Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 240: The Escaping Boy [1/5]

Since we’re on the verge of reaching 50 golden tickets, I thought it would be a good idea to post in advance until we reach that milestone. So, here’s an early chapter to keep the momentum going!

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a few minutes ago,

Inside the slightly gloomy interior of a house in the eastern region of Sky City, belonging to Marquis Cowport, there was a special secret place unknown to ordinary people. Beneath this room, there lay a hidden world. Under the two-story dilapidated wooden house, there existed a massive underground prison,

and at this moment,

a piercing scream of agony resounded from within.

"Ah... Ah... Ah...!!!"

Inside the dim and damp cell, accompanied by the hysterical wailing of a thirteen-year-old red-haired girl, countless golden spikes, radiating a dazzling light, mercilessly pierced through the girl’s body in front of the terrified gazes of a dozen children,

and in the next moment, a large amount of eerie liquid flowed incessantly into the girl’s body through the golden spikes. With the influx of the liquid, the girl’s expression contorted into a twisted and ferocious visage, indicating the unimaginable pain she was experiencing. Tears mixed with blood began to stream down from the girl’s eyes,

however,

despite the girl’s desperate cries, the white-clad experimenters surrounding her showed no trace of sympathy. They silently watched as the girl was consumed by agony,

as time passed,

the girl’s screams grew weaker, and her life force was nearly depleted...

However,

the girl’s suffering did not end, but intensified. Yet, the girl no longer had the strength to plead for mercy or cry out. Her eyes lost all hope for survival, devoid of any gleam. Clearly, after enduring the torment she had previously suffered, the girl’s spirit had collapsed...

In the next moment,

after one of the experimenters chanted an incantation, a white magic circle suddenly formed beneath the girl. With the surge of the magic circle and the flickering of white light,

under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the girl’s body gradually disintegrated, melted, and decomposed into specks of white light,

when the white-robed mage waved his hand once again, these specks of light congregated rapidly in a spiral motion, gathering in the palm of the white-robed mage. They solidified, became more stable, and eventually transformed into a white gem overflowing with potent soul energy.

"Hehe, the purity is quite good."

Carefully examining the ’result’ in his hand, the white-robed mage revealed a satisfied smile.

The smile was radiant,

but at this moment, it appeared strangely sinister and gloomy, sending shivers down one’s spine,

the dozens of children confined in the cages nearby felt an intense chill. Witnessing their comrades who had previously encouraged and comforted each other in the cell meet such a tragic end before their eyes, the children fell silent, consumed by fear and despair.

Most of the children, who had a weaker ability to withstand, couldn’t help but sob with their heads in their hands,

a few timid ones had even been frightened to the point of fainting on the spot.

For a while,

The cries and pleas of the children echoed endlessly in the dungeon...

Among these children, there was a boy about twelve years old whose expression was different from the others. He didn’t cry uncontrollably but silently observed his surroundings: his companions, the white-robed mages outside the cages, and the prison guards.

The boy was not saddened by the deaths of his comrades; he had become numb to it. He was relatively mature for his age and had observed over the past few days just how ruthless and inhumane these white-robed mages were. They paid no attention to their cries for mercy. No matter how much he cried, they would never spare him. Sooner or later, they would turn him into a "Soul Gem."

Since that was the case, instead of wasting time crying, he decided to focus his energy on studying how to escape, find his sister, Aisya, and leave this hellish place...

This inconspicuous boy sitting in the corner of the cell was named Ed Sitewood. He was the eldest son of the Sitewood Earl’s family, living a carefree life with his sister, Aisya. However, their peaceful life came to an end when the supporting emperor suddenly died. The Sitewood Earl’s family, being supporters of the late emperor, was quickly arrested on charges of "attempted rebellion," and his father was executed...

Ed didn’t know the situation of the other family members. All he knew was that he and his sister were imprisoned in this dungeon. Many other children from destroyed families and slaves purchased from elsewhere were also held captive here. Watching his companions being turned into "Soul Gems" by the mages every day, Ed made up his mind to escape from this place.

Although hope seemed slim, Ed never gave up and diligently tried to find an opportunity to escape. And today, it seemed like his efforts were being rewarded. At this moment, when everyone’s attention was focused on the gem in the hands of the white-robed mage, Ed was shocked to discover that the lock on the door above the prison cell, at the back, was... unlocked!

’Could this be real? Am I not dreaming? ’

Ed couldn’t help but think.

’Did they forget to lock it when they captured us? Was the security not as careful with us because we’re just children?’

