The silence had barely returned to the cell when Luka turned his neck and looked directly into Lane's eyes.
His gaze wasn't as harsh now, but it held a new kind of challenge.
Luka slid the tray with the remaining bread aside and spoke in a slightly lowered voice.
"Lane, let's make a deal," Luka said, his voice carrying that familiar authority.
As if he were seizing control of the situation once again.
Lane blinked and looked at Luka with curiosity.
Luka pressed on: "If you give me a straight answer to just one question..."
"I promise I won't force you to eat any more."
"You can leave that half-piece by your own will."
Yuri and Aaya, who were just about to step back, froze in their tracks upon hearing this new condition.
A faint smile touched Lane's face, as if he found Luka's approach intriguing.
He tilted his head slightly and looked at Luka with his shimmering eyes.
As if asking—'What kind of question?'
"Just one question, Lane," Luka repeated, his face now entirely serious.
"If I get the answer, this bread will be subject to your will."
"Do you accept?"
Lane took a deep breath and placed a hand over his chest.
As if preparing for this challenge.
Once again, a mix of tension and curiosity drifted between the dungeon walls.Luka fixed his icy gaze onto Lane's pupils.
As if looking into his soul to catch even the smallest hint of a lie.
He kept his voice direct and sharp, like a tempered blade.
There was neither a quiver in his words nor a trace of his own anxiety upon his face.
Without any evasion, he launched his one question in a flat, cold tone.
"Lane, when you were locked alone in that monster's room for all that time..."
"Did you not feel even a sliver of fear?"
The moment the word 'monster' left Luka's lips, the air inside the cell grew even colder.
As if the bitterness of that room had reached here.
Yuri, Aaya, and the other children huddled in the corner began to shudder with terror.
The faint sound of their chattering teeth made the silence even more ominous.
The shadows dancing from the torchlight on the walls suddenly appeared longer and more terrifying.
Like looming giants.
But Lane?
Luka's sharp eyes were reading every minute movement on Lane's face.
But not a single crease of fear appeared there.
Despite Luka's direct and blunt strike, that same old, innocent, and sweet smile remained on Lane's face.
The sparkle in his eyes and the tranquility of his expression screamed that he felt no panic.
Nor had the shadow of that 'monster' touched him.
Luka waited now, as rigid as stone, waiting for an answer.
Without blinking, he completed his thought:
"What was that thing in there?"
"What kind of monster is being kept chained in that suffocating room?"
"Did you... did you see it with your own eyes?"
Lane tilted his head slightly.
In that cold and dusty corner, where everyone else was shrinking in fear.
Lane's fearless brilliance left Luka stunned.
Luka fixed his icy gaze onto Lane's pupils.
As if looking into his soul to catch even the smallest hint of a lie.
He kept his voice direct and sharp, like a tempered blade.
There was neither a quiver in his words nor a trace of his own anxiety upon his face.
Without any evasion, he launched his one question in a flat, cold tone.
"Lane, when you were locked alone in that monster's room for all that time..."
"Did you not feel even a sliver of fear?"
The moment the word 'monster' left Luka's lips, the air inside the cell grew even colder.
As if the bitterness of that room had reached here.
Yuri, Aaya, and the other children huddled in the corner began to shudder with terror.
The faint sound of their chattering teeth made the silence even more ominous.
The shadows dancing from the torchlight on the walls suddenly appeared longer and more terrifying.
Like looming giants.
But Lane?
Luka's sharp eyes were reading every minute movement on Lane's face.
But not a single crease of fear appeared there.
Despite Luka's direct and blunt strike, that same old, innocent, and sweet smile remained on Lane's face.
The sparkle in his eyes and the tranquility of his expression screamed that he felt no panic.
Nor had the shadow of that 'monster' touched him.
Luka waited now, as rigid as stone, waiting for an answer.
Without blinking, he completed his thought:
"What was that thing in there?"
"What kind of monster is being kept chained in that suffocating room?"
"Did you... did you see it with your own eyes?"
Lane tilted his head slightly.
In that cold and dusty corner, where everyone else was shrinking in fear.
Lane's fearless brilliance left Luka stunned.
Lane tilted his head to one side, and the sparkle in his eyes deepened.
He looked at Luka's face with such intensity, as if he were admiring a portrait.
"Yes, why not, Luka," Lane's voice cut through the silence of the cell, velvety and calm.
"You asked what it looks like? To be honest... I felt it was just like you."
Luka's body froze like stone for a heartbeat.
He held his breath, but Lane wasn't finished.
He traced an invisible shape in the air with his small fingers.
"Its skin... it was perfectly white, Luka. As clear and white as your hair."
Lane gestured toward Luka's white hair with a faint yet profound smile.
