Wits.

The room was filled with statues of a variety of creatures. They all had a mysterious feel to them, causing the room to have an eerie feel.

Liam whimpered in fear, struggling to break free from the barrier that held him down, his eyes filled with fright for the being before him.

'I have to break free… I can feel it… its strength is no joke.' 

Liam continued his futile struggle, not taking his sight off the scary skull-like structure that was before him.

"Hahahahaha!" The skull cackled, its jaw opening and closing as the terrifying sound escaped. "Such a scaredy cat!" 

If it had a body, the ground would surely be a bed as he released that frightening cackle. Too bad, it couldn't fulfill that wish.

Liam found the laughter of the being scarier the longer he spent, confined to a location. "What are you?!"

Liam asked out loud, summoning the courage to stand his ground, stopping his struggle. 'I don't think escaping would be possible… I'd better try another method.'

Now, it was a battle of wit, to determine the predator and prey between both parties.

"Seems you got ya big boy pants back on?!" The skull said in exasperation, intrigued by Liam's sudden change in demeanor.

Tidying up his clothing, Liam looked directly into the dark eyes of the skeleton. "Why does my former attitude matter?"

Everything about him just screamed maturity; Liam had the look of a child who had seen more than normal eyes could observe. Even the skull had its jaw wide open as it eyed Liam strangely.

"Is that a challenge?" The skull said in a sober tone, its eyes gleaming red for a moment.

The skull felt infuriated by Liam's reply to its inquiry… no its whole demeanor screamed danger with the main target, Liam acting carefree.

Smirk

"You can't do anything… right?" Liam said, a smirk forming on his young and handsome face. 

"You!!!" The skull mouth opened wide, the rumbling of the structure following closely behind.

"If you had the power… then, I'm sure we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Liam revealed his thesis with confidence as he pushed his unnoticeable chest forward. Liam had not only worked on improving his strength along the way but also his thinking faculty.

Just reviewing the way he got to the current location and how the skull acted on his arrival, supported the theory that the skull's authority was limited.

'Thought I'll fall for your trap… if you had the power, I'm very sure you would not wait for a second to accomplish whatever evil plan you had in mind… too bad…' Liam thought, looking directly at the furious skull.

The skull vibrated from time to time as if fuming at Liam's guts. Its eyes glowed with a bright red color, giving it the look of an angry bull.

"Filthy human… how dare you insult this lord!" The skull trembled non-stop, releasing a strange energy that pressured Liam. 

Liam could feel his legs giving in to the pressure but worked against the motion by hardening his muscles. Though the pressure on his body decreased, Liam could still feel the power of the ancient-looking skull.

"A nice move indeed…!" Liam said in exasperation, clapping his hands. "Now, what other trick do you have up that sleeve of yours?"

'This kid, how could he tell my helplessness in this situation?' the skull thought in horror, doubting the current turn of events. 'No! It can't be!'

The skull didn't have any flesh, so discerning its facial expression was fairly impossible. Apart from the time it opened its jaws wide and trembled, every other thing was hidden behind the bony structure.

"Are you going to keep self-doubting, or shall we talk business?" Liam said, sounding tired. 

It sounded like a normal question but the skull knew better than that. Liam was currently mocking him, affecting his thoughts. 'If I continue like this, I'll be doomed at the hand of a disgusting brat… though annoying, I'll have to keep my cool.'

The skull thought as he concentrated on Liam's features, checking if he had miscalculated somewhere. "You are rather smart… to be honest, I expected a naive boy."

The skull voice which sounded authoritative before, now had a calm feel to it, making Liam smile.

'I just have to wait… at least to escape.' Liam thought, taking a glance at some of the things he considered valuable. It was an annoying situation; when you see something you admire within your grasp but can't take it.

'Come on Liam! Don't be a fool!' Liam thought to himself, putting on a straight face as he looked directly at the skull. One of the psychological things Liam learned back on Earth was "never avoid eye contact"

It was said, individuals who avoided eye contact have a lot of dark secrets. It's believed that eye contact shows how confident you are.

"It's all thanks to my upbringing," Liam said in a respectful tone, surprising the skull. He knew better than to annoy the skull further. 

"I expected a rude attitude from you… it seems you have real brains."

Liam's eyes twitched violently, not bothering to reply to the skull's remark. "What are you?"

'I'll rather learn of my current location than dwell on stupid topics.' Liam thought, looking at the skull for answers.

Releasing a sigh from its bony lips, the glimmering red light in the eye socket sunk deeper. "My story…"

The skull's voice sounded depressed and tired, seeming to scan through the room for a moment. "I don't see my origin's importance in this matter."

The skull was willing to tell its story, changing its mind after considering the pros and cons of the situation.

'I don't care about you… my main target is the origin of this place.' Liam thought, shaking his head internally. 

"I agree… you don't mind sharing the details of this place, no?" Liam inquired as he squinted his eyes. 

The skull could not reject Liam's words. He was pissed by the human smartness, confining him to a route… 'No way I'll let a kid manipulate me… you'll surely regret this day!'

Liam could not read minds but had a feeling the skull wouldn't surrender without a huge battle. 'I have to play my cards right, if not…'

Not daring to complete his thoughts, Liam revealed a brave smile outside, masking the fear.