Cygnus' Timeskip: The Conductor

[Felix]

Part I Just One Sound
soundtrack​

​

I tried to control my shaking
With just one sound
I tried to warm the ocean
By writing it down​

It was dark down in the brig of Axel's ship where Cygnus was being kept. There were no windows to bring in light. Not much sound could be heard either. Truly, it was an area Draven could feel comfortable in. A welcome change from his previous environment. Draven did not like the town of the Hallows. Not the town, not its people, nothing...and he couldn't even pinpoint the reason for his immense dislike. He attributed it to spending too long in the sun.

Stepping into the cell, the dark jacket Lieutenant commander silently observed their sleeping prisoner bound by seastone cuffs. The blonde boy seemed rather...flimsy-looking...to be a pirate.

"This is the Devil Fruit user you captured?"

"Yes." replied Axel on a neutral tone, as he took out a pair of scissors and casually started to chip Cygnus's wing. He did it slowly and carefully. He thought some more and took out his marker again. This time to add a beard on Cygnus's face, and write "naughty boy" on his forehead. "Why do you ask?" inquired Axel, with the same serious face he had as he started doing all his rather bizarre actions.

Draven grimaced at what he considered to be childish antics from Axel, but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself. It wasn't his place. "A passing interest in the Ope Ope Fruit's abilities." Draven replied dismissively. "Nothing to concern yourself about, Captain."

"Indeed, the Ope Ope Fruit's abilities would be useful to the Marines. But if I cannot trust the person in question, nor the Marines around them, I'd rather finish them off." said Axel. It seemed like it was not related to what Draven said, but he elaborated. "Did you have such an idea in mind, Lieutenant Commander? Honestly, considering your overall behavior, I'd say an opportunistic and ambitious person such as yourself would think something like that. Correct me if I am wrong, though. I have a bad habit of reading between the lines." he added, as he stood up. He was his true self for a moment.

Draven took a moment to regard Axel, surprised by the in-depth response from the whimsical captain, before an amused smirk formed on his face. "While I am flattered by your view of me, Captain Axel, I have no such intentions. The reason for my interest is purely personal. Though, you are free to think what you like."

"Each of my actions is for the purpose of a reaction from someone else. At least most of the time. Even when I drew on this young man's face, I did it for the sole purpose of studying your reaction. People reveal themselves easier when you act like you're an idiot, or have a screw lose," Axel paused briefly "You are probably wondering why I'm telling you this." as he said that he went at a covered table which was close to Cygnus. Once he uncovered it, he revealed a few objects: a hammer, some nails, a towel, and a device made for removing fingernails. Many bottles and buckets full of water where underneath the table. "I don't really like you as a person Draven, but I decided I can trust you. And that is what I value most. But I cannot say the same thing about Angel Boy over here." he went near Cygnus. "If I consider him worthy of trust, then he will get through this ordeal with very little pain. The opposite is self-explanatory."

"Is that so...?" Draven kept his face a mask, revealing nothing of his opinions. It was clear to him that Axel was a man who trusted very little...not even his own men. His entire idiocy act was ruse? Interesting. Different from Pyrha. And very different from Hollis. He returned his attention to the caged bird. "Shall we get started then? I do hope the poor boy lives through your test of trust. Dead people are of very little use to me. Not beautiful in the least."

"Indeed. I shall wake him up then." he said, as he took a feather from the ground. One of the feathers he cut from Cygnus's wing. He tickled the young man's nose with it.


Cygnus didn't need to be woken up at that moment. He had been for a while now. He had woken to something cold tracing his skin. It had been a welcome change to the nothingness he felt before that. He had no idea how much time had passed. For all he knew, the hallows was already a legend, an uninhabited island since a massacre. Or maybe the island had ceased to exist completely. Normally, this thought would have sent Cygnus in a heavy panic attack, but now he felt strangely calm.

He could hear to voices from far away. Too far to hear wat they were talking about. His head felt like a big ball of cotton. Fuzzy, warm and fragile. Little tremors from his wing were sent up his spine. He couldn't feel the source though. All his limbs felt numb. It felt like all his energy was constantly ebbing out of his body. It was a sensation that was difficult to describe. It felt strangely familiar, but Cygnus couldn't place it yet. He felt a sort of current going towards his feet from all over his body. Like when people get so tired that they can only focus on one limb which feels really heavy. His feet felt cold as well.

A sharp pang made him remember what the feeling was. Kairoseiki, also known as seastone. He had two shackles around his ankles. He immediately became more alert, as far as that was possible with seastone. "Shall we get started then? I do hope the poor boy lives through your test of trust." Cygnus heard one of the man say. Internally Cygnus freaked out. Who were these people? How had he gotten here? And how could he get out? They were probably marines, as seastone was very hard to come by for non-marines. What did he do to end up in their custody? Did they capture him? Did his friends betray him? Or did he turn himself in? For now he just had to pretend to be knocked out. It was not too hard with the shackles draining his energy anyways.

However, life was hard, or rather, really soft, as his nose was tickled with a feather. It itched really bad. Cygnus tried his very best to hold it in. He tried to think about peanut butter, as his mother had once told him that was the best remedy for sneezing. It wasn't helping much, but it was a start. He almost thought he had it, before it broke. "HAAAAACHIIIII!" His body rocked forward from instincts. It immediately left him motionless afterwards as it had spent the little energy that was still in him. Through his half open eyes he saw two men, dressed in what he would guess were marine jackets, looming over him. He tried to scream, but only a measly "waaaaaa" came out, like a child trying to tell you that your silly trick didn't really scare them. Well, at least he wouldn't come off as the scaredy cat he was. Not yet.