"Perhaps that's why I didn't feel afraid; instead, I felt quite good there."
A crease appeared on Luka's forehead, and he immediately hardened his voice further, asking:
"Could you see it clearly in that dark room? Did you actually see it?"
"Yes, I saw it," Lane agreed effortlessly, as if mentioning something mundane.
"When I was pushed into that room, torches were burning on the wall."
"When their light fell upon it, I saw clearly... it was entirely white. And its eyes?"
Lane paused for a second, his gaze sinking into Luka's eyes.
"Its eyes were blood-red, Luka."
"Perhaps you only saw the burning redness of its eyes, but I saw... it was completely white. Just like you."
Yuri and Aaya's breath seemed to hitch in their throats.
Lane comparing Luka to that monster wasn't just a comparison.
It was a truth that gave the fear inside the cell a new face.
Luka stood speechless now, his red eyes fixed upon Lane's face.
Another question hovered on Luka's tongue.
But as he turned his head, his gaze fell upon the children standing behind him.
Yuri and Aaya's faces were frozen in terror.
And the other children were huddled together, consumed by dread.
The fear of that 'monster' was plain in their eyes.
Luka pressed his lips together, burying his questions deep inside.
He suddenly fell silent.
"Do you have any more questions, Luka?" Lane asked tenderly, his eyes fixed on Luka's face.
Then, reading Luka's silence, he added softly, "Are you tired?"
"I am not tired at all," Luka replied instantly, his voice regaining its usual edge.
He asked nothing more and sat back in brooding silence.
Lane took a long stretch and climbed down from the wooden plank.
"I'm tired of just sitting; I can't sit any longer."
With a slightly unsteady gait, Lane began walking toward the empty opening where the door should have been.
As soon as Luka saw him moving toward that potential danger, he was about to say something to stop him.
But Lane cut him off without even looking back.
"I won't go near that white railing, Luka," Lane said with a smile.
"I'm just right here nearby."
"Don't worry about me so much; I'm not a little child."
A strange flicker of annoyance crossed Luka's face, and he averted his gaze.
"Who's worrying about you?"
Luka closed his eyes in frustration, yet Lane's words had stirred something within him.
Despite Luka's blunt response, a peaceful smile remained etched on Lane's face.
He knew exactly what was hidden behind those bitter words.
Standing behind them, Yuri watched the whole exchange.
He grabbed his head and muttered to himself:
"This boy is unbelievable... he says one thing and does another."
Lane stepped out through the empty doorframe and walked toward that artificial, hazy light.
His steps were slow but moved forward without hesitation.
He didn't care where the white railing was or what danger lay beyond it; he was simply walking straight ahead to ease his mind.
As he moved further, the smoothness of the floor began to fade.
The ground was becoming uneven and rocky.
In some places, there were small piles of stones, while in others, large boulders lay scattered.
The entire area resembled an ancient, desolate ruin.
Lane's eyes were fixed on the ground, picking his way through the rocks.
And he had wandered so far that he didn't even realize it himself.
Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a vast and deep pit.
Out of curiosity, he stopped at the edge and leaned down to peer inside.
"This is quite deep..." Lane muttered.
He turned back to look in the direction he had come from, but he could see nothing now.
There was only an endless stretch of stones as far as the eye could see.
The light from the cell had been left far behind.
"I guess my luck is just bad," Lane had barely uttered these words when his foot slipped on a loose stone.
A sharp sound echoed, and Lane fell straight into the deep, dark pit.
A sharp sting shot through his leg as he hit the bottom.
He winced in pain.
Making a face, he rubbed his injured leg and said mockingly:
"Wow! What rotten luck I have. Now I'm definitely going to get scolded."
He tried to smile, but a wave of pain made it falter.
When he tried to stand up, he realized his ankle was badly twisted.
A sprain had brought his movements to a halt.
He sat down on a large nearby rock and placed his injured foot over the other, examining it closely.
"In such a desolate place, even if I scream, who will hear me?"
He looked at the heavy silence surrounding him.
He decided he would first check the swelling in his foot; the plan to get out would come later.
He was sitting there quietly when a faint voice came from above.
"What... what are you doing in there?"
Lane looked up, startled.
At the edge of the pit, where the hazy light filtered through, stood a young girl.
Her wide eyes shimmered in the darkness, gazing down at Lane as he sat on the rock with great wonder.
"How did you get here? And... how did you fall?"
There was surprise and a hint of worry in the girl's voice.
Pointing toward Lane's twisted ankle, she asked, "Are you badly hurt?"
Lane raised his head, a faint smile on his face despite the pain.
In these desolate ruins and the silent pit, the presence of this girl was nothing short of a mystery.
Silence deepened once more, but now, a new voice echoed within that silence.