A prison would never be a pleasant sight to the eyes.

Perchance it stood as the most frigid site in the midst of summer's warmth. Others also declared it as the Infernal Tartarus on earth, so torrid that it defied the very essence of summer itself.

Two imposing individuals forcefully escorted poor Alicia to the registration chamber. Alicia did not succumb to a fit of a tantrum, for she was trying so hard to repress her dread. Nevertheless, her eyes glistened with tears, and her trembling lips pleaded for it all to be naught but a grievous misunderstanding.

Upon entering the chamber, the young girl was instructed to occupy the solitary vacant chair. Positioned before her was an officer clad in a disheveled white uniform—a visage haggard, perhaps, from sleepless nights.

The man, situated beneath the hanging lamp, cast a somber shadow while his gaze remained fixed upon Alicia. The dimly lit room added to the unsettling ambience as if the shadows were drawing nearer to envelope her. The officer, identified as 'David Whistlehoff' according to his identification, grasped a form and pen in his hand, commencing the act of writing. The two men who had accompanied her thus far receded into the shadows like wraiths. The room bore an uncanny resemblance to an interrogation chamber, and the man's countenance shrouded in darkness evoked the impression of a serial killer lurking in a quite passage.

“Name?” asked David Whistlehoff, the administrator.

Alicia, lulled by the room's horror, was surprised. “W-what? S-sorry, can you repeat?”

“First question and you’ve already wasted my time,” David grumbled in a flat tone. “Name!”

“Sorry. Alicia. C-Crimsonmane.”

“Sorry Alicia Crimsonmane?”

“Alicia Crimsonmane. Sorry.”

David looked at her upset again with his blank eyes. No one could tell if he really hated this profession.

“Mystic Art?”

“I-I don’t know.”

"A discipline used to utilise your mana and perform magic!"

"I don't know!"

David Whistlehoff fixed a piercing stare upon her. This time, suspicion carved his pale visage. “‘Don’t Know’ is not a mystic art, Miss Crimsonmane.”

“I-I mean…,” Alicia stammered, her desperation evident, “I don’t know what magic discipline I used. I j-just used my power, s-spontaneously...”

David’s brows furrowed. The sound of her breathing became heavy, Alicia was perplexed about what was wrong with the way she spoke.

“D-Did I say something wrong?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“Are you playing with me, young lady?”

Alicia's anxiety heightened with each passing moment. "I-I genuinely don't comprehend what you m-mean, sir."

“Huh.” David snapped his finger for the officer in the corner to fetch a pushcart filled with certain tools, then he proceed with his writing.

The pushcart displayed the equipment on it in bright light: metal gloves, metal eye patch, restraint armour, and an iron mask with a bulge at the back of its mouth. Then there was a bottle of peculiar potion and more unsaid dubious apparatuses. David’s eyes were drawn to a small box with a hand hole in one side, which grabbed it with his left hand. Alicia hesitated as she noticed the box's upper side, fashioned in the likeness of an enraged dragon with fiery eyes. Suspicious serrations adorned the interior of the opening.

“Put your hand in there, lady,” David ordered.

Alicia grew apprehensive. “What’s that? W-what’s in the box?”

David drew his face back slightly, accentuating the sinister demeanor that was borne of the interplay between light and shadow.

“…Pain,” answered the emotionless man.

Alicia suddenly lost her breath and started to wail. “Wait! Please don’t torture me, I will tell you everything! I’ll be honest Please, please!”

“Divine Mercy, calm down, young lady. It’s just a procedure! It’s not that bad.”

The two personnel approached Alicia. She just could not believe the cradle from a prison receptionist. The first officer restrained her from breaking loose, while the other forced Alicia's left hand into the tooth-filled orifice of the box. Alicia squirmed with enormous vigour, desperately attempting to unleash a scream. But what could a slender girl do against the guards' brawny muscles? The first officer covered Alicia’s mouth with his hand lest she create another furor.

Alicia’s hand made it into the hole, almost without resistance. Suddenly, the hole emitted a vibrant blue radiance, followed by an even brighter streak of light that traversed her palm, as if scanning it. David took her hand out of the box, and the guards released their grip on Alicia. With laughter resonating around them, they retreated into the abyss of darkness. Alicia stared at the unemotional David Whistlehoff with an incredulous face. She had just fallen victim to a prank within the confines of a penitentiary, and David Whistlehoff barely mustered a smile, as if he had been born that way.

The dragon carving on the box's upper side parted, revealing interlocking puzzle pieces that unveiled a screen whose contents Alicia could not fathom. David glanced at the screen's display and simply uttered, "Oh," noting it down in his report.

“W-what did it say?” asked Alicia, curious.

“Not your business,” said David. "Please proceed to seal this lady."

“Are you going to tease me again, shameless Mister Whistlehoff?”

One of the guards stepped forward, brandishing his wand and preparing to cast a spell.

“Verum Vates!”

