The knock came again, this time harder than the last.
Kija stayed rooted to the hard floor.
[H-Hey, you're injured right? I have medicine! Just....open this and...]
The voice trailed off.
'Who the hell...'
Kija was about to raise himself but stopped, startled by the sound that follwed.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Clenched fists pounded on the stone relentlessly, desperate for something.
Words clung to his throat for a long while before his mouth finally started to open.
"How...Do I know you won't kill me...?"
A rasp tone left and the figure behind the boulder....stopped.
[....]
Pure silence followed, silence that clung to the very air.
None of the two spoke.
It wasn't even trying to hide it, not crafting any excuses despite Kija making the question.
The ice broke, in a surprising way.
'Huh? Is that...a chuckle?'
Hihihihihihihihihihi~
Outside, a long chuckle tallied, the sound making it inside the enclosed space.
It was the sound of a young boy laughing innocently.
Kija, unsettled as he was, felt great alarm to the sound.
"What the hell is so funny?!"
The ground was stomped, raising himself in a fit. Kija walked closer to the boulder.
Somewhere in the space he could hear the faint words of someone telling him to 'stop!', but he was far too concentrated in confronting the one who made him out as a laughingstock.
Blood vessels popped in his eyes, dripping from the sockets as the mouth, nose and ears dripped a steady river alongside it.
Drip!
A droplet at first, but then a rushing fountain the second.
Kija's head dizzied and fogged.
Step!
The steps he took however, didn't stop in the slightest bit.
His vision darkened at the edges as his foot planted to the ground.
All sensation of his body started to lose its purpose, flicking on and off.
The chuckles grew more distorted and intense, now turning into full fledged laughter that killed the stomach.
AHAHAHAHA—!
It grated against stone, echoing from every corner it could find.
With more arrogance protruding than any other time.
Obsessing over something as insignificant as a mere laugh.
Nails rested at the rough texture, it crushed it, creating small holes to grip easily.
At the peak of the laughter behind the boulder.
Swoosh!
"....Huh?"
Kija exclaimed. Cold metal entering and exiting flesh.
In an instant, every ounce of strength left.
Thud!
Resulting in a crash.
Haa...Haa...
Slow breaths exited and entered the figure holding a silver knife.
Their face shadowed and obscured tilted downwards.
Their gaze settled on the bleeding beast. They didn't look like they were gazing at him though.
Screams gargled out slurred, fear took firm hold over him.
He screamed out for his Goddess that would never come to him.
"H-Help me! My lad—"
A single blade silenced all misery.
Thud!
The thud of a skull falling was the last to be heard.
Fingers quivered around the knife.
The figure's chest kept heaving up and down.
'Damn it'
Cale, in a lazy fashion, plopped down to the floor.
'What the heck have I stumbled on?'
Sight swirled with the lack of light.
"Ha....Ha"
His ragged breathing couldn't stop, no matter how much time passed it just wouldn't leave him alone.
'Thank god I killed that fucking retard'
The next moment, frustration boiled in his mind.
At the blatant influence.
Slap!
His hand crashed onto his face with a loud slap.
'No, pull yourself together! Your thought process is being warped!'
It had been like this for a long time. Cale already lost track of just how much time had truly passed.
All because of.
[H-Hello?]
Of this abomination.
Every goddamn word this thing hoisted onto him carved suggestions deep into Cale's mind.
'I tried escaping, but then I met this bastard and was forced down here to hide'
For a while, Cale was safe though, there was oxygen, space to move around and most importantly.
That thing had lost him.
Until he met that beast-person or whatever it was.
Being mentally weaker, it succumbed to the words of that thing rather quickly.
'Not only did he plug the only exit, he plugged the only place with any ventilation'
And the best part? He brought the damned monster right to him so now he couldn't even push it away.
To the fast asleep Cale, having heard some maniac rush here and compromise the only safe zone obviously made him twitch.
'Now I can't even sleep in peace'
Sighing, Cale massaged his temples.
'I'm going to fucking die because of the lack of oxygen before I do anything'
[P-Please H-Help...]
A voice rang out, Cale clicked his tongue.
"...."
Cale didn't answer, why? Because by doing so made death all the more certain.
The creature before him, blocked by solid stone, asked for interactions.
Interacting with the creature takes something from you. Cale didn't know the criteria for what it stole, but it seemed to be dependent on the person it interacted with.
'It didn't steal much from me...It just made me warmer'
Cale didn't think much of it at first, but seeing how weak his dagger became after becoming warmer, obviously raised alarms for concern.
Further implanting that what it stole when interacting depend on the individual itself.
'However, there is a commonality' Brushing his fingers over the severed neck, Cale stopped at the blisters.
He then traced his fingers over his burnt-stitched neck.
'The creature attacked with wires that either saw or burn the neck' None of the two appeased Cale.
'Then it just leaves you'
It releases its grip over you, snickering at the burn marks it gave. After some time passes, it earnestly searches for you.
'Just like now'
Repeating everything until you give in and interact.
The best way to survive is by not interacting in any sort of way.
'I tried leaving....Doesn't seem possible'
Either his sense for directions were also just as distorted or Cale was just naturally trash at navigating. The latter attracted him more.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Blows slammed onto the boulder, trying to claw its way into Cale.
Cale only blankly stared, the way his eyes dully stared made fear leave him.
'Interesting'
Peeking downwards, he grabbed ahold of his hand that raised itself without consent.
'It's erasing my sense of fear to let my guard down'
Most probably a defining reason as to why that beast-person wanted to suddenly leap into death's tight and warm embrace.
Though Cale wasn't actively interacting with the creature, avoiding it entirely could also be considered a form of interaction.
'No, perhaps a natural time limit?'
He dismissed his thoughts, suppressing the surging feeling of rage welling inside him.
'If that's it...'
Then staying any longer rooted here would not be of best interest.
'Question is, how?'
There wasn't any other escape route that he knew of, not in this dark space anyway.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The slamming fists turned vicious, the voice remained at a flat and shy tone.
[H-Hey, you're injured right? I have medicine! Just....open this and...]
The man's tone dropped into a solemn surprise.
[It will all be fine...My sweet Feigling...]
"...?"
At the new phrase, his ears perked up.
'Feigling? Who's that?'
It appeared that they mistook Cale for someone completely different.
'No...then its previous sentences don't really align, do they?'
They talked as if they didn't know Cale, yet suddenly they knew him?
'Should I pretend?'
The thought crossed his mind.
But knowing that interacting with the creature would make him lose something in turn made hesitation cloud him.
'Troublesome'
Sighing, he shot up from his spot, taking a step forward.
The moment in which he did, his surroundings clad in the dark shifted.
Chuckles filled the air.
'The knife won't explode, so I've lost a strong weapon of mine'
Cale deduced that it was because of his warm body that made it impossible.
At the same time, he started to ponder whether he had killed the armor donning knight.
'It'd be quite annoying if he did survive'
There wouldn't be a next time where his neck would be placed so neatly in front of him.
Cale pressed a few fingers on the blisters.
'....Would it work?'
Laughter filled the air as he made his way towards the boulder.