Ciel found himself suspended when he awoke. His eyes weren't open yet, but he could sense that his arms outstretched above his head — shackles binding his wrists. He tried wriggling his arms, unaware of how he ended up in this position. But the shackles held strong.
"Where am I?" Ciel asked lightheadedly.
Blood rushed toward his head, lighting up what was now an already short fuse. Strength streamed through his body, a burning sensation spreading from the chest all the way to the limbs.
He began to squirm once more, this time fueled by the same unknown power he used against the lich — his fists clenched while elbows drove outward with all their strength. But the restraints still refused to budge.
Ciel was confused and disoriented and most of all enraged by this situation.
'Wait. Enraged? Me?' He paused.
The memories of the last few days flooded his mind like a rainstorm. He used up all his savings to buy a neural link, entering Eclipse Dive — a game where he got classified as a Null — an entity that might not be able to log out nor use Lumen.
That's what Klarrisa's flames were, right? Lumen. Was that what he used when killing the lich? Or trying to break the shackles? But it shouldn't be possible. From what Lyra told him, Lumen was powered by emotions — something he didn't have. Or at least didn't have until… Klarissa died. After which a constant state of rage accompanied him.
His mind slowly calmed down, finally starting to think instead of reacting. He didn't know why it happened, but he was now able to feel an emotion. Rage. This made it a lot harder to use logic — having to forcibly calm himself before he could think sensibly.
'But experiencing emotions is why I bought the game. Rage is still a step in the right direction,' Ciel judged wishfully.
Nevertheless, he didn't have time to gloat about his progress. Ciel has been stuck in this game for almost 3 days now, his real body probably parching without water. He had to find a way to get back to the real world and he had to do it fast. His mind began rummaging itself in search of a solution. Suddenly, an absurdly simple idea struck him.
"Log out."
But nothing happened. He let out an exasperated sigh as he bit his lip. Was this really a game? The graphics were way too realistic for a simulation and the sensations like hunger, thirst and tiredness felt genuine. Had technology really advanced that much?
He doubted it. He wasn't a tech expert by any means, but Ciel knew that this kind of technology was not feasible yet. Even if it was, there was something else bugging him; the people around him didn't treat Eclipse like a game. They were all taking it too seriously — Klarissa enduring the pain of dying to save a "life" and Abelia genuinely believing this was reality.
'But I don't think they're NPCs... Either way, there's a more pressing matter at hand.'
Ciel concluded that before he figured out if this was really a game, escaping captivity was more important. His eyes opened, diligently taking in his surroundings.
He hung in a small, almost claustrophobic stone room sealed off completely from the outside. The only entry point was a thick, sturdy metal door that could only open from the cell's exterior. His neck turned, searching for anything useful. In the areas where wall met floor laid countless clusters of green mold mixed with blood — no doubt symptoms of poor ventilation and violence. Whoever captured Ciel was not planning on having a civil dialogue with him.
His eyes shut, trying to force out the Lumen he used when killing the lich. There was a sharp, burning sting in his chest — power surging through his body. But it was not the same power he had when killing the monster. No flames erupted. It strengthened him, yes, but it was not even half the strength he had back then.
His hands wriggled briefly, confirming that breaking free from the restraints was not possible with his current strength.
'The more I'm detained with no information, the worse my situation gets.'
He coughed twice, clearing his throat forcefully as his core clenched. Ciel started shouting:
"Help! Help! Where am I?!"
However, even after howling for a while, no one showed up to see what was wrong. He took another look around the room, quickly coming up with a theory as to why that was.
'This room is practically airless, maybe they just can't hear me.'
He squeezed his ankles together and began swaying his legs back and forth — the motion gradually making his suspended body fly around. After he had enough momentum, his knees curled up all the way to his chest as he swerved away from the door. Then, whenever he approached the door, his legs would kick into it like a battering ram into a gate.
He repeated the motion several times until, at long last, the door rattled.
A long sharp screech reached Ciel's ears as the heavy metal door swung open — revealing a rather short figure standing before it. The figure's body was covered in light armor forged out of a candescent silver alloy. It gave off a proper, dignified appearance. The look was completed by a bascinet helmet made out of the same metal as the armor — one opening for the eyes and multiple smaller ones for breathing.
The helmet turned upward, taking a good look at the prisoner swaying from the ceiling. He paused for a moment, then moved closer — making sure the restraints were fulfilling their role. Once he confirmed that they were, he spun toward the entrance and left with sluggish steps — leaving the door open like whether the prisoner escaped was not his concern.
Shortly afterward, Ciel heard several voices accompanied with heavy sets of footsteps approaching his cell. The voices sounded… familiar.
Four figures entered his vision; Abelia, Leo, Kaius, and someone new. A tall man with a strong build and broad shoulders. The armor he wore resembled the one of the guard who unlocked Ciel's door. However, his was heavier and better-made and on its breastplate there was an engraving of a chimera — the body and head of a lion, a second head belonging to a goat, and in place of a tail dwelled a hissing snake. There was no helmet on his head, giving away a handsome, chiseled visage. His jaw cleft, covered in a neat stubble that emphasized his already sharp features. All of this was framed perfectly by his thick, glossy, golden hair.
"You woke up, outlaw," the handsome man said scornfully.