The Immortal and The Undying

The Cradle and Meeting Kaelin

Thalion's consciousness returned slowly, as though he were emerging from deep, murky water. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and the cold seeped into his bones like an old enemy. He blinked into the darkness, trying to focus on his surroundings, but the world remained a blurred shadow for a few moments longer.

When his vision finally cleared, he realized he was lying on the rough stone floor of a cell. The air was thick with dampness, and the scent of rot and mildew clung to every surface. He could barely make out the iron bars in front of him, dimly lit by a weak, flickering torch hanging outside the cell. Wherever he was, it was far from the battlefields of Astoria. He tried to move, but his limbs were sluggish, restrained by shackles that bound his wrists and ankles to the cold stone wall behind him.

The Cradle.

The infamous dungeon of Edris. He had heard the name whispered among soldiers and spies—a place where enemies of the kingdom were broken, where hope went to die. Thalion had imagined it more than once, but the reality of it was worse than he could have conceived. The walls were narrow, the ceiling low, and the air itself felt oppressive, as if the dungeon sought to crush the spirit of anyone unlucky enough to be thrown into its depths.

He tugged at the chains holding him, testing their strength, but they didn't budge. His armour had been stripped away, leaving him in his simple tunic and trousers. His body ached from the beating he'd taken during the ambush, but the injuries were already fading, his immortality knitting flesh and bone back together with relentless efficiency. He would heal. He always did. But what concerned him now was why Edris had captured him.

They must have known about his immortality—few did, but whispers travelled in the most dangerous of circles. If they intended to use him for some purpose, that could only mean one thing: torture, experimentation, endless captivity.

The thought didn't bother him as much as it should. He had lived too long for such fears. But still, there was a flicker of discomfort at the idea of being used, his curse turned into a weapon for others. He might never escape these walls if Edris got what they wanted from him.

A sound broke his thoughts—a light, almost melodic hum from somewhere in the darkness. Thalion's brow furrowed as he turned his head, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. It was coming from the cell next to his, a small, off-key tune carried on a voice far too cheerful for this hellish place.

"Morning, sunshine," came a voice—female, light-hearted, and filled with the kind of energy that had no place here.

Thalion blinked, his mind slow to register the absurdity of the situation. A figure appeared in the cell adjacent to his, leaning casually against the iron bars that separated them. The woman was petite but fit, her hair a wild mess of auburn curls that framed a round, freckled face. Her bright green eyes sparkled with mischief, and despite the chains on her wrists and ankles, she looked more like someone relaxing at an inn than a prisoner in the Cradle.

"Who are you?" Thalion rasped, his voice rough from disuse.

She grinned at him, as though they were old friends sharing a joke. "Name's Kaelin. Been stuck in this lovely place for about a week now. You must be new."

Thalion didn't respond immediately, his mind still trying to reconcile her upbeat demeanour with the grim reality of their surroundings. "Why are you here?"

Kaelin shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know how it is. Got into a little... misunderstanding. Some adventurers were fighting over a treasure map, things got out of hand, and I may or may not have destroyed half a tavern in the chaos. Edris doesn't take kindly to property damage, apparently."

Thalion stared at her, unable to comprehend how she could be so casual about her imprisonment. "And you've been here ever since?"

"Yep. Not my first time in a dungeon, though," she added, with a wink that would have been charming in any other context. "But I'll be out soon enough. Happens every time."

"Every time?"

Kaelin leaned closer to the bars, her grin widening as though she were about to share a delicious secret. "Oh yeah. See, I've got this little... quirk, I guess you could call it. I can't stay dead. Just when everyone thinks I'm gone, I wake up about an hour later, good as new. It's been driving these Edrisian jerks crazy."

Thalion's eyes narrowed. "You're... immortal?"

"Not exactly. I can die. I just don't stay that way." She laughed, the sound light and carefree, as if they were discussing something mundane. "I've been killed three times trying to escape this place. Crossbows, daggers, poison—you name it. I think they're getting frustrated."

Despite himself, Thalion felt a flicker of intrigue. He had never met anyone with an ability so similar to his own—though hers seemed less a curse and more of an inconvenience, based on how she treated it.

"You could have escaped," Thalion muttered, glancing at her with curiosity. "Why haven't you?"

Kaelin shrugged again. "Where's the fun in that? I like watching them squirm, trying to figure out what to do with me. Plus, it's not every day I get to meet someone interesting. You're Thalion, right? 'The Immortal Sentinel'? I've heard stories."

Thalion's lips tightened at the mention of his infamous nickname. "If you know who I am, you should know that I don't have time for games."

Kaelin's eyes twinkled, unfazed by his cold tone. "Oh, lighten up. You're stuck in here, same as me. Might as well make the best of it."

"I'm not here to play around."

"And I'm not here to die. Well, I am. But not for long." She winked again, an impish grin spreading across her face. "Tell you what, big guy. How about we team up? You want out of here, I want out of here. I help you escape, and we call it even. Sound fair?"

Thalion considered her for a long moment. She was a peculiar one, no doubt, but her abilities made her valuable. And if she had been toying with their captors for a week, perhaps she had learned something useful about the dungeon's layout or the guards' routines.

"I work alone," he finally said, his voice gruff, but even he knew that wasn't entirely true.

Kaelin snorted. "Sure you do. But let's be real—you could use a little help. And I could use some company. So, what do you say? Partners?"

Thalion sighed, glancing at the dark walls of his cell. The cold stone and iron bars offered no other solutions, and time was wasting.

"Fine," he muttered. "But no more games."

Kaelin's grin only widened. "Deal."

As the two prisoners settled into a strange alliance, Thalion couldn't help but wonder just how much chaos this cheerful adventurer would bring into his cursed existence.

And for the first time in a long while, he almost felt... curious.