The cell was dark.
Not completely.
A thin line of light slipped through the cracks in the stone above, barely enough to separate shapes from shadows.
Ash lay on his side.
Eyes open.
He wasn't sleeping.
He had tried.
At some point… he had stopped trying.
His breathing was slow.
Deliberate.
But it didn't feel natural.
In…
Out…
In…
Out…
Each breath reminded him that he was still alive.
And that thought… wasn't comforting.
Ash shifted slightly.
The stone beneath him was cold against his skin.
Unforgiving.
His body ached.
Not from movement.
From memory.
He closed his eyes.
Silence filled the cell.
At first.
Then—
A sound.
"…you shouldn't be here."
Ash's eyes opened.
His breathing paused.
He didn't move.
"…you're weak."
The voice was faint.
Distant.
But clear.
Ash's chest tightened.
"…no…"
He recognized it.
His throat went dry.
"…I said move."
The words echoed again.
The same tone.
The same presence.
Ash slowly sat up.
His back pressed against the wall.
"…that's not—"
He stopped.
His voice didn't come out right.
The cell felt smaller.
The air felt heavier.
"…that's not real."
He said it quietly.
As if saying it louder would make it less true.
His breathing became uneven.
In…
Out…
But something was wrong.
The rhythm wasn't steady anymore.
In…
…pause…
Out…
His hand moved to his chest.
Pressed against it.
"…what is this…"
His heart was beating.
He could feel it.
Strong.
Fast.
But—
Something about it felt unfamiliar.
Like he was listening to someone else.
Ash inhaled sharply.
The air entered his lungs—
But didn't settle.
His throat tightened.
His chest compressed.
"…h—"
He tried to exhale.
The breath caught.
Not fully.
Not completely.
Just enough to make him feel… stuck.
Ash's fingers clenched against his chest.
"…I can't…"
His eyes widened slightly.
The walls of the cell seemed closer now.
The shadows deeper.
"…I can't breathe…"
But he was breathing.
He was breathing.
In—
Out—
In—
Out—
Yet each breath felt incomplete.
Like something was missing.
His mind flickered back—
The arena.
The man he struck.
The moment before impact.
The moment after.
"…he…"
The voice returned.
Closer this time.
"…you hesitated."
Ash shook his head slightly.
"No…"
"…you killed him."
Ash's breathing hitched.
"…no… no…"
The voice didn't argue.
It simply stayed.
Present.
Unmoving.
Ash pressed harder against his chest.
His heartbeat grew louder.
Or maybe—
It was always that loud.
"…whose heart is that…"
The thought came uninvited.
Ash froze.
His breath stopped for a fraction of a second.
Then returned.
Unsteady.
"…that's mine…"
He whispered.
But the certainty wasn't there.
The rhythm of the heartbeat continued.
Strong.
Persistent.
But detached.
Ash closed his eyes again.
Tried to focus.
In…
Out…
In…
Out…
But the sound of the heartbeat overpowered everything.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"…that's not mine…"
The voice returned again.
Not external.
Not internal.
Somewhere in between.
Ash's breathing became shallow.
His chest rose and fell quickly.
Uncontrolled.
"…stop…"
He muttered.
But nothing stopped.
The heartbeat continued.
The breath continued.
The voice continued.
And in that moment—
Ash couldn't tell which one belonged to him.