I didn't really know how to respond to that, but the words hung in the air like smoke — heavy, choking, and awkward. Neither of us really wanted to break the silence. Well, I couldn't stand the awkwardness.
"So… ughh, Kai, what's been going on with you for like six months?"
Kai chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nothing much, really. I mostly just stayed in the castle. Every once in a while, I'd run errands for some people in the upper halls. If I was around that part of the city, I'd help Effie out with a hunt."
He paused, his expression softening just a little. "So what about you?"
I grinned. "Nothing much really. The first thing I did was break free from an illusion with a bleeding moon and such—y'know, as you do. Then I killed a pretty strong nightmare creature—I think it was a Fallen something. Oh yeah, I also started living in the dark city. Apparently, my roommate was a Fallen devil. but he evicted me as soon as he saw me."
Kai blinked. "You had a roommate?"
"Yeah, tragic really. Oh, and I hunted like two hundred something nightmare creatures with Beast—my echo. Oh yeah, the real you never met Beast! Yeah, he's the best. You should really meet him. He's an awakened devil by the way. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah—so I eventually fought, like, fifty guys. I think I killed ten. I would've killed more but I got blindsided by Harus. Won't happen again though. Oh yeah—"
Kai sighed and raised a hand, cutting me off before I could spiral further.
"I'm not sure what to be more shocked about — that somehow everything you said is true, or that you just broke the world record for the most 'oh yeahs' in a single sentence."
We just started laughing. Like nothing had happened at all. Like I hadn't been presumed dead and he hadn't buried me.
He told me about a few of his side missions — tracking specific nightmare creatures, escorting caravans of soul shards, hiding from Spire messengers swooping down from the clouds. His life sounded… peaceful. Simple. Normal.
Disgustingly normal.
In return, I told him about my kills — about ripping through the dark city's twisted streets, hunting through the fog with Beast. About how I'd learned to use my powers better — how to move the blood through my body, how to feel it pulse with the rhythm of the world itself. I even told him about the spear training. I left out the parts about the voices, though. He didn't need to know about those.
Finally, Kai asked, "So what's your plan to break out of prison?"
I chuckled, leaning my head back against the cold wall. "Who said I was breaking out?"
He raised a brow. "So you want to be executed?"
"Execution isn't the only way out."
Kai groaned. "You've been in here for one day and you're already cryptic."
"Comes with the territory."
Before he could leave, I called out, "Wait—stay for a minute longer."
He tilted his head. "You that bored?"
"Nope. I need you for my plan."
"And just what would that plan mean for me?"
I grinned and leaned close to the bars, whispering the plan in detail. The expression on his face was priceless — that mix of disbelief and reluctant admiration. Then he sighed, muttered something about 'this is why I should start drinking,' and flew off.
Now I was alone again.
Alone with my thoughts.
My loud, obnoxious, traitorous thoughts.
So apparently, Kai saw my corpse. That didn't make sense. I was alive. Breathing, thinking, annoying the guards for sport. So that meant either it wasn't my corpse, or I'd been resurrected. Or cloned. Or reincarnated. Or maybe that illusion fiend had messed with reality so bad that it made a fake me.
Gods, what if Kai was lying?
He's a bad liar though, so… maybe not.
I rubbed my temple and sighed. "I wish someone would show up who can't lie. That'd be nice. Maybe make them shorter than me too — yeah, like Rain. She's probably the cutest sibling in our family. Give them shadow powers to protect me from the sun, and I'd probably call that person my sibling and best friend on the spot."
I let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, right."
Anyway, back to the plan. I decided to get some rest — couldn't execute an escape plan without a full charge of chaos. I slid down the wall, arms crossed, glaring at the guards until my eyelids felt heavy.
They started whispering.
"Why doesn't he blink?"
"I don't know. Just don't look at him. He glares harder if you do."
"Does he… does he sleep with his eyes open?"
"Yes. Yes, he does. Stop asking questions before he starts singing again."
That made me grin. And because I am, by nature, a petty creature of chaos, I cracked one eye open and whispered,
"Wanna hear Wonderwall?"
The guard groaned audibly. "NO—"
"Too late."
I cleared my throat and began, horrifically off-key:
"♪ Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to youuuuuu—"
One guard immediately slammed his helmeted head into the bars while the other began pacing back and forth, muttering a prayer under his breath.
It only got worse when I switched genres halfway through.
"Country roads, take me hooooome—"
"STOP. PLEASE STOP."
"To the place—"
"BY THE DEAD GODS, I'LL KILL MYSELF."
"—I beloooooong!"
The guard started sobbing quietly, his spirit visibly leaving his body.
Eventually, the door creaked open and a new pair of guards came in with my dinner. The moment the tray hit the ground, the scent hit me — rich, perfectly seasoned blood essence mixed with spiced meat and a faint trace of bitter herbs.
Sei's recipe. I'd know it anywhere.
Of course, I wasn't supposed to know that. But the guards didn't notice the smirk on my face as I picked at the food, pretending not to care. I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes while cooking, muttering something like, "This idiot's lucky I didn't poison him."
For a brief moment, I felt… something. Nostalgia maybe. Then it passed.
I leaned back against the wall again, full and content. The moonlight poured through the narrow slit of a window, silver and cold.