I was immediately escorted into the guard station. My hands were shackled behind my back, the cold and rusty metal biting into my wrists. Many guards gazed at me disgustingly as I was brought into the interrogation room. The room was well-lit albeit with no windows and only one door.

two guards were stationed at the entrance when I was forced into the room by two other guards. They were not shy to push and slap me pretending that I was resisting. I was seated on the only table and the two guards left the room, leaving me with the two stationed guards.

Not long after, one bearded guard came in. I couldn’t tell exactly, but he looked much taller and bulkier than me. His expression was grave, and his gaze was as though it was directed towards the most despicable human being. Well, to be fair, everyone did think that I murdered that lady.

“Let’s just make it quick. Why did you kill that lady?” He opened with an obvious question; he asked me holding some kind of note.

I had to answer with the only thing possible, “I know this might sound unbelievable, but I didn’t kill her. I w-”

Before finishing my sentence, he landed a solid blow to my cheek, knocking me to the side. The two stationed guards helped me back to the interrogation position, but they acted as though nothing had happened.

The bearded guard stood up and paced back and forth around me, "You expect me to believe that?" he shouted at me and spat on my face, "We have multiple witnesses against you. And yet, you dare to sit there and deny it?"

"I swear, I didn't do it," I insisted, desperation creeping into my voice. "I woke up, and she was dead!"

My protest seemed to have done nothing but aggravate him even more. The two guards pulled me back and held me in place, and the bearded guard landed several blows into my stomach. He finished it with a big punch to my left cheek, sending me and the two guards tumbling back.

The pain was excruciating, and I gasped for air as it was getting difficult to breathe. The two guards quickly got up and pulled me back up. At this point, I had no energy left to stand, and I was just dangling, supported by the guards.

“I won't confess to something I didn't do!!!" I gritted out. Even though I had a hard time breathing, I still stood my ground and refused to admit guilt.

"Enough lies!" he barked, his face contorted with rage. "You're wasting my time and yours. Tell me the truth, or I'll make you wish you were never born."

After more pointless questions, answers, and more beatings, the guards finally got tired and escorted me away. We went through several corridors and rooms before finally reaching the cell block. A row of iron bars cast long shadows across the damp floor. The guard shoved me roughly into a cell, the metallic clang of the door echoing through the empty hallway.

In that situation, I saw another person in the cell. I paid no attention to him though; I crawled to the corner of the cell and assumed the fetal position. Honestly, this pain was so vicious that I didn’t care about anything else.

After a while, I struggled to sit as I didn’t get any better in my current position. Seeing that I struggled to get up, that guy rushed and helped me. After getting me to a better sitting position, he backed off and let me be for a moment.

“You look worse than the first time they beat me back then. God the nostalgia.” He chuckled as he shook his head seeing my condition.

I shrugged his question off, unsure how to react, "What are you in for?" He added one more question.

"Wrong place, wrong time, I guess." I kept my answers as vague as possible as I wasn’t sure of the full extent of my situation.

He let out a bitter laugh, the sound echoing off the walls of our shared prison. "Ain't that the truth," he muttered, his gaze drifting to the barred window high above. "Seems like we're both trapped in this hellhole. Man, I’ve forgotten the feeling of freedom."

"But you’re a criminal, and I’m not," I muttered, realizing the difference in our situations.

“What’s your name?” he asked again, for some reason, he kept trying to engage in conversation with me despite my low effort in my responses.

“None of your business,” I replied sharply. I didn't want to engage in a conversation with a criminal. Finally realizing my reluctance, he gave up and chose to remain silent.

But after some time, he opened his mouth again. I had to admit that his persistence was quite commendable.

“Sorry for bothering you, it’s just been a while since I had someone to talk to,” he said after a while, his voice softer and carrying less determination.

“It’s alright. It’s just that I’m feeling like shit now. I don’t know how many times those guards beat me” I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the man sitting across from me.

Understanding my current predicament, he nodded and let me rest in peace. Hours passed like agonizing eternities as I languished in the cramped cell with the cold stone walls around.

But as the hours stretched on, the silence became much more unbearable, the pain also made it worse. I needed something else to distract my thoughts from this unfortunate situation.

“So, what’s your story?” I asked hesitantly, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them.

