'Hmm, for a human he sure does have an impressive amount of strength,' Morpheus thought as he watched Rin try to overcome the force of Heaven and the strength of two Celestial guards.
4 minutes later...
But inevitably he could not as sweat dripped down his rosy face and his clothes stuck to him like glue.
"Gasp, so what's the next question?" Rin asked as he gave after tiring himself out for no apparent reason.
"What's your reason for coming to Dreamworld on this lovely day?" The guard replied as he tried not to laugh.
"I can't remember," Rin said as he finally caught his breath, before suddenly screaming out in pain as maggots the size of a finger made from electricity swiftly entered his body. Following the lie he told and the taste of his own medicine for agreeing to such a procedure.
But this was only the beginning of his punishment as from the revolving light that coated his right arm, hair-thin needles abruptly pierced his arm and injected white runes into his body. Which began to eat away at his cultivation very slowly as if it took joy in the despair and agony it inflicted upon its victim.
However, that was but the tip of the iceberg as after it devoured his entire cultivation, it would proceed to erode his mind, body, and finally, his soul until he was nothing but a soulless and broken being, beyond repair.
"Rin, this will only work if you comply with us, so I'll ask again, why did you come to Dreamworld?"
'Fuck man, just what idiot agreed to this bullshit!' Rin shouted internally as he tried not to let out even a groan or even a weep to not give Morpheus or anyone else for that matter, the satisfaction of seeing him wailing in pain like a bitch in heat.
"... sigh, to find a fragment of my former self, buried within the dreams of my predecessor's past." He replied through gritted teeth as he endured pain beyond imagination as his cultivation gradually dropped from True God to Mortal Cultivator, while maggots ravaged his body without care.
'Hmm, while peculiar, it still does not explain how he ended up in that ark rupture or underwent something like a bloodline awakening. Could there be more to the situation than meets the eye?' Morpheus wondered as he thought over Rin's words for something felt strangely off, as if he was missing a piece of the puzzle.
A piece that might provide clarity to the situation and answer the questions, which rumbled in his mind like lightning before it strikes.
"Thank you, now onto the final question, what is your connection to the ark rupture found in Zone 5 - Code AX75O?" Carlos asked, causing the white runes to stop as a few maggots promptly left his body.
"I honestly, don't know, sir," Rin murmured as he closed his eyes and waited for death to come and collect him, for he knew the faith that awaited him as he could not answer their question, even though what he said was the truth.
"Rin, while I would love to believe you, it would be in your best interest to provide us with a satisfactory answer!" Carlos shouted as he slammed his fist on the table in frustration, 'Why must you make this ten times harder than it needs to be, kid?! Do you honestly want to die that badly?'
He thought as he tried to make heads and tails of why Rin would continue to lie, however, it would seem in his anger the guard caption overlooked one significant piece of info.
"Sigh, what would it benefit me to lie to you, when even the orb itself didn't dim nor brighten when I answered your question, sir?" Rin stated somberly in anger for being deemed a liar when he said nothing but the truth.
For if Rin had lied would not his punishment have commenced again? Even though on the flipside the damage was already done, regardless of what occurred afterward from this point on.
"Relax, captain as our friend here is telling the truth, even if it may be hard to believe," Dime said with suspicion as only a fool would think Rin's situation wasn't linked to what occurred in that ark rupture, "Now while surprising, don't you think its high time you allowed our guest the freedom he so desperately seeks, brother?"
Dime asked as he glanced at his Morpheus after they got what they could from Rin, even if it was just crumbs of the loaf. Yet even a crumb can at times be all that you need to uncover everything.
"It would seem so, brother," Morpheus replied with a nod, "However, there are still a few things, I would like to know about you, O Rin Jasper Kurama?"
He smiled with a glint in his eye as he stared at Rin with curiosity and scrutiny, 'For there are just too many secrets it seems that body of yours contains and I want to be the first to uncover them, one by one.'
'Morpheus, oh Morpheus just when shall that accursed curiosity be quenched, for even you should be aware of when to advance and retreat. For there are just some things which shouldn't reach the light of day, lest you incur the wrath of Heaven,' Dime thought as he shook his head disappointed at his brother's conduct.
For now, was not the time to bring more trouble to their doorstep, when they already had to deal with the increasing number of ark ruptures appearing throughout Dreamworld.
"And what would be that?" he asked as he lifted his head and gazed at Morpheus with eyes that yearned for rest.
"Nothing serious, just what is your relationship with Noctis and why did you say such things earlier, if you don't mind me asking?"
***
Simultaneously, unbeknownst to Rin it would seem everything was not as dire as he thought...
If we do not take into consideration, the regression in his cultivation and the minor damage done to his soul, but while unfortunate and downright horrible there was a fortune in this mist of his misfortune.
In the form of a long-forgotten system if what Ezekiel was seeing before his eyes was right, "Huh? So out of all my reincarnations it was in my fourth life that you would return to me, old friend?"
He muttered as he gazed upon the charred flickering circuit board of alien machinery floating before him, which was vastly different yet still similar to what he crafted eons ago, following his and Elizabeth's unforeseen discovery of those ruins in what the world now calls the God realm.