The Chronicles of Marum - The Primordial

Dungeon of Uncertainties (Void) - Part I

ACT I

Descending the stairs to the dungeons, the air becomes progressively colder and more humid. The sound of my footsteps echoes in the silence, accompanied by the muffled pleas of Kinkara, his desperate words reverberating against the damp and gloomy corridor walls.

Entering Kinkara's cell, I'm immediately struck by the oppressive smell of mold and humidity. Only a faint light filters through small cracks in the thick stone walls, barely illuminating the anguished figure of Kinkara, chained. His movements are frantic and desperate, struggling against the chains that bind him, his eyes shining with tears of anguish.
- "What are you doing, Kinkara?" I ask, my voice echoing in the morbid cell. I observe him closely, trying to discern truth and deceit in his contorted expression.

Kinkara, with a pleading look, responds, his voice broken by despair. - "Release me, Void, please, I won't hurt you," he begs desperately. - "Don't trust what they say. They lie!" he insists, kneeling with his claws dug into the ground, imploring for trust.

A shiver runs down my spine hearing Ézus's voice echo in my mind: - "Don't believe Kinkara," reinforcing the anguish of the situation.

The air in the cell seems to thicken, as if the shadows themselves were closing in around me, intensifying the claustrophobia of the moment.

Facing Kinkara firmly, I feel a bit of pity, but I can't let myself be easily manipulated. - "The only liar here is you," I respond, trying to hide the uncertainty his words awaken in me.

With a decisive movement, I turn my back to leave the cell, but not without a last look over my shoulder. Kinkara, still bound in his chains, seems to diminish before my eyes, a pathetic and tragic figure that contrasts starkly with the threat his appearance seems to represent.

Walking through the shadowy corridor, I feel the stone walls around me seem to narrow, creating an oppressive sensation. Each step I take echoes, amplified by the sepulchral silence of the dungeons. A disturbing sensation of claustrophobia begins to settle in.

Suddenly, Kinkara's desperate voice bursts behind me, breaking the silence like a muffled scream of pain. - "No. No! Everyone lies! How do you think I ended up like this? HOW DO YOU THINK I BECAME THIS MONSTER?!" His anguish reaching me.

I stop abruptly, my heart beating faster. - "Don't go back," I protest to myself, trying to stifle the impulse to return. The internal conflict; part of me wants to ignore his plea, but another part is driven by compassion.

With a heavy sigh, I turn slowly and face the path back to Kinkara's cell. The decision to return is hesitant, a feeling of uncertainty weighing on my shoulders.

Upon re-entering the cell, my gaze immediately fixes on Kinkara. The thorny chains around his neck are encrusted with dried blood, a disturbing sight attesting to his prolonged suffering.

- "Why would they do this to you?" The question escapes my lips, with a touch of involuntary empathy.

Kinkara pushes himself up with his claws stuck to the ground, struggling against the chains that bind him. - "Not them, Void. He!" Kinkara exclaims.

- "Don't say Máterum is to blame for..."

- "No, Void. Not Máterum. Worse..." he pauses briefly. - "Vâgis."

This revelation confuses me. - "That name again," I think. - "Who is Vâgis?" I ask.

Kinkara, transforming before my eyes, sheds his fragility and assumes an expression filled with hatred. - "The evil you must fear!" He struggles with increasing fury, the chains creaking under his force. - "Grr! I was on no one's side. I was a god like you, just wanted to live in peace." Tearing his skin violently with the thorns. - "But for these damned ones, there is no peace!"