There I was.
Alone again.
In a dark room.
I didn't even know what to think.
All of this… had completely overwhelmed me.
I hadn't been able to assassinate Aether. And on top of that… the king had locked me here.
Just for failing the mission?
What the hell was going on?
The king…
Had he tried to hit me?
Yes.
I'm sure of it.
His hand had come straight for my face… and stopped just inches away.
I frowned.
Why?
It didn't make sense.
If he wanted to hit me, he could have. No one would have stopped him.
So… why did he stop?
Maybe…
Maybe he just didn't want to dirty his own hands.
Not because of me.
But because, according to him… I'm a burden.
Someone who doesn't even deserve that much.
My mind went back to that moment. To Aether.
"You took longer than I expected."
Did he know?
Did he know I was coming?
But… how?
Had someone betrayed me?
I shook my head.
I didn't want to think about that now.
I had to get out of here.
By any means.
I looked at my hands. Tied behind my back. My feet too, fixed to the chair.
I tried the most basic thing first.
Brute force.
I pulled.
The chair wobbled dangerously.
I stopped.
If I fell, I wouldn't be able to get up. And then I'd truly be completely helpless.
I had to think better.
I tried something else.
I forced my wrists, trying to make them smaller, twisting them to slip through the rope.
Nothing.
Too tight.
No room.
I let out a frustrated breath.
I looked around.
Darkness.
An almost empty room.
Nothing to use. Nothing to exploit.
Nothing.
I was trapped.
My attempts slowly faded away.
And my mind… returned to everything else.
The mission.
The king.
Aether.
What a ridiculous situation.
At first, my thoughts were chaos. One after another, no order, no meaning.
But over time… they settled.
I don't know if minutes passed… or hours.
My body started to hurt. Staying in the same position was taking its toll.
At least… I could try to get them to untie me.
Even just to move around the room.
Although… I wasn't even sure they would listen.
Time kept passing.
And then it wasn't just pain.
Thirst.
Hunger.
Getting worse.
What kind of jailers were these? They hadn't even given me water.
I swallowed.
It was getting harder.
My mind drifted to things I didn't want to think about.
How long was I going to be here?
What if they never took me out?
What if… I died here?
Alone.
From dehydration.
The thoughts piled up until suddenly…
A faint light appeared under the door.
Someone?
At least… I could ask for water.
—Hello? —I raised my voice, desperate— Hey! Could you bring me some water, please?
—Shhh…
The answer cut me off instantly.
A low voice. Soft.
A woman's voice.
—Be quiet.
I frowned.
—Can you at least untie me? I need to move…
—I told you to shut up, geez… —she whispered, more tense now.
I stayed silent for a second.
That voice…
I knew it.
The door slowly opened.
And then I saw her.
—Aria?
She peeked in, checking the corridor before fully entering.
—What are you doing here?
—Rescuing you, idiot.
I blinked, not fully processing it.
—Rescuing me?
—Obviously —she replied, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
—And why would you do that?
Aria clicked her tongue, annoyed.
—Honestly, this is not the time for questions.
That's when I noticed it.
She was holding something.
My sword.
—Wait… that's…
—Yeah, yours —she said, stepping closer.
Without wasting time, she moved behind me and started cutting the ropes.
The blade scraping against the tension made a dry sound.
One.
Then the other.
Suddenly my hands were free.
Then my feet.
Blood rushed back into my limbs.
—Let's get out of here —she whispered— before someone comes.
—Yeah…
I tried to stand.
But the moment I put weight on my legs…
They gave out.
Collapsed instantly.
Everything went down.
—Hey—
Before I hit the ground, Aria rushed in and caught me as best she could.
—I'm sorry… —I muttered— I'm… weak.
—I can see that —she replied, adjusting my weight— But you still have to walk. We can't stay here.
I took a deep breath.
Forced my legs.
This time they trembled… but held.
—Okay… let's go.
For the first time in I don't know how long, I left that room.
The air felt different. Colder.
But it wasn't freedom either.
Outside was still darkness.
Long corridors. Endless.
The light was scarce, only a few distant torches casting more shadows than light.
—Where are we? —I asked quietly, looking around.
Aria walked fast, glancing back now and then.
—In the palace… well, underneath it —she whispered— We need to get out before any guards show up.
I swallowed.
—Okay… I'll move as fast as I can.
