"That was probably the worst idea you've ever had," Keita's eyes widened as she looked around before looking up at him, "And yet it worked."

The purple jewel was sat - ensconced in its pillow - almost peering up at them. The sunlight streaming through the window seemed to accentuate it as best as it could: the deep rays of purple, the glitters and gleams of the stone from the rays of light. It was nothing short of being breathtaking. The room fell to a heavy silence as I realised the gravitas of the situation that had unfolded. The purple jewel was real, and here - but the most scary fact of it all was how it had listened to my command. Somehow and through some way, it was connected to me.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I found the burning gaze that was on me. Max's eyes were unreadable; a mist of sorts clouding over his brown eyes. It unsettled me, being unable to read him. I expected a hint of a smile, some upturning of the edges of his lips, perhaps even a hug. But I couldn't read anything whilst he stared at me. So I tore my gaze away and looked forward at the jewel - the lifesaving stone.

"So, what now?" I questioned, taking a step towards it. Max shrugged as he looked around, his eyes falling on the tall granite walls and the encasings of glass lining the perimeter of the room. I moved to make another step, but the hardness of his arm collided with my stomach. I frowned.

"What's the-"

With one swift movement, a metal knife was clutched in his palm. One that I didn't even know he had on him, since the command clearly stated for us to weapon-less. I watched as he placed a finger to his lips. His hand was firm and guiding on my lower back, moving me away from the jewel slowly; his gaze shifting between the environments. Max clearly saw something that I didn't, that I couldn't.

I willed another knife to my hand. It would be unwise for me to wait for his lead; no - I had to be pragmatic. I connected to the Lana planted in my mind for the first time in a long time, asking her to switch to the mode that had worked on the jewel. It all became clear at that moment; his tenseness, the way his body seized with attention, his surreptitious movements. A red marking surrounded the jewel, joined to a cage above it.

It had all been a trap.

I cursed within my mind. I was seconds away from breeching those barriers and ending up locked in that cage; seconds away from being subjected to whatever loophole they had found in our agreement. The glass walls, which had once been stuck to the edges of the spacious room, seemed to be closing in.