The conversation between Soren and Noelle continued for what felt like hours
She told him about the western region, about the structure of the colosseum, about the ranks and how fighters progressed through them. She explained, somewhat disjointedly, the basic hierarchy of the prison and what being in the middle ranks meant for their prospects. She spoke of her pilgrimage, of her faith, of the goddess she served and His Holiness Saint Lucedor Valmont. Soren listened, asked follow-up questions, and filed away every piece of information she offered
By the time the conversation wound down, Soren had constructed a mental map of his situation
The colosseum was in the middle of the western region. That was both good and bad. Good because it meant he had successfully escaped from his pursuers. He had managed to disguise himself so thoroughly that even if they were still hunting, they would be looking in other places. The destruction of his face had served a purpose beyond the arena. It had made him unrecognizable
Bad because the western region itself was dangerous. It was not safe territory. There was a reason the bounty hunters had found him, had cornered him, had nearly killed him. This region was either difficult to navigate or it contained threats he didn't fully understand yet
The solution, Soren had decided, was the eastern region
If he could reach the eastern region, the king would have no authority there. Another ruler governed those lands. Another power structure existed. That meant escape. Real escape. A chance to disappear and rebuild
But the question that gnawed at him was why the king hadn't acted directly against him
The bounty existed. That much was certain. The king had personally issued it. Three bounty hunters had been after him. Draven, Korr and Thalen. They had nearly succeeded and captured Soren, but in the end they all made the mistake of being entangled with him all leading to their deaths. What was the point of setting a bounty though? From what he knew the King was one of the most powerful people in the world
Yet the king himself had never appeared. Had never personally hunted Soren. Had never taken direct action
Why? If he had he would never have had to opportunity to even escape the kingdom
Soren had constructed several theories. Perhaps something was binding the king to his kingdom, preventing him from leaving. Perhaps he couldn't overstep some sort of agreement or treaty with the other rulers. The latter seemed more likely. It seemed that five rulers governed this world. Five kings and queens who maintained their territories carefully. And from what Soren had gleaned, none of them had ever left their kingdoms. Not once
That suggested a pact. An agreement. A binding contract of some kind that prevented them from moving beyond their borders
If that was true, then reaching another region meant genuine safety as only the King has issued a bounty for him and from the intel he had gathered no new bounty for him was issued anywhere else only the bounty issued by the king was the only bounty on his name
Soren had also pieced together the nature of this place. The colosseum was essentially a gladiatorial arena. Fighters didn't just fight monsters. They fought each other. The entire system existed to provide entertainment, to create a hierarchy, to separate the strong from the weak through combat
There were ranks. Lower, middle, higher. He and Noelle had been placed in the middle ranks, which meant they had value. It meant they had demonstrated enough power to be worth preserving so Soren felt like he could rest easy for now
Then there was the old man
Soren had finally connected the dots. The old man who had been demanding payment from the merchant in the cage with them. The one who had been shouting at the guards about his compensation. He must have found Soren after the battle with the three bounty hunters. Soren had been unconscious, broken, barely alive. The aftermath of that fight must have left him looking absolutely wrecked. Perhaps the old man hadn't recognized him because of the injuries. Perhaps the scarring and damage had been so complete that Soren was unidentifiable
And he hit me on the hid and knocked me out. Thinking back to this Soren became increasingly more angry and gritted his teeth
I swear if I ever see that guy again ill pay him back tenfold
Then the light switched off
The room plunged into complete darkness. For a moment, Soren felt a spike of disorientation. His eye adjusted slowly to the absence of illumination
A guard's voice boomed through the corridor outside their cell: "Lights out. Go to sleep"
The command carried an edge of finality. No arguments. No negotiations. Sleep time was mandatory
Soren lay back on his cot
Noelle was already settling into hers, her movements graceful even in the darkness. Soren could hear her breathing, steady and calm, as if sleep came easily to her.
