...
"Where am I?"
Renas looked around, struggling to open his eyes. He felt incredibly weak.
It was impossible to predict something like this. Who could have guessed that that musician lunatic's ability could be born from every sound?
He lay back down and realized something — he was lying on a hospital bed, or something like it. It was too soft for a prison cot, which made him think it might be a hospital... though he would have preferred that.
Thinking a bit more clearly about what had happened...
Cuhlun had left Renas halfway, separating from him because of the danger of the "keyword" system. Of course, they were bound to meet again eventually, but for now, being apart was a huge loss of strength for both of them. After all, no one can handle everything alone, and at times like this, you need someone to rely on.
Cuhlun knew that — that's why Thea was with Renas, and Mind Eater was with Cuhlun. Renas didn't understand how Cuhlun expected to have a productive journey with a girl whose name he didn't even know; maybe he was just intrigued by her. Still, knowing Cuhlun's personality, that "interest" wouldn't be like that of an ordinary man. Renas didn't care much. He turned his head to the side and kept thinking, still unable to open his eyes.
When he fell through the portal, he hadn't understood the language of the people around him. Just to be safe, maybe he'd used his ability to drive the crowd away. Eye of the Leviathan seemed to grow stronger with each passing day — it had seemed weak at first, but "the authority of Leviathan" was nothing to take lightly.
Renas had escaped with Thea. Running might have been meaningless, but in panic, that was the first thing that came to mind. Just like when he first arrived in World 774, he couldn't understand that knight's language at first, but by the second day, he had somehow begun to understand every language spoken there. Having been manipulated so many times in World 774, he hadn't paid much attention to it — but it seemed to be happening again now. Most likely, his first day here was over, and now he could talk to the locals of this world.
Thinking further back, the Temple of Everyone came to mind. He had experienced that 2.5-month period as if it were a single night — and as a result, he had gained an illegal ability, according to the Voice. Looking back now, maybe it would've been better to use that power while he was alone.
Thea's sword had vanished with her. He should still have a rifle on his back and a dagger at his waist...
Wait.
If he had a rifle on his back, how could he be lying flat like this?
Renas strained his eyes hard, finally managing to open them a little. He didn't remember injuring them, so the burning sensation was strange — like cutting onions, but far more painful.
When he finally opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't in a hospital at all — it was a prison. Or at least, a place meant for confinement. His rifle and dagger were gone. His clothes had been changed into something more suitable for prisoners. Whoever did that... however they did it...
Renas got up from the bed. The bed was unnecessarily comfortable.
Four walls surrounded him, with a table, a toilet, iron bars, and tally marks scratched into the walls — nothing else.
When he approached the door, he noticed there was no guard in front of his cell. Still, other people were inside their cells nearby.
Renas asked, "Why isn't anyone leaving their cell?"
At first, no one answered. They just stared at him. After a few seconds, a collective sigh of relief echoed from the surrounding cells — as if everyone had been holding their breath while Renas spoke.
"Kid," said a man from the next cell, "I can tell from your eyes — you're new here. You woke up late, so you're unlucky. You don't know the rules yet. Talking can cause trouble, so I'll keep it short...
Look at your chest."
Renas listened and instinctively obeyed, placing a hand over his chest.
Something hard was there — and when he touched it, pain shot through him. Not just that — when he took off his shirt to look, he saw it: a large crystal embedded directly above his heart. It wasn't transparent like glass; it shimmered in purple and blue.
Renas understood instantly. It was both a control mechanism and a death command. The crystal was clearly magical, and if the spell were triggered, he would die. The only question was... who controlled it?
In a low voice, he asked, "This thing... it blocks all abilities too, doesn't it?"
The entire block fell silent. Faces darkened. Some lowered their heads. Others growled and went back to their beds. One man punched the wall. Renas had guessed right.
The only thing he didn't understand was why he was the only one wearing a prison uniform — everyone else had different clothes. What made him different?... Well, probably just that he was new. Maybe, over time, he'd get his belongings back.
Renas sat in his cell for a long time. The door wasn't even locked, but he didn't try to leave. His abilities weren't working. Even if they did, Untapi's Garden had a time limit — and removing that crystal would leave a bleeding hole in his chest.
He'd just have to endure it until he found something that could heal him quickly.
Finally, the door at the end of the long corridor opened, and a guard stepped out. He was a cheerful, muscular man holding a bunch of keys — though instead of unlocking the doors, he simply rattled them, using the sound to wake the inmates.
"Wake up, sleepyheads! We've got a newcomer today..."
At once, dozens of people poured out of their cells, as if they'd been waiting for this moment. Renas wondered, What's the rush? and stepped out calmly.
He realized that everyone else had already left — except for one man, who was still snoring in his cell.
The guard's cheerful expression darkened slightly. "You can all go ahead. Head to the cafeteria and eat... I've got a little business to take care of here."
Everyone hurried through the door at the end of the corridor, which seemed to open into the cafeteria — a portal, maybe, because Renas could've sworn it led somewhere else before.
He didn't know what would happen to the sleeping man, but it surely wouldn't be anything good. He yawned quietly and joined the long cafeteria line instead.
The line wasn't just from his corridor — at least five entire cell blocks' worth of people had gathered, meaning the place was at least five times bigger than he'd thought.
Renas waited in line for several minutes. After getting his food, he looked around at the dozens of tables, searching for a safe, empty spot. There wasn't a single one that was both.
If someone attacks me, I'm sure they'll interfere, he thought. Doesn't matter where I sit anyway.
Just as he was about to sit down, a familiar voice called out to him.
It was the man in the suit — the one he had fought just yesterday.