Chaining down

"Hm? Strange..." And just as Aidana said, right at the moment of his arrival, confusion descended onto Temorsth's face, his brows furrowing as he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings before him.

"Isn't this a room... Did I Shadow Step somewhere else?" His bewildered gaze shifted from side to side to search for a resemblance, but the altered world bore no similarity to the usual grey-colored forest of shadows.

"Uh... An array?" A slight purple glow shone into his eyes from the floor he stood on, looking down he instantly realized the source of the fading purple light.

'Why is it fading?' As the array quickly faded away the only other light source became more apparent in this large dark room.

"Green flames... It looks pretty cool but a few more would have literally lit up the place." For a few seconds, Temrosth watched the only torch, burning with green flames radiate some light before he got a conclusion into his mind.

"Umu... I have completely no clue as to where I am... But at least one thing I know for sure, I'm at a place where I'm not welcomed!"

"No, you are at the perfect place at the perfect time..." With the enigmatic response, the sound of a metal door slowly being pushed open sounded.

"Oh?" Reacting to the sound and the light coming from the opening door Temrosth turned around.

"Hi, why are you here so early?" As he recognized the one who arrived, his eyes opened with more radiant light.

'Hmh... Still... not to say fear, not even a slight concern is in his voice... He still doesn't understand it.' The mysterious figure contemplated silently, observing Temorsth's demeanor.

"Most of the time it took a few minutes for you to arrive, how are you here so early?" Temorsth's interest deepened, his voice reflecting a mixture of surprise and fascination.

"..." As the featureless body resembling a mannequin started to walk into the room, more of those green-flamed torches lit up, and right as he arrived in front of Temrosth, the last lit up and the room became wholly illuminated.

"Every time first I'd to locate the intrusion, but now I was preparing for you specifically." While looking down at him, it finally explained with a voice tinged with a rather heavy tone.

"Wow... Cool... Hmh... Then, where is my welcome party?" Temorsth's playful jest echoed in the large now illuminated room.

"..." A moment of silence followed, as the figure seemed to weigh their words carefully.

"Hm?"

"Now I'm a hundred percent sure, you are a complete nutjob..." The mannequin stated matter-of-factly, their voice carrying a hint of exasperation.

"..." Temorsth remained silent, taken aback by the blunt assessment.

'Ugh... was I too harass?' Seeing the innocent blue eyes blink with wonder, the mannequin wanted to take back his words.

"Is this a compliment?"

"...?" Yet, Temorsth's innocent yet joking inquiry made him change his thoughts.

"Did it sound like one!?" His retort held a touch of incredulity.

"Not really..."

"Then why would it be?"

"True..."

*Sigh...* As Temrosth clearly sounded disappointed, the mannequin mirrored his sentiment with a sigh of incomprehension.

"Hm? Are you bothered by something?" Despite his momentary dejection, Temorsth's curiosity persisted, seemingly drawn to the mystery surrounding the mannequin.

"Yes, I am..." A faint undertone of weariness hinted at deeper emotions beneath the surface.

"Oh, and can I help?"

"Yes, yes you can." The mannequin's response was a mix of relief and subtle anger as if it had been waiting for Temorsth to open up.

"Cool, what should..."

"Just stay put in place!" The mannequin's abrupt command reverberated with urgency, its hand raised in a swift yet purposeful gesture.

"Uhm, what are you doing?" Sensing that something profound was about to unfold, Temorsth's tone now conveyed both curiosity and caution.

"Chaining you down..." With the determined response, the purple array on the floor glowed up again, but this time different characters appeared from which purple chains of energy formed.

"Uh? This doesn't look good." Realizing the gravity of the situation, before the chains could move, Temorsth made a quick judgment and decided to retreat.

"I don't really want to stay here, so... Goodbye!" After a gentle wave of his hand, while being determined to escape the unforeseen circumstances, Temorsth initiated his Shadow Step to return home.

As everything in the surroundings instantly changed to gray, Temrosth looked around to see if nothing unwanted was there in the world where only he and the purple cracks of space existed. As more and more cracks appeared in the grey world he hummed to himself.

"What did he want from me? How did I make him angry?"

'You mean except for the constant harassment with Shadow Step?'

"Ugh, anyway I should g..." Temrosth was about to finish his move, but...

*Crack* A sudden disruption shattered his plans.

"...!?" Hearing the sound similar to braking glass, Temorsth's movements become arrested by the incredibly strong force of surprise.

And before he could even form another thought, his bewildered and frozen body experienced another chill in the form of a cold grip on his shoulder.

*Gasp* His surprise became even more evident from his wide-eyed gaze, which reflected the mannequin's hand firmly grasping his shoulder.

For a moment, silence enveloped him, punctuated only by the pulsing tension in the air.

"What the... Ugh!?" Before Temorsth could articulate his confusion, the mannequin's firm hand started to pull him back with great force, preventing his escape.

"Hah, success!" On the other side, the mannequin's laughter carried a genuine sense of accomplishment as if it had achieved a long-sought goal.

"You couldn't run... aw... ay..." His voice was pitched but even before Temorsth could have appeared from the purple crack, which was held open by the chains, it quickly died down.

And the reason? To someone as strong as he was... even behind a veil of energy, everything looked as clear as day... the scent, the touch, the taste of...

'Blood...'

*Agh...* With the sound of pain, Temorsth's body appeared from the cracked space in front of him.

From the sight, a slight shake passed through his hands, and with that, the body that was already incapable of standing upright lost even that little support gained from the holding hand, and with a loud thud, the body fell down.

*Cough... Cough...* Be it the white tunic or the back trousers, his skin or flesh... Everything was cut on the body... Within moments, the convulsing bloody body filled the whole room with the scent of blood.

