A flame of darkness was exuding cold air through the whole room. “I guess I'll have to face that in this awful place I shouldn't show a trace of doubt but pulled against the grain I feel a little pain that I would rather do without. I’d rather be free.” Mandut muttered to himself trying to preserve his thinking power. He had to stay awake. Falling asleep now would probably mean he would never wake again. As peaceful of a death it might be Mandut was not ready for it yet. Things hadn’t gone as he planned. The fooling of the high court was harder than expected even for Mandut who had the most exotic power of the land, but none of the pent-up magic would assist him in this perilous situation. The cold started to get to him. Now that his whole body started too cool his mind couldn’t help but go to the warmest of places. The dinner parties that were thrown in Mandut’s name or, the simple hot stew that his father used to make. The end was drawing nearer by the second and Mandut hasn’t slept or eaten for days. He was losing hope. This damned cave doesn’t even have a visible exit only a small circular hole. The fresh air which he breathed comes along with some light which seeps through the cracks of the calcite layers of the cave. Most of the light was absorbed by the single flame in the room. The dark flame also called an anti-flame by common folk was a flame that was cold instead of warm and absorbed light instead of radiating it. But there was no way for Mandut to control the flame in his current state, and even if he was, he wasn’t even sure how he would use that to his advantage in this situation. Mandut’s eyelids were so heavy. It was like someone was pulling them down. And Mandut’s sight was growing dark, darker, yet darker.
A loud sound from across the darkness alarmed him. The cave had been silent for so long. Maybe it was just his imagination, signs of a mind growing ever weaker. He had to find out what made the sound even if it was nothing, he had to try everything to escape from here. But his legs wouldn’t move. He crawled with all his remaining energy to the place where the sound had come from and found a weirdly shaped stick. It was round on top. He touched the tip and his mind immediately knew what it was. It was the key. The wait had finally been over. Now he could escape. He went to the small hole when looking for an exit before. Mandut put in the key and a boulder slit away. A blanket of light and warmth entered the room. Mandut crawled to the opening. The light of the torches in the hallway were blinding. As he left, he noticed letter with a piece of bread and some water on top. He was so tired he ate the bread, drank the water and went to sleep.
Voices in the distance where enough to awaken Mandut. He kind of got used to the silent nature of his cell. Voices coming closer two man walked around the corner of the hallway they pointed at him and shouted “Escapee!”. One of the men put his hands forward in a way that Mandut was very familiar with. Dark flames forming in front of their hands in the shape of a sphere. Mandut had to get out of here and fast.