2. Of a Strange Man in a Forgotten Prison, Seals and How to Break Them (1)

Mora crouched on the cave floor, mouth gaping. The man was beautiful. Sharp, violet eyes that still seem to glow despite the light pearl. Pale skin that seemed paper-white in the soft illumination. Thin lips stretched in a wide, fang-baring grin. Long, black hair draped down one shoulder and loosely braided into a silky tail.

“There you are.”

He is covered in swathes of black and purple fabric in some sort of formal robes. The colors were slightly muted as if fading from wear and time, though the garments are so obviously high-class. But that didn’t detract from the obvious strength of the man’s build as he sat laid out on the floor.

“Greetings, Mora.”

She shivered hearing the delight his voice. She snapped her jaw close and glared at him—definitely a him...probably—in defiance. She’s ten years old at the moment, she can be all irrational and weird. She’s totally not seduced or anything like that.

“Your teeth are all Vampire Lestat-ish. You sure you’re not gonna attack me?”

Cramming as much haughty disdain in her voice seemed to not work as the man only chuckled and moved his arms. Which, despite being draped with the robe sleeves and were really nice, were hung and restrained by a pair of old-ass metal shackles. Damned guy’s chained to the wall.

“This one do not understood half of your words but we already spoke of this. Have we not?”

Huh. He seemed to have calmed down from his previous predatory sneer, allowing Mora to relax and sit down where she was, picking up the light pearl to place it on a spot that let the light reach his features more. Toothy guy is truly pretty.

“Right. I told you my name. Accidentally, but still. So what’s yours?”

“This lord’s name is Slade.”

She mumbled the name, wondering why he’s staring at her like he wanted to know what she thought of his name. Maybe?

“It’s a good name. Cool and all-dark like. Are you an Edge Lord?” She grinned at her joke but flushed immediately when he only raised a dark eyebrow like some kind of haughty auntie.

“Haha. Um...You need help with those shackles? They look old. A few Rock Bash—haha—and they’ll probably fall apart.”

Following words with actions, she stood up to look for a suitable rock to slam on those chains. While she does, she wondered at the sense of safety she has around someone who, for all logic and rationality, seemed to be a predator.

Glowing eyes, check. Fangs and scary grin, check. Dark but delicious voice, double check. Chained to a wall in a cave that for all intents and purposes seemed to be hidden and abandoned—probably for crimes of devouring the life blood of definitely gorgeous virgin lady villagers or something, check check check. Mora, little girl, you should be terrified right now.

“Do not bother. If a simple rock can break these bindings, do you think this one would have remained disgraced here?”

Mora snorted as she continued to survey the loose rock near the edge of the pear light’s reach. You won’t know unless you tried. Also, I can hit you if you turned out to be an actively-monstrous toothy guy. Need rock. This one? No?

She lifted a few rocks, choosing one that looked sturdy enough to be used as an improvised hammerhead but light enough she won’t strain carrying it. Taking her new bashing tool haha, she made her way to Slade, stepping as close as she dared. Mora did her best to avoid looking at that peerless face, studying his bindings instead.

Okay she has biases with pretty men, but she knew how to poker face, she does. She knew enough to appreciate but not be controlled. She wouldn’t have aged a virgin if she didn’t. Aged? If that fall really killed her real body on Earth, she literally died a virgin. Damn it.

“Watch yourself. Don’t move.” She warned him worried about hitting him accidentally.

She ignored the derisive snort and approached the man’s bound right arm. She pulled the wide sleeve away from the pale wrist, absently noting that he didn’t have injuries on his arm that could indicate that he had struggled against the metal.

Mora touched the shackle that circled his wrist and tensed at the burst of pain that shot through her from the contact. She paused, waiting to see if it was more than just static, continuing her perusal when the sharp pain faded away into nothing.

The shackle was wide and clunky and made of some kind of dark metal that was already pitted and gouged as if it was more an ancient artifact than a functional binding. The chain has a bit of length to it and connected the metal ring to an ornate anchor on the wall. Made of the same metal, it has what seemed to be decorative swirly, loopy...are these script of some kind?

“What is it?”

