unexpected encounter

The silence in the dungeon grew heavier as Chia, Sue, and Arcadio began devising a plan. The greenish light flickered occasionally, casting unsettling shadows on the damp stone walls.
 

"All right,"

said Chia, her voice taking on a more determined tone.

"First we need to understand the full situation. This place... these prisons are full of people with powers, right?"

Arcadio nodded, adjusting his straw hat as he chewed on the toothpick.

"Exactly. There are quite a few gifted ones here. Some have been here longer than others. All of them with those damned severed hands on their wrists."

He moved his own wrists to emphasize the point.

"The problem is obvious. I could free myself if I wanted to. My connection to my origin is strong enough to break these suppressors, even weakened."

Sue leaned forward, her eyes lighting up with hope.

"So you could free us all?"

"Technically, yes,"

Arcadio replied, but his tone indicated there was a problem.

"But here's the catch: the moment I do, the moment I start freeing others, the monsters would know. They'd see it. And then..."

He gestured with his hand, indicating that the consequences would be disastrous.

"They'd intervene before we could free enough people. We'd be crushed."

Chia frowned, her analytical mind working on the problem.

"So we need to find a way to disable that ability that blocks powers. If we could do that..."

"Exactly,"

Arcadio interrupted, and for the first time his expression showed something close to respect.

"And this is where things get interesting."

He rose from his reclined position, approaching the bars that separated his cell from theirs. His green eyes gleamed with an intensity they hadn't seen before.

"Let me explain something the government discovered about these monsters. Something very few people know."

He paused, making sure he had their complete attention.

"Among the monsters that invaded Earth, specimens appear from time to time that are... different. Special. Monsters that wield a concept we call 'Law.'"

Sue exchanged a confused glance with Chia.

"Law? What does that mean?"

Arcadio ran his hand through his disheveled hair, considering how to explain it.

"Law monsters can impose their own rules on the world. Literally. They alter reality itself to function according to their terms."

He let that information sink in for a moment before continuing.

"For example, a Law monster could declare that 'no fire can exist in my presence' and it would be so. Or it could say 'gravity works in reverse here' and reality would bend to fulfill that rule."

Chia felt a chill run down her spine. The concept was terrifying.

"And these monsters... are they common?"

"No,"

Arcadio responded, shaking his head.

"They're rare. Very rare. But when they appear... they're devastating."

He leaned against the bars, his expression serious.

"As far as we've discovered, only one Law exists per individual. Each Law monster has a single rule it can impose. But that rule is absolute within its range of influence."

Sue looked at the severed hands gripping her wrists with growing understanding.

"So this ability that blocks our powers..."

"It's a type of Law,"

Arcadio confirmed.

"It has to be. There's no other explanation for something that can suppress powers so completely."

He paused, observing the limbs imprisoning his own wrists.

"But here's what's interesting: this Law is weakened. I can feel it. If it were a Law at full power, even I couldn't manifest my abilities, no matter how strong my connection to my origin is."

"Weakened?"

asked Chia.

"How?"

"Because it's being forcibly imposed through these limbs,"

Arcadio explained, moving his wrists.

"Laws are strongest when the monster applies them directly, from its own position. But when they try to extend their Law through objects or over long distances, it weakens."

Chia began connecting the dots, her mind working quickly.

"So El Silbón..."

"Left an object in this dungeon,"

Arcadio completed with a smile.

"A medium. A channel to lend its Law power. Because no matter how powerful it is, there are always distance limits when you lend your Law power through objects."

He moved away from the bars, beginning to pace back and forth in his cell as he explained.

"To maintain an active Law in an area as large as this dungeon, with so many prisoners... it would need special objects. Artifacts that function as links, as channels for its power."

Sue stood up abruptly, understanding lighting up her face.

"So if we find that object and destroy it...!"

"Exactly,"

said Arcadio, his green eyes shining with something that might have been excitement.

"If we get that object and destroy it, the Law that suppresses powers would break. All the prisoners would regain their abilities at the same time."

