"It is time, inmate."

His eyes opened. Drowsy, gray pupils stared up at a saturated blue ceiling, devoid of any imperfections. He must have fallen asleep while studying for midterms... that was the only reason he could have thought of for why he reawakened inside the Velvet Room. The faint echoes of a woman singing aria could be heard throughout the small monotoned chamber.

The prison cell doors remained shut on the teenager, now in tattered black and white clothing. He rubbed his head, before standing up slowly and gripping the circular metal bars. Clean and pristine. A sharp difference between the dirty chains clasped around his wrists.

"Our master wishes to speak with you, so listen up!" A small girl with two blonde symmetrical buns in her hair spoke up. Her clothing was that of a prison guard, royal blue fabric wrapping around her torso as a loose fitting shirt combined with a black tie, along with plain black shorts and white knee high socks to match her mary janes. A tight monochrome striped armband was pinned to her right arm, with a blue hat that had four letters in gold stitching wrapped around the front.

In her gloved hands was a metal baton, which she used to whack the iron door in order to shock the prisoner fully awake. She stood to the left of the compact cell, while another was by the right.

"Caroline is correct. Please be sure to heed his words wisely." The one beside Caroline was named Justine. Justine was dressed the exact same as her twin, except a long, golden braid ran down her back instead of two miniature buns. A rather large wooden clipboard was held by her side, although the prisoner couldn't read a word on the multitude of papers held by it.

Justine closed her visible golden eye shut, the other hidden behind a black eyepatch with the letter V in the same color as her iris. Her face lacked any and all emotion, which reached to her words. Though the twin wardens may have been small, they were still just as menacing as any other rotten adult he had faced.

A loud and sultry chuckle could be heard. The prisoner stared forward to see the man named Igor. "Girls, please." He sounded rather thrilled.

"I can assure you that this is not for your rehabilitation." His crooked smile grinned further past his cheeks, wide monstrous eyes staring deep into the edges of the prisoner's soul. His hands reached under his chin to prop his distinctive face up.

"In fact, as for right now you'll instead be assigned something that one might say would be more... simple."

"You hear that?! You better be grateful for these easy moments, inmate! It won't be long until we'll be forcing you to work as hard as you can again!" Caroline raised her nagging tone at the name she had given to the teen. Her hands were now by her hips, her toes tapping the blue marble ground in a rapid motion. The contrast in personality between her and Justine was honestly remarkable.

"What is it then?" He rarely chose to speak, the Velvet Room being one of the rare places he would freely do so, despite being forced behind bars.

However, the whole summoning had him thinking; what kind of task could it be? Igor had been very focused on his 'rehabilitation', even going so far as to give him special abilities and privileges to help further achieve his goal. So what would cause the stranger to so suddenly stop it all?

The infamous smile that Igor wore like a medal never left his face, not even for a second. "I'd rather not say right now. Just be prepared for whatever seems to come your way in the near future."

The prisoner sat down on the musty bed in his cell, hearing the small creaking noises coming from the mattress. He was starting to feel tired. His eyelids fluttered, body growing heavier by the second.

"We'll be awaiting to see your next move." Igor laughed once more, before the prisoner lied back down and fell into a dreamless slumber once more.

"I'm sure these next few days are going to be very interesting..."

But Akira Kurusu could no longer hear his words.