In all honesty the facility was certainly huge.
We had reached a place where a large window had revealed a large portion of open land surging with various forms of plant life and weird organisms.
Although the plants looked unnatural and strange, they were undeniably beautiful nonetheless.
The size of the space that this wonder took was enough to fit basically every court size used for every outdoor or indoor sport on the planet.
The amount of sunlight that got to this land mass was precisely regulated and the irrigation system used for maintenance made the plants look even more lush and luxuriant.
It's hard to admit it but Dr Edward Stein possessed quite the green finger and this only served to further prove that he was indeed blessed with an intelligence that surpassed many.
"Azur, do not stare too much. Glory could most likely blind you." Stein said with a smug expression.
"I was bored once and I took up gardening. I discovered- No its best to say I genetically engineered over 200 new species of plant life and they all have some form of self-propagation. Hoho, I am ahead of my time."
Stein spoke with such confidence and pride as he boasted about another one of his creations.
The way he spoke he seemed to have not done things because they were needed but because he was looking for a way to amuse himself.
This in particular enraged me for some odd reason.
Playing with life, tinkering and altering its pre-dictated course, not even for personal gain nor praise from others or anything like that, but just because he was bored.
If he did this just for amusement, it makes one wonder what else he could do if he saw it necessary.
"I can't say it isn't wonderful. But, could we be getting to the next Trials. From your perspective don't you think every mere millisecond wasted could cause a complication. I am not something that should be possible and The Universe or The God you hate so much could try to make those unwanted changes."
It's not like I didn't enjoy the sight.
I just wanted to make sure Stein wouldn't have a reason for dispatching or disposing of me.
So I simply had to follow in his reasoning.
"…"
The silence from Stein actually made me shiver.
I thought I enraged him or something.
Stein slowly turned around and I was startled beyond measure, I started getting myself accustomed to the idea of dying at this very spot until I noticed something interesting.
I could have sworn that his face was laced with embarrassment or something like that.
He was clearly not used to people who could take their minds off his work as easily as I did.
After finally getting the embarrassed look off his face, he spoke up again.
"Hmph. I see you are not a fan of plant life. Well since you are going to be in my facility for the time being. You will get amazed at one point or the other."
While he said this I could no longer sense the feeling of pride and confidence in his speech.
It was an unexpected victory and in contrast to what he said, what it sounded like was "I accept your challenge."
I knew I had a rough ride ahead.
–
Walking with Stein and his goons for what seemed like an eternity within a small and dark hallway with only the deafening silence and the burning gazes of hatred from the other beasts to comfort me.
I hoped to put my quickly learnt conversation skills to the test and try to break the silence.
"So, Sir Stein, those guys, what made you pick them as part of your inner circle even though they were 'failures' as you say?"
I just said failures to address them the way Stein did, but I was pretty sure that they were already mumbling plans on how to debase me in front of Stein.
Before Stein could reply the surroundings got darker, Stein and the rest stopped dead in their tracks without warning and this compelled me to stop as well.
I thought maybe I had said something to embarrass him again.
But then again, before I could draw a conclusion I heard Stein snap his fingers and the room lit up with a bright light.
The sudden and unexpected lighting made me feel like my eyes were on fire and I squinted my burning eyelids.
Stein was now facing us with a wide grin and his cigarette in his left hand while he opened both his arms and gestured to what was all around him with confidence
I looked around and what I came across was definitely not a treat for the eyes.
Honestly, I would have vomited and proceeded to retch my brains out if there was food in my stomach.
The sight was truly horrendous.
I had no way to put it into words but it was horrible.
There were caged cells across the walls in a much wider corridor for as far as the eye could see.
Within the ones I could glimpse at there were beings very close to looking humanoid, being put through what could only be called torture.
The place had a feeling that could only be likened to the feeling of hell.
Some cells had constantly burning residents, the soot from their burning bodies covered the entirety of their allocated space.
Some had their residents being constantly electrocuted by the cell itself which was clear due to the crackles of static electricity I saw around them and their already dark crusty skin.
A few were attached to a rack table where their limbs were attached to ropes that would pull, stretch and dislocate their limbs periodically.
I even witnessed one of those periodic pulls and their individual screams made the feeling of suffering even worse.
In some particular cells their residents had to grovel in their own bodily waste and vomit, maggots formed and even those weird rodents gathered in their cells to eat their flesh while they were alive and too weak to do anything.
I saw ones who had their insides disemboweled and scattered around their cells. I was sure these ones were dead but one began to scream tremendously as a particular rodent gnawed on her intestine.
I had no idea what I should have been feeling. Whether pain or anger or sympathy.
Then the information flooded in making matters worse.
-{INHUMANE TREATMENT. TORTURE METHODS IN USE}
-{IMMOLATION, RACKING, IMMUREMENT & SCAPHISM TORTURE METHODS IN USE}
-{BLOOD EAGLE, JUDAS' CRADLE & SCHWEDENTRUNK TORTURE METHODS IN USE}
-{CHOKE PEAR, HORTICULTURE TORTURE & IMPALEMENT TORTURE METHODS IN USE}
-{STEIN; DANGEROUS.INHUMANE. INSENSITIVE.}
-{SYMPATHY, PAIN & ANGER RECOMMENDED}
...
I couldn't even see some of the torture methods that were named to be in use.
But from the way they were further explained in my head they seemed to be the worst of the worst.
After I fully understood and had taken in the scene around me, I looked at Stein waiting for an explanation.
He failed to answer my question and only showed me this terror with a smile on his face.
I waited so anxiously for him to speak as if I was waiting for him to redeem himself.
The look on my face changed with the emotion I felt.
It wasn't any of the emotions that the Words in my thoughts recommended to me, but it was disgust and irritation.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"