Concurrently, within the depths of Tiliac's prison. Aster sat in the corner of the cell, glancing about nervously. His face was blank, but it didn't hide his fear. The sweat formed on his brow as an eerily familiar feeling set in, which he knew only too well.
The butterflies in his stomach began to take control and his throat was dry. He choked on nervousness as all hope of return had been taken from him. Aster turned to his legs and with great difficulty, managed to get to his feet.
He slowly went to the window and peered through, seeing Enzo pacing around in the corridor outside beyond the prison bars. He kept his distance, not wanting to get involved. He looked pale and had cutd all over his body. "My God, he must've fought all the way here!", he thought. "Enzo!", Aster called out. Enzo ignored him, only focused on tracing his injuries with his trembling fingers. Aster tried again, "Enzo!", he called out once more, this time, the man responded.
"Aster, you okay in there? You look so petrified.", he asked. Aster's head hung low, "Please tell me what they're going to do to me...", he shuddered. Enzo stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder through the bars, "Calm down. They're not going to hurt you. One of the higher ups will come to you for questioning, it's not all bad...", he informed. Aster looked up. "Oh god... not them!", he groaned. He thought about the time he was berated by his captains for months. He thought about the jail before this one. How they were going to kill him had he not landed in the syndicate.
"I guess there's no use...", he muttered as his spirits began to fade. Before he could dwell on the problem much more, the thumping of the higher up's feet were heard above them. Enzo hid so they couldn't see him. "Aster...it's been a while.", it was the voice of one of Tiliac's officials, and Aster immediately recognised him. He was a burly man, clearly in his 40s with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. "So tell me, how on earth did you get back here?", he pondered.
Aster's legs trembled. They shook so much he could hardly stand, "I...I'm...I'm...I'm...", he stammered. "So much has happened, I don't know...what is that?", he asked. To his surprise, the man asked the same question again, "So tell me, how on earth did you get back here?". This was all very strange, and it all seemed so ignorant, it was suspicious. Aster became less anxious and more frustrated, maybe a straight answer is what he needs. "I'll explain the whole thing if you just listen to me...", he thought, clearly irritated.
"So tell me, how on earth did you get back here?", once again, the same question. "What the hell?! Why are you doing this?! Tell me!", screamed Aster. Yet again, the same response. He gandered at the hiding Enzo, "Enzo, what's happening here?", he questioned. The cyan haired man shrugged, "I've no clue, sorry Aster.", he answered. It was then he got a genius idea, "Enzo, do you know of a man called Vox?", he questioned. Now he had theories, the wobbles every so often, the similarities to his friends, though it pained him to think, could this world be an illusion?
"I don't know this 'Vox' person.", Enzo responded. Aster took a deep breath, before now, Enzo had a bright and rambunctious tone, much like his friend Demitris, but here, he was monotone, like it was the only response he was allowed to say. He then asked the middle aged man about Vox, the same response, with the exact wording, he didn't know. The boy could barely believe his ears, and he had to investigate more. "Enzo, this world, it's someone's creation, right?", he asked the young man on the other side of the bars.
"No, not a creation, this is permanent.", answered Enzo in the same monotonous way as before. "So...this is just another ploy? Another trick by people who don't give a damn?!", he asked, this time with far more passion. He bashed himself against the bars, only to feel the glistening of a spell and no metal at all. "This, this is hell. A place to torture me, to make me think I'm back where I started, and then taunt me by assuming I would make it this far!", he declared.
"Are you really worthy of this world?", Enzo echoed ominously in a tone that was alarmingly similar to Vox. The more Aster looked at him, as well as his former captain, the more it was clear they weren't human, sometimes their faces would twist and jerk, other times they weren't there at all. They were conjured for one purpose, stretch them beyond that and they would simply break. "I have to escape... ", thought Aster, and there was only one way out.
With all his strength, he forced himself against the bars. With no luck using his body, he then used his weapon. "I know this world is fake, Vox! You can't hide it anymore!", he exclaimed. He felt as his muscles ached from all the exertion, but he was also blind to it knowing he'd get home. "You tried to convince me, with Julia, with Vanian, and finally with Enzo, but I know the facade now! THIS IS NOT TILIAC!"
With those four words, the floor below him cracked open, and he was sure what he would see next would be horrifying, no home, just a blank husk of death. As he travelled through this void of light, a woman with black hair stood before him, glistening with a bright energy. She said nothing, yet called out to Aster, but he was immediately pulled away by a magical current before he could properly behold her. The light around him became brighter and brighter, when finally, he reached his destination.