At the same time, both boys breathed a long sigh of relief.

It was at this moment that Kei jumped out of his seat and rushed towards his friend.

"What the hell..."

"Miron! How are you feeling?"

"Oh me, I'm..."

But without waiting for the dark-haired mage to finish his sentence, the blonde buddy grabbed him violently in his arms and started to squeeze his belly as hard as he could.

"Let it out Miron, come on now, you have to regurgitate everything! I don't know where that liquid came from, but it certainly wasn't alcohol, let alone something drinkable! I'm going to make you throw up that disgusting thing, be sure of it!"

After a few seconds of unexpected and intense abuse from his only friend, Miron was finally able to free himself from his benevolent but brutal arms, his breathing coming in fits and starts.

"That's it, I got rid of Kei. Thanks to you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes, thank you!"

"But I didn't see you spit out a single thing."

Before answering, Miron raised his hands and stepped back to put a safe distance between them.

"I spit it out while you were piercing my stomach with your manly hands, so it's all good! You don't have to worry anymore!"

"Are you sure of yourself?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

Greatly relieved, the young blond friend smiled again and sat down serenely. Miron, for his part, waited cautiously before resuming his seat, while shaking his head angrily.

" Now, that this danger to your health is removed, we can resume the thread of our conversation interrupted by these infernal idiots. "

Kei took a deep breath and launched himself.

"Miron, they're right, you really are a loudmouth.

The person concerned smiled amusedly.

"If you think I don't know that. "

"And so proud, too. But reassure me. Since I am your faithful companion, as they have all taken pains to point out, I deserve to be reassured. Those words weren't just the last act of a tragic hero, were they?"

"I don't know. But since I have made you a solemn promise, I will fight to the end, deploying all the skill and means I have at my disposal, and which they expect so much from me, in this mortal combat."

Anxiety gripped Kei again, and he caught his head in his hands and swallowed his saliva with difficulty.

"No I'm too young to die. I'm not saying that the victims who fell before us deserved it, but... What I'm trying to say is that..."

"Yes, Kei, everyone would understand what you are trying to say. But the problem is that you're repeating yourself too often, and that doesn't really help me focus."

"I don't mind being stupid. You realize of course, because even the damaged prisoner that I am, I too know the desire that any other feels, you excepted, even that to break and kill all these vile mages who lock us up and enslave us like this. I want everything, to know everything, to experience everything, even imagining already fleetingly this still distant, but inexorable and unequaled pleasure that we discover in the arms of a woman.

Don't look at me like that, Miron! Please, don't look at me like that, I said! At our age, I can't afford to be so naive anymore. I've come to understand the notion of normality. I, for one, would probably prefer older women. But before I can do all that, touch them, I have to stay alive and healthy, and especially be away from here. So hurry up and find a solution. Otherwise, this beautiful, disparate life will escape us too.

Miron squinted his eyes and murmured as if to himself.

"Screams, woman, desire." some words still managed to enter the preoccupied mind of the young brown mage, while he no longer cared about his friend's now alarming delirium. And what he had not revealed to the latter was that their friend Leon, in a moment of clarity, had informed him that there was indeed someone who could provide some help, albeit small and almost insignificant, to children for various problems, but that one had to be able to pay the price first. A high price and for most of them, found it impossible to pay.

Miron could clearly see the kind of price this thug would demand from his fellow men if they had nothing of value, and a terrible disgust tore at his stomach. His fool friend did nothing to help him when he saw him continue to eat the food, which was still delicious but had become totally degrading.

"How good." He added again of the rest, licking his fingers before grabbing a juicy piece of meat that he tore into with his teeth with obvious satisfaction.

The young mage sighed as he ran a weary hand through his night hair, absentmindedly considering with an annoyed then indulgent smile his simple friend, always able to find a silver lining even in their hopeless situation and with that innocence that had touched him from the start, when he suddenly stopped, then turned to consider the various dishes spread out before him.

He tilted his head to the side, an ironic, almost hateful grimace forming on his fascinating bony face.

"Of course, what a fool, the prize I was missing is right in front of me."

After a final sigh, he straightened up.

"What is it?" Kei inquired instantly, surprised by his companion's gestures to leave the table. "You've discovered something that might help us save our oh-so-pitiful lives."

"It may be so. But I couldn't say it's a radical solution. Besides, I don't even know if it will work."

"Anyway, we're at our breaking point. So whatever you come up with, it's worth a shot. And anyway, since it's you, I'm sure it will work out somehow."

This time, Miron laughed in an almost tender way.

"Your unwavering confidence in me touches me. I only hope I'm worthy of it."

Then he picked up a dessert plate with a tasty fruit cake on it. He released another plate, cleaned it with his napkin, and covered the cake with it.

"Go back to the dormitory Kei and make sure you stay there until I get there or they come for you. We still have some time before the...show starts."

Kei looked at the dessert Miron had hidden under his clothes.

"And you, where are you going? What are you going to do?"

Miron smiled enigmatically.

"I'm going to buy our weapon. And stop eating, the food must be horrible by now."

Then he gave his innocent unconscious friend in spite of the latter's words but trustworthy a knowing smile.

"I'll arrange it so that these oh-so-beautiful and ignorant women whom you dream so much of, can have a chance to meet you and scream into your arms."

Then he left the room in his turn for a destination unknown to his friend, who followed him with dreamy eyes.

Miron walked through many dark corridors and down monumental and dusty stairs.

When he left the main building, he had to walk through a huge indoor park surrounded by four high walls, heavily laden with curses, and whose floor was covered with a dark, screaming grass that scratched his skin painfully. In the middle of this sinister place, a huge pool of black water had been built. One didn't have to get close to guess that the water was unfathomably deep, filled with cold monsters and dark spells, and that anyone weak and stupid enough to touch it would lose all magic. As Miron passed by the pool, the water moved, surreptitiously at first, then shook terribly and overflowed. Screams of fear emanated from this unsuspected, sinister realm and echoed darkly, revealing their obvious desire to lure the boy to them and drag him forever into their limbo. Formless beings rose to the surface and seemed to stare at the young mage with debased lust. Shuddering violently with disgust and terror at such abominations, Miron ran to the subordinate buildings where he hoped to find the object that could help him and his friend out of this loathsome disaster.

He had never visited this part of the estate, none of the children were usually allowed in. Their daily life was a strict confinement, not to say imprisonment, physical and moral. Everything was restricted in an unspeakable way. Their daily life consisted of chores, only bone- and mind-breaking chores, and a few classes here and there, either with manipulators who wanted to relieve their boredom or with pure sadists who wanted to have fun making them do painful exercises.

But for the children who were sacrificed like him, he thought derisively, he got a remnant of freedom and the right to move almost anywhere, as long as he didn't go outside the borders. Besides, that would have been impossible given the protective barriers, the defensive spells, not to mention the hideous, barbaric monsters that guarded the boundaries of the little kingdom of evil.

Miron entered and descended to the top level of the basement. Once again, he passed through countless corridors, each more gruesome and darker than the last, until he finally reached the janitor's door. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked twice.