"Hello, user of the Ope Ope Fruit," Axel took the hammer and a few nails from the table, then leaned in closer to Cygnus "Now, I already know that you are at the very least affiliated with the pirates on this island, as your past actions have demonstrated so. Thus I'll get straight to the point: I want information. What is your objective, and where are the rest of your friends?"

Cygnus eyes went big. He wanted to struggle, but he could. "Ah yu waaa geh ou. Ah yu waaaa liiii. Pleeeeee!" (I just want to get out. I just want to live. Please!)

Axel quickly nailed Cygnus's wing to the ground, without mercy. "Ok, let us try a different question, then. How much is 12 x 24?" he was already prepared to nail Cygnus's wing again.

Cygnus cried out in pain as the nail went through his flesh. For a moment he was actually happy with the dazing effect of the seastone. Still, it hurt like hell. Tears started rolling over his cheeks. "Why di you do da?! I du nohoho! Pleeze, no mo!" His mind was too upset to make the simple calculation. How could the marines enlist such a psychopath? For now he would just continue pleading for his life, which had protection of his friends as a welcome side effect.

Axel nailed Cygnus's wing again. The boy cried out in pain yet again. "How much is 12 x 24?" he asked once more, on a neutral tone. He seemed unaffected by Cygnus's cries. Obviously he knew it must have hurt, but Axel didn't care about the feelings of someone he didn't trust. Also, it seemed like the more pain he inflicted, the clearer the young man was able to speak. This time Axel could actually understand what the young man said.

A light cough interrupted Axel's torture session before Cygnus could answer. Stepping forward from the darkness, Lieutenant Commander Draven, who had been silently watching Axel's interrogation methods, made his presence more visible to the two in cell. "If I may be so bold, Captain, perhaps a simpler question might suffice? After all, most pirates aren't known for receiving an education...let alone one in mathematics."

"You have a point," Axel took out one of the nails in Cygnus's wing, as if he wanted a retry. No mercy yet again. "Let us try a different question," he looked Cygnus in the eye "How many people do you see in front of you?"

Cygnus was relieved for a moment when the commander stepped in, but was horrified when he heard the comment. The question was the problem?! Not the violent behavior or the amount of pain he was in? If he would have had more energy he would have showed them how educated he was. Now there was little he could do, but count the people. "Free. U, yo boh an da thin in the cohneh." He said while he intensely stared at the corner. It was a petty trick to get some time, but it was all he could think of on such a short notice.

Axel could somehow understand what the boy said. He saw three people: Axel, Draven, and a thing in the corner. What thing? Then again, the boy having a screw lose wouldn't have been such a surprise. But what if he was faking it, so that both Axel and Draven would believe he was crazy? At this point, Axel pulled out the other nail in Cygnus's wing.

"I was also thinking of removing his fingernails, gauging one eye out, and using other means of getting information out of him," he spoke, addressing himself to Draven "But, after thinking about it some more, maybe we should wait until the pirates come to this ship, and use him as a means of making them surrender quicker. If they don't care about him anyway, I'll just shoot him and throw his dead body into the sea. His Devil Fruit will resurface somewhere anyway."

"Hmmm...perhaps as a last resort," Draven answered idly, most of his attention focused on the weak--possibly delirious--boy whom he studied like a fascinating specimen. A gloved hand laid itself on Axel's hammer, as if to halt the violence, though there was no force to it. He didn't actually have the authority, or rank, to stop Axel from doing anything on the man's own ship. Least of all to prisoner that Axel himself captured. Kneeling, so that he was eye level with the young pirate staring at the empty intently at the empty corner, Draven asked simply, "Mind if I give it a try?"

"Very well." was Axel's response. He then just went towards the table where all his items were located, and covered it. Afterwards he simply went in the corner of the room and sat on a chair.

Nodding at Axel, Draven returned his glacial gaze to Cygnus and, gently gripping the boy's chin, forced the boy's head to turn towards him so that the two pair of blue eyes met. "I prefer to have the person I'm talking to look at me while I do so. Whatever's at the corner can wait until our conversation is finished. I will only ask questions. You can talk as little or as much as you want. I don't feel the need to resort to violence, but if at any point I feel you are lying to me, I will return you to Axel's tender care. Do you understand? Just a yes or a no will suffice."

When the man turned his head Cygnus immediately knew he meant business. The man might not have been as violent as the first one, but was probably just as dangerous. Cygnus tried to nod, but the man had a firm grip. "Yeah" he whispered. His mind was already trying to come up with ways to lie, without being noticed. He would at least pretend to be scared to try gain the marine. He didn’t even need to pretend, just slightly add some drama. The psychopath would do the rest.

"Let's start even simpler then. What's your name?"

“C-Cyrih Ahbero” Never tell your true name, but choose something close and make it badly audible.

"How old are you?"

“23” Answer truthfully on questions that do not matter to gain trust.

"Why did you come to this island?"

“Ah wanit to find treazure.” Sometimes the truth, restocking and boarding a new ship was not what the interrogators wanted to hear.

"The people of the Hallows seemed to have been in an uproar about some precious artifact. What do you know about it?"

“Sum silly rituah with their gods.” It was sort of true, but Cygnus suspected that it was much more powerful if the villagers would go so far to protect it and even intrigued the marines.

"Does the name Jasper Pharos ring a bell?"

“I hurd he wah a roghue marine.” This one was a lot harder, better not really answer at all.

...

"Magilou?"

