Slabs of meat porridge is smacked down into a bowl, handed to a prisoner awaiting his meal. Flurries of conversation about the Imperial wall's death is circulating throughout the prison with everyone practically expressing their shock and disappointment about the outcome.
The mess hall was no different as even the cooks would mention this from time to time with the other prisoners they served food to. In the back of the kitchen a familiar man with ginger hair entered putting on a cook apron.
"Donovan!" What are you doing here!?" The old cook yelled.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Donvan glanced over a little confused.
"I heard you practically got stabbed in the gut. I'm surprised yer still alive after that. But how're you still walkin???"
"O-oh. Those guards gave me some weird green water it was very bitter, but after that my wound disappeared like it was nothing."
"What the- Those demons have something like that Hidden around??"
"I'm just as surprised, I'm not sure if they have more of those but if they do, I can see how the demon army could be so formidable for you Dhalian."
The old cook stepped on Donovan's toes hard. "YYOOOWW!!! What was that for!!!!??"
"If your goin to be insultin us you might as well work!" The cook slammed a huge pot into Donovan's arms. "You're on servin duty again!"
"Insulting you? Dumb old man. If I was insulting you I would've done it." Donovan muttered.
Donovan got the pots and bowls ready, serving out the meat porridge to the prisoners. As he served bowl after bowl to each inmate, ongoing conversations about a fight that ended with the death of the Imperial wall started to permeate throughout the mess hall.
Hearing these conversations made Donovan feel a little uneasy. "There's no way this can be true… Can it?" Donovan thought.
Elsewhere in the mess hall Prisoners were having a conversation about that very topic.
"How do you reckon she did it?" The first prisoner questioned.
"Did what?"
"Y-you know That dark magic that came from her dagger."
"H-huh?" The second became more confused.
"Dumb ass he wasn't there remember, He was poisoned like Harry." The third Prisoner butted into their conversation.
"Oh, Right. I completely forgot about that. Are you feelin alright?"
"Just a little pain in the stomach. But otherwise I'm fine. But what happened with the fight with the immortal maid and the Imperial wall?"
"Oh right! The immortal Maiden killed him!"
"W-what, really!?"
"Yeah. at first we didn't recognize him since he was suited in pitch black armor, but when he took it off-"
The third prisoner's shoulder bumped the first.
The first turned to the third, a little confused. "What?"
The third Prisoner pointed to the mess hall door with none other than Kalika entering. Conversations ceased with her slowly making her way to the closest serving location which happened to be Donovan's.
Donovan became stiff upon seeing Kalika at his serving booth.
"K-K-K-K-K-Kalika!" Donovan stood stiff.
Kalika looked up and down Donovan.
"Your… Alive…"
"Y-y-y-yes!!" Donovan tried to calm his nerve, taking deep breaths.
The subtle sound of indistinct chatter started to surface within the mess hall. Kalika ignored this, and despite her indignant expression she looked relieved.
"I'm glad that you're still alright. But you shouldn't be sticking your neck out there like that. You could've died there. and you would've looked more like an idiot if you did. "
"Y... Your welcome?" Donovan became stunned confused by her words..
"My food?" She said.
"O-oh, yeah." Donovan proceeds to carefully shift through the pot of meat porridge, "A-and you hate vegetables right."
"Yeah? how did you know that?"
"Tilus. he told me about your dislike for them when he was helping with my training regimen," Donovan said.
"Oh."
"H-here you go." Donovan set the bowl ready for Kalika. "By the way. If you don't mind me asking. Is it true tha-"
Kalika suddenly dodged an incoming attack from behind as a big prisoner. He slammed his fist to the table, completely ruining Kalika's food.
"H-hey what's the big deal!??" Donovan yelled.
"Shut up wretch! I don't understand what everyone's so afraid of? Now prime time to kick this bitch's ass!"
A strong tan looking prisoner stood before Kalika, Donovan is second moving in until he witnesses Kalika conjuring forth a blood blade dagger, shocking him. "W-what the hell???"
Some of the prisoners around are even shocked, even advising the buffed prisoner to step away from Kalika . He refused to listen, as he looked down at a scowling Kalika. not backing down and with a smile he threw another punch.
"That won't scare me!!"
