Winter Solstice Dungeon - Part 5 - Rough Start Part 2 - First Session
Hi everyone, this is Deamon-mun! This is part 5 of Winter Solstice Dungeon. It's for my friend @the-silver-peahen-residence. Also, this is a drabble for her muses and my muses from @demonsofoda
If you want to get caught up! Please read the previous chapters:
Chapter one: The wild ice storm
Chapter two: Aftermath
Chapter Three: A Helping Hand
Chapter Four: A Rough Start Part 1
Your reading chapter five
------ Warnings -----
~Drabble series is heavily around A/O/B themed Au
~Alphas, Omegas, Betas status is present in this drabble series
~Dark themes is present in this chapter
~Imprisonment is present in this chapter
~Therapy
~Mature themes are present
-Grammar errors throughout this chapter.
----- Summary -----
Rioto's first therapy session has already begun. Geto starts to begins his first session with a series of questions to get to know Rioto Kirin, the infamed Winter Lord, and the cause behind his Feral Omega Syndrome. Geto begins to learn piece by piece when talking with Rioto. What does he find out with during having lunch with him? Read to find out.
------
"I don't think it's a good idea, Geto-san." Yuta voiced his concerns about the lunch. Having lunch with Rioto while talking to him. The idea of sitting down with an omega suffering from FOS is not good, but Geto insists. "Yuta I know you are worried about me, but I will be fine." He tells him with a smile.
"He threatened you." Yuta reminds him. "It wasn't directly, but it was implied!" He reminds him of what Rioto told him.
"Only if I don't do anything funny," Geto said calmly. Yuta frowns as he doesn't like this, "But still.... "
Geto understood Okkotsu's concerns, but to get to the bottom of this. The cause of Rioto's FOS. "Hm, tell me Yuta. What do you think of him?"
"Him? Rioto?" Yuta replied. Geto nods, "Yes. What is your opinion of him so far? I already know that you fought him, but what is your first impression of him so far now that he's out of the castle?"
Yuta looks unsure, unsure how to answer, but he is going to be honest after watching him for a few days. "From when I first met him at the castle, I thought what he was doing is evil, but after discovering that he's an omega. I was shocked and yet...concerned when I beat him. I hold back because of the look in his eyes. It's fear. He got angry when I told him what he's doing wrong. Telling me that I don't understand. When he got into heat, he was in pain. All I know is that he's angry and did things that won't be forgiven, but also."
Geto waits for him to finish.
"He looks lonely and hurt," Yuta added, recalling him stopping at the garden as he looks over the flowers and entrance gates. "It's just....I don't see him as a very bad person. Just a lonely person." Yuta said, remembering how Rioto is hiding under the blankets, and there is one time, he finds him facing the corner of his cell, lying against the wall and looking out the window bars of the cell towards the sky.
Geto chuckles, "I see.Being omega can be lonely and frustrating for some, as they struggle with their second sex, and in Rioto's case, he doesn't trust anyone because of his second sex and the way he saw how omegas were treated by other sexes. His anger and fears are valid, but what is not justified is the way he went about it." He stated. "So it's my task to find the root cause of it. Some answers could be complicated, but some can be pretty obvious. With Occam's Razor...all things being equal, the simplest solution is usually the best one." Geto stated. "But sometimes...even the simplest one to a complicated problem can be tough to deal with."
"....."
"That said, let's have lunch with Rioto and see what we can find out." Geto smiles. Yuta sighs and nods.
"Also, if you don't mind...I would like to talk to Rioto alone. He might get antsy with you around, so how about you stand outside the door of the cell room?" Geto sees Yuta frown, so he quickly says, "And not to worry, I can handle myself."
"If you say so, Geto-san."
------ An hour later -------
Lunch has arrived. And of course, Rioto is not eating. Again. Yuta wonders why Rioto refuses to eat but he will keep an eye on Rioto and his hands in case if he tries anything. Geto reminds him not to do anything that might threaten Rioto.
Geto is eating with his chopsticks calmly. "Rioto, is something wrong?"
"No," Rioto said simply.
