Caged Prisoners

"It's been too long, when are we gonna make our escape?"

"I am unsure, but it's important to stay here and gain knowledge of the enemy's schemes. If we were to leave now, it would backfire on us in the future, Christopher."

"I suppose you have a point. But being dressed in these commoner clothes is really irritating."

Christopher was locked away in his respective cell, next to Emerald. A medieval-style chain and ball were wrapped around their feet, preventing them from escaping.

Across the room from them were Lucia and Florian, though, they were in the same cell.

"It's nice to wear such raggedy clothes once in a while, don't you agree, Lucia, Florian?" Inquired Emerald.

"Y-Y…Yes." Said the timid Florian.

"I for one don't like them, they smell like wet dogs. It's gross, bleh!" Lucia stuck her tongue out, gagging at its scent.

"Finally, something we can agree on." Mumbled Christopher.

"Hehe!" Lucia gave a thumbs up, winking at the hybrid.

"Shut up in there!" A guard down the corridor, who was protecting the entrance had yelled, catching them by surprise.

Lucia stuck her head between the metal bars, frowning down the hallway, "Just wait till I get my hands on you…" She whispered.

"L-Lucia… I-I have… to pee."

"Huh?" The blondie turned around, tilting her head to the side, "Well, why don't you pee? There's a bucket right over there." She pointed with her finger.

"I-In the corner? N-No, using a bucket is unsanitary. They're treating us worse than they treat their slaves…"

"Well, I can't fix that, and neither can the Phantom Mutiny right now. The best we can do is use what we got." Lucia jogged to Florian, placing her hands against her shoulders, comforting her, "It'll be okay, try not to worry so much. If anything happens, I'll be there to protect you."

"L-Lucia… thank you…" Florian nodded her head, tensing up her body. She always appeared shy, and bashful in her face, but she tried her best to communicate, "C-Can you tell everyone not to look?"

"Of course!" Lucia nodded with her cheeky smile, turning around to face the others, "If it's not too much to ask, can you guys turn the other way? Florian is about to use the bathroom."

Christopher waved his hand in disgust, "FYI, you could've just told me to look the other way and I would have."

"Of course, a girl needs her privacy." Emerald turned the other way, crossing her arms, "Christopher."

"Hm? What is it?"

"What's the matter?"

"What do you mean, Emerald?"

The fallen angel lowered her head, closing her eyelids, saying, "I know when my friends are upset about something, so it's no use in hiding it." She sat on the bed, crossing her legs, along with her arms, "What's been bothering you?"

"Do you want the truth? Or… the truth?"

"The first truth is vague but a simple answer, and the second truth is detailed and concise. So I'll take the second truth."

Christopher smirked, "I expected that option. Well, how do I start?" Placing his hand underneath his chin, he speculated on where to begin, until he came to a conclusion, "I believe… I am weak, compared to everyone else in the Phantom Mutiny."

Emerald lifted her brows after opening her eyes, "Oh? Weak you say?"

"Yes… weak. My Phantom Eyes do not compare to the eyes of everyone else, and my player class is known as a debuffer, the weakest class in the game. I'm not strong—I'm only backup support when needed, nothing more than that. I am usually confident in my capabilities, but not when it comes to the Phantom Mutiny."

"Christopher… did those commoner clothes corrupt your brain?"

"Hahahaha, what a funny joke!" Christopher laughed in hysteria, cheesing at the sarcastic comment, "But…" his smile faded, returning to the topic at hand, "I am nothing more than lead weight."

"Your Phantom Eyes give you the ability to weaken your opponent, and all magic, calling them weak is an underestimate, Christopher. Do you know the story of how magic came to be, in this world?"

The hybrid shook his head in denial, "No, I haven't heard of that one specific story. There are many theories to it, but what's the truth?"

"People mix up the story. While it may be true that magic was created by the Holy Trinity; Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, that was only the formula, not the fundamental aspect of magic itself."

"What do you mean?"

"Magic is symbolized as Shiva's trident, and the reason for this is quite simple; Shiva is known as the god of creation, destruction, and time. Shiva helped create the imprisonment known as the universe, which trapped the primordial planet, Terra, inside its confines, alongside many other primordial planets as well. Once created, Shiva blessed the universe with an energy known as mana. This systematic energy was something only the gods could use at first, considering it came from the database."

