ECHOES OF THE ELEMENTS: AWAKEN

Chapter 2: Subject 91

Viden's body ached, but it was nothing compared to the torment gnawing at his mind. He sat in the corner of the chamber, his back pressed against the cold stone wall, knees pulled tightly to his chest. Across the room, Zans lay on the ground, motionless, bound in chains. The dim light of the chamber barely illuminated his form, but the bruises and dried blood on Zans' body were still visible.

Viden couldn't look at him for long. The weight of his own actions pressed down like a boulder on his chest, squeezing the breath from him. He had done that. I did that to him...

He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms, his eyes burning with unshed tears. The memory of hammering the nails into Zans' flesh, of hearing Zans beg him to stop, was seared into his mind. It replayed over and over, each repetition more unbearable than the last.

Why didn't I stop?

His chest heaved, the sound of his breathing the only thing breaking the thick silence between them. His mind circled the same thoughts endlessly. Every time Galor had driven a nail into his own body, he had offered Viden a choice: "You could be doing this to him, you know. It'd be so much fun. Why resist? Why suffer?"

And in the end, after weeks of pain and torment, Viden had broken. He had taken the hammer. And Zans had begged him to stop, but he hadn't.

"I should have died beneath those ruins," Viden whispered, his voice hoarse. "I should have stayed buried..."

He looked up at Zans again, guilt clawing at his insides. How had they fallen so far? They had fought together, survived so much, only for Viden to betray him in the worst way. I never should have come. I'm too weak.

Zans stirred slightly, his chains rattling softly in the oppressive silence. He was still alive, but barely. Viden's heart twisted painfully in his chest as he watched his friend suffer-suffer because of him.

"Why didn't I die instead?" Viden muttered under his breath.

The walls of the chamber seemed to close in on him, the air thick and stifling. He couldn't escape the torment in his own mind, couldn't escape the memory of Zans' pained cries. I'm weak. I can't fix this. I can't undo what I did...

The guilt became too much. His hand shot to his mouth to stifle a sob, but the sound still escaped, a broken, hollow noise that echoed around the chamber. He wanted it to end. He couldn't live with himself, not after what he'd done.

Suddenly, without thinking, he screamed into the darkness, his voice raw and desperate, "Kill me!" His plea rang through the stone walls, filled with all the guilt, all the pain he felt. "Next time, Galor, just kill me! I don't deserve to live! Kill me!"

But there was no response. Only silence.

The next morning, Viden sat hunched in the corner, his head resting against the wall. He hadn't slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the nails. He heard Zans' voice. He relived the betrayal.

His stomach churned with nausea, his mouth dry, tasting of ash and sulfur. The heavy door creaked open, and Galor stepped inside. Viden didn't bother to look up. He knew what was coming. More pain. More suffering.

Galor's voice cut through the stillness. "The queen has other plans for you two." His words were like iron, cold and merciless.

Viden felt a flicker of panic. He didn't know what that meant, but he feared it. He feared what else he could be forced to do.

"Zans is to be brought before her today," Galor continued, his tone flat and uncaring. "She's summoned him."

At this, Viden's head snapped up. He felt his heart tighten in his chest. Zans... no. He had already been through so much. Viden couldn't let him suffer more.