Aren stared at the web-covered wall.
The thick voice once again echoed in the silence. "You can listen to me, right?"
A shiver ran down his spine. Over the past years, every new voice had always resulted in a new kind of beating for him.
With how this person had gained control over his body, nothing seemed different this time. This person must have used a different kind of hex art.
He didn't get much time to think when the thick voice introduced himself. "By the way, I am Ray."
'Ray.' Aren repeated the odd name inside his head. The first thing that came to mind was how this guy was hiding his background.
Ray spoke without waiting for a response. "I know this is a weird situation for you, but trust me, even I don't know how I am here."
This guy knows about my presence! Aren sighed helplessly. The tiny bit of hope he had to reverse the situation dimmed.
Ray continued. "I know it must be hard for you to believe what I'm saying, but let's be real. If I had the power to control someone, I wouldn't choose your body."
As Ray said that, he looked around the room to emphasize his point.
Aren wasn't annoyed by the blunt truth. What intrigued him was the plain tone in Ray's voice.
There was no happiness, no regret.
Sure, Aren didn't have control over his body, but he was familiar with himself and his own voice.
Even with the changed speech pattern, he could recognize the bored undertone. It was as if this guy didn't care much about the situation.
If something like this were to happen to me, would I be the same? Nope.
He internally shook his head. This must be an act.
Yeah, maybe this guy had messed up a ritual and ended up waking inside his body. Or maybe there was something else he wanted. But what?
Aren didn't have to think long before the upcoming trial came to mind.
Was it just a coincidence that this person took control of his body just two days before the trial?
Don't tell me Ray is also her subordinate? Why did I suffer for so many years? The trial, the hope, was it all just to torment me? Is this the end of me?
Hundreds of questions swirled inside Aren's head. He wasn't even sure if Ray could hear his thoughts, or why Ray even wanted to talk to him now.
Before Aren could sink deeper into his thoughts, Ray coughed. "Just to let you know, I woke up trapped within you just when that muscular guy with the whip entered the cell."
Aren said aloud, "Wait, really?" and froze.
His mouth hadn't moved, but he waited for Ray's response. There was a possibility that Ray might be able to hear this loud voice.
No, calling them sounds wrong. They were more like amplified thoughts.
Unfazed, Ray continued. "Now, before anything else, I want you to try shouting my name."
With that, Ray went silent.
Aren wasn't sure if this was some ploy or if the name-calling was part of another ritual.
To be safe, he shouted his thoughts loudly in his mind.
'Who sent you?'
He waited. Even after ten seconds, there was no response. It looked like Ray really couldn't hear him.
Taking another risk, Aren shouted again.
'Who sent you here, Ray?'
He waited once more, all sorts of possibilities raging in his head, but nothing happened.
He tried multiple things over the next five minutes, but none triggered any reaction.
Finally,"…Figures," Ray muttered.
"Guess I'm talking to a wall."Ray sighed. "Well, it looks like the one in control of the body can't hear the trapped one's voice."
Aren froze mid-thought. He tried to calm himself, but the helplessness choked his thoughts.
For years, he had endured beatings, thinking that was the lowest point. That nothing worse could happen.
But now—
He wasn't even sure whether to cry, scream, weep, or laugh. Would any of it help? Would Ray really remain this calm—
Aren froze. Wait. When did Ray wake up?
A second later, it hit him that when Ray woke up, he had still been in control of the body.
So that meant Ray must have been in his position. Ray must have experienced the same thing, right?
This—this— Aren screamed at himself. Ahh, stop it! He forced himself out of the sorrow spiral.
This might not be the end. He couldn't lose like this. If Ray could gain control over me, then wouldn't the reverse also be possible?
Pushed to the brink, a new fire of desperation ignited within him.
Unaware and unbothered by Aren's existential crisis, Ray raised a finger before his eyes and spoke in the same cold tone. "I have five questions I want you to answer."
He raised his index finger. "First, who are you? And I'm not just asking for your name, Aren."
Aren stared at the finger in silence.
Without waiting, Ray raised his middle finger and gestured around the room. "Why are you trapped here? How long have you been trapped? And is there any way out of this mess?"
Aren squinted slightly at these questions. What even was the point of asking such basic questions?
Almost everybody in the family knew about him. Was he out of the family?
Ray raised his ring finger. "When that guy was whipping you, I heard you mumbling about 'two more days.' What's going to happen in two days?"
This time, Aren couldn't hold back and shouted inside his mind.
[You don't know about the trial.]
It went unheard into the void, and Ray raised his fourth finger. "Fourth, how did the red-robed guy heal you? What was all that mumbling?"
'He doesn't know about hex art.' A glint flashed in Aren's eyes. The more Ray spoke, the more Aren realized that things were not as simple as he thought it to be.
It was possible that Ray might not even know her.
Finally, Ray extended his thumb. "Final question." He paused.
Aren stared intently at his own outstretched hand, waiting. 'If Ray didn't know anything, then it's possible…' A new hope emerged in his mind.
After a deep breath, Ray spoke in a deep tone. "Death threats. Tell me everything about who wants to kill this body."
'Hah,' Aren sighed internally. Did getting control over the body even matter when he might not even live past this week? He just went back to staring at the wall.
Ray also sat there with his own thoughts as silence returned to the room.