The wand's tip ignited with a soft glow. The guard poised to inscribe something upon Alicia's right hand, where a burn mark resided.

“Stop! Come on, not there! Don’t you feel pity for her? The other hand!” cried David.

The officer swiftly switched sides and proceeded to mark Alicia's other hand. The intricate design resembled a radiant magic circle. Alicia experienced a momentary tingling sensation, a telltale sign that the spell had been successfully implanted.

“Now we’ve done that, moving on,” said David. “You said earlier that you don’t know the mystic art you practice? Does your magic rely on hand and body movements?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Alicia was still unsure whether this David was asking seriously or not behind his reluctant temper.

“Y-yes,” she answered.

“What about finger movements?”

“A wee bit, I guess.”

“Eyes?”

“Pardon me?”

“Your eyes. Do you perform your magic through your eyes?”

“I d-don’t know. Maybe not.”

“Do you need a magic conducting medium to cast spells?”

“My power comes from Orb, so yes.”

“Do you tongue your spell?”

“I don’t.”

“Are you sure you’re not a sorcerer, miss?”

“I’m not a sorcerer. As I said, I don’t practise magic from any discipline.”

“Then how do you cast magic?”

“I… I fuse my mind with Orb to gain its power.”

“That magic ball of yours? So it’s not a divination orb? Without Orb you can’t do any magic?”

“I don’t know if Orb can predict one’s fortunes. And no, I can’t do magic without my Orb. A divination orb is fake, by the way, there’s no such thing. One wee trivia for you.”

David Whistlehoff stared at the girl with intent, then at her stamped hand. The magic circle seemed unresponsive, so he summed up his report.

“We don’t need any of these. Get rid of it.” The guards then took the pushcart back into the artificial dark night. David, with his blank yet sharp gaze, intended to enunciate something to Alicia.

“The good news is, without the orb, you’re just a girl. These two kind officers here will escort you to a low-level magic detention room. The magic circle in your hand will stay there until the trial is concluded. Thank you, have a good rest.”

David Whistlehoff did not beat around the bush, even completely indifferent to the Crimsonmane girl who supposedly wielded the strongest magic power in the universe. The two officers hauled Alicia right away through the door behind David.

“Wait!” asked Alicia before heading for the door. “You’re really going to imprison a sixteen-year-old kid?”

David turned around. “You’re a mage, miss, aren’t you? A mage, no matter one’s age, will be dealt with strict and equal, if necessary.”

***

Along the passage, the petty magic prisoners faced outside to confirm that the rumours were true. As they herded Alicia walked to her cell, the prisoners began to show their predatory intentions toward the young girl. Whistling and collections of nasty words were thrown at her.

“Look alive, lads! A bonnie lassie coming in!”

“How come a pretty bookworm lik’ ye ended up here?”

“Wench! ye're having that pure Arcane with ye, are ye not?”

“If ye dinnae want harm, share yer magic with me, wee fanny!”

“Hey, little girl. Why are you being carried to prison by those two lackeys? Let uncle cuddle you here, hen.”

“You’re the possessor of pure magic power? A runny girl like you?”

“Look! Look at her frantic coupon! Och, how I can’t wait to scratch her face, hahaha!”

“Why don’t you use your mighty might to get yourself or us out? Come on, come up with a trick or two for us!”

“The guards are so kind, they left us a piece of entertainment!”

“White, smooth, a pure arcane owner, plump body as well! Ellie’s wrath you must be a noble lass! Let me taste a bloody noble lass!”

“Ye're going to ‘enjoy’ yer time in jail, wean! Because we’ll enjoy it too. Especially since yer powerless here.”

All the verbal abuse that came out really made her shudder in silence. The dingy floor seemed more worthy of Alicia's ruby eyes than those of the rancid, depraved prisoners. Thankfully, the guards understood, so they marched faster.

They reached the quieter prison complex. At the far end of the cell, Alicia was locked there and left alone. Luminous and vibrant symbols adorned the walls, which appeared to be magical runes used to suppress one's mana and prevent the casting of spells. Although she reckoned the runes not to flatter her, but rather to be an ironic reminder of who she really was. It was not like Alicia could unleash a single bit of mana without the rune's presence, was it?

Alicia sat down on the bed, her eyes swelled. Living in a solitary confinement cage in the midst of ruthless ragamuffins had never been so eerie.

“Dinnae panic, Alicia. Dinnae panic!” she reassured herself. “You can get through this. You can get through the court well. You just have to tell the truth, easy, right? It’ll pass! But if the others hear of my presence in Eidyn—no! No, no, no, no. Papa will let me out first. Stop that thought, Alicia!”

“A new self-babbling roommate, eh? Hello to anyone there!”

A more civilised address from across the cell caught Alicia’s attention. His euphonious yet masculine voice made the young girl turn her head.

A young man was revealed from the face of the cell. Judging by the sweat on his face, and the lustrous biceps that the black singlet could not reach, it appeared he had just completed an exercise. He locked eyes with Alicia Crimsonmane as he wiped his face with a small towel.

