Sylas was surprised when Kai fell prostrate in front of him.
"Please, Master, don't leave me! I—I will do better, I promise!"
Sylas lowered his body, pulling Kai's shoulders to make him stand.
"Get up. You don't need to bow down to me."
Kai sat up immediately, looking up at Sylas. His eyes showed anxiety and fear.
"My leg is broken. I have many weaknesses. But I promise to serve you well. I beg you, don't throw me away. Please..."
His voice was so low, it was almost an incoherent mumble. But Sylas caught every word.
"Why? You are free. I'm not throwing you away—I'm giving you freedom. You can go wherever you want. You are not a slave anymore," Sylas said, cluelessly. Wasn't it every slave's dream to live free? Or was Kai afraid that he would be charged back the gold coins he gave to Omino?
Sylas continued, "You don't have to pay me. Think of it as my repayment for having the courage to fight those wolves."
Kai shook his head. He moved nervously. He had forgotten about the pain in his body. Freedom, in his head, was like a slave without a master—and it was terrifying living alone. It was worse than being under the training blast in Omino. At least, that was what the trainers always said.
That slaves shouldn't think about freedom, because it would be the same as suicide.
Kai didn't dare touch Sylas, but he tried to convince the man not to throw him away. He was sure it was because he had talked too much. If Jero were there, he was sure he would have been slapped a few times already. For that, he looked down, not moving from his spot.
Sylas looked at Alvaro, who shrugged, saying, "That's your problem!"
"We'll think about it later. Right now, I'm still taking you to the doctor." Sylas looked at Kai, who was still motionless.
"Kai! Did you hear me?" Sylas raised his voice.
Kai immediately looked up and nodded quickly. His heart pumped rapidly, remembering every scolding he had received at camp. The patterns convinced him that Sylas was not satisfied with him. But he didn't want to give up.
Sylas was worried to see Kai's condition. His body was full of dried blood. His face was haggard and pale. The visible wounds on his body seemed to turn blue, with blood sticking around them. If the slave wasn't treated immediately, the wounds would become infected.
Alvaro walked toward his horse.
"There is an old doctor near the inn. I already asked the innkeeper. We'd better go now," he said impatiently, as it was getting late, soon to be midnight.
"Let's go," said Sylas, inviting Kai to get on his horse.
Kai immediately followed, his movements stiff. His body trembled every time he moved.
Sylas stared at the slave every time he took a step. His left leg couldn't support him properly, making it difficult to balance his body. So even walking took him a long time.
Alvaro, on his horse, approached them. He saw how much effort Kai used to walk. He couldn't believe they hadn't given him a stick to help him.
When Kai was beside the horse, Sylas immediately got on his horse, reaching out to help the slave up. But the slave was frozen in place. His hands held the horse's reins, and he looked at Sylas, confused and scared.
"What are you doing?" asked Sylas.
Kai hurriedly pulled the horse's reins. The horse moved slowly.
Alvaro clucked impatiently.
"You want to walk like that? You'll die before you get to the doctor!" he cried. He tugged impatiently on the slave's arm, pulling him onto his horse.
Kai winced at Alvaro's roughness in pulling him. However, before he could catch his breath, the man was already on his horse. The horse whinnied before speeding off.
Kai screamed. His heart was almost ripped out, but luckily Alvaro held his stomach tightly. Otherwise, he might have been thrown off.
Sylas then caught up and moved faster in front.
Kai felt the cold night air hit his face. He had already experienced riding a horse with Sylas. However, this time he enjoyed it more, knowing that his life would last a bit longer—if Sylas didn't get bored of him soon.
His eyes wandered to either side of the tree-lined road. Only moonlight illuminated the path. The sound of horse steps echoed in the night silence.
Kai felt strange. It was as if his stomach was filled with many worms. But he was happy. This was the first time he had been away from Omino. He'd always wondered what the camps looked like out there. Were they the same, or much larger? And how were the slaves doing?
The thought excited and scared him.
They rode for a while. Kai saw camps that were oddly shaped and lined up in a row, then back into the forest, and then another camp was seen.
Only after passing through the next forest did Sylas reduce his horse's speed.
They were already in the village where they had spent the night. But they chose to go to the doctor right away, hoping the doctor would be willing to help them on a night like this.
Alvaro led the way this time. He headed toward a small house with a large yard. Then, he stopped there.
Kai looked curious. Was that the doctor's camp? In Omino, trainers and doctors had special places. But generally, the places were spacious and comfortable. While this place was small, it looked clean.
Kai's heart pounded, afraid they might send him to be taken down. But he kept quiet, not speaking.
Alvaro pulled on his arm and forced him down. This time, Sylas helped him. Kai preferred the gentle Sylas over Alvaro. His body felt crushed in Alvaro's hands.
"Be careful." Sylas caught him carefully.
Alvaro had already gotten down and was walking quickly toward the door. After a few knocks, a hunched old man came out. It seemed that the man was not surprised to see them coming.
"Come on in. I don't know why, but I thought you guys would come," the man said, asking them to enter the five-by-seven-meter house. There were no partitions or anything. Everything was in one room.
"How did you know we were coming?" asked Alvaro, probing. They had never met, let alone spoken. How did the doctor know?
The old man chuckled.
"There are many things you cannot explain."
He motioned for them to sit on the mat while he walked over to the table in the corner. He reached for a bowl.
"Take off your clothes," the doctor ordered Kai. This time, he picked up a small bucket.
Kai didn't wait for anything. Hearing the order, he immediately did so without hesitation. He took off all his clothes, dirty with dried blood. Even his skin peeled off as it stuck to his clothes.
Kai felt cold air hitting his body. The pain was overwhelming, and he didn't know what to feel at the moment.
Sylas quietly noticed the old scars among the dried blood. Just looking at it made him shudder in horror.
Kai sat still, completely motionless, his body trembling. He looked down. As the doctor cleaned his wounds, he tried not to cry out in pain. His hands clenched into white fists.
"Don't worry, you will be fine tomorrow!" the doctor said. Despite his age, his movements were dexterous. In an instant, Kai's body was clean of dried blood. Only the open wounds were painful.
"I'll apply a potion to your wounds. It will hurt, but the potion is very effective. Your wounds will dry quickly. So bear with it," the doctor explained.
Alvaro asked Sylas to go out for some air. He didn't want to see the treatment process. Sylas just said yes and followed the man out.
But in Kai's eyes, Sylas was about to leave him there. He stood up before the doctor could apply the potion.
"Sit down!" the doctor ordered sharply.
To Kai's surprise, he immediately sat back down. But his gaze was still directed outward. His chest beat very fast.
The doctor knew how to handle slaves. When he saw the marks on Kai's wrists and thighs, he knew the slave was from Omino. Omino slaves were notorious for being like dogs trained to follow orders.
"Your fate may be bad, but miracles are always with you. One day, when you are sure you can be free—when you can live without your master—run as far away as possible. Your future, only you can determine," said the doctor, applying some potion to Kai's gaping wounds.
Kai hissed in pain. It felt like incredible torture. Hot and stinging. He couldn't focus on what the old man said. His body shook violently. His skin burned.