Everyone saw who the real monster on that field was and who they should never underestimate again.