It was the next day since the metalist managed to capture one of the rebels. Peyton wondered what was going on.

In his room, his parents talked together while Steel glanced outside. Their bodyguard looked more serious than before. He frowned a bit.

"Are you okay Steel?" Peyton asked nervously.

"Yeah. We got one of the traitors, but he managed to get close to you. I did notice his presence, but the very fact he was ready to act in this city is dangerous," the creature sighed. He let out a kind smile, "But you three are okay and that's all that truly matters."

"What's going on with that guy you captured?"

"He is being interrogated right now. That's all you should know," Steel didn't elaborate further. He frowned as he looked outside.

Peyton guessed he shouldn't pry in the matter. He guessed it wasn't pretty.

"We should eat something and then I'll make something for you Peyton," Judy suggested to them.

The three agreed and went for breakfast.

Chapter 57: The Strange Sound

Peyton quickly devoured his breakfast. He still wondered what happened to the prisoner. He wasn't certain what would happen to him. Still, he shouldn't voice his opinion. They tried to kill him and his parents. He crossed his fingers between two bites. He sighed quietly as he tried to distract himself from those thoughts. This wasn't the kind of situation someone his age should be in. At the same time, he was in Perim. He went through many things, but it wasn't someone deliberately trying to assassinate him or his parents.

He finished his breakfast, "Steel. What are we going to do today?"

"Hum… I have no idea. I think it might be best not to wander too far. The prisoner is in the castle and we shouldn't underestimate him. He could try to escape. They don't always know to stay in their place."

"What is Titanium doing about it?" Peyton's father asked.

"He is currently with the council. He won't take any action until he obtains something out of our prisoner. For now, the prisoner is quiet. He is surely highly trained and loyal to his cause. It might take many days before he cracks. I mean, he tried to…" he glanced at the parents of the boy. He didn't want to just say right out loud what the creature intended to do.

"Tried to kill himself?"

Steel nodded, "Yes. That. The spies and the other traitors we managed to find did that before. This is the first one we caught alive. We have no idea how much they trained to resist our ways of making them talk," he concluded with that. He dropped the subject of the prisoner.

"What would they do once he talk?" Thomas asked curiously.

"No idea," the metalist replied as he waved his right hand a bit. He scratched his chin, "Maybe I can show you something. Not sure if we can for now, I'll ask the king and I'll be back," he left the room.

The three looked at each other's. They silently decided that they didn't want to know what was going on with the prisoner.

Peyton looked through the window and thought of his friends. He wondered what they were doing right now. He could guess that they searched for him. He knew them enough that it would be the case. He put his hands together. He really missed them and his friends. He guessed that Theb-Saar surely was doing a lot to find him. Not because he was their guide, but because he was their friend. He had no doubt about it.

An hour passed and Peyton wanted to go outside, "I'm ready Steel!"

"Good. When you parents are ready, they can come with us wander around."

"I think I'll sit this one out. I need to watch over your mother when she is making clothes like that," he pointed at her focused on her task, "Because she might not notice anyone coming here," he let out a small smile.

His mother didn't say anything. She didn't notice anyone around them.

Peyton sighed, but he chuckled, "That's my mom. She doesn't sew that often," she crossed his arms and hummed to himself, "I'm ready."

The metalist gave a thumb up and smiled, "Me too," he opened the door, "Guards will watch you while I'm gone," he stood just outside of the room.

Peyton followed him. Once the two were outside, the door closed.

Thomas sighed quietly as he rested on the bed. He hoped that nothing bad would happen to Peyton. With the attack yesterday, he was a bit nervous about anything that could happen to them. He crossed his fingers and thought more, "We forgot about the metalists who wants us dead."

"Hum…" his wife replied without really listening to her husband.

The man chuckled as he relaxed a bit. He tried to push those thought on the side. He had to focus on the present. What happened yesterday already passed on. They had to focus on tomorrow. He frowned as he closed his eyes, "And we need to find a way back home," he didn't want his family to live with those creatures forever. Sure, many of them were kind, but many surely hated them. Not only that, but this wasn't their home. They kidnapped their son and them too. He had no idea what was in the brain of the king. Still, there was nothing he could do for now.

Peyton wandered in the corridor with Steel by his side. He looked around. The corridor was simple, just like before. They were a few electric lanterns and a few paintings. Those were of metalists he never saw before. None of them gave the king feeling on it. Maybe it was some important members who contributed a lot. The castle wasn't just for the king. He knew there was a lab somewhere, troops and other things.

