The pain comes in sharp and strong. It’s so bad that all the air gets knocked out of my lungs at once. I open my mouth to scream but no sound comes out except a faint ‘Uck’. Veins pop out all over my body, and my eyes bulge so much they threaten to fall out.
It’s so unbearable that I feel cutting off my entire finger would be a better choice.
MAKE IT STOP!!!
I want to shout but I cannot even breathe in to do that. It’s misery beyond misery…
But then, miraculously, the pain stops. As abruptly as it had come. For a fleeting second, I fear my brain is fried because of the overload of pain. But that cannot be it. I can still feel other things like the cold sweat drenching my back.
I blink my eyes and the accumulated tears flow down, clearing my vision.
Everything’s still the same as before. I am in the middle of a garden, Marianne and Yrathea are standing in front of me, and my right hand is outstretched with four silver needles left hanging at the fingertips— the fifth one already being lodged deep in my index finger.
“What is your name?”
I hear Yrathea’s voice again, and to my horror, the needle in front of my middle finger shoots back, penetrating deep into my skin and bones. I flinch badly in dread of the pain that is to come. I even try to jerk back my hand desperately but it is useless. Yrathea’s magic is keeping it firmly in place.
Giving up, I just breathe in quickly. I don’t wanna choke with pain again. At least I will be able to scream this time.
But the pain in question never arrives. I do howl madly as the needle goes in, probably on instinct, but it doesn’t deliver any real pain.
What is happening? Did the first needle really hit some important sensory nerve? But why can I feel everything else then— even the coldness of the needles sticking in my fingers?
One more glance towards Marianne, and I find the answer to these questions. She’s staring at me— or more specifically, my hand— and her lips are moving ever so faintly as if she chanting a spell.
I will help you in every way possible.
I remember her words right before we came here. And she’s indeed helping me by making the pain stop. Knowing that I won’t have to experience that agony again, a sigh of relief leaks of my lips… almost.
Shit’s not done yet. Yrathea is observing me closely. I cannot let her notice any positive change.
“AAAGGHH!!! STO-STOPP! NO MORE! PLEASE NO MORE!” I scream at the top of my lungs. After the momentary dose of intense pain, I find it much easier to continue this act of suffering.
“What is your name?”
“I AM— I AM —”
The third needle shoots in. I arch my back, pretending as if I’ve been electrocuted. Then a second later, I begin to retch. No vomit comes out, of course, but with the tears in my bloodshot eyes, it must look pretty convincing.
“JUST LET ME SPEAK! I am begging you…” I issue a false sob, pleading to Marianne. Her face is neutral, but she gives me the tiniest of nods to approve my performance.
Similarly, the fourth needle enters my pinkie, feeling as weird as the other two because of no pain. But that doesn’t hinder my act. I continue to scream and beg and sob in torment.
For the last needle against my thumb, Yrathea decides to make it even more torturous. It doesn’t shoot in like a bullet but slowly moves closer and closer until it pricks me before going deeper.
“Noo…please… I am… trying to… my… name… don’t do this… AAAAHGH!”
I try to look as frightened as I can. It’s not easy, but I even manage to tremble my body like a hurt and scared animal. Inside though, I cannot help but feel a bit elated.
It’s finally over! I have passed this sick test!
…
“So, you won’t tell me your name…”
At last, Yrathea says something different.
“I don’t like repeating myself, but you made me do it so many times. Even after such consideration, you just wouldn’t answer a simple question. How disrespectful.”
Her voice is cold and distant.
“But you will do it. You will tell me your name. I give you a better reason to do so.”
…fuck! It’s not over!
Is she going to do the same with the fingers of my other hand!?
Because I don’t think I can take it any longer. Although the physical pain isn’t there, watching needles getting shot into your finger isn’t exactly fun. I tried not to look at it as much as possible, but I may already have PTSD.
“Fix him up, Mari. I want his full attention,” Yrathea quietly says.
To my great relief, the guess is wrong. The needles embedded into my fingers disappear in a flash. I thought blood would spurt out from the holes they left behind, but nothing of that sort happens. The wounds heal instantly along with the shattered bones.
Wow…
The invisible force keeping my hand rigid also vanishes, but just as I lower it down, my entire body freezes for the second time today.
Fuck me… seriously? Are they worried I will engage in a fistfight with them?
“Now… what is your name?” Yrathea asks the same old question.
“My… My name… it is…”
And once again, I try forcing my name out haggardly. But I am actually quite vigilant. I don’t know which part of my body she’s going to torture next. Hopefully not my privates. I don’t have that kink.
But what Yrathea does next is so shocking that I think getting kicked in the balls is much preferable.
She raises her hand and clutches something mid-air. The moment she does so, a woman with an impressive figure wearing a nightdress pops into existence— her neck held firmly by Yrathea’s hand.
The woman looks absolutely bewildered, not knowing how she got here. Horrified by her own current state, she tries and fails to tug herself free from Yrathea’s grip before looking around for help. And thus, our eyes meet.
“Jacob?” “Layla?”
Layla and I call each other in a daze. We’re both equally shocked and confused seeing each other here.
“Now, I will keep summoning your friends until you answer me,” Yrathea says grimly. “Five seconds each. This is a sacrifice for the greater good.”
…
“So, what is your name?”
“H-Huh?”
I don’t understand what she is saying. Why would she summon my friends for this? And what does she mean by ‘sacrifice for the greater good’?
And Layla…
My anger bubbles up like a volcano. It’s fine as long as it’s me. How dare she bring Layla into this!?
But just as I open my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, Yrathea speaks up again.
“Time’s up.”
*POP*
She tightens her grip around Layla’s neck and makes her head explode in a gory mess.
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