"Please! It wasn't any of my doing! They were fine and then the next moment it just changed like that." Priestess Ana shouted firmly.
The man paced back and forth trying to make up his mind. He had risked his life and position to save Priestess Ana as a favor for Chauvir. But if he was implicated in this matter, he would surely lose everything that he had worked so hard for. He furrowed his brows from the complicated matter.
"Sir Presian."
An indifferent voice rang through the cellar. A few distance behind them stood Lord Dansa with the same nonchalant face. This whole ordeal didn't seem to faze him at all, in fact he seemed delighted to take note of the special relationship between the two.
"To what pleasure do I owe you, Dansa?" Sir Presian asked.
Though the two have interacted several times before, it was usually just formal greetings. Taking a couple steps forward, Lord Dansa puts a hand on Sir Presian's shoulder. Confused by the sudden closeness of Lord Dansa, Sir Presian flick his hand away.
As Lord Dansa muttered something, Sir Presian's eyes widened. Their talk takes a couple of minutes with Sir Presian leaving quickly. Lord Dansa observes the girl within the cell seeming to have realized something.
The Priestess pedaled backward, seeming to be a bit afraid of the man in front of her. There was no reason as to why he had helped her back there. Despite wanting to pursue that matter, she hesitates in fear. Ana remains by the side of the cell, keeping to herself in the best.
"Why did I help you? I wonder." He stood by the cell door, muttering to her.
Her eyes glimmered with hope as she hears her mother tongue being spoken. She crawled over to him in desperation. He was one of her people, if she can just get him to help her.
"I don't know why you helped me but please! Save me! I don't want to die."
Kneeling, Lord Dansa clasped his hands together, thinking to himself. The Priestess grabbed onto his foot holding it as tightly as she could to herself.
"Whatever you want me to do! I'll do it! Please!"
Pretending to think for himself, he glanced at the face of the young Priestess and back to his own hands. He gently took the priestess's hand and held it.
"I'm not asking for much. Just tell the world, Elio's coming." He smiled.
The Priestess's face changed instantly. Sensing that she was hesitating, Lord Dansa squeezed the hand in his palm tightly. Priestess Ana's face twitched in pain as she tried to get her hands out of his grasp. Hesitation wasn't something that Lord Dansa liked, and showing it so early was a bad sign.
"That…that matter is not to be joked with."
The smile on his face dropped as quickly as she said that. Nervousness racked her brain as she realized that he might not help her. Taking some moments to herself, she gulped. Lord Dansa sighed and got ready to stand up.
"I'll do it! I'll…I'll do it. If I can get out of here alive."
A smile showed on Lord Dansa's face as he released the grip and gently patted her hands. The Priestess's face returned to its usual calm. Knights coming from the other end of the hall distract the two in the place.
"The two that will replace the lives of the Priestess, a mother and son. How ironic."
The Priestess's face filled with paranoia as Lord Dansa said that out loud. She was sketchy about everything despite it being the two of them who could only understand each other.
"Don't worry, at least they will die easily."
No matter how confusing it was, Neo could still make out the situation in his head. With that young girl pointing so much at the two, who wouldn't be able to figure that out? The two guards held onto the two tight.
The only thing he was truly concerned for was the fact that his mother was overwhelmingly calm in this. She hasn't said anything to him or done anything. It was like she was in an episode again. The two stopped in front of Lord Dansa, greeting him. Neo tried to get a good glimpse of the man but the guards shoved his head down.
As they continued walking, they passed by the young girl that had desperately begged the king. Confusion marked his face as he realized that the man had been in this direction. Once passed the girl's cell, his mother coughed a couple of times.
Realizing his mother was signaling him, he breathes in and swiftly turns around, slamming onto the guard. His mother revealed that she had gotten out of the chains. The reasoning behind her silence was the concentration on how to get out. The guard grabbed onto Neo's hair, shoving him onto the ground and kicking him.
Elaine quickly threw the chain, hitting the guard in the leg where he wasn't wearing much armor. He grimaced in pain, gritting his teeth and hurriedly raising his weapon at her. Neo gets up from the ground, knocking the guard away. The weapon drops onto the floor as Elaine quickly grabs it, pointing it towards the guard still standing.
The guard charged at her with his sword, aiming to cut her tendons. She quickly turns the weapon the opposite, jabbing the guard in the face. Neo once again ran onto the two of them with the chains still tied around him.
