His tone shifted slightly as he addressed a concerning anomaly. "Though to my surprise, there is one of you that is still missing that I have been unable to track. Rest assured, he will be found before too long," Gisorn mused, his confidence unshaken despite the hiccup in his plans.
"My ability, after all, isn't a science," he admitted with a rare hint of humility, "and I do apologize for the binding. But even passing these challenges is not enough to sway me to allow you to free the Dragoon, as he could spell the end of the world."
The gravity of his words hung in the air, painting a dire picture of the stakes involved. Gisorn's role as the gatekeeper to such a catastrophic potential underscored the seriousness of their quest and the lengths to which he would go to prevent the Dragoon's release.
"As the gatekeeper, I cannot allow this," he declared, his voice hardening. "But you all are strong enough to probably best any other creature, so I have devised that you will be constrained to these chains until you starve to death."
King Griswald, unable to contain his outrage, raised his voice against Gisorn's grim decree. "Bullshit! Why not just kill us then, if that's how you really feel?" His question, filled with anger and defiance, cut through the tense air, challenging Gisorn's reasoning and the cruelty of their imposed fate.
Gisorn, facing the group once more, responded with a mixture of explanation and cold dismissal. "Sadly, my power doesn't work like that," he began, turning to face them, his expression one of regret that seemed more performative than genuine.
"It can do a lot of things, but the restrictions put in place are not strong enough to kill you all." His words offered a glimpse into the limitations of his abilities, suggesting that even he was bound by rules and constraints beyond his control.
King Griswald, acknowledging Nana's insight with a nod, proposed a moment of respite amidst their turmoil. "Agreed, regardless, we have all been through a lot. So let's take some time to rest and meditate on how to get out of these chains," he suggested, his voice a calming force in the shadow of their predicament. "Everyone, take a deep breath and relax.
Even if he tried to starve us out, we could go for a while," he added, his chuckle a brief spark of defiance against their grim reality, reminding them of their resilience and the strength they had as a group.
Nana, taking his advice to heart, inhaled deeply, seeking a moment of peace in the chaos. Her gaze then drifted to Todd, who had been silent, lost in contemplation. Concerned, she reached out to him, "Everything good with you, Green dude?" Her casual address, a blend of concern and camaraderie, aimed to bridge the gap their situation had enforced.
Todd, momentarily jolted from his reverie by Nana's voice, shared a thought that had been gnawing at him. "I wonder if Gisorn is someone who is actually truly dead already?" His words, laden with suspicion and curiosity
Nana, taken aback by Todd's observation, pressed for clarity, her curiosity piqued by his sudden insight. "What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes searching Todd's for a deeper understanding of his suspicion.
Todd, gathering his thoughts, began to elaborate on his theory. "Well, first of all, we see him using his weapon, which I suppose is the pen, to some degree. But he uses it as if there are no limitations on it, in a way you would see people fighting or using their abilities at the Demon King's Domain," he explained, drawing a parallel that highlighted the unusual nature of Gisorn's power.
He continued, delving deeper into his analysis, "On top of that, whatever power he has, he managed to revert us back in a way where we were locked to our world's power system, where we had to weave those signs." Todd's observation pointed to a significant manipulation of their environment and abilities, suggesting an understanding and control that went beyond mere physical constraints.
"Something just isn't sitting right with who he is saying he is," Todd concluded, his tone serious, reflecting the gravity of his suspicion.