I noticed how my body wobbled intermittently. It was the same feeling as when you drove over a pothole with a car and your whole body seemed to bounce. I heard blurred conversations, which left me with doubts. He could either be alive or in the process of dying. The idea did not terrify me at all, and not because I was not afraid, but because I was not able to generate it being in this state. My vision was still black, I couldn't see anything, not even feel. This trance lasted what seemed like an eternity until my black vision began to blur and become a tunnel of light that blinded me. I blinked several times to get used to the light of the place.
"I think he's waking up," a voice mentioned.
"Bring something for those wounds," said another voice.
I continued blinking for at least a few minutes until it finally asked to focus well. On the other hand, I continued to hear blurred, but I could understand what people were saying.
I looked around. He was in what looked like a dungeon, with its damp stone walls and huge, but fragile door.
"I see..." I murmured, listening to my phrase revote on the walls and reach my ear through the reverberation. As soon as I felt my body completely, I took a breath and did something that only an alpha male would do in these situations.
Shout.
"Where am I!?" He exclaimed desperately. "Help! HELP! I screamed several times, running out of breath almost from just two screams.
The door of the dungeon burst open and 3 people entered through it, all of them with something characteristic that made me writhe on the floor and try to pull the hairs out of my head. The three were wearing the tunic worn by those who provoked that attack.
"They're going to kill me!" HELP, FUCK! "It was that last cry that caused the three figures to shudder completely.
They approached me and two of them left a bucket of water with a white handkerchief on it.
"Don't worry," one of those figures murmured, putting a hand on my shoulder.
With a quick and desperate gesture, full of fear and anger, he pulled his hand away from my shoulder.
"Don't touch me, you fucking murderers!" "I felt like adrenaline was about to replace all the blood in my body. My heart looked like a sports car engine burning tires before starting the race, I felt that it was going to jump out of my chest at any moment.
" Seren'vaelis lumis'kaar ," said one of the figures. He patted me several times on the chest in the form of a rhythm. Pa-pam-pa-pam-pam, that's how I felt the small pats.
My heart instantly relaxed and my nerves loosened. It was so abrupt that I started bleeding from my nose.
"That way he will be calmer," said the figure who applied the spell to me.
"Thank you, you can go," said the other figure as he wrung out the damp cloth.
He nodded his head and left the dungeon as quickly as he could, leaving the remaining two figures alone in front of me.
"Don't kill me..." I murmured discouragedly, a small tear welling up in my eye. "I don't want to die...
My spirits were at rock bottom. The blood from my nose poured down my lips until it reached my chin, where it began to drip to the floor.
"You're not going to die," the figure commented. He ran the damp cloth over my face, wiping it completely. Then he tore off a piece of his robe and plugged my nose.
"Who are you..." I had almost no strength to vocalize, not even clear thoughts, I just asked the first thing that came to mind.
"We're the good guys," he blurted out.
"And shit..." I snapped.
Silence, that's what it was for a few brief seconds.
"I'm sorry you had to witness all that," he said. "It wasn't in our plans to traumatize you, Zaydir.
My eyes widened as wide as they could. My head was leaning against the stone wall behind me. I looked at her with distrust and with more fear than before.
"How do you know my name?" I asked, scared, with a broken voice. - I haven't done anything wrong, I... I...
— It's something I can't say. I just want you not to be afraid, we don't want to hurt you, just help you. — The figure didn't let me finish the sentence. He ran the cloth, again choking, over my chest, a breast that he had just discovered was bare. He had no clothes. Even though I wanted to cover myself so as not to be exposed, my strength did not allow me to do so. I continued to stare at the ceiling.
— Nimue — I named. "Where is it?" I asked, gasping from the blood still running down from my nostrils.
— The oni? Don't worry, it's in good hands.
Had they kidnapped us and even taken us to know what part of the world and they wanted to make us understand that they were the good guys? My distrust only increased.
