Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 40: Free Man

"The Chief wants to talk to you."

Cedric blinked after hearing that. If he were to be honest, he wasn't expecting that at all. In his mind, he didn't think that he did anything that would warrant the Chief's attention so it was surprising that he'd want to talk to him now.

"Give me a moment." He replied nonetheless, still thinking about what prompted this all of a sudden.

The warden arrived as soon as he was done bathing by the creek, he wasn't even properly dressed yet so he asked for some time to clothe himself at least before going with him.

After changing into a fresh set of prisoner uniform, he stepped outside of the hut and nodded to the warden, who then led him toward the Chief's office.

On their way, he could feel his fellow inmates whispering about him. Normally, he would already know what that's all about but right now, his field of senses was off.

By 'off' he meant that it's suppressed to the bare minimum, almost to the normal levels. The reason behind this is to prevent sensory overload which could happen especially when he's exhausted.

He just got off from his Hell Dive after all, he hadn't had proper time to rest aside from his time relaxing in the bath. He's still relatively low on energy and he didn't want to overload his senses so he suppressed them.

The warden didn't follow him inside, he just motioned for him to enter, so he did. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the cold air within the office thanks to the AC, causing him to visibly relax.

He then saw the Chief, still waging war with paperwork on his desk. Smiling to himself, he knocked on the door despite being inside to catch the man's attention.

The Chief looked up at him and groaned. He then motioned, with his head, towards the chair in front of him. Cedric bowed slightly and made his way to his seat.

Just like before, the Chief doesn't seem too keen on talking to him right away. His attention was focused on the documents he was reading, sporting a deep frown on his face whilst he did so.

Cedric didn't mind that. He instead just relaxed inside the office and basked in the peaceful silence in there.

'I could fall asleep here...' He thought, fighting back a yawn.

After a couple of minutes, however, the Chief grunted out loud, catching his attention. He then signed the documents he was holding and placed them right next to a smaller pile on his desk.

It was then that the Chief finally regarded his presence by looking at him and asking:

"So? What are your plans now?"

Cedric blinked. Then he blinked again. He stared at the Chied, trying to process what he meant by saying those words but he couldn't.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me, brat! What are your plans now?" Chief Brightstone stressed.

Cedric was confused, obvious by the appearance of a frown on his face. He doesn't have any idea what the Chief is talking about.

"Don't tell me you...really? You haven't noticed it yet?"

"Sorry, am I supposed to 'notice' anything?" Cedric asked, still confused.

"Oh Lord, this is rich! Hah!" The Chief snorted in laughter. "And here I thought your senses were supposed to be sharp!"

Cedric frowned deeper as he carefully released his field of senses. He didn't release it at its maximum capacity, just enough to sense his surroundings. Still, even with that, he didn't discover what the Chief was telling him to 'notice'.

"I'm not—"

"On your nape, brat. See it for yourself." The Chief interrupted.

Cedric raised a hand to clutch his neck, he even warped his sight to see what the Chief was referring to, and when he did, his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh..."

"Yeah, oh..." The Chief droned, causing Cedric to feel slightly embarrassed for only discovering this now.

There on his nape, was the Monitoring Chip that is now releasing a vibrant green light.

Meaning that he, like all of those lucky ones outside of this forsaken place, had turned into a 'regular' person. One that no longer has to be worried about their monthly mandatory service because they could clear it just fine.

Realizing this caused Cedric to feel awed by the passage of time. As it turns out, this has been the 7th month since his life has changed.

For a refresher, someone who had been considered a 'Risk' — a person whose monitoring chip turned Red because of their constant failure to clear their Hell Dives, to recover their 'civilian' status, they'd need to clear their Hell Dives successfully for 6 month's straight, turning that chip to Green once more.

Cedric spent a month building his foundations after receiving his eyes. The month after that, he cleared his task and it continued until this very day, when his own Monitoring Chip finally turned green.

"No wonder I was receiving those stares..." He murmured loud enough for the Chief to hear.

"Right, 'cause what you achieved, in their eyes at least, was practically impossible. But seeing you with on, that myth was busted. Congrats, boy. You're a star now." The Chief snorted as he rested his back on his seat.

"But what do you mean when you ask me about my plans?" Cedric innocently asked.

"Are you fucking—!? Boy, do you not know what that green signal represents? No, that shouldn't be! You must be fucking with me!" The Chief was outraged.

"Uh...i-it turned green? Alright?" Cedric was still confused.

"Oh, Dear Lord! You are nuts!" The Chief looked at him in disbelief. "Seriously? You don't know? Or did you just forget? You know what, fuck it!

Whatever!"

"..."

"You're free, boy!" The Chief stressed out. Looking a bit miffed by having to constantly explain. "Green means you've regained your 'Civilian' status. You can now leave this place and be amongst your 'people'."

Cedric blinked. Then he blinked again. Then a rush of uncertainty flooded his mind, turning his thoughts chaotic.

"...well, shit! I can't believe I forgot about that." Cedric whispered, looking embarrassed even more so than before.

Right, out of all the things he forgot, it'd be this. He really wanted a hole to crawl into right about now.

For someone like him who used to say that he had a sharp memory, this was certainly embarrassing. How can he forget about this? Unbelievable!

Now that his Monitoring Chip has turned green, it means that he will be regaining his freedom soon.

He no longer had to be cooped up within these pesky walls. He could leave and rejoin civilization as a 'Free Man', living the kind of life that he had always wanted.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that he's now getting his second chance, or he could continue living after so long.

But instead of celebrating this idea, Cedric found himself stumped by this sudden freedom.

Second chance? What's that? Forget about receiving a Second Chance at life, he never had one to begin with! His life had been miserable since he awakened as a Superhuman, so what 'Chance' exactly are they talking about?

Continue living? Would it really matter where? All Cedric knew was within these walls. He'd been here since he was at the tender age of 15. This is all he had.

Plans? What plans? Hell, the reason why he didn't get it for the first time was because he was already convinced that he'd remain here for the rest of his life! Yet now, all of a sudden, the Chief calls him to his office and asks him what he plans now that he's a 'Free Man', how can he answer that?

'I-...what do I say to that?' Cedric mused inwardly, still shell-shocked from the sudden revelation.

He never thought this far to be honest. Again, he's been here since he was 15, completely convinced that he'd be stuck here for the rest of his life. Everything that he knew outside were things he saw and heard of online and on television.

To him, the 'Outside World' was almost a myth even though that's where he came from before ending up here. Even with his sharp mind, memories of his youth were already blurry to him, buried by the many memories of his despair and loathing about his situation.

He truly doesn't know what to think at the very moment...

"Well...I've seen this coming..." The Chief slowly sighed after seeing Cedric's reaction.

Deep down, he felt pity for the kid. He had read his file, memorized it, even. He knew that the kid had been here for years. He had already forgotten what it's like to be free. So now, faced with this foreign status, the child has no idea what to think of it.

"Oh well, in any case, I'm sure you'll figure it out. I already have your documents. You can only stay for three more days here."

The Chief didn't miss the sudden burst of anxiety emanating from Cedric, causing him to sigh inwardly.

"I...I can't stay here?"

"No, absolutely not."

The Chief's words were direct and final, causing Cedric's expression to crumble.