In pure panic, I first try to search for the book I tripped over. Surely that is the cause, though, I must wonder whether that's been what Asra wanted to search for the entire time. His fascination with the library was getting stronger. I can't say for sure, but I think that he's been trying to explore the world inside of that book; that he, perhaps, somehow entered it through the void. And the Asra I met there was but an empty shell of his as he got stuck in said world, not knowing how to return. Typical mistake of a mage that barely got started; entering a world all by yourself is not wise, however, he's definitely not a newbie. He knows what he's doing. Or so I thought, before he entered a world inside of a book all by himself without telling us... or at least me.
However, the book is nowhere to be seen. In fact, the place around me doesn't quite seem like the library I entered few moments ago; it's much cleaner and more organized than I remember.
"Guards!" Nadia's voice snaps me out of my dreaming and forces me to come back to reality; or whatever this is. I give her my full attention.
"My apologies, Nadia. I'm not supposed to be here, but Asra's-"
She doesn't even let me finish before she points at me, showing her guards what exactly is the issue.
"An intruder entered my library! Surely there's magic involved, unless Portia gave you the keys, but I doubt that wholeheartedly. To jail!"
This Nadia... is not how I remember her. She's angry and loud. Not the kind, calm woman that accepted me under her wings. And soon enough, as her guards start picking me up and putting handcuffs on my poor skinny hands, I find out just why is she acting that way.
"Naddy, my dear!"
A glorious, proud figure walks from behind her and puts its hands on her shoulders.
"Lucio", she says with a sly voice. Definitely not something that I'm used to. At this point, I can't even figure out what is this supposed to be. It seems like past, but I just can't believe that this could possibly be the Nadia!
"Move it, missy", I hear from behind me as one of the guards violently pushes me out of the library. I try my best to gather as much information as I can, though, so I try to fight back, but I'm way too weak to win over three armored men. They have weapons and my magic is, for now, way too slow.
"Intruder, you say, Naddy? Well don't you worry! What kind of a husband would I be if I didn't help my beautiful wife. Indeed, I shall dispose of the intruder... for good."
I hear his words, but can't turn around to see his face. However, I can definitely feel his terrifying gaze following me as I'm being thrown onto the ground.
"Will you not listen?"  I lie there on my knees, staring the guard deep in his eyes. I can't see much through his helmet, but there's just something very odd about him.
"I will. Apologies." I say as I start getting up again, and this time, I actually walk with them. The jail is in a part of the palace I've never been to before. It smells like fresh blood and rotten meat down here, and it looks just as dirty. Clearly, this is where the true lowlife is being kept at. And it might have been where Julian was kept, too, before they moved him over...
With those words echoing in my mind for a little, I slowly start realizing something.
I'm being thrown into one of the cleaner cells, at least for now. The guards speechlessly leave after locking up the doors after me for, it sounds like, at least five times on multiple different locks, and so I'm left all by myself with the silence slowly swallowing me in.
I try to rethink everything. If this is the past, obviously, this must have happened before Lucio got very ill. That means that if one's careful enough, and actually watches everything that's happening from afar, it would be possible to see whether Julian's actually committed his crimes as he says he did. In that case I would, however, have to survive for as long as possible, but Lucio did not sound like that was his plan at all.
Loud noise distracts me from my thoughts and gets my attention. It's a crow. It sounds almost frightened to death, flapping its wings like a prey trying to fly away from a lion that more or less has his claws on it. It screams at me in pure despair, trying to make me realize something.
"Silence, foolish bird! Or they'll find you and, for all I know, even behead you!" I say to the poor bird. I don't really think it could help, but it seems like it in fact did. The bird gets silent, stares at me for some time and then throws something very small on the ground. I think the crow held it in its claws.
Then it starts continuously screaming again while flying where it came from.
I'm pretty sure it's actually been that little bird that always followed Julian. Oh Julian, I wonder what are you up to now...
However, I have a new problem now.
I glance over to look at the tiny thing the crow gave me. It's something made out of metal, but it's very difficult to see what exactly might it be because of how dull the light is in the prison.
Nevertheless, I try to reach out for it with my hand. The bird threw it a bit too far from my cell so it's difficult to reach.
As if that wasn't enough, I start hearing footsteps coming my way. Skipping down the stairs while armor of this person dingles around, making a noise as a steel armor plate keeps hitting the plates underneath it. The closer it gets, the clearer I can hear a male voice singing for himself. I have to hurry.
I take my hand back and start taking off one of my shoes instead and try to put my leg through the bars. It reaches far enough for me to sloppily take the metal thing between my toes, taking it back as fast as I can while putting it inside of my shoe together with my feet.
"Oh, the intruder!" Of course, Lucio decided to bless me with his presence. I wonder if he wants to tell me just how exactly is he going to kill me.
"Lucio," I nod and grab on the cell bars. "What a blessing" I say with a bit of sarcasm, but his smile suggests he didn't take it as such.
"I've seen your frightened face when you stared at me, trying to understand my words. Oh, and how beautiful it's gotten when I mentioned the punishment!" He's playing with me. Not only his words, but his sly, cruel grin also suggests so. "It's something I could simply live for," he continues. His words send shiver down my spine. What a sick joke.
"Get on with it," I sigh, figuring he's gonna kill me nonetheless.
"I'd like you to be my lover." he says with full seriousness in his voice. It stuns me, forces me to speechlessly stare him in his eyes as he starts getting closer and closer to my face, before the bars stop him.
"You're magically beautiful. Breathtakingly attractive. I could go on" he grins even more. The fact that a husband of someone as kind as Nadia would do this to her makes me want to back off, but then again, I remember what has Nadia done to me, and decide to play along.
With a sweet smile, I also put my face much closer to his. While our lips are just centimeters away, nearly touching, I pull away. "It would be easier if I wasn't locked up," I say with a sad voice. He seems to catch up. "Indeed, it's a shame." After saying that, he grins. "But what good would it do to me if I freed you?"
I think about it for a little. Truth be told, I don't know Lucio enough to know what could he be craving, so I try to aim for the simplest choice; adoration is surely what he craves. All people like him do. So besides him wanting to be in a relationship with me, I also ty to play on his ego a little.
"Oh, all powerful count. I would serve you like no one else has. I would fulfill your wishes, those that not even you wife knows of; and they will all stay a secret. If you free me, I shall be the one to adore and celebrate your greatness, your power, your might!" Indeed, I try to sound as excited as I can. He seems like he trusts me. No suspicion crosses his face, instead, he gives me a satisfied look while staring at me as if I was a new gorgeous jewelry just added to his collection. He stays silent, but slowly nods.
"Well, how wonderful" he says with a happy voice after a while and turns around. "Expect me tomorrow. Though, no one shall know of this."
When the sound of his steps finally disappears and there's nothing but silence left around me, I sit down with a relieving sigh. A great amount of stress leaves my mind and all I can think of now is how to use this entire situation to find Asra. I'm not quite sure how much will Lucio let me run around as long as his wife doesn't notice me. I try to think it through, but suddenly, a sharp pain on my foot makes me lose my focus. I take off my shoe and notice that tiny metal thing the crow's given me. It's a very small key, obviously not one that would fit the cell's door. It looks like it could rather fit a diary, or perhaps a tiny chest.
Nevertheless, I put the key back where I kept it til now and lie down on the uncomfortable floor. Tomorrow's a big day. I better rest so I'm ready to become someone else.