He then introduced himself as Dane, and his eyes were downcast as he was about to tell his story of how he ended up with this punishment.

"After my mother passed away, I had no one left," he covered his eyes with his hand as he began. "I turned to thievery to survive, breaking into houses under the cover of darkness in search of anything of value."

He paused, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he recounted the events that led to his incarceration. "One night, I made a mistake," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I broke into a house, unaware that a child was spotting me as I broke in. When he caught me in the act, he screamed, and I... I panicked."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I stayed silent the whole time. "I didn't mean to hurt him," he whispered, his eyes filled with tears. "But in my fear, I lashed out, and before I knew it, it was too late."

I could feel his regret as he continued his story, his voice gradually trembled. "I stayed with the boy, desperate to undo the damage I had done. But the guards arrived not long after, and I was arrested."

A heavy silence descended upon us as Dane's confession hung in the air. For a moment, neither of us spoke, lost in our respective thoughts.

“Thank you for listening to my story; you don’t have to say anything. I just want to release this pain before I die rotting in this cell. I truly deserve whatever punishment they will lay upon me in the future.” He chuckled ironically as he finished his story.

I couldn’t say much. On the one hand, he seemed genuinely regretful for his past crime, but on the other hand, it wasn’t a small crime either.

"I've seen enough rats to know that sorry doesn't cut it. You did something horrible and got your deserving punishment. But should you get a second chance somehow in the future, maybe you’ll figure out how to be more than just a stain in this world" I finally managed to whisper and bitterness was very obvious from my tone.

"Just don’t try to panic murder me this time" I continued with a joking smirk on my lips. We ended up in this situation now; to be fair I also made my own mistake of believing that woman and got myself in this deep shit.

Dane looked up at me with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the heaviness in his eyes. "I appreciate that," he said softly. "And don't worry, I don't plan on adding to my list of mistakes anytime soon."

Silence stretched between us once again. I felt myself drifting towards sleep, exhaustion weighing heavy on my eyelids. But suddenly, the tranquility was shattered by the sound of loud commotion and panicked screams echoing from outside the cell.

Before I could gather my wits, one of the wardens approached my cell, his body spattered with blood that gleamed ominously in the dim light. He crouched down in front of the bars and looked at me with a piercing gaze and a weird smirk.

I turned to face him and readied myself for whatever might happen after this. Dane lay sleeping on the opposite end of the cell, oblivious to the danger lurking in front of us.

"Hi there, how're you feeling?" he asked with a sickening cheerfulness given this situation.

"Do you not realize how creepy it is to act all friendly with blood covering your body? What exactly happened out there" I responded and tried to maintain my calm facade.

He chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "Hehe, how's the surprise that I prepared for you today?" he continued, his voice dripping with malice. "Exciting, wasn't it?"

I recoiled in horror, my mind racing with questions. Who was this person, and what twisted game was he playing? The memory of the murder in the inn room flashed through my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder—was this warden the one behind it?

"Are you referring to the dead woman in my room? So you're the bastard who framed me for that murder?" I shouted, anger rising within me. "Brave of you to show your face in front of me. I-"

"Hehehehehe, technically, not in the way you might envision it," he interrupted, his tone dripping with sinister amusement.

I fell silent, confusion washing over me with each word he uttered. "You see, Eric, yes I killed that woman," he continued, "But not this warden."

"Huh?" I mentally scratched my head, trying to make sense of his cryptic words. "You know what, if you want some redemption, I know a better place for you to confess to your crime," I added, a hint of bitterness creeping into my voice.

"Alright, here's the truth. We've met before," he declared, though his claim only deepened my confusion.

"None of your sentences have been helpful so far," I retorted, genuinely confused at whatever he was rambling about.

"Are you stupid or something?" he snapped, irritation seeping into his voice.

"The room in your old house, the mysterious figure in your inn, remember?" he pressed on.

My mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of memory he dredged up. "What? Are you my friend from childhood?" I asked incredulously.

"You stupid human, I am the figure that you saw in your dream, I am also the one who borrowed your body to stab that woman!!!" he declared, his tone rising as he got more aggravated by my responses.

I fought the urge to laugh at his absurd claim, though it was pretty suspicious that he knew the details of the woman’s murder. "Prove it then," I challenged, desperation creeping into my tone.

