The elevator that Kaia took me down with a few days ago, we are taking today on the opposite path. Is there only this one access to the prison? Although in the hangar I've seen several gangways and paths that led to the wall in my eyes, without any signs of a passage.
Additionally, there are also several doors up with the guards that lead to another level. In the calm here, I find the perfect place to interrogate him.
"What's your name?" is my first question. But he doesn't even look at me when he speaks.
"My answer remains the same until you say 'Yes!' to an offer!" There's an impatient tone in his voice, making it more than clear how tired he is of constantly asking. According to him, I should finally agree.
I do, but not in the way he imagines.
"So I'd like to accept Kaia's offer," I say with a smile as sweet as sugar.
"I'm not talking about that offer," he shakes his head with a sigh.
"I don't even know this guy, how am I supposed to say 'Yes!' to that?" I demand to know from him. Now I have his full attention.
I can meet his confused gaze as he seems to be searching for something in me, the reason for which I cannot currently reach.
The elevator stops and opens the way into a long corridor.
"Believe me, he's really nice!" the guard calls out as he exits the elevator into the corridor on the right. I follow him. "You would surely like him."
"Maybe he's just as much of an idiot as you!" I stick out my tongue at him. His reaction to this is a shake of his head and silence.
This corridor stretches as far as my gaze. On the sides, I can only make out metallic walls, smooth and without any unevenness that would indicate the floor, walls, and ceiling being made up of several panels.
However, no matter how the station was created, it's a masterpiece of technology. Furthermore, it's damn bright in this corridor. Not brighter than usual, but I'm already accustomed to the light in the death zone, and this bright light strains my eyes with effort.
Not only does all this make the area of the station feel cold, but it's also completely deserted here. No one is coming towards us, unlike the hustle and bustle in the prison, where the prisoners sometimes practically trip over each other.
And at the same moment I think that, I'm already surprised as suddenly the metal alternates with glass.
My steps stop. With astonishment, I step closer to this wall of glass, which offers simply breathtaking scenery. A gigantic sea of stars spreads out before me, and a huge sandy-colored planet lies to my right, so gigantic that it is not even fully revealed by the glassy corridor.
"Wow!" I exclaim with awe.
I estimate that this glass section is about ten meters long. Besides the view of this sea of stars, it also gives me a slight impression of the station. A metallic colossus rising high up. Beneath my feet is an abyss.
How fortunate that I don't have a fear of heights. For me, it's just fantastic.
The guard steps behind me, his hand resting on my shoulder. From the glass, I'm now confronted with the reflection of a handsome man, with a smile on his lips. His black hair blends with the cosmos in the reflection.
"It seems you like it here," he remarks. With his gaze, he gestures towards the huge planet. "This planet is called Dasura," he explains to me. "The greatest treasure our ruler possesses."
My gaze continues to marvel at the huge planet. A few green and blue patches are discernible on it, but most of it is dominated by a sandy color.
I hardly notice his amused look directed at me.
"Loved by Torsos and Gasard, hated by everyone else," he begins to laugh heartily, to which I look at him curiously.
"Once a year, everyone gets to carry stones," he explains to me. The curiosity doesn't leave my gaze. I wonder what he could mean by that. "You'll see in a few weeks what I mean. On some days, the station is completely deserted."
His finger points in a direction in space.
"That's where Tormahs is," he explains to me. I only recognize a few more stars there.
The guard calls for departure, and I follow him. But before I do, I notice that the walls of the station are much too thick for simple corridors. It's only mildly irritating.
The next long corridor follows, in which I see smooth walls.
At one point, the guard stops. He places his hand on the metal. Suddenly, a part of it disappears, and a door leading into a room appears.
I don't even have time to contemplate and understand all of this before my hand is roughly grabbed. I notice a grin on his face as he pulls me into the room with him.
Immediately upon entering the room, it is illuminated by some lights. Now I also recognize the interior of the room, and what I see surprises me even more.
