Chapter 77: The Prison of Arkaviya

The Arkaviya prison was said to be located outside the city. Reaching it required crossing the northern forest, situated behind Akashandra. Given that it would be difficult to arrive even after half a day’s walk, Hay summoned Nora as soon as he entered the forest. Nora, who surged from the ground, seemed to be in high spirits.

[“What’s the occasion? You’ve called me three times today!”]

He had summoned her once when going to Lorelai, and again when heading to the training grounds. Lately, Hay had been riding Nora through the mountains every single day.

“There’s somewhere I need to go.”

[“Are you going to the Flame Child again?”]

The Flame Child was Nora’s affectionate name for Lorelai. Hay wasn’t sure why she called her that, but even after being reminded of Lorelai’s actual name, Nora persisted.

“No, I’m going somewhere else.”

Hay stroked Nora’s dark fur.

[“Somewhere else? Where?”]

“The prison.”

Nora lowered her head and body. Hay, now quite accustomed to the routine, mounted Nora’s back.

[“Where is that?”]

“They said there’s a canyon to the north. That’s where we need to go.”

[“Aha! Alright! I know where that is!”]

Nora rose to her full height. Hay patted her head gently, lowering his body in preparation.

[“Running! Hay, hold on tight!”]

Nora bolted from her spot, ascending the mountain at a furious pace. Despite the lack of a path and the unfamiliar terrain, she galloped as if she knew the way intimately.

Even knowing he wouldn’t fall, Hay gripped Nora’s fur tightly.

Riding Nora through the rugged mountains was an amusement park ride in itself.

It was even exhilarating as they vertically scaled cliffs that dropped nearly ninety degrees.

As they zigzagged, trampling trees and rocks, it felt exactly like an experience from Princess Mononoke.

Reaching the mountaintop didn’t take long at all.

[“That’s what you’re talking about, right?”]

Straightening his back, Hay followed Nora’s gaze. Beyond the forest, a vast canyon came into view.

While it didn’t quite measure up to the Grand Canyon he’d seen in pictures, its scale was still impressive.

Squinting and focusing, he could discern a colossal wall-like structure obstructing the middle of the canyon in the distance. That was likely the prison’s entrance.

The distance seemed far greater than the climb to the mountaintop.

“Let’s go, Nora.”

[“Slowly? Or fast?”]

“Fast.”

[“Alright! Hold on tight so you don’t fall! I’m going to run really fast!”]

Nora shrieked with excitement. Hay tried to answer, but before he could, Nora bolted, causing him to bite his tongue.

Hay grimaced and hunched his back. Nora, quite literally, ran like a mad beast, perhaps momentarily forgetting Hay was on her back.

He tugged hard on her fur, signaling her to slow down, but Nora ignored his plea.

‘This damn thing is really fast!’

He couldn’t even speak, fearing he’d bite his tongue again if he opened his mouth. After running for a considerable time, they reached a cliff. It wasn’t particularly high, but Nora…

[“Yee-haw!”]

She simply leaped off.

“Whoa!”

Hay felt his body lift into the air. He had actually come off Nora’s back.

The descent was instantaneous. From the impact, Hay’s head slammed into the back of Nora’s head.

[“Ahahaha! That was fun!”]

Nora cackled and resumed her sprint.

Hay, however, did not find it amusing.

‘It would be better to fly back.’

****

Arriving at the prison entrance, Hay dismounted Nora, his face pale.

[“Ah, that was fun!”]

Nora looked even more satisfied than when she ferried him to and from Lorelai’s mountain home.

Hay regulated his breathing, trying to calm his churning stomach. He had thought himself quite accustomed to the ride by now, but a long journey proved otherwise.

[“Hay, are you tired?”]

Hay waved his hand dismissively, his gaze fixed on the massive, imposing gate before him. It was a door of dizzying height.

Flanking the gate were two colossal stone statues: a woman wielding a sword on the left, and a man forming hand seals on the right.

They were crafted with such artistry that they appeared poised to spring to life at any moment.

As Hay approached the gate, which had seemed too immense to ever open, it silently slid apart, and a figure emerged.

It was a middle-aged man in a hood, with daggers sheathed at both hips. His cool, sharp eyes did not seem to regard Hay, the visitor, kindly.

Regardless, Hay peered past the man’s shoulder.

Beyond the gate, darkness reigned, and a chilling sound, indistinguishable as wind or a scream, echoed.

“Purpose of visit.”

“Prisoner visitation.”

“Name and token?”

“Hay Styles. And this is Judge Stan Demonic’s token.”

Hay pulled out the token Stan had given him and displayed it. The middle-aged man, observing it from a distance, then extended his hand.

“Throw it.”

Hay complied. As if by some magic, though he hadn’t thrown it hard, the token seemed to be sucked into the man’s grasp.

After a brief inspection, the middle-aged man gestured with his chin.

“Follow me. Send your spirit back.”

Hay turned to Nora.

[“Are you really going? It feels really creepy in there. Can’t I stay here? I’ll protect Hay!”]

“I’ll be fine, just go back.”

Nora seemed displeased, but soon dispersed.

Hay approached the middle-aged man, who then led the way beyond the gate.

As Hay followed inside, the massive gate automatically closed. Soon, the dim interior brightened slightly.

There was nothing there. Only a vast, empty space.

‘Is this really a prison?’

Hay frowned, idly fingering the staff strapped to his back.