Which wasn't much.
My legs were still shaking.
We kept moving.
Every corridor looked the same. Stone, dampness, silence… only broken by our steps.
Every sound felt too loud.
As if someone could hear us at any moment.
We walked for a while until we reached some stairs going up.
Instinctively, I stepped toward them.
But Aria grabbed my arm quickly.
—Not that way.
I looked at her, confused.
—Why?
—Too obvious. There are probably guards.
She pointed somewhere else.
—This way.
I frowned.
—This way? —I looked at the wall— But… there's nothing.
Aria smirked.
—That's what you think.
She stepped up to the wall and, without hesitation, removed one of the bricks.
She reached inside and pulled something.
For a second nothing happened.
And then…
The bricks started moving.
One after another.
Sliding with a dry mechanical sound.
Until a hidden passage was revealed.
I stared at it, surprised.
—Ta-da —she said with a small smile— Pretty impressive, right?
—Definitely…
We entered quickly and Aria triggered the mechanism again.
The wall closed behind us.
The space was even narrower now.
A hidden corridor between walls.
I could barely stretch my arms.
The air was thicker.
And even quieter.
We kept going until we reached a ladder.
We climbed.
Then another.
And another.
It felt like a maze.
Small tunnels, tight turns, uncomfortable steps…
I was completely losing track of where we were.
Until finally Aria stopped in front of another lever.
She pulled it.
A small door opened.
Without thinking, she jumped.
Her movement was so light it looked like she was floating.
She landed softly.
Like a feather.
I peeked down.
—Come on, jump —she said— It's not that high.
It wasn't as low as she made it sound.
I looked at her.
Then at the ground.
I sighed.
No other choice.
I jumped.
And landed badly.
Very badly.
The impact shot through my whole body and I collapsed on the floor, exhaling sharply.
I stayed there for a second, not moving.
Aria let out a small laugh.
—Don't laugh… —I muttered— I'm weak after being stuck there so long.
—It's only been a day —she said, still chuckling— You're a bit dramatic.
A day?
I frowned.
It had felt… much longer.
—Welcome to my room —she said, spreading her arms like she was presenting something amazing.
I looked around.
It was… simple.
Too simple.
A bed, a table, a few basic things.
Muted colors.
Nothing special.
A typical servant's room.
But at that moment…
It felt like the safest place in the world.
She sat on what seemed to be her bed and gestured for me to come closer.
I obeyed and sat next to her, still stiff.
—Here —she said, handing me something— Your sword.
I looked at it for a second before taking it.
—Thanks…
I held it with both hands, as if making sure it was really mine.
A short silence fell.
One of those awkward ones.
—Hey… —I looked around— We're safe here, right?
Aria rested her hands on the bed, calm.
—Yeah. No one comes in here except me.
I nodded slowly.
—Okay…
I took a deeper breath.
—And… another thing.
She tilted her head toward me.
—Why did you get me out of there?
Aria frowned slightly, as if surprised by the question.
—I mean, I'm not complaining or anything… —I added quickly— But… why take that risk for me?
I lowered my gaze for a moment.
—We barely know each other. And if the king finds out…
I didn't finish the sentence.
I didn't need to.
Aria didn't answer immediately.
She looked at a fixed point, thinking.
The silence stretched longer than normal.
Then she spoke.
—I guess… I couldn't let it happen.
She looked back at me.
—It's unfair.
Her tone had changed. More serious.
—Someone like you paying for something like that…
She paused.
—Something you didn't really do on your own.
I blinked.
—Also… —she added, shrugging slightly— I kind of felt sorry for you.
I let out a small breath of laughter.
—Wow… that's pretty depressing.
—It's not that bad —she replied with a faint smile.
But my mind was already stuck on the other part.
I frowned.
—What do you mean I didn't do it on my own?
I looked straight at her.
—I accepted that mission.
Aria held my gaze for a second.
Then she slowly shook her head.
—Yeah… sure.
That "sure" didn't sound convincing.
—I think it was a bit more complicated than that.
A knot formed in my stomach.
—What are you talking about?
Aria leaned back slightly, still watching me.
—There are a lot of things you don't know.
She paused.
—And if you want to understand what really happened…
Her expression turned serious.
—We have a lot to talk about.
Another pause.
Heavier.
—Especially… about the king.