Chapter 1 THE RELEASE
ELIAS BARTON STOOD unmoving in the middle of the yard. The sun was scorching but grey, filtered through clouds and barbed wire.
A few minutes ago, Elias had been in the corner of the yard, resting his back against the wall and intent on keeping himself out of trouble. He could already feel the air grow heavy and tense, as if something was about to happen. And he had been right because the yard soon exploded into a riot. Guards were yelling, an alarm was blaring, and the inmates were screaming, but the violence was not subsiding.
The inmates had cornered someone against the wall, and from where Elias had been standing, he saw the flash of metal and a scream of pain. Immediately, everyone scattered, leaving the victim writhing in pain on the floor.
Elias looked at the pale, frail body and recognized it to be Leo Salvatore. The boy had the reputation from his uncle, who was a kingpin outside these walls, and had lots of enemies. But for all Elias knew, Leo was a very quiet and meek kid. This would definitely be the work of his uncle's enemies.
The guards finally got to the yard, using their batons to beat inmates aside as they rushed to the scene of the crime. Their faces paled when they saw who was lying in a pool of blood.
Elias began to walk into the hall and to his room, determined not to get involved with this, but the thick accented words of his master Chen Wei rang in his head. "You do not get to choose who deserves saving. You just save."
"Which one of you did this?" The head guard yelled, looking around at the men, who shuffled away, all looking at the floor.
If Leo died in prison, it would only bring more chaos from his uncle, who would seek revenge. Elias did not want more chaos in his already-chaotic life, and so, he found himself pushing through the crowds too till he got to where the body lay, breathing softly.
"Who are you?" The head guard barked at Elias. "Did you do this?"
Elias cocked his head indignantly without replying. He crouched and put a hand on Leo's neck, feeling for a pulse. "He has lost a lot of blood. His pulse is very weak," he noted.
Two guards immediately grabbed Elias's arms and pulled him away. "Get out from here inmate 124 or else you will be put in solitary confinement!"
"Please..." the writhing boy on the floor whimpered. His voice was weak. "Someone... help me..."
Nobody moved, and the guards still held Elias firm.
Then Leo, who had been groaning in pain, suddenly stopped.
"Did he... did he just stop breathing?" One of the guards gasped, looking from the still body of Leo to the head guard. The guard reached to pull the shard of glass from Leo's stomach but Elias pushed away from the grip holding him and grasped the guard's hand.
"Stop! Don't do that!" He commanded.
"What?" The guard snarled. "Can't you see that the glass is killing him?"
"You take out that glass... and he will bleed out on this floor," Elias said coolly. The guard shifted uncomfortably, he snatched his hand from Elias's, but did not make any attempt to pull out the glass shard from Leo's belly.
Elias looked around, wondering why the prison medical personnel had not arrived yet. The clock was ticking in his head, he looked at Leo and could barely make out the rise and fall the dying man's chest.
The doors to the main facility burst open but no medic stepped forward.
Elias knew he had to act. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch. It contained a secret. Something he had kept for years. It was a set of acupuncture needles. His master, Chen Wei's legacy.
The guards stared. The inmates stared. "What the hell is that?" someone muttered.
Elias ignored them. He positioned the needles carefully on precision points along Leo's abdomen around the injury. His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed the final needle into place.
For a moment, warmth spread through his palms. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, the heat of the afternoon, or something else
His fingers moved with practiced ease, guided by Chen Wei's teachings. Chen Wei had called it Qi. Elias had never known whether to believe him.
The old man had always insisted that the body carried an energy that could be guided through the right points. Elias had spent years dismissing it as another one of Chen's strange teachings.
But right now, with Leo bleeding to death beneath his hands, Elias wasn't questioning it.
A faint, golden light suddenly began emanating from Elias's palms. It was subtle, barely visible in the harsh prison light. But it was there.
He channeled internal energy into Leo's body. The Qi flowed through the needles. The bleeding stilled, pulling Leo back from the brink of death.
The head guard stepped forward, his face pale. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Elias didn't answer. The energy flowed through him, draining him, but he kept going, adjusting the needles. He could feel Chen Wei's presence like a whisper in the back of his mind.
Elias's teeth clenched, fighting his own consciousness to stop himself from blacking out. But he pushed through.
Leo's color returned. His breathing steadied. His eyes fluttered open. "I... I feel better," Leo whispered.
Elias sat back on his heels, breathing hard. His hands were no longer glowing. His face was pale with exhaustion. But he had done it. He stood up slowly, swaying slightly.
The guards rushed forward to grab him, but a voice cut through the chaos.
"Everyone out."
The Warden stood at the edge of the yard, his face cold and unreadable. He had been watching and he had seen everything. "Out!" he repeated. "Now!"
The crowd scattered, the guards hesitated, then obeyed. The medic stumbled away, clutching her unused bag.
Elias stood alone in the yard, Leo was still on the floor, but was looking more alive.
"Come with me," the Warden said. "Now."
The Warden's office was silent. The door closed behind Elias with a heavy click.
The Warden sat behind his desk, watching Elias with an unreadable expression. He didn't speak for a long moment.
"I've been Warden of this prison for over twenty years," he finally said. "I've seen men survive the worst this place has to offer. I've seen men break. I've seen men die." He paused. "But I've never seen anything like what you just did."
Elias said nothing.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
Elias was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "I had a teacher. Chen Wei. He was a doctor before he came here. He taught me everything I know."
The Warden's eyes narrowed. "Chen Wei. The old man who died last year."
"Yes." Elias nodded.
"He was more than a doctor, wasn't he?"
Elias didn't answer, because in all honesty, he did not know.
The Warden leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I have a... condition. No one knows. Not even my doctors. It's been killing me slowly for years. I've tried everything. Nothing works."
Elias watched him, waiting.
"I saw what you did to that boy. You can help me. I know it." The warden continued, his voice was pleading.
Elias was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke.
"What will you give me in return?"