The next moment the man found Kalika gone, and his one arm split in two, leaving him in complete shock. Pain rushed through as he gave out a pain screamed.
"AARRGGHHHHH!!! MY ARM!! MY ARM!! W-WHAT DID SHE DO TO MY ARM!!!???"
The Man's achellie's heel got sliced making him fall to the ground. standing over him Kalika pointed a knife at him, staring with cold eyes.
"I didn't know that my dagger Zorbian was this sharp. Or maybe you're just that weak."
White noise surrounded her until Donovan pierced through."
"-top Kalika everyone gets it! C-c-calm down!"
Kalika reoriented herself, with hand now trembling.
"Look. I-I have another bowl for you here."
Kalika pulled her knife away from the writhing man, quickly thanking Donovan for the food. Shortly after, Guards came along to collect the injured man, escorting him from the mess hall.
Kalika seats herself onto a table closest to the exit, driving any other inmates from the table itself. Kalika ate peacefully, but Donovan couldn't help but to see her troubled expression.
"I wonder what's up with her…" The old cook said. 'I don't think I've seen her like that since before the incident with the demon queen…"
"Demon queen?" Donovan questioned.
"Yeah you wouldn't know this but that girl fought the Demon queen herself, not even a year ago. I heard they killed over a hundred other prisoners in the skirmish. But before that She looked like she was on edge, as she was with that fellow she almost killed."
The old cook hands Donovan a new set of bowls.
"I'd try avoiding that girl if I were you. These old bones of mine are saying that somethin bad is afoot with her."
Donovan glanced back at Kalika, a little more worried.
"Uh. Hello." A prisoner interrupted. "Can I get my bowl now?"
"S-sure." Donovan continued his work.
After some time had passed, Kalika was still eating from the same bowl, eating much more slowly than she would normally. She eventually finished her meal and left with little issue. opening the door, she found that Rakon had seemingly waited for her just outside the mess hall.
Donovan caught this sight. He watching as they seemed to converse with each other, with Kalika looking uncomfortable.
"Isn't that the demon who made that game to kill her?"
Donovan could only watch on in concern as they left.
********
Some time later after helping with the meals, Donovan readied himself to leave. he sees the old cook collecting bowls from the tables
"Hey Old guy do you know where the… erm… Immortal maiden's cell is by chance?
"Why the hell you wanna go there for? You should be stayin away from her!"
"I just want to check something."
"The cook gazes at a doubtful glance but answers anyway. "Her cells at the closest corridor to the right of the trapped dungeon entrance. You'll know you reach the dungeon hall by the different colored stones. But make sure you don't enter that dungeon, otherwise it'll kill ya, you hear."
"I already know what they look like and to be careful. But thanks old guys." Donovan took off soon after hearing his directions.
The cook shook his head. "Damn fool…" He said to himself.
turning the corner through the prison halls Donovan found guard after guard escorting prisoners left and right, all being enclosed into their cells. Conversations were in abundance as the guards talked in their native language. Name of Rakon and the current wardens being thrown out along with other unfamiliar names.
he quickly hid back around the corner avoiding the guards gaze. It felt as though an important event was on the horizon.
"All prisoners are to return to their cells." One of the guards croaked.
Here their words, Donovan opted to avoid the guards, sneaking around and avoiding their patrols through the prisoner corridors.
Eventually Donovan found the Dungeon entrance in question turning into the corridor. "I hope I didn't take a wrong turn…" he thought.
He looked through cell after dusty cell looking for the one Kalika was housed in. It was like a ghost town decorated with pre-made beds and abandoned belongings. It felt as though this part of the prison was purposefully made unused.
He glanced to his right, finally finding a cell with a mirror. A reflection of Kalika came into view and then Kalika herself, who sat herself on her bed, staring at her own reflection.
Donovan let out a sight of relief upon seeing her. "Kalika."
She didn't move a muscle, instead shifting her eyes quickly, getting a glance at Donovan who approached.
"What are you doing here?" She turned her gaze back to the mirror.
"I wanted to check in on you. That cruel game is over but you look more upset now that its over… what happened?"
There was stifling silence as Kalika did not answer him.
"Does killing Tilus weight heavy on you...?" Donovan asked.
