I was trying to comprehend what was happening, while he seemed to be watching me.
"Aren't you going to try to escape?"
I did not answer. Honestly, why would I escape? And even if I wanted to, where would I go?
When I stayed silent, he interlaced his fingers over the table and said in a lighter tone, though it still carried some sharpness, "It seems you understand that there is no way out, don't you?"
I could not stop a short laugh from slipping out.
"What? No way out?"
I lazily gestured toward the door.
"Because I can see it right there, and if I am not mistaken, I have two legs I can use."
He did not seem affected by my sarcasm. He only sighed.
"Of course, you can stand up. You can even touch the handle. But… do you really think you will be able to leave?"
There was something in his tone that made me pause. He was not challenging me, and he was not trying to scare me.
I looked back at the door, then at him. There was no lock. There were no guards. And yet, I did not move. I did not know why.
Maybe because I wanted to see what he was going to do. Or maybe, to be honest, because I was trying to understand what exactly was happening here.
"Let us finish this quickly."
He raised his finger in the air, pointing at me.
"Hand over all the system pieces you have, and I promise you a quick end, perhaps even a merciful one."
"System pieces?" I repeated in a deliberately slow tone.
The man frowned slightly. It seemed my reaction did not please him. Then he let out a short laugh.
"Really? Is this what we are doing now?"
He said that before pointing to himself with an exaggerated, dramatic gesture.
"If there is one person here who has the right to pretend to be insane, it is me, not you."
My mind was working in the background, trying to analyze the strange situation I had fallen into. Nothing he was saying made any sense. In fact, nothing in this entire place made sense.
I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair.
Maybe… maybe this was all just a dream. Yes, that was the only reasonable and logical explanation for what was happening.
"So, what do you say? Will you hand over the system pieces? And maybe, just maybe, I will grant you a merciful end?"
"Of course. When I know what these pieces are, I will be the first to hand them to you."
He sighed with feigned regret, then shook his head.
"It seems you do not want a merciful end, Jevan. What a shame."
Jevan? My smile froze. Who was Jevan? Did he mean me? Or was that the name of the owner of this body?
I did not have time to think. Before I could even open my mouth, he moved, no, he vanished in less than a single second, only to appear in front of me in the very next moment. I saw nothing but a flash before I felt his fist clutching the collar of my shirt. Then he lifted me into the air with no effort whatsoever.
I tried to raise my hands to push him away, but his fingers closed around my neck.
I tried to draw a breath, but air had become a distant luxury.