"It's all part of the process. Everyone when they first get here wants to get out of here. It is a normal, rational feeling to have," Kaid explained, but Jess didn't seem to believe him. It was normal, and soon enough the hope-inspiring dream to escape this place would fade and wither away until any motivation to do anything but survive was gone.

"Kaid, I am being serious," she seethed softly, turning away from the cell door. They had gone over it briefly during dinner and Kaid shut her down every time, ignoring her as if she was saying the same thing reiterated to him over the years. And maybe he was right. Maybe he had heard this thousand of times over his thirty-year span here, but this was different.

Kaid was the difference maker, whether he believed it or not.

"The only way in and out is through portals, controlled by the Guard. There are no doors to any external avenues, I have tried looking for them," Kaid explained.

"What if I told you I had a man on the outside who could open a portal here?" Jess responded, seeing Kaid shocked as he sat down. Was it possible? Maybe. Was it rational to believe so?

"I am assuming these were the people you were traveling with before you got captured, am I wrong?" Kaid asked, knowing they were relying on no information whatsoever.

"Precisely, if they had gotten caught they would have been thrown in here, same as me," she pointed out.

"Or killed."

"Kaid, you have been stuck here for what? Thirty years? Don't you want to know what it's like out there? Wouldn't you want to give it everything just for the chance to try? You might have a family or place to call home. You can sail the seas, trek mountains, read a thousand books...just not here. You think that one day miraculously they will just let you go? Even if Caladin shuts down, for whatever reason, they eradicate Oblivion or see no need for it, they will kill you. I know that you do not want to sit here for the rest of your life!"

"You don't know anything about me," Kaid retorted harshly, soon biting his tongue. He didn't mean to be rude, but it was true. Jess knew absolutely nothing about him and she shouldn't make basic assumptions of him. Of course he wanted to get out of here. But she was acting like he never tried. He never got caught of course but he gave up when he realized there was no way out.

Jess slowly walked over to him, sitting down right across from him as if she had known him her entire life.

"Look, I am going to leave this place. If my friends are still alive, they will find a way to let me know. One of them has the power to place a portal in here, we just need to get there and I need to know where the best place to put it would be. I can get out of here with their help, alone, but I am asking you to come with me. You've been locked up here for so long and I know you have enough capability to help me. With you, it will be like walking a beach shoreline: easy and comforting," she explained, "I will not force you to come if you do not wish. But Kaid, you are wasted potential sitting here in this cell for the rest of your days and most of all you do not deserve to be imprisoned here. The realm could use another kind soul like you."

A sentence of her words struck emotional chords in his heart, an insecure pain being played like an instrument of old.

Deserve to be here.

As an eight year old first arriving into Caladin, he surely tried to rationalize his reason or purpose to being thrown into Caladin. Of course he knew of his powers at the time but felt like he had done something wrong. Only criminals were imprisoned. Did his family hate him? Did he hurt someone? Or was he merely abandoned and this was the only place with three meals a day capable of keeping a boy alive?

He felt like he deserved to be here. And that insecurity was the biggest reason he gave up on getting out of here. Jess didn't agree with him in that manner and she wouldn't based upon their first day together. Even so, a feeling so deeply rooted into his core would be very difficult to remove. Jess could disagree all she wanted, but the sinking feeling of his life without purpose would continue to sink like a dead weight.

Kaid felt warmth on his bent knee, seeing her place a hand gently as a form of comfort. Her eyes spoke more than her words did, as if she knew everything he was feeling in that moment, as if she could read his very mind. Kaid never met someone who even tried to understand him, and this stranger came along and got more out of him than the Guards ever could.

"Just think about it, I won't leave without telling you, okay?" she whispered, offering a small smile before standing up and moving away.

Jessamine was exhausted, more than last night it seemed. She kept rubbing her irritated temple, trying to relieve underlying pressure that only rest could restore. She could relate to how Kaid felt. A child thrown into an unknown world, one she didn't ask for. And the grief and trauma that came with it felt rooted into her spine, not a separate stem but intertwined with it. Trying to tear away from it would only damage herself, and so she and Kaid both had to learn how to live with it.

They just had to get out of here, and soon.

A week had passed and Jess hardly brought it up, but she was much more confident in leaving his side every once in a while at Caladin. Wilson certainly did not bother her, in fact he did his very best to avoid her along with the rest of his goons even with eye contact. Jess did socialize with the very few women around in Caladin, mostly just discussing things they could relate to. Kaid did not bother her when she talked around, nor did he ask what they discussed.

He thought maybe within the week, Jess would eventually give up and her confidence would dwindle. Unfortunately, time was giving her the opposite effect. She spoke, walked, and presented herself confidently and always did something with a purpose. Her actions were strategic, and Kaid couldn't figure out what exactly her end goal was, outside of getting out of here.