"You're not eating." Geto notes. Rioto didn't look at his food. "I am not hungry," Rioto answered bluntly.
"You haven't eaten these past two days." Geto reminds him. Rioto shrugs, " I lost my appetite."
"If you want to get out of here, Rioto. It's best if you eat." Geto advises him to which the ice sorcerer scoffs, "Oh...now you want to help me out?" He scowls, looking over to him as both males are sitting crossed-legged from each other. With a small folding floor table between them that holds both of their lunch trays. Geto has begun to eat, while Rioto has not.
"I wasn't helping before?" Geto asks.
"You were asking me questions..." Rioto said, frowning.
"That's because I want to know you better, Rioto, so I can help you," Geto tells him.
"Hm." Rioto scowls as he hasn't touched his utensils. Geto took note of this but didn't press further on it, so he went to ask about some things.
"Now let's talk about your castle."
Rioto sighs, "What do you want to know about it?" At this point, he will answer some questions. He hopes this can satisfy Geto in leaving him alone for the time being.
"How long did you live there?" Geto asked. Rioto is hesitant, but couldn't hurt to answer it, "5 years..." Rioto stated.
"And how did you make it?" Geto picks up a piece of beef with his chopsticks.
"With my techinque," Rioto answered. Geto asks, "All by yourself?" He finds this impressive.
"Yeah." He said, holding his arms. Geto nods. "How many floors?"
"15 levels." Rioto recalls. Geto hums, "And do these levels have monsters?"
"Obviously..." Rioto makes a face matter-of-factly. Geto hums. "What floor is Iceberg Mammoth on?" He asks him. Rioto answers, "The tenth floor." He answered. Geto nods, taking that in as he slowly chews before swallowing. "Based on what I was told. Some of the levels have puzzles. Why is that?"
Rioto crosses his arms, not looking at his food, and is facing the side, not sitting in front of the small table. "Because...."
"Because?" Geto raised a brow, drinking his tea. This begins to irritate the young man, and he huffs, "I just want to see if they screw up or not."
"Why?" He asks, "What is the reason?"
Rioto didn't say anything as he looked hesitant to answer. He goes to scratch at his head. "To see if they are smart enough. It makes it easy to figure out who's the smart one and who's not." He tells him, making Geto blink. This got Rioto smirking a little, "The last group didn't bother, so they end up getting punished for it." He said, happy with himself.
"And the one who defeated you?" He asked Rioto. That smile is replaced by a scowl. Both knew who they were talking about Yuta, right now. Yuta stood outside calmly, his eyes closed. "Meh. He's smart, so I gotta prepare for who I'm dealing with." Rioto huffs.
"By preparing...you mean preparing yourself for the battle against him?" Geto said. Rioto nods, "Yeah." He goes to bring up one knee and props an elbow on it. "I see. That's a good plan. By figuring who'se smart and who's not. It helps you to get rid of people that can destabilize the group, does it not?"
"Exactly." He tells them. "Of course, it doesn't appear to be as it seems so...I do my best in getting rid of people who are trying to hurt me."
"A smart plan. And may I ask, what sort of puzzles do you put on these levels?" He asked. Rioto shrugs, "I......don't remember."
"You don't remember the answers to them?" He asked.
"I do when I see them, but I don't remember all of them and which floors. I just lost track of them." He said honestly. Geto nods, "Then let me refresh your memory. The puzzles you put in some of the levels were jigsaw puzzles, putting shapes into the right ones, and putting words into sentences with blanks that are from poems and references. I also heard that the puzzles are word searches or showing pattern routes. Rioto, what is the purpose of these puzzles?"
"Like I said...to figure who's smart and dumb."
"Yes, but why these puzzles? The word searches ones and blank sentence ones. Some sentences and words stand out to me."
"Just to test their IQs?" Rioto sighs. But Geto isn't convinced, "Here is what I was told as there were witnesses who failed to solve your puzzles and a few who did. Let's go by them, shall we?"
Rioto didn't argue so Geto goes with the first one,
No matter how beautiful the _______ are, people will just wipe them out.
No matter how many times they get wiped away, we will never stop ________ the ________." "What was the answer to that question?" He said.
