The dungeon (14)

Before anyone could raise a question Hikaru walked towards the guards and said

“It was me who did this”

“Are you trying to take all the blame on yourself?’ The elf who looked different asked.

“No. Just look at them and me you will get it yourself who was the culprit”

“Vence sama, should we capture all of them first, we can interrogate about it later.” The guard asked him.

Vence looked at the students behind the wall made by Mahiru wand and at Mahiru. Not a scratch on the skin, just some sweat running down their forehead as they just escaped death.

‘That won't be necessary.Capture him and put him in the prison, We first need to deal with the sudden disappearance of children and ladies. He will be executed later. It looks like he will not resist so it will save time.” Said Vence and walked out of the dungeon.

The guards handcuffed Hikaru and started taking him to the prison.

‘Hey stop! Why are you putting him in prison?” Mahiru shouted.

“Because he did a crime”

“What are you talking about!!1” yelled Mai and Enha.

“Dont act like you don't know. It is a grave sin to harm our Holy tree!!” shouted back one of the guards.

“What ar–” Their words stuttered as the sunlight and smoke drew their attention outside.The holy tree was half vanished and the blue flames kept engulfing the rest.

Everyone's eyes were glaring at the destruction done by Mahiru's light arrow. Mahiru was holding her head and agonizing over her ignorance.

‘It……it's all my fault.”

Hikaru was thrown in a prison or more like a cave. It was not located between the elves' residents which made him little less worried about being socially humiliated. A stairway led a little down from ground level about the height of a person where the prison was.

Two pillars of height 2 or 3 heads bigger than HIkaru's. Something written on them. Wooden bars coming out of those pillars making the gate of the cell, covered by mosses both the pillar and the bars gave the feeling of an ancient prison cell. The prison cell was defeating the vision of Hikaru, it ran far in the back with many intersections and ways. It was more of a maze underground with no lights. Not a speck of dust was in there but somehow it still felt untouched by anyone's presence.

Hikaru tried to spawn a little fire to guide through it but magic was not working in there, maybe the working of pillars. He dropped the idea of solving the maze and was knocking on the wooden bars which were hard to believe to be made up of wood. Hard as stone but still a little elastic.

Hikaru got tired and sat on the ground while leaning on the bars.Two guards on the side of each pillar talking about their own life. It was almost evening.

‘ At least heal my wound……….. Actually why would they?’ leans until he falls on the ground.

‘Look like my luck ran out……sigh……... .teaching is a hard job. Well now I can rest until they hang me………wait, how will they kill me? Is there any special way they execute someone who harmed their holy tree?...I want to die without struggling. Hummmmm……..beheading is the easiest way out of this world? Yup i like it, i wanna die that way..wait what the hell? Why am I thinking about how to die?.........sigh………..i wanna go home and make some noodles’.

The guard pokes his wand at Hikaru's head. Hikaru flinches, waking up from his thoughts.

“You have a visitor.”

‘A visitor?’ Hikaru stands up and looks behind the guard.

Mahiru was there without her wand. A face of sorrow and a voice held in a throat full of questions.

‘Can I talk to him in private?’

Both of the guards climbed the stairs and went outside.

None of them spoke a word for the first 10 seconds. Hikaru sits on the ground and gestures to her to also sit.

Mahiru sat but didn't say anything. Whenever she tried to, the voice didn't come out, the throats felt full of all the words she wanted to say and ask.

“should I reintroduce myself?” Hikaru breaks the silence.

“N…no.”

Hiakru looks at her staring at the ground, he sweeps closer to the bars and leans his face on the bars.

“Listen, I took all the blame myself. I wasn't mistaken as the culprit nor you made me accept all that as my own doing.I just thought of the best way out of that situation and made a choice.”

“Was it really necessary though?”

“It was.I don't think they would have let any of us go, not even the elf students.”

“I should have taken all the blame! Why did you do it?”

“I was the most injured person available there. If they were to ask for how I did it I could have shown them one of my magic tricks but could you have?

Mahiru couldn't answer back.

“Could you explain to them your power? What was even that? that shiny thingy. Teach me that, I want to walk at night while I scare everybody else like a white ghost.”

“It's not ghost magic.” Her lips give a small smile.

She looks back at the stairs, guards were not there to be seen. She leans close to the bars and whispers

“I am……I am actually able to use some special type of powers.”

“A Joker?” Hikaru blurted out.

“Yes. Do you know about them?”

“Yes a little or too much”

Before Mahiru couldn't ask any further about it Hikaru changes the topic.

“What about the students? are they all safe?”

“Yes. The potion you used on them and me recovered us fully.”

“That's nice.”

A silence fills in the air before Mahiru asks the next question

“Th…..The thing about executing you is not true right?”

“It is”

“Th-”

“But worry not, I will escape somehow.”

“Okay then i will believe in your words, but what will you do if they put a wanted poster for you and send some of their men?”

“I am planning to live underground after escaping the prison. Maybe in dungeons.”

“Sorry, you had to go through all of this because of me. I can't do anything. I have to take the students back to the academy.I don't think I can face your sister..”

“You are going back huh. well just tell her all the truth she will not be mad, at least at you.”

“Did the stu-”

:Thud Thud:

“Times over.”

Mahiru had to go. She could ask any other question.