CHAPTER 28: REUNITED AND PUNISHMENT

Sylas was on guard. He saw the face appear.

His eyes widened instantly.

That slave...

"Kai?"

Kai peeked cautiously from behind the tree, overjoyed to finally find the man after being lost for so long. He had wandered aimlessly, hoping to find a water source.

And near the lake, he saw a human figure. To his surprise, it was his master.

He was relieved but too afraid to approach. Alvaro had already driven him away. He was sure Sylas didn’t want him near either. So he just peeked out from behind the tree for a moment.

But the man recognized him and called out to him.

Kai felt his heart beating irregularly.

"Kai, is that you?" Sylas asked, standing not far from him.

Kai stepped out of his hiding place and stood there like a puppy looking at its mother.

Sylas asked the slave to come closer, as he was too weak to walk. Kai, of course, happily walked toward him.

When he reached Sylas, Kai knelt down. "Master..."

Sylas looked at the slave for a moment. "How did you end up here? Where have you been? Did you get lost?"

He assumed Kai had been lost in the forest this whole time. "Are you hungry?" Sylas asked again when Kai didn’t answer. He was sure the slave must be starving; how many days had he been out there?

Kai looked at Sylas, who was pale as a ghost. He was worried his master might die there. He quickly stood up and limped toward the lake.

Sylas didn’t understand what Kai was trying to do, but then he realized. The slave returned with a leaf funnel filled with water. His pants were wet.

Sylas hadn’t expected the slave to give him water. He had been there all day and hadn’t thought about drinking. He took the water and drank it.

"Thank you, Kai."

The slave didn’t answer. He pulled some leaves from his pants pocket and gave them to Sylas.

Sylas looked confused.

Kai gestured for him to eat them. At Omino, he had learned which forest plants were edible. Several times, they had to eat them while serving punishment without food. He had found several types of edible plants in the forest and saved some just in case.

And now, he gave his food supply to Sylas.

Sylas looked at Kai’s dirty hands holding out the leaves. He had never eaten raw leaves before. But it didn’t seem like they would kill him.

Kai fell silent, watching Sylas stare at his hands. Then he realized the man must be disgusted by the dirt. He held the leaves in one hand and wiped his hands on his pants. Then he switched hands.

Sylas gently took the leaves from the slave’s hand, who now looked panicked.

"Can I eat them?" Sylas asked.

Kai looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

Sylas expected a bitter or sour taste. But when he chewed, it wasn’t bad. The leaves had high water content, refreshing on his tongue. And they weren’t bitter.

When he finished eating, his stomach felt better.

Sylas smiled at Kai. "Thank you, Kai. I didn’t know I could eat that kind of leaf."

***

Meanwhile, at Vlad’s house.

Obi kneeled in Vlad’s room, trembling. His hands were clasped together. He bowed his head in fear.

John stood beside him, feeling the tension.

"Kai disappeared from the market?" Vlad asked, repeating Obi’s words.

Obi nodded, swallowing hard.

"Obi... Come here," Vlad said, gesturing for the servant to sit on his lap.

Obi immediately felt a knot in his stomach. Panic, anxiety. His head spun. But he moved slowly toward Vlad.

The man sat on the edge of the bed, quickly pulling Obi onto his lap. He could feel Obi’s racing heartbeat.

Obi held his breath, feeling Vlad’s cold breath on his face. Vlad’s slender hands with long nails traced his face. He tensed up.

"You know I don’t like being lied to," Vlad said softly. "How many times have you caused Gim trouble and confusion by stealing food?" he asked gently.

Obi panicked immediately. He couldn’t breathe. Did the man know he stole food?

John hadn’t expected to hear that. But he panicked, thinking about what might happen.

"M-Master... Forgive me, I didn’t mean to steal. P-please, can I pay with my salary?" Obi asked quickly. He didn’t want to lose his hand like Hein or die like the previous slave.

Vlad smiled at Obi’s fear. "If I wanted to punish you, I would’ve done it from the start. Do you know how much I’ve tolerated your mischief?"

Obi bowed his head, terrified.

"And now you’re lying to me. Where is that slave?" Vlad asked, gripping Obi’s arms.

Obi closed his eyes, afraid the man would tear his arm off like Hein’s. He was so scared that he cried before answering.

"Obi..."

Obi sobbed. "Euh... K-Kai—"

Before he could finish, Grace suddenly entered Vlad’s room and rushed in, panicked. Seeing her son’s position, she immediately looked at Vlad, then knelt down.

"Master... Please forgive him. He’s foolish, but he’s not a bad child, Master... Please let me take his place, punish me instead," Grace pleaded. It seemed she had cried before coming in; her eyes were swollen. And now, tears were flowing again.

"I’ve forgiven him over and over because of you, Grace," said Vlad.

Grace begged. "Please let me take his place. I promise he won’t do it again, Master..."

Obi immediately shook his head. "No, don’t do it, Mom..."

"Shut up! What have you done, you naughty child!" Grace snapped angrily, yet pitifully.

"No, he made a mistake, so he must bear the consequences," said Vlad, smirking at Obi, who was still crying.

"Do you want me to slit your stomach, cut off your arms, or hang you from an oak tree?" Vlad asked calmly.

Obi cried even harder. So did Grace.

"Master—" Grace was about to speak, but Vlad silenced her.

"Tell me, where is Kai?" Vlad repeated his question.

Obi took a deep breath, trying to accept the terrible fate awaiting him. "K-Kai found his master. He returned to him," he finally said.

"His master?" Vlad asked.

Obi nodded. Then he screamed in pain as Vlad gripped his arm tightly.

Grace panicked.

"You know his only master is me, Obi. What do you mean he found his master again? And you let him go?"

Obi nodded fearfully, his body tense.

Vlad took a deep breath. "Where are they now?"

Obi answered immediately. "In the Dark Forest."

Vlad furrowed his brow. Why were they in the Dark Forest?

Vlad lowered Obi, then stood up. "I’ll decide your punishment when I return."

Obi was startled when Vlad let his body fall to the floor. Before he could look up, the man had vanished.

He sat there trembling. But before he could recover, Grace pulled him until he fell face down.

Obi was startled when his mother hit his butt hard and scolded him. "M-Mom..."

"What are you doing, you naughty child! How many times have I told you not to cause trouble?! Have you ever listened to me?!" she yelled, her hands never stopping as they struck Obi’s behind.

Obi gave up, wincing in pain every time her large hands landed on his sore butt. He knew Vlad’s punishment would be worse. But still, the burning pain was real...

"Mom, it hurts!!"

"You can still say it hurts. But if you lose your tongue, will you still be able to talk?! Don’t you ever think ahead? You’re really—"

John tried to stop Grace.

"John, he won’t die just because I spanked him. But he will die if Master returns! This child..." Grace cried afterwards.

Obi cried too. "Will I die?"

"It’d be better if you died quickly. What if Master decides to torture you?" Grace replied, terrifying Obi even more.

It seemed the child wouldn’t calm down until Vlad returned.

***

Vlad relied on his sense of smell to find Kai. In the vast Dark Forest, it took time to search every place. But his movements were like wind. And he wouldn’t lose his delicious little slave.

He wasn’t sure if Kai was still in the forest or had gone to the next village. But he could smell Kai getting closer as he moved deeper into the forest.

"How dare you leave me, little slave," Vlad muttered, certain he was heading in the right direction.