Kalika exhaled. "What do you think?"
"I…" Donovan took a deep breath.
"I could only imagine the guilt you feel. So I think I could understand how you feel..."
Kalika muttered something beneath her breath. She started to chuckle, which slowly turned to laughter, placing the palm of her hand on her face and clawing at it.
"Me? Feeling guilty?"
She laughed more, thinking of Donovan's words herself.
"Y-you don't feel guilty then?"
A second later Kalika ceased her laughter, taking a deep breath. "No… I don't feel guilty. In fact I don't feel anything." Her voice became more flat, lacking the emotion she had shown previously.
Kalika Looked at her own reflection with scrutiny. "Ironic isn't it. He's been like a mentor to me for years helping me survive in this prison and the arena. And I can't feel a thing for this man…"
Kalika Turned to face Donovan. "Even then I don't think I felt a thing for him after hearing about him vanishing… or when I was fighting him in his final moments."
Kalika gave a strange dull stare at Donovan as got up from her bed. she walked to Donovan, conjuring her dagger as she did. "I wonder…"
In a blink of an eye Kalika stood in front of Donovan with Blank expression and her blade to his throat. Donovan quickly pulled his hands up in shock.
"K-K-Kalika?"
"It's weird. Even now I don't feel anything… back then the thought of threatening someone else's life with my own hands would never had passed my mind." She pressed the tip of the dagger at his throat. "But now…"
Donovan looked deeper in her eyes, finding that she looked almost hypnotized. "Kalika are y-"
A sharp pain in his neck arose from Kalika suddenly digging her dagger into his skin.
"Thinking about it now, maybe I should kill you. And save myself the trouble of having someone else using me" Each word she said started to become colder and colder.
Donovan could feel the blade driving it way deeper in his neck forcing him to quickly grab the dagger at the base of its blades. "Kalika!!" A searing hot sensation emanated from the dagger. He held out from the sheer pain he felt peering in Kalika's hypnotized gaze. He found that her eyes now had a glint of yellow slowly shining through her emerald green eyes.
"Kalika-! Hey! I-I'm not your enemy. Stop! Kalika!!"
Kalika reoriented herself, gasping. She quickly retracted the blade from his hand and neck, leaving behind a bloodied cuts on his hand. Donovan backed away from Kalika, he looked at her much more concerned as she gasped for air..
Kalika, breathing heavily forced her hand open, dropping the blade to the ground. "I-I'm Sorry… I don't know what came over me…"
Kalika's eye returned to its normal color. She looked at her hands, slowly clutching it, terrified. "I… I-I… Please. it's better if you forget about me. You seem like a good guy but…"
"Kalika. Let me help you. Tilus wouldn't want to see you like this."
"What would you know? Tilus is dead now."
Donovan relaxed his nerves, approaching Kalika he grabbed her hard with both of his "That's not true. He's over us even now from God's place above. Just like everyone else that's passed before."
Kalika pulled her hand away quickly. "Spare me this drivel. Let me ask you this. Do you want to know what's on the other side when you die?" Kalika looked up at Donovan to meet his gaze. "It's darkness. Absolute darkness. It's just an endless void of nothing. And you want me to believe that he's still watching us."
She turned away from Donovan, leaving him. "You're a fool beyond all comprehension. stop wasting your time trying to help me and focus on yourself. and if you don't the next time we meet, I'll kill you myself!" Kalika said. "Now leave!"
Donovan stood, speechless. "B-but-" Just as he was about to say something, Rakon appeared behind him. "You heard the lady."
Donovan looked back to find Rakon behind him, sporting a sour expression looking at him. Guards came from behind grabbing Donovan. "H-hey let go!" He wanted to resist but found himself easily overpowered.
"
The guards affirmed their understanding and escorted Donovan from the prison corridor. All the while trying to resist.
Rakon turned his attention to a depressed looking Kalika as she continued to stare at the ground beneath. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just assuring that some of my loyal followers, that are visiting, don't get any bright Ideas with the other prisoner. With them being from the Pit, you can never be too careful..."
Kalika soon found her chin being lifted to meet Rakon's gaze from above.
"Make sure to prepare yourself accordingly. I have high expectations for you." Rakon said.