CHAPTER 98: BECOMING A SLAVE?

The giant’s hand clamped onto Rin’s shoulder like a vice, heavy and unyielding, as if forged from iron itself. Rin’s breath hitched, his heart slamming against his ribs so hard he thought it might burst. He’d been running for hours, his lungs burning from the cold night air, his legs scratched and bleeding from the forest’s thorns. But this man’s presence... this towering wall of muscle and menace... stole what little air he had left.

Rin’s first instinct was to thrash, to twist free and bolt again, but the moment he shifted, the man’s fingers dug deeper into his collarbone, sending a sharp jolt of pain through him. He froze, his body tense, his mind racing.

Another voice cut through the darkness, gravelly and sharp.

"What did you catch?"

Rin stiffened, his pulse spiking as footsteps crunched closer. From the shadows emerged another man, his figure leaner but no less threatening. His clothes were rough... patched leather and a tattered cloak that hung unevenly over his shoulders. No polished armour, no crests of nobility. These weren’t the Duke’s knights.

Their belts rattled with crude weapons... daggers, a short sword, a club studded with iron... and their faces were marred with scars, some fresh, others faded into pale lines. Mercenaries. Or worse, slave traders.

The giant holding Rin shifted him forward, like a hunter displaying a prized catch. "An omega," he rumbled, his voice deep and coarse. "Tried to bolt."

The second man’s eyes narrowed, his gaze raking over Rin from head to toe. For a few long, agonising seconds, Rin’s stomach twisted. He could feel the man’s scrutiny, like a blade scraping his skin. His silver hair, his pale complexion, his delicate features... they marked him as different, too different. An omega, sure, but not like the others. He wasn’t just some helpless runaway. If they figured out what he really was, an omega who ran away from noble shackles, he was done for. They wouldn’t take him.

He forced himself to slump, letting his shoulders sag, his head bow slightly, playing the part of the broken prisoner. Look weak, he told himself. Look helpless. But the man’s brow furrowed, his eyes lingering on Rin’s hair, catching the faint shimmer even in the dim moonlight. Rin’s heart pounded harder. He coughed weakly, hoping to distract him, to sell the act.

The second man tilted his head, studying Rin for a moment longer, then flicked his wrist dismissively.

"Throw him with the others," he said, his voice bored. "We’ll sort it out later."

Rin’s breath caught, relief flooding him even as the giant shoved him forward. He stumbled, his knee scraping the dirt, biting back a yelp as pain flared. The ropes around his wrists burned, cutting into his skin, but he kept his mouth shut. Begging wouldn’t help—not now. And as bad as this was, it was better than being dragged back to Evan Vortellion’s carriage, chained to the Duke’s twisted plans. A mercenary camp, a slaver’s cage—anything was better than that.

They marched him through the forest, the giant’s hand never leaving his shoulder, guiding him toward a clearing where a heavy carriage waited. Its iron bars groaned as the door was yanked open, the sound harsh and final.

The stench hit Rin instantly—sweat, fear, and something sour, like unwashed bodies packed too close for too long. He was shoved inside, the door slamming shut behind him with a clang that echoed in his ears.

Inside, the air was thick, suffocating. Omegas huddled together on the rough wooden floor, their ankles chained to iron rings bolted into the walls. Some were asleep, their bodies curled tightly, like animals trying to disappear. Others stared at him with hollow eyes, their faces pale and gaunt from hunger.

A few sobbed quietly, their voices so faint they seemed to dissolve into the creaking wood. The sight made Rin’s chest tighten, a dull ache spreading through him. He’d seen suffering before—too much of it—but this was different. These people were like him, omegas discarded by a world that saw them as less than human.

He sank into a corner, the cold boards biting into his bare legs. For a while, he just sat there, trying to steady his breathing, trying to ignore the weight of their stares. His leg, healed by the system’s demonic trait, throbbed faintly, but the pain was nothing compared to the fear gnawing at his insides. He needed to think, to plan, but his mind was a storm of panic and exhaustion.

A small tug at his sleeve broke his thoughts.

He looked down. A boy, no older than fourteen, stared up at him, his cheeks streaked with dried tears. His wrists were chafed red from the chains, his dark hair matted against his forehead. "Do... do you have food?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, trembling with hope and fear.

Rin blinked, caught off guard. "Food?"

The boy nodded, his eyes darting nervously to the others, as if afraid they’d overhear.

"They don’t feed us. Not enough. Just scraps." His lips quivered, and he added, "My parents... they sold me. The second they found out I was an omega. Same with my sisters. Same with my brother. I don’t know where they are now."

Rin’s breath caught, his stomach twisting. He wasn’t shocked—not really. He’d seen how the world treated omegas, how families turned on their own the moment the truth came out. But hearing it from this kid, so young and broken, made bile rise in his throat. Nobles, commoners—it didn’t matter. To them, omegas were tools, property, nothing more.

"Damn it," Rin muttered under his breath, his voice rough with anger.

He hesitated for only a moment before slipping his hand behind his back, where the system’s inventory flickered in his mind. The boy’s eyes widened in confusion as Rin pulled out a strip of dried meat, small but thick, stolen from the Duke’s kitchen before his escape. Back then, it had been a reckless whim... grabbing food to pair with his ramen stash. Now, it was a ’saviour’.

He shoved the meat into the boy’s hands, keeping his voice low. "Eat. Quietly."