At that moment, everything became clearer in Sarya's mind. The small noises in the drawers to her right were those of small, starving animals, and to her left, on the desk, were tools she couldn't make out, but now she understood what they were for.
She understood.
WHICH SHE WAS IN A TORTURE CHAMBER!
October 18, 530, after the Red Cataclysm.
The day after this news, she opened her eyes, still lying on the metal table, leaning slightly forward. As the hours passed, the paralysis in her arms and legs had disappeared, but she didn't bother to move them. Not because she was tied up, but because she had been struggling in that cold room for half the evening. What held her back wasn't rope, but leather belts wrapped around each of her limbs, which were connected by small chains to the floor to allow her minimal movement to prevent her from dying before the torture session by cardiovascular arrest.
Sarya: "How long have I been here?"
The notion of time was blurred for her, who didn't have a clock. She had the feeling of having been in that room for several days, even though it wasn't even twenty-four hours.
*Click*.
It was the metal door in front of her, and the sound of the keys unlocked the lock.
Knowing who was standing in front of the door, she would have loved the one who could have blocked it.
After the door opened, revealing two silhouettes, Sarya's heart rate accelerated at the appearance of these two people, whose identities she potentially knew.
A man whose body was entirely covered by a black cape and a wooden wolf-shaped mask on his face, one could see that he was muscular, his hands were stony, and on his chest was a label that read "No. 347."
Perhaps this was his first name?
And at her side, a woman in her thirties, wearing the same outfit as Selron Kaas, the man who interrogated her yesterday and abandoned her to her sad fate. This woman has brown hair, but her eyes are not visible because of the darkness.
She brought her face close to Sarya's and uttered the first sentence of their relationship.
???: "This is what happens to those who oppose the high monarchy."
No. 347: ".... ".
The man at her side didn't say a word, was it because he didn't want to reveal his identity, because he had changed, or maybe he just didn't want to communicate.
Sarya, whose heart sank more and more over time, realized that this man was part of the "Purity Hunters" because it was impossible to know who was part of them, given that these members all wore masks when on duty. Suddenly, the brown-haired woman resumed the conversation with a cold tone.
??? : "My name is Veyriss Alta, an official member of the "Intellectuals of Truth" surveillance team.
Sarya: "My name is...S."
Alta: "Sarya Vael," Alta said, interrupting her. "No need to introduce yourself, I'm not your friend anyway."
For about ten seconds, Sarya couldn't say a single word.
Alta: "So, what question are we going to start the session with?"
Alta, like Kaas, took a leather notebook out of her pocket.
Alta: "Ms. Vael, you are suspected of drug trafficking on the black market, of child harassment, and of murder involving concealment of a corpse. What do you have to say?"
Sarya: "I am innocent."
Alta frowned, but Sarya couldn't tell if it was out of disgust or anger, but she calmed down a second later. Next.
Alta: "It won't do any good to deny it, we have proof of your wrongdoing, and all we have to do is make you confess."
This took Sarya by surprise.
Sarya: "What evidence do they have that could prove me guilty?"
Alta: "It's no use denying it since you're done for."
The man, who hadn't moved during this time, took out a dozen sheets of paper from behind his back, all attached with a blue paper clip.
Alta: "Sarya Vael, these are accounting quotes from your involvement with the black market dealers. Results from the morgue state that some of your patients you cared for died of poisoning, and that this poison is the same one you used to make your so-called medicine, and we found bottles of it while searching your room."
Sarya couldn't believe what she was hearing; she knew very well that she She had never been in contact with black market dealers, but she wasn't sure about the people who were poisoned, there was still a chance that a drug made from animal venom could kill those it was meant to save.
She wanted to protest but didn't absorb the information quickly enough because Alta spoke quickly.
Alta: "And to finish, an anonymous testimony from a woman declaring that you tried to corrupt her children, she said exactly, and I quote, 'She treated me, then she went to see my children to tell them that the children were nothing but pawns of their fathers.'"
Alta handed the documents back to No. 347 and looked back at Alta.
Sarya: "What did you want?"