"Don't know," Rioto answers as he looks at the tray and looks up to Geto before looking away.
"Replanting the flowers. You put ice blocks containing letters for others and the number of words on the wall, but most can't solve it. Yet in that puzzle room, there seems to be a garden next to it that might give someone a hint, like Yuta, for example."
"Good for him." Rioto rolls his eyes, not caring about it. Geto lets out a soft exhale, "Here's the next one."
Crying because you care is a totally different matter. I don't _____ anyone who never cries; that's my philosophy
Rioto narrows his eyes but doesn't reply. Geto answers, "The answer is trust."
Then the third one.
Humanity alone possesses a God. The power to transcend the now… the inner God called '___________.
"What was that answer?" Geto asks him. Rioto sighs, "Ask that guy, he figured it out, didn't he?"
"Do you know the answer?" Geto asks. Rioto answers, "Yeah...Possibility."
"Possibility," Geto repeated the word, finding this quote very interesting. "I think it's an interesting quote..." He tells him truthfully. "Can you tell more about it?"
"Like what?"
"The idea of an inner god. Do you believe that you have an inner god, Rioto?"
"Not literally," Rioto explains, crossing his arms. "It's the idea that humans can do anything. It's more than we're just more than what we are, you know? Lots of possibilities to transcend." He said. "That's what I like about it. It didn't matter if you're a sorcerer, non-sorcerer, member of a clan or not a clan member, or if you're alpha, beta...or omega." He explains. Geto raised his eyelids slightly at this before smiling.
"What? Why are you smiling now?" He asked him, now annoyed.
"I find the reason behind the quote very genuine," Geto says it honestly. "Is it right to say that you want to show others that you can transcend with the inner god that is Possibility?" He tells him. Rioto frowns but slowly nods as he looks at the tray. Geto stopped eating for a moment.
"Then that's a good puzzle if I say so myself." He tells him, with his hands folded. "Most sorcerers struggled with this concept. I don't think most will figure it out. Most sorcerers are arrogant or despondent. They lose sight of things. A certain few will figure out this puzzle. Can you tell which show you watch that inspires you with that quote?"
Rioto turns to the side then answers, "Gundam. Gundam Unicorn."
Geto leans back now, "Gundam. The mecha show?" He asked, surprised by this. Rioto nods, "It's a good show. Gundam...is good where it shows that, despite the bad things that pilots go through, they make sure to transcend for themselves and the people they care about. They have many shows....in different universes that show humanity in the face of war, conflict, and despair by showing how the Gundam pilots use mechas."
Geto became silent at this as he thought about this. "Then...Rioto, do you believe yourself as a Gundam pilot?" He asked him. Rioto scoffs, "No. I mean..I haven't made a mecha yet." There is a small smile tugging at his lips. "If I did, I wouldn't be here."
Geto hums, trying to figure this out but he doesn't assume anything first. Because there is one more phrase that got Geto interested. "Then let's talk about the final phrase."
All I want is for people to _________ each other. Without that, even if they do expand into space, new conflicts will arise. And that would be a very ___ thing
Rioto stays silent as he didn't answer this. Geto continues, "This one stands out to me, and Yuta manages to solve that one as well. Why these phrases?"
"Just to mess with people?" Rioto answers in a matter-of-fact.
Geto hums, "And this is from Gundam?" "Yes. All of the phrases..." Rioto answers. Geto pauses for a moment, "Rioto, correct me if I'm wrong. Were you making these puzzles because you want someone to figure them out...?"
"What the heck would I want someone to figure them out?" Rioto frowns.
"I believe that the last two answers for the fourth puzzle are...'understand' and 'sad'." Geto replied. "What is the reason behind that puzzle, Rioto?" He asks them.
"Like I said-" "I know, but why? Why this puzzle? The other puzzles show me that you wanted something out of this. It's more than just figuring out who's smart and who's not. It's more of reaching out to someone that you can relate to..." This time, Rioto narrows his eyes and he closes his hand into a fist. "What are you implying?"
