Chapitre 186: The Cage (Final part)
After collecting the debt that Belial owed her. Ana didn't have anything else to do.
So the group went back to the inn.
Arriving at the inn, the group saw there was a different innkeeper at the reception.
Zakior called out to the innkeeper.
"Yo! Are you new? Or the owner?"
The innkeeper was female and replied to Zakior politely.
She understood what Zakior meant.
"Yes, sir. The property exchanged hands a few hours ago."
Nodding his head, Zakior led the group back towards their room.
"What was that about?"
Ian, Zulkernyn and Erisviel were puzzled by Zakior's interaction with the new innkeeper.
"Probably zomeone found out about the camz in their room. Zo they killed the innkeeper. The owner probably didn't 'ave any kin, the inn probably vas put on auction and the innkeeper ve zaw bought it from the auction. It iz common and 'appenz quite often." Ana replied to Ian.
"Oh!" Ian, Erisviel and Zulkernyn were flabbergasted hearing Ana.
The misfits plus the weird guy entered the room they were at staying.
Just as everyone entered the room, Erisviel ran towards the toilet.
"*Bleugh!*"
The group could hear Erisviel vomiting.
Ana sighed.
A few minutes later, Erisviel came out of the toilet looking tired.
She took a seat in one of the single sofas.
"You okay?" Zulkernyn asked.
"Fine, just a bit nauseous..." Erisviel replied before drinking water from the bottle Ian handed out to her.
"I know that you guyz are feeling angry, mentally conflicted and among other emotionz but it vas necezzary to zhow you the ugly and 'orrivle zide of the vorld that in the future ve vill ve part of. Erisviel and Ian, you voth ztill 'aven't gotten uzed to being part of thiz life. Az for Zulkernyn, you might 'ave 'eard thingz vut never truly experienced vith your own eyez. Zo thiz vas needed for the three of you. The otherz 'ave lived through much worse, zo thiz doezn't affect them much."
"I'm zorry, guyz vut thiz 'ad to be done. I'm zure, Aurora might have zomething prepared for thiz kind of ztuff vut zhe doezn't realize it 'erself that vhen it comez to the people zhe carez about. Zhe is a vit zoft on uz."
Ana said to the three misfits.
They listened to her intently.
Zulkernyn sighed seeing Ana biting her lips feeling uncomfortable.
"There's nothing to apologise about, Ana. We are mad and feeling s*it! But our anger is not directed at you but the people of the Cage. So don't feel sorry, Ana. We understand why you wanted us to come with you here." Zulkernyn said to Ana.
"I know that I'm not used to it yet. It's okay, Ana... Thanks to you, I now have established levels of how fu*ked up my future will be. And that is actually a good thing, honestly!" Erisviel told before leaning her back on the sofa comfortably.
"For me, I will just echo what Zulk said. So let's get to the real talk, what's your plan?"
Ana felt better hearing her three misfit friends.
She turned to Ian and grinned at him.
"Why don't make a guess?"
Ian thought for a minute before he replied to Ana.
"You have an assassin, a hacker and a battle tactician. What we have seen you do today, tells me one thing your planning... Hmm... I'm sure of it, You want the Cage!"
Ana laughed hearing Ian.
"Hahaha!"
Ian has guessed it right, what she has in mind is similar but different than what Ian has thought of.
"You're right vut ve don't need the Cage." Ana said to the three.
She turned to Zakior.
"Do you vant the Cage or not?"
Zakior was surprised!
He didn't expect Ana to give him the Cage.
"Of course, I want it!"
"The Cage benefitz uz, vut it will take a long time to deal with the Cage. Zakior von't join Namelezz, vut 'e vill ve an ally to uz."
Ana then told her plans to the misfits.
~~~
From a clock tower, Zakior was looking down at the ward.
"My guess was right! I figured you would be here. Without your mask, eh? Wouldn't that cause trouble for you?" Ana's voice was heard from the back.
Zakior didn't turn but looked at some children begging for food on the street.
"No one would come here to the clock tower." Zakior replied to Ana.
"I was just like them... Begging, stealing, selling my body, killing, etc... Then one day I was caught and branded as a slave." Zakior said looking down at the streets.
Ana sat beside Zakior.
"How are you, Zakior?" Ana asked him.
"I don't know... I always thought I wanted freedom. But now I question myself, did I ever want freedom for my self?"
