Throughout the hours, Reeva continued releasing his mystic power periodically, letting it spill onto the floor with little effect, at least as far as escape was concerned. It wasn’t practical if his goal was to break free. But for another purpose—stirring curiosity—it was working perfectly.
Each ti he focused, he allowed the power to flow just long enough to get a reaction. He’d open his eyes a sliver to catch glimpses of the others. Hilda sat in her usual poised manner, while Leon slumped against the wall, dozing on the long leather seat. But it was Onia who truly caught his attention, staring at him with unmistakable curiosity.
"Curious?" Reeva asked, the question loaded with just enough bait to reel her in.
"N-No! It’s nothing," she stamred, imdiately looking away. She quickly resud her proper position, trying to act indifferent. But even with his eyes closed, Reeva could tell she was more than intrigued. The question of what he was doing in this prison—where any attempt to use mystic power should have been futile—would gnaw at her. And that was his win.
Onia was the emotional type, easily flustered and led by her feelings.
An hour passed, and, just as expected, she cracked.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice carrying an awkward edge of embarrassnt, clearly annoyed that she had to speak to him at all.
"Trade your next al, and I’ll tell you."
"No way! I don’t care what you’re doing!" she snapped, though her irritation was more at herself than him.
Still, as ti went on, Reeva could see her growing restless. Even Leon, who had been sleeping for most of the ti, seed to sense her frustration. It was obvious—Onia wanted to know. Reeva just had to wait for her to break down completely.
Many more hours passed, and the sun finally dipped below the horizon. Inside the prison carriage, the oil lamp’s glow intensified with the deepening night, casting long shadows across the small space. Their evening al arrived as usual, but Reeva remained locked in concentration, unmoving for more than an hour.
Hilda had to collect his al for him, while the priests glanced in, briefly curious, only to dismiss him. They knew the prison’s impenetrable nature and were confident no one could escape it. The thick walls could only be breached by cannon fire, and any such attempt would be noticed long before it could happen.
But it wasn’t the priests who were most curious—it was Onia. She kept telling herself that Reeva’s actions were aningless, but doubt gnawed at her. He had to be doing sothing…right?
"I’ll tell you what I’m doing if you give half your al," Reeva finally said, his voice breaking the silence.
Onia hesitated. "No, why would I—"
"This is your last chance to find out. Think carefully."
Her eyes darted between Reeva and her al—well-cooked, delicious-slling food. She bit her lip, the conflict clear in her mind. Finally, she sighed and relented.
"Fine." She slid half her plate over to Reeva, begrudgingly. "Now, what are you doing?"
Reeva smirked as he quickly shared the al with Hilda and Leon, who both looked visibly relieved to get a break from the bland als they had been enduring.
"I’m just releasing my mystic energy," he replied casually.
Onia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! Are you insane?"
Her reaction was warranted. Anyone with even basic knowledge of mystic energy knew that releasing it uncontrollably was dangerous, possibly even fatal. It was one of the first lessons taught in the royal academies—don’t recklessly let out mystic energy, or you risk becoming a demon.
But Reeva was calm. Inside this prison, where the mystic energy was constantly drained and nullified, they couldn’t be turned into demons. In fact, Reeva was using the opportunity to practice controlling his mystic force. If Onia paid close enough attention, she would have seen that Hilda was doing the sa thing, albeit much more smoothly due to her experience.
"Nope, I’m trying sothing out," Reeva said, his smile not at all reassuring.
While Onia looked at him like he had completely lost his mind, Reeva was testing the prison’s limits. In Tumidu, the torture chambers collected mystic energy, building up pressure over ti. This prison, however, seed to rely drain it and release it harmlessly into the air outside. Clever, Reeva thought, but he wasn’t sure if there was a cap to how much mystic power it could handle.
If there was, it could cause so unintended consequences. He doubted he could overload the system easily, but it was worth investigating.
"Do you realize that it’s turning you into a demon?"
"I’m fully aware," Reeva replied coolly. "But we can’t beco demons in here. It’s actually good practice for controlling your mystic force. You should give it a try."
His grin didn’t do much to convince Onia. She stared at him as though he had lost his senses completely.
"You are insane" Never in a million years ould she ever tried it, turning into a demon wasn’t a joke and could ruin soone’s life. If he is keen on risking his life then it isn’t her problem. That’s why he was locked up in here in the first place.
The rest of the evening passed in a quiet routine. Reeva and Hilda continued their mystic energy practice, Leon slept soundly, and Onia sat restlessly, staring out into the darkening world, occasionally glancing over at Reeva as if trying to decipher his next move.
Then when the moon reached midnight Reeva knew that his ti was now, he needed to act out his plan before it was too late. He closed his eyes and breathed in to prepare himself, then he went to sleep.
If his guess is correct then what he’s doing should transport him into a spirit world. Reeva noticed this trend when he went there last ti.
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And sure enough, his eyes open to the familiar sight of a reed fluttering to the wind, his body lay on the floor looking at the night sky above.
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