The dim light of the prison flickered, casting eerie shadows on the cold, damp walls. Pluto sat motionless in deep meditation, while Blue leaned against the wall, his head resting on his knees, lost in thought. Aluca's weak breaths filled the silence like a fragile heartbeat, echoing in the oppressive stillness.
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound broke through the stillness. Blue's head snapped up. From the darkness beyond the bars, a figure emerged, draped in a long black robe. The face was obscured, the form indistinguishable, but the aura they carried was one of urgency. Without a word, the figure tossed a set of keys onto the cold stone floor near Blue and Pluto's cell.
Blue stared at the figure in shock, his voice shaking.
"Who... who are you?"
The robed figure didn't answer. Instead, they turned and disappeared into the shadows, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Blue scrambled to his feet, grabbing the keys with trembling hands. He looked back at the figure's retreating silhouette before turning to the lock. With a soft click, the cell door swung open.
"Hey, Aluca," Blue called out, his voice filled with a strange mixture of relief and hope. "Guess what?"
Aluca's hollow eyes opened slightly, his voice weak and brittle. "What is it, Blue?"
Blue smiled faintly, his tone light yet bittersweet. "I think you'll get your dream after all."
Aluca's brow furrowed in confusion. "What dream?"
Blue chuckled softly as he approached Pluto, who remained unmoving, locked in his deep meditation. "Don't you remember? You told me you always wanted to be a father."
Aluca didn't respond immediately. The weight of those words seemed to hang in the air, pressing down on both of them. Blue gently shook Pluto, trying to wake him, but Pluto didn't budge. His breathing was steady, his focus unshakable.
"Come on, Pluto," Blue muttered, hoisting him over his shoulder. "We've got to get out of here."
As he turned to face Aluca's cell, his heart sank. The sight before him froze him in place.
Aluca sat slumped against the wall, the lower half of his body gone. His once-strong frame had withered away, his bones pressing against thin, pale skin. His left arm hung limp, useless, while his right hand trembled weakly at his side. In the corner of the cell lay a skeleton, its bony hand outstretched toward Aluca as if reaching for him in its final moments.
Blue's voice wavered. "What... what happened to you?"
Aluca's gaze was heavy with shame and sorrow. "I'm sorry you had to see this, Blue."
"No." Blue's voice cracked, his legs carrying him closer to the cell. "No, this isn't... this can't be..."
Aluca gave a faint, bitter smile. "You said I could still be a father. But look at me, Blue." His voice broke. "How can I be anything like this?"
Blue couldn't respond. The weight of the moment pressed against his chest, suffocating him. He stared at Aluca and then at the skeleton in the corner. Recognition dawned, and his eyes widened.
"Diolo..." Blue whispered, his voice barely audible.
Aluca closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek. "He gave everything to try and save me. But in the end..."
Blue stood there, frozen, his mind spinning. He had no words, no way to reconcile what he was seeing with the hope he had carried. The chapter closed with him staring at Aluca and Diolo, the faint flicker of the prison light casting long shadows over a scene steeped in loss, pain, and the unspoken weight of love and sacrifice.
END OF CHAPTER 77