"I promised Dorian that—" "I coughed several times, dripping blood from each of them," I promised him I'd be in the pickup area by nightfall.
My body was wet because of that rag that kept scraping my skin. It's funny, how did I end up here? From one moment to the next, from one minute to the next, everything had changed. Every time I looked at that guy's tunic, I was reminded of all the massacre that had been generated in such a short time, in the decapitated bodies of the guards lying on the ground. It was horrible, I wanted to throw up.
- You don't have a good face. - Said the subject. - If you feel bad, don't hesitate to tell me, yes? Those phrases gave me a little peace of mind, but not enough.
— Why so much secrecy? You're cleaning my body and trying to convince me that you're one of the good guys. Why don't you let him see your face?
The figure stopped cleaning me and left the cloth on the bucket, still full of water.
— We are all the same people, no one is more special than the rest, that is why we do not show our faces. He said seriously, phrasing that sentence as if he were a robot, something he had to learn to recite.
People used the spell a lot to make sure that no matter how much light it gave you in the face, the hood did not let your face be revealed. It was useful, but not in this context.
Suddenly, a figure identical to the one in front of me opened the door and rushed into our position.
"Number 10, they need you in the wounded room. She said hurriedly.
He stood up and nodded his head.
"I'll be back as soon as possible, in the meantime, stay with him."
The other subject was startled to hear that and responded instantly.
"W-what?" She asked, confused in a broken way. "I have things to do. He added timidly.
- I don't care about your things to do, now this is what you have to do. He said before disappearing from our sight, closing the door behind him.
The subject looked at me and at that very moment he looked away, covering his face.
"You're naked!" — shouted, again, another female voice. Were they all women here?
Her hood gave her away. She was a half-human. A beast. If he wasn't mistaken, he was a feline.
- You have been the ones who have put me in this situation, don't be surprised, it's offensive.
The woman looked with her hands, surely covering her eyes, and answered me.
— N-no! I have nothing to do with it..." He murmured at the end in a timid and regretful way.
I fixed my gaze on her.
- Don't worry, you can tell that you are the clumsiest in the place. I said in a dry and curt way. "Are you the one who's going to kill me at once?" Fuck...
He shook his head quickly.
"We don't want to kill you, we just want to help you. "It's as if his voice is about to break." It was weak, easy to manipulate. This was my moment.
— I'm having a terrible time. Could you loosen my hands from these chains? I asked. - I can't stand the pain in my wrists.
The figure quickly approached me. Crouched. And I take off my chains in the gentlest way possible.
"B-well, I've already taken them from you. Feeling better?
Even though the wrists were free, the mind was still clouded.
"Of course..." I lied.
I got up carefully, supporting my right leg first and helping myself with the hand on the same side. In an attempt to stand up, I collapsed, feeling indescribable pain in my left leg.
"Are you okay!?" She asked worriedly, quickly approaching me and putting her hand on my shoulder.
- My leg... - I could hardly breathe from the pain, it was unbearable.
"I'll call the boss," she said hurriedly. "He will be able to heal your leg."
The woman ran away, but before reaching the door she tripped and fell to the ground. The hood he was wearing fell back, thus revealing his hair. It had a purple color, with well-groomed cat ears, they even gave the feeling of being fluffy and fluffy.
He quickly got up and disappeared through the door, carelessly leaving it open.
It was my time to be able to leave here and see that he was out of place. I looked up at the bars that functioned as windows. It was night, so he had been passed out for almost an entire day. I crawled to the door dragging my leg against the floor, I didn't feel it, it's as if it didn't exist. I was probably getting injured because of the drag on the stone floor, but right now I couldn't stop to check it. At that moment I stopped to think about Dorian and Lyana, I imagined myself in the field helping Lyana with the carrots, did Dorian leave without me when he saw that I didn't arrive or tried to look for me? While I was engrossed in my thoughts suddenly a figure appeared, although something was different, the color of his robe was ocean blue, this was a little shorter compared to the others, which allowed me to see his face, when he was close enough.