“Never hurd of” The questions became a surreal sequence of questions, truths half lies and full ones.

...

"Anna?"

“I doh kno any Ana” The list of people and places he had never been.

"Is that ship, the one you tried to repair, important to you?"

Now they would move on to the core of the interrogation. It took a little longer to think about that question. Was The Charybdis important to him? Sure, it was his only way from this island, but was that the only reason? Suddenly he wished that the crew was here to save him. They were probably outside fighting the marines. Or they were captured as well. Or they died. Stop! He tried to push the thought away. He needed to clear his mind. Somehow he just couldn’t stop worrying. He knew that he had waited to long to keep lying.

“Yeah.” Somehow saying it was a relief.

"Do you think your pirate friends would try to save you if they knew your predicament?"

There he went and made it worse. At least they were alive and on the lose, right? Would they save him? Would they really save a low life like him? Maybe it was all a trick. Maybe they just seemed friendly to him to win his trust before turning him in and claiming the bounty. Would he even want them to save him?

“I wand them to, buh probably no.”

"There are various rumors, while I was walking around town, about a winged blasphemer who was causing trouble and upsetting the resident seer. That was you, is it not? What exactly did you do?"

They knew who he was! They probably knew that he had been lying. Anxiously Cygnus stared at the Psychotic marine. Please don’t hurt me! His eyes screamed. He tried to calm down. That plead was probably exactly what the marines wanted.

“Yes, It wa me!” He screamed in agony. “Please doh hurd me! I did no wand to upse’ anyone! Please!”

"Do you remember splitting a man in half with your Devil Fruit abilities?"

The fear was overwhelming now. They knew everything. They would ask him to give his life for their eternal ones. Or hang him for for all the crimes he committed. He panicked so much he was almost unable to speak. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Yeah. It was me. I’m so sorry! So, so sorry. For everyzing I did!”

"What is the current limit of your powers?"

“I doh no! I’m scared! Please let me go! Please jus…..” His face went slack. “My power has no limits. Keep me here and you will see me push the limits and break through.”

"The Ope Ope Fruit is well known amongst doctors for its surgical capabilities. Hypothetically speaking, if the user were to acquire extensive medical knowledge and gain mastery over its powers, do you think it's possible to reverse a surgery?"

“True mastery is an illusion.” The monotonous voice said. “Power is wild and chaotic. It’s only purpose is to survive.” And then it shut his mouth. And would keep it shut. Whatever the marines would try. There was no breaking. Just Power. Power in silence.

End of part I

collabed with: Axel @Azure Sky and Draven QuirkyAngel

 

[Felix]

Part II Tame my Nightmare
soundtrack

I tried to tame my nightmare
Line by line
If I write a song about you
Does that make you mine?
​

Cygnus did not know how long it had been. Minutes? Hours? A whole lifetime? He was staring blankly at the dark horizon. The familiar feeling of floating in nothingness had numbed over time. He hoped the other him was doing the same. Nothing. A feeling of sadness washed over him as the alternatives crept up to him. He did not want to think about it. He hated waking up in his body. The surprise. The confusion of reorienting. And then the guilt. Who had suffered this time? Did he hurt someone he cared about? Did he kill someone?

There was always a small voice, the voice of reason, in the back of his mind. It told him that it wasn’t his fault. This was just the Black Swan worked. It’s sole purpose was to survive. Anything that was remotely in the way of survival had to be dealt with. With force. However, the voice was seldom heard over the screaming voices of grief, frustration and shame. The emotions were overwhelming. Somehow, it was always his fault. He could have been strong. He should have been. He should have woken up while-

A change in the environment disrupted his train of thoughts. A bright light had sprung into existence. Cygnus sat up and looked over the brim of the boat. A whisp of light was floating just underneath the surface of the water. It was bright, but somehow also looked fragile. It was shivering and flickering, like a candle that was about to be blown out. He put his hand in the water, causing ribbles on the mirror-like surface. The whisp skittered away underneath the boat. “No! Wait. … Come back.” Cygnus pleaded. He pulled his hand out of the water. Softly he added: “please, I don’t want to be alone again.” The whisp glanced from underneath the boat. Cygnus did nothing but watch. He did not want to scare it away forever.

For a while they just stared at each other. Or at least Cygnus felt like the thing was watching him as well. Then something surprising happened. The whisp started to sing. First it was quiet and hesitant. It was as if he had cotton balls in his ears. He couldn’t make out the text, but he knew the tune. It was one of his favorite lullabies that his mother sang to him when he was little. And this whisp sang it even more beautifully. With a trembling voice Cygnus started singing a complementary melody. First, it was barely audible and unsure, but he felt that the more effort he put in his part, the clearer the sound of the whisp. He felt it pulling him in. He hung over the rim to be closer to the light. The song went into a crescendo. Cygnus tried to come even closer… And fell overboard. SPLASH!

The feeling was very disorienting. He gasped for air as his head broke the surface. No water seeped into his mouth. His hair was not wet either. Just his cheeks. Somehow the water had taken the shape of a corner. He couldn’t move. The whisp was gone, returning the world to darkness once more. His eyes started to adjust. He was in some sort of box. This had never happened before. How- Then it dawned on him. He was back in his body again. What had the Black Swan gotten him into this time? What had he done? He started the feel pressure on his chest as the feelings came pouring in.

“M-mister?” A voice in the darkness asked. It was that of a child, most likely a girl. She sounded scared and hurt. “Are you … OK?”

Cygnus tried to answer, but found that he couldn’t. His throat was dry as a desert. “Yeah” he wheezed. He tried to clear his throat.