She seems trustworthy for now
The thought was careful, measured. If she harboured any ill intentions toward him, she would have already tried to attack him. Judging by her previous actions with the bald man, judging by her sudden obsession with his supposed mission, she had shown her hand. If she meant him harm, she would have acted by now
I can rest for now
Soren closed his eye and let sleep pull at him. Tomorrow would bring another fight. Another test. Another step forward in whatever this strange new existence had become
For tonight, at least, he could allow himself to believe he was safe and try to rest in the first time in a while. His body although hideously scarred and was previously beaten had been recovered greatly to the point of only leaving Soren with some slight discomfort and this was due to his regeneration magic taking effect to heal in injuries during his previous fight with the Umbrax
Soren then fell asleep but after a while he woke up gasping
His body was rigid, drenched in sweat despite the cool air of the cell. His breathing came in ragged, uncontrolled gasps. His hands were clenched so tightly his nails were drawing blood from his palms
The nightmare clung to him like a second skin, the same nightmare the same memory that haunted him whenever he felt at peace
Adrian's face. Adrian's eyes as realization dawned. Adrian's head being split open as Soren loomed over his lifeless body
The sequence played over and over in Soren's mind, a loop that wouldn't break, a memory that refused to fade into the merciful darkness of sleep
He clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp
"Why again?" he whispered into the darkness. His voice was hoarse, broken. "I just want to rest. But I can't"
The words echoed in the small cell. Noelle didn't stir on her cot. She remained asleep, undisturbed by his anguish
"I didn't want to do it," Soren continued, his voice becoming more desperate, more fractured. "I said I was sorry, wasn't I? Before and after I did it. So why do you keep haunting my mind?"
He was speaking to Adrian now. Speaking to a ghost that only existed in his memory. Speaking to the person he had killed with his own hands
"Did I really make the right choice?" The question emerged like poison. "I believe that I had. I believe I made the only choice I could make in that moment"
But doubt was forming now. Creeping into the spaces between his certainty
"But was that the fear of death forcing me into that mindset?" His voice cracked. "Was I just terrified and using survival as justification? Was I a coward hiding behind necessity? But I just wanted to live. Was that so wrong of me? But why do I feel like this? Was Dorian right was the cost of me abandoning my friends in exchange for my life really the wrong choice?"
The questions spiraled without resolution. There were no answers. There had never been answers. Only the weight of what he had done and the inability to undo it.
Soren's breathing became shallow. His body shook with silent sobs that made no sound, that produced no tears, that existed only in the trembling of his muscles and the fracturing of his composure
"I don't know," he whispered finally, his voice so quiet it was barely audible. "I don't know. I don't know"
The words repeated like a mantra. Like a prayer. Like the only truth he could cling to in a world where nothing made sense anymore
In the darkness of the cell, surrounded by stone and bars and the weight of his own sins, Soren lay back on his cot and waited for morning to come
It didn't feel like it ever would until he passed out from exhaustion allowing his body some forced rest
Soren woke to banging
The sound was harsh, jarring, pulling him from whatever shallow sleep he had managed to find. His eye snapped open immediately. His body tensed
Noelle was already awake
She knelt beside her cot, her hands clasped in prayer despite the commotion. She didn't look startled. If anything, she looked as if she had been waiting for this moment
The guard who had escorted them before stood at the cell gate. The same scarred face. The same cold brown eyes. He gestured impatiently
"Wake up. Follow me," the guard commanded
Soren rose slowly from his cot, his body aching from the night's torment. He was first kind of confused. The guard was openly ordering him without concern for his safety, walking in front of prisoners without hesitation. It seemed reckless and careless, why is he just openly leaving himself exposed like that
As Soren's mind began to consider attacking the guard, familiar pain exploded through his skull and the metal collar around his neck began to shine yellow as if restricting that very action of his
Soren gritted his teeth
"That's why," he muttered
The guard started explaining as they walked through the corridors: "As you two are newcomers, you will head to the cafeteria last"
They approached the gate leading to the massive cafeteria space. The guard looked back at them and continued: "Prisoners remain in that area for the majority of the day, only going back to their cells around late evening. In the cafeteria you can shower and eat and also meet your fellow prisoners"
The guard spoke as if bored, as if he had given this speech countless times before
"Something you guys will be happy about: once you step in there, you will be able to use low power spells again. So don't worry about defending yourself. Everything that happens there is friendly competition, of course." The guard chuckled, but there was no humour in it. "Don't expect any of us to intervene"
Then before Soren or Noelle could even think about it the guard said
"The moment you try to use any spells to escape directly, they will be cut off. That also includes you trying to attack me before I did notice that." He gave Soren a dirty look. "By the way"
The gate began to open slowly
"Last bit of info," the guard said as they prepared to enter. "No killing your fellow prisoners. Or well, you can't anyway. Can't be reducing the merchandise, can we?"
He waved them forward dismissively
"Go now. Piss off so I can go do something else," he muttered, walking away. "I hate this part of my job"
And with that, Soren and Noelle stepped into the cafeteria