Sollivan looked up at the cloudless sky before shifting his focus to Otieno beside him. After a few moments of silence, the priest coldly ordered, "Follow me."
Due to the well’s seal in his body, Sollivan had no choice but to comply. To avoid any unwanted pain, he reluctantly followed. Unlike usual, he showed no obedience or respect. His steps were heavy, and his gaze was filled with hatred and anger, revealing to the priest the depth of his loathing.
Even after Otieno noticed the burning intensity of Sollivan’s glare, he paid no attention and continued walking with an unreadable expression, carefully hidden. But as time passed, he began to find it difficult to tolerate, and when his patience ran out, he coldly commanded, "Lower your wretched head. If you keep staring at me, I’ll gouge out your eyes."
"Really?" Sollivan replied, quickly lowering his head, but soon sarcasm crept into his tone, and he added, "You’re so funny, you know that? Or rather, how should I describe you? You’re simple-minded and utterly dull..."
As Sollivan expressed his thoughts, Otieno interrupted him, saying, "Don’t trouble yourself."
"Your annoying words and condescending tone won’t make a difference, you know. If you’re waiting for that coward Caldwell to come save you, you’re delusional. Someone like him wouldn’t risk the lives of his followers or the stability of his tribe for you. And even if he were brave enough, he wouldn’t dare oppose the Beast Eagle Clan."
’Caldwell, so that’s the name of the foolish leader.’ Sollivan listened silently to the priest’s words, and when he finished speaking, Sollivan smirked.
At that moment, he wished he could lift his head to look down on Otieno, but since he couldn’t, he laughed loudly for a short while before barely restraining himself, then said mockingly, "I said earlier that you’re simple-minded, but I was wrong. You’re truly an idiot! I wonder how a fool like you became the High Priest." He paused briefly, then added, "Oh, I forgot! Priests are a bunch of fools, so it makes sense that the biggest trash would be their leader."
Despite the crudeness of his words, Otieno didn’t interrupt him and continued listening in silence until he finished. Then Otieno stopped walking and turned to face him with a gaze so sharp it could burn.
The sarcasm disappeared from Sollivan’s face, and his seriousness returned. His muscles tensed, and he braced himself for a physical blow, but what happened was the opposite of what he expected. He heard Otieno say in a voice filled with disdain, "Listen to me, you wretched hybrid. Your ability to breathe right now is my mercy. So I advise you not to push me to skin you alive before I transfer your blood."
"So, shut up. Close your mouth and don’t utter a word. Understood?"
Despite the seriousness of his threats, Sollivan paid no attention to what he said. A particular word echoed in his mind as he thought: ’Transfer my blood? Does he want to steal my blood and transfer it to himself or some container? That greedy bastard.’ He unleashed a string of curses in his mind, then looked at the ground with eyes filled with intense anger. But he quickly calmed down and began reviewing his memories, recalling that the priest was the only one who had acted strangely whenever he saw him.
’But, as I recall, in the book Fredrick gave me, it was said that the purity of blood can only change in extremely rare cases. And nothing was mentioned about transferring blood from one body to another. Is it some kind of forbidden ritual?’ He narrowed his eyes in understanding: ’This explains why the eagle was tasked with kidnapping me and why he chose such a remote meeting place, to remove all suspicion from himself and pin it on the Beast Eagle Clan he mentioned.’
Although he thought about many things, in reality, only a minute had passed, during which they had walked only a few meters. However, Sollivan was able to determine their destination. ’Are we heading in the same direction as the tribe?’ After walking further and covering more distance, he confirmed his hypothesis, but he was no longer interested in that. He now knew the fate that awaited him, and if he weren’t certain of his ability to escape this deadly situation, he would be trembling with fear by now.
The hours passed quietly, and after traveling a great distance, the two of them arrived at a spot filled with trees, which was somewhat rare given the nature of the empty plains. Otieno quickened his pace and ordered Sollivan to keep up, and within moments, they stood before a massive tree with an extremely thick trunk covered in sharp branches.
Having regained some freedom of movement, Sollivan scanned his surroundings curiously before focusing on the priest, who stood strangely still in front of the tree. After seeing him frozen in place for a few moments, Otieno moved oddly and began forming some mysterious hand seals while muttering incomprehensible words that echoed around them despite the lack of walls.
Knock!
Creak!
Scrape!
Suddenly, a loud knocking sound came from the tree, followed by a high-pitched creak. Sollivan was slightly surprised and focused on the tree, only to be even more astonished when he saw it move from its place, emitting an annoying scraping sound. He looked closely at the spot where the tree had been and found a massive circular hole the size of the trunk. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a dark spiral staircase leading deep into the cold earth.
"Go down."