The shape in the dark, probably the girl, cowered away in the opposite corner.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” Cygnus said in a raspy voice. He realized that his statement was not enough. After all, this girl had met the Black Swan. What did she think of him? Did he hurt her? “Was that you who just sang that song?”

The shape in the dark nodded. “H-hai”

“Your voice is beautiful”

“You are t-to kind, mister.”

“What’s your name?”

“Carmen”

“Hi Carmen. My name is Cygnus” He could slap himself. Never tell your real name. But this girl could do no harm, right? She was in the same predicament as him and was probably scared out of her mind. He tried to talk as soothingly as he could. “Can you tell me where we are, Carmen?”

Carmen let out a sob. “I d-don’t know. S-sorry. They never tell me anything.. B-but it’s a really bad place.”

“Who are they?”

“I o-once heard them talking through a den den mushi. They said they were rebels.”

I took a moment before the fact settled in. The Rebel Army. If it was true it would be very bad news. However, it could have been worse. It weren’t celestial dragons. Or Yonko. Or cannibals. He recollected himself. Now was not the time to freak out. “But how? Last I remembered I was in marine custody.”

“I-I don’t know. Sorry.”

They must have been hijacked by rebels. Or some other shady business. So many possibilities. So many holes in the story. It didn’t matter now. He just had to find his way out first.

He analyzed the surroundings. They were in a cell. Not just any cell, but the kind they use for solitary confinement in psychiatric hospitals, complete with soft padding on the walls. In one wall there was a sturdy looking metal door with two plates in front of it. Probably their food. Or their feces. He tried to move closer but found that he couldn’t. His hand and wing were strapped over his chest and his feet were bound together. He could only move like a fish on dry land. He looked towards the girl. She too was wearing a straightjacket and ankle cuffs. He couldn’t see her full height, because she sat crouched, but he could still see that she was small and fragile. There seemed to be a small gap in the straightjacket on the shoulders. An idea started developing in his mind. If Cygnus’ jacket was similar, then they might have a chance at escaping. He needed Carmen’s help though. And therefore also her to trust him. He could do with some trust in her as well.

“Carmen, How would you like to sing another song?”

End of part II

 

[Felix]

Part III Over and Over
soundtrack

The conductor caught in slow motion
The orchestra plays on
Over and over, the same motion
This work is never done​

“Attention!”

Cygnus immediately woke and set upright. A heavy grinding noise started blaring, like an air alarm that was way too close. Cygnus tried to curl up to cover his ears, but it had no avail. His arms were still strapped tight to his chest in a straight jacket. The sound resonated through his skull and made him ache all over. He saw the door open slightly, a beam of light blinding his eyes. A gloved hand shoved Carmen inside. She tried to keep standing, but her feet were still bound, so she fell over. The doors closed and the sound stopped. A peep continued in his ears.

Cygnus eyes adjusted to the dark again. He was slightly shaking, but not as badly as Carmen. Her body was trembling all over. Cygnus knew how she felt. The pain. The frustration over the involuntary jolts. The two of them were connected through their pain. They had a silent agreement not to ask if the other was okay. They both knew the answer was no. Instead he said: “Hang in there,” and started to sing a song, the same lullaby as when they first met. He hoped that Carmen would come in before it ended.

How long had they been here for? Cygnus had lost track of time. Hours? Days? Weeks? With the darkness he had no way of telling. At least they had each other. Most of the time that was. Every once in a while one of them would be taken away. They would be blinded and walked to another room. They would be bound in a chair and be forced to watch Revolutionary Army propaganda from a den den mushi. It was horribly bad with over the top heroic action and lots of disgusting fake blood. It was so bad that Cygnus had not been able to stop himself from laughing the first time he saw it. He immediately regretted it. They made sure of that.

However, the real hell came after that.


The TV stopped. The guards would soon step in to take Cygnus back to his cell. The door opened. The guards came in, but instead of taking him away they just rolled the TV away. They put a sterile metal chair in front of him. Cygnus was still bound to the chair and had no choice where to look or even to close his eyes. A stocky figure in a lab coat entered and sat down on the chair. His posture did not falter. His grey eyes kept staring straight into Cygnus’. He remained silent for a minute or so, slowly observing Cygnus.

“What is th-?” Bzzzt! Cygnus tried to ask, but was stopped by an electric shock from the chair. A searing pain spread through his body as it jolted in the straps. All the strange man had done was push the button of his pen.

“Now, now, it is not very kind to speak before you have been admitted to talk.”

“What was th-?” Bzzzt! Another shock went through his body. Cygnus wanted to open his mouth again, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Isn’t that better? Hmmm?” Another pause.

“Where are my manners? I haven’t even introduced myself. Hello, patient 127” He drawled. “My name is Doctor Heidner. You might not know me yet, but very soon you and I will be best of friends. You see, I am your only way out of here. Once I am done with you, you will be born a new man. A free man. The only thing you need to do is cooperate. Can you do that?” The humming of the electric chair was all that could be heard. “You may talk now”

“How will you get -?” Bzzzt! It hurt like hell. He felt so powerless as the electricity rocked his body.

“Tsk, tsk. When I say you can talk I mean that you can answer my questions. A simple yes or now will suffice. So, once again I will ask you: Can you do as you are told?”

“Yes”

“See that’s how easy this can be. Now did you have a question?” Cygnus opened his mouth. “Only one, so choose wisely”

“How will you get me out of here?”

