We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.

Zane believed in forgiveness as well.

But only when the bad deed happened to him.

When it came to his sister, he would gladly be hated by the family of the man whom he killed because he hurt Milo.

Zane had four conditions and three of them he asked for himself and his mission, but the last condition.

Last condition he posed straight out of malice, hatred and rage.

The condition being...

"I want him dead."

And by him Zane meant none other than Kairon. The Enforcer.

Out of all the sufferings Milo went through in her life, Kairon topped all of that.

He made her bleed.

He hurt her.

He threw her.

He made her believe Zane died.

Not to mention the trauma Milo would carry from this day onward. She was already afraid of uniforms and now she would be terrified of them.

In return for such suffering, death was the reasonable cure or revenge.

But placing a condition and it being accepted were two different things.

Xavier, Hena, Tesla, Jammy, the gutterborns, everyone was okay with it.

But their okay meant nothing.

The only okay that would be valued belonged to the Emberlord.

And the man gave his verdict.

"That is not possible."

He refused the condition.

"Yes! I am not someone who will die just because a filth asked for it!" Kairon barked.

His leg gave him hell but he would not just accept his death.

Zane glared at Coin.

"Why is it not possible?"

"It’s just not."

"It’s my condition."

"That may be true. But it has nothing to do with the finding of relic. That’s just your personal wish, Zane Atlas."

"I will not find the relic unless he is dead."

"Then you shall be called a thief and the people won’t let you and your sister live peacefully."

"Then you will also be called incompetent and careless, emberlord. You will also lose your job if the original relic isn’t found. You would be the one to lose it. It wasn’t of any use to me anyway."

The Emberlord closed his eyes for a second and then opened them.

"Yes. I might be called careless. But for my safety, I can’t allow an Enforcer to be killed. He was just following orders. And if he dies right now because I accept your condition, the Discipline Sentinels won’t like it. It’s better to lose your job than to deal with them."

Kairon laughed.

Zane bit his lip.

"However," The Emberlord added. "If he were to meet with an accident and die, then no one can do anything. That’s how life works after all."

Jammy smiled.

Kairon frowned.

"What are you saying, sire?"

"Anything else?" Coin asked Zane.

He ignored Kairon and the gutterborn might not be literate but he could read between the lines.

The Emberlord might say otherwise but the man also didn’t want to lose his job and be called incompetent.

"No. That’s all. But fulfill them fast." Zane said, making sure not to say anything more than necessary.

The Emberlord nodded.

His hands were behind his back but after Zane’s conditions ended, he brought them forward.

"Consider it done."

He stretched both his palms outwards towards Zane and Milo.

Milo was again sleeping or unconscious, coiled around her brother’s chest and Zane’s broken leg stayed lifeless but not numb. The pain reminded him he still had his leg.

From Coin’s palms, came out blinding blue light as it fell on both Zane and Milo.

Zane wasn’t sure if the light would help him as it was Coin himself who broke Zane’s leg. He might try to harm him again.

But as Zane felt coldness rushing inside his body and his mind turning calmer every passing second, his trust grew.

He closed his eyes, soaked in the light and then...

CRACK!

Another bone snapping sound came and Zane’s eyes shot open.

A sharp stung happened in his knee and when he saw it, his brows shot up.

His knee snapped back to its place.

His right leg healed.

"Erghh."

Milo’s voice came and Zane beamed seeing her face wasn’t blue anymore.

Her body wasn’t hot as well.

Her cold, her bleeding, everything healed.

Zane and Milo both were out of pain.

"Throw some light here too!"

Someone shouted.

Zane shook his head.

The Emberlord sighed.

And so did everyone else present in the Cathedral.

They knew the voice by now.

They recognized it right away.

The Emberlord didn’t even bother.

He shifted one of his palms at the owner of the voice.

"Thank you. You will die last."

Coin said nothing and gave Xavier enough light to make him stand on his feet.

After Xavier, he again showed the palm to Zane and Milo.

"You can stop now." Zane said.

The Emberlord nodded.

He retracted his palm from the siblings.

Zane then tried to stand up and with no problems, he did it.

Coin nodded and reached out his hands towards Zane again.

Zane didn’t flinch as he knew what Coin was doing.

The Emberlord held the chains around Zane’s neck and body and just like how he chained him, he unchained him once more.

As the chains went off, Zane’s body became feather.

He never felt the lightest like right now.

Milo was still around his chest but after the removal of chains, he placed her down.

"Don’t say anything." He said and Milo nodded meekly.

Seeing Zane standing free and tall, Kairon didn’t feel right.

"Can I get the healing too, sire?"

"Flamekeeper!" Coin shouted.

His voice echoed in the Cathedral and the priest that stayed in the corner of the stage the entire time, dashed towards the Emberlord.

"Don’t come here. Listen to me from there only."

The Priest stopped and stood straight.

"Bring two pairs of clothes for Zane Atlas and his sister. Two pairs of shoes, socks, hats, coats, everything. Store them inside the Flame Ring. Fast!"

"Yes. Yes. Right away."

The Priest went inside the room near the stage and Zane watched the Emberlord closely.

He didn’t answer Kairon.

He didn’t even register his question.

Is he angry at him? Or does he already consider him dead?

Zane didn’t know and he couldn’t think further as the door slammed open and a panting priest came out.

He stopped in front of Coin and Zane saw an orange ring resting on his open right palm.

The Emberlord picked it up and gave it to Zane.

Zane took it and wore it on his right hand’s middle finger like the ring it was.

"Everything is inside it?" Zane asked as that was his best guess.

Coin nodded. "Yes. Flame Rings are designed to carry many items inside it."

Zane heard about it for the first time.

Nevertheless, his two conditions were met.

It was time for another one.

For the next one, the Emberlord turned towards the audience and in his loud voice, announced:

"Those who want to join Zane Atlas in his mission, are free to go with hi—"

Coin paused.

He stopped talking.

Not because he forgot what he was saying.

But because he didn’t need to say anything.

Before the Emberlord could even finish his words...

"I am with him."

"We are with you."

"Count me in."

People went to stand with him on their own.

Zane Atlas became their leader.