The corridor stretched on, dimly lit by flickering torches mounted unevenly on the walls. Kirara couldn’t help but wrinkle her the musty stench of the prison, a mix of damp stone, unwashed bodies, and the faiallig of blood. Her footsteps were light, barely audible against the rough stone floor, but her senses remained on high alert.

  The cells came into view as she rouhe er, a series of over thirty iron-barred doors lined up oher side of the hallway. The prisoners inside were huddled in the shadows, their faces pale and gaunt. Some gnced up as Kirara approached, their expressions flickeriween hope and mistrust.

  “Shh,” Kirara whispered, raising a fio her lips. “We’re getting you out of here. Stay quiet, and follow my lead.”

  She moved to the first cell, her hand h over the lock. Kaede’s devices hummed faintly with energy as she activated ohe ruched into its surface glowing a soft blue. With a faint click, the lock disied, the iron crumbling into harmless shards that dissolved into the air.

  “e on,” Kirara urged, stepping back to let the prisoners out. They hesitated for a moment before stumbling forward, their movements sluggish and cautious.

  “What’s going on?” one of them, a wiry man with sunken eyes, asked in a hoarse whisper.

  “No time to expin,” Kirara said, already moving to the cell. “Just stay close and don’t make a sound.”

  The process repeated, each lock succumbing to the carefully designed MMPs. Kirara worked quickly but methodically, her focus unwavering as she freed more and more prisoners.

  When she reached the ninth cell, the octs screamed in terror, shuffling back to the walls behind them. "Go away, you witch." One of them screamed.

  Kirara raised an eyebrow. "Ah." A look of realization dawned on her face. The man who had screamed looked awfully familiar.

  It was the bandit leader of the first camp falmuth had raided. Back then, he was also given a first row seat to the horrors that was her unique skill [Bewilder] almost swallowing the special he had personally cocted.

  Ohe door to his cell opened, he curled into himself, lying in the floor, trembling. "Please don't make me kill myself." He whispered with tears in his eyes. Around him, in the same cell, some of the prisoners were doing the same thing.

  "Ah yeah." Kirara had on an awkward smile. "That did happen. Hehehe." Kirara sighed, gng back toward the dimly lit corridor. The prisoners iher cells were waiting anxiously, their wide eyes refleg the flickering torchlight. Time was slipping away, but she knew Kaede wouldn't wao leave anyone behind, even if some of them were terrified of her.

  The bandit leader remained on the floor, his hands c his face as if shielding himself from a blow that wouldn’t e. His trembling panions huddled against the far wall, their faces pale and drenched with sweat.

  “Hey, listen,” Kirara said softly, croug down so she wasn’t looming over them. She rested her arms on her knees, her tone calm and reassuring. “I’m not here to hurt you, okay? That… thing I did st time? I had no choice. But right now, I need you to stand up. You want out of here, don’t you?”

  The man peeked through his fingers, his bloodshot eyes log onto hers. His lips moved, but no sound came out at first. Finally, he croaked, “You… you’re lying. You’ll just—just make us your puppets again…”

  Kirara frowned, annoyance fshing across her face. “Look, I know I scared you. I’m sorry about that. But we don’t have time for this. Either you e with me now, or you stay here and expin to Falmuth why you’re still breathing.”

  Her words seemed to cut through his fear, at least a little. The man lowered his hands, his chest still heaving with shallow breaths. His panions exged uain gheir desperation warring with their distrust.

  Kirara straightened and stepped back, gesturing toward the open cell door. “The choice is yours. But if you stay here, you’re not getting another ce.”

  For a moment, no one moved. Then, one of the prisoners—a woman with matted hair and a jagged scar across her cheek—pushed herself to her feet. She staggered toward the door, her steps unsteady but determined.

  “I’ll go,” she said hoarsely. “Better than rotting in here.”

  Her ce seemed to spark something ihers. One by ohey followed her lead, shuffling out of the cell with wary g Kirara. The bandit leader was the st to move, his knees wobbling as he stumbled to his feet.

  Kirara nodded once, satisfied, before turning back to the remaining cells. “Stay in line, and like, don’t slow me down,” she said over her shoulder.

  The process tinued, each freed prisoner adding to the growing group behind her. Some were silent, their eyes hollow with exhaustion, while others whispered nervously among themselves. A few even offered quiet thanks, though Kirara waved them off, her focus oask at hand.

  When she reached the final cell, she hesitated. The figure inside was different from the others—tall and broad-shouldered, with an air of calm authority that set him apart. He was seated on the floor, his back resting against the wall, and his pierg eyes watched her every move.

  “You’re not a guard,” he said, his voice deep and steady.

  “And you're not a bandit,” Kirara replied, activating the final MMP. The lock disied with a faint hum, and she stepped back. “e on. We’re leaving.”

  The man didn’t mht away. He tilted his head, studying her with a curious expression. “Why are you doing this?”

  Kirara exhaled sharply. “Because someorust asked me to. That’s all you o know.”

  He sidered her for another moment before standing, his movements fluid despite the s that had clearly weighed on him for days. As he stepped out of the cell, he offered her a small nod. “Thank you.”

  Kirara waved him toward the others, her voice brisk. “Save it for ter. We’re not out of this yet.”

  She turned back toward the corridor, her eyes sing the map on her wristband. A faint beep alerted her to movement, a patrol heading toward the lower levels. Her jaw tightened.

  “Like, everyone,” she said, her voice low but firm. “Listen up. We’ve got guards closing in. Stick together and move fast. If anyone falls behind, I’m not ing back for you.”

  The prisoners murmured nervously, but they obeyed, shuffling after her as she led them back toward the staircase. The tension in the air alpable, every creak of the floor and flicker of torchlight setting Kirara’s nerves on edge.

  As they asded the stairs, she caught sight of a faint glow ahead—the telltale shimmer of a magical barrier. Her fingers brushed over the st EMP devi her belt, and she felt a flicker of satisfa. “One more, and we’re clear,” she muttered.

  But before she could move, the entire prison trembled as multiple explosions echoed in the distance. "Guess that's the signal."