The girls exchanged glances, an invisible spark of anxiety running between them.
The older girl, the one whose golden hair glittered in the moonlight, finally spoke. Her voice was soft, but beneath that softness, there was an unbending determination.
"Our names are Elian and Saira," she said quietly, and each of her words fell on Omega's shoulders like a heavy burden, "we came for you.. We came because otherwise it will be too late."
The wind howled outside the window, muffling the voices of the night guards, and somewhere in the depths of the castle, the heavy strikes of a bell slowly measured out the last minutes of the night.
Omega sat on his knees, clutching the bottom of his dress so as not to cry again from not understanding what was happening.
"We can't stay here for long," Elian continued, her voice hardening, as if every sound was meant to break through the wall of despair that Omega was building around himself. "Dawn is coming, and with dawn he will return."
Saira took a step forward, standing close to the wall.
"He's not just keeping you here," she said, almost in a whisper, "he's keeping you for something more."
Omega blinked, his throat dry.
"You don't know who he was before you," Elian added, looking into his eyes, "but he will change. He's already changing. You will feel it very soon."
Saira held out her hand.
"We can't explain everything now," her voice trembled, "but if you stay, you will become part of his power. And you will never be able to be yourself again."
Omega looked at the wall that closed off his guests. His heart was pounding, fear was rising in waves, but he still didn't know whether to believe them or not.
"We are not asking for faith," Elian said quietly, as if guessing his thoughts, "only that you choose life first."
And when Saira reached her hand through the high bars, when her fingers almost touched his, Omega slowly, hesitantly, as if groping in complete darkness, raised his hand to meet it.
But at the last moment, when their fingers almost touched, when only the width of one breath remained between them, Omega abruptly pulled his hand back. His face was distorted by a shadow of pain and anger, so deep that it seemed to surpass the pain of heat. He mentally slapped himself on the cheek for falling for the thin fingers that inspired confidence for a second.
He rose to his feet, staggering from weakness, and, clinging to the bars of the window, croaked:
"What kind of crap are you talking about? Who are you even to tell me this?" His voice was broken, trembling with rage, behind which an old, wounded resentment was hidden.
The girls were silent.
They did not look away and did not retreat. Omega's reaction was predictable.
"Maybe you're like those bastards in the dungeon, who... who did... horrible things to me and laughed?" Omega was breathing heavily, clenching his fists so tightly that the blood drained from his skin, memories of last night sharply hitting his head, "Maybe you just came to play with me?"
His words hung in the air for a long time without an answer.
Ellian took a half step back, her face remained inscrutable, but a shadow of regret flashed in her eyes.
Saira, on the contrary, leaned closer, her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, full of strange, uninvited tenderness:
"You don't have to believe us now."
She fell silent for a moment, as if gathering her strength, and added:
"But in the morning you will see everything for yourself. When your "husband" comes to you."
Omega wanted to say something, wanted to shout that Serak wasn't interested in him. That even after the mark was placed, he didn't look at him, but only grimaced in disgust. He also couldn't forget that this man was not only his husband, he was also his master. That he belonged to him now not only by right of the mark, but also by right of the contract for the thing bought at auction. And Omega couldn't run away from him or disobey him. Because then he would be returned.
But the words got stuck in his throat.
Because somewhere deep inside, something stirred. A sticky premonition of trouble, heavy as a clot of blood on cold iron, passed through his entire body.
"We'll come back tomorrow night," Elian said, her voice hard as stone, "and if you're still alive... if you're still yourself... then maybe you'll still have a chance.
They did not say goodbye and did not give him time to comprehend their words.
And the next moment, both girls retreated into the shadows, their bodies again began to glow with a light golden light, as if their shell was losing its human form, merging with the night. Omega closed his eyes from the bright light penetrating through the bars.
A moment and where two strange figures stood, only two tiny golden beetles remained, which quickly slid along the cracks of the stone, disappearing into the darkness.
Omega was left alone.
After the unexpected "guests", he was still unable to sleep.
He sat by the bars, hugging his knees with his hands, looking into the darkness outside the window, and waited for the dawn.
He could not believe a single word the girls said. After all, he considered himself a useless omega who was found wandering on the streets. His value was only in his innocent beauty. Although he was twenty-three years old, his face was too young. Which caused lustful desire in everyone who wanted to buy him. And each time he escaped from another buyer, he returned to the cage each time.
And now he is here in a wedding dress locked in another cage.
And what do their words mean "if you will still be yourself."
Is he really a pervert?
And so dawn came.
He still fell asleep and woke up from the jingle of keys opening the grate.
"Good morning! The Lord is calling you." Eggy stood at the door.