The Sin Of Loving Too Much

Chapter Two My Descent Into Hell Part 2

Time had ceased to matter. Days, hours, what were they here? There was no day and night, only the occasional flicker of light when they wanted me to remember that I was still alive. But the moments in between... those were endless. I had tried to count the days at first, but I stopped when it felt like I was trying to hold onto water with my hands.

Each drip from the ceiling, each faint hum of the glyphs pulsing around me, everything had started to blend together into one long nightmare. I could feel the prison pressing down on me, like it wanted to crush whatever was left inside, and maybe it was working.

Even the chains on the wall would rattle occasionally, but I wasn't shackled to them, not yet anyway. That would come soon enough.

I wasn't sure how long I had been left here in the darkness, but I felt something shift. The cold, stale air seemed to tremble with anticipation, like the prison itself knew what was coming next.

The lights flickered on again.

That man, he, stood there just outside my cell, smiling. That same unnerving smile he'd worn the last time. His pristine uniform was an insult to the filth of this place, as though he existed on a different plane altogether. As though none of this affected him at all.

"Subject 1479," he greeted me with that same false warmth, like he was welcoming an old friend for a cup of tea. "I see you've settled in."

I didn't respond. What was there to say? What good would words do now?

He tapped on the tablet he always carried, the hum of the barrier between us growing louder as the glyphs in the walls flared briefly, before dimming once more.

"I've given you some time to adjust in here," the man continued, his voice almost casual. "But we have much to do. And I'm afraid I can't wait any longer." He stepped forward, his fingers hovering just over the shimmering barrier as though he couldn't wait to get his hands on me. His eyes, those cold amber eyes, regarded me with clinical fascination.

"You may not realize it yet subject 1479, but you've been changing since you've been in here." he said, his voice dropping just slightly, as if he was sharing a secret. "Your fusion with Shuhu's flesh, it's been... transformative, hasn't it? Your body, your mind... they're no longer what they once were, are they?"

I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. He was right, though. There had been moments, small flashes where I felt something shift inside me. The air around me would grow thicker, I'd get the urge to do things I wouldn't before, and my skin would burn as if it were too tight for the bones beneath it. But I had forced myself to ignore it. Denying it was far easier than facing the truth.

The man's smile widened, already knowing that what he said was true.

"You and I, we're going to explore those changes together," he said, stepping away from the barrier and tapping the tablet once more. The chains in the cell rattled ominously, and I heard the clank of something being disengaged. My wrists were suddenly heavy, weighed down by cold metal as the shackles sprang to life, snapping closed around them. The glowing glyphs on the chains pulsed, the metal burning faintly against my skin.

I gritted my teeth as I tried to resist the chains, but I was pulled towards the center of the cell. I could barely move now, the metal biting into my flesh as the glyphs glowed brighter, locking me in place.

"Comfortable?" The man's voice was light, mocking. "This is where we truly get to know one another ."

The table I had seen earlier, the one with the teleportation rings above and below it, hummed to life just beyond the barrier. It shifted and rearranged itself with a fluid, unnatural grace, as though it were alive. The faint blue lines of energy connecting the table to the surrounding walls pulsed once, and I knew, without a doubt, that once I was on that table, I wasn't going to come off it as the same man.