Condemned to Death (High Fantasy/ Anti-Hero)

The candle's flame flickered, casting long shadows on the orphanage walls. Madam Beth stood near the doorway, her sharp eyes scanning the room one last time.

"Not a single sound," she warned, her voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. "Or you'll regret it in the morning."

With that, she pursed her lips, stepped outside, and pulled the door shut with a deliberate slowness. The dim light vanished as she blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness.

For a few moments, silence hung thick in the air, save for the faint creaks of children shifting in their beds.

Nike let out a quiet breath. "Finally," he muttered.

Rosy, lying beside him, rolled onto her side. "You two noticed, right?" she whispered.

Samir shifted closer. "Yeah. Seren's still not back."

A pause. The three of them exchanged looks in the dark.

"He went for the ball, didn't he?" Nike said, frowning. "That was forever ago."

Rosy huffed. "You think Beth caught him?"

Samir bit his lip. "If she did, we'd have heard something by now. She'd be yelling her head off."

Nike sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Then what's taking him so long?"

Before anyone could answer—

Tap. Tap.

The sound was soft but unmistakable. All three froze.

Another tap.

They turned toward the window.

And there, in the moonlight, hanging from a tree branch just outside, was Seren—his usual calm smile in place, waving at them as if nothing were strange about the fact that he was dangling three stories high.

For a second, no one moved. Then—

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Rosy whisper-shouted, scrambling up so fast she nearly fell over.

Nike choked on air. "Is he insane?!"

Samir, wide-eyed, was already on his feet. "How did he even—?!"

Seren knocked on the window again, tilting his head.

Rosy snapped out of it first, rushing over. "Get in here before you kill yourself, you lunatic!" She fumbled with the latch and pushed the window open.

Seren's smirk widened. With practiced ease, he swung himself forward, slipping through the gap like a cat. He landed soundlessly on the wooden floor.

Nike grabbed his shoulders the moment he was in. "Have you lost your mind?!"

Rosy slapped his arm. "You're gonna get us all in trouble!"

Samir just stared, looking between the window and Seren, struggling to form words.

Seren dusted off his tunic like he'd just strolled through the front door. "Relax," he said smoothly. "I'm fine."

Nike threw up his hands. "That's not the point!"

Rosy glared. "You were gone for so long. We thought Beth caught you!"

Samir sat down heavily. "Seriously. What happened?"

Seren's easy expression didn't waver, but there was a flicker of something in his crimson eyes.

"We'll talk in a minute," he said. "But first…" His gaze swept the room where other kids were sleeping as well, before lowering his voice. "Let's move to the attic."

Nike frowned. "Why the attic?"

Rosy folded her arms. "Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?"

She studied his face, her teasing tone fading. "It's kinda creepy."

Seren didn't respond immediately. He just met their gazes one by one, his calm smile replaced by something unreadable.

That was enough.

Nike sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Man, I hate when you do this."

Samir swallowed. "This isn't another one of your weird speeches, is it?"

Rosy gave one last wary look, then sighed. "Fine. Attic it is."

Seren didn't say a word—he just turned toward the small wooden ladder leading up to the attic space.

…

Inside the attic, Rosy sat with her legs crossed, arms folded tight across her chest. "Alright, talk," she said. "And if this is about you stealing extra bread or some dumb story—I'm beating you up."

Nike flopped down beside her, stretching his legs. "Yeah, seriously, man. You made us sneak up here, so it better be good."

Samir sat closest to Seren, fiddling with a loose thread on his sleeve. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly. "You look… weird."

Seren was still standing. His expression calm. But there was something in his eyes.

"It's about the orphanage," Seren finally said.

Nike raised a brow. "What about it?"

Seren's voice was quiet. "It's not what we thought it was."

The others looked at each other.

Rosy groaned. "Oh my God, Seren. Can you not do that creepy buildup thing? Just say it."

Seren exhaled. "I was in the east building. I heard Beth and the old man talking." His crimson eyes flickered. "They're selling us."

