Prince of The Abyss

”This is not going to be a good night...” he said, looking at the place he was going to be sleeping in.

The dungeon spread beneath the island like a buried heart. It was vast and hollow, carved directly into the stone that kept the world aloft. He wondered if he broke the stone beneath them, if he would just fall through.

It was not a narrow corridor or a forgotten cellar. It was enormous. A single chamber that seemed to have no true corners, only curves of rock bending into shadow. The ceiling rose high above, lost in darkness, where torchlight failed to reach and smoke gathered in a restless haze.

Cages filled the space.

It was as if this place was meant to hold animals rather than actual living humans.

Not a handful. Not a dozen, more, a lot more. Rows upon rows of iron cages, as if a child had signed the room while playing with their toy blocks, arranged with deliberate symmetry. Some stood alone. Others were stacked two high, connected by crude ladders bolted into stone. The bars were thick, blackened by time, streaked with rust that had dried into dark veins along the metal, but they had to, after all, they were going to be what stood between a strong human and the outside world at night, where they could do what they wanted.

Each cage was barely large enough for three or four people to lie down without touching. Which, for a single person, was enough space; he had seen better, I mean, heck, the Withered had a better dungeon, and that was just a war camp, this was an event that even nobles watched.

The air in this cursed place was heavy. Damp stone carried the scent of mineral and cold water, but it was overwhelmed by sweat, unwashed fabric, and the sharp, metallic tang of iron, of course, again, blood. Which made him think that there might have been a mistake with the bars and something, and... let’s just say someone was left out to kill how many they wanted without them fighting back.

Somewhere deeper in the chamber, water dripped in a slow, endless rhythm. The sound echoed, multiplied by the cavern, until it felt like the dungeon itself was counting the seconds.

’This will get annoying.’ And it already had, well,l at least he understood why none of the people in this place seemed sane.

People filled the cages.

Some sat with their backs against the bars, staring ahead without focus. Others leaned forward, forearms resting on their knees, heads lowered as if the weight of the ceiling pressed down on their thoughts. A few lay on the stone floor, thin blankets beneath them, eyes open and fixed on nothing.

...

He wanted to ask where he could get a blanket, but he decided against it. He would just ask a shadow; he had better chances of getting an answer from them than any of these guys, after all, they wanted him dead.

Low murmurs threaded through the space. Conversations spoken too quietly to be understood, yet too constant to ignore, but it was to be understood, there was probably nothing else to do than talk, but at the same time, you probably wouldn’t want others to eardrop. A man two cages over whispered a prayer, repeating the same words until they lost meaning. He wondered if it was for a fight, if it got him luck, or if it was just a mental thing, and in his eyes it seemed as if he was getting help when in reality it wasn’t doing anything.

Someone laughed once, sharp and brief, then fell silent as if embarrassed by the sound. Metal clinked when a prisoner shifted, and their chains scraped against the bars.

It was going to be annoying, the fact that they could just hear everything another did, I mean, it was like sharing a room with who knew how many people.

Bootsteps crossed the stone walkway that cut between the rows. Guards moved in slow patrols, so there was no way for them to get out.

But you may be wondering... what was with all this?

He also wondered that at first, so you aren’t alone.

He weakly smiled.

’Why didn’t Kael tell me that when you sign up, you aren’t allowed to leave until you win enough.

The presence of the guards was announced not by words but by the rhythm of their steps. He could hear them, but he couldn’t point fingers to where they were, and then they were probably too far away, since Eden wasn’t helping at all.

The sound traveled far in the hollow chamber, striking the walls and returning softer, distorted. Keys hung from belts, knocking gently against armor with each stride. The torches they carried sent waves of light across the cages, which was nice, since it was freezing in this place, illuminating faces for a moment before leaving them behind in shadow again.

The light itself felt unstable. Flames flickered against the walls, stretching shadows into unnatural shapes that twisted across the ceiling. When someone moved behind the bars, their shadow grew tall and warped, as if something larger than a human tried to escape the cage instead.

It was a bit of a stretch, but he wondered if the shadow he saw was the true appearance of the human he saw inside. After all, after joining this place, were you still a human?

I mean, he knew that he wasn’t good in this topic, about what it meant to be human, but going back to what he had talked with Elpis, a human like is worthless, but the kind that there isn’t anything that could buy it, and he had said that only when you think of it as something that does have a worth does it become worthless in the proper sense.

So it raises the question, is it worth risking your life for the money and honor, what is worth more? All those who are here have said that their life is worth less than those two.

So were they human anymore?

And he wasn’t out of this discussion either, I mean, he had a worse reason, he put his life at risk to train his skill with the rapier.

But anyway, enough of that.

Looking at the stone floor, he noticed that it was uneven, worn by years of footsteps, and it was to be expected, I mean, there were so many people here, and plus the people before them, so who knew how many had walked through this chamber.

In certain dips, shallow pools of water had gathered, reflecting the firelight in fractured pieces. He wondered where they had come from, I mean, he did say that in some places water dripped, but looking up where the puddles were, he didn’t see anything. Weird.

A thin layer of moisture clung to everything, making the air cling to skin and fabric alike. Which meant that when he got back to the dojo, he was going to have to wash himself. Breathing felt heavier here, as though the dungeon resisted each inhale...

’Or maybe because you have so many people breathing the same air?’

From somewhere far across the chamber came the dull thud of a door closing. The sound rolled through the cavern like distant thunder, settling into the bones. The door to the dungeon had closed, meaning it was time for them to go to sleep.

There were too many bodies for the space to feel empty, yet it did. He was alone yet again in this place, and though it was the first time he didn’t care. I mean, he definitely didn’t want to be friends with any of these guys.

The place was empty, not physically. Emotionally. Each person existed inside their own silence, separated not only by iron bars but by whatever thoughts kept them still. Hope did not echo here. It stayed small, hidden, as if afraid of being overheard.

And why should it, I mean, in everyone’s heart, they wanted to kill the one next to them, all the people in this chamber, so of course they weren’t going to say it all out, since it wasn’t some noble goal.

He sighed, looking at his cell. He had already said it, this won’t be a good time. But at the same time, it was necessary for him to get strong... since maybe if he did, he could get them back, maybe he could avenge them. And with that small hope inside him, he was going to do whatever he could to get strong.

Even if it is sleeping in such a terrible place.

Aether walked inside his cell and closed his door after all.

He knew the rules of this place; those who act well are able to keep their keys, but those who misbehave get their keys taken and are locked in by guards.

Both were rules made to prevent people from being killed at night.

But either way, it was time for him to go to sleep.

After all, tomorrow he was going to have to be a new man.

Since... he had a battle to win.