Lilith banged her head against the cold, stone wall.
"Why is this happening to me? I didn't do anything," she said. But as soon as the words left her mouth, memories of her thefts rushed back to her mind.
"Maybe I deserve this... but I still don't want it," she murmured. She turned to Nier, who was sitting nearby, looking troubled.
"Nier, I've decided—I'm going to escape. Are you with me?" she asked.
Nier looked at her in surprise.
"And who do you think I was telling my story to just now?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.
Lilith hesitated, then continued, "From what I gathered, if we run into Judge Holl, we're dead. So, we just have to avoid him."
Nier sighed, hearing what he thought was an overly simplistic plan. It sounded too naive to him, but he didn't bother to respond, instead lying back down.
"Come on, Nier! Let's get out of here. I can't stand this place any longer. It's cold, filthy, and the guards are... weird," she said, exasperated.
"None of that concerns me. I won't die as long as he is still alive," Nier replied, almost to himself.
"Who's 'he'?" she asked, but before he could answer, the loud clanking of metal bars interrupted them.
"Hey, you two! We're moving you to the special prison block. Judge Holl insisted, especially after hearing that you, Nier, were caught," barked the guard, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Nier.
Nier remained lying down, not bothering to meet the guard's gaze. Lilith tried to break the tension.
"Uh, right. We're coming. Let's go, Nier," she said, nudging him.
Nier got up and walked out of the cell without even glancing at the guard, which only served to annoy the man further.
"On the count of three," Nier whispered to Lilith as they walked.
"What's on three?" she asked, confused.
"One, two, three!" he shouted, grabbing her hand as they dashed down the corridor, away from the guard.
"Hey! Stop, both of you!" the guard yelled, starting the chase.
"What are you doing, Nier? I thought you were scared of Holl!" Lilith said, panting.
"Don't worry. Holl isn't here right now, so we should be fine," he replied, pulling her along as they ran through the dim, narrow hallways with guards in pursuit.
They reached a bend in the corridor, and Nier pulled Lilith into a dark corner, pressing against the wall. They held their breaths as they listened to the guards' heavy footsteps echoing past them.
"Alright, I think they're gone. Let's move," he whispered, and they crept through the dark, damp passageways, avoiding the watchful eyes of the guards.
"We have to get to the exit. But there are three corridors, each with a guard. We'll have to find a way past each one," he explained.
Lilith thought for a moment and then grinned.
"I've got an idea. You distract him, and I'll take him down," she suggested, readying herself.
"You'll take him down?" Nier raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I mean, I'll knock him out."
"Alright then, let's do it."
Nier approached the first guard and began to act exaggeratedly.
"Oh no, the guard caught me! What am I going to do?" he said theatrically, making the guard look at him with complete indifference.
"The guard is going to take me back to my cell... oh, the horror!" he continued, feigning despair.
The guard simply stood there, not reacting. Nier let out a frustrated sigh.
"Seriously? What's wrong with you?"
The guard sighed dramatically and, to Nier and Lilith's surprise, began speaking with unexpected emotion.
"I just... I hate my job. I stand here day in and day out, watching this miserable corridor. The prisoners insult me, make fun of me... it's too much!" the guard said, his voice breaking as he sat down on the floor, looking defeated.
One of the prisoners nearby spoke up, "We didn't know, man. We just thought we were joking around to pass the time."
"Yeah, we're sorry. We didn't mean to hurt you," added another prisoner.
The guard's eyes filled with tears, and he looked at them with a glimmer of hope.
"Do you... do you mean that?" he asked.
The prisoners nodded, their faces sincere.
"Yes, we promise. We'll be better," one of them said.
Nier and Lilith stood there, watching this bizarre scene unfold. Finally, one of the prisoners turned to them.
"Just give him a minute. You can go," he said, and Nier and Lilith nodded, continuing down the corridor in disbelief.
"What a weird place," Lilith muttered, shaking her head.
They reached the second guard and used the same distraction technique. This time, it worked without a hitch, and they slipped past him.
But when they got to the third guard, things went differently. The guard, a massive man who looked like he could crush stones with his bare hands, didn't fall for the act. Before Nier could even start speaking, the guard lunged at him, nearly landing a punch in his stomach.
Nier narrowly dodged, his heart pounding as he realized that this guard wasn't going to go down easily. Lilith prepared to jump in, but suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain in her head, similar to what she'd felt at the festival.
She looked at Nier, only to see a copy of herself sprinting toward the guard. She saw herself aiming a kick, but before she could land it, a bright beam shot through the air, hitting her double in the stomach.
What... what was that?
Suddenly, the vision vanished, and she was back in reality, the headache pulsing in her temples.
The same beam from her vision fired, this time hitting Nier in the leg. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his knee.
"Hey, you!" she yelled, grabbing the guard's attention.
Nier seized the opportunity and struck the guard with a blow to his... well, sensitive area. The guard froze, groaning in pain, allowing Nier and Lilith to continue their escape.
They helped each other hobble towards the exit, only to be stopped by a familiar voice.
"Wow, that was quite a show. Didn't think you had it in you, Nier."
Nier turned, his face twisted in a mix of surprise and rage as he recognized the speaker.
"L-Lex?" he whispered, pulling out a knife from somewhere, his leg bleeding heavily, but he didn't seem to care.
Without a word, he lunged at Lex, who dodged easily, laughing.
"Calm down, buddy. You really did miss me, huh?" Lex taunted.
Lilith was frozen, watching Nier lose control, something she'd never seen before.
Then, Lex's eyes fell on her.
"Oh? Is this your girlfriend? I never thought Nier would get himself a girl," Lex sneered, chuckling.
"SHUT UP!" Nier roared, his voice filled with fury. "I'll kill you today!"
Lilith could barely recognize him in this state.
"Look, your girl's in trouble," Lex said, nodding towards a guard who had grabbed Lilith.
Nier's hand shook as he dropped the knife. "Alright, fine. Just let her go."
Lex smirked. "Good boy. I didn't think I could control you so easily with just a girl."
Nier clenched his fists.
"Well, if you get down on your knees and bark, I won't tell Holl about this little escape attempt. Deal?"
"You're going to tell Holl?" Nier asked, shocked.
"Of course. He's my boss, after all. But if you want, I won't say a word... as long as you obey."
Nier hesitated, the thought of Holl finding out sent a shiver down his spine. He began to kneel, but then a shoe hit him from behind.
"Are you seriously going to kneel to this scumbag?" Lilith had thrown her own shoe at him. Her words cut through him more than any threat.
Nier stood back up, his resolve returning.
"I won't kneel to filth like you. Remember, I'll be the one to end you someday."
Lex's smile faded. He glanced at Lilith, a glint of unease in his eyes.
"Alright, alright. I won't tell Holl this time. But try to escape again, and you'll regret it."
The guards seized Nier and Lilith, dragging them back to their cell, where they'd spend more time than they'd originally planned.
The days ahead would be eventful indeed.