“Well, you see, the Revolution thinks you are part of some kind of plot to undermine them. They asked me to find out if you have. If you just answer a few questions I can easily determine that you didn’t have anything to do with it. So … shall we start? You do not have to answer that question by the way.”

“First question: What do you know about lieutenant commander Draven?”

Cygnus was confused. Wasn’t that the man who captured him? He could just answer this with the truth. "He is a marine who captured and tortured me.”

Bzzzt!

“Wrong! He was your friend from your home island who you found after many years, was he not?”

Cygnus was even more confused. “No, I told you the truth.” Bzzzt!

“I really hate liars you know that.” Bzzzt! He gave Cygnus another shock, just to make his point. “You did promise me to cooperate did you not?” Silence. “Answer me!”

“I did, but-“ Bzzzt! Cygnus could barely see because of the pain, but his eyes were still kept open.

“No buts. Just answer as concise as possible. Did you or did you not promise me to be complacent?”

“I did”

“Very well, onto the next question: Where did you hide it?”

“What are you talking about?” Bzzzt! Cygnus could not take it anymore. His eyes rolled into his skull. As he drifted off he heard Dr. Heidner whisper in his ear.

“Next time, less playing dumb and more answers.”


That day he had woken in his cell. The next time he had gotten a little further, but not much. Every time felt like that. Was he making progress or was it just an illusion? The questions were all about events and people, most of them he knew nothing about, and the others his truth did not matter. He could do nothing good or honest. One time he had just shouted in frustration until Heidner put him down with his shocks. Another time he had tried to answer with the things Heidner wanted to hear, but when he came to the point where he still knew the answers, Heidner just came with more. There was no end to it. They just continued until he blacked out from pain.

Cygnus was not sure if Carmen got the exact same treatment, but the abuse was no different. They both knew what it felt like and had bonded over it. Whenever one of them got back they would sing to the other to comfort each other. The song he was singing now was almost over. Cygnus waited a bit. The last words of the song still egoed in his mind.

“Carmen … are you still here”

“h-hai”

“D-do you think you can try again?” He hated asking this question. He did not want to push her beyond her limits, but it was their only chance. Without it Cygnus would lose all hope and maybe would succumb to the Dark Swan.

“I can try”

“Thank you”

There were some grunts and puffs as Carmen slowly crawled closer to him. Cygnus laid his upper body down to make her job easier. Carmen put her head on his shoulder and got to work. “Once upon a time, there was an emperor. Every night before he went to sleep he listened to a nightingale.” He sang a melody without any words. “The emperor thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. On his 50th birthday he ordered his men to find the nightingale in his garden and bring it to him, so he could show her beautiful song to the whole world. One of the kitchen maids, who fed the bird breadcrumbs every morning brought the men to the beautiful bird. The bird agreed and was brought b-“

“How can a bird agree? It cannot even talk!” Carmen had stopped her work and looked up in his face.

“but this was not just any bird. She was magical. Through her songs she could communicate the deepest of her emotions.” Content Carmen lowered her head and started gnawing again. “The bird was given a beautiful cage next to the emperor’s throne. For a year the bird was the delight of the whole court. Her songs filled the hearts of the emperor’s foes and friends alike, improving all relationships. People came from lands far away to hear the Nightingale perform.”

“On his next birthday, a mysterious man appeared with a gift. The man had succeeded in making a mechanical bird and claimed it could sing as beautiful as the emperor’s nightingale, or even better. The king was a bit skeptical, so he proposed a match between the birds.”

Carmen came up. “I don’t think I like this story, S-sir.”

“shh, it will get better” Carmen continued with more conviction than before. “The nightingale sang a beautiful lullaby and the whole audience had trouble staying awake. Then it was time for the mechanical bird. The man had not lied, the bird sang beautifully. It was able to get the whole court into tears. The Nightingale saw that she had lost and before anyone could even declare the defeat she flew out of the throne room and far away. The people immediately forgot about her and- Ouch” The pain was not really that intense, especially compared to the electricity, but it just caught him of guard.

Carmen mumbled a sorry.

“Wait … did you do it?” Cygnus asked. Stupid question. “Don’t answer that or it might fall out of your mouth. If you don’t make a sound I will assume that you have it.”

No answer. Carmen breathed heavily next to his ear. Then she moved over to his neck and started the next phase. Cygnus felt the hard tip of his feather prick in his neck as Carmen tried to undo the first buckle of his straight jacket. She had widened the gap on his shoulder and had plucked one of his feather with her mouth. Now she tried to free him with it. It seemed to take forever. Cygnus hoped that his feather was strong enough to open the buckle.

And then it opened. Cygnus muscles relaxed in relieve.

“Great work, Carmen! Keep it up!”

Carmen made no sound and moved on to the second one. It took her a while but she managed to open all four buckles on Cygnus’s right sleeve. It was now completely free. He slowly stretched his arm. It felt really good, but also hurt a bit from the stiffness. “Thank you! Thank you!” He gave Carmen a pat on the head. Carmen, knowing that her job was done for now, spit the feather out of her mouth. “Blegh! I-it’s nothing sir. Now, p-please free us both.”

Cygnus hold up his arm to let the sleeve lower below his hand. With his free hand Cygnus undid the other clasps. It was a slow process. His hands were shaking and he was panicking a bit. He expected a guard to walk in any second now.

But it did not happen. When he was finished with his wing he opened Carmen’s buckles.

“And now you get to see my powers for the first time. Don’t be scared.” He felt like he said that reassurance more to himself than to Carmen. “Room! Amputate.” With a swift move he cleaved Carmen’s foot shackles in half. Then he did his own. They stood up and stretched their legs.

