The chill of the deep sea surrounded Rhea as she made her way through the dimly lit corridors of Hellsea Bastille. The pressure of the ocean above seemed to weigh down on everything. Walls, ceilings, even the air itself felt thick, almost suffocating. Yet, Rhea strode forward, undeterred. She had already spent several days in this submerged prison, her mind still buzzing from her recent encounter with Erebus. She had grown familiar with the place, its inhabitants, and the eerie silence that would occasionally be broken by the muffled roars of the beasts that prowled the waters outside. Gigantic sea creatures, their silhouettes barely visible through the reinforced windows, loomed and passed by, ever-watchful guardians of this fortress.
The prison itself was a massive, towering structure plunging deep into the seabed, with each level sinking further into the abyss. Rhea moved through the upper levels now, where the prisoners were slightly less dangerous, petty criminals compared to the monsters below. Still, the clanging of chains echoed all around her, along with the sharp, rasping voices of the prisoners. Some of them hurled curses her way, others pleaded for freedom or simply tried to catch her attention.
"Hey, Sergeant!" one of them barked. "You too good to talk to us now?"
Another inmate banged on the iron bars of his cell, rattling the metal so hard it reverberated like a drumbeat. "Rune Knight! What’re you here for, huh? Trying to prove something?"
The Stellan kept her eyes forward, her expression stone-cold. She didn’t so much as flinch at their attempts to rile her up. Once, she might have spat back, letting her temper get the better of her, but now there was no room for such distractions. Rage, yes. But a cold, calculated rage that simmered just beneath the surface. Her thoughts were consumed by the weight of her father’s legacy, by the trail of blood and betrayal that had shaped her existence. Vengeance was her only focus now.
Each step she took was heavy with purpose, the black boots she wore echoing through the corridor. Rune Knights stationed at various points along the walls acknowledged her with stiff nods as she passed by, but none dared engage her in conversation. There was something about her lately that kept even her own comrades at bay, a hardened edge that had only sharpened in the days since she'd been stationed here.
She descended deeper into the belly of the prison, her senses sharp. The faintest scent of saltwater clung to the air, mixed with rust and mold from the corroding metal that lined the halls. The further down she went, the darker the levels became, and the more dangerous the criminals. Some of the cells she passed were in complete shadow, hiding the horrors inside. Others housed notorious mages, who watched her with predatory eyes, smirking as she passed. But the closer she got to the heart of Hellsea Bastille, the fewer sounds there were. The deeper she descended, the more silence swallowed her.
Still, the question lingered in her mind: Why had she been requested here? She had yet to meet the high-ranking official who had summoned her, and the rumors had already begun swirling among the Rune Knights stationed at the prison. Was she being punished for her connection to Erebus? Had the Magic Council discovered her doubts about her role as a Rune Knight? Or had they finally realized that they needed her—that she could be more than just a soldier following orders?
As she approached the final door, which led to the office of the official, her pulse quickened. It wasn’t fear, it was anticipation. She wanted answers. Whether she was being reprimanded or recruited for something different, it didn’t matter. Her path was already set. Vengeance drove her, clouded her sense of right and wrong, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered now was that she kept moving forward.
The door loomed ahead, a heavy iron slab with no windows, no sign of what was on the other side. With a steady breath, Rhea reached for the handle, her grip firm, her heart cold. Whatever waited for her in that office, she would face it head-on, as she always had. There was no turning back.
Last edited by Rhea on Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:47 pm; edited 1 time in total