A reinforced wooden cage shook as the prison carriage went over the bump on the road. Inside sat Gerald, dressed in filthy rags and chained to the wall by his hand and feet as well as his neck. They placed him in an extremely uncomfortable sitting position after they stripped him of all of his possessions more than three days ago. Or was it four? He couldn't remember anymore.

He barely got any sleep during that time and so the days stretched and overlapped, making it difficult to distinguish what was real and what were just his hallucinations.

After the shocking secrets were revealed that day, he for sure thought they were all going to die. But Elly, or Emillyinn Vell, as they called her, begged those thugs to let her teammates go. And surprisingly, they did. Sera, Warren, Qiona, and even Toby were released and set free. However, Gerald wasn't as lucky and was instead put in chains and stuffed into this cage, where he spent his days ever since.

But that didn't mean they went gentle on him, far from it. He currently had cuts and bruises all over his body and he was unable to heal since he was devoid of Mana. Well, granted, perhaps it was a tiny bit his fault he got beat up. As if he would agree to be locked up without offering up some form of resistance!

One of his captors came too close and mocked him, so Gerald broke his face, with his own face. He gave him the most beautiful headbutt he could muster, making the guy collapse in pain as blood sprayed out of his mouth and nose.

He was pretty sure he knocked some teeth loose. But you know, one against ten big, angry men, he got beat up like a small child in an abusive family. However, during the entire time, he didn't release a single peep. He kept his teeth clenched despite getting pummeled and kept an aggressive expression all the way until his face swelled up and his muscles hurt too much to resist any longer.

Perhaps he even blacked out for a bit back then, he couldn't really be sure. That day was all a blur.

Of course, the most laughable thing of all that was the fact that he was apparently guilty of kidnapping the princess of the Empire! What a joke!

And of course, it didn't matter what Elly said, even after she told her side of the story, and revealed she escaped on her own. As if anyone would believe that. A helpless princess running away from the most well-guarded place on the continent, with countless guards, spies, and soldiers all over the Royal estate, and without anyone noticing. Talk about fantasy!

Then again, the truth of the matter really wasn't important. The long-lost princess Emillyinn Vell was returning home, and her captor was also there, ready to stand trial. Nobody cared if they got the right guy, it was all optics anyway. They just needed someone to blame. And who would be better than him? A scary-looking man full of scars and with a wild look.

Gerald understood the situation he was in all too well. That was the curse of intelligence sometimes. You would know things about to come and you couldn't affect the outcome even a little bit. Talk about an unnecessary source of stress.

At least he knew the rest of his teammates were okay. He didn't expect them to come to save him though. Actually, if they tried he would scold them for being brain-dead. They got overpowered so rapidly that even he couldn't resist for more than a few seconds. These people were the elites, ruthless warriors that knew how to break a person.

Whatever they stabbed him with completely paralyzed him for a short while, just enough to drain him of Mana.

He just hoped they would arrive at their destination and toss him into the dungeon as they promised. He really needed some rest, even if it was a cold stone floor. This cage rattling and shaking constantly was driving him mad, and he was under watchful eyes all the time. He couldn't even take a shit without those thugs knowing.

Actually, he basically didn't have anything left. His clothes and weapons were taken, together with his prosthetic hand. The only thing he got on the road was a bit of water once a day, and even that was stale and warm.

They have long since left the border and were already deep into the Empire's territory. As they came to a crossing, they of course had to sharpen their skills and so they slaughtered every Kingdom's soldier at the border, leaving no traces other than a pile of charred corpses.

From what he could discern from his prison, they traveled through forest and over hills, across meadows and bare, rocky mountains. For nearly a week they went from one town to the next, never stopping for more than a few hours. Curious onlookers gathered all around, trying to peer inside his cage like he was some wild animal on display.

However, he endured. No amount of shame, mental torture, or pain could break him anymore. He had already experienced too much. Now he just rested, preserving his nonexistent energy and bidding his time. An opportunity was bound to present itself.

