Chapter 204: The war I
Life continued.
Vacuse stitched body parts until his hands bled, healed, only to bleed again. And just like that, one month passed. He kept counting the rising and setting of the sun every day.
It was grueling work, but it also gave him the chance to sort through his conflicting thoughts and think of a way of escaping. Eboncrypt was indeed an Academy, but unlike any Vacuse had ever heard of before.
The Academy was built like a fortress with many towers walled off with enchantments. The tallest tower had a hulking monster perched like a brooding bird, its mouth opening now and then to belch out destructive beams of energy into the distance.
That was the war monster that consumed dreams, created to fight their opponent.
If there were any students in the Academy, Vacuse had not met any. In fact, his only interaction was with the dead, the supervisors, and the slaves. It was limited, but it was what he had to work with.
To make his escape, he needed to bypass all these measures, as well as the Magus guards, not to mention the fact that since they were at war, they were going to be extra vigilant about those who went in or out.
But Vacuse had a plan anyway, and surprisingly it was not one where he needed to do much. Just wait.
And it lay with the slave girl who had taken a liking to him.
Everything about her was too suspicious. First, she was too knowledgeable about the happenings around them. She would even give updates about the war now and then. More so, she was knowledgeable about the Magus and their powers.
What actually made Vacuse more suspicious of her was the fact that she watched him too much. Not only him—some selected slaves scattered around the dead river also received her attention.
And unlike them, Vacuse knew when people watched him with killing intent. He doubted she even knew she was showing it whenever she looked at him or some of the other slaves. It was just an unconscious thing, likely arising from what she was thinking about.
Then, two weeks ago, when she thought Vacuse was asleep, she used her needle to take a sample of his blood. From then on, the intensity of her killing intent increased, so much so that Vacuse nearly snapped.
He held on. He did not know what she was planning or what she wanted, but he had a sliver of hope that he could use it for his own sake.
But since Vacuse was not one to put all his eggs in one basket or depend solely on anyone, he had already begun working on his next plan, one that involved only himself.
And that was his Dragon blood.
His blood had undergone a subtle and slow change since his bond with Rith. That was how he had been able to use some of the inherent abilities of the Dragons.
Right now, the seal had cut off his ability to use his Soulbearer powers. But what about the power in his blood?
Vacuse had been trying to use it, and at the moment, he could only coat a needle in draconic destructive energy. The seal must have been tampering with it somehow.
Vacuse figured he needed something to stimulate his blood even more.
Either way, that was what he had been working on for the past month while he waited.
And surprisingly, the day he waited for finally came.
He was trying to look for a hand that fit his newly assembled body when shouting began. Not from the slaves’ quarters, but out there in the towers.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and froze, looking up in shock.
It took a minute to realize that it was not panic shouting. Instead, it was celebration.
Eboncrypt had won the war.
The walls of the Academy echoed with joyful screams. Even the slaves were affected, and they were promptly given the day off.
The news quickly spread.
The Lord of Eboncrypt was departing to Umbracrypt to personally take their surrender. And with that, victory also tilted to Lord Pale in the fight for the throne against Lord Shroud.
That evening, while Vacuse was trying to stimulate his blood, the slave girl Vacuse had taken to calling the "Smiling Slave" came to sit beside him.
"It’s rare to have free time here. Why aren’t you taking the opportunity to sleep?"
Vacuse shook his head and just shrugged.
She shook her head back at him. "Ah, sometimes I forget how much the dream pod messes with your head. What a shame. I wonder what you were like before."
Just as before, Vacuse shrugged and looked at her blankly. It was a habit he had cultivated. While he did speak once in a while, he preferred to keep his mouth shut and stare blankly.
It seemed to make people think he was stupid or a little mad.
But really, who among the slaves had not run mad?
She smiled again and sighed. "Anyway, I’m here to tell you that the war is over. At least for now."
Vacuse resisted the urge to narrow his eyes. What did she mean by "for now"?
"Let me tell you another story you will likely forget. Do you know why those two are called Lord Pale and Lord Shroud? Well, when Cold Barren began his conquering, they were his two most powerful and most loyal subordinates.
"He could not choose between the two, so he named them both his right-hand men and called them Pale Shroud. They held the same title for centuries, but in time, people began calling one Pale and the other Shroud."
As if on cue, Vacuse shook his head and stared blankly.
She snorted. "Now that Eboncrypt has won the war, things are really going to be difficult for Shroud. But not too bad as to change the whole dynamics."
Then she smiled at him and said casually, "Do you remember when I told you to start giving me half of your food? Well, it’s tonight..."