The room went still.

Nike blinked. "...What?"

Seren's voice didn't waver. "We're not orphans to them. We're just things to be sold off. Some as servants. Others as slaves. And the rest… well you can guess"

Samir looked like someone had just knocked the air out of him.

Rosy's breath hitched. "No way." She shook her head. "No way. You're lying."

Nike let out a weak chuckle. "Dude. C'mon. That's—that's not funny."

Seren didn't laugh.

"...They said some kids were already sold. Some were eaten," Seren said. "For Law Beasts."

Nike flinched. Rosy covered her ears.

Samir's hands were shaking. "Stop." His voice cracked. "Stop talking."

Seren didn't. "One of the girls from House Five who got taken last time? She tried to run. They killed her on the second night."

Rosy's breath came out uneven. "I—" She swallowed thickly. "No."

Nike squeezed his eyes shut. "No way, no way, no way, no way—"

Samir whispered, "We—we would've noticed. Right? Right?" His eyes darted between them. "Right?!"

Seren sat down in front of them. He let them panic. Let them sink.

They had to feel it.

Despair.

The moment where the world they trusted shattered.

He let it stretch—let them break—just enough.

Then he spoke.

"We have to escape."

Rosy laughed—sharp, bitter. "Escape? Are you insane?" Her voice was tight, like she was barely holding herself together. "There's a wall, Seren! A big-ass wall! You think we're just gonna climb out?"

Nike wiped at his eyes aggressively, like that would make the wetness go away. "Forget the wall," he muttered. "Before we even get past it, the adults will catch us."

Samir curled in on himself. "And then what?" he whispered. "What happens if they catch us?"

No one answered.

Because they all knew.

Seren watched them. They weren't going to agree like this. Right now, they saw escaping as impossible. As something to fear.

'This wouldn't do. I need to give them hope'

He needed them angry.

"You're giving up already?" Seren asked, voice flat. "You'd rather throw away your aptitude?"

Rosy wiped her face roughly. "...What are you talking about?"

Seren tilted his head slightly. "I overheard something else." He paused. "All of us have the aptitude to become Lexarchs."

The shift was immediate.

Nike let out a shaky laugh—disbelieving, but hopeful. "Wait. Really?"

Seren nodded. "If we escape, we will become Lexarchs. That's not a dream. That's guaranteed."

The attic, once suffocating with fear, now felt lighter.

Nike exhaled, his eyes widening. "Does that mean… if–if we can actually escape—" His voice caught. "We could be Lexarchs?."

Samir swallowed, his small hands clenching into the fabric of his tunic. "Lexarchs," he whispered, almost afraid to say it too loud. "That means we'd have power. We'd never be hungry again."

"Those bastards!"

Rosy's voice trembled—not with fear this time, but fury. "They knew. They knew we could be Lexarchs and still—" She gritted her teeth.

Nike and Samir flinched slightly at her sudden outburst, but they didn't disagree. They simply nodded as if finally understanding the weight of it all.

Hope had pulled them from the pit of despair.

Seren said nothing. Just watched.

It was fascinating.

Moments ago, they were drowning in fear. In hopelessness.

Now?

Now, they were burning.

Hope was such a fascinating thing. It could turn weak children into something much more useful.

Seren smiled slightly.

'Of course, it's all a lie'

None of them had the aptitude to become Lexarchs. Only he did.

But he needed them.

The old man was a Lexarch. Escaping alone would be impossible. He needed more hands if he wanted to escape.

He needed them to believe.

And now they did.

His thoughts were interrupted by Nike, who turned to him, eyes sharp now. "How do we escape?"

Seren looked at them.

Rosy, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping the fabric of her pants. Nike, still wiping his face but angry. Samir, sniffling, but eyes filled with something steadier than before.

They wanted this.

Seren smiled.

A small part of him felt guilty.

Just a little.

But too bad.

His life was more important.