Kaid was reading in their cell when the alarms started to blare, causing him to freeze slightly. Alarms could go off for various reasons, like fights or minor riots. But he was worried about wherever Jess was, if she was caught in the middle of it or if she was the sole reason for the alarms.

Lockdown in effect starting in sixty seconds. Anyone not in their cells will receive punishment.

Shit.

Caladin could be considered massive with its long hallways and confusing corridors. Wherever Jessamine was, he hoped it was somewhere nearby this cell otherwise that was it. Infractions for being outside a lockdown, for first timers, were not overly severe. A minor lashing or perhaps a shock with the baton.

But his mind went to Mara, wondering if perhaps Guards had different forms of punishment in regards to women. And that made his gut sink. Kaid had counted down in his head and already thirty seconds had passed. Prisoners ran by but none of them were her.

Twenty. Fifteen.

Kaid took a deep breath, feeling his hands shake. He couldn't let her be out there alone. Maybe if they got caught together the Guards might give equal punishment, a lashing and verbal abuse and that was all. What had happened with Mara was making him nervous. He could practically hear the tears she produced all night when that incident happened, and he remembered the next morning when he woke up and she was gone, never to be seen again.

Kaid knew if he didn't see her in the next three seconds he had to try something. He ran over to their makeshift beds, grabbing the thin blankets to form together into a ball. It wasn't tight enough, so he removed his own tunic for a shirt to add some weight. Once before he had seen Mara use it as a technique when Kaid had been running late during a lockdown, of course he had made it on time but the technique still worked. Kaid placed the ball of fabric at the frame of the small gate, knowing it should prevent it from locking.

Hopefully.

Right now he wasn't relying on much other than a little bit of hope.

Kaid stepped out and immediately felt his dimension shift with ease, like taking a breath without even knowing it. Everything stopped, the slight airflow from vents ceasing and any and all sound was gone. Kaid remembered the first time had stopped time, and just how easy it felt to go in and out of the stages without realizing. Minutes spent in silence alone could feel like hours. Hours could pass and only be seconds in realtime. It offered a place of solitude, but also loneliness.

Time was the killer of all things, both full of life or lifeless. Time transformed humans into monsters, eroded both the soil and the soul. Time chipped away at the heart like waves against a cliffside. Controlling it was not a blessing, nor some power he could use whenever he felt like it. It was an illusion that Kaid was in control of, that took years of mastery to even acknowledge or understand.

Kaid stepped away from himself in real time. Moving around endlessly was easy, just the same as taking one step at a time. It did not consume his energy, not until he decided to pull himself into real time. Kaid could teleport between blinks if needed, step across time before coming back to reality. What looked like teleportation was just a crossing of time. However, the further the distance, the further the amount of time to be distorted, that was where the consuming of energy came.

He could pause infinitely without sacrifice. It was only when action was committed that it weakened him, just like Oblivion would for anyone else.

So he let himself walk, mostly at a quickened pace even though he wouldn't be making much of a difference in terms of reality. He passed three main corridors and found no sight of her. Hope was now diminishing as he knew time was running short. If she wasn't at the next, then they wouldn't have much luck making it just in time. On the fourth one, he found her, just about to turn the corner.

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And she looked a bit frightened, understandably given the circumstances. Yet, she kept looking behind her.

Kaid had no choice but to force time to move there in that second. While it would completely ruin the rest of his day in terms of energy, it was well worth the risk. Kaid felt it ripple through his body, bones and muscles seizing up until he opened his eyes and found himself in that corridor. And upon taking that first step, he felt Jess immediately collide into him, her hands grasping his bare shoulders for stability.

"Gods!" she cursed, soon realizing it was him, "Kaid what are you doing here? There's a lockdown. And...why is your shirt off?"

"No time to explain, just do everything I say," he spoke, feeling his body heavy with weariness but he took her hand and trudged forward. They ran as fast as they could, Kaid knowing deep down they wouldn't make it to that lockdown timer. However, as long as they beat the Guard that would double check everything was secure, that was what mattered.

Her hands were soft like silk, nothing rough about them except maybe nails a bit too sharp. Kaid had never felt something as soft as her hands, which felt much smaller than his own. She didn't seem to hesitate or pull away, but rather let him take the lead. It seemed so unlike her, to give someone the lead so willingly. She wasn't the type to give up control, yet she did so here with relative ease. It could be just because everything was relying on Kaid to get back into that cell on time and unnoticed.

Jess ran, feeling her lungs ache with joy at just the rush alone. It had been awhile since something felt this intense, feeling the borders of life and death itself. The excitement of just breaking the rules was always so tempting for Jessamine, and she had lived the edge of that life until it had to come to an end. This gave a sort of nostalgia that mere memories could not. Holding Kaid's large, rough hands didn't help the slight rush in her veins either.