Countless questions arose in Ed’s mind. However, he didn’t plan on dwelling on them now. Even if it was a trap, he had to try for the sake of his survival!

Seizing the opportunity while everyone was distracted, Ed effortlessly escaped the iron prison and silently made his way toward the staircase! After a moment, with a heart filled with unease, Ed was astonished to find that he had succeeded. He had actually managed to leave the underground third floor of the dungeon.

The whole process was unbelievably easy...

Even Ed himself began to doubt if he was dreaming. It was only after pinching his thigh several times that Ed confirmed he wasn’t dreaming...

This was all real.

"I can escape?! I can really get out!" In this moment, Ed couldn’t help but encourage himself.

However, the boy didn’t immediately leave the prison cell. He attempted to find his younger sister who was held captive on another floor. As her older brother, Ed was determined to save his sister and escape together. Perhaps the guards would be more relaxed with a younger child like his sister. If luck was on their side, maybe they had a chance. Could he lead his sister to safety?

Such thoughts ran through Ed’s mind. Unfortunately, his "luck" seemed to have run out. Just as he was about to go find his sister, he suddenly heard a shout from behind, causing Ed to shudder.

"You! You little brat! How did you escape?!" The moment he heard the voice, Ed realized he had been discovered.

Without even considering rescuing his sister, Ed ran as fast as he could. After all, if he managed to escape, he might be able to gather the remnants of his family’s supporters and save his sister. But if he got caught, the only outcome for both of them would be death.

Driven by fear and the will to survive, Ed frantically fled toward the outside. The mages and guards inside the dungeon, upon hearing the shouts, immediately wore stern and angry expressions, grabbing their weapons and rushing out, ready to capture Ed and bring him back to the cell.

Ed knew he wasn’t strong enough to outrun the guards. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with him. However, consumed by the desperate desire to survive, Ed had no energy to worry about such things. He just ran for his life, desperately running, running, running...

However, during his escape, Ed was shocked to discover that he seemed to be favored by the "goddess of luck." The people who could have easily caught him suddenly experienced inexplicable accidents, fainting or dropping dead at the moment they were about to capture him.

For example, the guard who was about to apprehend him just a moment ago accidentally stepped on a banana peel and fell into a nearby pit of excrement, seemingly unable to resurface.

This kind of thing didn’t happen just once, but again and again...

The spellcasters accidentally blew themselves up with their magic.

The archers accidentally shot down their own teammates...

Attempting to fly in front of him, the half-flying creature was directly snatched away by the out-of-control spirit beasts in the Marquis’s mansion. The iron gate that tried to block his path didn’t stop him but hindered the pursuing guards instead. The person who was about to shout for reinforcements in place suddenly had a neighboring building collapse on them, crushing them to death...

Fortunately, Ed himself didn’t have the energy to pay attention to these incidents. Otherwise, this young boy might have started to question his existence. When dozens of guards inexplicably fainted, Ed successfully escaped from the Marquis’s mansion in Cowport, which he considered a purgatory, through a dog hole in the wall. He ran towards the direction of the commercial street, knowing that it would be crowded with people. As a young child, once he got there, he might be able to shake off the pursuers from the Marquis’s mansion.

Just as he was thinking this, a bullet suddenly struck him mercilessly, piercing through his shoulder.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" accompanied by blood splattering in all directions. The intense pain caused Ed to involuntarily scream in agony. He collapsed to the ground, nearly losing consciousness. But the thought of passing out would mean losing all hope. He and his sister would be turned into "soul gems."

Ed gritted his teeth through the pain and exhaustion, forced himself to get up from the ground, and continued to flee forward. Several guards wielding sharp blades were closing in on the escaping child. However, just as Ed was about to be captured, a beautiful black figure entered his field of vision.

At that moment, he didn’t care whether the other person had the ability to help him. It was as if he had grasped the last straw, frantically running towards the black-haired girl and shouting desperately,

"Help! Someone wants to kill me! Save me! Please, please help me..."

As he spoke, due to excessive blood loss, Ed had reached his limit. After uttering his final plea, the boy’s legs gave way, and he uncontrollably fell to the ground, thinking,

’It’s over... I have no... strength left...’

And just when Ed was on the verge of despair, a delicate jade hand suddenly reached out, directly pulling him into a warm embrace. Then, a gentle and soothing voice slowly entered Ed’s ears, causing a glimmer of hope to flicker in the eyes of this almost hopeless boy.

"It’s okay, don’t be afraid..."