"I'm going to die."
"What should I do?"
"Damn it, I never should have let that woman seduce me."
"But she was so beautiful, so pitiful. How could I bear to refuse her?"
"Yes, beautiful Daphne. No normal man could refuse a woman like that."
"So this isn't my fault. Absolutely not!"
The man huddled in the corner of the bed, muttering to himself like a madman, as though he had no idea someone else had entered the cell.
Sifa did not waste any time. He walked over and lifted the man's face, revealing a traditionally Loenese visage. He was a middle-aged gentleman with many forehead lines. Though he had grown considerably more haggard, Sifa recognized at a glance that he was Spender, the man he had been looking for.
"What are you doing?!"
Spender shoved Sifa away forcefully. Though he had fallen so low as to be thrown into a cell, there was still a certain pride in his bones.
Sifa smiled. "My apologies. I simply don't have much time and needed to confirm it as soon as possible."
"Confirm what?"
"Whether you are Mr. Spender." Sifa took two steps back. "Then, Mr. Spender, do you wish to leave this place?"
Spender froze for a moment, then shook his head. "I can tell you're Loenese too, which makes me feel quite close to you. So I want to remind you that this is Yedga Island. A cleaner cannot possibly get me out of here."
Before he could finish, crimson flames rose from Sifa's hand and, as if by magic, transformed into a crow. The crow, made entirely of flames, circled above the cell, raising its temperature until it became scorching.
"A Beyonder? You're a Beyonder?"
Spender said excitedly, "I know about people like you. I met one or two