Slade seemed to have noticed her pause even as she took the short chain in hand to find if there was a portion of the chain weak enough to take advantage of.

“You’re old right?”

“Hmm?”

She looked him in the eye and marveled once again in those strangely colored eyes. Thinking that with his teeth hidden, his face was damned gorgeous without the fangs making him frightening.

“You’re very old right? Like super old.” She shook the chains to prove her point. “Like metal chains getting dusty and brittle-looking kinda old.”

The smirk he directed at her was answer enough so she turned back to what she was doing, finding a link in chains though it was so slight. The chains were clearly made well when it was new, polished to remove as much of the seams as much as possible to avoid weakness.

“Hey ancient-man, keep it taut over here.”

Somehow he obeyed, keeping the chain taut to let the link she’d chosen stay touching an angled portion of the rocky wall that jutted out. She lifted the rock again and was about to slam it against her target when he spoke again.

“These are not normal metal, understand.” She glared at him, stone paused aloft. But he only continued. “They are enchanted to not break. You definitely cannot—”

She grunted and then directly smashed the rock against the chain. The two of them froze as the weathered metal shattered into pieces and clattered to the stone floor until only the shackle remained on his wrist like an ugly bracelet.

“Hah!” She placed the rock down carefully at her feet and placed her fists on her hips in a heroic victory pose. Mora didn’t realize that her small body only made her actions seem adorable.

“...”

Slade seemed surprised, his eyes glowing bright again, but he didn’t speak. Mora shrugged and lifted the rock again, heading to his left arm that remained hanging.

This time, he moved, helping keep the chain taut as he had done for the first one. She had to move his hand a few times to get the chain where she wanted it on the wall. She noticed that his skin felt cold, but she left the thought for later.

“You do not speak like a child.”

His voice was quiet and contemplative. Mora didn’t react much, she just shrugged. If I don’t acknowledge it, you have no evidence against me, bleh—

“Meh. Ready?”

She lifted the rock and confidently smashed it against the chain laid against a jutting portion of the wall. The chain once again disintegrated into shards, but before she could cheer aloud, something rammed into her and slammed her to the ground.

Gasping from the sharp cold and stinging pain that invaded her whole body in a single moment, she curled around her middle and raised her head to face the monster that she had stupidly released. Gad freakin’ damn it!!!

Long, slender fingers grabbed at battered metal bands as Slade pulled the remnant shackles apart. The metal crumpled and fell off like so much garbage. Mora wondered if this is how she dies again. I didn’t even last 24 hours in this new body. Crap. Can I get a refund? No? Damn it. This sucks.

To be honest, even as something suffocating and scalding cold battered her entire being, the view is mesmerizing. Slade finally stood up, grace and arrogance personified, robes draping around him like majestic curtains. He’s stupid tall and his hair fluttered slightly at the strange gray fog that seemed to wrap around his feet and climb up his body like a cloud lover. The creeping mass seemed to grow, even as she realized that she’s being engulfed by the thing. Dark death fog. Okay. Guy farts out cold fog of death. Dear god, I hope next time I get to be a little smarter than this.

Compartmentalizing pain and imminent death is something she’d always been good at so she knew things are truly, freakin’ bad when the pain grew and grew. So much that she lost hold of her calm.

It felt as if the creeping foggy arms were digging into her very existence. She knew her body is in pain, her skin is complaining with how she’s writhing on the rocky ground. But something is being ripped apart and devoured by the dual hot and cold of the fog.

Stark fear broke through her coping thoughts and something kept shouting inside. I don’t wanna go. I can’t disappear. She struggled. Or struggled more than she already has been. Whatever it is, she tried not to let go. She was not bound and yet she felt as if she was...she wants to not be taken.

Mora kept her eyes glued to glowing eyes that first seemed cold, then determined. Then, almost absently, she watched the eyes grew wide. Shock...awe? Something took over those violet eyes and then the monster... the man took a shaky step back before she screamed in confused pain.

Something... Something broke. And she’s scared.

