At that time, the man outside had entered the prison.
As he took his first steps inside, he was suddenly stopped and was forced to blind himself through a black cloth used to create artifacts in his vision. Suddenly, he had felt a cold touch around his neck, and then he felt a force pull him. A chain had been wrapped around his neck, a sort of leash that the guards made to keep captives in check while inside the prison.
First, the man was dragged through the main part of the entrance, then the prison's offices, passing by where 16 was, then lastly the cell hall, until they met the cell where the boy had died.
As they got to the cell, the guards opened the door and then stripped the man of all he had, leaving him only with his blank white shirt and his long brown pants.
After taking everything away, one of the guards shouted:
"Move it, get in the cell!"
The guard pushed the man from behind just as he stepped into the cell, and he was sent stumbling.
"Whoa!"
As he recovered, he instantly noticed the rotten odor that filled the air.
"Oh my, what is this stench?"
The man looked just below his feet and noticed the ground below him was a darker color, different from the rest of the floor. He looked towards the flat mattress on the side and noticed small red spots splattered on the side.
Turning, he faced the guard who stood just at the entrance, asking:
"What happened here?"
But, he got no answer.
"No talking!" the guard shouted. "What is your name?"
The guard suddenly began approaching the man in the cell, then stopped right in front of him.
"It's Le-"
The guard lifted his right arm, sent it towards the man's face, striking him in the cheek. He stumbled back and smashed into the wall behind him, almost bringing him down.
"Shut the hell up, you're 51! You belong to us now!"
The guard turned around, then walked back, exiting the cell,
He turned around, then grabbed the side of the door, slamming it shut, causing an echo in the hall, and then locked it quickly.
"Enjoy your stay…"
With a disgusting grin spread across his face, the guard turned and began making his way back down the hall, leaving 51 standing in his dirty new abode.
51 looked around again. Dirt covered the whole cell, the walls, the floor, the mattress, everything…
He seemed displeased; he couldn't recall ever living in such an improper place before.
"What a dirty place," he muttered.
Minutes passed, and suddenly he heard a door squeal at the end of the hall. A guard's loud voice from afar.
"Keep walking!"
Loud footsteps came from down the hall. It took a few seconds to reach him, but as soon as they did, three men passed by his cell, one of them glancing at him as he passed by.
He noticed the man, his face was red, covered in blood, a wound sat just above his right eye, still freshly crimson from an injury, in this place, it would surely get infected.
The sounding footsteps suddenly stopped in front of the cell next to his, and a loud thud could be heard, soon followed by the sound of the door slamming shut, causing a loud metallic echo throughout the cell hall.
A pair of keys began to jangle, then two of the men walked by his cell, not giving him a single glance as they quickly passed.
51 walked to the front of his cell, and he approached the wall on the right side, leaned against it close to the metal bars that stood at the entrance.
"Hey neighbor, how long have you been here?" he asked.
16 in the cell next to him, suddenly jolted up, his eyes widened, and he was still. He didn't know anyone willing to talk to him at the prison besides the guards.
He approached the front of his cell, getting closer to try and hear the man better.
"M-me?"
"Yeah, you."
16 didn't know if he should respond, but this question sparked a thought in his mind. He pondered for a long moment, but only began to question his memory.
"I-I don't know…"
"Long enough that you can't remember, huh?"
16 looked down at his feet, gloomy.
"y-yeah," he responded, "w-who are you?"
"Just someone who admires the stars."
His gloomy face grew to confusion.
"T-the stars? T-the ones in the s-sky?"
"You are correct," 51 affirmed, "Anyways, what's your name?"
"16."
51 batted an eye.
"That's a very distant number from mine."
"It s-should be, you are the newest slave… I-I've been here for…"
A silence fell over him for a moment.
Noticing this, 51 broke it.
"So, Mr. 16, do you know why this cell is covered in this dried blood?"
"Yeah, some kid died there, number fif-fifteen."
"Was that the kid you disposed of earlier?"
