Chrono Weaver: The Keys of Infinity

Chapter 6 - Torture and Escape

The pain was relentless.

It came in waves, crashing over Piper like a violent storm, each surge worse than the last.

Her body screamed, every muscle trembling under the pressure of the magic coursing through the enchanted table.

Her mind felt like it was being torn apart, fragmented by the relentless probing of the Vault's dark power.

But she wouldn't break.

Not yet.

The Hunters stood by, silent and emotionless, watching as the table's magic worked its way through her.

Each pulse of energy was designed to unravel her thoughts, to pry free the secrets she held so tightly.

The keys she could feel them tugging at her consciousness, trying to stay hidden, but the Vault's magic was wearing her down.

And then, there was Amara. Watching. Always watching.

Her mother stood at the far end of the room, her face a mask of cold indifference.

Piper had stopped calling out to her, stopped hoping that some part of the woman she once loved would return. Amara was gone, replaced by this... stranger. It hurt more than the magic, more than the torture. Her mother was the one leading this.

And Piper was alone.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to hold on.

The warmth of the keys still flickered somewhere deep within her, faint but persistent.

They hadn't given up on her, and she wouldn't give up on them. She just had to outlast the pain. She had to hold on.

But then she hear Fantorrel says

"Don't let go. Don't let them take it. The keys are there for you to protect them do not fail us Piper"

"Enough," Amara's voice cut through the silence like a blade.

The magic stopped abruptly, leaving Piper gasping for breath, her body sagging against the restraints.

Her mind was hazy, the lingering echoes of pain clouding her thoughts, but she was still conscious. Still holding on.

Amara stepped forward, her gaze cold and calculating. "You're stronger than I expected," she said, her voice almost... impressed. "But this will only get worse if you keep resisting."

Piper's throat was raw, her voice hoarse when she finally spoke. "You'll... never get the keys."

Amara tilted her head slightly, a faint frown pulling at her lips. "I don't need to get the keys from you, Piper. You'll give them to me. Eventually."

Piper glared at her through half-lidded eyes, her hands clenching into weak fists. "I'll never help you."

Amara's expression hardened. "You don't have a choice."

Before Piper could respond, the Hunters moved forward, releasing the restraints around her wrists and ankles.

She collapsed onto the cold stone floor, her limbs too weak to support her. The pain still clung to her like a shadow, her body trembling from the aftershocks of the torture.

But she had to stay alert. Had to find an opening.

The Hunters dragged her to her feet, gripping her arms tightly as they pulled her across the chamber.

The door opened, revealing a long, dark corridor. They were taking her back to her cell. Back to the suffocating silence of the Vault.

But that was their mistake.