"That family is disgusting..." Nataña speaks as if she doesn't want to hear anything else, but she continues to pay attention anyway. Although it was clear that she also had her crosses with that family, or so it seemed to Ezer.
"Do they have a reputation for locking people up for no reason?" Ezer asks, guessing the answer.
"And more than you can imagine! The only daughter and heiress of the Karsin has a reputation for excesses. Waste of money, abuse of power, orgies... At least as far as I know, She hasn't killed anyone yet. But who knows? The man adjusts his body leaning against the uncomfortable bars and tells Ezer what he knew.
“And the father?”
“That…I'm not sure. Few public appearances and I also have no idea of his personality or ambitions. Something is clear, he does not tolerate his daughter's actions and neither does she tolerate his. Besides that, he has a clear contempt for the lower class.”
“And anyone who gets in the way ends up involved… just like me.” Ezer begins to get a sense of the situation. Unlike Anjani, he knew Irene Karsin in person and perfectly remembered her emotionless face once her mask fell. He was sure her backstory was much deeper and he was stupid enough to get involved. However, there was no point in lamenting now, although wished he could change his actions if given the chance.
"Well, enough of the depressing stories. Tell me about your past boy, how you grew up, if the question doesn't bother you, of course.” Anjani changes position again when his sore shoulder demands it.
“Sure, although it's a bit ordinary.”
"Ordinary is fine, I'm all ears."
"My home was in-" Ezer is interrupted by the sound of the prison access door opening and what he sees is not good. The heavy front door made of iron opens with a loud creak accompanied by a small group of men, including Breno. They move through the middle of the cells in silence, no one on either side looks directly at them or says a word. The fear of each prisoner was almost palpable and, although he did not want to admit it, something of it stick on Ezer.
“If he asks you something, answer. If he hits you, you don't respond, got it?” Nataña quickly approaches Ezer's ear and whispers those words, her gaze leaving no room for discussion.
The steps of Breno and his escorts made it clear, they were approaching his prison. Ezer's heart races thinking about the reason for the visit. Maybe it was something recurring for each new prisoner or maybe they knew something about his identity, that doubt was compressing his brain and it was already too late to ponder. The man in question was in front of him.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"You look much better than last time, to tell you the truth, I didn't think you'd live. But it turns out that you recovered in a short time, too short…” Breno's eyes narrow slightly, but this only lasts for a second and his curiosity fades at the same time. "There are rules in this prison, I'm sure your colleagues will take care of explaining them to you..." He says as turns around and looks at each cell, taking his time. “You're lucky to be in this place. Ha! There may even be some poor devil who would like to be in your place! After all, you get two meals a day, remember that… ” After his few words, as quickly as he arrived, Breno leaves.
However, before crossing the iron gate, Brennos points a finger at one of the men in the cell to his right.
"Him…" The two guards accompanying him move instantly at that simple word and open the bars to drag the man out of the cell.
“No! No! No! Please...! One meal a day!” The elderly man who is forced out begs loudly.
“Ah...! One meal every three days! Please! Please!” He begs between tears, but nobody pays attention to him, his face is dragged on the floor dirtying his already filthy beard. However, any effort is in vain.
“I curse you! I curse you child! If it wasn't... if it wasn't!” Before he could finish his sentence, the iron door closes, blocking out the sound and swallowing the scrawny old man.
“What was that?” Ezer asks Nataña once things have calmed down and the murmuring has subsided.
“It happens every time someone new enters the prison. One goes in, one goes out, or at least that's almost always the case.” She replies apparently not caring. Ezer wonders how many times she had to see that to get used to such a point, the old man's screams were still alive in his ears.
“For the food?”
“Exact. Don't feel guilty, it can happen to anyone.”
"Everyone except that woman! How are they going to lose their only fun!?” A loud voice resounds throughout the prison, and this one is familiar to Ezer.
“Shut up! You better not say anything else before your few teeth fall off!” Nataña shouts with real anger being the first time that Ezer sees this.
“I got enough to tell the truth. We all know you have certain... benefits.” Ezer finally recognizes where it came from and whose voice was. It was the same one that had first awakened him when he arrived and now, he knew why it seemed so strange to him. The person speaking was missing most of his front teeth, resulting in a strange pronunciation.
“Stop!” This time it is Anjani who intervenes, finding himself in the same cell as the toothless man.
“Now what!? They take away my freedom and it turns out that I can't speak of my own free will either?”
"This is not the time for this!" Anjani points to the prisoners in the cells, all of whom had their eyes downcast and clearly depression was sinking in the place.
"Tsk... They look like kids worrying about anything!" The toothless man groans, though he sits back down on the ground anyway and surprisingly doesn't say another word.
Only now Ezer can notice that the rhythm of his heart returns to normal, the fact that they could found his identity proved to make him more nervous than the northern woods at dusk, as ironic as it seemed.