"Be careful Peyton. You shouldn't go too far ahead," Steel warned him when he noticed the human walking a bit faster. He chuckled when the boy slowed down. He returned by his side, "Anywhere special you want to go? I'm almost 100% sure that we don't have any assassins within the wall of our castle," he joked a bit.

"Not really. I just want to wander around and… not think too much about my friends," he put his hands on his back, "I know them. I'm sure they are searching for me," he sighed quietly. He glanced at his friend, "I miss them," he raised his hands, "Please don't try to kidnap them. I don't want something like that again."

Steel laughed quietly. He put his hand over his face. He waited for a few seconds, until he was sure he wouldn't laugh more, "Don't worry. We won't do something like that again. I'm sure that they are ready to welcome us if we try something like that again," he chuckled a bit more.

Peyton heard something. It was a loud sound, but he had no idea what it was or what caused it, "Did you hear that?"

The metalist had a serious gaze. He looked at the boy, mouth close. He didn't want to say anything for a minute. He heard the scream once more, "Yeah. We shouldn't go that way," he pointed at the corridor. He also made sure to be in the way of the boy had the idea to explore it.

The human looked at the corridor. It was a bit eery. The walls looked normal, but the light was dimmer. There was a bit of black sticky stuff on the wall and the ground. He heard the cry again. He had a feeling that it might be the prisoner in the middle of the interrogation, "That's where he is right?"

"Yes. They are trying to make him talk. We shouldn't interrupt them," Steel replied as he put a hand on the shoulder of the boy.

Peyton didn't like this at all. The cry was one of pain and agony. If he just walked away, that wouldn't make him a good person. That was what his heart said. At the same time, Steel was in the way, making sure that he wouldn't try anything, "I.. I have to know what's going on there," the boy asked. He was a bit nervous. His heart beat louder. He felt a bit of sweat on his back. He knew that the tribes would do something like that to get what they wanted. The metalists weren't different from the tribes. He wasn't one of them.

"You better not. This is something that I don't really want to see for myself too. I rather not put anyone here, but the traitors are the exceptions," the creature implied that it might be worse than it seemed.

He heard the scream again. It seemed like the metalist who tried to kill him and his parents was in agony. Whatever was happening, it was something horrible and disgusting, "What's going on anyway?" he wised up and decided to not see it in person. His imagination told him it surely was bloody and gory. He wasn't a fan of gore anyway. He sighed quietly and waited for the answer.

"Well…" Steel scratched his neck. It let out a loud sound. Not enough to cover the next scream, "I did see it once, but I won't explain it. Just know that our interrogator hit where it really hurts. More than the physical result might show," he shivered. It was as if he imagined something like that happening to him, "Our king is good and wise Peyton, but he is merciless against his enemies and traitors. Never forget that," he gave a stern warning.

Peyton nodded. He knew he didn't see everything about Titanium. Still, this was worse than anything he could imagine, "And he let things like that happen?"

"Very few times. This is the first one in three solans. It is something that he uses as a last resort or when time if of the essence. This is a chance to stop them and he won't waste it."

"What do you think about that?" he asked his body guard.

"I…" he closed his mouth for a few seconds, "Maybe I'll tell you when we are away from here," he pushed the boy and they left. He didn't say anything until they couldn't hear the screams anymore. He sighed as he took a deep breath. He finally answered, "I really do not like it. I saw what is going there and I don't like it at all. Still, this is something that has to be done. I rather not be there or think about it. I'm not like her," he gazed back at the corridor they retreated from. He turned back to the boy, "It has to be done. That's what I think."

The teenager didn't like that answer. Still, he refrained from commenting on it, "Okay," he wanted to think of something else now. It was clear that the subject needed to be drop when he saw the way Steel looked at him. It was a plead to ask no more questions about it. Peyton had to admit that he wanted to focus on something else too now. Those screams were disturbing enough already. His friend also was disturbed by it, even if he didn't disagree with such action, "You have any cool places you haven't shown yet?"

"Not really. I do have the perfect place for me, but not for you."

"A bar or something like that?"

"Yeah," Steel was a bit nervous, "That will be later, when I'm on my own. Anyway, follow me. I think we should go on the roof," he walked away.

Peyton followed the creature. He still couldn't forget what he heard, but maybe he should just distract himself for now. One thing was clear, there was no way he would tell his parents what happened today.

AC: This is the end of this chapter.

Next: The Plan.

Maxxor formed a plan with Najarin to search and rescue Tom from the elementalist. Meanwhile, he also checked for intel about the metalists location.