The moment it did, she felt...nothing. The pain was gone, the creeping, crawling fog inside her was gone. And at that exact moment, Slade jerked and nearly fell to the floor. He caught himself, half-kneeling, mouth agape, eyes blown open in surprise. The gray fog swirled frantically around him. Then he grabbed his chest, coughing harshly before spurting blood that was barely visible against his dark robes. The shadowy fog dispersed.

In control of her body again, though shaking badly, Mora crawled back as quickly as she cold. She kept the coughing man in her sights, using her tense legs to push back until she felt the cave wall against her spine.

Her injuries, already agitated by her sharp squirming before, reminded her of the pain that remained. Her quiet gasp caught Slade’s flagging attention. They’re once again staring at each other.

It was a long time before the kneeling man finally moved. Mora tensed, fingers curling into fist in her determination to make as much of a struggle before she gets done in. But surprisingly, he didn’t approach.

Slade stood up and still visibly trembling, he stepped back near the wall with the remains of his chains still hanging on its anchors. He turned to look at her, the violet in his eyes darker than it was, looking quiet and diminished.

“Go.” The word was a defeated sigh as he leaned a hand against the wall and he slowly sat down where he was chained before. Mora is very confused.

She sat up, not taking her gaze away from the man. She shook her head. Truthfully, her body is already reaching its limit, she thinks.

It’s not like children are truly made of rubber to bounce back from injuries so easily. She already survived rolling down a cliff. Being slammed against solid ground and then basically drowned in weird fog powers is already too much.

“Leave.”

Unsure of her voice, she just shook her head again.

“Why not? This lord is dangerous. You know that now. And this place in not safe in the least.”

He waited for a beat and she still can’t answer. He continued, tone becoming a grumble.

“This one would if this one could.”

She shook her head again and licked her lips. She tasted blood where it had split from her biting so much enduring his attack. “Can’t.” It was little more than a croak. But he should have heard.

“You are very injured.”

Hysterical laughter burst from her lips and the sound is both sad and creepy. She really, really hated those horror movies that used weird children’s laughter as sound effects. Mora shivered and tried to spit words that made sense.

“We’ve already established that.”

“Yes.”

She twitched, relaxing against the stone wall against her will. What’s with this body’s lack of caution? Or was she still delusional about the reality of dangers in this world?

“So?”

“...”

“Where’s my apology?”

Slade glared at her and she laughed lightly, this one less creepy, more resigned. Better than giggling like a ghost child.

“You said you wouldn’t attack me. You lied. Apologize.”

The glare turned arrogant. Slade exuded a majesty at that moment that wasn’t detracted by his slighted posture sitting on the, ground forearms braced on raised knees.

“This lord is never sorry for anything this one does.”

“Said like a true king.” She responded in mock seriousness, chuckling as she heaved a sigh. “But you’re still here. Why not you go? I’ll just...lay here until I can walk away and not roll into my death. Again.” She mumbled the last word quietly.

Maybe she was just tired from the long day. Or this body had an immense sense of trust in others. Or maybe it was that flash of guilt that glinted in those violet eyes before he hid it by turning away. Whatever it was, the pain he caused her was...not forgotten...but forgiven?

“This one cannot leave.”

She snorted leaning her head back until she can feel the cold stone soothing her aching skull.

“Did you miss the fact that I broke your chains and you can move about now? Oh, yeah. You didn’t. Because you attacked me, when you specifically said you would not. Apologize.”

He gave a low grunt. The rough sound seemed more elegant coming from him. She is seriously sick in the head. Elegant?

“You felt this lord’s attack. That was but a drop of this one’s power. Did you really think that the chains were the only things keeping this lord here?”

Huh?

The confusion must have shown on her face because he didn’t wait for her words as he continued.

“This cave is sealed with a Soul Trapping Array. Beings can come inside but cannot come out with an intact soul. This lord can break it but it would harm my soul...This one...”

He sighed. “This one wanted to use your soul as substitute to take the damage as the array is dealt with.”

“But you told me to leave.”

“You’re so weak, the array barely registers your presence. But it’s still a true soul that this lord can use to camouflage my escape.”

Mora scoffed, unsure if she should be offended. Weak huh, then why use my soul as a shield. Stupid, stupid...true soul...stupid.

