Ashes

Arch III. The Longest Road. Entry 9. Experiment

When all was quiet on Xentaron, a wanderer visited this place. He introduced himself as Atreus, the great savior. He was a grown man, who had clearly seen a lot. It seemed that he was simply looking for a place where he could be alone. But even here there was no peace, although it was unusually quiet. He opened his small workshop nearby. From that day on, people began to disappear.

"How curious," he thought to himself, examining his next victim. He felt all the pain, all the suffering that his test subject had gone through. It seemed to make him even stronger. "Can't I find someone who can withstand what I want to do? Perhaps I need to find someone else. There seem to be Dragons in this place. And if I can get at least one... But who? The boy is unlikely to agree, he belongs to the being from above... But the Hunter... I doubt anyone will look for her."

Soon he came to the castle. It was unusually quiet, only a few guards were doing their job. The only one who noticed him was Hope. The girl was returning from hunting. She approached the stranger warily.

"May I help you somehow?" she asked.

"Oh, you can, you're Hope, right?" he smiled, but there was something sinister in his smile. He took a step closer.

"Yes. That's me. Did the monsters attack you? Or..."

"Oh, no, no. I'm just a "healer" offering my services."

"Are you a healer?" She knew that medicine was not needed, because the Darkness heals everyone.

"Sort of, yes. It will be easier for me to show you visually. If you don't mind, of course." his eyes sparkled, putting the girl into a trance.

"Of course," she nodded. She herself did not understand how she agreed, driving away all doubts. She followed him and, as soon as they crossed the threshold of the castle, the girl fell right into Atreus's arms, losing consciousness.

-----

Hope opened her eyes and realized that she was kneeling on a cold iron platform, surrounded by the dim light and silence of the place. The walls around her were covered with metal plates, and on the shelves stood various strange devices and glass flasks with chemicals of various origins. In this place, she felt isolated and defenseless.

Heavy shackles were placed on her wrists, holding her hands tightly. Short chains of these shackles led to the platform she sat on, preventing her from moving her arms more than a few centimeters. Each attempt to free herself was accompanied by the clanking of metal that resonated in this silence.

Around her neck was a collar made of tough leather. It hugged her throat tightly. It was literally sewn onto the skin, with short, straight stitches running through it. It wasn't just an accessory to keep her still, but a symbol of her captivity. There were two rings on the collar, one in the front and one in the back. From the front, a leash ran straight to the platform she was sitting on. It didn't give her the opportunity to stand up or escape, holding her firmly in place. On the back of the collar was a chain that led to the wall. It restricted her movement even more. Hope could feel the collar pressing on her neck, causing discomfort and fear.

Every time she tried to turn her head or look around, the collar tightened, as if someone invisible was holding her by the throat.

At one point, a sharp pain pierced her entire body, as if thousands of daggers had been stabbed into her back. The pain was pulsating. She felt her wings being pierced by hooks. They were located higher, which made it seem like the wings were stretched tightly, causing severe pain.

The door opened slightly, and Atreus walked into the room. He was wearing a long white coat that seemed to be stained with blood or something else. The man walked slowly toward Hope, his steps confident and focused. His eyes, cold and dispassionate, studied her like an experimental test tube. He knew that the girl would never see the light of day again.