Chapter 46: Malkor
While Adam continued his relentless advance deeper into the Spider Syndicate’s hidden base, Lucas and Alina cautiously followed behind, staying near the rows of prison cells lining the corridor.
As Adam moved further away, the heavy iron cell doors continued to warp and crumple inwards one after another, ripped open by his unseen power.
Alina and Lucas watched in amazement for a moment as the doors were forced open. Then, they quickly sprang into action. "Come on! Quickly!" Lucas urged the frightened prisoners peering out from the now-open doorways. "Get out! Follow the corridor back the way we came! It leads outside!"
Hesitantly at first, then with growing urgency, the prisoners began to stumble out of their dark, filthy cells.
There were people of all ages – old men with haunted eyes, young women clutching ragged children, merchants in torn finery, rough-looking men who might have been rivals captured by the Syndicate. They were all thin, weak, and terrified, blinking in the dim torchlight of the corridor.
As they emerged from the cells, something strange began to happen. A faint, soft green light started to glow around each of the prisoners. It shimmered gently, washing over their bodies.
Small cuts and bruises began to fade away. Looks of exhaustion were replaced by returning strength. Those who were limping found their injuries easing. It was a gentle, restorative energy, healing their minor wounds and revitalizing their tired bodies.
Lucas noticed the green glow surrounding the escaping prisoners. He looked closer, puzzled. He turned to Alina, who was busy helping an elderly woman out of a cell.
"Alina," he called out, gesturing towards a group of prisoners whose scrapes were visibly healing under the green light. "Did you see that? They’re being healed! Was that the Third Prince too? Is he doing this?"
Alina paused in her efforts, glancing briefly at the green energy. She didn’t know for sure if it was Adam’s doing, but given the other impossible things she had seen him do, it seemed likely.
However, she still felt deeply uneasy around Lucas, the son of the man who had ordered her family captured and likely killed. She didn’t feel like explaining anything to him. She simply turned her head away without answering, focusing instead on urging more prisoners towards the exit ramp. "Just help them get out," she said curtly.