Ty chuckled in response to the fairy, "Yeah, I sure did as well. Sometimes I wish it was still like that."
He closed his eyes for a moment, reminiscing about better times, when the sudden slam of the cell door jolted him back to reality. Instead of Goey, as he had expected, 6-8 men in different colored suits began to patrol the cells, their bright lights piercing the dimness.
Positioning himself up on the ground and leaning against the cell walls, Ty strained to understand the situation. "Hey, Fairy, go do some recon and let me know what's going on, but don't let them see you, okay?"
The fairy hesitated, "Are you sure? What if I get caught?"
Ty laughed off the concern, "Just don't. But if you don't wanna help, I understand. Recon work can be a little hard. I just thought I really needed your help."
Motivated by Ty's words, the fairy proclaimed, "Oh! I can definitely help. I will be the best recon fairy ever!" With that declaration, her blue aura vanished, and the cell grew dimmer, leaving Ty staring at the now-dim light, shrugging off the change as he awaited her return with information.
Ty's gaze followed the group as they methodically inspected each cell, their bright lights momentarily illuminating the darkness before they engaged in lengthy discussions and appeared to jot down notes, then moving on to the next cell. "I wonder what they could be up to?" he mused, his curiosity piqued by their thorough examination.
Just then, the fairy zipped back into the room, her blue glow reigniting vibrantly. "I am back from doing recon work!" she announced exuberantly.
Ty, mindful of their situation, quickly hushed her. "Shh! It's not a good recon mission if you shout about it with the people you reconnoitered still in the area."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Sorry," she whispered back, her excitement barely contained. "But I learned what they are doing! I guess these are all military officers or something like that, and they are inspecting the contestants in this jail cell for people they want to mentor."
As the light flickered off, another voice interjected, attempting to diffuse the escalating tension. "Just ignore him; he'll be dead before long anyway."
"Hey, Demon Brat, the name's 2nd Lt Heissman. I am the son of the current standing Military General. When you die, I will make sure your head is at my feet," the man announced with a cruel certainty, marking his departure with a promise of Ty's demise.
Ty's response was calm yet filled with a cold promise, "Thanks for the idea," he retorted, his gaze intensifying into a red, fiery stare as they all walked off.
After the confrontation, Ty shook his head, trying to dispel the intensity of the moment. His eyes, once flaring red, settled back to their usual blue. The fairy, emerging from behind him, voiced her confusion and concern, "What the heck was that!"
Ty, lost in his thoughts, didn't respond to her directly. Instead, he reflected internally on the surge of emotion that had momentarily overtaken him, acknowledging the influence that had seeped into his own, altering his eye color to a fierce red.
"Don't worry about it. I just hate seeing females suffer. Now, stop talking to me," came a voice within his mind, firm yet revealing a hint of the entity's protective stance over those who suffer.
Before Ty could ponder further, a sudden splash of water brought him back to the present, wiping his face in surprise. "What the heck is that for?" he demanded, squinting against the beam of a small flashlight directed at him.
It was Goey, his figure emerging from the shadows. "Finally, you woke up. You were in some weird trance for a few minutes," Goey explained, breaking the tension with his presence.
"Here is your evening meal," he continued, transitioning to more pressing matters. "I have some information for you. You will be the first person interviewed in the morning, and directly after that, you will be sent to an early exam field and given a select number based on your power output."
Pausing, Goey offered a glimpse of empathy, if not understanding. "From there, the guess is as good as mine, but I hope you do well, even if you are a Demon. You seem oddly off from what I was expecting."