Grub's eyes snapped open. The first thing he noticed wasn't the ceiling, nor the cold ground beneath him, nor even the faint ache still lingering in his body. It was her. The girl sat directly in front of him, close—too close for his comfort—with her hands pressed firmly against his chest. For a brief moment, Grub didn't move. His mind caught up slowly, piecing together what had happened before everything went dark. He thought about the singing and how the girl had suddenly shifted her tone and called him an intruder before seemingly knocking him. Now he was here with her right in front of him.
Grub's eyes sharpened. Then he looked around. This was yet another prison cell.
Grub let out a slow breath through his nose, his expression tightening ever so slightly as irritation settled in.
You have got to be kidding me.
His arms and legs were chained down securely, heavy metal restraints locking him into place against the cold stone behind him. The chains were tight enough that any attempt to move too suddenly would only result in pain. He tested them by tugging slightly. He was trying to see if he could break them until he ultimately decided to stop.
No point wasting energy on something I already know won't work.
His attention shifted back to the girl. Something had changed about her, she looked different now.
Not completely different but it clearly stood out from the versions of her he had seen before. Her blond hair now fell forward, thick bangs covering her eyes entirely, obscuring that strange, unnatural gaze he had caught earlier. The rest of her hair was pulled back into a loose bun, though streaks of blue ran through it, standing out faintly against the gold. Her face was blank. But it was distinctively not calm or angry. Just… empty. There was nothing in it that gave away what she was thinking or feeling.
Her hands, however—They were glowing.
A soft, faint light radiated from them as they pressed against his chest, and Grub quickly realized what she was doing. The glow wasn't just for show. He could feel it. A warm, spreading sensation moved through his ribs, through the deeper pain in his side where the spear had pierced him, easing the tension that had been building up in his body from all his injuries. The change wasn't instant, but it was noticeable.
Grub understood for sure—she was healing him.
But why?
Grub stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before finally speaking.
"What's going on?"
The girl's head lifted slightly at the sound of his voice. Though her eyes were still hidden behind her bangs, he could tell she was looking directly at him. She responded immediately, her voice calm but slightly uncertain, as if she wasn't entirely sure how to approach the situation.
Grub frowned. He didn't understand a word that she said. No—that wasn't entirely true.
The language she spoke was similar to him in a way. There were pieces of it that overlapped with what he had learned from the Lacerts. Words here and there that almost made sense, fragments that hinted at meaning, but not enough to form a complete understanding. It was like listening to someone say words you weren't aware of, but you could still understand that it was in your language.
He caught parts of what she said. Enough to understand one thing at least. She couldn't understand him either.
Grub clicked his tongue quietly, irritation flashing through him.
Dammit.
He had expected some kind of difference, but this was worse than he had anticipated. Communication wasn't impossible but it certainly wasn't understood and that made everything more dangerous.
Shifting slightly, he lifted his arm as much as the chains would allow and shook them just enough to make the metal clink loudly. Then, without much hesitation, he reached forward and grabbed her wrist. There wasn't any aggression in the motion. He only intended to convey a simple question.
Why are you this close to me if I'm locked up? I could easily grab you right now.
The girl didn't react the way he expected. Instead of pulling away, instead of showing fear or aggression, she simply looked down at his hand before taking it in hers. Then she tightened her grip.
Grub winced slightly as the pressure increased. It wasn't enough to injure him, but it was enough to make her point clear.
He wasn't a threat. Not to her.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Grub didn't resist further. He understood the message had no reason to contest it right now.
The girl released his hand after a moment and turned her attention back to his chest. Once again, her hands began to glow, the soft light returning as she continued whatever process she had started earlier. The warmth spread through him again, deeper this time, easing the pain in his ribs and dulling the sharper ache of the spear wound. It wasn't a complete healing quite yet, but Grub felt his body relax slightly despite himself.
After a while, the glow faded. The girl let out a quiet sigh, her shoulders lowering slightly as if whatever she had been doing had taken a noticeable amount of effort. Small beads of sweat had formed along her skin, further confirming it.
So healing me is strenuous for her, thought Grub as she let out a sigh. There was a question Grub had that he didn't even bother asking, if it was difficult for her, why did she even bother to heal me? He couldn't understand that part at all.
The girl stood up slowly, stepping back just enough to look at him fully. For a moment, she seemed to pause, her head tilting slightly as if she were thinking.
Then she spoke again. But not to him this time. To herself.
Grub watched her carefully, his eyes narrowing slightly as she continued, her tone shifting subtly between sentences, though he still couldn't understand the words themselves. It almost sounded like several sides of a conversation happening within the same voice.
Grub exhaled slowly.
Great.
He was captured and couldn't communicate. Now the one person in front of him might not even be mentally stable. Why did the Lacerts send him here without teaching him the language?
Those idiots.
They wanted him dead. Grub's gaze dropped briefly to his wrist. The mgbaaka maara was still fastened securely to it.
But it looked… different. It had shifted slightly, its appearance more subdued, blending more naturally with his wrist as if it were trying to hide itself. Grub stared at it for a moment before narrowing his eyes slightly.
So it can camouflage itself.Did they also add that feature? It would make sense logically. After all, if the girl in front of me were to notice it and recognize its purpose…..it wouldn't end well.
Grub let out a sigh, at least one thing is working out for me
After finishing his train of thought, Grub looked back up at the girl. She seemed to be done talking to herself.
And just like before—She changed.
Her posture softened. The tension in her body disappeared. Her hair shifted back into the style he had first seen, the braids returning neatly along the front. Her bangs parted, revealing those large, yellow, doll-like eyes once more. And then she smiled at him. Her expression was timid and gentle.
As if nothing had happened at all. She lowered herself back down, sitting across from him again, her movements calm and unthreatening. Grub watched her closely, trying to understand what he was looking at, what exactly she was, but before he could fully process it, she began trying to communicate again.
This time through gestures. They were simple movements. She would point and perform small expressions then pause to see if he understood. Grub responded in kind.
Slowly and carefully, they went back and forth like that for a while, neither of them fully understanding the other, but both trying anyway.
Until a loud clang echoed through the cell. Grub's head turned immediately. A guard stood outside that wasn't a Lacert.
Its body was humanoid, but its head was that of a bird. It had sharp, avian features with piercing eyes, its form covered in simple armor. In its hand, it held a long lance, the tip resting against the ground as it looked in.
As it spoke he noticed that the language matched the girl's. She stood up immediately and nodded. Then she turned back to Grub.
This time, when she spoke, she slowed her words, adding gestures, pointing, emphasizing meaning. Grub focused himself and tried to understand her intention.
He caught fragments of her words. Then combined that with her gestures and—He got it.
It seemed to be time to meet the chief.
Grub let out a quiet sigh, of course it was. He had to meet yet another leader, something that didn't appeal much to him after having an unpleasant meeting with the last one.
Great, exactly what I needed.
The girl stepped closer and gently took his hand, pulling him upward to stand. Moments later, two guards entered the cell and began undoing the chains that bound him to the wall. The restraints fell away one by one, though they left the cuffs on his wrists, ensuring he wasn't completely free.
The girl stayed close as they began to move, guiding him forward without force, simply holding onto him, making sure he followed.
As they walked, she turned toward him again and smiled. Then she pointed to herself and spoke the same word over and over again.
Grub watched her carefully, listening, matching the sound to the gesture.
Ah. It's her name.
Luthiel.
Grub nodded slightly, committing it to memory as they continued forward, deeper into whatever came next.