The darkness persisted.
It was not the same one that enveloped his dreams, full of distortions and broken symbols. This one was different. Heavy. Dull. Real.
Yoshi knew as soon as he tried to open his eyes and could not. Not from fear, not from some supernatural force. It was pure exhaustion. The kind of exhaustion that comes not only from the body but also from the soul. The kind of fatigue that drags you down to the bottom and chains you there.
His eyelids were slabs. Her breathing, a low echo.
But I could hear.
And that was worse.
At last. I'm done now," whispered a voice relieved of a restrained fury. I've had my revenge.
-So... what should we do with him now? -.
It was Haruka.
There was no doubt about it.
The tone vibrated with something that hurt more than any blow. It was pain transformed into rage. And fear turned into determination.
-We could kill him," he said, and his voice did not tremble as he said it. No one will ever know. No one. And we make sure he can't do this to anyone else.
Yoshi wanted to move. He wanted to scream. But his muscles only twitched, and the gag was still there, firm and silent.
A second of silence opened up, as if Haruka's words had left a crack in the air.
-Haruka..." Charlotte whispered softly, not reproachfully, but with a mixture of thoughtfulness and cold disapproval. Killing him would be... too easy.
Silence returned.
Charlotte took a few steps. Her voice sounded closer this time.
-People like him... should not die quickly. Do you think a silent death in a dream would be enough to pay for what he did?
-So... do you want to continue...? -Haruka asked. This time her voice did waver. As if the anger from before had burned out too quickly.
And it was at that moment that another voice emerged, as cold as the ice it carried.
-All I care about," Liz said, emotionlessly, without raising her tone, "is that he doesn't die... yet. I don't care how he's punished. But don't kill him... not until he understands.
An even thicker silence followed.
Yoshi felt something different at that moment. An aura. A subtle change in the atmosphere.
-He took my chastity," Liz continued, "Even if it was through a cursed magic, a deception, an aberration... it doesn't matter. The feeling is still there. The memory... it's still there.
There was a pause. Then a slight crackle.
-So you're going to try again too? -Charlotte asked, unsurprised.
-I will," Liz replied, "As long as I pay, I don't care about the order.
Charlotte did not answer right away.
Yoshi, though he couldn't see, felt the movement. A soft sound, of cloth brushing against cloth. The air vibrated slightly with an almost imperceptible hum.
-You know," said Charlotte then, in a voice so neutral it seemed to narrate the weather. It bothers me... that she fainted so soon. We'd only just started.
Yoshi felt a cold sweat break out on his neck.
-But if it goes on like this," she said more quietly, almost whispering, "maybe we need something... more symbolic.
It was then that another sound crossed the room. A faint pop, like glass forming on contact with air.
Yoshi couldn't help but tense his body.
I knew him.
It was ice-type elemental magic.
The creation of a sword.
A slim, long, elegant blade... and deadly accurate.
-What are you doing? -Haruka asked suspiciously. It wasn't fear in her voice. It was doubt. A tone that didn't match the angry Haruka from minutes before.
-Just... considering an idea," Liz replied coolly.
Yoshi tried to move his arms. Nothing. His breathing quickened. The hum of ice was coming closer.
-Liz," said Charlotte, "What are you planning?
-Sometimes the scars you can't see... hurt more.
None of the others responded.
The footsteps came closer.
A couple of drops of water formed by condensation fell to the ground, breaking the silence with a soft echo. The atmosphere was unbreathable. Yoshi could barely contain the shivering in his body. Not from the cold. But from the certainty.
I didn't know what they would do.
But I knew it would come.
A whisper of air to his right. Then a flash of white across.
And a line of ice brushed past his face.
Too close.
The sound of something coming loose filled the room.
Something... flew away.
Yoshi didn't know what.
He just knew it was something.
The bated breath of the other two girls became audible.