“We did it Carmen! We did it!” They chuckled a bit. They could not help themselves. The tension and euphoria made them do it. It took a moment to get the feeling under control.

“But we still have to find our way out of this institute ... Ready?”

“Hai”

“OK. Here goes nothing. Room!” He expanded his field a little this time. Carmen shoved their plates through the hatch into the corridor like they had planned. They made a loud screeching sound as they glided over the floor. He hoped nobody was nearby to hear it. “Shambles!”

Suddenly both of them were standing where the plates had been. The light was blinding their eyes. No one shouted. As luck would have it the corridor was empty. Cygnus grinned to Carmen who looked really confused. He signed her to be silent. On their bare feet they walked through the corridor. Carmen knew the way. She had been paying attention when they brought her back and had spotted a laundry room not far from their cell.

They heard footsteps closeby. The corridor parted in front of them and they were coming from the right. Cygnus heart jumped up. There was no place to hide in this corridor. He hoped Carmen told the truth about her powers and was strong enough to do it. Carmen raised her hand and concentrated.

Two guards turned the corner and walked directly towards them. Cygnus wanted to shriek, but managed to hold his breath. The guards did not look alarmed in the slightest and continued walking towards them. It was a very surrealistic feeling. Cygnus looked in awe. Just in time he remembered to step aside to let them pass.

Carmen had definitely not lied. Her powers were impressive. She could make people see whatever she wanted. They had a collection of some powerful Devil Fruit eaters in this facility. He wondered what the full extent of Carmen’s powers were as they waited for the guards to walk out of earshot.

They both exhaled loudly when they thought it was over. “That was really cool, thanks.” Cygnus whispered. Carmen blushed. They continued walking to the laundry room.

They saw nobody else on the way. The rebels were probably very sure of their case, as there was almost no security Den Den Mushi’s or locks either.

Once they reached their destination they started searching for clothes that fit them. Carmen was slightly mistaken, it was not a laundry room. The clothes were very diverse. They had Pirate, marine and commoner’s clothing from multiple cultures. This was probably where they kept the prisoner’s belongings. Cygnus searched for his own mantle, but he couldn’t find it. They had to be fast though, so Cygnus settled for a black shirt and pants and a marine coat to hide his wing. He was not sure if it would do any good, but there was nothing else that fitted him.

Carmen wore a purple tank top that was more like a dress for her. Apparently they did not carry any children’s clothes. The purple brought out the lilac of her eyes, something Cygnus had not noticed before.

Just after they were done alarms started blaring. They had probably discovered the empty cell by now. What to do next? They still had no idea where the exit was. “We have to move now!” He shouted over the alarms. Carmen nodded. They stepped back in the corridor.

Cygnus looked both ways. From the right he heard running people. So, left it was. He grabbed Carmen’s hand and started running.

With their frail bodies it was quite a challenge. They were panting heavily and every step hurt. Cygnus worried for the little girl as she had to work twice as hard as him to make the same distance.

They were incredibly lucky. Whenever there was an intersection, their choices were eliminated by the sounds of guards. They never saw any though, and there was always one silent corridor. Carmen had to use her power twice, but it did not slow them down much since the guards moved away as fast as they came. They ran for about ten minutes. They still had no idea where they were going, but away from guards was good for now.

And then it happened: they made mistake. As they turned a corner they saw two men up ahead. Carmen raised her arm, but it was already too late. “Halt! Nobody gets past us!” They ran towards Carmen and Cygnus. It was very apparent that they were very nervous as they ran cautiously.

Cygnus looked at Carmen and she looked at him. He saw in her eyes what he was thinking. “We were ordered not to let anyone go outside!” Thanks for the info dorks. They were probably the newbies who had gotten the worst position in the crisis. Guarding the exit. Carmen raised her arm. “They went that way!” One of the guards screamed. While he ran straight past Cygnus and Carmen he got a Den Den Mushi from his coat and shouted: "The patients went down corridor 11-C.” Patients? Is that what they thought they were guarding? Cygnus and Carmen were bloody prisoners here! In his rage Cygnus tripped the second guy. It was a pity move and he immediately regretted it. Luckily the guard barely noticed. He struggled back up and followed his colleague.

Cygnus turned to where the guards had stood and saw a big metal door. “There!” They moved closer and tried to open it together. It would budge. It was locked.

“Step aside.” Carmen did as she was told. “Amputate!” Cygnus made three big slashes with his wing and then kicked in the middle of the square. The square fell outside. Cygnus head was light. He shouldn’t have used this much power in his state, but it was the only way.

They climbed outside and together they put the part of the door back in place. The edges seemed to merge together and the door became one once more. Cygnus wanted to cut them some slack, but he knew they could not permit themselves rest at the moment.

They turned around. It was dawn or dusk, Cygnus could not tell the difference. He could see the sky above them and the white walls of the institute behind him, so they were outside. Then why was there still a corridor in front of them? The walls were black and rocky, like a cave without a roof. They were too smooth and too high to climb. First it went a bit straight and then it intersected.

“We should keep moving.”

Carmen nodded.

They walked into the lane. At the crossing they looked both ways. To their surprise they found that one of them had a dead end not far from them. So, they took a left. The path curved a bit to the left.

After going around some corners they found themselves at another crossing.

“What do you think?”

“I-I don’t know”

“I don’t know either.”

There was an awkward silence.

Simultaneously they suggested a direction. Both were different.

“S-sorry, let’s do yours.”

“No, no, Yours is better I think.”

Another silence.

“You know what? Let’s take the third option.”

