"So, we're in a space prison?"
"No. This is a specific section of space that exists independently from regular space—not just space as we know it. And although it can't typically be found, this place is actually close to my home planet, so it's like we're neighbors."
"You might be neighbors, but Henry and I are not. We're from a place much farther away than this. To us, space is just space, and this place—being unknown to us—is a space prison," Auran said, concluding the brief exchange of information between himself and Marian. Clearly, most of the explanation came from Marian, as she was the one who knew the most about this place.
"It's still very unclear to me how we even ended up here. You have any thoughts about that, Auran?" Henry, still wondering how this all began, looked at Auran with hope that he might have an answer.
"That's a question I'm wondering about too," Auran replied. "It could've been a rift in space or something completely unexpected that attached to us and dragged us in."
The truth was, Auran actually had a few thoughts in his head about their sudden appearance here, but he hadn't bothered to analyze them properly or reach a conclusion. At the moment, aside from finding a way to escape, he also had to constantly think about the questions bouncing around in his mind to keep the unknown mana from stopping the vibration of the circle in his head. So, he prioritized what was most important to solve in the moment.
"Thankfully, he said you're a magician of space—with enough knowledge to get us out of here?" Marian asked holding a flicker of hope.
"Get us out of here? We're in prison, and getting out would normally mean waiting until we finish our sentence. And if not... then what I think you're suggesting is a prison break," Auran answered as he observed the surroundings.
"That would be correct. Is it possible?" Marian still had expectation in her eyes as she looked at Auran.
Although it wasn't much, she had a feeling from the way Auran talked and behaved that this man was someone of a capability.
"The space magic you're referring to should be teleportation magic—a advance spell a space magician can cast. And I'm not that deeply involved in the space magic field to cast teleportation spells. However, getting out of here isn't impossible... but it depends on what I gain from freeing you."
"Auran!" Even before Marian could speak, Henry was the first to react to the shameless words Auran had spoken.
"Your benefit is gaining freedom from this place," Marian calmly replied to Auran's words, then continued with a few extra remarks.
"But if there's no chance of freedom... then there's going to be a lot of violence."
With those words, the sound of her neck cracking echoed slightly as she tilted her head with a threatening aura.
Looking out at the mining area, Auran fell silent.
'seems I'm not in the position to bargain here. She clearly means that if I don't help, she's going to mess us up. Well, only I know how important it is for me to get back to a more resourceful place to fix this problem in my head. I just wanted to see if I could get anything more out of it.'
After a moment of silent thought, Auran finally spoke.
"I'll be honest with you, beastly woman. I currently do have a few plans in my head, but to make them bloom, I need people who will do exactly what I say—without questioning me back," Auran straightened up and gazed directly into Marian's eyes, demanding an answer.
"I have a few people under my command, and we're willing to obey whatever you say until we get out of here," Marian replied after a few minutes of careful thinking. "However, if we feel your plan isn't something that's going to work, we'll change the terms."
"Agreed," Auran replied without delay.
Then he turned to Henry. "Henry, a little help, please. Can you check and see what kind of item is on my neck?"
Standing closer to him, Auran lifted his chin so Henry could inspect the object.
"Alright," Henry naturally agreed to Auran's request, since it seemed the two of them were in the same boat.
Reaching for the necklace that was wrapped around Auran's neck, he tried to pry and understand anything he could about it.
"Ah, wait!" Marian warned, but Henry had already touched the necklace and instantly felt an immense electric shock coursing through his body.
"Arghh!"
A few violent vibrations and jolts shook him, and smoke rose from his skin. Henry fell backward after the electrocution.
"Haha! Look at that guy—he must be a newbie!" one of the criminals saw that laughed, seeing Henry fall into the same trap they themselves had once experienced when they first arrived.
"A sudden electrocution—not deadly, but just enough to paralyze someone," Auran muttered, kneeling beside Henry and observing his body.
"Did you know about this beforehand, and intentionally let your friend fall into a trap?" Marian asked, suspicious of how calm Auran remained after seeing his friend in pain.
"I expected there had to be some kind of protection mechanism around this thing. If not, how could someone with your strength not just break it with a fist?" answered Auran.
"I would have answered that question if you had just asked," Marian replied.
"Words alone weren't enough—I wanted to see for myself. Hmm, the skin isn't burned, but smoke is still coming out," Auran continued to observe Henry's body while responding to everything Marian asked.
"One is a kind soul with honest words, while the other is a sly fox with blunt ones. I wonder how you two became friends."
"People change according to what they know. Anyway, is there any place for him to rest, or somewhere he could be treated to get better? Although the shock isn't life-threatening, he still needs treatment," Auran asked Marian, after finishing his assessment.
She nodded, picked Henry up from the ground, and began walking away, followed by Auran.
"The first electrocution we get from the necklace isn't enough to kill us, but the second time could put someone's life in danger. And the third—if someone touches their collar with the intention of removing it a third time, the shock will kill them instantly. That's the pattern we know so far. Well... there's nothing more to know since the third is the last, as it ends in death.
Originally, when I came here, there weren't life-threatening measures like that. Instead, there were guards all around to watch us. Only recently did they change our collars to these deadly ones.
Other than forceful physical contact The only other time the electrocution works is when a criminal tries to fight or disobey an officer's law."
As they walked, Marian explained everything she knew about the electrocution system built into the necklaces to Auran.