Chapter 230: Escape for two

Sakura shot him a withering look. "It was toxic from the start," she admitted. "We were too young, too angry at the world. We pushed each other to take bigger risks, to be more ruthless. And for a while, it worked. We became the terror of Lumina's underworld."She paused, her expression darkening. "But then we caught the empire's attention."

Zafron leaned forward, intrigued. "I'm guessing that's where things went south?"

Sakura nodded. "One day, we bit off more than we could chew. We tried to rob an imperial convoy. That's when we met him. Officer Steele."

"Officer Steele?" Zafron echoed, the name unfamiliar to him.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't know about Steele? He's infamous! The empire's most ruthless enforcer. He's the reason we ended up down here in the Undercity."

As Sakura delved deeper into her story, describing their capture and subsequent exile, Zafron found himself hanging on every word. He interrupted occasionally, asking for clarification or expressing disbelief at particularly outrageous parts of the tale.

"So, you and Draco ended up here together?" Zafron asked, trying to piece together the timeline.

Sakura nodded, a shadow passing over her face. "For a while, yes. We tried to keep what we had alive. But the Undercity... it changes people. Or maybe it just brings out who they really are."

She fell silent for a moment, lost in memories. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Draco became obsessed with power, with climbing to the top of the Undercity's hierarchy. And me? I just wanted to survive, to find a way to live with what we'd become."

"And that's when you developed your... unique talents?" Zafron asked, gesturing vaguely at her hands.

Sakura looked down at her fingers, flexing them slightly as if expecting claws to sprout at any moment. "That's... complicated," she said. "Let's just say the Undercity holds many secrets, and not all of them are pleasant."

As she concluded her story, Zafron sat back, his mind reeling from the information overload.

"Well," he said finally, a lopsided grin spreading across his face, "I have to say, Sakura, you certainly know how to keep a guy interested. Though next time, maybe we could skip the part where I get hit in the head with a magic wrench?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, the sound breaking the tension that had built up during her tale. "No promises," she said, a hint of her usual spark returning to her eyes. "Trouble seems to follow me around."

"Funny," Zafron replied, his grin widening, "I could say the same thing about myself."

As they sat there, trading quips and sharing tentative smiles, Zafron couldn't help but feel that something had shifted between them. The night's revelations and shared battle had forged a connection, tenuous but undeniable.

'Well, Calista,' Zafron thought as he prepared to leave, stealing one last glance at Sakura, 'I'd say this evening turned out to be quite... enlightening.'

[Indeed, my lord,] Calista replied, her tone amused. [Though perhaps next time, we could aim for a slightly less perilous form of bonding? A nice game of chess, perhaps?]

As Sakura's tale came to an end, an awkward silence settled over the room. She shifted in her seat, seemingly unsure of what to do next. Finally, she stood up, smoothing down her clothes.

"Did you, uh, want something?" she asked, her tone betraying her unfamiliarity with playing host. "I'm not sure what I can offer. It's not like we have coffee down here."

Zafron couldn't help but smile at her discomfort. It was oddly endearing to see the fierce fighter so out of her element.

"I'm good, thanks," he replied, watching as she shrugged off her jacket. Her long, braided pink ponytail swung with the movement, catching the dim light.

"You know," Sakura said, clearly grasping for a topic, "your slime powers seemed pretty under control tonight. Not at all like what I saw in the fight pit."

Zafron shrugged nonchalantly. "Got a bit of an upgrade, you could say."

[Smooth, my lord. Nothing says 'trust me' like vague allusions to mysterious power boosts.]

Ignoring Calista's commentary, Zafron decided to change the subject. "Hey, Sakura, since you've been down here longer... has anyone ever tried to escape? You know, back to the surface?"

Sakura's expression turned somber. "Most people know the score by now. This place... it's a prison, yeah, but it's also become home. Raxus takes care of us, and in return, we're loyal to him. It's just how things work down here."

Zafron noticed a flicker of something in her eyes - doubt, perhaps? Or longing? He couldn't quite tell.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked softly.

To his surprise, Sakura shook her head. "No," she said, but there was a hesitation in her voice that made Zafron raise an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Sakura sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm a realist, Zafron. What are the chances of actually escaping? Zero. This place was created by the empire's best magic users. Breaking out would be like...

like trying to escape the afterlife. It's impossible."

The hopelessness in her voice was palpable, and Zafron felt a sudden urge to comfort her, to promise her that when he found a way out, he'd take her with him. But the words stuck in his throat. Even he wasn't sure about his own escape yet.

Instead, he stood up, offering her a small smile. "Well, I should probably get going. We've got practice tomorrow, after all. Draco's ass isn't going to kick itself."

Sakura snorted, a hint of her usual fire returning to her eyes. "True enough. Try not to get your ass handed to you again, okay?"

"No promises," Zafron grinned, heading for the door. As he stepped out into the Undercity's perpetual twilight, his mind was already racing. He needed to find Hector, to revisit their escape plans. And his flying cart... well, that was a whole other problem.

[Quite the eventful evening, my lord,] Calista chimed in. [Though I must say, your exit could use some work. Perhaps next time, try for something a bit more dashing than 'Draco's ass isn't going to kick itself.'] Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

'Hey, I thought it was pretty good,' Zafron thought back, chuckling to himself as he made his way through the winding streets. 'Besides, we've got bigger things to worry about now.'

As he walked, Zafron couldn't shake the image of Sakura's face when she talked about escape. Despite her words, he had a feeling that deep down, she wanted out just as much as he did. And somehow, someway, he was going to make that happen - for both of them.

As Zafron made his way back to his own, significantly less impressive lodgings, he couldn't shake the feeling that his life in the Undercity had just become a whole lot more complicated - and infinitely more interesting.

*****

**Author's note **

Been a while I did this...

First off, I'm sorry for the wierd and inconsistent updates. Wasn't myself but I'm back to normal now, I think? Lol

Anyways, I'm here to at least try. I'm feeling not so motivated at the moment but here's what I think might work.

Someone give me a challenge to complete...please. Anything!

Lol