The low, distant rumble of thunder rolled across the land like the growl of a sleeping god stirring to wakefulness. It was a primal sound that shuddered through the bones of the earth itself, vibrating up through Kaius's leather-wrapped boots and settling in his chest like a second heartbeat. He stood alone atop a craggy cliff, his spear gripped white-knuckled in calloused fingers, its worn shaft slick with the sweat of his palm.

The figure of the man in front of his face brought fear into his heart that he never thought he possessed before.

“Wake up” a distant voice shouted at him

[ Jail cell ]

“Oh my God, wake up! Are you always this lazy?” Kaius groaned, a weight pressing into his chest, and blinked his eyes open to find a pair of annoyed eyes staring down at him. “Finally,” she huffed, not bothering to hide her irritation as she leaned over him. “Are you trying to make me work harder here?”

He brushed at her halfheartedly, still groggy. "Get off, will you? I don’t exactly sleep on a luxury culcita here,” he muttered, his voice rough from sleep. The cold stone floor had done little for his sore muscles, and the damp air clung to his skin like mist.

The woman rolled her eyes but obliged, standing back with crossed arms, her foot tapping impatiently. “I’ve been waiting for ages,” she grumbled. “You’re not exactly the picture of a morning person.”

“Fuck off,” He grumbled, pushing himself up, rubbing a hand over his face to shake off the remnants of sleep. The dream still lingered at the edge of his mind. The sound of thunder coupled with the mountain of corpses almost made him feel like he was in another realm. But the appearance of the damp, unforgiving cell quickly took over, and he sighed.

“Excuse me,” she began, but he interrupted her again. “Don’t even get started with me, woman. In my land, we eat tiny people like you.” He smirked, a flicker of mischief breaking through his grumpiness.

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Her expression shifted from irritation to incredulity. “Is that supposed to intimidate me?” she shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Because I’m pretty sure I’d choke on you.”

“Bold words for someone standing in a cell with me,” he replied, finally sitting up straight.

"But seriously," he mused, leaning back on his bed, "what is it that you want, Delphine? I don't recall ordering for your service today, nor am I in need of a healer.”

Delphine rolled her eyes again, folding her arms tighter across her chest as she leaned toward him. “Oh, please. You think I'd come down here just to indulge your morning theatrics? Or to warm your bed? You're cute, Kaius, but not that cute.”

Kaius snorted, shifting his weight on the cold stone floor and wincing slightly as a new ache flared in his shoulder. "Then do enlighten me. Why bother to rouse me from my luxurious room, if not for the pleasure of my company?”

Delphine sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as if steeling herself against a headache. “Look, I don’t have time for your charming routine this morning. There’s an opportunity. One that requires you to be… not, you, if you get what I mean.”

Kaius’s interest flickered in his eyes, though he masked it quickly with a lazy shrug. “An opportunity? In here?” He gestured around the cell, the chipped stone walls and heavy iron bars that kept the light as much at bay as they did him.

Kaius leaned forward, the pretense of disinterest falling away like a discarded cloak. "You've got my attention. What kind of opportunity are we talking about?"

She lowered her voice, her gaze darting to the guard slumped against the wall outside the cell door, oblivious. "The kind that could get us both killed – or both free. The Magistrate is bringing in a special prisoner tonight. Someone important enough that half the regular guards are being reassigned to the north tower."

"Leaving this section..." Kaius began, his mind already racing ahead.

"Practically skeletal," Delphine finished. "But that's not even the interesting part. The interesting part is who they're bringing in." A slight smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Someone you are very familiar of. Someone who might be very interested in settling an old debt."

Kaius felt his blood run cold. There was only one person that could be, and if they were being brought here... That was bad news. "They caught him.”

Kaius had a lot of enemies, far more than he could count at the top of his head. but out of all of them, only he was the one that worried him.

Delphine tilted her head, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “I thought that might get your attention. But don’t decide yet. Think it over.” She took a step back, her figure shimmering as her shape rippled and shrank, morphing into a small, dark mosquito that darted past the cell bars.

The guard outside my cell stiffened, the clanging of his armor echoing off the stone walls as he strode over, eyes sharp and searching as they swept the room. I met his gaze with a deadpan expression, betraying nothing, watching as his brow furrowed in suspicion.

"Was someone here?" He asked.

"Do you have eyes?" The guard shifts his weight. His jaw tightens as he stares at me down. "No, I meant was someone else here."

"Why the hell would I tell you that?" Kaius sneers.

The guard sighed to himself, breaking down at one of his pockets as he grabbed out a key.

“Get up," he commanded, "it's time to go outside. Don't try to pull that stunt again with Marcus; otherwise, we'll have to cut your legs or hands to prevent you from fighting again.”

[ Chapter end ]