It seems as if the room is almost empty, only a bed stands in it, to which I am brought. I don't even have time to understand what's happening here.
With a jerk, he throws me onto it. My gaze is questioning as I feel my heart begin to race with excitement, mixed with a slight panic.
He helped me in the shower, so he wouldn't...
The guard collapses onto the bed next to me, groaning. His gaze seems enjoying.
Curiously, I scrutinize him and wonder what the point of this action is.
"And? What do you say?" Two beautiful brown eyes look at me kindly, dissipating the fear within me. "A nice soft bed like this is comfortable. You just need to accept the offer, then you can spend nights in a bed like this."
"As I said, I'm happy to accept Kaia's offer," I reply, smiling at him.
But once again, he shakes his head.
A sigh escapes my throat, then I let my gaze wander around the empty room. I actually expected more, which I also tell him.
"If Gasard hadn't woken me up so roughly earlier, the room would be completely empty," he explains to me, laughing.
An answer to which I can only look at him in bewilderment. Unknowing of what he means by that.
"I'll explain it to you!" he calls out. With a jerk, the dark-haired man gets up from the bed and orders me to follow him. I do as he asks.
His steps lead him to one of the walls. When he places his hand on it, a kind of control panel appears there. A transparent-looking square, with several smaller squares on it, which I suppose will have their function. But the whole thing looks like a projection and nothing more.
Curiously, I step closer.
His arm wraps around my waist. He pulls me closer.
"You're in the way." The guard smiles at me.
I blush as my body touches his.
Curiously, my gaze wanders to the colorful control panel. It really seems to be just a projection. Nothing that can be touched and grasped. Yet something happens when his finger touches one of the squares.
The bed we were just lying on disappears into the floor.
I look at the spot in disbelief, then at the smirk on his lips. He seems amused by how astonished I am by everything.
His fingers now touch a few more of the buttons.
Now a table and two chairs emerge from the floor, right where I was standing a moment ago.
"Sit down!" he orders me, letting me go. With a nod, I follow his command.
The guard takes a few steps and places his hand on another part of the wall. A compartment opens, containing dishes. The dark-haired man takes out two glasses. From the next compartment, which opens when the wall is touched, he takes out a bottle.
He places one of the glasses in front of me, the other in front of the chair opposite me. Finally, he fills both glasses with a light juice. He puts the bottle back in the cabinet. After touching the wall again, the compartments close.
Curiously, my eyes follow everything he does.
"Is this demonstration enough for you to start?" the dark-haired man asks me, to which I nod. "The rooms are designed so that only the one who possesses the key can enter," he begins to explain. "However, you can also set it so that other people can access it as well."
He goes to the wall opposite the door. After another touch, a large elongated part opens, towering over him but whose contents are hidden from me by his body. This part belongs to a closet, I assume.
"Key?" I ask.
When he comes to me, he holds a black uniform in his hands.
"I told you, I'm not really a guard!" He smiles at me. "Only as long as I'm supposed to watch over you. Besides, it looks weird if there's a warrior lurking down there."
He pulls up the sleeve of his uniform. A thin black band tightly encircles his arm, coming into view. This thing must be the key, he doesn't even need to tell me, I can already think it for myself.
His steps lead him to another wall. A door opens as he approaches it.
While he disappears into the room, I focus on the juice.
Its color resembles the fruits he served Nora and me. The smell reminds me of it too.
"You can drink it!" comes the unnecessary remark from the door.
His uniform, which he now wears, is completely black, and looks more impressive on him than that gray in which I met him.
But after his remark, I just stick out my tongue at him.
"I'm well aware of that!" I reply, somewhat annoyed, turning my head away from him.
Demonstratively, my hands take the glass, and I take a sip from it.
A laughter comes from him.
***
Questions upon questions about this guard, fighter, or whatever he may be, are swirling in my head. I have a suspicion, but no proof.
Gasard, who is despised by many, also seems to be a nice man to me. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.
When I think about what awaits me, my heart jumps with joy, only to be overtaken by fear in the same moment.