"I see… so it's Shiva who's the true bringer of magic?"

"No, that's where you're wrong. You see, Shiva decided to spread mana throughout the Multiverse, giving it to lower lifeforms, however, this energy was destructive and chaotic, so the holy Trinity, Zeus, Apollo, and Athena, decided to create a formula for it, calling it magic. With this, mortals could manifest mana into existence, but into a formula known as a magical circle. Magical circles can create spells and fulfill the caster's desires."

"How do you know that this is the truth, Emerald?" Asked the reluctant hybrid.

"Emperor told me. He knows the truth of everything, after all, he's a Great King."

Christopher looked down in thought, speculating this new information, "So, mana encompasses the entire multiverse? It's an energy that exists in a higher plane, above we three-dimensional beings?"

"Yes, precisely. All the spells you see in Isekai World Online originate from mana, the energy that allows us to manipulate reality."

"And my eyes can destroy, and weaken this energy? Incredible, if only I knew my history." Christopher chuckled, "And if only Emperor told me of its capabilities. I rarely used my Phantom Eyes, embarrassed of its low potency compared to everyone else's, but now I realize it is indeed powerful."

The hybrid stood from his bed, having his confident smirk return to his face, "I can always leave it to you to cure my sour moods, Emerald. Thank you. Both you and Emperor are my beloveds."

"Naturally~!"

Christopher's eyes glowed in gold as he stared upon the shackle around his ankle, shattering it into pieces.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm using the bathroom somewhere else, privately. Not in this disgusting filth."

"Ehhhh?!" Lucia gripped the metal bars on her cell, dropping her jaw in shock, "Y-You destroyed that anti-magic shackle so easily?! I-It's S-tier debuff magic!"

"I'm feeling quite good right now. My urge to destroy this place has never been so robust~!" Christopher gripped the metal bars to his cell, bending them sideways, "But I'll refrain, until we get more information, right?" Asked the smug Christopher.

"Yes, until then." Responded Emerald.

"B-But how?! Those cell bars were enhanced by magic! Didn't the guards say you would need the strength to rip apart mountains to even bend them out of place with raw strength?" Lucia was overwhelmed by what she was seeing, agitating the timid Florian.

"L-Lucia… don't yell please, y-you know I have autism, it's worrying me."

"O-Oh… sorry Florian!" She covered her mouth, jogging towards her friend to hug her, "I'm so sorry, I just got a little ecstatic is all!"

"Alright," Christopher stepped outside of his cage and bent the bars back in place, "I'll return in a moment. I'm going to use an actual bathroom, even if it means going upstairs from this prison domain."

"G-Go upstairs? But… Sir Christopher, the men will attack you. Are you gonna fight them? What if you alert Lucifer?"

"And what if I do?" Christopher responded, smirking wide as ever.

"U-Umm…" His confidence seemed to overwhelm Lucia, she was unable to respond.

"I'll be back in a moment." The hybrid walked down the corridor, lifting his hand to wave from behind.

"Lady Emerald, should we stop him?!" Shouted Lucia.

"Humu," The fallen angel chuckled, standing up from the bed, "While Christopher may look overconfident, he is no fool. He knows we are here to obtain information on Lucifer and his schemes, so he won't cause an uproar. Do not panic."

"Right… yes mam." She nodded her head and walked to her bed, sitting back down, "It sucks being so weak."

"W-Weak?" Florian looked at Lucia, shocked in her eyes, "Y-You're not weak… L-Lucia!" The timid girl lifted her hands, closing her palms into a fist, "Y-You're one of the strongest… p-players I know!"

"Enough with the pity talk, Florian." The blondie fell into her bed, crossing her arms behind her head, "I need to get stronger. The way I am now, I won't be able to protect anyone."

"Lucia…" Florian crossed her arms over her stomach, slouching over. She wasn't only shy, but she was also awkward as ever, unable to muster any words to comfort the distressed Lucia, "Um… it's o-okay Lucia… you're strong…I-In my eyes…"

She hid her face in embarrassment, turning back around.

"I'll… also become strong… for you… Lucia."