Julius awoke to the sound of chains rattling, except they weren't his. He looked down, his amulet was missing.
"Well, I guess that's gone."
His head pounded, his mouth dry, the taste of something foul still clinging to his tongue. The last thing he remembered was that bite—the meat he had been forced to swallow under the watchful, glistening eyes of Count Leonold. His stomach still twisted at the thought.
A soft scraping noise echoed through the dark cell. Metal against stone.
"I knew I shouldn't have eaten food from a stranger..." Julius sighed. "I guess I deserve this for being naive."
Julius' breath hitched as he turned his head.
Someone else was here.
A girl, hanging from the ceiling by thick, rusted chains. Her limbs dangled limply, yet her head was lifted, glowing violet hair cascading over her face in tangled strands. Her eyes, bright and unnatural, gleamed in the dim torchlight, wild and unfocused. She had claws, their edges worn yet wickedly sharp.
"Hello?" Julius spoke nervously.
She ignored his presence initially.
Her hair glowed like violet fire-flies.
The scraping continued. Her breathing was erratic, uneven, interspersed with quiet giggles that made Julius' skin crawl.
Then, she moved.
A sharp tug on her chains, her wrists twisting unnaturally as she lunged toward him.
Julius jerked back, his heart slamming against his ribs.
"Agh-. That's scary." Julius shivered. "Did you just try to eat me?"
The chains stopped her inches from his face.
Her lips curled, her sharp teeth gleaming.
"You smell real," she whispered, her voice breathy, almost sweet. "Is anything real? The time here is real... Are you here to suffer too?"
"That wasn't my intention-."
Julius barely had time to react before she bit at him, her jaws snapping just short of his arm.
"Shit!" He scrambled backward, his breath coming in rapid gasps. "What the hell is wrong with you? How hard is to understand you're not meant to eat people!"
The girl laughed, her shoulders shaking, the sound raw and uneven.
"I wonder," she murmured. Her chains rattled as she shifted, testing the limits of her restraints. "Maybe if I bite deep enough, I'll find out what kind of person you are."
Julius pressed himself against the cold stone wall, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Maybe you should consider eating something a little less human..."
This was not normal.
His gaze darted around the cell, searching for a way out—anything—but before he could form a plan, footsteps echoed down the hall.
Slow. Measured. Familiar.
Julius clenched his jaw as Count Leonold stepped into view.
The noble's golden eyes gleamed with amusement, his tongue sliding over his lips in that slow, hungry way.
"Awake at last," he said, voice dripping with mock hospitality. His stomach grumbled, the sound wet, as though something inside him was shifting.
Julius glared. "Let me guess. You're going to torture me? I can't believe I trusted you, just get it over with you creep. You always had that weirdo vibe."
Leonold chuckled, his fingers tapping lazily against the bars.
"Sharp boy," he purred. "I do so love a meal with a rebellious spirit."
Julius' hands clenched into fists. "And her? Did you put me in with her on purpose?" He jerked his chin toward the girl still hanging from the chains, who had gone suspiciously still, her glowing violet eyes fixed on the Count with eerie intensity.
Leonold followed his gaze and smirked.
"Ah, my little guest. I see you've greeted her already."
Julius narrowed his eyes. "Did you make her like this?"
The Count chuckled, tilting his head. "Oh no, my dear boy. She was quite mad long before I caught her. She's a hero just like you. Just she's a bit too insane to be classified as one currently."
Julius exhaled through his nose. Great. So he was locked in a cell with someone who had been insane since birth.
He cast another glance at the girl.
She was grinning.
Her teeth were sharp.
"Yeah... A hero."
"Anyways, I'm not that hungry as of now. Let us wait for me to become more ravenous, then I shall feast. For now, toudalous!"
He left with a rhythm in his feet.
"Someone's happy..." Julius groaned.
"I'm a hero." She burst out laughing.
Julius didn't know whether to laugh or scream. A hero? A deranged one, at that.
