***
While the stress and recurring depression caused a loss in appetite, my muscles were starting to give me warning signs that I really should probably eat something, even if not in the perfect mood for it.
The next day I woke up, I found a small meal that one of the guards had left; it was a different bowl this time, with a thick, turmeric-coloured liquid inside.
I didn’t think twice when I gulped the ‘soup’, almost finishing it if it weren’t for the burning sensation that spread in my chest as soon as the liquid spread through the rest of my body. I choked, throwing the bowl away as I started coughing irritably at possibly the worst thing I’ve experienced here so far.
‘Don’t tell me…’ I managed to hold back tears, struggling to spit out the remains of the poisonous liquid in my mouth. I was basically gripping at the final threads of survival. ‘Was I going to die here now? After all that?’
“You sure do manage to get into serious trouble when I’m not around,” a familiar voice appeared, and for the first time, I was glad to see the eerie eyeball. They clapped their wings at once, and before I could process what was happening, I felt something cold enter my mouth.
I gagged, too weak to even fight it off. The texture reminded me of gooey slime in a way.
I didn’t know what the eyeball was doing, but it seemed to be working because soon enough, the painful scratching, along with the disgusting goo, left my chest. I was currently panting heavily on the floor, trying to return to my normal breathing rate as I wondered what the hell had just happened.
“Wha…” I stopped myself, my voice cracking. I waited until I could talk properly.
Be sighed as they fluttered around me. “You should stop taking whatever the guards give you, they’re out to kill you.”
‘That would’ve been nice if you told me sooner.’ I kept that comment to myself. Despite not liking it, they did save my life… I would’ve probably died a painful death if it weren’t for them.
I coughed and opened my mouth to speak again. “Was that poison?” My voice was hoarse, but I’m glad Be could hear it just fine.
I looked back on the eyeball that was now staring at the bowl, growing concerned as I watched their pupil shake. They felt… unstable.
“No… it was alchemy,” they finally answered. “If it had been poison, I would’ve had no choice but to let you die.”
I shuddered at the fact. “Why?”
“It would be considered a natural event, therefore, I would not be allowed to interfere,” Be dropped down to my level, lifting their yellow wing over my face to check something. “However, the magic that was used now is forbidden; we call it corrupt mana. It was contaminated using other, unnatural material.”
My mouth dropped slightly in shock. “How… how is that even possible? I thought magic couldn’t be corrupted?”
“It couldn’t, except in two conditions,” they continued. “One, they acquire either the light or shadow element, and can hold a considerable amount of its mana. That way, if they corrupt their own magic, they will suffer minor consequences… but that way is usually unsuccessful,” they paused as I waited for the rest, getting a bit antsy. “The most probable scenario was that they made a pact with a Seer.”
“A Seer…?” I frowned. I was starting to get confused by the new terms that hit me surprise each time. If only I had a notebook with me to write this all down…
“We are Seers,” the eyeball explained. “Our powers are mostly used to maintain the natural flow of the world, to make sure the amount of mana stays the same throughout the course; if mana goes in, the rest goes out. There is no such thing as creating extra mana because all of it is recycled and reused in some way,” I could see their eyes darken as they explained. “But in very few cases, it is possible that it could be destroyed, and what you just witnessed now was an example of it.”
“When that happens, it is no longer mana. It is something we call lanor.”
I could see the severity of the situation as Be delved into their own thoughts. I wondered if I was supposed to know this much.
“So then…” I started, trying to grasp the concept. God, let’s hope I didn’t have to do math in this world too. “No one is capable of doing that properly but you guys, right?”
The eyeball’s yellow iris sparkled in surprise. “Yes, that’s correct. And the punishment for that crime is that the Seer will have to absorb the mana they corrupted.”
“And… what does that do to the Seer?” I felt like I knew the answer just by looking at them. They turned away, as if deciding that it was time for them to take their leave.
“They become one,” Be quietly answered. “I think in human terms, you can say that the Seer dies.”
***
I waited for Be to come back after they urgently left, presumably to handle the other conflict we had at our hands—no, their hands; I didn’t want to be involved in this mess any longer.
Shaking my head, I leaned against the wall for some sort of comfort. I tried to think of normal thoughts that didn’t consist of being killed by the guards, being killed by a Seer, being killed by possibly another new entity waiting to jump out from the darkness any minute now—
I think I’m starting to go crazy.
Despite having almost no energy, I forced my body to get up and move my legs around. If I had proper food, I would’ve at least tried exercising to pass the time.
