Water dripped down his face and stained his clothes. This water was ice cold in an already cold and dark place to be in. It did its job and woke him well enough from his slumber.
{Have you finally woken?} What spoke to him was the ghostly apparatus of a floating snake that vaguely looked like a baby version of his shining spirit.
Ryuma squinched his face in confusion.
"Are you awake child?" The old lady asked. She stood before him with Genfrey by her side, holding a bucket that had previously held the water in it.
"Are you real?" Ryuma asked.
"Of course I'm real," Aeragis said.
"You've lost your mind already child?" The old lady said. They both spoke simultaneously making it difficult for Ryuma to grasp what each of them were saying.
His eyes shifted back and forth from both of them, not knowing how to respond. Why were they each not reacting to the other? Can they not see the floating lizard?
"I'm right here child. Stay focused," The old lady said.
{"Ignore them Ryuma. They are not important for now,"} The young Aeragis said.
They both said it simultaneously again, making him even more confused. He closed his eyes tightly. "Please guys… one at a time,"
The old lady and Genfrey looked at each other in confusion. "Looks like the boy has lost it," Genfrey said.
"Hmm… I'm wondering if he could even be of use as he is now," The old lady said.
His eyes were crazed but he made sense of what they were saying. He started to piece together what was happening.
{They can neither hear, nor see me.} Aeragis said.
"Neither could I, so why can I now?" Ryuma asked. He didn't care whether his captors heard him or not. They already thought he was crazy. Why not lean into it?
"Seems the boy indeed has lost his marbles. He's talking to himself now," Genfrey said. "I say, we should kill him before it gets outta hand. The longer we keep him alive, the more likely he is to find a way to escape.
The old lady just stared at him. It was as if something was off.
{It's because my soul was incubating inside your spirit. Tell me. What has transpired while I was in slumber?} Aeragis asked.
"Does any of that really matter? Fact is, I'm here," Ryuma looked at Aeragis with piercing eyes. Eyes that went right through him and directly at the lady behind him.
She felt… fear.
"Splash him again. That'll snap him out of it," She said.
Genfrey picked him a second bucket. He doused him with water so cold, his skin now felt like needles were stabbing into him. His clothes were completely drenched.
He clenched his teeth to endure the pain. "I see… so you have no idea what I've been through," Ryuma said. He of course was still talking to Aeragis.
"I don't care what you've been through. Have you've seen how it is we live daily," The old lady said.
Ryuma closed one of his eyes. While water slid down his face, black ink was running down his right eye.
{I suppose I haven't. But is as I said. Have you seen the state of this world during my absence? Have you've seen who's at fault and the players involved?"} Aeragis asked.
"Not entirely, but I've seen enough to get your point," Ryuma answered both of them.
As more hair dye dripped down his face, the white streak that his mother told him to hide from the world started to form.
"Is something wrong with his hair?" Genfrey asked.
That caught Ryuma's attention. "Damn! Through all this, I forgot about my god damn hair," Ryuma said. Though that was the least of his worries. It didn't really matter if his captors wanted him dead for varied reasons anyway.
Though Genfrey said it, the old lady stared at him. Her own eyes were wide as saucers. She slightly lifted her hands and placed it on the top of his head. "This can't be…"
Ryuma looked at her. What was she on about now?
The old lady dipped her hands in another bucket of icy water and ran her hands through the rest of his hair. She was fading out as much of the hair dye as she could to reveal the entire white streak of head.
Ryuma could only let her do so as he hadn't the strength to fight her back.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why would a priest from the Skylands possess the streak?" The old lady asked.
{Oh… so the old lady is aware.} Aeragis said.
Ryuma looked between the two. He hadn't a clue what they were talking about. Course he was told his whole life to hide his streak. He never knew why. His mom forbade him from showing anybody, especially his friend Toga.
Even at an early age, he obeyed his parents. That sentiment only doubled when he witnessed the death of Erin. She'd tell him if anybody found out he had that, it could be him next. As he grew older, he started to think that maybe she just said that to keep him from showing anybody. As of now, he was glad he never acted on that sentiment. It started to look like that it wasn't an over exaggeration. They may actually kill him just for having a white streak in his hair.
"What are you on about?" Ryuma asked. In truth, he didn't care who answered. He wanted to know what was so special about his streak.
"Child, I must know about your parentage," The old lady said.
"Lady, you're outta your fucking mind if you think I'm telling you anything about my family," Ryuma said. Though his psyche may be battered, his mentality was still strong enough to protect those he cared about.
The old lady continued to stare at him with wide eyes. It looked like she was contemplating something. No matter what it was, it didn't matter. The trust between them was near non-existent. Negotiations meant nothing at this point.
"Will you answer my questions if I free you from these chains?" She asked.
"Granny Kok!" Genfrey said but covered his mouth before her entire name came out.
"Bullshit. I've been beaten and starved of nutrients for gods know how long. I don't have the energy to stop you from putting me back in my chains the moment I tell you what you want to hear," Ryuma said.
He was no idiot. He knew how the game was being played. Make your opponent believe that they have room to bargain with their freedom. Give them just enough to get what they want, then take it away soon as they sell it.
The old lady gritted her teeth.
"You're a priest. We're mere civilians. Are you sure you couldn't just rip through us and escape out of here if you wanted?" She asked.
Ryuma sized the two of them up. Sure he could. If he was in peak physical condition that was. At this moment… it'd be obvious what would happen.
"I'm sure I could do you in easy grandma. Him…" Ryuma gestured towards Genfrey. Normally, the man didn't look like much. Just a meathead he could easily cut through with a bit of speed and precision. He wouldn't even need to use his powers.
But if even Genfrey would give him a run for his money, he was useless.
"Genfrey… I want you to leave the room," The old lady said.
"Gran! You're not seriously thinking about freeing him are you. If he attacks, I can't get to you in time," Genfrey said.
"HAVE I TAUGHT YOU TO TALK BACK YOU LOUT! I SAID GET!" She yelled.
Suddenly that burly man squeaked away like a mouse. He went as far as to shut the door behind them. If Ryuma began to attack, there'd be no help to come and save her in time. He stared at her with blood lust.
All in one fell swoop, he now held the cards.
"That's some nice acting there. Yell at your own man as he disagrees with you. Lure me into thinking that I'm calling the shots," Ryuma said.
In truth, he knew that it was indeed the case, but he wanted to have the appearance of remaining obstinance. It was clear that there was something she wanted to know about this streak of his.
Plus, there was always the chance that this might be the case that they were playing him for a chump. He needed to weed that out.
"You don't have to tell me anything. I will tell you what I know about that streak of yours. We will feed you. Give you your freedom and provide you with enough energy to defend yourself. Only when you feel you can trust us, will you tell us what you know," The old lady said.
Ryuma looked at her with wide eyes this time. This was more than just mere bargaining. She was willing to give him everything. "Sure… I'll take it,"