Alta eyes widened at the sound of this question.
Alta : "Did she understand?"
Alta : "What exactly do you mean?"
Sarya pulled herself together and raised her head slightly to look Alta in the eyes and tell her.
Sarya: "I know for a fact that I didn't commit these crimes, and when they saw me, the "Purity Hunters" thought I would serve as a perfect example to the people, showing what happens to those who oppose the government. So if your goal is to blame me for crimes I didn't commit, say so directly."
Alta: "SHE GOT IT!!!"
Alta took a step back, surprised by Sarya's quick thinking, not believing such a person could remain lucid in such an environment.
Sarya: "Creating false evidence to accuse me is nothing new to me. If you know how many people have tried to attack me, there's no point in denying it. I understand your... ... "
*Bang*.
A slap sounded on Sarya's cheek, interrupting her. Sarya and Alta looked into each other's eyes.
Sarya stared at Alta with a determined look, proving the suffering she had endured, from all the times she had been betrayed, from all the times she had nightmares at night thinking about that snake.
On the other side, opposite her, Alta stared at Sarya with an insistent gaze, but she still frowned. She understood their plan, and she knew it.
Alta, more than annoyed by this conversation, turned her head and gave a slight nod to the person next to her.
#347 nodded in turn, showing who understood her message.
Alta: "Well, then, since you understand, there's no point torturing yourself with false evidence."
Sarya smiled from the corner of her mouth, but it was a smile big enough to show her emotion and small enough not to be noticed as Alta moved away from her to leave the room. Unfortunately, her smile faded as she saw the man approaching her.
She had forgotten that this man might be a member of the "Purity Hunters" she feared.
Sarya: "I'M INNOCENT, SO WHY TORTURE ME?"
Alta turned to look at Sarya, who was no longer smiling; it was her turn to smile and show her superiority.
Alta: "As I told you, there's no point in making you doubt yourself with false evidence anymore."
The brown-haired woman left the room while the door was still open. She finished her sentence by shouting into the hallway.
Alta: "THEN WE'RE GOING TO TORTURE YOU FOR FUN, HAVE FUN."
Sarya's pupils dilated at this revelation, while the man took one of the oil lamps and turned the screw to increase the flame's intensity to maximum, illuminating the entire room. Suddenly, everything around Sarya was visible.
The tools on the desk were scalpels and pliers, and the drawers covering the other wall. Small squeaks inside were heard, revealing bronze handles.
Sarya struggled on the metal table she was lying on while the man approached one of the drawers and plunged his hand into it, not afraid because he was wearing gloves.
He pulled a snake out of the drawer. Sarya was scared. How could she not be in such a situation? She found herself facing the same type of snake that had caused her pain in the past, except this time she could see it clearly.
A dark brown snake with light brown horizontal stripes along its body and yellow eyes.
She was facing her natural enemy, but also her most faithful ally, who made her open her eyes to the cruelty of the world, even if it hurt.
Sarya: "I'm scared of you, I admit it. I'm scared of what's going to happen to me, and I'm scared of the pain, but if you think I'll die that easily, then know that I won't give up. YOU'LL ALL SEE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU SOON, YOU BUNCH OF BASTARDS."
No. 347 was surprised by what was in front of him, a person and above all a woman who was trembling in front of him a few moments ago looked at her with a face mixing anger, pride and determination.
The man whose face was still covered by the wolf mask brought the snake closer to his arm so that it would bite her.
And that's what it did, two fangs appeared when the snake opened its mouth and spanked them penetrated his right arm, freeing pain and the venom of the latter.
Sarya: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
The pain almost made her convulse, her arms and legs going wild as they were tied up, her heart rate accelerated, her eyes shed tears and saliva flowed from her mouth.
Sarya: "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH IT HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS, HURTS."
As she writhed in pain, the man beside her still held the snake in his hand and held its head to keep its fangs buried in the young woman's arm, which could only take the pain.
Behind his mask, he muttered.
No 347: "We're just getting started." For nearly three weeks, or more precisely nineteen days, Sarya had to endure the poisons of several different venomous animal species. When they couldn't get the animal to bite, the venom was taken directly from its body with a syringe and released directly into Sarya's body.
