Chains clanked together, making irritating, sinister squeaks. Waves of shadows growling in agonizing ways filled the place, enveloping the two boys' cell in opaque, suffocating veils. Kei trembled, frightened, but Miron stiffened, ready for the affront. Tiny balls of black light appeared and filled the place, emitting ear-splitting high-pitched sounds, forcing the two boys to plug their ears and scream in pain. The two guardians now materialized in the black light. Huge beasts with scarlet, bloody eyes also emerged from the mass of shadows, growling wildly and circling the two boys. Young Johes opened the cell, a cruel smile on his lips and his eyes gleaming with unhealthy pleasure.

"Good evening, ladies. I hope you slept well."

Despite his pain, Miron smiled wryly at him.

"Like two orphans who were put in a cell to be let loose in a deadly battle."

Johes let out a sort of contemptuous growl, while Köel shook his head in annoyance, then concentrated, releasing a crimson magic that he spread all around, so the cold water that flowed tirelessly along the cell walls cooled even more to swirl around Miron and envelop him in their icy canvases.

"No, stop!" Kei shouted, upset and angry. "Leave him alone. You already went after him earlier, enough now! This is too cowardly and petty!"

"Shut up, you little brat." Johes replied enjoying the show. "Your friend, so insolent and arrogant, needs another lesson."

Kei stood up and approached the two guardians, trembling with fear, but still finding the courage to confront them, alas the beasts easily stopped him.

"He doesn't need a lesson! Unlike you, who should take lessons every day even if it would never be enough! You are monsters, worse than those big black beasts that you enslave and that drool like hungry and lost creatures. You, you only dare to pick on those you can beat... physically!"

Terrified of what his torturers might do to Kei after what the latter had just mindlessly thrown at them and seemed to have pissed them off, Miron resolved to surrender and let the terrible cold of the water completely overpower him.

He slid to the floor, his head humbly bowed to the ground, showing by this a mark of absolute submission. The cursed waters of the old guardian penetrated his skin and made him shiver like a dead leaf lost in the gusts of wind that shook the black forest of Stanys. At this most pathetic sight, the two tormenters laughed greedily and disgustingly, seeming to be having the time of their lives, and Köel crouched down in front of Miron, murmuring in a suave voice,

"You can't imagine how much I enjoy seeing you like this, so helpless and vulnerable, cursed child. But don't worry, it's not over yet, for we will now take you both to a sumptuous feast that has been prepared just for you. You will eat and drink like you never dreamed possible and as much as you would like, in preparation for an irredeemable fall."

Though feeling undeniably weak and numb from the magical water, Miron lifted his head and faced his jailer's icy gaze.

"I hope so. For it will take all my strength to make you understand what genius means. "

Köel felt a muscle twitch in his cheek as well as an almost irresistible urge to indulge in the torture, while Kei, still restrained by the scarlet gleaming-eyed animals, swallowed his saliva with difficulty.

"We need it, for sure. Yes, we need it."

Johes ordered the animals to retreat with a snarling grin. He relaxed a little when he saw Kei's tormented face. As for Koel, he stood up and finally freed Miron from his magical water prison, suffocated and almost petrified.

"Get up you little shit, come and stand in front of me, feet and arms apart, and let us put the chains on you".

The boys had a hard time carrying out the orders, so Kei had to help Miron stand up, so that the two dormitory responsibles could chain the two orphans. Then the beasts took the bits of black metal in their sharp jaws, so a terrible magic wrapped the metal chains around their huge and stinking bodies, and when they were perfectly tied on both sides, the beasts only had to wait for their master's order to drag the boys into the sea of darkness. When they received it, they obeyed with as much brutality as possible. The two boys, surprised, screamed in pain, disappearing into the mass of blackish liquid.

"Damn! What the hell...it hurts!" one of them had time to yell.

They carried the two chosen ones at breakneck speed to one of the highest floors of the monument. Crossing stairs and corridors, they were soon ejected from the pool of shadows in a violent explosion, and landed in a vast, empty, neutral room with only a beautifully carved black wooden door, which slowly opened upon their arrival to a private room where a great feast awaited them, ostensibly spread out on a huge crystal glass table.

On the threshold of the room, Johes made countless dramatic and vulgar curtsies while Köel presented the buffet to them with a theatrical gesture, exclaiming.

"Et voila, my dear charming children. A king's feast as promised, carefully prepared for you two alone."

Stunned by the rough transport, Kei and Miron struggled to regain their senses and shook their heads to compose themselves.

"How ironic. I think I'm going to throw up," Kei replied, bringing his hand to his mouth and sighing in distress at the sumptuous food they were offered.

Miron nodded, still very shaken.

"You're not the only one Kei. But it's best to eat for now."

"Listen to your friend, little buddy." Johes advised as he pushed the handsome blonde boy into the luxurious room. "You might as well eat instead of starving yourself, considering what's waiting for you later. Because you'll never have a meal like that again in your life.

"And that's the understatement of the year, to say the least." Köel added sarcastically.

The two guardians burst out laughing. Shoving and manhandling roughly the two boys as they removed their chains, they then grabbed them by the collars of their threadbare clothes and forced them to sit on the blue and gold velvet chairs in front of the table. Miron struggled to escape the painful embrace of his persecutors, wincing and writhing as best he could. Standing in front of his chair, the young boy managed to wrench himself out of the cruel hands of the old mage, before looking at him with anger and disdain.

"There's no need to abuse us like that, you old pervert".

Trembling with rage, the old pervert grabbed Miron's hands violently and brought his face close to his. A devious and furious smile appeared on his deformed face, and his foul breath made the young orphan nauseous.

"Miron, let me tell you this, Johes might envy you so desperately, and Sirkol curse you every moment of your existence, no one will ever hate you as much as I do. Of all the orphans who have passed through here, you are the only one who has ever dared to be what you are. Rebellious, insolent and fearless. But it wouldn't have done you any good in the end, because your life is going to end tonight and in the worst way. And as you struggle desperately against the inevitable death, I'll be the first to cheer your agony. And I will watch your body slowly lose its life, eaten away horribly from hard flesh to white bone, until there is nothing left of you but a brief memory."

Finally, freeing the young magician, he returned him to his chair. Johes and Köel watched intently as the two orphans sat in huge chairs before the heavy table, sublimely covered with royal red velvet cloth and garnished with a huge banquet, unconsciously displaying an image of irresistible innocence and purity.

"What a touching image you present at this moment my dear little ones".

The two little ones looked at their jailers without understanding.

"Two young boys so ignorant and sharing everything. A dinner for two, under the majesty of a full moon night. A couple destined to be together and fall together. Perhaps someday, if I have nothing better to do, I will tell your wonderful story to the children who will take your place."

Bravely overcoming his anger and fear, Miron knew it was impossible for him not to respond to these overly perfidious and pretentious words. And they had the audacity to reproach him for his nature. He looked fiercely at his persecutors with cold eyes.

"Yes, I think there is one point on which you have spoken the truth, Köel. It will be a beautiful story. I promise you and your filthy minion here," he added, pointing to the latter with a dismissive gesture of his chin, "that you will not see better at any time. And as you so desire, you will never forget it. "

The two guardians slowly shook their heads in disenchantment and renunciation, returning the young Miron's icy gaze, then stepped back, letting the masses of shadows invade the room before slowly descending into the dark, liquid realm that was theirs and finally leaving.