Descendants of the Gods

Chapter 31: Nightmare

KASDEYA ARGYROS' Point of View

"Let's see what you are made of."

Napasinghap ako nang marinig ang malakas na tunog mula sa malapit. It rings in my ears, like the sound of something fast and thin hitting a soft material.

Dumilat ako ngunit wala pa rin akong makita kundi kadiliman.

I stand up, but there's a heavy feeling that stops me from getting up. Sinubukan ko muling gumalaw. I twist my head from left to right, but I still couldn't move.

I try to stand up again, head first, when I suddenly choke at the restriction placed in my neck. Lumakas ang tibok ng puso ko bago iangat ang isang kamay para abutin ang pumipigil sa'kin, but there's stopping my arm from reaching my head.

Nagpumiglas ako sa aking pwesto ngunit hindi ako makagalaw ng maayos. And the more I move, the colder my wrists and neck gets.

Against the loud beating of my heart and the sound of metal in the background, I focus my senses on my surroundings. Huminga ako ng malalim para ituon ang atensyon sa katawan kong hindi ko maigalaw ng mabuti.

That's when I sense it. The faint sound of chains awfully close to me. When I jerk my head to stand up, I hear the chains again and how the sounds stop when my movements are restricted.

It's covered by the sound of what I could guess is a whip— the harsh sound I can hear from a certain distance. Paulit ulit ang palo nito sa kung saan.

Kumunot ang aking noo. What's happening? Where am I?

Mas lalong nagising ang diwa ko nang biglang sinundan ng isang malakas na sigaw ang palo ng whip. Its sound startles the soul out of me, and I can't help but notice the goosebumps prickling my skin at the sudden scream.

And then the vicious cycle starts.

The sound of a whip. Followed by a scream. And then the whip. A scream responds. Whip again. The scream resonates in the room.

Sinubukan ko muling gumalaw sa aking pwesto. The chains enveloping my wrists and neck prevent me from doing anything but a wiggle though it doesn't stop me.

Another bloodcurdling scream of a woman cuts through the delicate silk of the dark, and I couldn't explain why, but the way she screams makes me freeze in uncertainty and dawning familiarity.

I attempt to break the chains on my wrists, but I hear a voice, a different one from earlier.

"Just—"

Napahinto ako sa hindi malamang dahilan. Para akong paralisado sa tuwing naririnig ko ang boses ng babae. The whips continue to hiss against something delicate yet firm, like that of a leather or... a skin.

The woman speaks again and this time, my eyes widen.

"Just... fucking... kill me."

Why do I hear my voice?

Binuka ko ang aking bibig ngunit walang lumalabas na salita rito. I push something out of my lips— a voice or a sound, maybe even a small quiver— but nothing comes out of me.

I'm not out of things to say but somehow my voice doesn't allow me to make a whisper.

Naisip ko na baka mali lang ako ng naririnig. That couldn't have been me. But there's no way of confirming it because she doesn't speak again.

Instead, the screams continue as it accompany the symphony of the violent wish in the wind, while crimson blood mixed with ichor pool around me.

Nagsimula ito sa isang maliit na patak, hanggang sa dumami ng dumami ang mga patak at nagsama-sama. And then, I witness my body being covered in blood. I bathe at the sight of rubies and gold.