Suddenly, my head felt foggy, and my vision blurred.
I tried to steady myself, planting my hands on the ground and pushing up, but the dizziness slammed into me even harder. My arms gave out, and I collapsed again.
Somewhere beyond the haze, I heard Grey chuckle. He said something, but the words were distant, like they were being spoken underwater.
I rolled onto my back and shut my eyes.
My entire body felt heavy. Weak. I couldn't even form a clear thought. I tried to reach for Essence, even just a thread of it but it was like trying to grip air with broken fingers. No focus. No control.
And then….nothing.
The world slipped away, and I lost consciousness.
*****
My fingers twitched, and my mind suddenly snapped awake. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, but all I saw was darkness.
Then the memories came rushing back.
The weakness I'd felt before… it had knocked me out cold. I sat up and pushed myself to my feet. The weakness was gone now, but something still felt off. I couldn't put my finger on it—it was just a strange pressure at the back of my mind.
My hands were still cuffed, and the collar was still locked around my neck. Nothing had changed since I'd passed out.
I tried reaching out with my perception, tapping into the Essence around me and pain exploded in my skull.
I gasped and grabbed my head as a sharp jolt ran through my mind. It faded after a few seconds, but it left behind a dull throb, and something even worse. My perception, which normally stretched over two hundred meters, barely covered thirty to forty now.
My head pounded with that same pressure. A steady, annoying throb behind my eyes.
'Is it the collar?'
I shifted my focus and started observing the space around me.
Steve was still unconscious, lying in the cell to my left. The cell to my right was empty.
Across from me, in the opposite row, two middle-aged men sat quietly in their cells, backs against the wall. I scanned them out of habit but all I got were question marks.
That was starting to bother me. I hated not being able to read someone's level.
I stepped forward and reached for the bars. They were smooth and cold, almost too perfect. No gaps between them, no hinges or locks visible.
I lowered my gaze to the two small engraved circles where I had stood before probably what had teleported me inside.
I moved around the cell, checking everything the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. But there were no openings. Not even a crack. Whoever built this place wanted it sealed tight.
I let out a slow breath and stepped back toward the bars.
I needed to gather information. More than that, I needed to figure out why my perception was so heavily restricted.
I opened my status page. No changes. My Psynapse stat still read 268.
So whatever was suppressing me, it wasn't internal.
That meant either the collar had injected something into me… or this place was interfering directly with Essence.
I called out, pretending I couldn't see anything around me in the dark.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
My voice echoed back at me, stretching through the hallway.
I moved my head around slowly like I was trying to find someone, but in truth, my perception stayed locked onto the two middle-aged men.
Neither of them responded.
I called again.
"Hey, can anyone hear me? I just have a few questions. Anything would help."
Still nothing.
I walked up to the bars and started hitting them with the cuffs on my wrists. The sharp clink of metal-on-metal rang through the corridor. I tried switching up the rhythm, making random sounds just to provoke a response. Nothing. No reaction from either man.
I sighed and stopped.
My foot tapped against the floor. I was getting jittery. The silence. The darkness. The fact that this tiny cell was the only space I could move around in. It was already starting to get to me.
A small part of me wanted to cause chaos just to break the boredom. But I held myself back.
This was a mission. I had to stay sharp.
I sat down near the bars, closed my eyes, and waited for Steve to wake up.
Even with my eyes closed, I kept my perception active, focused on Steve and the two men across from me.
My thoughts spun as I tried to make sense of what the Holts were really doing here.
There were Abominations—captive and restrained with weird tubes sticking out of their bodies. I knew the Empire used Abominations for training, but I'd never liked it. The souls inside them had once been alive. Human, even. I always believed that if you saw an Abomination, you should kill it. Set it free.
But then there were the humans—half-dead, starved, and discarded like trash.
And the Nagas. Powerful, proud, and feared throughout the galaxy and they were prisoners too.
Teleportation circles. High-tech prison cells.
When I'd taken on this mission, I thought it would be quick. Sneak in. Raid the place. Get out.
But this wasn't a simple operation anymore.
I had to be ready for anything now.
I started going over my options, listing them out in my head.
First, my talent. My Essence control was one of a kind.
Second, my talent's latest upgrade. I hadn't tested it yet, but I had it in reserve.
Third, my stats. They were already high, but I could push them even further if needed. My level didn't reflect my true power. That would work in my favor.
Fourth, my passive body ability. It gave me a natural edge.
And finally, my class. A legendary one. With it, I had unprecedented control over raw Essence and generated Essence alike.
I had tools. I had power. I just needed to play it smart from here on out.
One move at a time.
I thought about the miniature storage ring and wondered whether I should use the device Edgar gave me to contact, to let him know what was happening here.
But I dismissed the idea almost as soon as it came.
I wasn't sure how deep this facility went or what kind of detection methods the Holts had in place.
There was no obvious surveillance in the room, no blinking devices, no runic constructs in the corners, no Essence patterns that suggested we were being watched. But that didn't mean they weren't observing us. I didn't want to risk exposing my one direct line to the outside.
I shifted slightly and moved my perception to the cuffs binding my wrists.
They were made of a metal I didn't recognize, dull gray with a slightly rough texture, almost like stone and steel had been fused together. It didn't carry any shine, and it was heavier than it looked. Definitely not something common.
Each cuff had three circles engraved along its outer surface, and inside those circles were tight, complex patterns, runes. The engravings were sharp and clean, no signs of wear or fading. Whoever had made these had taken their time.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when I noticed Steve shift and stir. He let out a low groan and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. Then, without a word, he slapped his own cheek and muttered, "Ouch."
I held back a laugh.
To him, the entire place would be pitch dark. The only source of light was the faintly glowing dashed line outside the cell, barely enough to give any sense of direction.
Steve got to his feet unsteadily and walked over to the bars. He stood there for a few seconds in silence, then reached out and touched them.
Using the bars as a guide, he slowly made his way along the left wall, carefully feeling his surroundings with both hands. He moved with quiet focus, his palms brushing against every surface like a blind man mapping a new world.
I stayed silent and just watched him work his way around the cell. Something about it was oddly entertaining, maybe it was how seriously he was taking it or how cautious he looked doing it.
Either way, I couldn't help but enjoy the show.