Soren watched the woman from across the cell
She was still praying
Her crimson hair fell down her back in long waves, catching the pale light from the ceiling bulb and turning it into something almost lustrous. Her white and gold armour was still pristine despite everything they had endured together in the arena. Not a scratch on it. Not a mark. As if the violence around her simply couldn't touch her
Her face was beautiful in a way that felt almost wrong for this place
Her skin was porcelain pale, unmarred by the violence that had surrounded them. Her green eyes were closed now in prayer, but even closed they seemed vivid somehow. Long, delicate eyelashes rested against her cheekbones, dark and defined. Her cheekbones themselves were high and sharp, creating elegant angles that framed her face perfectly. Her jaw was strong but not harsh, softened by the delicate curve of her chin. Her lips were full, painted a natural rose colour, currently moving in constant, silent prayer
She looked like something divine placed in a prison cell by mistake
She knelt beside her cot, her hands clasped together, her entire posture radiating a serenity that seemed completely untouched by the brutality of their circumstances. Her expression was peaceful, utterly unreachable
"Where are we exactly?" Soren asked, his voice careful. Measured. He was trying to be polite. Trying to gather information. "I need to understand what this place is"
She didn't respond
She continued praying, her voice too low for him to make out the words. As if he wasn't there. As if he hadn't even spoken
'Did she not hear me? Or is she just ignoring me?'
Soren waited a moment, then tried again
"Thank you. For saving my life in the arena. I would have died if you hadn't pushed me"
Still nothing
The woman's lips continued moving. Her eyes remained closed. It was as if Soren had spoken to empty air. As if his words had no weight, no presence, no meaning in her world
'Is she that religious? That obsessed with her prayers?'
Soren felt frustration beginning to build in his chest. He tried a third time, his voice slightly louder now
"Can you tell me anything about this place? The ranks? The fights? Anything?"
She still remained motionless
The prayer continued. The serenity remained absolute
Soren's frustration crystallized into anger
He gave up
He turned away from her and lay back on his cot, staring at the ceiling. His mind was already spinning, already fragmenting. He needed information and she was useless. Or worse than useless, because she was present but completely unavailable. She was a wall. A completely unhelpful wall that had saved his life for reasons he didn't understand
'Why did she save me if she won't even acknowledge my existence?'
The question spiralled without resolution. It fed his frustration. It fed his anger. It fed the pressure that was building inside his chest like a physical thing
He lay there for what might have been minutes or might have been hours. Time felt unstable. Unreliable. His mind was beginning to fracture in ways that he recognized but couldn't stop
And then he started talking
At first it was quiet, just under his breath. A muttered complaint about his situation. But as he continued, his voice got louder. His words became more fragmented. His thoughts poured out of him like a dam breaking
"Summoned here. That's what started this entire nightmare. Pulled away from my peaceful life on Earth. My somewhat normal life
His hands clenched into fists
"Two years in that castle. That wasn't even that bad, was it? I had a bed. I had food. I had structure. But to be fair it wasn't that bad, compared to this anyway. But that feeling of constantly being watched, monitored, like I was some lab rat. It was disgusting''
His voice cracked slightly.