The girl's grin widened, her eyes still glowing with an unnatural violet hue. She was unhinged, her giggles mixing with her strained breaths like a broken melody. Her chains rattled softly again as she slowly rocked back and forth, her gaze never leaving Julius, the intensity of her stare almost suffocating.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you… yet," she whispered, her voice dripping with something dark and unpredictable. "I was just wondering, how do you fit into all of this? A kid with no reason to be here... just like me." Her voice trailed off into a soft chuckle, a disturbing sound that sent a shiver down his spine. "Well, I did have a reason, I just can't say why..."
Julius couldn't shake the image of her wild eyes, her eerie calm, and the sharp daggers in her hands. He needed a plan, and fast. Being trapped in a dark cell with someone like her—half-crazed and violent—was enough to make him feel like he was losing his grip on reality. And she was considered a hero, had the power got to her brain?
She fiddled her daggers in her hands. "I forgot what it felt like to stab... I think I'll test it on that old man when I escape."
Then there was the Count. The demon, or whatever he was, seemed to be enjoying the whole spectacle. His golden eyes gleamed with amusement as he occasionally studied Julius, savoring every word like it was some sick game.
"You know," Leonold began, his voice sickly sweet, "you're quite the oddity, Julius. A student, a mere boy, and yet you found your way here, just like my little guest did. I wonder… what do you think will happen to you now?"
Julius' heart pounded in his chest. He had to think, had to get out—somehow.
"Stop with the games," he snapped, frustration rising. "What's your goal here, Leonold? Why are we here? You clearly want something. What is it?"
Leonold smirked, his eyes glinting with some private, twisted amusement. "Goal? Why, Julius, my dear boy, my goal is simple. I like to see people—especially you young ones—suffer. And this place? This is where you all end up. There's no escape. Let me tell you, I run the town closest to the other side, any talented prodigies who escape that place alive all come straight back to me. Who do you think I work for?"
"So you're a demon who tries to take out heroes early." Julius understood now, the entire village was a set-up.
Julius clenched his fists. All hope seemed to soak away like sand through a sieve.
The Count's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "But you're not like her, are you?" he said, motioning to the girl. "You're different. You're not quite a hero yet, but maybe, just maybe, you will be."
"Shut up!" Julius shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. He wasn't going to play into Leonold's twisted mind games. "When are you going to do your thing?"
The girl's laughter echoed once again, high-pitched and wild. "You're funny, Julius. You're a hero, too, aren't you? But don't worry, I won't bite you just yet," she purred, her violet eyes gleaming with madness. "Maybe we'll both die here. Together."
"Appraisal." She cast a blue light over Julius.
"Yikes, level one? You're not a hero. You aren't even a peasant!" She began to laugh out loud once again, she didn't seem to acknowledge the strange feeling of her being the only one making noise.
"Two can play that game." Julius said determindely.
"Appraisal." The blue light was put on her now.
[Viellie- Level 190]
She's the one trying to eat me?
Julius shuddered, dread settling in his stomach. "Someone put me out of my misery... Ma, Pa, I hope you're not too worried, I think I'm doomed."
His mind raced for an escape plan, but it was hard to think straight with the girl's presence hanging over him like a dark cloud. The sharpness of her daggers, the madness in her eyes—it was clear she was unpredictable.
"I don't care about dying here," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else. "I mean I do but I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of seeing me break. I will die with my pride and my morals!"
The Count's golden eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer to the bars, leaning in with a sickening grin. He spun Julius' holy amulet around by it's chain.
"That's mine..." Julius cursed, Kaelan had given it to him. "You're lucky I'm locked in this cell."
"Ah, yes. That's the spirit. I do enjoy seeing fire in my prey."
Julius exhaled, trying to steady himself. He wasn't going to let Leonold win. He couldn't. The darkness of this place may have seeped into the girl's mind, but he wasn't going to let it take his.
The count left the two alone for a few hours.
Juisu noticed Vielli slowly becoming more annoyed, smashing the chains on the walls as she flayed her arms around, almost hitting Julius in the cross-fire.
"Hey- Calm down!" Julius yelled, but she would not stop. Soon the chains swung at his face and-.