The conversation from a nearby table caught their attention. A man with a deep voice spoke loudly amidst the tavern's chatter. "Have you heard the news? There's a gang of criminals in this city," he said, his eyes narrowing as if revealing a dark secret. "They're extorting people. Not just money, they take whatever they want. And if anyone dares to resist..." He leaned closer to his friend, grinning, "They get killed, no questions asked."
Their laughter erupted, as if the threat they were discussing was nothing more than a cheap joke. Yet, their words lingered in the air, spreading unease amid the lively atmosphere.
Arga slowly put down his glass. His face remained calm, but his eyes betrayed a curiosity he couldn't hide. He stood up and walked toward the two men's table with a relaxed stride. A friendly smile adorned his face, showing no hint of malice.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said casually. "We've got plenty of drinks. If you'd like, maybe you can join us and chat?"
Sana, sitting behind Arga, rolled her eyes in frustration. She lowered her head onto the table, grumbling, clearly unhappy with Arga's overly friendly approach.
The two men exchanged glances. One of them, a large man with a rough face, grinned widely. "Sure! Sounds like a good offer," he said enthusiastically. Without hesitation, they stood up and approached Arga and Sana's table.
Once they arrived, the other man waved to the waiter. "Hey! Add more food to this table, and we'll order more too!" he shouted casually, as if he were a wealthy man with endless cash.
Arga just smiled slightly, letting things flow naturally. Sana, on the other hand, sighed softly and rested her head on her hand. She took another sip of her drink, her face clearly showing her annoyance without trying to hide it. "What a kid," she muttered under her breath, keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
Arga leaned back in his chair, his elbows resting on the slightly worn wooden table, exuding both friendliness and confidence. "My name is Arga, and this is my friend, Sana," he said, his voice light yet firm. He glanced briefly at Sana, who simply nodded in acknowledgment, choosing to stay silent. "We're new here... or rather, we were brought to this unfamiliar place. So, we don't know much about anything here."
The two men across from them nodded while devouring the food laid out. One of them, a man with a thin beard and sharp eyes, took a sip of his drink before speaking. "We're all outsiders here. There are no locals. But if you want to know about this place, you're talking to the right person," he said confidently, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I've been here for seven years, so I know the ins and outs of this world."
The man stared at Arga with sharp eyes, almost as if challenging him to refute his words. "I don't know why you ended up here, but most people who come to this place have a reason: desperation, dying in a hospital, or maybe just giving up on life. They've been through bad things and ended up here."
Arga listened intently, his brows slightly furrowed, indicating his confusion. After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke. "I... I haven't gone through anything like that," he said slowly, almost as if talking to himself. "I wasn't desperate, dying, or giving up on life. I... I ended up here because someone kidnapped me."
His words hung in the air for a moment, drawing everyone's attention at the table. Arga stared at the wooden table in front of him, trying to piece together his blurred memories. "I was made unconscious. When I woke up, I was already in the valley near the hill over there." He lifted his hand, pointing to a vague direction through the tavern window, before glancing at Sana beside him. "That's where I met this woman," he added with a slightly lighter tone, though his confusion was still evident.
Sana, who had been silent all this time, kept her eyes on the men in front of them while playing with her glass. Her face was neutral but clearly showed caution. She finally spoke, though her tone sounded uncertain. "I... I don't know what to say either," she said softly. She lowered her head, staring blankly at the table. "I ended up here after taking some pills. At first, I thought this was just a hallucination from the medication."
Sana paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But then I realized... this is real. The last thing I remember back then..." Her face scrunched up, as if she was struggling to dig up memories buried under a thick fog. "Someone picked me up. Maybe… I was kidnapped too."
She shrugged, trying to lighten the atmosphere that had begun to grow heavy. "For a moment, I even thought, maybe we were kidnapped and placed on an island for some kind of reality show," she added, half-joking, though her expression remained serious.
Her words hung in the air, creating a brief silence before laughter erupted from the two men sitting across from them. Their laughter was so loud that a few other patrons in the café turned to look their way.
"Hahaha! Turns out you're a funny one, Sana!" one of the men exclaimed between laughs, slapping the table enthusiastically. Even Arga smiled faintly, though his laughter was more restrained.
Sana simply crossed her arms, looking at them with a flat expression. "If you're done laughing, maybe we can get back to discussing something more important," she said curtly, though the slight curve of her lips showed she wasn't truly upset.
The bearded man finally stopped laughing, taking a leisurely sip of his drink. "I've been exploring this place for a long time, and trust me, this place has no end. Whatever you're looking for, there will always be a new mystery to unravel."