When Soria came to her senses, the first thing she noticed was a painful headache and the insistent grumbling of her stomach. That much wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and their presence was comforting, if anything. After all, pain and hunger had been a constant companion for as long as she could remember.
However, her mood quickly dropped as memories started to filter in. Ahh, yes, that was right. She had been sold to the Ember Scar Cartel and thrown into an underground prison. One by one, the memories of the last day came back to her.
Soria remembered vividly how she had suspected that something was amiss ever since that cruel man had started to act nice. And as always, her fears became reality. When she saw the amount of food he had delivered, she instantly knew that it would become a problem. Yet, as one of the first to realize the predicament, she had been able to prepare.
Soria had taken her followers to one of the distant caves with a decent amount of food. There, she had urged them to practice the Mana breathing technique. She was certain that it was the only way to get ahead in this place. After all, why else would that cruel man have taught it to them?
Things went well for a while, as she was able to make quick progress. She could feel how much stronger she became with every session. The same was true for the rest of her group, who improved almost as much. Thanks to her foresight, they were able to defend against the other groups easily.
Soria even managed to awaken her innate ability. Like her mother, she was able to influence people. However, her ability seemed much stronger, working even in combat. For a while, her group became an untouchable entity, with no other group daring to challenge them anymore.
Yet, the good times didn't last.
There was a change in her followers as over half of them started to act peculiarly. They became agitated and aggressive, not only toward their enemies but even against the other members of her group. She first assumed that it was a delayed reaction to the situation they had found themselves in. But that was proven to be wrong as their condition only worsened.
By the time Soria realized the extent of the problem, it was already too late. Some members of her group had ignored her command and eaten all the stored rations. And that wasn't even the worst of it. They seemed to have lost all capacity for rational thought as they behaved more and more like beasts.
Soria lost her temper on more than one occasion, handing out vicious beatings. There was nothing she despised more than idiots who hurt the entire group because of their lack of intellect and poor impulse control. Yet, the beatings did nothing to dissuade those lunatics. It was almost as if they didn't feel any pain. If anything, it had the opposite effect.
Soria easily detected the ever-growing spark of lust in the eyes of her most crazed followers. How could those pathetic pushovers think that she would ever mate with them? It was laughable that those weaklings thought themselves in a position to demand anything from her. Yet, this served as the last sign she needed to accept reality: She had lost control.
Not only did the group not follow her orders anymore, but now they had even grown insolent enough to have designs on her.
Well, whatever… Soria didn't need them anyway. They had depended on her far more than she depended on them. So, she decided to leave the group before the next feeding. She would survive on her own.
Yet, when she arrived in the central cavern, something strange happened. As she gazed up at the metal bars, her eyes caught sight of something halfway up the cliff. To her surprise, it was a living person. Thanks to her unique ability, she could now discern the subtle signs of life. In an instant, Soria realized who it was. This could only be him — the first Chimeroi who had entered the prison, the mysterious man with red skin.
She had wondered what had happened to him when she noticed that he had not appeared during the meal.
Just as she was thinking that, she noticed that the figure began to stir. He got up, stretched his limbs, and approached the opening to the cave. However, when the person came into view, it was not who she expected. The man who appeared had human skin and hair. Soria remembered her surprise at that moment… her surprise… and then… her eyes shot open as she remembered what had happened after.
In an instant, she landed in a crouch, warily scanning her surroundings. To her left, right, and back were solid stone walls with the only opening to her front. And… there he was.
The man she had encountered before, the one who had assaulted her, now sat in the center of this strangely symmetrical cave, casually enjoying an apple with his legs crossed. As their eyes locked, she noticed their captivating golden hue, almost glowing in the dimness of the cave, emitting an indescribable intensity. It struck her that these were the same eyes she had observed on the red-skinned Chimeroi before.
His movements had frozen mid-bite when she had jumped to her feet. Yet, it didn't look as if he was wary of her. Instead, the emotions Soria read from his gaze were something completely different: curiosity, pity, and… guilt.
What? Had he done something to her while she was asleep? Soria quickly scanned her body, but she felt fine. Aside from a splitting headache, her body seemed to be in good condition. Then, why was he feeling guilty? It was certainly suspicious.
"Hungry?" the man asked with a nod to the left.
It was only now that Soria discovered the several food items lying on the floor next to him. It wasn't a lot, but certainly enough to survive. So, her guess had been right. He had been up here all this time, avoiding the fight going on below and somehow taking a small share of the food for himself.
What a bastard… and… and…
How come she hadn't thought of it first? A sudden wave of self-awareness washed over her, and she began to feel how foolish she had been. While she had struggled with managing a group, he had been up here relaxing in peace. Soria couldn't help but recognize that this man probably regarded her in the same way she had once looked down on the seemingly thoughtless members of her group. It was a humbling realization.
"Are you hungry?" the man repeated.
