Chapter 168: Prison Life (1)
Disclaimer: The following Chapter contains abusive scenes which may be triggering to certain readers.
Narin’s legs gave out, her body slowly sinking to the floor. Her tangled hair fell forward, veiling her face as she bowed her head.
On the other side of the bars, Gara’s expression remained calm, unreadable. "Stop deluding yourself. No one’s coming to save you. Not now, not ever."
"When I get out..." Narin’s voice was barely a whisper, yet Gara still caught every word. Her head lifted, revealing cracked lips, heavy dark circles, and eyes flushed red. "Even if it takes five years, I’ll have my revenge!"
"Puhahaha!" Gara’s laugh rang loud, echoing through the prison. If not for the barriers placed on each cell, the other inmates might have already pressed against their bars, eager to watch the scene unfold.
Taking a step forward, Gara tilted his chin high. "I told you—quit dreaming. You should already know I have far stronger backing than you ever will.
I could end you right here, right now. But..." his lips curved into a cruel smile, "...I’d rather watch you suffer."
Narin’s breath quickened. She didn’t want to believe him, but part of her resolve wavered. The fact she was still rotting inside this cell was proof enough.
"DAMN YOU! GET OUT! GET OUT!" she screamed, her voice cracking in hysteria.
Her narrowed glare fixed on Gara’s infuriating smile. She wanted to throw something—anything—at him, but the cell was bare. Not even a pillow. Nothing but cold stone and iron.
She was truly a prisoner.
"I don’t plan to linger in this place either." Gara’s eyes swept the prison with a look of sheer disgust. The sight alone made Narin’s pride crumble.
Once, she had been praised endlessly by fellow Liners, even adopted by a noble’s butler for her rare water-healing Talent and her beauty. Now, she was filthy, neglected, and locked away like garbage.
Rage burned through her veins. She was furious. Furious enough to explode.
And yet, the beautiful young man before her, spotless in both face and clothing, delivered his parting words with chilling finality,
"Because you dared to toy with my child’s life... be ready for your own life to be played as a toy."
The hairs on Narin’s neck stood on end. Even after Gara’s footsteps faded into silence, she couldn’t shake the sensation of unseen eyes watching her.
Dragging her weak legs—wasted from days of refusing prison food—she retreated to the back of her cell, pressing herself against the icy wall.
After almost a month in prison, she was on the verge of going insane.
The only voices she ever heard belonged to guards delivering meals or interrogators demanding answers. She refused to speak to other inmates, convinced she would be released soon.
But with each passing day, her confidence crumbled. Gara’s visit just now left her rattled to the core. Fear and doubt began to seep into her mind like poison.
Alone, with nothing but her own thoughts, Narin spiraled deeper into unease.
Cring. The metallic groan of iron bars broke the silence. Evening free time had come.
One by one, the cells unlocked, including hers.
"Out," the guard ordered.
Scowling, Narin stepped from her cell, lining up with the other inmates before being herded toward the deeper sections of the underground prison.
Their barefoot steps echoed through the long, damp, dimly lit corridor.
Their steps halted inside a large chamber lit better than the corridors, lined with benches. The inmates quickly spread out, forming groups and chatting with one another. Some began excercising or stretching their bodies.
Narin, however, sat alone on one bench, a stark contrast to the others.
Most inmates had grown used to her arrogance—boasting that her father was a noble’s trusted retainer—so they no longer paid her any mind.
This time, though, a group of women approached with smiles that were anything but kind.
"What do you want?" Narin snapped, instantly defensive.
One of them, a tall, broad-shouldered woman with hair twisted into a rough bun—no ties, of course, since inmates weren’t allowed anything but their plain clothes and Talent-suppressing collars—reached out and toyed with Narin’s tangled hair, her eyes gleaming playfully.
Smack! Narin slapped the hand away and scooted back.
"You dare?" the woman growled.
"My father is a noble’s right hand in the county. If you mess with me, your lives will never be peaceful!" Narin shouted, though to their ears it was just a tired, memorized line she had repeated too many times.
Without a word, the tall woman flicked her gaze at her companions. At once they closed in, blocking the guards’ sight while laughing and chattering loudly, as if nothing unusual was happening.
SMACK!
A hard slap crashed across Narin’s cheek. Her head whipped sideways, and she nearly toppled backward.
Before she could recover, the woman yanked her hair, holding her in place, and shoved a foul-smelling rag into her mouth. It reeked like old prison clothes.
When Narin tried to spit it out, another inmate shoved it more and pinned her arms behind her back, locking her in place.
Another slap.
"Mmghhh!" A muffled cry slipped past the gag. The women’s forced laughter and noisy chatter drowned her voice.
"We already know you’ve got no ties to any noble," the tall one muttered, slapping her again.
"Whatever you did outside doesn’t matter here. Inside, everyone pays the same price. Everyone has to go through the welcome ritual." She giggled, then her face twisted in mock annoyance. "But you! You’ve been here nearly a month and still haven’t had yours, all because of your lies."
She bent down so her face hovered just inches from Narin’s swollen cheek. "So for your little deception... maybe three days of it. Or a whole week?" she said, glancing at the others as if seeking opinions.
The group burst into laughter.
To Narin, their laughter was that of devils. All of them were humans, stripped of their Talents just like her, yet they were more terrifying than the wild beasts that once left her fainting in fear.
If only she could faint now. But the stinging pain of each slap kept her awake.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as her cheeks flushed red and began to swell. Her whole body trembled, terrified of what this "ritual" would be.
SMACK!
Another slap rang out. This time from a different inmate.
...