The next part is already up on Ritoria! 

Warning: This story may contain depictions of violence, non-consent, mature content and themes intended for mature audiences only. Please be advised.

Chapter 1 - Pitter. Patter. 

Hakan collapsed to the cell's floor as soon as he was roughly shoved in. His legs would no longer carry him. He was drenched in sweat, and it dripped down his swollen, bruised face to the ground. In the silence of the dark, wet dungeon, every drop resounded in his ear like a firearm discharging. Or it could be the constant ring he was hearing after the punch he received to his right ear. No, his dripping sweat sounded like a gentle rain. 

Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter. 

How long had it been since he heard and felt rain? Felt it run down his skin and cool him after a sweaty sparring session? He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he was taken. A month? Two months? A year? Who could tell? He'd long since given up on keeping time here. He'd tried scratching lines on the wall thing, but he ran out of fingernails quickly, and he didn't fancy the idea of smearing his own blood on the filthy walls. He didn't have much blood left to smear anyway. 

In contrast to the halls of gold and black above, these dungeons were a code violation. He attempted to sit up straight but the hands bracing him gave and he dropped to the ground, face-first. Teeth met with the stone floor. He tasted blood. 

God, he hated this place with every fiber in his being. Wherever this place was. He wasn't quite sure yet. They wouldn't tell him a thing, no matter how persistently -or loudly- he asked. And screamed. And begged. Especially the black-haired one, the one who was king. 

That one scared him the most. 

The mere memory of his cold, ruthless blue eyes was enough to send chills down his spine. 

He suspected that he was the one who had taken him. Alas, he had no memory of his kidnapping. Still, he was certain it was the black mermaid who had taken him.

But for what purpose? They wouldn't tell him that either. Damn them all to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. 

Not knowing what he was doing in his wretched place was driving him insane. It was all he could think about when he was left alone to wade through the murky darkness of his mind. 

Why am I here? What do they want with me? 

And who the hell are these guys? 

They were most definitely not human. He'd figured that much out by himself. There were a lot of creatures in this hellhole he had never seen or heard of before, even in the darkest myths and stories. Like the disgusting tentacle monster he'd encountered on his first night here, the one with the many bulbous tentacles...

He mustered enough strength to turn over. It took everything he had in him. Once he was lying on his back, he closed his eyes and welcomed the blackness that would temporarily relieve him of his suffering. 

Rest. He needed some rest. 

When was this nightmare going to end? 

The dungeon door opened. 

His eyes shot wide open. Hysteria seeped through his veins like the blackest poison. 

No. No. No! 

They were coming for him so soon?! But he'd already won today's match! And he'd never had to endure two matches in one day! Surely they weren't here for him! Surely...! 

He started to visibly shake when the heavy footfalls approached his cell. 

Please, don't let it be me. Please, God. Please!

Closer and closer and closer and- 

The footsteps stopped. His blood went ice cold as his cell's iron door swung open. 

****

"I want to see my son." Kai's mother demanded, her face contorted into hard lines. She was visibly upset. 

Erasmus understood her anger. It stemmed from concern. She hadn't seen Kai in over a month, so he couldn't blame her for her bluntness now. She'd been asking to see him for weeks now, but she'd been met with rejection every time. Today, it seemed, she'd finally reached the limits of her patience. 

"You cannot." Erasmus told her flatly. 

"Why is that?"

He sighed. He'd explained it a hundred times to her by now, but she seemed persistent in ignoring him. It was almost impressive, if it weren't so annoying. 

"I have told you this many times already-"

"Tell it to me again. Why can't I see my son?" 

"He is deep in training. He cannot afford the distraction."

Kai's mother's eyes narrowed on him like a predator locking on its prey, and Erasmus instantly knew he was going to regret his choice of words. 

He inwardly sighed and braced himself for the inevitable. 

"I am his mother," she declared with the authority of a king. Or a king's wife, as the case once was.

"I am well aware-"

"Listen here, you!" 

He braced himself for the wrath of a mother scorned. Here we go. 

A hand rested on her shoulder, silencing her icy tirade. 

She whirled around, ready to give the hand owner a piece of her mind, when she saw that it was Ryodan. Kai's mother's stony face softened and she smiled. 

Erasmus' jaw dropped. Oh, come on. She nurses him once and now he's like a son to her?! 

"I'll take you to see him soon." Ryodan promised in a voice laced with velvet and honey, as if it was his to give. He was suddenly exuding a comforting, trustworthy aura that Erasmus had no clue he could muster. He'd never seen him act this way before. It was... 

Erasmus felt a fluttering in his stomach. He quickly stifled it. 

Kai's mother seemed to relax. "Very well," she said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm counting on you."