The heavy iron chains around his ankles had stopped feeling heavy long ago. It was not because the metal had grown lighter. It was because Jiyul had simply learned to ignore them. He lay on the cold stone floor with his arms folded behind his head. His eyes were fixed on the damp ceiling as if he had carved his own name into the cracks.
The silence of the Prison was absolute. Until it wasn't.
He heard them before he saw them. The sharp click of expensive boots echoed against the wet stone floor. It was a sound too clean for a place like this.
Guards flanked the visitors. Four on each side. They wore heavier armor than the usual prison wardens. When they reached the front of his cell, two nobles stepped into the torchlight.
The older one stepped forward first. He had a trimmed beard and a long, expensive coat. His eyes were measured and calm, like a merchant inspecting goods.
"Jiyul," he said.
The younger noble stood beside him. He had dark hair falling slightly over one eye and sharp, arrogant features. He looked like the kind of man who thought his family name could command thunder.
Jiyul didn't move.
The older noble tried again. "I am Lord Kael of House Virel. This is my nephew, Lord Daren."
Jiyul remained motionless. His eyes were half-closed with apathy.
Lord Daren stepped closer to the bars. His jaw was tense. "Do you know who we are?"
Jiyul's voice came out like gravel. "I know who I don't care about."
The guards shifted nervously, hands going to their weapons. Kael raised a hand to stop them. His smile was thin but polite.
"We have come to speak with you."
"A lot of people want to talk to me these days," Jiyul murmured. "Few of them live long after."
Lord Kael ignored the threat. "You have made quite an impression. Six capital guards dead in broad daylight. Not with poison. Not with tricks. Just raw force."
"Wrong," Jiyul said. He finally sat up, dragging the heavy chains across the floor. "Not just raw force. Rage."
Daren scoffed. "Rage won't protect you from execution."
Jiyul locked eyes with him. "You sure? Looks like I am still breathing."
Kael stepped in again, his voice calm. "You are. Because we arranged it."
That drew a pause. Jiyul stared at them.
"You bought me?"
"If you want to call it that," Kael replied evenly. "The king gave us your custody. You are officially under our protection now."
"I don't recall asking for it."
Daren raised his chin. "You were chained and awaiting death."
"I wasn't waiting for anything," Jiyul said coldly. "I was passing time."
Kael exhaled slowly. "We didn't come to argue. We came with an offer."
Jiyul leaned back against the rough wall. "Speak."
Daren stepped forward, eager to explain. "We need someone of your nature. A warrior. A weapon. A shadow."
Jiyul raised an eyebrow. "Shadow?"
Kael answered this time. "We have been attacked. Not once. Repeatedly. Assassins from a rival kingdom have struck at us. We have lost people. Servants. Guards. Friends."
Jiyul's expression didn't change. "So you need someone disposable."
"We need someone dangerous," Kael corrected.
Daren added quickly, "And someone willing to go where others won't. We need protection. And information."
"I don't do servitude," Jiyul said plainly.
"You wouldn't be a servant," Kael replied. "You would be a retainer. With benefits. Full payment. Gold. Housing. Freedom of movement."
"Freedom?" Jiyul asked, his voice dry. "With collars and coin instead of chains?"
Daren frowned. "We are offering you life."
"I already have it."
Kael stepped closer to the bars. "We are not like the high nobles. We are semi-nobles. Elevated above the commoners but not enough to be safe. We are vulnerable. Politically and physically."
Jiyul narrowed his eyes. "And that is my problem?"
"It could be your opportunity," Kael said.
Silence followed.
Then Jiyul stood up.
The guards stiffened. The chains dragged loudly across the floor as he approached the bars. He stopped inches from Kael's face.
"I am not some mutt you can buy from the pound," he said, his voice low. "I killed those guards because they mocked me. Beat me. Cheated me. And I will kill again for less."
Kael didn't blink. "That is exactly what we are counting on."
Daren looked hesitant now. "We will pay you. Whatever it takes."
Jiyul smirked faintly. "Whatever I want?"
"To a degree," Kael said carefully. "You name the fee. We will meet it within reason."
"And in return?" Jiyul asked.
Daren answered. "You protect us. Kill who needs killing. Spy when needed. Keep your mouth shut when told."
Jiyul's eyes flickered. "So a sword and a shadow."
Kael nodded. "Exactly."
Jiyul was quiet. The torchlight flickered off his scarred face.
"I will need my sword back," he said.
"We have it," Kael promised. "It was confiscated during your arrest. We kept it preserved."
"Of course you did," Jiyul muttered.
Daren added, "It is sealed in the armory. You will get it when we leave this place."
More silence. Jiyul looked down at the heavy chains on his ankles. Then up at the two nobles.
"You said you were attacked," he said. "Why?"
Kael's expression hardened. "It is a long story. We will explain once we return home."
Jiyul tilted his head. "Secrets already? I haven't even agreed yet."
"Then agree," Daren said.
Kael gave his nephew a sharp glance before turning back to Jiyul. "You aren't the only one walking a knife's edge, Jiyul. We are just trying not to bleed."
Jiyul studied them both for a long time. His gaze was like a winter wind. Dry. Biting. Endless.
Then he spoke.
"Fine."
Daren blinked. "You will come?"
Jiyul nodded once. "For gold. Not loyalty."
"That is fair," Kael said. "We don't expect your loyalty. Just your skill."
"I will do what you ask," Jiyul said. "But don't expect me to bow. You pull that chain too hard, and I bite."
Kael smiled slightly. "We are not fools. We didn't come to tame a wolf. We came to hire one."
Jiyul reached through the bars, extending his hand.
Kael looked at it, then shook it firmly.
"Welcome to House Virel," he said.
Jiyul grinned. It was faint and humorless. "Let's see how long it lasts."
Behind them, the guards stepped forward with keys. The chains would fall soon.
But Jiyul didn't feel lighter. He felt ready.
He was ready to step back into a world that had tried to break him once. This time, he would be the blade