Before his surprise could fade, Sollivan heard the priest’s cold command, and obediently, he walked toward the stairs and hesitated for a moment. He looked at the small, sharp-edged steps and thought about how bad it would be to fall on them. He took a breath of fresh air and placed his foot on the first step, which was smaller than his foot, leaving his toes dangling over the edge. Carefully, he began descending the slippery, dark staircase.
Knock!
Creak!
The familiar knocking sound came from above again, and instinctively, he turned to look at the entrance, which began to shrink until it disappeared. With that, the only source of light illuminating his path was gone. At that moment, he complained loudly, "Man, it’s dark down here. Light us up." Despite his dire situation, he spoke in a friendly tone, as if talking to an old friend rather than the villain who had kidnapped him.
Despite the darkness, he felt the priest’s strange gaze on him before hearing a loud snap of fingers, followed by the ignition of several small glowing stones embedded in the wall. When his vision returned to clarity, their eyes met, and without hesitation, Sollivan turned and continued descending deeper into the earth. After descending a great depth, he reached an underground tunnel built of stone, illuminated by scattered glowing stones. The passage was ancient and filled with mold and fungal growths thriving due to water seepage in the walls.
Even insects he hadn’t seen since coming to this world filled the place in abundance: small spiders, scale insects, and other species. He even saw some strange moths the size of a palm. Additionally, due to the age of the place, many of the stones in the ceiling were extinguished, and some barely glowed, adding to the tunnel’s eeriness.
"Keep walking."
He walked slowly through the long, cold tunnel, which made his body shiver slightly. Even after an hour of walking, he saw no clear end to the passage. "Hmm." Suddenly, he turned his head and looked in a specific direction on the ceiling.
A look of curiosity and suspicion appeared, and in a moment, it turned to surprise and a bit of happiness. ’Noctis.’ Earlier, when the eagle had taken him and flown away, it had moved far from the shadow, weakening the bond between them. Because of this, Sollivan could no longer sense its location or even the direction it was in. But now, he had regained that connection, faintly sensing Noctis’s presence, and it seemed Noctis had sensed him too, as it began approaching his location quickly.
’It will get here soon, but I don’t know if it can break through the layers of soil above me.’ His thoughts suddenly went silent as he remembered his escape plan.
Disappointment and regret appeared on his face, and after a brief moment of confusion, he sighed audibly and clearly, "Otieno, I truly hate you, and if the roles are ever reversed, I’ll make you suffer the worst torment."
"Huh." The priest stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him in astonishment. He didn’t understand why Sollivan had suddenly uttered such strange words.
However, he felt intense anger, and more than that, a vague unease. He thought silently and puzzled, ’What’s wrong with him? Why is he so calm?’ Although it didn’t show on his face, he began to hesitate about his decision. At first, he hadn’t paid it any attention, but over time, seeing Sollivan’s actions, he began to feel a slight itch in his heart telling him something was wrong.
This small itch grew to dominate his thoughts. Several speculations crossed his mind, making him uneasy: ’Can he escape? No, that’s impossible. I’ve completely searched his body, and he’s too weak. He has no weapons or treasures that could help him escape.
So, what’s the source of his confidence? It’s impossible for anyone to help him, and even the weak abyss beast he contracted with isn’t here. That bastard must be deceiving me.’ His eyes narrowed with malice, and he felt a surge of anger. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he hesitated and wavered in his decision.
’Huh.’ Suddenly, he realized something and felt even more anger, and his hesitation disappeared, replaced by indignation that made his body seem larger than usual.
He clenched his massive, powerful fist and launched a quick punch toward Sollivan, who stood confidently. However, he hesitated for a moment again, causing him to lessen the force of his strike.
His fist struck Sollivan’s cheek, who was too slow to react to the blow. Despite the reduced force, it was enough to shatter his face and send him flying backward ten feet before he landed on his back and rolled forcefully on the ground.
Blood and fragments of his shattered teeth flew from his mouth and fell beside him, while his body was covered in bruises and small cuts.
Cough!
Ugh.
With a body weighed down by pain and a head ringing loudly, Sollivan moved slowly, groaning from the pain in his joints, especially the sharp sting in his mouth.
Cough!
He made a gurgling sound like a slaughtered calf due to the blood entering his throat, and quickly adjusted his position, sitting on his knees, supporting himself with his hands to face the ground so he could vomit the debris in his mouth. He moved his jaw, which was barely intact, and looked at the blood and broken teeth on the ground beneath his feet with a hazy gaze filled with hatred. His face turned blue, and even the faint scales on his forehead became darker and more prominent.
"Get up, you hybrid, or I’ll break your legs and drag you with me." Otieno’s words were filled with a deadly tone, making Sollivan tremble involuntarily and feel deep fear within himself. Even his great confidence began to fade, but the chaos inside him lasted only a few seconds before his resolve returned.