Chapter 2: Cellmate
I woke to a piercing ring that echoed through the stone walls, the sound drilling into my skull like a physical thing. My body ached less than before - April's healing touch had worked its magic through the night, though phantom pains still lingered where the worst bruises had been. Through bleary eyes that refused to focus properly, I saw April's massive frame already positioned at our cell door, his broad shoulders tense as the metal barrier swung open on its own with an ominous creak that sent chills down my spine.
"Good morning. Breakfast time," April waved, his face grim and jaw clenched tight.
I pushed myself up, muscles protesting but manageable, feeling every crack in the thin mattress that had been my bed. The stone floor felt familiar under my feet - the same path I'd been dragged across yesterday, though this time I walked under my own power, each step a small victory.
The corridor outside was pure chaos, a stark contrast to yesterday's oppressive order. Where guards had maintained rigid control before, now there was none to be found. No uniforms in sight, no weapons pointed our way. Just unbridled violence that made my stomach turn.
Right outside our cell, a burly prisoner with tattoos covering his arms slammed another man's head against the wall repeatedly, each impact making a wet thud that turned my insides cold. Blood sprayed across the stone in crimson patterns, adding to old stains that told similar stories of brutality.
"Come on, let's go. We don't have time for this." April's face twisted with disgust, his peaceful nature clearly at odds with our surroundings, his fingers twitching as if fighting the urge to intervene.
"It's like this every time," he growled, clenching his massive fists as we hurried past the violence. "Guards don't care about people here. They enjoy this, giving us 'freedom' just to watch us tear each other apart like animals in a pit."
As we moved deeper into the prison's bowels, the horrors multiplied exponentially. Each cell door we passed revealed new atrocities that burned themselves into my memory. Men and women alike were caught in a web of violence, exploitation, and worse - things that made me wish I could forget what I was seeing as easily as I'd forgotten my past. The air grew thick with screams and cruel laughter, a cacophony of human suffering.
"Let's go faster," April muttered, picking up his pace, his massive frame creating a shield between me and the worst of the sights. I followed close behind, trying to block out the sounds of suffering that echoed through the halls, each step taking us deeper into this man-made hell.
After what felt like an endless maze of corridors, we emerged into a vast, well-lit room split by iron bars running its length. Small windows punctuated the barrier every few feet, with servers passing food through to the inmates. The contrast between this organized space and the brutal chaos we'd left behind hit me like a physical force. Guards lined the walls, their presence maintaining an uneasy order.
April's hand smacked my shoulder, jolting me from my thoughts. "Don't get lost. Come on." He pointed toward one of the windows where a tall redhead distributed meals with practiced efficiency.
As we approached, April's voice transformed into something hard and commanding. "Move, let us through." The change startled me, but the other prisoners parted without protest.
At the window, April's tone softened completely. "Hey Alice, how is your day today?"
"Have you brought your boyfriend to your girlfriend? What's the hurry?" A mocking voice cut through the air behind us. April glanced back but stayed focused on Alice, whose eyes widened at the sight of me.
"Why are you ignoring me, big boy?" The voice drew closer.
"March?" Alice's quiet question somehow silenced the entire room.
Before April could respond, a man stepped up beside me. "So main freak is also here. Because of people like you, this place is rotting, scumbag! You think just because you have a bit more power you can do anything?! You don't have your powerful magic here so-"
April grabbed him, yanking him close. "Either you shut up and go back to your place, or me and my friend will show you that we can do very much, even without magic." The man scrambled away the moment April released him.
Whispers and stares made my skin crawl. "Don't show weakness," April muttered to March before addressing Alice again. "Sorry about that. Look, we need to go, you probably understand why. March is here and I'll explain everything when I can. But can you give me September's and August's portions too? You know about August's punishment, right? He can't leave his cell and his brother is too lazy to come out alone."
Alice smiled and handed over four portions. Her eyes met mine, voice gentle. "We are really happy you're alive, sir."
We thanked her and turned to face the multiple tunnels branching from the room. April headed toward the left passage. "Let's go and have a meeting with our friends, shall we?"
April led me down another tunnel, the air growing thicker with each step. The atmosphere here felt different - deadlier. Where our section buzzed with constant violence, here the silence pressed against my ears like a physical weight. Every prisoner we passed kept their eyes down, shoulders hunched, as if trying to become invisible.
My spine tingled with recognition - this was where they kept the truly dangerous ones. The ones who didn't need to prove anything because everyone already knew what they were capable of.
We rounded a corner and I nearly stumbled. Bodies littered the ground in front of one cell, at least six men sprawled across each other. Their chests rose and fell with shallow breaths, faces twisted in pain, limbs bent at unnatural angles.
April's laugh caught me off guard. "He was at it again, how is he not tired?"
Before I could ask who "he" was, April strode into the cell. I rushed after him, heart pounding, worried about what we'd find.
The cell's darkness took a moment to adjust to. A tall, skinny figure lounged on one of the beds, clearly not fitting on it. Just looking at him sent a spike of pain through my head.
"September," I whispered, the name rising unbidden to my lips. More fragments of memory flickered through my mind - shared laughter, training sessions, late-night conversations.
Then my gaze found the other occupant. Chained to the wall with thick iron links, a muscular redhead stared back at me with piercing blue eyes that seemed to burn straight through to my soul. The headache intensified tenfold as memories crashed over me in waves.
"And August..." My voice came out stronger this time, certain.
I embraced them both, careful of August's chains. Though most of my past remained shrouded in darkness, I knew with bone-deep certainty that these men were my brothers in all but blood.
