Darkness.
Not something he saw.
Something he felt.
It pressed against him—thick, suffocating, almost alive. The air was heavy, stale, carrying a faint metallic scent that clung to his throat.
For a while, Jay didn't move.
Didn't think.
Didn't even fully exist.
Then pain followed.
Slow at first. Distant.
Like something trying to reach him from far away.
"…gh…"
A weak sound escaped his lips.
His awareness returned in fragments.
His body felt wrong.
Heavy.
Unresponsive.
He tried to move his fingers.
Nothing.
Wrists.
Tight.
Bound.
His legs—
Also restrained.
A chair.
The realization settled in, cold and clear.
'I've been captured.'
His breathing quickened, chest tightening as panic tried to rise.
But he forced it down.
Hard.
'No… not now.'
Panic would only make things worse.
It always did.
He swallowed, his throat dry and burning.
Think.
Remember.
The street.
The footsteps.
That presence behind him—
His eyes opened suddenly.
But darkness still remained.
Something covered them.
A cloth.
Rough.
Tied tightly.
Footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
Coming closer.
Jay froze.
Every muscle that could still respond went rigid.
The door creaked open.
Light bled faintly through the fabric over his eyes.
Then—
Hands.
The cloth was pulled away.
His vision burned as light flooded in.
He blinked repeatedly.
Shapes formed.
Blurred.
Then clear.
Her.
The same woman.
Blue hair cascading over her shoulders.
That same expression.
Calm.
Amused.
Watching him.
"So you're awake."
Her voice was soft.
Almost casual.
Jay stared at her.
Silent.
Observing.
Measuring.
"…Where am I?" he asked.
"My home."
"…Why?"
She smiled slightly.
"You already know."
Jay said nothing.
"Don't you?" she added.
A pause.
"…You're valuable."
Her eyes narrowed with interest.
"Son of a hero. Possibly an elemental."
Her fingers brushed lightly against his cheek.
Cold.
Mocking.
"People would pay a lot for you."
Jay clenched his jaw.
'So that's it…'
Money.
Information.
Leverage.
Good.
That meant—
He still had value.
And value meant time.
"What do you want to know?" he asked.
Her smile widened.
"That depends on you."
A pause.
"You'll answer questions."
Silence.
"And if I don't?" Jay asked.
Her expression didn't change.
"Then we make you."
Simple.
Direct.
No hesitation.
Jay looked away slightly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
"…How long?" he asked.
She tilted her head.
"Three days."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
Three days.
Not immediate.
That meant they expected resistance.
That meant—
They were prepared.
A man stepped forward from behind her.
Large.
Quiet.
Carrying a metal box.
Jay's stomach tightened slightly.
But his face remained still.
"Make him talk," she said, already turning away.
The door closed behind her.
Darkness returned.
Silence.
Then the man approached.
Slow steps.
Heavy.
"…Kid."
Jay didn't respond.
"Just answer. It'll be easier."
Jay let out a weak breath.
"…Then don't do it."
A pause.
"…I don't have a choice."
Jay gave a faint, humorless smile.
"…Neither do I."
The man sighed.
A long, tired sound.
Then—
Cold metal touched his hand.
Jay's body tensed.
Pressure.
Then—
Pain.
Sharp.
Sudden.
His breath hitched violently.
His body jerked against the restraints.
But he didn't scream.
His teeth clenched so hard his jaw trembled.
"Answer me," the man said.
"Are you an elemental?"
Jay's vision blurred.
The pain pulsed through his arm, spreading outward.
"…I don't know."
Silence.
Then—
Pain again.
Stronger.
A broken sound escaped his throat.
Still—
No answer.
Time lost shape.
Minutes blended into hours.
Or maybe seconds stretched into eternity.
Jay couldn't tell anymore.
The questions repeated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Are you an elemental?
What's your affinity?
What's your full name?
Who trained you?
Each time—
The same answer.
"I don't know."
Sometimes it was true.
