Sebastian waited in his dimly lit shop, fingers tapping against the counter. It was always the same—the hopeless crawling through vents, desperate to trade whatever scraps they had for his overpriced supplies. He smirked at the thought, knowing the cycle would continue.

Then came the familiar clunking in the vents. He braced himself, ready for the usual ragged convict. But something was different this time. The figure that emerged wasn’t the typical prisoner. Instead, a small, fragile form slipped out of the vent—a child?

Sebastian’s smirk faded into a frown. A child in this godforsaken place? What in the world was Urbanshade playing at? He cursed the organization under his breath, slithering closer with his serpentine body. His blue scales shimmered faintly in the dim light as he moved. He expected the child to react with fear—his appearance wasn’t exactly comforting, especially to a kid.

But the child didn’t run. Instead, they remained still, their small head turning from side to side as if searching for something. Their hands reached out, grasping at the air with uncertain movements. It took Sebastian a moment to realize what was happening—the child wasn’t scared because they couldn’t see him.

His sharp eyes narrowed as he studied them more closely. The vacant gaze, the hesitant, aimless movements—this wasn’t just any child. This was one of Urbanshade’s experiments, one he had freed earlier, hoping against hope that they’d somehow escape this wretched place. And yet, here they were, standing in his shop.

Sebastian’s voice softened, though it kept its usual roughness as he addressed the child. “Hey… you small thing. What are you doing here?”

The child didn’t respond right away. Their head tilted slightly at the sound of his voice but didn’t lock onto it. Sebastian felt something strange—a tug of sympathy he wasn’t used to feeling. He cursed Urbanshade again, his usual sarcasm fading into quiet frustration. This child should’ve never been here in the first place, yet somehow, they had survived.