The darkness enveloped Cale like a veil of endless suffering. The hours, the days, perhaps the months had mixed in an indistinct mass of pain. The cold of the stone floor infiltrated the bones he still possessed, remembering his condition crucially.
The metal shackles were biting his shoulders and hips, fixing him to the wet wall. Each movement caused a new wave of agony. His breathing was irregular, interrupted by spams. The ever-present fear, whispering in his mind that he would never be anything but a useless coward.
"Still breathing, Arkalis?", Nuria's voice was a muffled thunder, a cruel and sadistic roar. "You're more resistant than I thought."
The light of the torches flickered, revealing the figure of Nuria. His gray skin looked cracked, like a statue about to crumble, and his eyes burned in golden flames. The teeth, sharp and pointed, opened in a smile.
"Please..." Cale's voice came out like a broken whisper. He hated how it sounded, fragile and pathetic.
An agonizing sensation seemed to crush him both inside and out, as if gravity were working against him.
However, it was not just the overwhelming pressure that bothered him. The purplish eyes looked at that fellow as if he could clearly see the true form of the god of chaos. A hideous form that made it impossible to see the details. It was a presence that awakened all that existed of horrible and frightening inside him, eating him alive.
"Argh!"
Cale could feel the claws of his demons tearing every piece of himself inside, making him cough blood.
"S-Stop! Please, I beg you!" cried the boy with the trembling voice.
"Stop with what? I'm not doing anything at all... yet."
Nuria stretched out his hand, and shadowy claws sprang from the tips of his fingers. Each claw sank into Cale's skin, burning like hot iron.
He screamed, his voice tearing in pure agony. The fear was so deep that it seemed to burn his guts, his mind on the verge of madness.
"I have never seen someone so weak as a human, who can not stand the divine presence of a god. Are you sure that it is his son? I'm a little disappointed."
The cries increased as the divine presence of the god of chaos intensified. Nuria's laughter only increased in full lungs, rejoicing at the torture that began for the hundredth time.
The boy could barely scream. His throat was burning, and choking on his own blood was a relief compared to what came next.
Why?
Why did he have to go through that?
What was happening so that the god of chaos would take him and torture him so much?
"It seems you can't scream anymore, should I change the game a little?", Nuria reached out his hand holding firmly Cale's thigh "If I rip off your legs, will you scream begging for help from your daddy?"
"N-No... please, please, I beg! I-I'm not..."
""Please"? What a cowardly insect!" Nuria burst into a twisted laugh, which echoed on the stone walls. "Beg more, cry more, shout until Keonna's gods hear your pleas."
He could feel the strength that only Nuria's fingertips could make. Cale's heart accelerated intensely, making him writhing under the chains to try to escape from that damned place.
Cale was afraid.
Terrified.
He felt that his life was close.
"N-N-No... p-please.... AAAARGH!", he screamed, and the sound came out like metal being bent. Despair, deformed, like your soul being crushed from the inside out.
The pain he felt was indescribable. His whole body writhed and his mind seemed to be torn apart by the torn limb. His voice came out of his mouth hoarse, from so much screaming and begging to be spared such torture. All Cale could hear was the laughter of that god and his expression full of satisfaction to see him break little by little.
His ears were buzzing, coughed blood, cried like a baby and yet could not see any light at the end of the tunnel of that endless torture. Given a moment, it was as if his mind had broken completely.
The ground had been painted with his blood, where the three limbs that were torn from him mercilessly rested. And even in such a state, his body trembled like a lamb when he heard that voice near his ear.
"You know, Cale, I'm immensely happy to finally have you here with me", Nuria approached, sliding his fingers across Cale's face, causing him shivers. "I can see your curse working up close, hahaha."
The purple eyes made a slight movement, so noticeable that Nuria widened his diabolical smile.
"Hm? Don't tell me you didn't know? That the gods of Keonna themselves cursed you."
Cale's heart accelerated inside his chest.
What... did he just say?
Who cursed him?
The great gods to whom he was devoted?
Why would they curse a pathetic creature like the son of a local god?
A cheesy smile appeared on Cale's lips, the unbelief stamped on the face of the boy who was being embraced by death.