"Why..." Amidst the light cast by the green flames, enchanting emerald green eyes opened. The eyes were solely focused on the body and the blood slowly oozing from it.

*Cough... Cough...* As life was draining from him with every passing moment, the eyes looking at him welled up with sorrow, sorrow that wouldn't be brought out by any stranger.

"I... I'm sorry..." Words hardly came to her mouth as profound emotions overwhelmed even her sense of reality.

And as she was looking at the same imagery, a moment in history that was long lost in time became reflected in the eyes looking at him.

'Run...! Run away... Sister, please...' As she was looking into the desperate green eyes shake, her body too started to shake.

*Blough...*

"Uh?" But right as she was about to be engulfed in the image, even more blood gushed and the smell became even thicker making her return to herself.

"I have forgotten how fragile a mortal really is..." She raised her hand above him and with it, a mixture of green and black energy descended from it onto Temrosth's body.

"Ugh..." As the energy became infused with his blood, his wounds started healing at a rapid pace, which made the pain and screams quickly subside.

"You will be alright in just a second."

...

"There. You should be fine now..." Finishing the healing, the mannequin retrieved its hand.

"Ugh... My clothes are completely ruined..." Though the previous pain was intense, instead of checking his body, Temorsth only looked at his torn clothes and sighed.

"Sigh... I only have a few sets of these... Why do they get damaged so easily, didn't Dad say they are enchanted?" While he spoke to himself, he brought out a set of the same black and white embroidered clothes.

"They will mend in a few hours but until then..." And just like that, without being bothered by the place or the witnesses, he started to strip.

"Uh!? What are you doing!?" And she who witnessed it was utterly flustered by the "little boy" before her.

"Um, changing...?" While indicating with his eyes and words that his act looked rather obvious, Temorsth looked at his own naked body.

"Uhg... You don't need to!" She wasn't expecting such a nonchalant answer but rather than saying further things, she just snapped her fingers.

"Oh! Thanks!" In that instant, the clothes Temrosth took out appeared on his body while the ones he wore were folded nicely and placed in his hands.

"Do you have no shame?" While he put his torn clothes into his space ring, she folded her hands and retorted his shameless act.

"Umu? I don't understand. Why would I be ashamed of the body my parents gifted me? I treasure it as much as my life... Ahaha. Yeah, after all, it is related to it." With the words, he pushed out his chest and hit it with a proud gaze.

"Treasurer..." But sadly Temrosth's joking words and actions had the reverse effect he wished for.

"Hm? Ah..." Noticing that his diversion of the mannequin toughs failed because of his banter, he tried to think of another way.

"I'm... sorry."

"Ugh... Don't worry when I was learning the skill I got hurt just as much if not more."

"But... This time it happened because of me..."

"..."

"If I just didn't shatter the space so much maybe you wouldn't have got cut... I... I have made a mistake... I'm sorry... for hurting you..."

*Sigh...*

'Didn't I say he was kind?'

'Fuck you Persona! I don't care he is still a liar!'

"...?"

"I almost thought it was about something serious..." After a short exchange of words between the two usual troublemakers, Temrosth continued his words.

"What?"

"No problem, don't worry about it. In the first place you didn't mean to, and anyway, you have already healed me."

"..." Surprise appeared in the emerald green eyes, the mannequin visibly taken aback by Temorsth's lack of anger or resentment.

"Hm?" And noticing the change in her eyes, from remorse to confusion, Temrosth too became bewildered.

"You..."

"Yes?"

"Why... why aren't you mad?" Her voice carried a mix of confusion and wonder as she simply couldn't comprehend it.

"Oh, should have I become mad?"

"Yes!"

"But you did not mean to harm me..."

"But still... I... I still did it!"

"Hm..."

"..."

"Uhm... Sorry, but I don't feel like getting mad now."

"Uh?"

"...?"

"Why..." The mannequin's perplexity grew as she observed Temorsth's tilted head and innocent blue eyes. Unable to fathom the absence of anger despite being hurt to an extent that was life-endangering, anger rose in her head.

"Argh, what the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"...?"

"Why the fuck are you the one who is apologizing!?"

"..."

"Answer! Don't you dare go silent on me now!" The mannequin's frustration spilled out, her voice mixed with exasperation and disbelief.

"Why..."

"What is it!?" The mannequin's anger was palpable, her tone incredulous as she struggled to wait for Temorsth's question.

"Why did you get mad? Did I do something wrong?" Temorsth's innocent inquiry carried a touch of concern.

"...!" And she who heard that concern fell silent, her anger momentarily deflated as she grappled with the unexpected tone.

"...?" Even as silence ensued Temrosth's curiosity remained, his head tiled from left to right and reverse as he watched the anger in the emerald green eyes dissipate.

"..."

"Hm?"

*Sigh* After a few exchanged glances, the mannequin let out a sigh, their hand reaching up to their face in a strangely human gesture. As their fingers gently traced their brow, their frown smoothed out, a momentary respite from the tension that hung in the air.

"Anyway... I suppose now you know that you can't run away, right?"

"I can't?"

"Yes, you can't."

"Oh..."

*Sigh...*

"Now would you be so kind and follow me?" Her voice now held a hint of tiredness, her earlier frustration now replaced with a sense of harmony.

"To where?" Temrosth voice was filled with curiosity, but his willingness to follow her was evident.

"Just a different room... This one is not appropriate for talking."

"Talking, you say?" As her voice held a hint of secrecy, Temorsth was even more curious about the mannequin's intention, but with a simple "Yes..." the mannequin tried to interrupt it for the time being.

"What do..."

"If you want to know, then follow me." With the words of invitation that cut into Temorsth's question, the mannequin turned around and walked out of the stone room lit up by the green torches.