"Inside some basement, hungry for food a young malnourished boy made a vow... A promise to himself! 'One day I will obtain freedom'. Now I look back to that day, ask the boy from my memories. 'How is it? You obtained freedom but why are you back here?'"
"Back then I was sold to the Ah'shif. She bought me not out of pity or your request but for a purpose of her own. Made me a guinea pig for her experiments of Tevittar medicines. I didn't mind my time at the Tevittar territory. In fact, I was happy because I left this hell called 'The Cage'! Later on, you helped me free from the slave contract and made me a free person. Finally, at last, I was free! Or so I thought I was free but wasn't."
"I found my self back at this hell, on my own volition."
"A voice on my head was nagging me, saying that 'you must obtain your freedom by yourself' So I participated in the arena to obtain my freedom. I earned my freedom. Yet, I kept on fighting and fighting and fighting! Still, I couldn't help but ask after freeing myself from this hell,"
"Why? Why do I keep coming back here? Why can't I convince myself that I'm free from the Cage's grasp. Why can't I move on from here?" Zakior turned to Ana with bloodshot eyes full of anger directed not to her or the cage but himself.
Ana hugged Zakior, she hugged him tightly comforting him.
"Because this is your home..."
There was a few moments of silence before Zakior spoke to Ana.
"Yes, this is my home and I never wished for my freedom. I made that vow, not for myself but this city."
Separating himself from Ana, Zakior turned back to the street.
"There were many times in history, this city was liberated from tyranny. Yet, someone sooner or later again destroyed the peace and brought hell back to this place. History always repeated. A saviour emerges, the city is free. Then calamity approaches, the city is doomed. I want to break this cycle of endless repeat!"
"This city is ruled by its people. The abyss or the outside world can't interfere. That's why it's chaotic in here. The order is corrupted. We need something that even after my time ends, this place doesn't come back to this state."
"Peace is an illusion." Ana stated hearing Zakior.
"I know! But if it comes down to it, it's better to choose the lesser of the two evils. Too much chaos gives birth to Anarchy, too much order gives birth to Tyranny. Just like this city, bordering between the two worlds. The Abyss world and the common world, belonging to neither. Like the current ruler of this city, ruling with too much order and chaos. Making this place hell on earth. I'm just like them but I'm not that extreme, sister! I just want this place to be a 'normal' place like the rest of the world. Make it far less hellish? I guess."
Ana sighed.
"How much control you have in here?" Ana asked Zakior.
"Not much, the 'Pit' is fully under my control. I have some lower wards under control too. With help from Cameron and Belial? We can take over 1/3 of the Cage."
Ana nodded before giving her thoughts.
"But we can't trust them. Belial is greedy! She will help you because it benefits her, but later? There is a higher possibility of her betraying you. Unlike Belial, Cameron is a man of his word. He will be neutral until you are out of the picture. Once you're gone, he will enter the fight to have the Cage under him. Cameron has much more influence than Belial. Belial is a rookie compared to Cameron. It hasn't been long that she rose to her power today. She was nothing but a cheap wh*re 5 years ago. Where Cameron has been building his influence for 20+ years."
Zakior nodded hearing Ana.
"How many people do you have that are completely loyal to you, people who will never betray to you?"
"A dozen. I can contest with the two of them but it's still not enough! We need more allies and people who are loyal to our cause. It doesn't matter if they are loyal to me or not, as long as they want the Cage to be a better place than what it is currently. I'm content." Zakior said to Ana.
They talked more about their future plans before shifting the topic to what they have been doing all these years.
Ana told Zakior everything about Nameless, Nyx and the others.
Zakior told Ana about himself.
After talking for hours, they went back to the inn.
Next morning, Ana and her group left the Cage.
Zakior will be handling everything here and send the materials to Ana when he has them.
He will also be sending the women Ana has purchased, in batches. To avoid the eyes of the wardens and the Abyss.
Zakior didn't join Nameless but the misfits agreed to give him an honorary title in Nameless at least.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Hyacinth_FS
Hyacinth_FS Here's the new chapter!
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
If there are any mistakes? Please, make a comment on the comments section or make a paragraph comment and let me know
Help me improve myself.
Like the novel so far? Then please, add it to the library!
[(4/5) Weekly chapters released.]
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone