ISAAC couldn't do anything.
He was starved and couldn't use his magic.
He had tried fighting back with martial arts, but his opponent wasn't affected by physical attacks.
The man sent a jab towards his face. Isaac dropped to the ground with a split and landed the perfect Johnny Cage low blow.
The man didn't flinch. Instead, he grabbed Isaac by the collar with one hand and dragged him up until his feet were dangling in the air.
He had felt the hit connect. There was no way a regular person... no, a grown man could walk properly after that hit.
Isaac punched his face a bunch of times, but nothing worked.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" the warden yelled at him. "You're not leaving that cube until you use the Divine Charism."
"YOU BLOODY WELL KNOW I CAN'T!" Isaac yelled back.
The man punched his stomach.
Isaac crumbled to the ground, holding his abdomen.
The man proceeded towards him and grabbed his hair.
"Use the Divine Charism," the warden repeated.
He felt himself being lifted from the ground.
Isaac waved his middle finger at his spectators. "Fuck. You."
The next blow knocked him out.
* * * * *
"... they do look alike," someone commented.
"Obviously. They're twins," another person replied.
"He doesn't have any siblings," said a familiar voice.
Isaac opened his eyes, wondering where he was. Seeing the white world around him, he sighed.
How long was he out? He couldn't tell.
He tried getting up, but he lost his balance. It took a few tries, but he did it. The metallic smell of blood travelled up his nose and shook off his fatigue.
His vision was blurry for a while, but it gradually got better. Then came the pounding headache.
He clutched his head and it felt damp and sticky.
"Tis your blood, chap."
Isaac turned to who had talked to him. His head was pulsing like it was about to pop.
Behind him, five people were seated on the stainless white floor.
There were two Arab men, an old woman, a black woman, and someone he would have recognised immediately if he hadn't bleached his hair.
"What's up, halfbreed?" his classmate greeted.
"Nothing much, chink," Isaac replied. He wasn't going to put up with anyone's bullshit anymore.
"Slow down, Isaac," he replied, raising his hands. "I've got nothing against you."
They never had a proper conversation, probably because Ming was always glued to his computers. 'Silas' was what he called himself, his alias, but his real name was Minghui Zhang. Despite being the son of Haoyu Zhang, the Tubal-Cain Cardinal, he was a tech nerd who mostly got into trouble with his dad, mostly by being a criminal. Hacking into people's phones and selling their information to the highest bidder. At times, he would hack into the school's security system and play tricks on the teachers.
Normally, his father tolerated his shenanigans, but Ming had done something to make his dad snap.
The others introduced themselves.
Beside Ming was Bell, the old woman. She looked as old as the hills, but her eyes were bright and full of life. Her white hair was cut short, and something about her blue eyes was mesmerising.
The man beside her was an Arab, with no right eye, in his late thirties. Omar was his name. His waist-length black hair was tied in a bun. He whistled when Isaac stared at him. They both felt it. The feeling of meeting another witch. It was caused by sensing the unnatural flow of mana from witches. Normally, it wouldn't be this intense, but they were cuffed, so their mana wasn't interfering with their senses. It was the feeling you get when you meet someone wearing the exact same clothes as you in public.
Isaac wasn't sure if that was the right description because that scenario always resulted in a who-wore-it-better stare-off.
Next was the second Arab, Saheed. Like Omar, he also had black hair, but his eyes were an entrancing shade of brown.
The last woman stood up and walked over to him. Her dark brown skin was glowing vibrantly, and her braided black hair bounced as she moved.
"Hey there, I'm Arya, thirty-two," she said with a thick British accent. She smiled brightly as she held out her hand.
Isaac was about to return the gesture, but Omar stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned.
His hand snapped back before he came into contact with her. "Why not?"
"Why'd you have to spoil the fun, Omar?" she sighed and dropped to the ground.
Isaac looked at Ming for an explanation, but he just shrugged.
"So... what's your crime?" Saheed asked.
His head pounded for a few seconds but he managed a reply. "Crime?"
"Yeah, what'd you do to get thrown in here?" Silas asked.
"You don't know?" Isaac asked.
"No, I don't," he replied. "I've been in here since Bloody Mary knocked up the school."
"What did you do exactly?" Isaac asked.
"I hacked the World Bank," he replied. "Almost caused a global fraud."
Isaac nodded as if he understood but he didn't. He looked at the others for their own explanation.
Saheed went first. "I'm 24. Been here for three years. I'm not as bad as all the others. All I did was rob some vaults around Europe. People didn't mind much until I set fire to Notre-Dame cathedral in 2019."
Isaac gaped suddenly curious. "You caused that fire? What did you steal?"
Saheed grinned widely. "I stole the-"
"Enough about you," Arya announced, cutting him off. "It's my turn."
"What did you do?" Isaac asked.
"Lied about her age. She's 36. Been here for two years 'cause she poisoned a city's water supply and stuff," Saheed answered before Arya could. "They also branded her."
That explained why he couldn't tell if she had magic. Branding was a nasty experience. It was the worst thing you could do to a witch.
Arya shot him a nasty side eye.
Omar went next. "I'm 39, been here for six years. I made frequent contracts with demons."
"Why?" Isaac asked. He beginning to see where the conversation was going.
"To get revenge on the fucking exorcists who murdered my family," he replied. "Cost me an eye and 10 years of my life."
"What did you do to them?" Isaac felt sick. He knew the answer, but he had to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
"I killed the lot of them -"
His stomach shrank and he backed away.
"You... killed them?"
Omar stood up and walked over to him. Isaac backed further away until his back was against the wall. He was so close, Isaac could feel the heat radiating off him.
"So what if I did?"
'Monster!' Isaac screamed in his head.
Omar placed a hand on his shoulder. "What would you do if it were you?"
That question hit him hard. What exactly would he do if he met the people who killed his parents again?
Ming pulled Omar back. "What's wrong with you? You're scaring him."
Isaac could also tell that Ming was frightened, anyone would be, but then again this was Ming he was talking about. He was unpredictable.
Omar scoffed and walked back to his seat. "Softie."
Ming placed a hand on Isaac's forehead and a hand on his own. "He's burning up. How many fingers am I holding up?"
Isaac knew he was holding up three, but he saw six.
"Six."
"He's probably got a concussion," Saheed deduced.
"How'd you reckon he got it?" Arya asked.
Ming helped him sit down. "How did you even get here?"
They looked at him for an explanation, even Ming.
That was right. Ming wasn't there when Jesus-in-the-mirror announced that he was an exorcist.
"You know Jesus-in-the-mirror?" he asked Ming.
"Who?" Ming replied, looking confused. "You mean Bob. What about him?"
Isaac told them the whole story. When he mentioned that he had a charism, they were shocked.
Saheed's jaw dropped.
"Bloody lie!" Arya exclaimed.
"Cool!" Ming replied.
"Which one?" a voice asked behind him.
Isaac hadn't noticed him since he woke up, probably because the whole room was white and his senses were all over the place. The feeling Isaac was getting from him was 'this man could have killed you at any moment'.
"When last did you talk, Dred?" Saheed asked.
Dred had tousled auburn hair and green eyes that Isaac found alluring. Not only that, he looked so familiar, but Isaac couldn't explain where he'd met him.
"Have we met before?" Isaac asked but quickly dismissed it. He had never associated himself with a criminal, and he wasn't planning to in the foreseeable future.
Dred examined him for a few seconds and stared off into the white void.
"Um... hello?"
No reply.
"He's like that," Arya explained. "They broke him. That Solomon charism bitch messed with his mind."
"You mean... " Isaac said but couldn't finish the sentence.
"The guy who screams daily," Saheed answered directly behind him. Isaac hadn't noticed when he'd got close. "He's becoming more and more vegetable by the day. Sometimes, he's active. Sometimes, he just stares off into oblivion."
Isaac didn't want to him. "What did he do?"
"A year ago, he went on a rampage, when he heard his sister had been killed. He wrecked havoc all over the world trying to find her murderer," Arya explained. "They caught him four months ago when he launched an assault on the Adam Cardinal."
Isaac noted. "That's dumb. One human being can't beat a Cardinal. He must have underestimated them."
"He didn't," Saheed replied. "They were the ones who underestimated him."
"Funny thing 'bout the whole story's that he's a regular human being," said Arya.
Isaac looked at Dred again. He was sure he knew him from somewhere, but the memory was fleeting as soon as he tried to grab it. It was of someone important.
A hand grabbed him. It was wrinkly and cold.
He turned to see Bell. Her blue eyes pierced his very soul. Isaac could feel something pass between them like some kind of energy.
Isaac suddenly felt dizzy and staggered a little but Ming guided him.
"Anyone got any food?" Isaac asked. His stomach was howling. "I'm starving. Haven't eaten in two days."
Everyone shook their heads.
The doors open and everyone backed away. Guards rushed in with guns aimed at them.
Isaac thought it was a bit excessive.
The guards parted to make way for the warden, the Solomon torturer and the bodyguard Isaac had been fighting earlier. As usual his face was expressionless and full of no life.
"Hi Alexander," Saheed called, dragging the last syllable with a low purr. He was definitely trying to annoy him.
Alexander ignored him and gestured at Isaac.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Guards rushed to his sides and grabbed his arms. They lifted him up and carried him outside.
"It's time for your trial."