Capítulo 37: - God Of Portals

Min-jun was shoved face first into the cell, collapsing on the dirty stone floor. Iron doors clanged behind him, and he watched as a soldier adjusted a lock on the other side.

A moment later, he was alone.

His room was only a few square feet, just enough for a single bed and a toilet. A single blanket was strewn about atop the yellow mattress. There were no windows or lights on the inside of the cell, so he remained covered by the darkness.

Every minute or so, a guard passed in front of his cell, one hand placed firmly on a gun slung across their shoulder.

Just across from him was another cell, where a man huddled in the corner. He kept his head down, obscuring his face with long strands of gray, greasy hair. Hours passed, and the man remained motionless. Was he dead?

Mealtime finally came around a few hours later. A cart was rolled down the long hallway by a pair of guards, its wheels letting out a piercing shriek every few seconds. The cart came to a stop in front of his cell and one of the guards set a bowl at the base of the cell.

"Listen up, fresh meat. There's enough space for you to eat through the bars. That's it. Those utensils are useless against your handcuffs, but we don't take any risks. When you're finished, push it forward with the spoon still in the bowl. Got it?"

Min-jun nodded and took a spoonful of the grayish soup. It was slimy but also somehow gritty against his tongue. Thankfully, it was tasteless.

He looked at the cell across from him, where the old man was swirling his spoon around in the bowl. The man was an unhealthy level of thin, his ribs visible beneath his torn shirt. His hands shook violently as he raised the spoon to his wrinkled, chapped lips.

"What's your name?" Min-jun asked him, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The old man looked at him with sunken eyes but didn't speak.

A few minutes later, they finished their dinner. The guards eventually came back around; one collecting spoons and bowls to set back on the cart. The other had a notebook, and seemed to be tallying the contents that returned to them. Min-jun assumed a floor wide search would ensue if something went missing.

A minute later the lights shut off, and a darkness consumed the world around him. He had no other choice. Quietly moving toward his bed, Min-jun curled up and closed his eyes.

Hyunji, wherever you are, please be alive. I'm sorry I got you into this.

*****

Jade ran fast through the city streets before coming to a stop to catch his breath. Although he was told to run by the rest of the group, he blanked when thinking of something that would help getting everyone else out.

He took a breather in a nearby alleyway, checking his surroundings to make sure he wasn't followed or seen, as he knew they would have no chance of getting out if that was the case.

As he peaked around the corner, the sound of something hitting the ground could be heard further down the alleyway. Jade approached quietly, searching for the cause of the noise.

He spun to the right toward a scratching sound nearby. A rat scrambled out of a fallen trash can and disappeared around the corner of the alleyway.

Jade let out a long sigh of relief and continued down the alleyway. He heard a slight whistle, and something pinched his shoulder. Looking down with confusion, Jade found a dart poking out. What the hell?

He yanked the dart out and stumbled to the ground. Everything was spinning. It was hard to stay awake. It was hard to….

When he awoke, Jade found himself bound, hands and feet tied to a chair. His mouth was covered by a gray piece of cloth, though his eyes were thankfully uncovered.

The room he was in appeared dark outside of a monitor which sat in front of him, the screen flashing different colors, blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, on repeat. In the few moments of consciousness he had, Jade didn't notice anything else except from the monitor. Before he got the chance to look around, the lights on the screen cut to black, and complete silence filled the room.

His breath became short and anxious as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The room disoriented, as a door appeared in front of him. A man walked through, fully covered from head to toe, wrapped in a dark fabric. The only thing Jade could see in the darkness were his green eyes as they moved closer to him.

The cloth was removed from his mouth and Jade let out a deep breath. "Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?"

The voice that spoke was raspy, yet gentle enough that Jade had to strain to listen. "It's alright, little boy. Don't be frightened. I'm not here to kill you. Quite the opposite actually. I need you. You're gifted, aren't you? Just like me. You have an ability…the power of the gods. As you can see, I can portal into any space I want. Well, most spaces. Some are not permitted to me."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"So that you understand what it is I need from you," the man responded. "There is one space I can't open a portal into. The prison. My wife was captured by bounty hunters a couple weeks back, and Warden Gahana took her in. I've since learned about the prison's system. The stronger a person is, the lower the level they are imprisoned on. My wife had abilities too. She can affect nature, causing it to flourish at a slight touch. Together, the two of us traveled the universe, spreading life like a wildfire. We were unstoppable."

"Until she was captured." Even in the darkness, Jade could see a hint of sadness in the man's eyes. "Now, you see why I must get her back. You're fast. If you go quick enough, you won't be spotted."

Jade felt unsure and confused. "Why should I help you? What's in it for me?"

The man's eyes lit up like an explosion. "With my ability, I can give you a quick exit. If you get my wife safely to me, I'll help your friends escape."

comentário 0 comentário

Votar

ENVIAR PRESENTE

Load failed, please RETRY