The torture sessions were not only carried out by No. 347, but also by three other "Purity Hunters" members, who bear the numbers 312, 329, and 330 respectively. The sessions only took place in the afternoon for a few minutes a day while the poison was administered
She was left to wriggle alone in the room for the rest of the day, except for Sunday, a day when no one worked except for a man who came by every other day to feed the animals.
The animals, locked in separate blocks, didn't exert much energy and didn't need to be fed every day.
Every day was painful for her. Who promised to take revenge on those responsible for this, to eliminate all those responsible for her pain, whether they were members of the "Intellectuals of Truth", the "Purity Hunters", or even this king who rules the kingdom by mocking those who suffer from these choices.
Fortunately, her body became accustomed to the venom and quickly developed resistance, forcing men to use a greater number of animals, and torture was limited to the use of poison and not to touching any part of the body or taking organs against her will.
19 days later:
November 6, 530 after the red cataclysm.
Sarya, still in this isolated room, where she didn't know if she was on an upper floor or in the basement of a mansion, what she was sure of was that today, spreading poison in her body no longer constituted a danger to her, and she knew it.
*Click*.
It was the metal door in front of her, and the sound of the key unlocked the lock.
The door opened, revealing a figure Sarya had seen before, and this time it wasn't a member of the "Purity Hunters" or an "Intellectuals of Truth," but a man in his forties with blond hair and a few white hairs on the sides.
Kaas: "I didn't think we'd ever dream, Madame Vael."
Sarya: "Mr. Servon Kach:
Kaas: "IT'S SELRON KAAS."
Sarya: "What are you doing here?"
Kaas frowned. He was surprised that Sarya could still remain lucid after twenty days of enduring the pain of several dozen venoms of several dozen different species coming from the drawers blocked on the right wall.
Kaas: "Today you will be released into the forest to be hunted by the forest chimeras."
Chimeras are normal animals that have mutated due to an infection occurring when they eat a plant that grows randomly in the country, transforming them into true genetic anomalies. Some become stronger or larger, others gain abilities not attributed to their original species, or others change color or grow new limbs. Anyone who didn't know what to do between being sent to prison, being exonerated, and being executed would be sent that evening to the forest east of the capital to be hunted by chimeras.
Not knowing what to do with them, this method allowed them to execute the criminals by giving them a chance, even though the survival rate didn't exceed 10% and a curfew was put in place to prevent anyone from being attacked that evening.
Sarya: "I guess I should consider myself lucky that it happened to me. They say that being eaten alive by a chimera is painful, but if I survived and held on until now, it's because fate wants to help me get revenge."
That's what Sarya thought, without realizing she was giggling like a child.
Kaas: "You know what it means to be attacked by monsters, so why are you smiling?" Sarya: "You throwing me into the forest gives me one last chance to survive, so if pTo find you all and pay you back for what you did to me, I have to go through this, so I won't hesitate to do it."
Kaas "....".
Sarya "Why do I feel like this is what you want?"
Kaas: "I have no desire to have to put up with you any more than I already do, but it turns out my colleague Alta told me you already knew about our plans for you."
Sarya: "You're talking about your plan to make me look like a mad scientist to show what happens to women who don't listen, to keep the people under control, then YES I KNOW EVERYTHING."
Because of or thanks to her excitement, Sarya uttered the last part of the sentence while shouting with a big smile, eager to take revenge on all those she considers her enemies, which earned her a frown from Kaas.
Kaas: "She She's gone completely crazy, it must be because of all the neurotoxins we must have thrown at her.
Kaas: "Well, then I have to conclude that you're a hopeless case and that you're going to die the minute you get buried in this damn forest."
The two looked into each other's eyes, Kaas wondering what he'd done in his life to meet such a retard, and Sarya, for her part, looked at her with a sly smile.
Kaas: "Well, let's not waste any more time ".