They agreed and continued walking.

It did not take long two corners further they hit a dead end.

“Who on earth builds dead ends in their complex?”

And then it dawned on him. Suddenly he understood why there was so little security and why they let the worst guards defend the exit. They were not afraid of people exiting the institute. They had enough time to capture the runaways before they left the island. It was going to take them a long time to escape. If escaping was even possible at all."

“Carmen … I think we are inside a labyrinth.”

End of part III

 

[Felix]

Part IV Indecision
soundtrack

The only thing that's certain
Is your indecision
I guess it must be working
Cause you hit me with such precision​

Cygnus was woken up by the screeching of a bird. He opened his eyes, still a bit dazed. He rubbed his sunken eyes which had big WALLEN underneath them. The remains of the fire in front of him were still smoking. The sun was not yet up, but it was light enough to see the walled meadow around him. It had been a welcome surprise after the endless corridors. The maze was so tiring. Cygnus felt like he had had the first decent sleep in days. He got up had a better look around him. The grass and tries seemed very peaceful. Low fog and glistening DAUW made it even more serene. So magnificent that Cygnus could spectate this. The only being to see this in the whole universe.

Wait … Alone? He jerked his head towards the ground next to the campfire. Empty?! Where was Carmen? He panicked. How could he have been so neglectful?! He quickly scanned the whole surroundings thoroughly. No sign of Carmen.

A yellow thing fluttered into his periphery and screeched again. Cygnus recognized it. They had found the bird yesterday. The only kind soul in this whole godforsaken maze. It had immediately taken a liking in Carmen and had followed them around the whole time. Now it nudged him to follow her. Maybe the bird knew where Carmen went?

Cygnus started running and calling Carmen’s name, the bird still flying in front of them. Into the corridor. Left. Right. Cygnus mind was blurry. The sleep deprivation was catching up quickly. The fog was thickening too, making it harder to see. After about a 100 meters he could only see a shimmer of yellow guiding him through the nothingness.

“Cygnus! Help!”

Carmens scream filled the void. He could not locate where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from every side.

“Carmen, where are you?!”

He still ran following the fluttering yellow shape in front of him.

“Over here!” Still no sense of direction, but she was definitely closer. “Quick, before it comes back!”

Suddenly the yellow bird came to a halt. It was so sudden that Cygnus couldn’t slow down fast enough and ran into it. And through something sticky. He had arrived in some sort of cavern. The fog was way less dense than before. The bird had fallen to the ground. Cygnus crouched down and carefully picked it up. It seemed okay , but some string was preventing it from moving it’s wing. Cygnus used his hand to take it off and through it on the ground of the cavern, which was already covered in the stuff. It barely wanted to come off his own wing. The bird flew up, but stayed there. Cygnus almost wanted to ask why it did not continue.

“Up here!”

Cygnus looked up. It was too dark to see clearly. It was covered in the same white stuff. Carmen’s head was well camouflaged, which made Cygnus jump a little when he finally saw it.

“Carmen?! Have you become a ghost?!”

“N-no. I’m just hanging upside down.”

The bird had flown up there and pecked around Carmen. The whole cave seemed to be vibrating with the packing.

“OH NO! Get out of here while you still can! You can rescue me later.”

“What do you mean. We’re not leaving you h-“

A high pitched screech filled the cavern. Not a nice one, like the birds, but one that chilled you through to your bones. Cygnus shivered.

“Hang on! I’ll free you.”

“No you have to go n-“

Another screech, so loud that it hurt their ears.

“Too late.”

A huge hairy creature entered the cave. It was at least twice as high as Cygnus and three times as long. The many eyes seemed to glow visciously in the dark. It screeched again. Cygnus screamed his lungs out, but not much came out. He coughed because his throat hurt so bad. A giant spider! Why him?! Why couldn’t this be one of Carmen’s silly fears?

Normally this would have been the point where the Black Swan would surface and save his hide, but the maze did not work ling this. Something warm trickled down his legs. He couldn’t help himself. He already had enough trouble to stay upright.

“Cygnus! Snap out of it!”

The spider was moving in rapidly. Cygnus tried to improve his stance. “Hurrrr … Rrrr”

Only a few meters in between them. Cygnus cleared his throat. The spider almost made impact.

“ROOM!” He disappeared just in time and materialized a short distance behind the spider. His throat felt like a raw slab of meat being dragged on a sidewalk. The spider turned around and looked confused. Cygnus readied his aim.

The spider regained his focus and charged again.

“Amputate”

Two of the spiders legs came loose. The spider barely flinched and continued charging. Cygnus did flinch but managed to teleport himself out of the way in time. He materialized with his back towards the spider.

Just as he turned around he was hit with something. The spider was a fast learner. It had anticipated the teleportation and shot a big string. His wing was covered in the sticky stuff. The spider tugged the string and Cygnus fell. Fortunately the string snapped, but Cygnus was still on the floor and very vulnerable. The spider turned again and ran over to him.

Carmen shrieked as she dropped down. The bird had been clawing the thread with which she was attached to the ceiling. She fell on the spiders head, which slowed down her fall. The spider screeched in pain and retreated a few meters.

“Cygnus get me loose!”

Cygnus got up and used his sever ability to cut the silk around Carmen. His wing was slowed down a lot by the string that was still attached to it, but it did work.

Just when Carmen was freed the spider had recovered and was already upon them. They could barely avoid being bit, but were not as lucky with the legs. Both of them were knocked to the side. The cave flashed around Cygnus as he flew through the air. His lungs were compressed as he hit the wall. He expected to fall down and readied himself for impact. It didn’t come. The string on the wall was too strong.