Soria looked into his eyes again, yet the disdain she had expected was absent. "What do you want from me?" she asked instead of answering his question.
The man sighed. He looked at the apple in his hand for a moment as if pondering something deeply. Then, he took a ferocious bite as if it had wronged him in some way.
"I don't want anything from you," he eventually said. "The only reason you are here is because you found my location, and I couldn't let you escape after that."
Soria nodded inwardly. What the man said made sense. In his position, she wouldn't have let her go either. But that didn't explain why he had brought her here instead of simply killing her. She had no value, and he would even have to feed her if he wanted to keep her alive.
"Why not just kill me?" she asked directly.
The man grimaced, the guilt in his eyes growing stronger. "I don't kill for no reason."
Soria wanted to scoff. This wasn't the first time she had heard such words. People who talked like that always turned out to be the worst sort. Fucking hypocrites, the whole lot of them. However, looking closely, she noticed the strange hue of the man's skin. He was pale, paler than any human she had ever seen. There were no Mages like this in Undercity, of that she was certain.
"You are not from around here, are you?" Soria asked.
The man's lips twitched. It was a subtle gesture, yet it felt like this was the first time he revealed a hint of his true character. "What gave me away?"
Soria's brows rose. This was the first time a Mage had talked to her like that. She had been ordered, berated, demeaned, insulted, even praised…. but teased? No, that was a completely novel experience. "You are weird."
The man smiled. "Maybe from your perspective."
Silence descended as Soria pondered the meaning of his words. The only thing that could be heard were the noises of quiet chewing as the apple slowly disappeared into the man's stomach. Yet, the tension was soon broken by the loud grumbling of Soria's stomach.
The man's smile widened. "Hungry?" he asked for a third time, pointing at the small pile of food to his left once more.
Bastard! Of course, she was hungry. She was always hungry. And the man had to know that as well. "I have nothing to trade, so what does it matter if I am hungry or not," Soria growled.
His smile didn't waver. "I didn't ask if you wanted to trade."
"Yes! I am hungry! Are you happy now?" Soria yelled, causing the man to look at her as if she was a strange creature.
"Why would that make me happy?" he asked in disbelief. "That's enough of your nonsense. If you are hungry, you should just eat."
Soria didn't move, and her eyes remained glued to his face. The man was becoming more suspicious by the moment. "I'll ask again: What do you want from me? Is it my strength? My body?"
The smile finally dropped from his face, replaced with a frustrated expression. After a moment of silence, he seemed to come to a decision. "You think I am after that emaciated body of yours? Don't make me laugh. I've turned down more marriage proposals than you have eaten meals in your life. Your innate ability? Even more ridiculous. My enemies use Mind Magic so potent that a mere glance does more damage than you could do in a lifetime..."
Soria listened quietly, not missing a single word.
"The truth is… you have nothing that I would even want. So, you can rest assured that if I say that I want nothing from you, that is the truth. But if you insist on a trade, how about this: As long as you are in my cave, you will follow my commands. Do you agree?"
Soria's wildly beating heart slowly calmed down as she listened to the string of insults. That was right. Such a man couldn't possibly need anything from somebody like her. Paradoxically, this line of reasoning was able to reassure her more than anything else he could have said.
A small part of her realized how frightening it was that he had managed to read her so easily. Yet, a far bigger part was now focused on the large chunk of meat at the man's side. Before she even noticed what she was doing, her head was furiously bobbing up and down, signaling her agreement.
His expression became noticeably brighter when he saw her gaze. Without another word, he grabbed the chunk of meat and tossed it into her lap. Soria also didn't stand on ceremony and began tearing into the food. It was delicious. Only now did she realize that this had to be one of the best cuts of the bunch. And today, she had it all to herself.
A smile slowly spread across the man's face as he watched her eat. It was a bizarre sight. Were there really people like that? Maybe, just maybe, he really hadn't been lying. Well, even if he were scheming, at least she wouldn't have to die on an empty stomach.
"By the way…" the man said, causing Soria to flinch. "Do you have a name?"
"Number 23," she replied promptly, remembering the guard's orders.
However, the man wasn't satisfied. "I can see the number on your badge just fine. But that wasn't what I was asking, was it?"
Soria looked down on the piece of metal on her chest. Was that what those squiggly lines meant? So, this man could actually read? How enviable…
"Soria," she said.
He remained silent for a moment. "What a beautiful name," the man finally murmured. His thoughts appeared to have wandered.
Soria recognized this expression all too well; it was a look she had witnessed often while growing up. It was the very same face her mother would wear when reminiscing about the past. Back when she still had hope.
"Do you also have a name… sir?" she asked hurriedly. It was a blatant attempt to disturb his musings. Yet, she didn't care if he noticed. Soria didn't want to see this expression again.
The man's gaze regained clarity as his eyes focused on hers. "My name is Ezekiel," he said with a genuine smile. "It is nice to meet you, Soria."