He was an old man who appeared to be at least 80 years old, but despite this, he moved with tremendous agility for his age.
" You'd better stay still, don't move," said the old man, with a raspy and noticeably tired voice.
Beside him, two muscular men, apparently strong, surely trying to be his bodyguard. The latter dressing exactly the same as the rest.
The old man approached me, slowly and awkwardly, it almost seemed like he was going to collapse at any moment.
With the same healing spell that Nimue used when she nearly killed me with her dark spell, she healed the deep wound she seemed to have made on my knee, but her spell felt different. His pronunciation was identical, but it didn't just heal my leg, it made me feel like new.
I rested both my hands on the floor, still incredulous that I had finally regained the strength to get up, and I got up careful not to fall face first on the ground if something went wrong. I stood up and looked everywhere, checking that I could move my head and my entire body without problems.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience that some of my daughters have caused you," she said with a genuine smile.
"And-now..." I murmured. I was afraid, why? I was in front of the leader of the Everos path, I couldn't disrespect him or make any false move that would put my life in danger.
"Let me introduce myself, although with these looks I think you already get the idea..." said the old man, holding his hands behind his back. "I am Malgarith, also known as the sage of Everos. I am the leader of this group of brave people willing to change things at no cost.
From the way they all dressed, it was more than clear that it was something similar to a sect.
"A pleasure, Malgarith," I said, kneeling before him as if he were a god to whom I prayed daily.
The man let out a small laugh and moved closer to me, looking at me with a look that gave me a strange feeling, as if I was forced to look at him.
"The pleasure is mine, Zaydir. He offered me his hand, again, with another smile from side to side.
"How do you know my
— The path of Everos knows everything.
A little chill ran down my spine, making all my hairs stand on end at once. It sounded murky, too murky.
"Claro—" "Murmured."
I shook his hand, being squeezed to his for at least five seconds. It was thanks to the reappearance of that scammed woman that the old man let go of my hand.
"Oh, Great Lord, I didn't know that I had already arrived..." He said awkwardly in his words.
"It seems that this cantankerous old man is faster than a young feline," he replied in a mocking tone.
— Y-yes... so it seems — He scratched the back of his neck in a way to calm his nerves.
"Have you met the kid yet?" — He asked.
She looked at me. He apparently forgot that I was in the same way I came into the world. He covered his face, again, just as he did a few minutes ago.
"Yes, more or less," he replied with a broken voice, as if he was going to cry. I know I'm beautiful, but so much that I cry?
— Good. Well, I would like you to take him to his new home from now on.
"Home?" Wouldn't it be more of a room?
The old man sighed.
— Always as naïve as always. When you'll change, kiri.
"I-I'm so sorry, f-boss..." She murmured sadly, without taking her hands off her face. "I will take you to your room as you have ordered."
"You say I'm going to live here?" I asked, still in shock, at the clarification I had just made.
The old man stared back at me. He wasn't smiling, he was serious.
"Yes," he said bluntly.
My menté went blank for an instant, processing everything as quickly as possible.
- Excuse me, but... I would like to go back to my house, with... with..." "The word I wanted couldn't get out of my mouth. It was one of those words that for some reason or another you refused to mention, but given this particular occasion, I must have said it.
The old man was waiting for my answer anxiously, as if he were waiting for the lottery name to be called to see if he had won it.
I took a breath to take a breath and relax, then I said everything again from the beginning.
"I would like to go home to my parents. I answered.
The bodyguards, along with Kiri, the half-human feline, bowed their heads, as if they were giving me their condolences or simply didn't want to show what was going on.
The place was silent for an instant that became eternal until the old man answered:
— I'm afraid that won't be possible. - He replied with what seemed... Anger?
— Why not? I asked with nerves running high.
