The entire cell was silent, Tristan and Laurel were talking to each other in hushed tones, Hackam was devouring his food and Knara was keeping an eye on everyone.
The young woman seemed to notice that no one was taking her food and tilted her head with a touch of tenderness.
"Aren't you hungry?"
Although the young woman in front of him looked similar to the woman in the dream, it was definitely not her. Her voice was completely different, less shocking...more worldly.
Arlan quickly dispelled his doubts and took the bowl of soup from the young woman's hands.
The young woman smiled slightly and walked away from the cells, picking up the tray and leaving the room with Knara.
Arlan looked at the soup in the little light that remained and soon began to eat. It wasn't the most delicious food, but it was a nice change from the canned stuff.
'That bandage...it was definitely the same'
Arlan thought about it as he ate. When he finished, he set the plate down near the bars of the cell and walked over to the other side and lay down next to the wall.
Wanting to use the last minutes of light to fall asleep and not be in total darkness, Arlan closed his eyes and let his thoughts flow.
A lot had happened in a single day, and he was tired enough to sleep for a week.
It wasn't as if he'd never done it before.
***
The next morning a man arrived reporting that Silva, the soldier who had been separated from the group due to his injuries, had died during the night.
Apparently, he had been taken to an infirmary where the townspeople treated him, but although the wound was not that serious, it was already infected and it was impossible to save him.
Tristan bit his lip at the loss of another soldier, while Hackam mourned his fallen comrade in silence.
A few minutes later, the same young woman as last night returned with breakfast, accompanied by Knara.
After that, the day passed without much inconvenience. With so much peace and quiet for weeks, Tristan tried to relax and rest as much as possible. Not to mention his remorse for his soldiers and the discomfort of the cell, which didn't even have a bed, let alone a toilet.
It was clear that the cell was not used much, and for good reason.
Why would they use a cell when the last time they had seen an outsider was over a decade ago?
Arlan hadn't rested very well either, aside from the lack of a bed in the cell, his body felt hot and tired as if he hadn't rested at all.
As a result, Arlan spent most of the day lying down, except for meals and when he had to go to the bathroom.
Another day passed, nothing important happened, but Arlan felt much worse.
On the third day, not only Tristan, Laurel and Hackam noticed that something was wrong with Arlan, but also the young woman and Knara, who were the only people to enter the cell block.
Arlan did not wake up when they brought breakfast. He just lay there in silence. If it wasn't for his chest contracting with every breath, they would have thought he had died.
Knara opened the cell door and drew her katana before entering. She slowly approached Arlan and just before she reached him, Arlan opened his eyes and tried to jump at Knara, aiming for her neck.
The woman simply turned her body slightly and raised her left arm, with which she was not using the katana. She closed her fist and struck Arlan in the face without a second thought.
Arlan's body flew and hit the wall, falling to the floor like a rag doll.
Knara had made sure to knock him out well, without holding back, she had been told not to kill him, but nothing about not hurting him.
The woman approached Arlan's body and the first thing she did was lift his eyelids, only to find that his pupils had changed.
His pupils were not the usual circular shape they should be, instead he had a pair of elongated pupils that slowly returned to their original shape.
Knara frowned and quickly picked up Arlan's body and walked out of the cell.
The young woman at her back had a worried look on her face, although she couldn't see anything, she had heard everything and guessed that something was going on.
Knara left, ignoring the questions of Tristan who tried to ask what had happened. Beside him, Laurel watched as Knara and the woman walked away with a worried look on their faces, while Hackam only gave them a quick glance before continuing to sleep.
Outside the cell block, the young woman quickened her pace to stand beside Knara before asking.
"What happened, are you okay?"
Knara looked at the young woman and gave her a small smile.
"Yes Lady Kaylynn, I am fine. Thanks for your concern" Knara replied respectfully.
"And him?"
Kaylynn pointed to Arlan, who lay unconscious under Knara's shoulder, with his nose bleeding.
"Him? I don't know" Knara shook his head.
Knara walked back to the infirmary, but she had a frown on her face.
'What was that? maybe that was the reason why Lord Kalen stopped me from killing him…'
***
Arlan opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar dark room that he never wanted to return to in his life.
Surrounded by pure darkness, Arlan's hands began to sweat with nerves. As much as he tried to forget this place, it was simply impossible.
Every night he dreamed about this place. He dreamed of that dark and macabre voice that gnawed at his mind.
Arlan was silent for a few minutes, waiting to hear that voice, but after waiting and waiting, the silence remained.
After calming down a bit, Arlan looked around. He was sure that this was a completely dark room, he had spent enough time in this place to know that, but the streams of light flowing overhead negated his earlier beliefs.
'There should be nothing here, then…what is that?'