Chapter 16: Chapter 15 - A Tricky Interrogation

“Thanks, Morin, though you didn’t have to assist me. I could’ve taken care of him myself,” Rein said with an awkward smile.

That was a lie. There was no way he could’ve handled that Half-Giant alone. At best, he’d be cleaved in two by that massive greatsword, or flattened by a single punch. But he couldn’t afford to show weakness. Not in front of the Human-Paion, the last one still standing from the battalion. Without the illusion of control, intimidation wouldn’t work otherwise.

“You can’t waste your energy on trash,” Morin replied flatly.

Rein wasn’t sure if she was playing along or if she genuinely believed he could’ve won that fight. Either way, it helped sell the act. He stole a glance at the human, who had dropped to his knees, jaw slack with disbelief.

Originally, the plan was simple: cause a commotion, take out a few enemies, break through their formation, and escape under the cover of chaos. That was it.

But when Rein kicked the Half-Giant—the one who seemed to be their leader—he’d only meant to push him aside, clear a path for Morin to charge through. Instead, his Pneuma-infused kick sent the towering brute tumbling across the field.

That changed everything.

Then Morin began dismantling their forces alone, barely breaking a sweat. Seeing that, Rein quickly reevaluated the situation. Maybe escape could wait. Maybe they could squeeze out some intel first.

“You’re human, right? Paion, that’s your name?” Rein asked, turning back to him.

His target didn’t respond, but Rein was patient. He had chosen him for a reason.

The man’s armor was less ornate than the Half-Giant’s, only half as regal, marking him as second-in-command. He was also the only one who spoke freely, without asking permission first. More importantly, he seemed to have some kind of healing ability, whether through his own power or an item like the honey they used. That made him valuable. If he was taken out or too afraid to act, the others would stay down.

He was the perfect target.

Unlike the Half-Giant, this one didn’t seem as difficult to intimidate, yet still likely held useful information. Rein held his stare, sharpening his expression into something cold and threatening, slowly scanning the man from head to toe.

Definitely Human, or at least, as close as anything came.

The ears peeking through his tangled black hair weren’t elongated like an elf’s or any other Spiritkind. His height wasn’t towering like the Giantkind, nor squat like a Dwarf’s. He lacked the tails, claws, or animalistic features of the Beastkind. From everything Rein had studied—books, illustrations, pages burned into memory—this one most resembled a Human. It irked him how closely Humans resembled Celestials, wondering if they were somehow closely related in race.

“Y-Yes, I-I’m a Human. M-My name is Paion, just as you said,” the man finally stammered, his voice trembling.

“I’m Rein, also a Human. And this is my little sister, Morin. Go on, say hello.”

“Hello,” Morin muttered.

It was the angriest greeting Rein had ever heard, and it made Paion shriek, scrambling backward with wide eyes.

“Relax. We won’t hurt you,” he said. “That is, if you tell us the truth.”

He crouched slightly, his tone turning sharp.

“You were waiting for us, weren’t you? Sure, maybe you were on patrol. But no patrol unit with numbers like that—not to mention a Half-Giant leading them—would march around out in the open with weapons drawn, unless they wanted to be seen.”

Rein narrowed his eyes.

“And serving a king? What kind of king rules from inside a prison?”

“Tell me, what were your real intentions?”

That Half-Giant from earlier, he was no joke. Rein had only managed to damage him by catching him off guard. If he had been ready, he doubted even a direct kick would’ve moved him an inch.

If there really was a base under threat, there was no way a so-called king would send someone that strong, with that many armed men, out on a casual ‘patrol.’ Not when they could be defending the stronghold.

Something didn’t add up. And Rein wanted answers.

“Y-You're right. W-We weren't really on patrol,” Paion admitted, still stumbling over his words. “We were waiting for the arrival of new prisoners. This spot’s usually where they get dropped off whenever they appear. Sometimes they’re strong, so we had to be ready to... welcome them.”

“You're not lying, are you?” Rein said, his tone darkening. “Don't even try. I can see the flow of your blood, the beat of your heart, every twitch of your face, every shift in your posture. You cannot deceive me.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

It was complete nonsense, of course. He couldn’t read anyone’s vitals or strength. It was all bluff. But Paion looked just gullible enough to believe it.

“I-I'm not lying! We really are in service of the king. We came here to recruit you.”

“Recruit?” Rein narrowed his eyes. “For what?”

Paion looked down, nervously fidgeting with his bony fingers. “E-Either as a soldier or a laborer. It depends on your strength and potential.”

“So you weren't actually here to ambush us?” Rein asked, his voice suddenly quieter. He swallowed hard.

Did we... overreact? he thought, a bead of sweat sliding down his neck. But they shot at us, don’t tell me... it was just a warning? To scare us into compliance? For easier recruitment?

His stomach tightened. Then I might’ve screwed up. Badly.

If they had really just been following orders—and Rein and Morin had responded with deadly force—then they hadn’t just resisted a king’s men, they might’ve maimed them. That could mean serious retaliation.

If they strike back with more soldiers... Morin's strength won’t be enough, especially if others are as strong as that Half-Giant.

He quickly weighed their options. If the king’s men couldn’t report back, maybe the truth wouldn’t spread. But it was impossible to keep them all from talking. Unless...