“That...” she gulped air at the pain speaking brought and wished she had a some water to drink. “That’s not nice.”

Violet eyes are once again staring straight at her and then it curved to the already familiar amusement from before.

“No. But this one was never nice in the first place.”

His arms hid half his face in this angle, but Mora was sure he’s smiling again.“Yeah, you’re not. So, what now?”

“Now you rest then later, you leave.”

She snorted.

“Tragic.” She carefully stood up. Knowing that her posture as she limped towards the older man was atrocious. “I’m still waiting for your apology.”

“This lord have never apologized and will never do so for any reason.”

She groaned as she roughly dropped to sit beside him, leaning against the same cave wall and grunting as she settled near his warmth. Rain probably hasn’t stopped yet. It’s still terribly cold.

“Figures.” She grumbled nonsense under her breath for a moment before she remembered something.

Her head snapped up to look at his face and saw that he was already facing her way, staring but relaxed again.

“Why did you stop attacking anyway? You were so close. Something broke, I could feel it. Then you stopped and got hurt instead.”

That was stupid. If it was her, she’d have attacked until she gotten what she wanted.

“This one did not. You stopped this lord’s strike.”

She did what now? It seemed that he’s getting better at reading her face because he continued in casual explanation.

“Your seal broke. From this one’s attack, from your struggling, this lord does not know. But the seal on your energies broke and the Materia that burst from your core was enough to disperse mine.”

She’s a ten year old child. In a world with magic. So she should have the minimum understanding of how magic works. And she does. Its in the memories she’s stolen...inherited from the original soul. But his words are unknown to her and not at all what she thought happened.

“I have a seal? Err... had a seal?” She blushed when her habit of correcting herself rose unbidden.

“You did not know?” He nodded seemingly in deep thought, though his eyes were kept trained on her face.

“You were probably very young...younger than now when they placed it on you. Which is correct.

Your body back then should be too young to even contain Materia, it could have hurt your future potential. But you should have been told when you were old enough to start your magic training.

You can study theory all you want, but nothing is more important in learning than handling your energies in actual practice. It must have been hard on you.”

“What is hard?” Theory?

“Magic training without being able to use it at all. Did you not think it strange that you cannot manipulate energy?”

You, Mr. Slade, is freaking me the frack out. When in doubt, move on.

“So... you’re not going to apologize. How about just promise not to hit me again. Magic or otherwise... and for real this time! No lies!”

She hiked her voice into a cheer for as much as she dared, ignoring his look of confusion. Until she knows her place in this world, she can’t just admit that she understood nothing around here.

“Why? Do you not understand that this lord is imprisoned here for a reason?”

He allowed her change of topic so she’d forgive his words this time.

“And I broke your chains.” She made another irritated noise, making it intentionally loud. “From the fact that you didn’t immediately attack me when I first came in, those chains kept that weird fog thingy from being called forth by you.

I released you. Maybe not from this cave, but at least from being sealed by those chains. You owe me at least that much.”

Slade grumbled under his breath, the rumbling deep sound comfortable to aching her body as she basically leaned on his arm. Despite his cold skin, his robes are warm. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind her grubby self plastering herself right there.

“Fine. This one will never harm you again. This lord is making this promise as thanks for your assistance. Meager as it was.”

She slapped a tiny hand on the arm she was leaning on before relaxing again. She was weak, and hurt and her voice came out basically a tired whisper at this point.

“Hey, that last part wasn’t necessary.”

He chuckled.

“Sleep, Mora. You need to heal.”

“Hmm...”

The last thing she knew was a cold hand laying on top of her head and stroking her hair. Something cold and soothing gently flowing through her body. It wasn’t suffocating her like before. It numbed her pain enough that she was able to release all her tension. Relaxed enough that she faded into sleep.

[[Chapter End: A/N]]

Can we just agree that she’s a grown woman transmigrated into a child body? And Slade is pretty. So let’s not make an issue of that. Yes? No? Yes, please? Thanks. And no, that wasn’t me making an issue of that. That was just me being paranoid. I am a marshmallow in a cat body. Have mercy.

⚜ Lunamiere