And then the running stopped, Kaid halting harshly as Jess slammed into him from behind with a thud. Kaid swiftly pulled her to the edge of the last corner hallway, and Jessamine could hear the footsteps echoing. How he had known someone would be there, Jess had no clue. She held firmly to his bicep, feeling his body go in waves of extreme tense to immediate relaxation. She glanced up to see him heavily focused on what was going on ahead, his eyes darker than normal, as if he was in a completely altered state. And once his body relaxed, they moved once more.

"Once we turn here, our cell will be six sections down. The guard will be looking the other way but we will have to pause for at least ten seconds, no less. In twelve seconds the guard will turn at a slight angle. That is our window before he turns completely," Kaid insisted and Jessamine couldn't believe it. He was making decisions in split seconds, decisions that weren't based on experience or insight. It was incredibly foresighted yet Kaid wasn't acting like someone who had the Oblivion of foresight, one Jessamine had seen first hand. This was something different entirely. But she knew she couldn't spend time thinking about it now.

She followed from behind still, pausing as soon as he did. Why? She wasn't exactly sure until she saw the shadow from the cell next to theirs had moved away. Kaid followed ahead and Jessamine glanced slightly over to see the cellmate turning back towards his bed. Once they got to the cell, Kaid blocked Jess's line of sight and also the guard's, if he happened to turn too quickly. That way, if someone was caught, it would be just him and Jess could sneak in without being seen.

Kaid pried the cell door back, groaning quietly in how much strength it required since the lockdown was in effect. But that bundle of fabric had done its job spectacularly in preventing it from locking. Jess squeezed into the smallest opening, soon moving to help hold the door for Kaid who needed a bigger gap. He quickly grabbed the bundle of fabric before letting the cell door close back in a controlled, quiet way. Once it closed, they both moved back, panting heavily and feeling the slight sweat drip down the backs of their necks.

The guard walked by, shaking the door before looking up and noticing the way the two seemed to be standing, rather close and certainly out of breath. Kaid having his shirt off didn't seem to do any help with the assumption that would be made.

"Don't let me interrupt any fun, Kaid. Carry on," the guard teased before moving to the next cell.

Kaid felt a wave of embarrassment along with exhaustion. He didn't mean to allude to anything of the sort, like Jess would even want to be associated with such. Sexual activities were the last thing on his mind, and he assumed the same for Jess, since the only thought on her mind was getting the hell out of here. Kaid was definitely sure that he was not her type, as she seemed to be a woman who held people to high standards. Kaid certainly would never meet those standards, and who would want a man who knew nothing about the real world?

Jess snickered at the idea though, which caught him off guard slightly, giving her a soft glare.

"Oh please, it is a bit funny," she pointed out, before taking a deep breath and looking back in his brown eyes, "thank you...for doing that. Pretty sure I could have made it in time, but I appreciate the help and concern."

"I don't think you could have," Kaid corrected her, not meaning to overlook her thanks.

"It wouldn't be the first time you underestimated me, though," she reminded him, soon moving to sit on the edge of her bed.

Kaid handed her one of the blankets that had been bundled, before grabbing his tunic to place back over his torso. Jess took one last glance at the mocha skin with soft kisses of curly black hair across his chest, before looking back at the door.

"Our cellmate to the right, you made us stop because he was still standing at the door. He would've snitched on us, yelled at the Guards," Jess observed, Kaid nodding before sliding down the wall into a seated position of exhaustion near his bed.

"He could have. I wasn't going to take that chance," Kaid didn't deny. He couldn't deny he had used Oblivion. Jess was not that oblivious to know that even being stuck here for thirty years wouldn't have him so accustomed to the timings of lockdowns and patrolling of guards. It was too unpredictable. But, at that moment, he was not worried about what she thought of him using It. And she didn't seem to pry into his abilities either, no matter how curious she looked.

In fact she seemed more grateful than anything else.

"He definitely would have," Jess pointed out, "he stood there waiting to see if anyone was late after lockdown."

Kaid glanced at her and noticed sincerity in her eyes, knowing for certain she wasn't lying either. And while that tempted him to even ask for a hint of her Oblivion, since he had given her a minor taste of his own, he wasn't going to. It could damage the smallest amount of trust they had for one another, or she would see it as him trying to gain leverage. Jessamine certainly didn't see it that way and she would be more than willing to share, if she could definitely know he wouldn't snitch on her either.

Kaid had fallen asleep almost immediately after that incident before waking up to hearing soft whispers. He was still sleepy, his eyes heavy but he knew it was abnormal for Jess to talk to herself. Maybe she was having a bad dream or something was going on outside the cell doors. But as he opened his eyes he saw the shadow of her standing at the gate, with someone else behind.