Yeah, right! Some blabbermouth told the townspeople what they were carrying, and when their long-lost princess came to light, they didn't even let her speak, and all the hate and vitriol gathered in the hearts of these pathetic people, gathered over the long years of their miserable lives was directed at him and spilled out like a flood.

Rotten vegetables and wastewater were tossed and poured on Gerald's cage while his captors laughed under their face masks and encourage the people to curse him.

Luckily the spaces between the wooden boards were tiny, otherwise, these easily riled-up people would surely stone him to death. Not that they didn't try.

Even the children weren't spared from the hysteria. One of them, a kid who couldn't be more than ten years old, tried to poke his eyes out with a sharp stick while cursing at him.

Useful idiots, that's what they were. Gerald mentally cursed them all while keeping mum. Simple-minded folk that were easily manipulated by emotions. It was unclear if the Dark Cloaks were laughing at him, or the folk that so easily believed their lies and did their bidding, but they were definitely enjoying the situation.

Eventually, it was all over. They left the lunatics behind as they made their way along a river. There they made Gerald a favor and washed him. Well, wash might not be the correct word. They tossed the cage into the river and pulled it back out, repeating the process a few times in a row, nearly drowning him in the process.

This was one of the remaining fears he still had, the fear of drowning, being locked up in a tight space, and being unable to move. Slowly choking on the icy liquid while his body was trashed around in chains.

It was brutal. Ice-cold water entered his mouth and nose, burning his lungs and draining all the energy he had left. In the end, he couldn't even cough out the water anymore, and if it wasn't for the order they had to bring him back alive, he would have surely died.

The following day at dawn, they arrived at the capital of the Burronian Empire. That's all Gerald knew. He was way too exhausted to register anything else. The only thing he knew was that they passed through massive gates and into a bustling city. After that, he fainted.

His unconsciousness didn't last long though. He was rudely awakened as his cage was unlocked and he was pulled out by the hair on the back of his head.

"So that's the guy, huh?" the warden there mocked as he looked Gerald up and down. "Doesn't look like much if you ask me! A common criminal, nothing more."

He went on to touch Gerald all over, feeling his muscles. "Hmm, hmm! Good stuff! We could make use of another worker, one of them just kicked the bucket yesterday, the lazy ass!"

"You'd better just lock him up until the trial, we still need him alive. His Majesty's orders," one of the Dark Cloaks said, though his tone remained flat since he clearly didn't care either way.

"Bah! This is my dungeon, my rules! Now, open up! Show me your teeth!" the warden ordered, trying to force Gerald's clenched jaw open. It was like he was examining a horse on the open market.

However, instead of complying, Gerald spat in his face. His body might be weak, but he still had some pride. Though, that was quite an unwise choice on his part.

Wham!

He suddenly found himself on the floor with no recollection as to what had happened. His cheek really hurt though, and blood started filling his mouth.

"Blood bastard! I'll show you how to respect me!" the warden hissed through gritted teeth and gave him a good kick in the gut. Gerald doubled over from pain while the Dark Cloaks stifled a laugh.

"Take off his clothes!" the warden ordered. "Those rags are too good for him!"

They nearly stripped him naked and took off the chains. Only a tiny loincloth remained, keeping the last grain of his dignity intact.

"Lock him in, the deepest chamber you can find!"

Before finally tossing him in the hole, they made a quick sketch of his mug and gave him a number. A piece of wood was hung around his neck with the prisoner's number and then he was on his way into the eternal darkness.

They tossed him into a cramped cell already occupied by two inmates. And of course, they chained him to a wall with thick steel chains. Two for his legs, one for his hand, and one for his neck. The only problem was that they shortened the chains as much as they could, completely stretching him and preventing any movements.

And above all, he was left standing.

"Haah~" Gerald sighed in a tired, raspy, barely audible voice after the guards left. "So much for being able to have a nice sleep. Cursed Imperials…"