Author note,
Last as promise-
[ Vale's thoughts] 'Lyas's voice' (extra)
you good to go.
Chapter 3
The first sound is the clink of chains, close to my ears.
The weight drags at my wrists and ankles before I even realize they're not mine. Skin feels smaller, frailer. My steps are short, unsteady.
A silver-haired girl, my body now, shuffles forward, connected to others in the same chain. Pales faces. Fangs glinting in the dim light. Vampires.
Her throat aches when she forces out the words, but I feel the tremble in my own voice. "I want to be free."
[ Why do I feel the pain in my hand...]
BUZZ-- the scene crackles and shifts.
Now my hair is shorter, brushing the middle of my back. The deep purple of my eyes catches the faint light, shining almost too brightly.
My bare feet slap against the cold stone as I run. The floor is softened by a rich red carpet down the center, the edges lined perfectly with flickering candles. Shadows stretch high up the gray stone walls, swallowing the gothic hallway.
I can smell the candle wax, warm, sharp, and mixing with the dusty cold of the air.
[ Castle? Was she a slave before...or after this?]
BUZZ--
I stand taller now. Older. Stronger.
Dozens of vampires watch from behind me, their eyes burning, and fangs stark. Beyond them are others....important ones....faces obscured under curling clouds of black magic.
My voice is steady, vibrating in my chest. "Leave it to me. I have my voice. I will bring Noctaurum down."
[ Did she fail lead her own people straight into this cage?]
BUZZ--
Chains again. This time heavier, sharper, biting the skin at my wrists and ankles until I can feel the skin split.
Each step scrapes across marble stone, the black carpet muffling the sound until it changes, stone on stone. A long tunnel yawns ahead, the air colder.
My bare feet are raw and burning. Each step leaves a trace of heat behind, even on the freezing rock.
I lift my head, and there it is.
The birdcage. This birdcage is very new. Perfect, polished as if the world forged to just to hold me.
My own voice breaks. "No. Please don't put me there."
[ I can feel it burn in my throat. My voice...like fire ripping through me.]
BUZZ--
I jolt back, gasping...my lungs burning like I'd been the one walking in chains.
Are those...her memories?
If they are, I just saw an exit route. That tunnel. Those marble floors. A castle, without a doubt.
'Congrats. You've seen my memories. Now you know they're useless.'
" No," I answer calmy, walking to the bars. "You showed me something important. I know where the tunnel leads."
I look down...it's about fifteen meters away. But no magic slope this time. Just empty air.
'Everyone knows where that tunnel leads. You're no different from the others.'
"Well, I'm different now."
I turn to the cage door, scanning the bolts. rust blooms along the edges...it hasn't been used in a long time.
'What are you doing?'
"Looking for a weak point." I slip my arm through the bars, reaching for the handle, but it's locked. Of course. Still, the lock is there, and maybe I could pick it.
" Do you have any pins? A needle? Something thin?" I ask, scanning the floor.
'No. Why?'
"I was planning to use it to unlock the door." My tone is casual, like escaping cages is just another Tuesday.
'What did you do in your old life? School Teacher? Author? Gamer?'
I stop, frowning. "Wait, you knew the lives of the others souls before me?"
'I'm bored, alright? It doesn't hurt to learn things.'
I smirk. "Sure, Queen. I wasn't anything special. A soldier, mostly. Fought in battles. Picked fights with my commanding officers. Made some bad calls. Learned how to sneak, lie, and unlock things when I had to."
[ There's nothing much good to say about my past.]
she's quiet. Too quiet.
"Lyas? You still there?"
'Yes. What up?'
Deadpan. "What do you mean 'what up'? I just told you about my childhood and you say nothing?"
'Oh. I didn't realize I have to. Uh...that's sucks for you, I guess.'
Attitude and loneliness wrapped in one. No wonder the god told me to be patient.
'Can a vampire float?" I ask, switching gears.
'Yes, but not for long. Remember, I'm weak.'
I grin at my reflection in the mirror.
[Float. Another cool skill.]
'You're smiling. Got an idea?'
"Yes. But first, I'll need to your body back in shape. And you're going to teach me how to float."
The purple in my eye is blank...then glows faintly.
'Now you're thinking. I'm starting to like you.'
Once I learn to float, I can reach that tunnel. But for now, I'll have to strengthen this body and learn to control her magic.
"Great. Let's start training--"
I try to step forward. My legs refuse.
'What do you mean 'training'? I've never done that in my life.'
Oh, she's a workout hater. Perfect.
But magic lessons? Those, I'll take. Look like we'll be training each other for this escape.
A sudden rumble vibrates through the stone above. Dust sifts down, small pebbles tumbling across the floor.
[ What the hell...]
I freeze. "What was that? The Kingdom is above us, right?"
Silence...then--
'Because you are awake.'
Her voice is almost a whisper. And then...nothing.
Did I cause that rumble? Or did someone above just realize I'm awake...and decide to act?