In the dark damp dungeon, the only sounds that echoed were the dripping of water.
Cairo sat by the bars, his grey eyes sharp with pure malice. He grasped his waist, where his cloth sheath should be, only to be met with empty airs.
Grinding his teeth, Cairo stood up. His grip on the bars tightened, leaving a slight imprint even in the beyond sturdy pale substance. His thoughts were all centered around one thing: A burning city, with the image of one sickly woman wisped away in those flames.
Clink Clank Clink
The metallic skidding of some small object interrupted his thoughts.
Cairo lowered his gaze, letting his hair light up the way in front of him. There in front of his cell were a pair of keys.
A quiet eerie grin crept up on his face.
"I'll see yer head rollin."
——————————
Nico coughed up his guts on the floor. His gaze locked onto Dione, a deep glare in his eyes.
Dione paid him no mind, instead he grew from his bow, full attention on the hooded figure.
"My lady, join us. You'll become an Olympian easy."
The hooded figure tilted their head as they looked up towards the tall man. Their face was covered in darkness somehow, but Naren could hear her breathing. It was inexplicably calm.
"So Ashwin's given up."
Naren couldn't help but feel a shiver down his spine. A sudden pressure that wasn't directed at him, but could still be felt.
"My father thought— I thought better of him."
Theron bit his nails watching. Naren shook his hand in front, trying to grab his attention.
"Hey, what's an olympian?"
Theron shook his head snapping out of his trance. His gaze softened as it fell on Naren.
"My poor child. You weren't given divine decree."
Naren's face scrunched as one side lifted higher than the other. His voice exasperated from both exhaustion and confusion.
"What...?"
A white sleeve with slender hands wrapped around Naren's back suddenly. The hooded figure staring at Dione.
"Unfortunately for you all, I've already decided to lead this guy."
Naren shook his head in disbelief.
"Lead me? Who the hell are you lady?"
"So just be on your way Dione. Tell Ashwin to not get too comfortable."
Theron shook his head before Dione walked passed, placing a hand on his shoulder. As he passed, Naren spared him a glance. His height definitely matched the guy in the dungeon that he stole the keys from, though it was too dark to make out much more.
"Let's go, Theron. Our Prince is at the chief's place."
With a snap of Dione's fingers, rows and rows of serpentine creatures congregated around him, propping him up onto a platform. Like a magic carpet, it feigned cloth like ripples, barely able to keep attention off the outlandish setup.
Theron followed behind the biological vehicle, turning around and offering a warm smile to Naren.
Naren shivered at the unsightly gesture.
"Who're those guys?"
The hooded figure bent to the side in front of Naren. Dark insides looking straight up at Naren's golden eyes.
"You're enemies."
"That include you? My lady? Or are you gonna lead me to persecute them."
"You weren't this agressive before...I'm on your side after all."
Naren raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm."
She straightened out and turned to Nico who was just barely recovering. Offering her hands, the shadows of her mask seemed to wisp with the breeze.
Nico slapped it away, getting up on his own.
"Who the hell are you?"
Then he turned to Naren, an equally panicked and confused face.
"And who the hell are you?"
A beat of silence between the three was drowned out by the resumed foot traffic. Murmers of devils filled Narens ears. Naren's golden eyes stared at the boy who looked so much like Vera, and for a second, his heart ached.
'That was fast'
The thought was quickly drowned out by the unassuming sharp tongue of the hooded figure.
"Who gave you the right to question me, wolf?"
Her words cut deep, as if having a physical effect on Nico. Similar to a slightly turned down version of the previous pressure Naren felt.
Naren yawned.
"Princess, what's your problem? You just coming outta nowhere talking in riddles. Say something normal."
A muffled giggle escaped the hood. She grabbed Nico up, patting his back.
"Those were shaman. What these people call devils."
She turned her gaze towards Naren.
"You came for Atlas right. Just like all Aspirants here, you're one of many."
A white coat sleeve escaped through the cloak of the figure, a finger pointing straight up.
"It's up there. Where those devils came from...It's called heaven."
Naren slung his head back before letting it snap back forward. His hand pointing up.
"Up there? Where we came from?"
"Yup."
Naren put a couple fingers over his face as his eye lids grew heavier.
"Is this true, Nico?"
The boy glanced at Naren, shaking his head, surprisingly obedient.
Naren's gaze returned to the sky above. The waves of the inverted ocean gently swaying. Defying all logic and rules.
"Heaven."
The words of Nico bouncing in his head: "Tell him to go to heaven."
"So you're gointa lead me?"
Naren's gaze returned back to the two. Or at least where the two should be, but they were gone. Both Nico and the hooded figure disappeared without a trace.
Instead, a crowd began to form in front of him, a familiar figure at the forefront: A woman with a bear mask. Siobhan.
She drew her spear, pointing it towards Naren. Naren immediately putting up his hands.
"How'd you escape."
"Would you believe that the guard felt generous?"
She drove her spear closer to his neck as Naren stepped back, his eyes already glancing for the closest reflection. Faint glints of glass windows, puddles, metal armor. But his eyes latched onto the statue that stood a few feet away. The statue that the crowd avoided even in this scenario.
The glint in the statues polished eyes twisted as bare feet walked atop it. Naren hopping off the back of the statue, completely disappearing from the public.
"Where the hell did he go?!...Keep an eye out! He's a devil after all!"
Naren slid climbed the closest pair of stairs he found, slipping into a corridor.
"That damn princess. She better know how to get to heaven."
Walking up the stairs, Naren made out into an empty terrace. Looking over, he saw two figures in white cloaks coming out of a building. One floating in a biological vehicle, the taller one close behind.
However, the serpentine carpet contained another member. A little girl with an oversized school attire. Her hands bound by rope.
"Yo! Shrimpy!"
The girl turned back, her eyes wavering as she stared at Naren. Her lips pursed, trembling.
Dione turned back, raising an eyebrow.
—————————————
Cairo's tongue was reaching as far as it could between the bars. Barely missing the ring of keys. With another grunt and push, he finally reached the keys, edging it just a bit closer.
It was finally within reach. Cairo turned his back to the bars, using his hands to reach the rest of the distance and grasped the keys. Immediately trying each and every key one after another.
Click
His shackles loosened and fell to the ground with a thud. After another sequence of trial and error, the cell door swung open.
Cairo's sandals stepped out, his footsteps leaving no sound. Though, after each step, a noticable print of steam remained.
His face held a grin of inhumane structure. Wrapping around his face in a disturbing fashion.
"Wait up, Naren."