"Y-yeah."
51 started to ponder, thinking it must have been fate for so many coincidences to line up, the numbers 15 and 51, opposites, things lined up too perfectly.
"How fitting, my number is the opposite of his, number 15 to number 51, quite an interesting coincidence, don't you think?"
16 seemed confused, but he didn't care for this man's ramblings. However, with nothing else to do, he bought into the man's words, asking:
"W-what about that is interesting?"
"I was guided here in search of someone who didn't belong. Maybe that kid was the someone I've been looking for."
51 began to pace around his cell.
"Hey, whatever your name is, is there anyone who stands out at this place, any prisoners?"
No one stood out; the unique characteristics about the prisoners were their looks, some existed as humans, others as beasts. Nobody acted out of line, in fear of the guards and the warden who would act upon them with brutal beatings, so they were all much the same in terms of how they acted, just a few differences, such as speech and mental differences, but those came with time.
"N-no, nobody wants to stand out; they'll get beaten."
"What about the kid? Did he do anything to stand out?"
"H-he ignored the guard, h-he was born here, so I guess he couldn't handle the suffering anymore."
51's eyes opened wide, and he thought about how hard it must have been for 15, a kid trapped in a cell with little recollection of the outside world, his only home being the familiar dirt on the walls he woke up to every day.
"That kid was born here? What happened to his parents?"
"H-his mom… k-killed."
The two became silent…
"... I assume his father died as well?"
"I'm not sure."
Silence swept over the two again. 51 started pacing around his cell, another time, stuck in thought.
Suddenly, what seemed like out of nowhere, he proclaimed:
"... I'm going to destroy this place."
16's eyes widened.
"W-what!.. Already?"
16 seemed very surprised.
"As I said before, I admire the stars, I don't know why, but I am willing to bet that kid is the reason I have been guided here by them."
"B-but you were captured, h-how are you going to get past the guards?".
51 smirked.
"I let them catch me, and right now, I don't want to be in this disgusting cell."
He looked around his disgusting cell; a slight stench lingered, but it was slowly getting aired out.
"Even though there is no real reason as to why I think the kid is the reason why I am here, I feel a connection to him."
He glanced down at the floor, looking at the stain made from the boy's blood.
Seeing this aftermath below him, this distrusting mess of an abused child, he decided that the chance was worth taking. This kid could truly be the one he was guided to, but it wasn't a guarantee; he knew nothing was certain, but he was against the conditions of his cell.
"After seeing him, I thought he may have just been unlucky, but hearing about him, I realized he has lived a life of despair, the opposite of me. Even though it is early, I am again willing to bet he is the reason why I am here."
He suddenly reached his right arm through the cell bars, unaware that 16 couldn't see it.
"So how about it? Do you want your freedom, Mr. 16?"
It was an obvious question; he already knew the answer to it.
"O-of course, but h-how can I trust you?"
51 smirked.
"Do you know anything about the stars?"
16 looked up, only to see the dirty ceiling.
"N-no, I barely even know anything about my past, I don't think I would know about something so far away."
51 smiled and then withdrew his hand from the bars.
"Then, let me teach you something about them."
"W-what?"
51 approached the center of his cell, then he turned around and faced the door that stood at the entrance. He closed his eyes, put his hands together at his waistline, then opened them. A small yellow orb of light gathered in between his hands, and his face slowly started to turn gold…
At that time, 16 became flustered. Sound had stopped coming from the cell next door…
Nothing happened for a long moment, and 16 began to think the man was setting a bluff.,,
Then, he heard the man shout.
"Enlighten!"
The orb in 51's hand dispersed, and a wave of light rushed towards the door, knocking it off its hinges, eventually hitting the wall on the other side. 51 disappeared.
A loud crash echoed through the cell hall, alerting the guards by the door and every prisoner.
The guards at the door quickly rushed over to 51's cell. They noticed the door, then quickly looked inside, scanning every inch of the room…
51 was no longer there…