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Nathair coughed, in a bloody heap by the broken cage, but thankfully that obnoxious ringing died out. He would’ve had it just fine but for some reason his powers hadn’t worked. Drugged? Sure that would explain an ability damp but there weren’t effective stops for ghouls and besides that he was a wizard.

He hadn’t felt this helplessness since training. Oh, but he’d forgotten what it felt like not to constantly fight that hunger and rage that gnawed through him on the ghoul side. For once that deadening hatred was gone and he didn’t have to suppress it.

Now he was just tired. But, more or less, free. And that was nice sensation.

But it’s coming back now.

Limply, Nathair held his arm over his head and watched the irritated pulse glowing hazily like a stupid heartbeat. Bold of them to assume he still had one of those.

Even as he thought that the pulse slowly cut out. Well. That was unnecessary.

 

 

As water sucked downward, something screamed shrilly all around him, vibrating all across the glass.

Alessio couldn’t breathe if he didn’t make it up there. Ugly sheets of kaleidoscope spots fluttered over his vision. He gasped as water lapped over his face. In moments it was sinking to his shoulders, he stopped having to swim to catch pockets of oxygen but he was still choking his lungs up.

His body collapsed as the water trickled out. It was still screaming, he didn’t have the energy to plug his ears he still couldn’t get enough oxygen. Alessio coughed violently, his sides shaking too hard. It was as bad as the time they overdosed him on ability dampers. You needed some measure of heat to burn oxygen. He blacked out and he never figured out what they did after that but when he woke up he was back in a dark pit that smelled sickly pungent.

Air was getting in now, enough he could finally feel his hands. His ears were still ringing so loud he couldn’t hear a devil-cursed thing, couldn’t even tell if the alarm at stopped. He wasn’t looking around, but he was staring down while he got his bearings.

There was a strange glimmer on his arm. He couldn’t imagine how the carving was so even through the net of scars along his arms. He always wore long sleeve clothes to cover it. It was chilling to have to stare at it, he felt all too vulnerable. Of course, they’d want him to feel that way, any shred of autonomy had to be destroyed to have a perfect little weapon.

He was still trapped in a dome of glass.

Alessio was pretty sure he could break out of that easy, but whatever was on the outside would have to think he was going to be no trouble to keep captive if he had a hope of making it far. He kept his head down, assessing his options.

He had to make it out, someone had to keep Leana safe. He needed to escape so he could find her again before anything else came for her.

 

 

“Sir?” A head suddenly bobbed over Nathair, who jumped and stumbled half upright to face a flushed…girl? Where the devil was he, was he really still in whatever crazy delusion this was? He relaxed slightly, seeing her wide, innocent eyes she’d be hardly a threat at this exact moment. “May I help you?”

“Mm, well…unless you can magic us all back home, probably not.” He said, talking a little too fast even while he was trying to blow off the incident with a laugh.

Sitting up, Nathair casually surveyed the glass shards around him and…whatever was he wearing? How am I supposed to strike terror in the hearts of my enemies dressed like this? It looks like some undergarb or something and that’s uncomfortable.

“Ah, apologies, it seems I’m not very presentable today. You wouldn’t happen to know where we are now, would you?” Best to play the friendly oaf until he had more information.

He smiled charmingly at her, slipping into his mild-mannered royal appearance even as he side-eyed the place around them. A strange door and more glass bottles all around them.

 

 

Options.

Alessio could break out, risking everything to the unknown. He could yell for help, which would fit into the helpless persona he’d need to get them to let their guard down, but it would again risk everything to unknown variables. There was no telling what was outside and whether or not it wanted him alive or dead.

He could wait. And see what happened until he had a clearer escape.

Alessio risked letting his eyes skim over his surroundings, hard enough to see past the warping haze of the glass. There was some more light in the center of the room (at least, he assumed it was the center of the room…) More bottles, he could see vague outlines of more people there. He swallowed, there wasn’t any way to save them if he got caught. He couldn’t save anybody he couldn’t even save himself what was he even thinking!? Sparks flickered through his fingers all the same.

There were people out there, in the light, but he couldn’t identify them for sure. Maybe that was Leana, she was talking to…

His heart stopped dead in its tracks.

Panic, pure panic coursed through his veins as he stared at Nathair right beside Leana, so close to her he’d have no chance of reaching her in time.

 

@hannahrenner @kimlikesart (NITHEL IS BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!! *literally everyone cheered when we read your update🥰*) @ragnarok