A few meters away from the prison, Altair crouched low behind an alley, his breath caught in his throat as a deafening explosion lit up the night sky. His wide eyes reflected the roaring flames now engulfing the entire prison structure. The heat licked at his skin even from this distance, and the shockwave had nearly thrown him off his feet moments after he activated the talisman.
It had all happened so quickly. He had watched, hidden in the shadows, as a man in a white robe—not a soldier—Stopped outside the prison alongside the very same soldier—a prison guard who had previously assured him of a so-called "arrangement"; Altair instinctively held his breath, afraid he would be discovered.
The aura of the strange man immediately gave him away as an Awakened. A strange sense of dread settled over Altair the moment they arrived. He could tell they were not here for anything good.
Fortunately, he had been cautious. He had already taken a potion to mask his presence. If people later discovered he was not in his cell—and if it turned out someone had indeed arranged something for him—he could just claim he had escaped out of fear for his life. After all, he wasn't imprisoned for any crime, merely detained for investigation. As for how he got out, he could always make something up.
But when he witnessed the robed man kill the soldier in cold blood, he almost patted himself on the back for his caution. That man had clearly come with malicious intent. Even with everything in his arsenal, Altair knew he couldn't have reacted fast enough to defend himself. That man killed the soldier in an instant.
Initially, Altair had intended to simply act as though he wasn't in the room. But now, he suspected that this person was one of the Awakened sent by the government—and that he had specifically been targeted. Why else would someone like that come straight to his cell? The only conclusion he could come up with was that the man came to kill him.
Yes. Kill him. The hostility he felt when the man arrived confirmed it.
If this man had come all the way here to assassinate him, then he wasn't just his enemy—he was an enemy of the town itself.
That's when Altair made up his mind to expose the man's existence. Since he had come to kill him, Altair wouldn't let him escape if there was even the slightest chance to stop him.
They were after him now. There was no guarantee he'd survive the next attempt.
Altair watched, frozen, as the robed man turned on the soldier who accompanied him, ending his life with swift, brutal efficiency.
Had he stayed in that cell… he would've been next.
Altair's hand trembled as he pulled out the Red Talisman—a Fire Burst Spell. He wasn't sure if he could take the man down, but at the very least, he could expose him. The talisman was said to be explosive in nature—it should be enough to draw attention. If he could alert the town, they might be able to identify the man, track down his origin, or even prevent further attacks. It would be even better if they managed to kill him—so that no one would come after Altair again.
Without hesitation, he activated the talisman, directing it toward the awakened individual, and immediately used a Teleportation Talisman to escape. He reappeared in a narrow alley just a short distance away—far enough to avoid detection, or so he hoped. But the moment he materialized, the explosion roared behind him like a beast unleashed. The shockwave slammed into him like a hammer, sending him stumbling to the ground. Scraped and breathless, he caught himself and turned toward the prison.
The building was now a towering inferno.
Sweat trickled down his brow, not from exertion, but from the intense heat—and the realization of what he had just done.
Then came the sound.
Ding—
[You have gained 500 Kill Points.]
Altair stared at the system notification in disbelief.
Did that man… die?
—-
Minutes after the explosion, Grayson, Tanti, Allie, and Thilde arrived at the scene, flanked by the Mayor and a contingent of soldiers. Flames still licked the sky, casting an eerie orange glow across the town. The prison stood like a cursed monument, its windows belching smoke, the fire crackling like the growl of a beast.
Weapons drawn and eyes sharp, the group surrounded the perimeter.
The Mayor's voice boomed above the chaos. "Put out the fire immediately!" His jaw was tight, lips pressed into a thin line. He looked shaken—more than that, deeply disturbed. They've already made their move… but why did they target the prison? What do they mean by this?
He stared at the burning structure with furrowed brows. Shouldn't they have targeted the government office building instead? Did they make a mistake—or is this something else entirely?
