- I'm not going to give my real name to a mage, if you must, you can call me Athame.

- ... ... Okay... So, Athame, what brings you here?

- ... ... ...

After my question, it seemed she minded it, she didn't answer and only kept staring. Her slit pupils were beautiful, but also disquieting.

- I thought I was the one with the power to turn every conversation awkward, and apparently I'm right... Sigh...

I bowed my head in defeat, and started meditating. I was curious about her but I wasn't going to go out my way to talk to her. When I had finally found a balance, between hastening the scale formation and mp recovery, my concentration was broken again.

By the way, during my year with them, Llanfil and Ausas told me that there was a way to train and avoid the pain. The solution was pretty easy actually, all I needed to do was ensure that my trained stats gain were going to coincide with a level up. I still hadn't tested this theory, but I could have a little peace of mind.

Anyway what interrupted me was the only other occupant of the jail, but this time her tone seemed even more serious than before.

- So you really aren't an imperial, what brings you here then? Are you really a lone mage searching out the ruins? Or are you...

- And you think I'm not an imperial because? 

- You didn't react to my name.

- Are you supposed to be famous?

- I'm nobody the name itself is worth thousand word for the Empire's men. You didn't answer me again.

- Seeing our condition I suppose it's not the name of an entertaining company, is it? And at cost of being repetitive I already told you my name, if you want to know anything else why don't we play a game of questions and answers?

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

- A game?

- Yes, each one ask can a question after they answered the last one. Agreed?

- What if someone don't want to answer?

- Well, they obviously can't ask, and the opposing part can answer another question. But you already should know no response is an answer in itself, don't you?

- Fine, but you must answer my question first.

- About myself?

- Yes!

- Ok, ok, calm down. As you can see I'm human, I can use magic, and to tell you the truth I don't know why I'm here.

- What do you mean you don't know?

- Hey, it's my turn now, care to answer my question from before? Or should I change it?

- Tsk... I'm here because they captured me, happy? Now tell me!

- You really learned fast how to play eh? If it's how you wanna roll... I don't know why I'm here because I don't even know where we are. When I stepped out of the ruin they captured me instantly. No time for sightseeing. Now why don't you tell me why the name athame should make me jump?

- ... Athame is an organisation known for hunting humans, they patrol the border. No human should ignore their name. So were do you came from?

- In the spirit of your previous answer, I can say I came from outside the jail obviously. And you?

- You @#$%!

- Really? That seems a nasty place to came from! Wait, before you pitch a fit, I should apologise. But I really needed to blow off some steam, and you walked right trough it by yourself. Sorry.