The man offered something to Hay: a wide, metallic bracelet.

“Put that on both your wrists.”

“What is this?”

“You haven’t been informed, it seems. It’s a mana control device. All visitors are required to wear it in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Prisoner visitation is not permitted without wearing the control device.”

A mana control device. He wasn’t particularly keen on it, but if it was the rule, he had no choice but to comply.

As he slipped the two bracelets onto his wrists, they tightened perfectly. Immediately, the flow of mana within his body abruptly ceased.

It was an incredibly stifling sensation. The aura and whispers of the spirits diminished significantly.

It suddenly occurred to him that this might be what Lorelai felt like, with her broken mana rod.

“Hand over your staff as well.”

Hay readily unfastened the strap from his body and handed over his staff. The man took it, held it out into the air, and it vanished as if evaporated.

“It will be returned when you leave. I am Tomain Weltenion. What is the name of the prisoner you wish to visit?”

“Chen. Chen Kailon.”

“Cell 3102. Gelon!”

As the man called out, a figure suddenly appeared in the empty cavern. The man, identified as Gelon, in his mid-to-late thirties, approached them and bowed respectfully.

“I will guide you. Please follow.”

Without another word, Gelon turned and led the way. Hay glanced back at Tomain before following Gelon.

Moments later, a hidden spiral staircase unfurled in the empty space, as if paint bleeding into water. It appeared to have been concealed by illusion magic.

From the bottomless depths, a wind-like shriek ascended, akin to a scream.

Each floor contained cells, yet no human presence could be felt anywhere. However, after descending about twenty floors, the atmosphere shifted.

“It will get a bit noisy from here on,”

Gelon stated.

As he said, the surroundings grew loud.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—.

Someone was pounding on a heavily bolted iron door, another was incessantly muttering curses, and still others were screaming and howling.

“It seems everyone is particularly agitated, perhaps sensing a visitor.”

Gelon chuckled, but Hay did not.

Upon reaching the 31st floor, Gelon halted. Hay looked up at the stairs they had descended, the thought of climbing back up after the visit seemed daunting.

“Here it is. Cell 3102.”

Gelon pulled a round, pendant-like object from his pocket. He inserted it into a recessed groove in the center of the iron door, then infused it with mana, transforming the solid door into a barred gate.

“Visitation time is ten minutes.”

Hay nodded, stepping forward to stand before the bars. Inside the cell, a single faintly glowing magic stone provided the only illumination.

Even that dim light failed to reach a figure huddled in the shadows. The figure looked towards the bars, then slowly rose and approached.

A young man’s face emerged, clad in a grimy red prisoner’s uniform, his hair disheveled. The moment Hay saw his vacant eyes, he wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

Dry lips parted, and a heavily cracked voice emerged.

“Brother?”

Though he hadn’t known him long, seeing him evoked an indescribable feeling.

“It’s been a while, Chen.”

‘You know, Mr. Unemployed.’

The day before leaving the village at the foot of Mount Senugel, Lexa had asked.

‘Chen, will he be alright?’

He was far from alright.

****

Having climbed back up from the 31st floor, Hay gasped for breath, then gulped down the water Gelon offered.

Whoever designed it, this prison was truly atrocious. The visitation time was a mere ten minutes, yet he felt he had spent almost an hour just going up and down.

“Was your visit satisfactory?”

“Yes, well…”

When Tomain asked, Hay, too exhausted to properly respond, answered perfunctorily.

With an impassive expression, Tomain removed the mana control devices from Hay’s wrists and returned Stan’s token.

“And my staff?”

“Here it is.”

Gelon, who had been standing behind him, now held Hay’s staff and extended it. Hay took it, stretching his back.

Soon, the massive gate opened. Tomain gestured towards the open doorway and spoke.

“Travel safely.”

“We’ll meet again.”

“Do you intend to return?”

“I promised I’d come say goodbye before leaving.”

Tomain merely twitched an eyebrow, remaining silent. Hay left through the gate, leaving the taciturn guards behind.

He then immediately summoned Nora, feeling too depleted to use .

[“Are we going back now?”]

“Yes, I need to go to Renki.”

[“Shall we go fast?”]

“No, slowly.”

[“I like going fast!”]

“Even so, slowly.”

[“Alright! If Hay says so! I guess there’s no helping it!”]

Nora trotted along. Hay gazed at the firmly closed prison gate, then slung his staff over his shoulder and grasped Nora’s fur.

During the mere ten minutes of visitation, Hay hadn’t been able to have much of a conversation with Chen.

Chen’s reason for incarceration was the unauthorized entry into the Forbidden Zone, an area inaccessible without the permission of the Governor or the Elders.

He had three more months remaining on his sentence. When asked why he entered such a place, Chen claimed he did so unknowingly, calling it a mistake.

However, no one believed Chen’s words, and neither did Hay.

This was because the Forbidden Zone housed materials related to forbidden magic and black magic.

“It must be because of Adel, after all.”

[“Huh? What did you say?”]

“Nothing, I wasn’t talking to you.”

Hay stroked Nora’s back, swallowing a sigh. He wondered if Chen had been trying to find magic related to resurrecting the dead, or something similar.

Seeing the bright, lively young man so broken left him with a heavy heart.

“Nora, let’s stop by the city, then head to Lake Pieta.”

[“Where’s that?”]

“It’s where Adel’s ashes were scattered.”