In a cell that looked more special than the others, there stood a short, purple-haired man next to a pool of blood. That man was Lensin. He was reciting an incantation he had obtained from a mysterious book found on an unknown corpse.
He stared at the lifeless body of a long, white-haired woman. That was Onna. Her body was soaked in a pool of blood from where Lensin's knife had stabbed her in the stomach. Lensin watched her body.
Until her body began to shake horrifically. The body rose and looked at Lensin. The body started to change. The wounds from the stabbing began to heal. Her body transformed.
From a long, white-haired woman with gray eyes, she changed into a tall woman with orange hair tied back and yellow eyes. She wore a long, mysterious black cloak. She stared emotionlessly at Lensin before asking,
"Where is this place, and how did I get here?"
Though the voice was soft, it was full of command and power. Lensin's body began to tremble, and deep down, his heart was filled with fear. He said nothing but held out the book to her.
"Hmm... A demon summoning ritual. The demon cannot return until both parties have agreed upon a mutual contract. Interesting."
After she finished reading, she placed the book on the table beside her. Her face was calm and composed.
"So, what do you want?"
Even though she asked, she already sensed that this place could not use power without a greater force. She knew what he wanted. Lensin knew that she understood his desire, so he told her,
"I want my own power back. That book contains the incantation to reclaim power. Therefore, the wish of the person who gave me this book is to reclaim power. In exchange for... what do you want?"
He asked, his tone showing a slight suspicion. She thought for a moment before answering,
"Whenever I require your assistance, you must help me in a way you cannot control. Is that agreeable?"
Lensin considered the offer. He then needed to ask something. His voice showed understanding and caution.
"And how dangerous is it?"
The woman laughed before replying,
"It depends on how strong you are."
Lensin had expected her to answer this way, even though his heart longed for a safer-
sounding answer.
"Hmph. Fine then. Agreed."
He gave a short nod, and a black ring with a purple aura appeared beneath his feet. The ring spun rapidly, and a light filled the cage's interior, but its light did not escape outside.
The body began to disappear, leaving Lensin alone. He calmly lay down on the bed with a voice in his head—the voice of the woman who had just vanished.
"Just play the game."
"Awake"
A familiar voice, sharp and forceful, echoed in Lensin's head. He opened his eyes and saw the owner of the voice: the Chief Guard.
Everyone woke up at the sound of his voice. The blonde-haired guard walked up to Lensin's cage and opened the door for him, putting handcuffs on him.
As he was being led out, the cage directly opposite his, which he was familiar with, was empty inside. He had expected this and paid it no mind, but then he saw someone else inside it instead: a man with shoulder-length white hair and golden eyes.
He immediately knew that this person was the newest inmate at the prison, but he didn't pay it any attention. He kept walking, seeing a small pink-haired woman and a large man arguing as usual. However, the white-haired man he saw this morning walked over and spoke to the two of them about something.
He only observed them briefly but didn't dwell on it. He walked until he reached the familiar mess hall. He grabbed a food tray and sat down at a table, but this time, he was alone. He thought of the two people who used to be with him, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
When he finished eating, he heard a loud voice—a voice he immediately recognized as that of the Chief Guard.
"Time to go to work."
Each guard brought handcuffs to put on the inmates they were responsible for supervising.
Lensin walked toward the mine. He headed to the middle-to-lower level. He conjured an explosive blast and threw it at the rock face, but its power was not as strong as he had anticipated.
He had expected this; the demon was not to be trusted. She had only granted him the ability to use basic power, allowing him to regain some energy. Now, it was just a matter of training to return to his former strength, but that would likely take too long.
He sighed and began mining ore. He felt much stronger now when digging, but he chose to mine at the same pace as before to avoid drawing attention. He also set aside time for a ritual, as normal training would take too long.
He used the blood he had obtained to draw a strange-looking symbol. He used his mining tool to cut himself, dripping his own blood onto the symbol, and recited the incantation he remembered. His body coughed up blood and he fell to his knees, injured.
Dark energy filled the area around him, consuming the lifeforce of the people in the vicinity and converting it into power. Lensin then consumed that energy. Lensin's veins turned black.
The dark energy subsided. A man with black hair walked down and saw Lensin looking utterly insane. He screamed in terror. Lensin lunged at him, grabbed his body, and used the power of darkness to devour his lifeforce.
The man's black hair turned white. His healthy skin changed into aged, wrinkled skin until his body disintegrated. He returned to sit within the circle and continued to consume the dark energy.
Two hours passed. He opened his eyes. He gathered the ore and walked out of the cave. He found that the lifeforce of the other people had diminished, except for three people: the man with shoulder-length white hair, the small woman with purple hair, and the large bald man.
But he acted as if nothing had happened. The three people looked at Lensin with strange eyes but did not do anything yet. He knew he was now suspicious.