55 I can be your son!

The closer they became to the wall, the higher it became.

Kai was no stranger to defensive walls. In his previous life, all animals had become giant monsters. The technology had advanced because of the virus-affected beasts' materials, but it wasn't enough to keep them all safe. To defend against a surprise beasts' rush, Essence Cultivators had built walls, so high that at their highest they kissed clouds.

All those walls pale compared to what Kai was seeing now.

From his right to left, there was nothing but the wall. If it curved somewhere, then the turn must have been miles away, hidden in the barren lands they had come out of. And it was high. High, yes. A giant beyond comprehension. It was just stones and dirt, but the pressure it gave Kai when he looked at him was as alive as anyone could be.

'There is magic in these stones,' Kai guessed, taking one step after another.

Ser Tussy, the silver-armored knight, hadn't been so quiet after their battle. He was jesting freely, cursing loudly, but most of the time, he was boasting of his battles. Not one thing in all his blabbers had been of any use to Kai. If the knight was keeping them from knowing about the city, then he was doing a fine job of it.

Wooooooooooo!

A loud, piercing call welcomed them. For the size of the wall, Kai found the gate too small. Yes, it was still high, arched and over a hundred feet, and half as wide. Yet, it still looked like an ant under a muddy-yellow sky. Because that was the color of the Wall, and it had been so for time-immemorial, as Morgan had told them.

'The guards must have spotted the knight for them to blow the horn,' Kai thought. He followed the destrier's tail like he had for the entire night. One more thing he had been doing was to stare at Morgan's face whenever he looked back. All the time, Kai had been matching his sad, misty eyes to that of the knight's without failure.

The sky was orange-pink of the morning, and the little skylight made the doors aglow like rippling waters. When the doors had opened into a slit, they stopped. Apparently, the gap was enough for the rider and the walkers to pass through them. Before marching into the city gates, Ser Morgan Tussy turned around and faced the 7 Contestants.

"In the coming days, you will know the reason you have suffered so much," the knight began. "I was standing at your place too, once. Not that it matters now. You will be distributed among the various units. No need to be overly worried about which unit is good or bad. They all are the best of the best. If any of you frogs can jump out of this well of a city, you can come to me on the 2nd Floor. Now, straighten your backs. I will not hear any mockery of the ones I have commanded."

Kai and others wanted nothing but to fall and melt into the ground. But they did as much as they could and walked into the door.

A sudden noise hit Kai's ears as if the entire world had come alive. They hadn't seen a single sign of life beyond the Wall, and this noise seemed to fill the gap all by itself. In just a single glance, Kai could see dozens of horse carts rushing left and right in the distance.

"Ser Tussy, what took you so long?" a voice came from Kai's right, addressing the knight. "The others had come and gone hours ago." He was a middle-aged man, with light brown hair and eyes of the same color. A pointy chin, and a pointier beard besides. He was lean and was wearing a leather jacket for armor. He smiled at the mounted knight, but Kai noticed a sign of apprehension too.

"Stuart," Morgan nodded, opening his visor, drops of sweat trickling down from his nose. "Your captain will be glad this time. These six should come in handy in the next major battle."

Stuart smiled back, turning his face to look at the almost dead men and a woman. And then his smile disappeared. "Cough! My Lord, there are seven of them," the man said. "You must have counted wrong."

Ser Morgan twisted his waist, his armor creaking from the action. With one hand, he reached out and grabbed Kai's shoulder. Kai could have tried to dodge, or worse, he could have attacked if he had the strength to do so. Instead, he found himself on the horse, sitting behind the knight.

"Are you calling me a liar now, Stuart?" Morgan asked coldly. "If I said there are six, then six they are."

Kai saw Stuart gritting his teeth, his bony cheeks failing to hide the bumps over his molars. Morgan and the other man stared at each other before Stuart suddenly laughed. "Haha! Yes, my lord," he said. "You are right. Now that I have looked again, there are six indeed. I've become old. Perhaps I should ask the captain to retire these old bones."

'A play of words,' Kai thought. He knew the man, named Stuart, had just threatened Morgan. But the knight just chuckled in reply and brought the destrier to a trot in no time.

Kai looked back and saw Stuart taking away the six Contestants. Then he forgot about them.

"Fa…" Kai opened his mouth but stopped. "Ser Morgan, where are you taking me?"

"What were you calling me before?" the knight asked, without looking back. "Tell me."

"Ah, that… I," Kai stuttered, showing a side unlike he had shown on the hill. "I was saying Father, my lord. Pardon me, but you two share almost the same face."

"Oh?" Ser Tussy replied. "And where was your father when you died?"

"He…" Kai clenched his fists. "He had already died, Ser. Killed by traitors."

A silence ensued Kai's angry, broken voice.

"What about your mother?" Morgan asked, breaking the silence, the horse following a muddy trail all the time.

"I never knew my mother, Fa… I mean, my lord," Kai bluntly answered. The moment he heard a sigh coming out of Morgan's mouth, he forced out a few tears and asked again, "Where are you taking me, Ser?"

"No need to worry, kid." The knight reined the destrier, bringing it to a stop. He looked back and whispered, "What kind of past you must have suffered to turn out like this? Sigh! I am taking you in my personal squad. You are too worthy for those shit-stained units."

Kai's eyes became misty, like two many-colored gems. He nodded at the knight and said, looking away, "Thank you, my lord. With you… with you, I can become a son again."

"Haha!" Ser Tussy chuckled, like the many times he had. He put a hand over Kai's head and ruffled his hair. "Consider me as your father. Now come let me treat you to a feast. You must be hungry, right?"

'Oh, I am hungry,' Kai thought, his lips holding back hideous grin. 'And you will soon find out that I have a man's appetite. Dear father!'