36 Chapter 36: Test of the Hear (2/2)

I never hurt children. It was my policy. But I might have to break that rule.

It shouldn't be too hard to push the children out of the way. Create a tiny opening, then burst through. Then run into the forest. Hope that they won't be able to catch up.

But there was one problem.

Elina.

Any momentary gap I could create would only be large enough for one person to slip through. Which meant I'd have to leave Elina behind. And with her magic sealed, she'd be slaughtered by the villagers.

Which wasn't an option for me.

Why not?

I don't know.

I looked at her. She looked at me. In the end, she was in control. Even though her magic was sealed away. Maybe it had always been like that. From the moment I met her, I was inside her game.

I looked around. No way to win this.

If I fought, I'd die. If I freed Elina, I would probably die.

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ELINA: It's always interesting to watch a man in his darkest hour. What goes through his head, the depths of his heart revealed.

Usually the things he holds dear will fall away. Until only what is true remains. And the truth is usually ugly.

I've seen many men fall apart. What remains is a petty smallness at the core of their being. And it was always the same thing: survival.

Instinct in its rawest form.

Salem's eyes landed on the children in the front. A plan formed. It was easy. Push the children out of the way with a kick, create a gap, burst through. Leave me behind. Live another day.

Cutting your losses and prioritizing survival should be the natural conclusion. After all, if he died here, then any chance of helping Yulia would vanish.

I sighed. Maybe this was all there is to him. I'll watch him make his desperate escape.

But.

He looked at me. Something in his eyes changed. Some kind of frustration. A sort of self-mockery.

He said, ”Elina.”

”Hmmm?”

He reached into his pocket and took out a key.