The Strange Man

Elwin watched as the soldiers left. He found himself in a completely unfamiliar place, surrounded by darkness and silence. He could hardly see anything, only hearing his own breath echoing in the confined space.

He realized that he was locked in a cell, surrounded by thick stone walls and iron bars. The cell contained only a worn-out bed and a grubby toilet, the dust and cobwebs on the walls indicating that it had been long since anyone last visited.

He looked around, trying to find any clue, but there was none. He realized he had to escape from this cell as soon as possible, otherwise, he might be trapped here forever.

He tried to stand up, but he was dizzy and almost fell to the ground. He felt as if all strength had been stripped from his body, his breath became rapid, his heartbeat sped up.

Elwin felt completely engulfed by darkness, as if falling into an endless abyss. He tried to find a glimmer of hope in the darkness, but found nothing. His mood became increasingly heavy. The drastic changes within the day, the tragic death of his parents, the disappearance of his grandmother, it felt like the whole world was oppressing him. Thinking about these, Elwin was plunged into grief.

He felt his life gradually slipping away, his heartbeat faster, his breath more hurried. He knew he had to leave this cell as soon as possible, but he could not identify the direction. He tried to grope in the dark, trying to find a way out, but he could find nothing.

His hands felt the cold stone wall and rough iron bars, but he could not find any mechanism or button to open them. He tried to shout loudly, but his voice was swallowed by the darkness and silence, no one could hear his cry for help.

He started to feel desperate, and his tears began to flow.

Elwin sat alone on the cold stone floor, his thoughts drifting to his incredibly precious loved ones. His parents and grandmother, who were his strong backbone during his growth, gave him endless love and care, they were indispensable in his life.

"I can't just abandon them, I have to go back," Elwin murmured, his face showing a determined expression. His heart might be confused, like a bird lost in the vast darkness, but he knew that only by maintaining a firm belief could he find the way home.

"I have to do something, I can't just sit here and wait to die." After saying that, he revitalized and stood up, brushed off the dust on his body with his palms.

He looked around, trying to gather as much information as possible that might help him escape from here, looking for clues to return home. He took a deep breath and then stepped forward confidently, full of determination.

"I will definitely be able to get out, I definitely can." He told himself in his heart, although the voice was small, it was full of strong belief.

"What should I do..." Elwin asked himself softly, although his voice was weak, the resolve in it warmed his heart.

In the darkness, a grizzled yet trembling voice cut through Elwin's contemplation. Elwin realized he wasn't alone in the cell, he raised his head, trying to find the source of the voice. The voice had a kind of mysterious attraction, making Elwin feel like he was no longer the only one trapped in this cold place. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a figure quietly sitting in the corner against the wall of the cell, seemingly completely shackled by iron chains.

"You're sent by Raven Darkholme again, aren't you? Playing the pity card this time? Ha, so young, and you want to extract secrets from me, don't waste your efforts," the voice was filled with a mocking and deep tone, like an old fox playing a joke.

Elwin was momentarily speechless out of fright, then he mustered the courage to reply, "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just a young man who lost his way, I want to find the way home." This man's words extinguished the hope Elwin had just kindled.

As the ticking sound of time echoed in the chilly cell, the shadow of the old man sitting in the darkness started to appear more terrifying. His voice was like a night owl, constantly lingering in Elwin's ear, deep, trembling, full of threat and suspicion.

"Where are you from, Elwin?" The old man asked, his voice deep and hoarse, like the wind blowing from the end of a tunnel.

"I... I'm just an ordinary man from England, I've never left my small town." Elwin replied firmly, but a nameless fear was growing inside him.

Yet the old man's questions didn't cease, he was an endless stream of interrogative marks, wave after wave assaulting Elwin's mind. Each question was like a sharp dagger, stabbing into his heart, attempting to dissect his truth.

"Why can't you understand me?" Elwin asked the old man in despair, "I'm truly just trying to evade pursuit, I just want to go home, I don't know anything about what you're saying."

"Oh, I've heard everything you're saying before, every person Raven Darkholme sent here said the same things, you're the 10th one." The old man scoffed, his words furthering Elwin's feelings of loneliness and despair.

The pain of his parents' death and the old man's misunderstanding of him induced a never before felt helplessness and pain in Elwin. He tried to escape this oppressive environment but found himself trapped. He shut his eyes tightly, trembling, trying to maintain a strong facade, but he could not deny his fear and pain.

"I'm not the person you think I am!" Elwin finally erupted, his voice echoing in the prison cell, "I'm just a child who lost his family, I just want to go home!"

However, the old man in the darkness didn't respond, only laughter echoed in the dark cell, a merciless mockery, seemingly enjoying Elwin's pain.

Elwin's words, each and every one sincere, seemed to touch the man sitting in the shadows, but his long-standing suspicion of the fortress leader's probes, the repeated attempts to extract the secret in his heart, made him hesitant to believe Elwin. He coldly said, "It seems that this time Raven Darkholme sent a better actor, haha!"

Elwin, defeated, laid on the cold prison floor.

The old man in the shadows continued to taunt Elwin, further amplifying his pain. His words were like a blunt knife, stabbing cruelly into his heart. Elwin laid helpless in the dark, staring at the ceiling, allowing the indifferent stone walls to consume his suffering and despair.

"I'm telling the truth..." Elwin's voice was low and desperate, he tried to prove himself to the old man again, but the cold laughter continued to echo in the darkness, like a nightmare.

"Really? Then prove it to me, boy." The old man chuckled, his words full of ridicule and doubt.

Elwin paused, then slowly sat up, he started searching for a way to prove himself, but facing the old man's questioning, he felt an unprecedented confusion.

"How... how do I prove..." Elwin's voice was faint, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

He tried to tell the old man about his life, his family, his grandmother, and his journey of fleeing here today, but no matter how hard he tried, the old man simply scoffed, not believing a word he said.

Elwin's heart was filled with pain and despair. He lay back on the floor powerless, tears rolling down his cheeks, dampening the cold stone. He knew he had to find a way to prove himself, or else he would forever be trapped in this dark cell, forever unable to return to the home in his heart.

In the quiet and gloomy cell, the cold stone walls, iron bars, and stale air all silently narrated the desolation and indifference of the place. Elwin's mood was just like the atmosphere of the cell, full of loss and despair.

Suddenly, the iron door creaked open a crack, and a ragged old soldier stumbled in, carrying two rusty iron bowls. The bowls contained a dark, smelly, paste-like food, standard fare in the fortress, but it seemed more like a humiliation. The soldier placed the food next to the man in the shadows, his movements quick and indifferent, as if Elwin didn't exist.

After the soldier left, the man in the shadows immediately crawled out of the darkness, his agile fingers grabbing the two servings of food, hoarding them all without a trace. Then, Elwin got a clear look at his face.

It was a face that had weathered many years, covered with deep wrinkles and signs of fatigue. His hair had completely turned white, his body was so skinny that it was almost skeletal, his legs were missing from the knees down, apparently cruelly cut off. He looked extremely destitute, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, sparkling with determination and intelligence. His hands were tightly bound by heavy iron chains, unable to move freely, it was clear he had spent a long time in this tiny cell.

"This is my food!" The man shouted, his voice rough, but full of dominance, and then he began to wolf down the food.

Elwin watched him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew he had to find a solution soon, or he might spend an endless amount of time here, just like the old man.