Lazy eyes slowly pried open before me as they squinted to adjust to the dim light that burnt on the torches. The iron brackets upholding them gave off an equally blistering radiance as they smouldered in the heat slowly sweating liquid metal.
Kayden's grimy dark skin gently shone in the light as his amber gaze settled on me, sitting on a chair placed backwards, my legs spreading out from each side.
I smiled at him menacingly and his mind, which slowly came to be, instructed his body to move away. However he could not. The ponderous weight of chains rustling on his wrists and his ankles as he sat on a chair chained him to the wall behind.
His eyes shot around the room as he began panicking and trying to loosen himself free, mana riling up within him as he did so.
"I suggest you just sit still. Those are mana sealing chains. You're not getting out of here no matter what you try." I explained to him, handing him a flask of water and getting out a handkerchief from my pocket to wipe his face of the sweat.
His disgruntled eyes looked at me in hatred and suspicion as I urged him to drink. "Don't mind me. Also, the water isn't poisoned so just drink up."
He paused for a moment and tried to raise his hand with the flask to his mouth, but his chains prevented him from doing so.
"Oh right. Sorry, that's my bad. Here, let me hold it for you whilst you drink." I took the bottle from his grasp and delicately held it at his dried lips as he swallowed away.
I then went back to my seat and sat down, putting the flask next to me and slouching my arms and head on the back rest.
He then spat on the floor and took a deep long breath. "Are you not going to kill me?"
I assumed he forgot the details of the fight or would try to deny his agreement to them, but instead he faced the consequences head on. How admirable.
"Me? I was never going to kill you. That wasn't my intention, just part of my grand performance and an extra advantage for me during our fight."
His head tilted to the side, confused by my words. "I mean you had the pressure of all those things that you could earn which would weigh on your mind and then the added pressure of facing the schools No.1 and the possibility of death." I shot him a smile as I informed him of my plan.
He laughed at himself and hung his head low. "You're a tricky bastard."
"Ah. Though I'm not going to kill you...don't think you're getting away scot-free." My azure eyes exuded a devious aura as his body tightened. "I'm not going to kill you, I'm just going to mentally cripple you whilst I search through your mind to find out all I wish!" A twisted smile split my face as despair fell upon his. All strength in his body vanished and he surrendered.
Another man then walked through the door behind me, clad in entirely black armour that also shielded his face. A large helmet with magic crystals sprawling from the top in tow as he moved behind Kayden and strapped the artefact on him.
"Are you sure you want to proceed?" The executioner called out as he draped his tattered cloaks hood over his armour. "This will most likely leave him entirely incapable of proper functioning as a human."
I looked to the guard slowly, trying to peer past his thick armour that covered his soul. "I'm sure. You can turn on the artefact and after that leave. I don't need your presence to learn what I need."
"I understand," The executioner moved and turned on the artefact, ambient and alien mana coursing through the mechanism.
I tried to peer closer at the device as Kayden already began wincing in pain.
There were a few artefacts that didn't fall under the category of typical mana in the game, but I never though too much of them. Now that I get to witness such a mesmerising machine in action, it gets me curious, you know?
Kayden's eyes bled into me as he tried to harbour his hatred into palpable daggers, but his fear and pleading to be spared spilled through his intention. "Goodbye Kayden. Perhaps you might walk out of this sane...but I highly doubt it. Enjoy the rest of your life after this."
As my words left my mouth, I extended my palm towards the helmet on his head and began infusing my mana inside .
And in the next moment, I was inside a space conjured of all white. A void of nothing swarmed me from all sides and only a spiritual imitation of my physical body existed.
"I should be careful in here. I can still probably damage my mana core in this space if I'm not careful enough. Alien mana is exactly that. Alien and unknown. Dangerous."
I then readied myself and began asking my questions to Kayden's subconsciousness. If he wasn't a potential harmful party, for all its worth, I'd be sorry and punish myself. But I had to be sure.
"Do you know of the game Roses and Gold?" I asked.
Then from each side, chains conjured with magical scriptures embedded in them snaked from the wall as the helmets mana encouraged Kayden to answer.
Then after a short pause, a hollow voice replied. "No."
So he wasn't a reincarnate like me.
"Are you part of any criminal or harmful group trying to infiltrate or cause havoc in the Empire?" I asked my second question.
This time, a longer response time was due. And after a careful consideration, the voice spoke up again.
"Yes."