He paused meaningfully.

"And then we could free everyone. All at once. Start a rebellion against the monsters before they can react."

The silence that followed was electric, filled with equal parts possibility and danger.

Chia approached the bars that separated her cell from Arcadio's, her expression determined.

"So that's our plan. Find the object that channels El Silbón's Law and destroy it."

"Sounds simple when you put it that way,"

Arcadio commented with an ironic smile.

"But the real problem is finding it. This place is big, and that object could be anywhere."

"Do you have any idea where it might be?"

Sue asked.

Arcadio scratched his chin, thoughtful.

"Law objects tend to be located in central places. Places of power. They need to be in a position where they can radiate their influence uniformly."

He looked up at the dungeon ceiling, as if he could see through the stone.

"If I had to guess... it would be somewhere in the center of this dungeon. Probably guarded, definitely dangerous to reach."

"But not impossible,"

Chia added, her voice firm.

Arcadio looked at her, and for the first time since they'd met him, he smiled genuinely.

"Not impossible,"

he agreed.

"Especially not with your abilities. If you manage to connect with your origins as I explained..."

He stopped, his expression becoming serious again.

"But we have to be careful. Once we start moving, once we start actively searching for that object, the monsters will notice. And then we'll have to be prepared for what comes."

Sue nodded, clenching her fists despite the severed hands still gripping her wrists.

"Then let's begin. We have no time to waste."

Chia took a step forward, her gaze fixed on Arcadio.

"When do we leave?"

Arcadio looked at her with an ironic smile that didn't reach his eyes. He took off his straw hat, examined it for a moment, then looked at her directly.

"When do we leave?"

he repeated, his tone laden with sarcasm.

"That's an interesting question."

He put his hat back on, adjusting it with a slow, deliberate movement.

"You see, there's a small detail I forgot to mention. I'm already marked by El Silbón."

He paused, letting the information settle.

"From the moment I arrived here, that monster set its eyes on me. It knows exactly how strong I am, how dangerous I can be. If I do anything... anything that draws attention, its gaze will fall on me immediately."

Arcadio walked to the bars, his expression now completely serious.

"And if that happens, if El Silbón focuses its attention on me while we're executing the plan, everything collapses. It would expose everything. Lead them straight to you, to the object we're looking for, to every step we take."

He pointed toward Chia and Sue.

"That's why I can't go with you. Not at first. You'll have to find that object on your own. I can only guide you from here, give you information. But moving myself..."

He shook his head.

"It would be like lighting a flare in the middle of darkness."

Arcadio leaned against the bars, crossing his arms with an expression of barely contained mockery. His green eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked at them.

"Well, then,"

he said, his tone loaded with sarcasm.

"I wish you good luck."

………..

Several hours passed in tense silence. Chia and Sue tried to follow Arcadio's advice, concentrating on connecting with their origins, feeling the energy flowing beneath the restrictions imposed by the severed hands. It was difficult, exhausting, but little by little they began to feel something: a tenuous thread of power pulsing within them.

When they finally decided it was time to move, Arcadio gave them some final instructions.

"Stay in the shadows. The monsters patrol regularly, but they have patterns. Watch them, learn their routes."

And with that, Chia and Sue began their exploration.

The dungeon was much larger than they had initially imagined. Corridors twisted in all directions, cells upon cells extended until they were lost in the gloom. The greenish light emanating from the walls was their only guide.

Moving without being detected proved extremely difficult. The monsters were numerous and attentive. Creatures of grotesque shapes patrolled the corridors: some crawling along the walls like giant spiders, others floating like living shadows.

Chia and Sue pressed themselves against the walls, holding their breath each time one of those creatures passed nearby. More than once they had to hide behind stone columns or inside abandoned cells while a monster inspected the area.

It was during one of these cautious explorations that they saw her.

A girl.

She was at the end of a long hallway, her silhouette barely visible in the gloom. She couldn't have been more than ten years old, with dark hair falling to her shoulders. She wore what appeared to be a dirty white dress, torn in several places.