"Prove it, prove what?" he retorted, frustration evident in his facepalm.

"Prove that you're this powerful being, able to penetrate my dream and talk to me there!" I demanded further.

He hesitated, realizing the flaw in his plan. "I didn't think this through when I planned for this," he admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring his tone.

"Alright, this goes nowhere. I’ll choose to believe you. Well, you surely screwed my life over," I muttered bitterly, my frustration boiling over. "What do you want now?"

The warden's smirk came back when I played along with his game as he held up a dark, shiny object—a mysterious ball that seemed to pulsate with otherworldly energy.

"See, there's an additional surprise going on outside, but sadly your condition is pretty… pathetic right now." he taunted and laughed. "Who knows what would happen to Gareth and your precious Erina? Swallow this, borrow my power, and save them!"

"So you’re saying that I need to trust you? the one who put me in this fiasco in the first place. I am good, thanks!" I chuckled at his stupid attempt to manipulate me.

The warden's laughter cut through the air, his amusement palpable as he looked down at me with a twisted grin. "That’s funny how you try to sound smart now, yet you fell for my cheap trick, just because she had a pair of tits," he retorted and taunted me.

I gritted my teeth, the sting of humiliation burning deep within me. How could I have been so blind, so easily manipulated by his deceit?

But before I could formulate a response, the warden's laughter grew louder, echoing off the cold stone walls of the cell. With a flourish, he plucked a key from his collection, the metal glinting ominously in the dim light.

"A little taste of the surprise, if you don't mind," he sneered, his smirk widening as he unlocked the cell door.

With a sudden rush of movement, the warden lunged at me with a knife in his hand. Instinct kicked in, and I tried to avoid the stab. However, my movement was limited due to the bruises and wounds caused by the wardens earlier.

But to my horror, I realized that something was wrong. Try as I might, I couldn't summon my mana, couldn't unleash my trusty fire magic. It might be because of these handcuffs around my wrist. Was this made with a special metal?

Panic surged through me as I struggled against the warden's relentless assault, his laughter ringing in my ears like a mocking taunt. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the fight was interrupted by a new presence.

Dane, bleary-eyed and disoriented from his sudden awakening, moved with surprising speed as he lunged forward, his hands closing around the warden's wrist in a vice-like grip. With a grunt of effort, he attempted to subdue our assailant, his expression a mix of confusion and determination.

But the warden was not so easily deterred. With a swift motion, he wrenched himself free from Dane's grasp, his gaze shifting to me with a manic glint in his eyes.

"Don't... disturb me… you useless rat!" he snarled with a chilling whisper as he turned his attention to Dane and ready to strike him.

Adrenaline completely took over me and my body moved of its own accord as I interposed myself between Dane and our attacker. I crossed my arms over my head, the chain around my wrists coiling like a serpent as I launched myself at the warden with all the force I could muster.

The impact knocked us both off balance, sending us sprawling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and desperation. But even as I grappled with the warden, my hands wrapped tightly around his neck, I couldn't shake the feeling of horror that gripped me.

"You don't even hesitate, well done Eric!!!" the warden wheezed, his voice a raspy whisper as he laughed through the pain.

And then, with a final gasp, his body went limp in my arms, the light fading from his eyes as death claimed him. I released my grip on the chain, letting it fall from my hands like a weight lifted from my soul.

As the warden's lifeless body slumped to the ground, I pushed myself to my feet, my limbs trembling with exhaustion and adrenaline. Beside me, Dane looked on in shock, his expression a mix of horror and disbelief.

"You killed him, Eric," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the ringing in my ears.

I smiled a little at the absurdity of the situation. Not only did I murder a woman, I also killed a town officer. "Yeah, that makes both of us murderers then," I replied. "And you're welcome."

I fumbled with the key, my fingers shaking slightly as I unlocked the chains that bound both Dane and me. I stowed the chain and key away in my magic inventory. There’s no use to drown in sorrow and confusion, I needed to just swim with the current and find Gareth as well as Erina.

Turning to Dane, I motioned for him to follow me, my steps heavy with the weight of what we had just endured. He hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on the lifeless body of the warden, before finally falling into step beside me.