‘You never exercised in your past life, did you really think you’d start right now?’ I did not appreciate my brain being honest with me.
“I hope you weren’t bored while I was away,” the eyeball popped out of nowhere again. This time, I only flinched, already growing used to their annoying way of appearing.
“Nah, I’m having the time of my life just standing here and…” my eyes turned to the wide open hole at the back, “watching the rats start a family. Couldn’t be happier.”
Be giggled again, and I found pride in having at least one person appreciate my dead humour at a time like this. “You never fail to amaze me with your behaviour, human. I guess I didn’t have to worry about you.”
I raised an eyebrow. ‘Worry about me?’
Before I could say anything, my whole body began to shake again, dizziness overtaking me completely until I was barely keeping composure.
“Ah, I almost forgot. You humans need to eat.” They seemed to know what was going on before I could, and I rolled my eyes.
“You told me I shouldn’t eat anything the guards give me,” I pointed out.
“Who said you’re taking food from them?” Be tilted its head. “You underestimate me, human. We control all the elements, the fundamental roots of the world, the ones that bring nourishment. You think I wouldn’t be able to provide one measly plate?”
I was surprised by the sudden reaction that I couldn’t think of a response. Instead, they answered in my stead. “Now, what would you like to have? You should really eat, you need the energy to get stronger. After all, the next few days will decide your fate.”
Whatever that was about fate, I completely ignored it as the only thing on my mind was food. “Then…” I felt my mouth begin to water as I thought of my current cravings. I opened my mouth to say one that I could list from the top of my head but immediately stopped. Would they know what instant noodles were?
Probably not.
I thought of the next best thing I was feeling compelled to eat. “Can I have custard…?”
I just knew the eyeball was judging me when they stared at me like that. “That’s not very fulfilling,” they pointed out. “Do you really not have a meal that you wish to enjoy?”
God, why was this starting to sound like I was being sent off to get the death row sentence? “Not any that I could think of in the moment.”
I felt a little bad that I couldn’t formulate a proper response, but the sudden influx of information from yesterday had worn out my brain already. Not to mention, my attempted assassination this morning was the finishing touch.
“Fine then, here you go,” in a flash, a blanket was draped on the floor followed by a plate of tropical fruits, full spinach-tomato omelets, a pitcher of lemon water and finally, a glass bowl of custard.
I gaped in awe at the appealing display, not expecting the amount of attention the eyeball put into preparing it; they even included a water basin and a mini towel to clean my hands!
My stomach let out a growl in response, forgetting about the fact that they had originally come to kill me. I didn’t realize I had been this hungry until now.
I took a large bite out of the warm eggs, wondering if it tasted as good as it looked. A soft moan escaped my mouth and I quickly turned away, embarrassed. Dammit, I hadn’t planned on letting them know that I was weak to good food.
‘This will definitely be used against me,’ I thought, glancing for a second to see the smug expression on the eyeball.
“Is it good?” they asked, even though they already knew the answer just by looking at me. “I haven’t prepared a meal for a human in a while so I don’t know if it would suit your taste.”
I continued to eat, stuffing myself with everything from every plate until my stomach could no longer handle any food. I gulped down the water in one sip before I spoke again.
“It tastes wonderful,” I was completely honest with how I felt. The eyeball looked taken aback by my statement. Did they expect me to be prideful about it?
“I’m glad…” I didn’t know what look Be had on their ‘face’, but I could tell that they were feeling giddy; I almost thought they were cute.
That is, until a furious eyeball stormed in from the hole in the back, slightly shaking the dungeon. Rats scurried away from the commotion, and I think at that moment I wished I had reincarnated as a rat instead.
An eyeball with red wings that I haven’t seen before hovered in front of us, angrily looking between me and Be.
I nervously turned to peek at Be who also looked shaken by the interruption. I gulped at the uncomforting reaction. This was not a good sign.
“Ai… Hi…” the yellow-winged eyeball was the first to speak. I didn’t dare say anything.
“Don’t you ‘hi’ me, you little—“ what came out of their mouth after that was a string of insults that would put the foulest pirate to shame. I gaped, horrified at the scene and what awaited me next.
Because after they finished flaming the poor yellow eyeball, they turned their attention to me.
“You…” I nervously played with the collar of my sleeve. “I knew I shouldn’t have assigned them with the task,” they clicked their tongue, their one pupil contracting as they stared down at me. “Let’s talk.”
I had a feeling I shouldn’t start introducing myself with a ‘hi’.
***
at least the mc got their custard...
all for some good custard