“How come that you seem fine with this?”

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

“I am talking about us.”

“What the fuck? Are you out of your mind?”

“Huh? What in the world are you on about?”

Silence quickly followed.

One way or another, it would definitely feel good if the two guards did not fall silent, despite having an argument about something that was not even clear to Daphne as well.

It might sound poignant of her, but right now, she was under the impression that she had nothing to hold onto any longer.

What seemed to be a pointless commotion outside had actually become her source of comfort in the last few hours.

Daphne shook her head, and hugged her knees to her chest even more tightly. The clock was ticking, yet it was saddening that there was nothing else she could contribute to create a deviation toward fate’s ruling.

Once again, the darkness loomed over her with the intent of smashing down the remaining hope within her.

They put Daphne in the underground cellar again.

The guards that were posted to keep an eye on her even informed the young Garza that it was here where she truly belonged—that she must learn to accept it because resistance was futile.

Besides, it was already too late for her to even try.

“She seems to be a very important person.”

The other guy hummed in approval. “I feel honored to have been ordered to babysit her.”

“It must be tough.”

“This task cannot be considered tough. Important orders must be carried out without fail, yet it seems that this is nothing, but a pain in the ass to you. You are being dumb.”

“Ha. I will let that insult slide for now. Did you hear about Celestino?”

Daphne felt her heart just stop beating.

“Well, I heard that he was the previous guard.”

“Apparently, he is stationed to someplace insipid now.”

“Ah, it is because he got demoted.”

She knew that eavesdropping was impolite, but she just could not help it. They were talking about Celestino—the unpredictable guy that had once took part in looking after her.

Daphne did not know that hearing his name right now would make her crumble on the inside.

She swallowed down a whimper, and palmed her cold cheeks repeatedly to distract herself from these scary thoughts. This one was a different cellar, but the agitation would not ease up.

The air she was breathing did not seem right.

The ambiance which circumnavigated the dark, eerie room felt odd.

What was this feeling?

It seemed to be never-ending.

The conversation between the two guards outside went on and on—until their voices were no longer clear. The sounds they were making were slowly fading out, yet they were still there—talking.

What was this feeling?

Her thoughts were in disarray to the point that she began feeling confused. The chilly wind embraced her once more, making her shiver in ambivalence.

When was the last time that she had been assaulted by loneliness?

Did she forget already?

It was just days ago.

Why was she even acting like she had been familiar of freedom all this time?

That was really stupid of her.

She bet even her own father would agree.

“I-I cannot defend myself—not in this state of mind,” Daphne whispered in exhaustion. Her stomach grumbled. It must be a response to what she just said.

Was it expressing its agreement? She laughed to herself.

It could not be helped. No one shared the same desire and sentiment with her in this territory after all. The people here had been assigned different goals. If they were to trample on anyone’s hopes, having it done right away would be a piece of cake.

Was Bryon okay?

And…

Revolution Templonuevo.

Where did she hear of him?

That man, who wore such a vicious expression—who could he be?

What did he need from her?

If her theory was right, and he was the mastermind, what should she do for him to let her go?

Questions after questions. Daphne was drowning in a deluding ocean of confusion. Her stomach grumbled again.

How long had it been since she was thrown into this empty room? She lost count when she went to about 11,000 seconds.

She got even depraved of her sight for the room was completely dingy and unilluminated. She could hardly see anything—it was pitch black. Scrambling into the nearest corner was the best way to placate her anxiety.

The floor was not cemented, and its rough surface could be bruising if she failed to take caution while moving. She was genuinely wondering as to why she could not fall asleep right now.

It was a complete clashing story in comparison to her previous imprisonment where she needed to always put up a fight because she did not want to pass out. Right now, she could not just ignore the wishes of her own system.

She needed a rest, yet she was being denied of it.

“Is the girl asleep?”

“What do you take me for? I am no fortune teller. Go look inside.”

“She has been quiet since we arrived here.”

“That does not matter. I have acquired the go signal, and we should not waste time.”

“Shall we go inside?”

“An hour of preparation will be insufficient if the girl decides to give us a hard time. We must finish this quickly.”

The iron steel door slammed open.

Daphne’s head slowly looked up almost instinctively to check on her surroundings.

She felt happy when she was able to make out two large figures hovering above her. She still had not completely lost her senses.

However, they looked blurry.

She could not see their faces clearly, but she was aware that they were trying to say something. The entire scenario was nothing, but strange. What could it be about?

Daphne wondered if it would be possible for her to do lip reading.

That would have been nice.

Sadly, she might have been unable to understand them right now due to numerous causes.

“Oh, shit. Please bear with us for a while. We cannot let you sleep—not now at least.”

“Why are you being gentle with her?”

“I have been told that women are complicated creatures, and if you fail to be careful with them, things will not run smoothly. We need her cooperation, so you should be nice to her, too.”

“Shut up. You always perform tasks by the book. Watch and learn.”

All of a sudden, the young Garza was yanked up, her hair being pulled harshly. Daphne let out a pained scream, her voice hoarse.

“Oh, you seem to be burning up.”

The other guy sighed, defeated. “This is not going well.”

“You have always been negative, so I never really liked to be paired with you.” Then, he grabbed the girl by her aching shoulders, immense pain shooting through every part of her body. “Yo, we need you to change. Do not dare sleep on us, or else, you will wake up in your own pool of blood. Oh, wait. You have been shot earlier, correct? You fucking stink right now.” His grip loosened a little, yet it was still firm.

“We need to present you to Tal. Can you go ahead and take a shower? You will be provided with clean and comfortable clothes. Are you still capable of that without losing consciousness, or will you be needing our help?” the other guy calmly spoke.

The ringing in her ears intensified, and the voices around her became fainter and fainter.

But…

Were they asking for her help?

Did she hear it right?

“Yo, are you deaf or something?”

The other one was the one who answered, “No, I think she is delirious.”