Despite still not being freed, Neo managed to run away with his mother behind him, attentively trying to get rid of the chains around him. They faced a dark hallway with multiple cells containing different prisoners. All of them seemed to be excited by the matter, screaming at the two.
They ran further down the hall as the alarmed shouts of the guards filled the room. Finally managing to get rid of the chains, the two could freely run as fast as they could. But they were met with a dead end. The only other place to go was a random staircase leading further into the prison.
Deciding quickly, the two made their ways down the stairs. Neo could feel the hair behind his neck stand up from an unknown chill. With the guards relentlessly after them, they couldn't stop for a break. The longer they ran the more the stairs seemed to unfold for them.
They have finally reached the ground but something was amiss. Every cell down here was empty with no prisoners held here. There was a strange stone door that was as big as the statue that had adorned the palace. The footsteps of the two guards reached the floor, hastily running to them. Scared they continued running but the shaking of the ground stopped the mother and son.
A giant crack formed behind them, stopping the guards from pursuing them any further than they already could. Neo felt scared because of the ground disappearing from underneath him.
"Stop! Stop there!"
Ignoring their voices they continued to run further into the dark tunnel. Their breaths filled the air as dust began to spread, making them cough.
Schingz!
"Mom?"
For a moment, his mother had pulled him behind her. He heard the familiar sound of something piercing through flesh.
"I knew it. Elaine Yowan."
The look in his mother's eyes was something that Neo had never seen. Facing the person in front of them, Elaine glared.
"Surely enough, I can't seem to forget those eyes of yours."
Lord Dansa smirked as he glanced down at the ground that was splitting apart. Now that they were stuck between two giant abysses, there was nowhere to go. He tilted his head as he observed Neo's stature.
"That must be yours and Roigos, am I right?"
Elaine remained quiet, not responding to the taunting of the man. Neo looked between Dansa and his mother. The hostility that she was showing him didn't mean anything good. From the first moment that he had been introduced, everything had been bad.
"You haven't changed at all." Elaine said.
Lord Dansa smiled and chuckled.
"Of course, I should have greeted you like how we used to do. But things are different now. Time has changed everything."
Holding her stomach, Elaine closed her eyes to soothe the pain. Noticing his mother's reaction, Neo checks on his mom. His eyes widened as he realized the thing that had stabbed his mother was the void blades the man had taken from her.
Laughter exploded in their ears as the man held onto his stomach. He shook the bag that held the forbidden items constantly. This time he stopped laughing and sighed.
"It'll be quick."
Elaine glared at the back of Lord Dansa as he fled from the situation. Neo notices the ground from behind him slowly slipping away. Rocks began falling, almost hitting the two from their place. Neo held his mother closely. Fear took over their body as they realized that the only safe option was to jump.
"Jump. Jump first Neo."
"But…can you jump? Are you sure you can?"
He held his mother's hand as blood continued to spill from her wound. Will his mother be able to make it without her wound getting worse?
Elaine nods her head, reassuring her son amidst the chaos of everything. Neo's eyes shook slightly as his mother kept urging him. He held onto her arm tightly. She took his hand off and assured him.
"You go first." Elaine said.
Hesitating, he stays still for a bit, but another quake causes him to jump forward. Landing onto safety, he smiled in relief and turned to face his mother. With his arm out, he waits for her to jump after. Instead of jumping, she shook her head. His face dropped as she continued to stand on the disappearing ground.
"Don't come here. It is void powder."
She smiled as she said those words. Not believing it, Neo keeps screaming for her to jump over. Though he was desperately screaming, she continued to look down the abyss. As if waiting for that, the ground finally falls apart, causing her to close her eyes.
He watched as his mother fell down the black hole. His eyes searched down the abyss, looking for the trace of purple. Within the next few seconds, a giant explosion causes him to fall to the sides.
BOOM!
Looking to the side, Neo realizes that the giant door had exploded, and a giant creature resembling a hell marmot came crawling out. Terrified, Neo gets up from the ground, sprinting further down the empty cells.
As he runs, he hears the screeching and scratching of the monster's claws getting closer and closer. This is the same feeling he had when he was running down the stairs earlier, but now he's starting to get used to it.
Neo turns a corner and hides, scanning his surroundings. He discovers that something is wrong when glowing eyes from the cells start staring at him. He continues to run frantically down the corner, but the eyes keep following him. It's just him and those eyes in the darkness.
In desperation, he shouts, "Go away! Go AWAY!"