The bookworm’s eyes widened, nearly matching the size of her round glasses. Her hands gripping the cage poles tight.

Alicia's mind harkened back to her readings, the same books and encyclopaedias she delved into endlessly (which also contained a charming portrait of an incubus). The devil, an incubus, deity of death, allegedly a representation of Khaos, or whatever enigmatic creature it may be, was always described as the most exquisite being in the entire universe. Their allure and charm were renowned for deceiving beings of all ages.

The man’s skin seemed pale but radiated a bright shine, nonetheless. His shoulder-length black curls cascaded down, glistening with perspiration. His eyes, a shade of mint green, carried a weariness akin to Whistlehoff's, but their sharpness was a blessing trait that could tear through the heavens or even be a cure for the lass' failing eyesight. It implied a mysterious impression with a thousand and one interpretations to Alicia’s already melted mind. And to her surprise, he was actually not as tall as any common adult—almost on par with Alicia, in fact. But Alicia was already a devout idolater. She desired to squeeze the tiny man even more.

“W-who?” stammered the bewildered Alicia.

The man gave a subtle grin.

"I am... one of the imprisoned practitioners of magic, I suppose?" he said, frowning. "Not someone of significance, though. Nevertheless, it's pleasant to have someone to converse with in this desolate compound—"

"I'm Alicia!" she blurted out abruptly.

“Pardon me?”

That plea snapped her awareness straightaway, emphasised by her blushing cheeks. She trembled uncontrollably, attempting to divert the topic through her faltering words.

The lad just laughed. "Even though tears were welling up in your eyes, you suddenly find yourself in such a state of awkwardness. Is that how attractive I am?”

W-what? What kind of bold reply is that? Alicia did not know where else to put her face. Sinking her face behind the concrete walls was the only way that came to mind, because of how abashed the girl was.

“I-I… N-n-no… S-sorry! Didn’t mean… I d-didn’t mean… you… just...”

“I’m Mars,” the lad swiftly halted her stumbling words. "Why does a young lady like yourself find herself in this place?"

Still feeling self-conscious, Alicia averted her sombre gaze. “Y-ye dinnae have to ask, do you? You must have heard the rumours recently, just like the others.”

“Oh, it’s you! I never expected the Divine Grace in the flesh. How the Divine has blessed me.”

The perfunctory compliment felt different to Alicia. “N-not me! I cannae cast pure Arcane. The might is linked to a magical sphere, but the Romans and their scunnered Western-rite Sorcery blocked my mind, making me unable to access its might.”

“I see. Western-rite Sorcery is really good at manipulating thoughts and suggestions. But I’ll tell you one simple trick. You see, you can’t control your magic sphere because your brain is blocked by suggestions. The best way to erase those suggestions is—"

"To touch Orb's surface with a bare finger." Alicia cut him off.

And Mars was straight amazed. "And Voila! The blockades shall crumble. The point is to feel and connect with what was once part of you again. How do you know that, by the way?”

"Nae a big deal. Magic trivia from Mama's encyclopaedia. Can't you tell by the glasses?"

"What? Apart from the fact that you're cute wearing those?"

"What—no, not that! I mean I read! I read too much!"

"Oh, yeah... silly me! But the previous one holds true, though."

Alicia shook her head. A moment passed, she dared to meet her eyes with Mars’. “You… Mars? W-what about you? Why are you even here?”

“Ah… It’s nothing. I fought with other wizards over personal matters. They’ll release me later,” Mars sounded so nonchalant.

Both individuals advanced in silence, again with Alicia still on edge, unsure of what else to say. However, as for Mars, he was not yet done with his inquisitiveness about the girl.

“Your burn is unique,” Mars teased. “Don’t you think your wound is more like a symbol, rather than just an ordinary burn?”

Alicia hid her right hand.

“Oops..., sorry if that offended you. I have a wound on my hand, too. Look!” Mars stuck his bandaged palm out of the cell.

“Eh, no, it’s just… This burn is different from the others. It might look disturbing to you.”

Mars could only chuckle. “You kept your wounds uncovered all the time, yet you’re even shy about my opinion? Alicia, could you—“

Alicia realised she had slipped, and blood rushed to her cheeks. Again.

“Argh! You! Why are ye so straightforward like that?” shouted Alicia with embarrassment.

Mars burst out laughing after hearing her scream. It was long enough for Alicia to turn her face to the side. Mars gradually slowed down his laughter, then tried to lure Alicia again. He said, “Even though we just met. But Alicia, I can’t help but say you are so adorable.”

Her ears were burning. Alicia hollered once more in annoyance. “Hold yer wheest! Enough! Ye're a wee scunner!” Alicia disappeared from the embrace of the cell and ran to her bed, covering her face with the pillow. She squirmed while screaming, muffled by the bed.

What kind of prison is this? What kind of man is that? []