Chapter 96: 96. There is no fresh start without you.

Two years ago…

Riverdale Capital City outskirts, Golden Bell Slave House…

Whipp!!

“AAAARRRGGHHH!!!!!!”

The sharp crack of a whip sliced through the night, followed by a scream echoing from a cluster of isolated tents hidden at the forest’s edge behind the capital.

The location was deliberately cut off from regular human activity; even soldiers avoided patrolling here. It was the perfect spot for the dirty business of slave merchants.

Another lash landed on the small child lying on the ground. The boy’s body convulsed violently as pain tore through him. Barely conscious, his limbs shook uncontrollably. His furry ears twitched weakly.

He was half human, half wolfkin.

Standing before the cages was a man of massive, imposing frame. His shoulders were broad, his arms thick with muscle. A heavy black whip coiled around his hands. He pointed at the trembling child sprawled in the dirt, then turned his gaze to one of the cages.

Inside sat a purple-haired elf girl.

“Look, Number Two,” the slavemaster said calmly, his voice dripping with menace. “Number Three dared to break out of his cage.” He kicked the child lightly with his boot—not enough to kill, but enough to remind him of his place. “This is what happens to those who think they can betray me.”

He stepped closer to the cage, rattling the iron bars with his fist. “I’ve been feeding you all and raising you for the past ten years for this single moment,” he snarled. “I invested so much in you useless pieces of shit just for this one auction.” His eyes burned with obsession.

“Tomorrow is the auction,” he went on. “I need to sell my goods in the best possible shape.” He slammed the cage again; the metal shook violently.

Seraphine pressed herself against the back of the cage, her legs trembling so badly she could barely stand. Her wide, dark violet eyes were locked on the bloodied figure lying motionless at the slavemaster’s feet.

“Look at me, Number Two,” he barked. “LOOK AT ME!!!”

She flinched but forced herself to meet his gaze.

“Tomorrow you will get a new master,” he said slowly. “You will be obedient and do whatever the fuck they tell you to do.” He leaned closer, his face inches from the bars. “You will bow your fucking head and just do it.”

His voice rose suddenly. “And if I ever hear a single complaint from their side, I will personally come and skin you alive.”

Seraphine’s entire body shook as sobs tore from her chest.

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND???” he roared.

“Y-y… yes!!” she gasped, struggling to breathe as tears streamed down her face.

Satisfied, the slavemaster moved on to the next cage, dragging the injured child behind him. One by one, all nine captives were warned.

At midnight, the cages were silent. All the slaves were in deep sleep, and the slave master was nowhere to be seen. Seraphine sat in a corner with her legs folded, wearing the short, rough robe common to all the slaves, her gaze fixed on the ground.

Suddenly, a click sounded as the cage door opened slowly. No one was alerted, as if the sound never left the radius of the prison.

Seraphine’s head snapped up.

Standing before her was a blue-haired boy.

Her breath caught in her throat. Tears spilled freely as she rushed forward without hesitation and wrapped herself around him.

It had been almost a year since the slave caravan had arrived at this place. Since then, Will had come every single night to meet her. He would appear mysteriously and take her out of the cage.

As she hugged him, William remained quiet and signaled her to be silent too. She smiled and moved her lips as if saying, *I know, it’s not our first time.*

William pulled her closer and wrapped the Veil he was wearing around her too.

As the Trickster’s Veil¹

covered both of them, Will moved silently with Sera, one hand holding her in a protective embrace.

They moved out of the cage and the tent.

Will took Sera to the riverside, under a big maple tree with orange and pink leaves.

He had dug a small pit of soil between its roots. He took off his upper vest and laid it on the ground before letting Sera sit there.

He sat by her side and took out chocolates from his inventory for her. It was their daily routine. But tonight was their last one together, at least for now.

“Will, when will we meet again?” Sera asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Will looked at her. Her eyes were red and puffed, indicating she had been crying for hours.

“Don’t worry, Sera. You will get a good master, trust me. If not, I will come and take you out of the slave house myself,” he replied in a calm tone, but Sera was far from satisfied.

“Don’t change the topic, answer my question!” she spoke, her eyes widening as she clearly understood what Will was trying to do. Beads of sweat dropped from Will’s forehead.

“Sera, I think you should move on with your new life and stop waiting for me. When you get your freedom, you should get a fresh start and leave the past behind.”

Will knew they were going to meet at the academy, but he still wanted to detach Sera’s attention from him.

At first, his goal had been cold and clear. He just wanted to place a binder on Sera.

But over time, sympathizing with her innocence made William visit her daily. He could not see her in such a state and craved talking to her.

She was a vulnerable and innocent soul.

Even after knowing she would be alright, William could not help but feel tense about her living in such an unsafe environment.

Many times, he had almost decided to get her out, but the system had explicitly told him he would be robbing Sera of her destiny by doing so.

He had even placed a special array below Seraphine’s cage to keep an eye on her and keep her safe.

Whenever the slave master approached to hit Sera with a whip, he would see an illusion of hitting her, but in reality, he would be frozen until the illusion was over.

Everyone except Sera would see the illusion. It was an expensive array, but since Will had been non-awakened at the time, it was special for drawing mana from the earth.

Will had used a free purchase opportunity for this, and even though the system cursed him for it, he did not feel guilty.

In fact, it was worth it in his eyes, Sera had already made a special place in his heart.

But Will also knew that there might be a chance that Seraphine would eventually fall for Ethan if the story remained the same.

Will could not keep his hopes high, so he never let feelings of romance bloom in his heart for Sera.

He told himself that he was doing this simply out of charity for a poor girl. William was confused about how to answer Sera’s questions.

His attention snapped back to Sera’s voice.

“What are you saying??” Sera was pissed. “What do you mean by a fresh start? How will I start a new life without you?” she cried, her eyes tearing up.

Her sobs made William’s heart ache.

“We don’t know what fate has in store for us, Sera,” William said softly, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her sobbing.

Listening to his words, Sera shot him a glare for the first time since they met.

“Where is the William who always told me that he would defy fate itself if he needed to get what he wants? Do you not want me anymore? Am I not good enough?”

[Ouch]

“Oh my gosh, Sera!! How can you think all that?” William gasped as he wiped the tears from her face. Her words had hurt him more than he could tell her.

He gently brought her face to his shoulders and patted her head.

“Don’t think too much,” he whispered in her ear while patting her back. Both of them spent the next few minutes in that position before Will changed the topic.

“I have brought something for you,” he said, taking a ring from one of his pockets. A ring with a silver sheen appeared in his hands. He took her right hand and slid it onto her ring finger.

Sera looked at the silver ring closely and saw the engraving of a maple leaf on top of it. It was a space ring.

“Don’t give the ring to anyone, and once you awaken in one year, open the ring ”

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