Sometimes it wasn't.
But it didn't matter.
He wouldn't give them anything useful.
Not like this.
At some point…
The pain changed.
Not weaker.
But distant.
Muted.
Like his body had stopped reacting properly.
Like it was no longer fully his.
'…This is bad.'
His thoughts were slower now.
Heavier.
Slipping.
'I can't lose consciousness…'
He forced his eyes open.
Forced himself to stay awake.
If he passed out—
He didn't know what would happen next.
And that uncertainty was worse than the pain.
The door opened again.
Light cut through the darkness.
Footsteps.
Her.
"…Still conscious."
There was faint interest in her voice now.
She stepped closer.
Studying him.
Jay's head hung low.
His breathing uneven.
Body trembling.
But his eyes—
Still open.
Still aware.
"…You didn't break."
Not disappointment.
Curiosity.
Her fingers lifted his chin.
Jay looked at her.
Barely.
"…Why?" she asked quietly.
"…Why keep resisting?"
Jay's lips moved slowly.
Dry.
Cracked.
"…I don't… want to die."
A simple answer.
Honest.
She stared at him.
For a moment—
Her expression shifted.
Then it returned.
"…Good."
She leaned closer.
Too close.
"Let's see how long that lasts."
Time moved again.
Slow.
Relentless.
Jay's body grew weaker.
His responses slower.
But his answers—
Didn't change.
Second day.
Or what felt like it.
He wasn't sure anymore.
His sense of time was breaking apart.
His thoughts wandered more often now.
Memories surfaced.
His previous life.
A different name.
Different world.
Different self.
'Gabriel…'
The name echoed faintly in his mind.
'…No.'
'I'm Jay.'
But the doubt lingered.
Small.
Persistent.
'I was Gabriel.'
'I am Jay.'
Which one was real?
Which one mattered?
His breathing faltered slightly.
The line between the two blurred more with each passing moment.
Pain dragged him back again.
Sharp.
Violent.
Grounding.
The man's voice echoed faintly.
"…Answer."
Jay barely lifted his head.
"…I told you…"
His voice cracked.
"…I don't know."
The man hesitated.
More than before.
"…Kid…"
Jay didn't respond.
"…You're going to die at this rate."
A faint smile appeared on Jay's lips.
"…Maybe."
Silence.
"…But not helping you."
By the third day—
Everything was breaking.
His body felt like it didn't belong to him anymore.
His thoughts were fragmented.
Scattered.
Even breathing required effort.
And then—
A thought appeared.
Clear.
Tempting.
'…Just tell them.'
It would end the pain.
End everything.
He could say anything.
Give them something small.
Something useless.
Just enough to stop this.
'…Just a little…'
His fingers twitched weakly.
The idea lingered.
Growing.
'It's not like it matters…'
'You're going to die anyway…'
His breathing became uneven.
Faster.
Unstable.
'…Just say it.'
The door opened.
She returned.
"…Three days."
Her voice cut through everything.
Jay's head lifted slightly.
Barely.
"…And still resisting."
She observed him in silence.
Long.
Careful.
"…Interesting."
The man stepped back immediately.
Without being told.
Jay noticed.
Even now—
He noticed.
'…She's worse.'
She approached slowly.
Calm.
Controlled.
Interested.
Like he wasn't a person anymore.
But something to examine.
To understand.
To break.
She leaned down.
Close to his ear.
"…Now it's my turn."
Her voice dropped.
Soft.
Dangerous.
Jay's body tensed slightly.
Instinct.
Fear.
Something deeper.
"…Let's see," she whispered,
"…how long you can hold on to yourself."
His eyes trembled.
His breathing faltered.
That thought—
The one telling him to give in—
Grew louder.
Stronger.
More convincing.
'I can't…'
'I can't keep this up…'
His grip on himself—
On who he was—
Was slipping.
Slowly.
But surely.
And in that moment—
Something shifted.
Deep inside him.
Cold.
Silent.
Waiting.
Watching.