"So you really don't remember anything?" September sprawled across his bed, legs dangling off the edge. "Not even that time you set August's beard on fire with his own magic?"
"That was an accident," August growled from his chains, but his eyes sparkled with mirth.
I shook my head, running fingers through my silver hair. "Just fragments. Faces without names. Places without meaning." My chest tightened. "I seem to catch glimpses - training in a field, sharing meals, fighting alongside you all once in a while. But it's like trying to grab smoke. Every time I meet one of you"
"Tell us about yesterday," September nudged April with his foot. "When you found him in your cell."
April's deep laugh filled the small space. "There I was, minding my own business, when these guards throw in this bloody mess of a man. Didn't recognize him at first - you looked terrible, March."
"Thanks," I rolled my eyes.
"No, really. All beaten up, covered in dirt and blood. Then you opened those weird blue eyes of yours and..." April's voice softened. "It hit me like a punch to the gut. Our lost Lion, back from the dead."
August shifted in his chains. "We searched for weeks after the attack. Found nothing but ashes and bodies." His fierce gaze met mine. "Where were you?"
"I wish I knew." The words tasted bitter. "First clear memory is running through that blizzard, guards on my tail. Everything before that..." I spread my hands helplessly.
"At least you're alive." September's usual energy dimmed. "That's more than we dared hope for."
"And July?" The name slipped out before I realized I'd spoken it. Another fragment - golden hair, a sharp smile, lightning crackling between skilled fingers.
The silence that followed told me everything I needed to know. April's massive hand squeezed my shoulder, offering what comfort he could.
"We'll figure it out," August's chains rattled as he leaned forward. "We always do. Together."
I nodded, throat too tight for words. These men were my family - that much I knew with absolute certainty, even if I couldn't remember why or how.
"So how did you end up chained like that?" I gestured at August's restraints, the iron links glinting dully in the dim light.
August's blue eyes lit up with that familiar fire. "Got into a few... disagreements in the breakfast hall. Started with one guy who thought he could take my food. Ended with about fifteen of them learning otherwise." He flexed his muscles against the chains. "Guards didn't appreciate me redecorating their dining area with broken bodies."
"More like thirty guys," September corrected from his bed. "And that was just the first day. By day three, the body count was getting embarrassing."
"Not my fault they kept coming back for more." August shrugged. "Though being chained up like this has its downsides. Now every wannabe tough guy thinks they can get revenge." He nodded toward the unconscious men outside the cell. "But look at them, doesn't look like they are doing good job"
March looked at guys near exit. His eyes already were accustomed to darkness so he could see that guys were beaten up pretty well.
"But how did you all end up in here in the first place?" The question had been burning in my mind since I'd recognized them.
August's laugh echoed off the stone walls. "That's actually a good story. See, after the village burned, you and July got missing, I tracked down this guard from the same village. Thought he might know something about what happened to you. But he got... let's say uncooperative. Rude, even."
"He told the entire police department about it," September chimed in. "Started quite the brawl."
"April tried to talk us down," August continued, nodding toward our large friend. "Kept saying violence wasn't the answer. But somehow he ended up right in the middle of it with us."
April's shoulders slumped. "I was trying to prevent bloodshed. Instead, I just added to the casualty count."
"And now we're all here," September finished with a flourish. "One big happy family reunion. In prison."
"Actually," April's deep voice rumbled, "January told me exactly how this would play out. Said we'd end up behind bars if we went after that guard."
August yanked at his chains, face darkening. "Oh yeah? If January's so damn smart, he can get us out of this hellhole himself."
The name hit me like a physical blow. January. Black hair, black eyes, that calculating gaze that seemed to see right through everyone. My head throbbed as another piece clicked into place.
"January? Where is he?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
September's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, so you remember him too? Well, that's complicated." He stretched out on his bed, arms behind his head. "We've been in here about a month now, and we've only gotten two messages from him."
"First one was typical January," August growled. "'I knew you'd end up there. Working on getting you out.' Cold and precise as always."
"And the second?" I pressed.
April's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "The second one was just for August. Called him an idiot specifically and said he was still trying to figure something out."
"Bastard," August muttered, but there was no real heat in it. "Always has to be right about everything."
The fragments in my mind shifted again - strategy sessions where January's voice cut through chaos with razor-sharp logic, late nights pouring over maps and plans, his quiet presence a constant anchor for our group.
A harsh metallic clang echoed through the cell, making me jump. April leaped to his feet.
"We need to move. Now." His massive frame blocked the doorway as he peered into the corridor. "Last bell's coming soon. Trust me, you don't want to be caught outside when that happens."
I embraced August and September quickly, the chains rattling as August returned the gesture.
April's footsteps thundered ahead of me as we raced through the winding passages. Without him, I'd have been hopelessly lost - each tunnel looked identical to the last, branching off in impossible directions. The walls themselves seemed to shift and change, playing tricks with my mind. What had seemed like a straightforward path on our way to August's cell now twisted like a serpent's coil.
"Left here," April called over his shoulder. "Then right and left again."
I followed close behind, memorizing each turn, each distinctive mark in the stone. But even as I tried to map it in my head, the layout refused to make sense. A corridor I could have sworn we'd passed earlier now led somewhere completely different.
We rounded another corner just as the second bell's deep tone reverberated through the stone. April picked up his pace, and I matched it stride for stride.
Our cell door came into view ahead. We slipped inside just as the third bell's ominous toll began. The heavy iron door slammed shut behind us with a final, echoing clang.
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