We could try to take them all captive... but where would we even hide them? We don’t know the terrain or the politics of this realm. The only other option...

He stopped the thought, but it chilled him anyway.

Silence them forever.

His mind recoiled. Killing them—taking their lives just to cover his mistake—was unthinkable. That would be crossing a line he couldn’t uncross. A line that, once crossed, would change who he was forever.

Taking someone’s life… meant everything they could ever be was gone. Forever.

It was wrong.

“Can you point us to where your king and main base are located?” Rein asked calmly.

We'll head in the opposite direction from wherever he points. For now, we run. I’ll figure out the rest later.

“Y-You… Are you planning to raid the town and the gardens?!” Paion suddenly burst out.

He completely misunderstood the question. Of course he did.

“No way,” Rein said, scoffing. “There’s just two of us. You really think we can charge through an entire army?”

“You already know most of our soldiers are incapacitated—by you and your sister! You’ve already judged the strength of our forces, haven’t you?! Don’t lie to me! You’re planning to attack while our defenses are stretched thin!” Paion's voice was sharp with rising panic, desperation overtaking fear. “There are innocent people living in the capital! Are you planning to slaughter them too?! Then just kill me now! Kill me, before you put the king and everyone else at risk!”

“Don’t shout at my brother!” Morin snapped.

“Eek! I-I’m sorry!” Paion squeaked, recoiling immediately.

This is not how I wanted any of this to go, Rein thought bitterly. It just keeps spiraling further out of control.

And yet… Paion had let slip some crucial pieces of information. This was most of their force, meaning reinforcements were likely sparse. There was a town nearby, and innocents living in it. And something else… a garden. He mentioned it like it was vital, as if it held some deeper importance.

A town, a garden, a king… Just what kind of prison is this realm?

Rein closed his eyes, trying to assess the situation before it spiraled beyond repair. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. When he opened them again, he exhaled one final time and spoke, his voice calm but firm.

“Paion, think about this carefully. We just appeared here—confused, helpless—inside what seems to be a prison. A place presumably meant for criminals. Not even a full minute had passed before arrows were fired at us. Of course we got scared. Of course we were suspicious. Look at it from our side: you outnumbered us, your weapons were drawn, and your leader—who looks strong enough to tear us apart with his bare hands—stood at the front. You can’t blame us for striking first the moment his guard dropped. It was the only chance I thought we had.”

He paused briefly to let the words settle, then continued more gently.

“We’re not here to start a war. We’re just trying to survive. All we want is a place to catch our breath, maybe get some food, water, and rest. That’s it. Then we’ll be out of your way. We’re sorry your men were injured, but we didn’t know what we were dealing with. Can’t we leave this behind us?”

He met Paion’s eyes, his tone soft but steady.

“Please… just point us in the right direction. Somewhere we can gather information, get what we need, and find a place to live in peace, somewhere away from your people.”

The way Paion spoke about his allies—about the innocent people he was willing to die for—made one thing clear: he was reasonable. Loyal. The kind of man who valued lives over pride. Maybe, just maybe, if Rein appealed to that part of him—the protector—he could still salvage this and get what they needed.

“Paion’s mouth opened, but he hesitated. “B-But…” he muttered, glancing nervously between the siblings.

Rein exhaled again, his patience thinning.

“Alright. Forget the resources. Just point us toward the direction opposite your base. We'll head that way, and you’ll never see us again. Is that fair enough?”

For now, he had to give up on heading toward the area with more information and resources. Their safety came first.

Paion started to raise his arm shakily, pointing to his left, towards the direction of the hills where they'd hidden to ambush them.

Finally.

“Thank you. See? That wasn’t so hard,” Rein said, letting out a breath. “Come on, Morin. We still need to figure out where we can stay safely and find some resources.”

He turned toward the hills, but just as he took a step, a cold voice cut through the air behind him.

“Hold on, you two.”

Rein froze, then snapped his head to the right. The Half-Giant was still unconscious on the ground. It wasn’t him. The voice had been distinctly female. And something about it chilled him. It didn’t belong to anyone they’d encountered so far. This presence felt… wrong. Every instinct screamed at him to run.

“Sorry, but we’re kind of in a rush,” Rein replied quickly, trying to keep his tone light, masking the fear clawing at his spine. He glanced at Morin and subtly mouthed: Run.

Morin gave the smallest nod. Her posture, once relaxed, was now tense, alert. Rein could almost feel the hairs on her body also standing on end.

As Rein turned back toward the hills, he caught a glimpse of Paion. The fear on his face was gone, replaced by something else.

Relief. He was even smiling now, eyes fixed on whoever stood behind Rein.

That’s definitely not a good sign.

Immediately, Rein gathered Pneuma into his legs and bolted forward, only to be forced to a halt.

A blur of dark colors streaked past his vision, low and fast, trailing along the ground like a living shadow. Dust kicked up in its wake, scattering into the air before settling again. In the next breath, it was gone.

And standing ahead of him—where no one had been a heartbeat ago—was the girl.

The source of the voice was no longer behind him. It was now directly in his path.

The hills he had aimed for now loomed hazily in the distance behind her, as unreachable as a fading dream.