Captain Yumir stepped forward, face hardened by duty. "Soldiers, split up—one group to the fire, the other to control the crowd. Check for any casualties in the surrounding area."
He turned back to the Mayor with a grave expression. "The explosion was massive. The force used here is at least ten times greater than the government's cannons. Mayor, is it possible the Dawn Order has obtained a new weapon? Something even more powerful?"
The Mayor's eyes widened, his throat tightening. "That would be… catastrophic."
Tanti, his brows dark with concern, stepped closer, scanning the ruin with a narrowed gaze. "That blast… If I had been inside, even as an awakened, I'm not sure I'd have survived it."
He turned to Thilde. "Check the area. This doesn't seem like a cannon blast. The explosion happened inside. If it was planted… then there might be more elsewhere."
The words sent a ripple of fear through the soldiers and nearby townspeople. Murmurs rose, and a few staggered back, pale-faced.
"You're saying—there could be more of this explosive?" someone gasped.
The Mayor's face turned ashen. He clenched his fists tightly. If explosives were planted across the town… and he missed it… "This could be my failure," he muttered, eyes darkening. If even one more goes off, the entire town is at risk.
He was about to shout new orders when Thilde stepped forward. She was silent for a moment, her sharp gaze locked onto the prison. She activated her ability—her eyes glowed faintly, scanning through the flames and charred walls. Her ability lets her see through objects—through skin, bone, and stone. She had been deployed specifically to identify members of the Dawn Order, especially those affected by their twisted experiments. Emett had been one of them. And when news of a new base reached their ears, Thilde herself had requested to come.
"I've scanned the entire building," she said, her voice steady but troubled. "There's no residual evidence that it was caused by a conventional explosive. The fire is strange—magical in nature, burning hotter than usual. I saw two corpses inside. One was headless, and the other…" She hesitated. "…was an awakened."
Gasps spread through the group like wildfire.
"Another awakened?" Grayson stepped forward, his usual laid-back demeanor gone, replaced by a serious frown. "Mayor, is there someone else in the town you didn't tell us about?"
The Mayor's voice was firm, if shaken. "No. Aside from the four of you, only Rither and Galeal are officially registered."
Tanti's gaze darkened further, his thoughts racing. "Then this one might've been an enemy. But there were only two corpses inside… Who set off the blast? And why this location? Was it a dispute between them? The fire also had a hint of magic. The person who set this prison aflame should be an awakened. But what was their purpose for doing this?" He turned sharply to Captain Yumir. "What's special about this prison?"
Yumir shook his head, sweat glistening on his brow. "Sir, the prison was supposed to be empty. I ordered the relocation of all prisoners earlier. There's nothing special about it—no tunnels, no hidden passageways. I apologize, but I can't think of anything that might have caused them to enter it.
Silence fell over the group, broken only by the sounds of crackling fire and frantic footsteps of soldiers dousing the flames with water.
The investigation yielded no immediate answers. One body was confirmed to be a soldier, but the other—a mysterious awakened—remained unidentified. The tension in the air thickened.
The town was thrown into high alert. Patrols doubled. Soldiers inspected every alley, rooftop, and basement. Whispers of fear spread like disease.
And amidst the chaos triggered by the talisman's explosive might…
Altair had quietly slipped in with the group of prisoners who were being escorted, and no one noticed anything strange about his presence. The effect of the invisibility potion had already worn off, the group was filled with panic, making it easy for him to blend in and he managed to join the others unnoticed.
Cold sweat clung to his back as he recalled the might of the explosion. He was still shaken. Fortunately, he had escaped just in time—any later, and he might've died by his own hand. He made a mental note never to underestimate the power of the items given by the system again.
He also swore never to use the red talisman recklessly. Unless it was a matter of life and death, it would remain stored safely in his system space.
Altair was also thankful that the building had already been emptied out and the prisoners relocated. If not, he might have ended up a murderer.
This time, luck had been on his side.