Later at dusk:
East of the capital
The royal capital, as its name suggests, is a city representing the center of the territory. It is used in particular as a center of commerce. In the streets, the houses, like those of the surrounding villages, are rather developed but not too much. One could find steam engines there as well as other systems that allow the automation of the lives of citizens.
If one could look from above, the city would form a circle with a radius of one to two kilometers. It was surrounded by high walls of about twenty meters and turrets every hundred meters. It had about twenty thousand inhabitants.
To the north, south, east, and west of the city, there are large gates allowing entry and exit from the city. Of course, it is controlled by several guards, some wearing black armor, others gray, and others white armor, which made it possible to determine the quality of the metal with which their wall was made because the more the iron of an armor has been hammered.
The more impurities escaped, the lighter the color the metal became.
Meanwhile, opposite the door leading to the exit, a black carriage, Thierry, was crossing the street with two horses. It consisted of two wagons attached to each other. The first wagon was a carriage. At first glance, it belonged to a nobleman.
Behind it was a metal cage covered by a tarpaulin. Inside, there was a tarpaulin outside. The carriage was about to leave the city. She couldn't see what was happening inside because of the darkness created by the tarpaulin.
Sarya: "So it's starting now." Despite the darkness she found herself in, she didn't lose her composure, but she also remembered that she had no plan for revenge.
Should she permanently get rid of everything they had done wrong? Should she slowly torture them like they did to her, or should she simply torture them psychologically so that they would regret it forever?
Sarya: "Well, it doesn't matter, I'll think about it later."
After passing through the gate, the cart pulling its two wagons found itself on a path facing a long forest. The horses stopped to let the passengers down. Among them were Kaas, Alta, and a few knights of the royal order.
The coachman who had been driving the horses got out in turn to open the cage in the back, not wanting to release what was inside. When Sarya came out, she wasn't dazzled since it was dark, but that didn't mean she was free. Around her were three knights pointing their lances at her.
Kaas: "No need to be so tense, prepare her."
While Kaas was giving the knight instructions, he felt someone tug on his sleeve. This caught his attention, and he turned to find Alta motioning him to bring her face closer so she could whisper something to him.
Alta: "Are you sure it's a good idea to give her a chance to survive? If she survives the night, she might tell everyone what was done to her, and that could lead to a revolt."
Alta's theory wasn't entirely wrong, indeed Sarya survived the night she could try to return inside the city to tell the truth about how the "Intellectuals of Truth" alter the investigation reports for keep the people in check without anyone wanting or being able to turn against it.
Kaas: "We can't just get rid of her by throwing her in a pit or skinning her. Getting rid of someone without a public trial would draw attention and suspicion, as if we were trying to hide something."
Alta: "We could have simply made up a story about her trying to attack one of us and accidentally breaking her neck during the confrontation."
Sarya: "YOU KNOW I HEAR EVERYTHING."
Knight 1: "Quiet and move forward. We're right in front of the forest. The sun will set soon. I don't want to risk my life for a half-witch."
Sarya: "You can stop calling me a half-witch."
Knight 1: "Shut up."
About fifteen meters away, Sarya told them that she could hear them, her body having suffered multiple Confrontation with external toxins strengthened her, which also improved her senses, particularly her hearing, sight, and smell. Fortunately, one was interrupted by one of the knights.
Kaas and Alta were surprised but also eager to finally get rid of her, provided she didn't survive the night; that's what he wanted.
After a few minutes of preparation, Sarya found herself in front of a barrier formed by bushes and trees. Just behind her were five people staring at her while waiting for her to return. The large forest that was located east of the capital, where several hundred people entered but never came out, was about to discover, like others before her, those who were inside, whether it was the plants that could be seen, the animals that could be heard, but unfortunately also the chimeras that could be encountered.
Kaas: "Come forward, please. We don't have time for that. Know that if you refuse." To cooperate, these knights beside me will not hesitate to pierce you here."
Sarya, stepping one foot after the other into the forest, knew that upon entering, she would no longer be the same upon leaving. A new hour in her life would begin, a new path to walk and a vengeance to be accomplished.
Sarya: "Let's go, let's go for the execution and my rebirth."
CHAPTER 3: THE END