The spider focused on him, clearly seeing him as the biggest threat. Cygnus was sort of glad that it wasn’t Carmen, but it also freaked him out. If the sticky goo was not strong enough to make him unable to move, the fear would have.

Cygnus screamed as the spider moved closer. It climbed up the wall towards Cygnus. It screeched and came in for the decapitating bite. And stopped.

The spider was just as flabbergasted as Cygnus. What withheld the monster from delivering the final blow. Then the creature was pulled back. It tried to hang on, but 4 of his remaining legs lost grip on the wall. It tilted away from the wall until his other legs could not keep it up there and it fell down.

Cygnus still couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Until he saw Carmen. She was both beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Cygnus couldn’t help but stare in awe. From her back sprouted two big black legs like wings. One of them was laying on the spiders stomach. She had torn the being from the wall with its own legs.

The spider let out a furious screech and rolled over, bringing Carmen out of balance. She managed to relocate the legs in time to not fall over. She was not in time to use the legs to defend herself from the incoming attack. Spider silk enveloped the other leg and yanked it from underneath her. She fell to the ground. The spider was already upon her. Just in time Carmen stretched out her hand. Fire enveloped her and started burning away the spider string.

Cygnus had been unable to focus and do something, but the fire quick-started his brain. The fire was burning the strings rapidly and it was crossing the cave like wildfire. He had to free himself in time.

The spider was also struggling with the fire. At first it was carefully taking a few steps back in order to not touch it. It was confused. Did the girl have fire powers?

Whatever the case, when it had almost surrounded him it became too much for him. It couldn’t handle these people and their freaky powers. He turned around and scurried away with it’s tail between its legs. It was time to find a new stake-out.

Cygnus was panicking. He was furiously trying to free himself. The fire was already beneath him and had started to climb. He managed to yank his wing free. He cut himself loose and fell down. However, he forgot that the fire was also underneath him. As he fell he thought to himself: so this is how it ends. He was ready for the release.

The fall itself hurt much less than he thought. He tried to roll over as much as he could, to keep the fire away as long as he could, but he knew they would burn him eventually. He continued rolling over the fire, but still did not feel any heat or pain. He rolled a bit more just to be sure.

He heard someone chuckle a bit. It sounded more as a relief of stress rather than a wholehearted one. “Silly m-mister. The fire was not real.”

Cygnus opened his eyes. The cave was still a little dark and covered in web. Carmen stood next to him, the spider legs were still on her back. The rest of the spider was nowhere to be seen.

“Can you p-please get these scary things of me?” Carmen asked with a wavering voice.

Cygnus was a bit embarrassed. With a red face he got up. “Oh … of course.” He used his powers one final time to severe the legs and then disbanded his ROOM. The legs managed to attach to each other and exited the cave after the spider. “I k-knew that.”

“Of course you did mister” Carmen chuckled again, clearly more relaxed now that the spider legs were gone.

BAF!

Cygnus and Carmen both screamed and jumped away, ready to attack whatever was upon them now.

A white wiggling thing had fallen between then. The nightingale flew down from the ceiling and flew around the moving thing chattering happily.

Cygnus let down his guard a bit. If the bird thought it was okay, then it had to be. He recognized the thing as one of the cocoons from the ceiling. Maybe there was a person in there!

“Lay still so we can free you.”

The cocoon complied. Carmen and Cygnus carefully did a step forward and clawed away the spider silk.

They quickly stepped back when the cocoon doubled over and gasped for air. “Phew! That place is suffocating.” A manly voice exclaimed. Cygnus and Carmen remained silent.

“Step forward, my saviors so I can thank you.” He freed one of his arms and pulled away the spider silk from his head, which revealed a bright red crew cut. Cygnus walked in front of the man. The man stopped with cleaning away the silk and gave a military salute. Then he started to sob. “Captain! I am so happy to see you. They sent someone to save me! I am a valuable marine.”

Cygnus and Carmen looked at each other confused and uncomfortable with the emotional display of the man. The man tried to stop crying. “Sorry Captain, I was just so relieved that I couldn’t stop myself. I will get out of here!”

“Ehm … it’s okay. I guess.” The man looked at Cygnus with a questioning face. Carmen stomped him and gave him a meaningful look to Cygnus’ marine jacket. Cygnus understood.

“Soldier! Give me a status update.”

The man jumped up and straightened his back. He had a similar build as Cygnus but much more muscular.

“It’s Lieutenant sir. Lieutenant Hugo Ravenscar. We have been captured by the rebel army. After a long time of torture and captivity we were released into this maze. As you are probably aware the maze brings your worst fears to life. I got separated from the rest of my man. I managed to survive a bit on my own until the spider came. And then you came to rescue me.” He paused. “So, what’s the plan, captain? Your wish is my command.”

The report confirmed Cygnus suspicions surrounding the maze. He guessed someone with Paramecia powers was behind it and created the fears. Or there was a much darker power at play. He was not sure whether there was a way out, or what the reason of the maze was. There were definitely easier ways to kill enemies of the rebel army. Both Carmen and Hugo looked at him with hopeful eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to share his depressing thoughts.He had to be there for them. He put on a smile.

“At ease lieutenant. My name is Captain Swan, but you can call me Cygnus. And this here is Carmen, we were cell mates.” Carmen waved. “Can we call you Hugo?”

And thus there party grew. Four members trapped in a labyrinth. Is there a way out? In whose web did they entangle themselves this time? The plot thickens.

End of part IV