It was different this time, walking through the castle corridors. They were not leading him to his cell or the noisy kitchens. Two guards, with Kenji tagging along at a quiet distance, escorted him to a section of the fortress that Sora was unaware of—dark, damp, with the stench of old water, still water, and something else with a hard, metallic smell. There were fewer torches within the corridors, and the darkness was thicker.
At last, they stood in front of a row of short, sturdy, dark wood doors. Thick, rusty iron straps surrounded the doors, which had tiny barred windows. They were obviously prison cells, but they seemed much heavier and darker than the room they had left. Kenji indicated one of them. Guards pulled open the heavy door with a great creak, revealing near-total darkness within.
Sora was tossed inside without a second thought. He hit a cold, hard stone floor, which was all the more painful for his aching bones. The door slammed loudly, and a series of locks being secured echoed. It was dark all around.
It was a different kind of darkness from what he had previously known. It was pervasive and impenetrable. There was no window, even a tiny one at the foot of the door for light to seep through. It was cold, dense, and smelled much of wet rock and a bit of putrescence. All he heard, apart from his labored breathing and the thundering of his heart within his head, was the slow, steady drip... drip... drip... of water somewhere nearby—a sound that would most definitely drive him insane were it prolonged much longer.
He was lying on cold, hard ground, shaking a great deal because his damp clothing left him freezing and frightened. He attempted to stand up but kept stumbling blindly. His hands hit cold, wet walls that felt slimy like mold. There was nothing at all within the tiny room but cold stone, darkness, and cold. There was no blanket, bed, or even a bucket. Just cold stone, cold, and darkness.
The penalty was obvious: he was going to lose his mind, endure much pain, and suffer slowly as he waited in complete void. Waiting was all there was to do. Waiting for Vayne's verdict. His exhausted, aching mind kept replaying his futile bid for escape. Kenji was bound to find him, and the guards were waiting. He was a fool, a complete fool. He had not understood how strong the system was, how relentless the surveillance was, and how careless they were of him.
Hours crawled by under the cold and darkness. Time lost all sense. A day went by. A night. Was there more of it coming? Hunger clawed at his belly, making bruises ache, and cold set his teeth chattering. Dryness was a knife scraping against his throat. Total darkness was starting to confuse his mind, making him see things he didn't see and hear the sound of dripping water as a voice.
He remembered the servant girl who was beaten against the mud. The guard who tapered off the bleeding with his palm. Vayne's dark, impossible eyes. What were they going to do to him? Kill him straight off? Interrogate him? Leave him to go crazy, starve to death, down there in the darkness of the cell? Fear coiled inside him like a cold serpent.
Then, having lost all hope and begun feeling extremely detached, the racking of bolts being pulled back startled him. Slowly, the door creaked open, and for a second, a faint light from a torch blinded him, revealing Kenji's powerful form standing within the door.
"On your feet," the order was a low grunt. "The Lady will see you."
Sora blinked first to acclimate to the light. His muscles ached from the cold and from being immobile. He tried to stand but swayed, lightheaded from hunger and thirst. Kenji did not assist him and merely stood there with a stern expression.
They led him through the corridors once again to the office of Vayne, a place he remembered partially. Every step was difficult. He was filthy, smelled terrible, and was hurting badly. He feared what they were going to do, but a part of him almost wished for something to end the pain of the dark cell.
They reached the door of the study. Kenji knocked, and within they heard the quiet voice of Vayne: "Come in." Kenji pushed Sora inside and stood there waiting like a guard.
Vayne stood by the high, narrow window, gazing out at the cliffs and Kurogane's darkened sky. The storm had passed, leaving only grey clouds that were thick as stone. She wore a tunic of dark colour, one she donned sometimes within the castle. Even so, she was strong, capable. She spun around slowly as Sora approached, her dark eyes looking at him from head to toe. There was no rage, none of the rage he had thought there might be. Rather, there was something far, far worse: cold, calculating, almost emotionless disappointment.
"The sky-fallen rarity who doesn't learn. Did you truly believe you could simply… leave? That these walls, this fortress built on blood and bone over generations, were mere decorative suggestions?"
Sora gazed down and was unable to meet her eyes. He had no answer.
"Your attempt was to be expected," said Vayne, approaching. She stood a few steps off from him and gazed down. "Naive. It was not done successfully. And failed utterly. It revealed only one thing."
She paused for a second, letting the silence hang there. "It proved that merely confining you is not sufficient for a person of your kind. The way your otherness allows you to resist everything. A new plan is called for. You can't be handled as a peculiar thing imprisoned." Sora gazed up, frightened and utterly confused. What was she saying?
"I've been observing you," Vayne said, softly but with a chill in her voice. "You're scared, yes. Weak, certainly. But you have this odd strength. You persevere. More than people believe you're able to. Perhaps it's from this 'Japan' you claim to be from. Perhaps it's simply your desire to live. It's not important. It is potential. Unused potential." Sora had no idea where she was going. What would happen?
Potential must be molded, Vayne clarified, as if reading his thoughts. Directed. If you do not fit into the cage, they will mold you to fit. If you do nothing and merely observe, they will transform you into something else. Something functional. Something productive. Something that serves me, by the rules of this world.
She stepped closer, standing directly in front of Sora. "Up to now, you have felt uncomfortable. You battled against fear. Now, we will have you endure pains beyond your comprehension. It will be difficult. It will hurt. We will dismantle you. Bone by bone, spirit by spirit if we must. And then. we will see how something can be fashioned from what remains."
Sora felt a chill as cold as the cell's air. He knew what was going to happen. They were not going to kill him. They were not going to feed him. They were going to open him up to dissect him.
Vayne gazed at the guard standing in the door. "Kenji."
"Excuse me, My Lady," said the guard loudly and roughly.
Bring him here. Don't take him to the kitchens. Don't take him to the dungeons. Prepare the North Court training grounds. Begin at dawn tomorrow. You will witness the first steps. I want frequent reports. Break him. Then we shall see what ensues. Kenji nodded ever so slightly, a barely perceptible tilt of the head. He glanced at Sora for a second, with no expression. It was just another command. Vayne glanced back towards the window, turning a blind eye to them. She said it matter-of-factly, as she might request a weather forecast.
Kenji seized the arm of Sora urgently. He hauled him towards the door, pulling him away from the study. As he was hauled through the corridors once again, but in a different direction, towards a terrifying new future, the final remnants of the old Sora were disappearing. The cage had imprisoned him only; now it was going to take over and devour him, dismantle him, transform him into something he had no idea how to conceptualize. Part one of his nightmare had ended. Part two of the test promised by Vayne was ready to start. His fear was now more bitter and intense than ever.