"I'm saying that you're using the puzzles to find someone-"
"No. I don't." Rioto is shutting that down and making sure to clear this up. "Like I say, it is messing with people. Like you said, most sorcerers are arrogant and depressed, so I use that very thing against them. Their dumbass mindset. Nothing more, nothing less." He frowns at Geto with his arms closed and looks at the Geto's tray again. The man closes his eyes, getting what he needed for today. Any more questions might make Rioto not talk anymore.
"Alright then. It seems like we have been talking for over an hour," He checks the time. Maybe this is a good time to end this first session, but first...there is something to confirm before he leaves.
"Also, I need you to take a bite of your lunch. I won't force you to eat it all, but you should eat so you can become well." Geto tells him. "Not eating might make you weak, and it will make your FOS worse." He tells Rioto, who frowns at this.
"If I don't eat?" Rioto asked. Geto frowns a little, "Like I said, I can't force you, but for everyone's consciousness, please eat." He tells him to which Rioto scowls but then thinks about it, looking over to Geto's tray. Everything is half-eaten. "So you won't leave until I eat huh?" Rioto asked.
"....."
Then a rumble is heard from the winter lord's stomach, making Rioto's face turn red, which makes Geto smile.
Damn it! If that's how it's going to be, then... Rioto thought as he has an idea to how to get around this.
"Fine. But on one condition, give me your tray. I'm going to eat from yours." Rioto tells him. Geto blinks, but then he stares at him, processing what he said. Rioto stands his ground on this, "It's that or I starve." He said. Geto closes his eyes, "Very well." They switched trays. Rioto uses the chopsticks from his own tray and starts to eat Geto's tray. He goes to eat.
Geto watches Rioto eat while mulling over his responses and answers. He thinks. "Anyway...it's good to see you eating."
"Uh-huh," Rioto answers as he continues to eat. He got enough information, but he needs to conduct more sessions with Rioto to formulate a treatment plan for the boy.
"That said, let me leave you alone. I will see you again tomorrow, Rioto." Geto said, getting up and taking the full tray that used to be Rioto.
Rioto chews as he looks up to Geto. He looks down and continues to chew. Geto takes his leave while Rioto eats. In Rioto's mind right now, 'Huh...the food is pretty good..' Rioto thinks, but doesn't think anything of it.
------- 1 hour later ------
"He hasn't eaten his food again?" Gojo asked as Geto is with him now. "Well...not his tray but from mine. Nonetheless, it's a good step."
"So what do you learn?"
"Rioto is protecting himself from the world." He said. "The only people he can trust are his creations and nothing else. It's most likely that he has been hurt too many times from being an omega. And yet..."
"Hmm?"
"He wants to accept others, but in his own way. He said that the puzzles he designed were to discern which ones to watch out for and which ones he can easily take down." Geto said. "However...at the same time, he wants to find out the nature of people who are entering his dungeon and passing the levels."
"In a way, the mammoth serves that purpose in filtering people who are not worthy in Rioto's eyes. The ones who get passed the Mammoth will encounter new challengers, and the puzzles help to gain an understanding of a person's personality and goals."
"And also, Rioto allows himself to prepare. He wanted to see what sort of opponent he would get."
"So...the kid is just bored out of his mind? When I asked Yuta about the puzzles. He said there are ones that stand out to him. And now you're saying that he got it from a series he likes. Gundam?" Gojo asked, looking to the side while holding his cola. "Now thinking about it, the puzzles using quotes from shows are like a deterrent too. Anyone who fails these puzzles ends up getting booted out of the castle."
"Indeed." Geto answers, "But also..it might sound cliche..I think he wants to find someone..."
"Someone?" Gojo questions.
"It's just a theory...but the more pressing matter is..." Geto sighs, thinking back to that Rioto wants his tray and starts to get a sense of why Rioto hasn't been eating these past two days. The way he waited for a moment, and he did see that Rioto took a few glances at his tray.
"Hm?"
"I truly believe that Rioto was drugged before..."
Gojo became silent at that news, to which Geto sighs, "And we have to address this sooner or later; we need to find a thoughtful way about that."
Uncomfortable silence fills the room as they know what it means, so they need to focus on what to do on their next steps moving on.
To be continued....