The strangest thing was that she was completely still, watching them.

Sue saw her first and elbowed Chia, discreetly pointing toward the distant figure.

"Do you see that?"

she whispered.

Chia squinted, trying to see better in the scarce light.

"Is that... a girl?"

For a moment, the three figures remained motionless: Chia and Sue observing the girl, and the girl observing them back. Even at that distance, they could feel something unsettling in that gaze.

Then, without warning, the girl turned around and ran.

"Wait!"

Sue called instinctively, though she kept her voice low enough not to attract the monsters' attention.

Chia grabbed Sue's arm.

"Should we follow her?"

Sue looked toward the hallway where the girl had disappeared, then back at Chia.

"Something tells me we should. What's a girl doing here? And... why did she run?"

Without further deliberation, they both ran after her.

The chase was surreal. The girl seemed to know the dungeon's labyrinth perfectly, slipping through narrow passages and dodging monster patrols with an ease that seemed impossible.

Chia and Sue followed as best they could, but it was difficult to keep pace while trying not to make noise and avoid being seen. More than once they lost sight of the girl, only to glimpse her moments later upon turning a corner.

"Where is she going?"

Sue panted as they slipped through a particularly narrow gap between two stone walls.

"I don't know,"

Chia responded, her voice tense with effort.

"But she definitely wants us to follow her."

The chase led them deeper and deeper into the dungeon, through sections that seemed less traveled. The walls here were more cracked, covered with moss and moisture. The air grew heavier, laden with a smell of earth and ancient stone.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of running, the girl disappeared down a particularly narrow hallway. When Chia and Sue reached the same spot, they found themselves looking at what appeared to be merely a crack in the wall.

"She couldn't have gone through there,"

Sue said, incredulous.

But Chia was already examining the opening more closely. Indeed, it was wider than it appeared at first glance. With some effort, a person could pass through.

"Let's go,"

she said, and without waiting for a response, slipped through the crack.

Sue followed, cursing under her breath as the stone scraped against her shoulders and back.

On the other side, they found themselves in a completely different section of the dungeon. The walls here weren't just cracked: they were destroyed. Large sections of the ceiling had collapsed, leaving piles of rubble everywhere.

It was evident that this area had suffered some kind of structural disaster. A cave-in, probably. And judging by the state of the stones covered in dust and cobwebs, it had happened a long time ago.

"This place was abandoned,"

Chia observed, looking around cautiously.

"Yes,"

Sue agreed.

"But... where's the girl?"

They advanced carefully through the rubble, alert for any sign of movement. The greenish light was dimmer here, making the shadows seem deeper and more threatening.

"Over there!"

Sue suddenly whispered, pointing forward.

In the middle of the collapsed area, among piles of broken stones and rotted wooden beams, stood a small figure. The girl was waiting for them.

Now that they were closer, they could see her appearance more clearly. The girl seemed... completely normal. She didn't have the grotesque or disturbing features they would expect to find in this cursed place. Her eyes were large and bright, full of life. And on her face was a mischievous smile, as if she had just pulled off the best prank in the world.

"You're so slow!"

she exclaimed with a giggle, her high, clear voice echoing in the collapsed space.

"I thought you'd never catch up! Running like that was so much fun!"

The girl gave a little hop, clearly excited by her own mischief. Her energy was contagious, completely childlike and genuine.

Chia and Sue looked at each other, puzzled by the girl's behavior. She was so... normal. So alive. Nothing like they would expect from someone trapped in this horrible place.

"But you can relax,"

the girl continued, making a carefree gesture with her hand.

"The monsters never come around here. Never ever. It's like this place doesn't exist to them. It's perfect!"

Sue took a step forward, her expression still cautious but her curiosity overcoming her fear.

"Who are you?"

she asked softly.

The girl tilted her head, her mischievous smile widening even more.

"My name is Esmeralda."

She made a small theatrical bow, almost as if she were performing in a play.

"And welcome to my home."