"And then my friends started dying. Trip. Lukas. All of them. Falling one by one. And I was there. I was there watching them die, I had to let them die, because I couldn't do anything about it because I was weak. Completely weak"
The memory hit him like a physical blow. Adrian's face as Soren killed him. Adrian's eyes as he realized what Soren had done. The sequence played in Soren's mind with perfect, horrible clarity
He felt nauseous
''I regret it''
His stomach churned. His breathing became shallow. For a moment he thought he was going to vomit, but he forced it down
''I regret it so much''
But he forced himself to move past the memory. To continue the spiral because stopping would mean confronting that memory directly and the guilt he was experiencing was something that could not be tackled now. His mind couldn't bear to face the sins of his past
"Then everyone turned on me. All my so-called friends. The people I trusted. They confronted me and they abandoned me and they told me to just die with them. How dare they. How disgusting can they be? Those hypocrites. If they were in my situation they would probably do something similar. They would survive. They would do whatever it took"
His voice was getting louder. More manic
"But then again... I was the only one out of all my friends there who even thought to do something like that. I was the only one willing to make that choice. To take that action. Maybe I am the mon-
He couldn't finish saying that word. He still wanted to cling onto the withered parts of his humanity. so he stopped that thought abruptly
No. Not that. He wasn't going there. Not now. He needed to stay functional. Needed to stay sane. That thought would crack him completely
"Then the bounty. God awful bounty hunters coming after me constantly. Chasing me. Never letting me rest. Never giving me a moment of peace. Hunted like an animal"
His voice was almost a shout now
"And for what? For surviving? For making hard choices? And then I get taken here. To this stupid colosseum in this stupid mountain carved out by these barbarians. These people are barbarians. They built an entire arena for entertainment. They force people to fight for their amusement. They create these rankings and these hierarchies and they think it's civilization. It's not civilization. It's brutality dressed up in stone architecture"
His breathing was ragged now. His entire body was shaking with tension and anger and despair all mixed together into something that felt like it might consume him entirely
"And I just keep surviving. I keep fighting. I keep going through this cycle of pain and fear and violence and for what? For a prophesied destiny? For some grand purpose?"
His voice cracked. He was muttering now, his words becoming less controlled, more desperate
"What did that king even mean? Prophesied ones. Prophesied to what? To have a shit life like this? To be hunted and used and thrown into arenas to fight monsters? To watch everyone around me suffer or die or betray me? I hate it. I hate all of it"
The words hung in the cell air
Soren's breathing was heavy. His body was rigid with tension. His one functional eye was wide, unfocused, staring at nothing
He had said it out loud. All of it was too much for him. Too much for anyone. At seventeen taken from his world although to Soren this wasn't particularly all that bad, but again for someone at such a young age, no for anyone not accustomed to any sort of violence to see their friends, their closest connections get ripped apart and then go on to kill their best friend, and then also be cast aside like some disgusting criminal by the rest that's bound to do something to someone
Then a face appeared very close to his own.
Soren jerked back in shock, his body immediately tensing. His eye went wide with a different kind of alarm, this unexpected occurrence completely broke Soren out of his trance
What the hell? Why is she so close now?
For a moment, pure survival instinct took over. His mind flashed back to the bald man and what she had done to him. The way his head had imploded. The casual violence
Is she trying to kill me?
But as he looked at her properly, studying her body language, examining her expression, he realized something was different. Her green eyes were gleaming with something that wasn't murderous intent. It was something else entirely. Anticipation. Excitement. A kind of fervent hope
It was the woman. Noelle. Or whoever she was
"You said prophesied ones right?" she asked, her voice suddenly animated in a way it hadn't been before. "I know you said it and-"
"I..." Soren's response was slow, confused. "Yes?"
The moment the word left his mouth, something shifted in her completely
Her entire body seemed to come alive. Her face became expressive for the first time, no longer locked in serene prayer. Her beautiful features lit up with an intensity that was almost frightening in its fervour
"Finally! Finally I have found the purpose of my mission that his holiness has sent me on!" Her words came pouring out rapidly, barely coherent in her excitement. "You must know what it is, seeing as you said those words as well, right? You must also be dispatched like me from the holy kingdom! Did his holiness also send you on a pilgrimage?"
Soren stared at her, completely perplexed
She really is crazy. What is she even asking me?
But then another thought emerged, colder and more practical
I need information. I'm stuck here with her. And if she's willing to talk now...
"Yes," Soren said, the lie coming easily. The word was awkward, uncertain, but it was a lie nonetheless. "Yes, that's right"
The effect was immediate and dramatic
The woman stood up with sudden energy and actually broke into a small dance, her body moving with genuine joy
"Tell me! Tell me please!" she begged, her voice almost pleading. "I have been on this mission for far too long. I was losing hope. So please, tell me the details of the mission. Please!"
Her green eyes were fixed on him with an intensity that felt almost overwhelming. She was hanging on his every word now, completely focused on him in a way she had never been before
Soren opened his mouth
The truth was, he had no idea what she was talking about. He didn't know what mission she was referring to. He didn't know what the holy kingdom was, or what his holiness meant, or why she thought he was part of whatever she had been sent to do and then the words confidently left his mouth
''I don't know''