Chapter 9: The Worst Prison Break Ever
Kai stared at the ceiling.
The ceiling stared back.
It had been several hours.
Possibly longer.
Prison was surprisingly boring.
No interrogations.
No torture.
No dramatic speeches.
Just walls.
Bars.
Night eventually fell.
The prison grew quieter.
Most guards had settled into predictable patrol patterns.
Kai sat in the corner of his cell.
Watching.
Waiting.
Thinking.
Not because he was planning an escape.
At least not initially.
He was simply observing.
Then an opportunity presented itself.
A lone guard approached.
Yawning.
Looking exhausted.
A ring of keys hung from his belt.
The guard stopped outside Kai's cell.
Stretched.
Then leaned against the wall.
Kai's eyes drifted toward the keys.
An idea formed.
A terrible idea.
The kind of idea that usually got people killed.
Unfortunately, it was still better than staying in prison.
Kai slowly lay down.
Closed his eyes.
And pretended to sleep.
Several minutes passed.
The guard glanced inside.
Then shrugged.
Nothing unusual.
Just another prisoner sleeping.
The guard relaxed.
Exactly what Kai wanted.
The moment the man's attention drifted elsewhere—
Kai moved.
Fast.
The cell bars became leverage.
His hand shot through the gap.
Grabbed the guard's shirt.
Pulled.
The man's eyes widened.
Too late.
His face collided with the bars.
A dull clang echoed through the corridor.
The guard collapsed instantly.
Silence.
Kai stared.
"...that worked?"
He honestly hadn't expected it to.
Moments later Kai unlocked the cell.
Dragged the unconscious guard inside.
And quickly stole his uniform.
The clothes didn't fit perfectly.
But they were close enough.
Kai adjusted the helmet.
Looked at the unconscious man.
Then looked at himself.
"Good enough."
The guard remained unconscious.
Kai considered apologizing.
Then decided against it.
Time was limited.
The prison corridors stretched endlessly.
Torchlight illuminated stone walls.
Dozens of intersections branched off in every direction.
Kai immediately realized something important.
He had absolutely no idea where Andre was.
"Great."
The prison break had already reached the disaster phase.
For the next twenty minutes, Kai wandered through hallways pretending to know what he was doing.
Whenever he encountered another guard, he nodded confidently.
The guards nodded back.
Apparently confidence was an effective disguise.
Who knew?
Several close calls nearly exposed him.
One guard attempted small talk.
Kai pretended not to hear him.
Another asked where he was assigned.
Kai pointed in a random direction.
The guard somehow accepted that answer.
It was astonishing.
And slightly concerning.
Eventually Kai reached a stairwell.
Curiosity got the better of him.
He climbed.
The stairs continued upward.
And upward.
And upward.
Until finally he emerged outside.
Kai froze.
For several moments he simply stared.
The prison had been built directly into the side of the mountain.
Far below stretched the entirety of Yggdrasil.
Thousands of lights illuminated the night.
Massive bridges connected sections of the city.
Stone walls rose along the mountainside.
Markets.
Homes.
Towers.
Temples.
Everything visible beneath the stars.
The sight stole his breath away.
Back in the village, Yggdrasil looked impressive.
From here, it looked impossible.
As though someone had challenged a mountain and somehow won.
Kai stepped closer to the edge.
The cool wind brushed against his face.
For a brief moment he forgot about prison.
Forgot about monsters.
Forgot about missing memories.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
Dreaming.
Wondering.
Who built this place?
How many people lived here?
How many stories existed beneath those lights?
The answer was interrupted by a voice.
"You lost?"
Kai nearly jumped off the mountain.
A guard stood nearby.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Kai immediately straightened.
"Just checking security."
The guard frowned.
"What security?"
Kai pointed toward the horizon.
"The mountain."
The guard blinked.
"...what?"
Kai pointed harder.
"The mountain."
The guard stared.
Kai stared.
Several uncomfortable seconds passed.
Then the guard slowly walked away.
Confused.
Kai exhaled.
That was way too close.
Eventually he found records.
Storage rooms.
Guard schedules.
A lot of things.
Most importantly—
A map.
Kai studied it.
Then smiled.
Cell Block C.
Andre.
Found you.
Unfortunately, reaching Cell Block C proved far more difficult than finding it.
Several wrong turns later, Kai finally reached the correct corridor.
The shouting confirmed it.
"IF YOU OPEN THIS CELL I'LL ONLY COMMIT SMALL CRIMES!"
Kai sighed.
Definitely Andre.
The giant man sat inside his cell.
Andre noticed him immediately.
"Finally."
Kai stopped.
"Finally?"
"What took you so long?"
Kai stared.
"You're welcome."
Andre grinned.
Kai unlocked the cell.
The door creaked open.
Andre stepped out.
Then immediately punched Kai in the stomach.
Hard.
Kai doubled over.
"What was that for?!"
"Took too long."
Kai seriously considered locking him back inside.
The two began moving through the prison.
Quietly.
As quietly as Andre was capable of being.
Which wasn't very.
Several guards eventually noticed.
Shouting erupted.
Then alarms.
Then chaos.
The prison break entered its final stage.
Disaster.
Guards poured into the corridors.
Spears.
Swords.
Crossbows.
Far more than Kai expected.
Andre cracked his knuckles.
A smile spread across his face.
"Oh thank god."
"What?"
"I was getting bored."
Before Kai could respond, Andre charged.
The first guard disappeared.
Not metaphorically.
Physically.
He got launched through a door.
The others quickly followed.
Kai joined the fight.
The guards were trained.
Disciplined.
Armed.
Unfortunately, Kai and Andre were significantly stronger.
Several minutes later the corridor resembled a battlefield.
Unconscious guards lay everywhere.
Broken weapons covered the floor.
Kai leaned against a wall.
Breathing heavily.
Andre looked completely fine.
Naturally.
Then Andre grabbed a guard.
Walked toward a window.
And threw him out.
Kai froze.
The guard vanished over the edge.
Into the darkness below.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Andre shrugged.
"Tying up loose ends."
Kai stared.
"That's not what that means."
"It does now."
"Andre!"
The larger man looked genuinely confused.
"What?"
Kai suddenly understood why Akshay kept arresting him.
The alarms continued ringing.
More guards would arrive soon.
Kai rubbed his temples.
One problem at a time.
"Where do we go?"
Andre grinned.
"Follow me."
"That's a terrible answer."
"It's the only one I've got."
Without further explanation, Andre sprinted toward the city.
Kai sighed.
Then followed.
Because somehow, despite all evidence suggesting otherwise—
Andre actually seemed to know where he was going.
And deep within Yggdrasil, their next ally was already waiting.
A man named Zindine.