[Ch. 4] Master of Illusions

After Ryu changed into his workman's robe, the two of them left the room and walked towards the prison cells. The uniform didn't fit him in the slightest. He had to hike up the pants clumsily to make sure it wouldn't fall down. While he tied the haori top extremely tight, it still bellowed out and sagged, revealing his tempting pale skin.

Anyone who saw his appearance couldn't help but find it endearing. He looked like a child who had put on his father's clothes. Ryu was completely oblivious to Tamas' chuckles as he followed with a carefree smile.

Tama started explaining his new job, "Each guard is in charge of their own cell block. You will be assigned to cellblock 8. All you have to do is make sure no one escapes. It's not difficult."

Ryu glanced at the several prison cells that lined one side of the hallway. Each cell block seemed to have three floors with ten cells lining each floor. Three walls of the cells were made up of dense concrete while the front had thick metal bars. Opposite from the cells the walls had windows high off the ground and you couldn't even jump to see outside. Furthermore, the prison forced inhibitor collars around the prisoner's necks so it would be impossible for them to escape by using Tamashii energy.

Most prisons would only be made from wood and brick at most. However, this was a high-security prison so it wasn't surprising to see this many failsafes. This prison was acclaimed for holding the most dangerous prisoners. Most would be going to death row, but others would be staying for life.

The prisoners all moved to the front and gripped the iron bars. They stared at the feminine man and whistled and hollered at him. Ryu turned to them and gave a coquettish smile. As they smiled from happiness, Ryu's skin started melting and dripping onto the ground revealing the white bony skeleton underneath.

The prisoners gasped in horror and rushed away from the bars. Tama himself was so horrified by the sight he had the urge to run away. When Ryu turned back to him, his face was completely normal.

Ryu chuckled at him, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Tama stuttered, "T-That..."

Ryu chuckled at him, "What's with that expression? Do I have something on my face?"

Tama gulped nervously, "No, it's nothing."

He quickly shuffled forward hoping that he could rid himself of this man quickly. He no longer cared how gorgeous Ryu was. He valued his life more.

They entered cell block 8 and Tama nodded to the man on duty. The man walked away with a skip in his step, relieved to get sent home. Tama looked to Ryu, "Any questions?"

Ryu nodded out of curiosity, "Yes. Do they ever get to leave their cells?"

He recalled that the visions had mentioned Panzram attempted to scale the large wall and ended up breaking most of his bones when he fell. It didn't mention a riot or anything before that so one could only figure he was allowed outside.

Tama nodded, "Yes. Some get to have that privilege if they were labeled as nonthreatening. But no one in this cell block would fall into the category."

Ryu raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

He chuckled darkly, "Yes. This cell block is filled with the worst men to plague our society. They've all murdered or have done far worse things.... Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? It can be very dangerous..."

Ryu laughed absentmindedly and shook his head, "I'm not afraid at all. I'm pretty confident in my skills."

Tama nodded, deciding to let it go once and for all. He led him to a cell, "There's really only one prisoner you have to watch out for when you deliver meals. That's prisoner 34602."

They came to a stop before the cell with the number 34602 etched into the wall. Ryu glanced inside full of anticipation. His jaded eyes caught sight of sharp feral eyes watching him carefully. His entire face lit up unintentionally.

Panzram sat on his pitiful excuse for a bed with his back against the far wall. He stared at the two intruders with hateful eyes. He looked almost as if he was a feral stray cat cautiously watching the humans from far away.

...However, it was hard to tell when or if he would pounce.

Panzram hated prison guards more than anything and immediately was angered by their presence in front of his cell. He had just arrived at this new prison a few months prior. After his arrival, he was forced to stay inside his tiny cell the entire time.

He didn't actually mind solitude.

He preferred to be left alone. Although, he was always waiting for the prison guards to come and take him away to be tortured. He thought that these two guards peering at him from the other side of his cell was going to do exactly that.

They were both unfamiliar to him and naturally made him uneasy. The one to the right was large with a permanent scowl on his face. His very being suggested that he loathed and was disgusted by the sight of Panzram.

Panzram was most familiar with guards like this. They only ever seemed to look at him like this.

And yet...

Panzram's eyes moved to the other smaller figure. His eyes lingered on that… Man?

Yes, it was a man.

Panzram could tell it was a man, but he was a bit surprised to see such a man with feminine features in a prison with such notorious criminals.

Did he have a death wish? Or was this one of his kinks?

However, Panzram was more curious about why that man was staring at him with such a delighted expression. Panzram couldn't see any malice or disgust in those eyes.

Those warm and vibrant eyes piqued his interest.

Panzram wanted to know why this small-statured man looked at him in such a way.