Power (Completed Story)

Hope 32

RENALD

Beep.

Beep.

"CODE ENTERED, CODE CORRECT. ACCESS ALLOWED."

Pop.

If he didn't have an almost foolproof plan crafted in his mind, he would have allowed himself to groan with pleasure the moment the metallic chains were unshackled from his sore and scarred body. In all honesty, he was not sure if it could be called a body as it was so marked by all the things the Devils had done to him that it was not one what would call a 'body' in the traditional sense.

He had become so used to the chains shackling him and holding him in place that his body felt as light as a feather- a lightness that he had not felt since who knows how long. However, the moment he felt the Devil's smooth hands ruffling his unkempt hair, Renald was brought back to the harsh reality of his world and started the plan: he was going to play the Devil at his own game and become the true master manipulator.

He did not flinch or scowl at the unwanted touch, instead he stayed as stiff as a board, staring blankly at the ceiling. Surprised by his lack of response, the Devil hmm-ed, lifting his chin and forcing his brown eyes to meet his. Renald thought of a world where there was no one waiting for his return, no one missing him, no one left for him in the world for that was when he knew his eyes would truly appear to be blank.

Once, the Devil had tested what were the top five things that would break him, and had mentioned each and every possible scenario to him while he faced a mirror. It was those events that caused an emptiness to appear in his eyes.

That is what I need right now so that he will believe that I had finally succumbed to his torture and am a true vessel of my former self.

If the Devil didn't believe him, if his plan did not succeed, he would never have a chance to escape. Not to mention, I need a cleaner appearance for the later part of my plan, and I'll never get it if I do not appear truly dead inside.

Thanks to his years of being trapped here, he knew that his torturer was a maniac and seemed to be convinced that he had a twisted connection with his captives.

The Devil enjoyed cleaning and dressing his victims in new, fresh clothing after he deemed them to be broken before burying them in his Garden of Glory alive. He would surround the 'dead' captives alive with daffodils- the flower of rebirth- in the hopes that in their next life, they would return to him as his own soldiers.

Strangely, despite how the Devil had meticulously planned every stage of his victims' funerals, that only stage where he never bothered to oversee was the last stage. Renald could never figure out why, but was grateful for that as that was when he planned to escape and he hoped that like the others, the Devil would not bother to watch his burial.

If he did oversee, Renald would have to open the coffin and dig himself out of the earth which was a demanding and nearly impossible task. The last stage was also the best time to escape for the possibility of it was highest compared to the other stages of the sadistic ritual.

He knew all of this as in the early stages of his captivity, he was forced to dig a grave for a former captive of the Devil.

"Dig a ten foot-deep grave in the ground and I'll grant you your freedom," the Devil had lied to him back then, when he was six or seven. Back then, Renald had dreaded the task and never wanted to do it, but looking back now, Renald was grateful for it as the lesson that he loathed most was one that would almost guarantee his freedom.

"Poor thing. Always so headstrong and convinced that I will never break you. And yet, the truth is always the polar opposite. You're beyond broken now- you're completely shattered. Nobody cares about you, let alone remembers you." His voice had hints of smugness. "Don't worry, I remember you. I will bury you with care, Nequam."