I leaned forward, my fingers curling through the bars of the cage, my heart hammering in my chest like a trapped bird. The cold metal bit into my skin, but I barely noticed. My focus was entirely on the creatures inside. They were unlike anything I had ever seen—pale, almost translucent skin stretched over sinewy frames, their eyes large and glassy, reflecting the dim light of the room. They were still, unnervingly so, their gazes fixed on Luell with an intensity that made my stomach churn. They barely acknowledged me, not even a flicker of movement, as though I were nothing more than a shadow passing by.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, and took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. The air in the room was thick, and heavy with the scent of damp earth and something metallic, like blood or rust. It clung to the back of my throat, making it harder to breathe. My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out the faint hum of the fluorescent lights above.
"Hey," I said, my voice trembling. "Can you hear me?" I spoke softly at first, my hope thin like paper, fragile and ready to tear at the slightest pressure.
The creatures didn't move. Didn't react. Their eyes—unblinking, unwavering—remained locked on Luell as though he was the only thing that mattered in this world. It was unnerving, the way they stared at him like he held some kind of power over them, or perhaps they over him. I couldn't tell. The silence was suffocating, pressing down on me from all sides.
"Why won't you talk to me?" I whispered again, my frustration creeping into my voice. But they didn't answer. Their focus stayed on him, unbroken, as if I were invisible, insignificant. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The sting grounded me and kept me from spiralling into the panic that threatened to take hold.
A deep voice broke the tension, sharp and unyielding, slicing through the silence like a blade.
"They cannot talk."
I whipped around, startled, my heart skipping a beat. The masked figure stood behind me now, his form looming over the cage. He was tall, his broad shoulders casting a long shadow that seemed to stretch endlessly across the floor. His mask was featureless, smooth and white, reflecting the faint light in a way that made it seem almost alive. His presence was cold, like the night itself, pressing against me, making my skin crawl.
"But they spoke to him," I countered, my voice a mix of confusion and disbelief. They had spoken to him—those whispers in his mind, those alien words he reacted to. I had seen it, heard it, even if I couldn't understand it. The memory of Luell's face, twisted in pain and fear as he clutched his head, flashed through my mind. He had heard them. I was sure of it.
The masked man crouched down beside the cage, his knees creaking as he bent to get closer, his eyes narrowing at the creatures. His movements were deliberate, and calculated, as though every action was part of some larger plan. He studied the creatures with an intensity that mirrored their own, his gaze piercing, unyielding.
"You're mistaken. They do not communicate with us as you think." His tone was soft, yet absolute, like someone speaking the truth of the world as if it were law. There was no room for argument in his voice, no hint of doubt. It infuriated me.
I stared at him, my hands tightening on the bars until my knuckles turned white. "Then what were they doing?" I demanded, unable to hide the sharpness in my voice. They had said something. Hadn't they? The memory of Luell's reaction was too vivid, too real to dismiss. He had been in pain, his face contorted, his body trembling as though he were fighting some invisible force. And then there were the whispers—soft, insidious, crawling into his mind like parasites.
The masked man ignored my question, his gaze fixed on the creatures, their eyes locked onto Luell. His silence was more damning than words. He was watching them, too. Watching them carefully, as though they were a puzzle he was trying to solve. The tension in the room grew thicker, and heavier until it felt like I was drowning in it.
I clenched my jaw, a heat of frustration building inside me. "What do you mean they don't talk? They did something to him—those whispers, those—"
the creatures shifted. The first one's head jerked slightly, its eyes widening. Another creature's breathing became erratic, its chest heaving with agitation, and its skeletal hand twitched, claws scraping faintly against the cold metal of the cage. There was a noticeable ripple through the group, a collective unease spreading. The creatures, though still fixated on Luell, began to show signs of tension. Their eyes flickered toward each other, and their movements grew more erratic. They were reacting to something, and I wasn't sure what.
The air felt charged as if some invisible force was building. The creatures' stillness had been a facade—now, they were on edge, their gazes shifting between Luell and the masked figure, their bodies trembling, anticipating something.
The masked man's posture stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the creatures. His lips barely parted as he spoke, his voice low and measured.
He murmured.
And they immediately stilled, but the tension in the room had not gone. They were afraid—or at least, unsettled. The subtle tremors in their forms made my stomach churn.
I didn't know what to make of it. Why were they so unsettled now? What had changed?
I took a step forward, ignoring the sense of danger that crept over me. "Why are they acting like this?" I demanded again, my voice rising with frustration. "What did you do to them?"
The masked man turned to me, his eyes as cold and unreadable as ever. He didn't answer, but his gaze was intense as if he were deciding something in his mind. Then, he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, so soft that only I could hear.
"Silence," he whispered his voice like a low hiss, like a spell wrapped in shadows.
I gasped, my breath catching in my throat. The words were soft, but they carried weight, a pressure that hit me like a fist. My mouth went dry, my throat tightening as if an invisible hand had closed around it. I tried to speak, to protest, but no sound came out. It wasn't just a command. It was magic.
Panic surged through me. I wanted to shout, to scream at him, to demand answers, but I couldn't. I couldn't make a sound. My eyes widened in terror, my pulse racing as I realised that I was utterly powerless at this moment. I could feel the weight of the magic pressing down on me, a suffocating force that drained all strength from my body. I opened my mouth again, but no words escaped—just a hollow, useless gasp.
The air seemed to grow heavier, and I couldn't speak. My body froze, my voice stolen from me as if he had sewn my mouth shut with his magic. I tried to move, to break free from whatever hold he had on me, but my limbs felt heavy, sluggish like I was trapped in a nightmare. The prisoners around us had begun to slowly recede like a tide pulling away from the shore. They scattered back into the corners of the cage, their eyes darting toward Luell and then back to me, cautious, afraid.
The masked man straightened, his gaze lingering on the creatures. For a moment, he didn't speak, his thoughts far away. The silence stretched on, unbearable, until I thought I might scream just to break it. But I couldn't. My voice was gone, stolen by his magic.
Then, without a word, he turned and returned to his station, leaving me in an unbearable silence. The prisoners didn't dare come any closer, but they watched us, their fear palpable, like a thick fog in the air. No one spoke. No one moved.