Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 171: The Death Of Innocence

Laesh gripped the rope tightly, his small hands wrapped in the makeshift cloth pads Tayiid had provided. The chants of the prisoners grew louder, echoing through the cavernous pit.

"Come on, Laesh! You’ve got this!" someone shouted, their voice breaking with raw emotion.

The crowd gathered at the center of the pit, their faces tilted upward as they watched the boy ascend. Even the smallest among them, too weak to stand for long, leaned on others for support, unwilling to miss what might be their only glimpse of hope.

Rhaegar stood rooted in place, his eyes fixed on his friend. Laesh’s small frame seemed almost fragile against the enormity of the task before him, but with each pull of the rope, his determination shone brighter. His golden eyes reflected the faint circle of light far above––the opening.

Freedom.

The rhythmic chants grew louder, reverberating against the smooth stone walls. Laesh climbed higher, the rope creaking faintly beneath his weight. His muscles strained, his breaths heavy but steady. He didn’t falter, didn’t look down. Every inch he gained seemed to light a fire in the hearts of those watching below.

"He’s really doing it," a voice murmured.

Rhaegar swallowed hard, his chest tightening with a mix of awe and disbelief. Laesh’s movements were precise, almost mechanical, as though he’d rehearsed this moment in his mind a thousand times.

Far above, the guards began to notice.

"What’s going on down there?" one muttered, leaning over the edge of the pit. His voice carried a hint of annoyance, but as his eyes fell on the scene below, a smirk spread across his face. "Ah, another climber. Let’s see how long this one lasts."

Within moments, more guards gathered at the edge, peering down with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"Bet you five coins he doesn’t make it halfway," one of them said, chuckling.

"He’s already halfway, idiot," another pointed out, his grin widening.

Laesh kept climbing, oblivious to the guards’ chatter. He was close now. The light above seemed to grow brighter, closer, tangible.

Rhaegar’s heart pounded in his chest. His fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. A small voice in his mind whispered the unthinkable: He might actually make it.

But as hope surged through the pit, the mood above suddenly darkened.

One of the guards stepped forward, his smirk twisting into something cruel. He unsheathed a knife from his belt, its blade glinting in the faint light.

Rhaegar saw it instantly. His stomach dropped.

"No..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The guard crouched at the edge of the pit, his fingers curling around the rope. His grin widened as he looked down at Laesh, who was still climbing, still believing.

"Say goodbye to your dreams, little monkey," the guard sneered.

And then he sliced the rope.

The moment stretched into eternity.

The rope jerked violently in Laesh’s hands. His golden eyes widened in shock as he realized what had happened. His grip slipped.

Rhaegar’s world slowed. For a long, almost never-ending moment, he thought he had gone deaf.

Laesh’s body seemed to hang in the air for a brief, terrible moment before gravity took hold. He plummeted toward the stone floor below, his small frame twisting helplessly in the air.

The cheering stopped. A collective gasp filled the pit, sharp and deafening in its silence.

"No!" Rhaegar’s voice finally broke free, but it was drowned out by the sickening sound of Laesh’s body hitting the ground.

The crack of his bones echoed through the pit, louder than the cheers had been.

Laesh lay motionless on the cold stone floor, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles, blood pooling beneath him, dark like plum wine.

For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke. The air itself seemed to freeze, heavy with shock and despair.

Then, chaos erupted.

The younger boys rushed to Laesh, their small hands reaching out, their voices frantic and panicked. "Laesh! Get up! Please, get up!"

Tayiid shoved through the crowd, his massive frame scattering the others. "Move!" he barked, his voice sharp and commanding. He dropped to his knees beside Laesh, his hands hovering uncertainly over the boy’s broken body.

Rhaegar didn’t move. He simply couldn’t. His legs felt like they’d turned to stone, his breath caught in his throat. His amber eyes stayed locked on Laesh, but his mind refused to process what he was seeing.

Tayiid pressed his fingers to Laesh’s neck, searching for a pulse. The silence that followed was unbearable.

Finally, Tayiid looked up. His piercing orange eyes met Rhaegar’s, and with a slow shake of his head, he delivered the unspoken truth.

Laesh was dead.

The world tilted around Rhaegar. His knees buckled, and he sank to the ground, his hands trembling as they clenched into fists. His heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest, the pain sharp and all-consuming.

’I will kick your ass when I meet you again out there!’ The boy’s voice continued to repeat those words in his head over and over, making Rhaegar’s head spin. Nausea overwhelmed him and crouching down on all fours, he started vomiting, tears rolling down his hollow cheeks.

Above them, the guards erupted into a manic laughter.

"You fools!" one of them called down, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think he’d make it? You’re all just rats in a cage. You’ll never escape this place!"

The others joined in, their cruel laughter echoing through the pit like a haunting melody.

Rhaegar barely heard them. His gaze shifted upward, locking onto the face of the guard who had cut the rope. The man was still grinning, his knife dangling carelessly in his hand.

Rhaegar’s vision blurred, not with tears now, but with unbridled rage. His chest heaved as his breathing quickened, his entire body trembling.

’I will never forget that face,’ he vowed silently, his amber eyes burning with fury. ’Never.’

The laughter of the guards continued, but it only fueled the fire growing inside him. He tore his gaze away from the guard and looked back at Laesh’s lifeless form.

"I’m sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I’m so sorry."

Around him, the other boys began to sob quietly. The hope that had momentarily lit up their hollow eyes was gone, snuffed out as brutally as Laesh’s life.

But in Rhaegar’s chest, something ignited.

It wasn’t just anger or grief. It was a promise.

Laesh’s dream wouldn’t die with him.

’You wanted freedom,’ Rhaegar thought, clenching his fists until his nails dug into his palms. ’And I promise you, Laesh––one day, I’ll make it out of here. For both of us.’

That was the moment his entire world collapsed. He had lost everything––his first friend, first hope, his innocence.

That was the moment when he realized he had grown up.