"It's funny, don't you think, Cale?", Nuria was having fun watching your reactions. "They cursed you for being Ereghast's weakness. Everything was as they planned: your judgment by the Herald, your fall to my hands... I also cursed you, but do not take it personal..."
Nuria grabbed Cale by the hair, forcing him to face the god of chaos, who seemed to delight in how pathetic he was.
"All because you were born. A blessing of the Universe... a twin", Nuria leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You are the blessing I needed to get Ereghast off the throne... and he hasn't shown his face for years. Interesting, right?"
"This... has nothing to do with me", whispered Cale between wheezing, feeling his insides turn.
Nuria had fun with his tone of lifeless voice.
"How many secrets were kept from you? Hahahaha, that's so fun!!" Nuria laughed, squeezing Cale's wounds only to hear him scream next to, "Cursed by the gods, so Krynt pushed you to me. He did not want to save you, even if he could! But you know nothing, poor creature."
The word 'cursed' echoed in his mind like a hammer breaking glass. Everything he believed in, his faith in the gods, was crumbling. And in place of trust, only cold darkness remained.
Ah... he was too tired of so much mystery. His body hurt, his life was empty.
"Hahaha, this is so funny. Where did I put that cursed scroll? I have reserved something special to try to take advantage of that ability, Arkalis.", Nuria whispered looking diabolically. "Be a good boy and wait here in agony."
Even without the physical god's presence, Cale could still feel his divine aura. He could still feel it waving inside his body and making everything a distant torture. Not even alone in the dungeon, he could get rid of the torturous feeling that Nuria had caused him.
Did it matter why? He was dying anyway.
Cale thought of his village, the golden fields of wheat, his family smiling in the sun. Everything seemed so distant now, like a dream that had never been real.
Tried to pray. But the words died before they made sound. Not even the gods were listening. Maybe they never did.
Clink!
A masked person entered the dungeon, dragging the heavy iron gate. Cale had not been able to raise his head, but the smell of dirt and old clothes with mold were a relief.
After all, it was not Nuria.
"I will start cleaning", said the husky voice.
That being, whose hands were covered with black scales and sharp claws, slipped a wet cloth cleaning the dry blood of Cale. It was like a silent ritual that never missed after the tortures of Nuria.
It never said their name. They never said anything, actually. But Cale has learned to wait for them as he waits for the only break in an endless nightmare. That being came only when Nuria was away, and cleaned and treated Cale's wounds to then quietly leave.
Unfortunately that day, Cale did not seem so aware of what was happening. He did not puncture the masked person by putting something around his neck, hidden under his torn shirt.
After the silent exit of the masked person, Cale was alone for mere minutes. The suffocating feeling that was the presence of Nuria hanged him, announcing his return.
"All right... Let's continue with the tests, yes? I want to see how this curse will work..."
Everything happened again. The pain... the cries... the despair.
Like an infinite cycle that rooted him in that hopeless chaotic world. Nuria wanted to see the curse working on its epitome. Test the limits, define what caused more agony or not.
Cale just gave up.
Closing his eyes, he just waited for death. He didn't know what it would be like, but he'd wait since it was the only thing he could do.
It was then that Cale felt the sore muscles relax slowly. It was like a hug to his wounded body. His eyes were empty and without hope, weighing making it impossible to keep them open. Cale fell into a deep sleep, making Nuria hesitate to continue his experiments.
"What is that? Is it already dead?"
Nuria tilted his head, watching Cale with curiosity. The moment he felt something strange, the deity took a few steps back as if avoiding his natural enemy.
An ethereal body enveloped Cale in a loving embrace, and the bright eyes under the starry veil rose to the god of chaos, who became increasingly bored.
Nuria's eyes narrowed, a flame of irritation burning in her gaze.
"You? But who the hell invoked you..."
Without saying anything, the ethereal figure swallowed Cale in her glow, leaving behind only stardust. Nuria stared at the shackles lying on the ground, and the bloody space where a few minutes ago were the limbs that he tore from the boy.
"Tsk... someone invoked his luck today", turning to sit on his throne, Nuria sighed, "Not that it matters much, after all... you will return."