— You are in an unknown place, a place far removed from the monarchist dictatorship. He snapped. - Don't think that we are kidnapping you out of evil, we do it for safety. You'll stay here until my sons succeed in overthrowing King Varic.
— P-but...
"That's all. I have nothing more to say.
The old man turned and walked away through the door through which he entered without saying another word.
Silence.
The leaks in the place were rumbling in my ears painfully. My senses had been heightened by the adrenaline my body had just injected into me for no reason.
"Hey, You," I said, trying to get the catwoman's attention.
She stood firm, turning her hands away once and for all.
— Y-YES! He shouted at the top of his lungs.
I began to feel a huge wave of power when I heard that scream.
She is a beautiful woman, as well as being half beast half human. Since she is so submissive, maybe she could... NO! I can't do that.
I began to hit my head unconsciously, causing the feline to get in the way.
— P-para! He exclaimed, grabbing my arms. "Why do you hit yourself?" — He asked.
I came back from my thoughts.
— O-oh. I'm sorry..." I murmured. "I'm just a little puzzled," I lied, making up a credible excuse.
- Okay... Come with me, I'll take you to your room," he said.
She began to walk towards the door, exiting through it, leaving me behind. I followed her at the same pace as her, observing the place in the meantime.
We climbed a spiral staircase, which seemed endless, to reach the main floor. There was nothing special about this one. It was empty, with no one walking around.
"This way," said the cat, changing her direction to the right.
The walls were of a yellow stone, like the inside of a pyramid. Everything was decorated with candles and the occasional figure made of wood praying towards a painting of the old man.
I felt uncomfortable, I needed conversation, but there was a problem. She was a woman and my social anxiety dominated me when it came to generating conversations.
"Your name is kiri, right?" I asked in a vague, embarrassing tone.
The cat looked at me, but only for a moment, then she looked away and continued on her way.
"Yes," he said.
I nodded, giving myself time to think about what else to ask.
I had the feeling that a small drop of sweat was beginning to run down my forehead, but when I put my hand to it to dry it, I realized that it was a projection of mine.
"Are you the boss's daughter?" I asked, breaking the silence once more.
This time he didn't make the slightest gesture of looking at me, it even seemed that he ignored me.
"We're all the boss's children," he said. "In the cult of Everos, we must all pray to the chief, treat him as our father, our protector, our god.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Kiri in amazement. I mean, it was a cult... Wow, my prediction was not wrong.
Kiri stopped short next to a wooden door, this surprisingly well-kept for the condition of the rest of the building. Or pyramid, I don't know what to think anymore.
"This will be your room from now on." She said, noticeably more confident than she had just now.
I nodded, this time in a way of saying "Thank you." I walked over to the door and put my hand on the handle above it, but just as I pressed hard to open the lock, Kiri stopped me.
"I must tell you what the rules are before I can enter your new chambers. He said.
Oh, great, now there are rules. This couldn't be better.
—Are they very strict? I asked without taking my hand off the handle.
Kiri shook his head. Then, he smiled big.
"Oh well. We only ask that you respect them with your whole being. He gave a brief sigh and continued, "The rules are as follows: No going out after midnight. You cannot drink alcohol during the Everos prayer, which lasts about an hour and a half. No jumping on the beds. The latter must be made before 10:00 AM. No having love affairs about them...
Everything sounded Chinese to me. Why so many rules? It's a few beds, and this is just a room. That thing about alcohol made me feel like a stake was being driven through my heart. I needed my elixir to be able to live.
"Hey... hey..." he said repeatedly. Kiri stopped talking and looked at me.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"It looks more like a shrine than a room. Shouldn't I be able to do as I please? I shrugged.
"This is a shrine for the cult members, just as you said.
"Members?" I asked. I raised an eyebrow in the form of ignorance. A mysterious fear began to travel through my body.
"Eh... Yes...—he murmured. It was clear that he was hiding something.
"Don't you think I want to be part of..." I look at both sides of the long corridor—... this