He couldn't understand what she was saying to the other person, presumably a Guard given it was after hours. But Jess's stance was one of high alert and uneasiness, not her usual calm demeanor where she seemed in control of her surroundings.

Kaid got up slowly and quietly, but it was enough movement in the dark for the Guard to see movement. The Guard immediately grabbed Jess, wrapping his arm around her neck, forcing her to face Kaid as the other hand seemed to reach for his belt. The shockstick baton turned on as a warning, it's loud shriek enough to intimidate. Jess seemed powerless, given the Guard was twice her size and arm enough alone to constrict her against the cell doors between them.

"Sorry to interrupt the sleep but the lady and I were having a discussion," the guard spat, motioning Kaid with the baton to stay put.

"Doesn't look like a discussion with me," Kaid said, keeping his hands by his waist and making sure not to make any sudden movements.

"Kaid, don't," Jess pleaded softly with a whisper, "it's alright. He won't hurt me."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," the Guard growled in reply, moving the baton inches away from Jess's hip.

Kaid hated himself at that moment, knowing this was certainly part of the trap set up. He had grown to care for Jess, even as associates. He loved hearing her laugh or seeing her listen actively to everything Kaid could talk about this place. He admired her quiet tenacity, the way she studied people without judgment, or how she was so determined to escape this place. Jess just had this attraction about her that Kaid couldn't ignore. The very thought of someone hurting her was boiling his blood.

Luckily the few hours of rest did give him just enough propulsion to stop time and immediately have his fist clenching at the baton's handle, forcing it back while it seemed the Guard desperately tried to push it into Jess. Being that close now gave Kaid a good look at the broad Guard, seeing the small night lights shine across to reveal a discolored scar diagonally stretching across his face.

The only way I could get him to stop was to use my powers. I burned his face as best as I could.

The same Guard who once took Mara away, was now attempting to threaten the same with Jess. It could've been mere coincidence. Guards often had plenty of scars being veterans or from previous work accidents. It could've been anything. But in that moment, the memory of what happened to Mara mixed with what could have transpired if Kaid had not awoken...it was enough to enrage him.

Kaid grabbed his wrist and bashed it against the bars of the gate, forcing the baton to be let loose before stopping time to catch it himself. The movement alone loosened the grip around Jess's neck and she seemed to be moving towards Kaid to get him to stop. This wasn't something she could stop though. Kaid forced the baton through the gates and shocked the Guard, all within the blink of an eye. It didn't end until Jess pried Kaid away, pushing him away from arms reach.

Kaid didn't realize the consequences until it was over, seeing the Guard writhing from the seconds of shock before recovering with loud gasps of air. He attacked a Guard. Not only that, but he did so potentially getting caught with Magic, if the Guard could prove it. Thirty years of perfection, wasted under a moment of temptation and anger. Thirty years of convincing himself he didn't want to leave, that he was perfectly content and calm here was eradicated in a moment of fear.

Immediately he felt himself being pulled into that dimension, almost against his own will. And in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly back to feeling the baton struggling in his hand. The Guard was no longer shocked and writhing on the floor, Jess was no longer in Kaid's other arm, pulling him away. He had reversed back only a few mere seconds, maybe milliseconds with how fast he had moved.

The Guard immediately let go of the baton out of fear and shock, moving away from the bars and Jess fell against Kaid's broad shoulder before steadying herself. The Guard stared at Kaid in shock. Kaid had never gone back in time, only forward. He didn't know if the Guard or Jess knew, if they had experienced the time slowly rescinding or not. Maybe it felt like a premonition to them, or a long blink of confused time.

Kaid tossed the baton away towards the Guard as it seemed he no longer had much motivation to cause any harm, not after the shock that had just resonated between the three of them. He quickly grabbed it and ran off, and Kaid felt his stomach drop. He could tell another Guard, right? But would they even believe him? There was no proof other than Jess as an eye-witness, and Kaid wasn't sure if she would give him away if given the opportunity.

Jessamine let out an exhale of shock, covering her lips with her hands to withhold the shocked expression. She couldn't believe it. She had watched and felt herself move against her own will, being pulled back to where she was mere seconds ago. At first she thought she had imagined the fight, that Kaid had used the baton against the Guard and struck first. But that had happened. Jessamine saw it with her very own eyes and tried to stop it from happening.

"My gods, Kaid...you can control time," she whispered in disbelief, knowing it was for certain.

She had been imprisoned with a man who had the rarest and most deadliest Oblivion ever imagined to be the most powerful in all the realm. The most dangerous man in the realm was right where he should've been, and Jessamine was still going to help him escape, no matter the cost.