"Only if he doesn't follow his father's footsteps," one of the guards muttered.
That was it.
Gage turned around instantly.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
His father tried to stop him, but Gage couldn't hold it back anymore.
"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MY PARENTS SACRIFICED! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH! SO DON'T YOU DARE DISRESPECT THEIR NAMES!"
His voice echoed through the corridor.
"YOU SEE THEM AS THIEVES—I SEE THEM PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE SO I CAN SEE ANOTHER DAY!
YOU SEE THEM AS THIEVES—I SEE THEM TRYING TO PUT A SMILE ON THEIR CHILDREN'S FACES!
YOU SEE THEM AS THIEVES—I SEE THEM—"
His voice cracked.
The words collapsed into sobs as Gage finally broke down, crying openly.
The guards stood stunned.
Behind the bars, his parents trembled—not from pain, but from realization.
Their son had always known.
And he still loved them.
"They may be thieves, but to me, they're my heroes… they never stopped loving me. They never changed… please… can you just forgive them? I can't live without them. I'd be useless… please."
Gage sank to his knees, his cries forming a small puddle on the floor.
His mother's tears streamed down her face as she watched him. She looked at her husband, whose hands gripped the bars so tightly blood began to seep through. He thought back to a time when they were leaping through the building tops, carrying bags of items as they seem to be escaping, and his wife had asked, "Do you think if Gage and the kids found out what we're doing, they'd hate us?"
"Probably," he had replied. "What child would be happy if their parents were thieves? That's why it has to be a secret."
"Really?" she had said.
"Yeah… think about it. We're teaching the kids to never lie, to never steal, to do right, yet we're not following the same rules ourselves. Hypocrites, right? And I made sure to raise him to hate hypocrites, because the world is like that. If he hates it, the longer he'll survive."
"I disagree," she had flatly replied, catching him off guard.
"I don't know how he'll respond, but I'm sure it'll shock us," she added.
Back in the present, her mind replayed the memory as she glanced at her husband, who met her gaze.
"The only reason we brought you here, kid," one guard said, "is to ask—do you know where your parents hid the weapon?"
"OF COURSE HE WOULDN'T KNOW THAT!" the father bellowed.
"Please leave our son out of this," the mother pleaded.
"Dad, what is this weapon they keep talking about? And what is a Mahteahk?" Gage asked.
His parents' jaws dropped in shock, their eyes burning with murderous intent toward the guards.
"You… said that to him?" the father hissed.
One of the guards stepped back, terrified. "It wasn't me!"
The other sneered. "Don't be scared of this stinking thief! And so what if I did? He's going to die anyway."
In an instant, the prison bars and chains were sliced apart, scattering through the air as Jinx moved with such precision and strength that the guards were caught completely off guard. Before they could react, their bodies exploded into a spray of blood, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Gage, witnessing this as a child, felt his stomach turn. Nausea clawed at him, and he nearly vomited, but his mother enveloped him in a protective embrace.
"It's okay, baby. It's okay… I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm so sorry."
"Mum… did you… kill them?" Gage asked, frozen in horror. "Is this… what you do when you steal? You kill?"
"If you're asking if I killed those guards just now… I didn't, baby," she said softly.
"Your mother didn't kill them, Gage. Don't worry… and don't listen to anyone who says we're thieves," his father added, walking out from his cell.
"Huh? If you didn't kill them, then who?"
"I did,"
A new voice entered the room, deep and unfamiliar. It carried a weight that set the air on edge. A man stepped forward, his features simple yet striking—Tyrian purple eyes and braided hair of the same hue. He was unlike any living being Gage had ever seen.
"I'm sorry I had to do that in front of your son… but don't worry, I'll handle this part," the mysterious man said.
Is he another thief? Helping to break my parents out? And what did Dad mean about not listening to others claiming they're stealing?
"They mention it to our son?" Gage's dad asked, which immediately made his wife mad. "Why would you tell him that?!"
At first, the mysterious man didn't understand what they were talking about. Then his expression changed.
"Are you serious?"
Both parents went silent.
"I told you guys to be careful. Do you realize they'll wipe out your whole—"
"Hey Gage, why don't you go home? We'll come back soon after. As you can see, we've got a strong friend with us…"
"No, Dad! I want to come home with you and Mum!"
"NO!" His dad said sternly. "What do I always tell you…"
Gage, reluctant but wanting to make his dad proud, spoke up. "When you're not there, I'm the man of the house."
"Exactly. So I'm going to ask two things from you. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes," Gage replied.
"The first thing," his dad continued, "for the first time ever, I'm going to ask you to lie once. Leave this building like nothing happened. If anyone asks why you're here or what happened, just say you lost something and were brought here. Can you do that?"
"Yes," Gage said again.
"The second thing: my son, never in your life steal! Do not take what doesn't belong to you. Do you hear me?"
Gage's mind raced. How could his dad say that, after everything he knew about their stealing?
But his father wasn't finished. "However, if something belongs to you… don't allow anyone to steal it—your identity, who you are, your morals, your personality… that belongs to you. If anyone takes it, you go get it back. That isn't stealing—it was yours in the first place!"
At that time, Gage didn't fully understand, but he obeyed and left. When anyone at the building asked why a young kid was there, he followed his dad's instructions.
He returned home, finding his siblings still awake. They ran to his arms, asking about Mum and Dad. Gage told them they were fine and made up an excuse about a problem at work. Soon after, he put his siblings to sleep. His younger brother asked again if everything was alright, and Gage reassured him.
The next morning, Gage woke up late and went to the living room. His parents were still gone, and his siblings sat reading a newspaper, expressionless.
Gage picked it up, scanning the headlines: "Notorious thieves Jinx & Saint finally killed"—and the picture shown was that of the mysterious man Gage had seen the night before.