A sudden stream of torturing emotions flooded his mind. His heart feels all that sharp pain pricking his chest every time he is admonished for his mistakes.
All he could do now is regret putting his trust in the people that never
accepted him and his bloodline.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry! Hal, sorry... Forgive me! You must know how much I wanted to help both of you! So, please... Please forgive me!"
"If you are really sorry, you will leave this hellish place. You would do anything you can to attain vengeance for us!"
Her voice was getting louder and rougher as the conversation went on. Uria's mental strike on Invictus, all the indirect blaming, and passive-aggressive remarks were slowly breaking him into pieces.
This is what Invictus gets for punishing himself. His mind was actually playing tricks on him while he suffered a mental breakdown from being unable to do anything.
Right now, he was experiencing the second stage of starvation. A person's liver metabolizes fatty acids into ketone bodies that can be used as a source of energy. After approximately a week of fasting, a person's brain starts to use ketone bodies, as well as glucose as sources of energy. Proteins not essential for survival are used first.
As starvation progresses, the physical symptoms set in. The timing of these symptoms depends on age, size, and overall health. It usually takes days to weeks and includes weakness, fast heart rate, shallow breaths that are slowed, thirst, and constipation. There may also be diarrhea in some cases. The eyes begin to sink in and glass over. The muscles begin to become smaller, and muscle wasting sets in. One prominent sign in children is a swollen belly. Skin loosens and turns pale in color, and there may be swelling of the feet and ankles. (Source Wikipedia)
Now that Invictus has become immortal. He won't catch any disease or illness. But the effects of starvation will be plausible because it is the only problem that can cause him death.
Therefore, malnutrition and every side effect of eating nothing will affect his health. Right now, he is at his death door and has the choices in his hands. It is entirely up to him if he wants to live and have revenge or pathetically rot away in The Oubliette and die along with his hatred.
If he chooses to stay in the dungeon, he will die without getting back at his former friends and the whole kingdom but will reunite with his family wherever they might be right now. And if he chooses to live, he will have to carry on in life, alone and lonely, but he will definitely get the vengeance he deeply yearns for.
"So, what will it be, Invictus? Will you choose to die here or survive by eating your own flesh to attain victory over Estaria?! Decide, Hal, and you will be freed from the past that is haunting you!"
After approximately ten seconds, there was once again silence around Invictus. Uria's voice disappears when all the pressure being placed upon his shoulders becomes too heavy, and Invictus crazily bit off a chunk on his arm.
He was teary-eyed as he endured the pain and the tastelessness of his own meat.
"Argh! Fuck it!"
There was no stopping him now. He continued gobbling on his arm, tearing his flesh with his dull teeth but slightly strong jaws.
Invictus was not even chewing on the meat. He just swallowed every chunk as his arm bled, dripping down and mixing with the greasy liquid waste.
"I'm immortal! I will not die! Not unless I tell myself to die!"
His uproar echoed in the whole castle, which shook them down their core, getting chills and cold feet upon hearing his hatred towards the citizens of Estaria. They felt his wrath, trying to pierce through their thick skulls.
"So, he still hasn't died yet, huh? Well, it's only been a week. That's to be expected."
The king said with his right cheek resting on his palm while his arm was propped on the armrest on his throne.
Silently, at peace, he was enjoying a glass of fine red wine that aged well throughout the years. And in front of him were Invictus' former friends, Cleoantra and the others, kneeling down on one leg.
"How are the preparations going?" The king asked.
Vinyl stood up on behalf of everyone and spoke: "Everything is ready, your Highness. We only need your word and we will immediately proceed with the invasion."
"Great. What about the supplies I asked you to gather, Cleoantra?"
Vinyl knelt down again, and it was now the female member of the group that was standing in his presence.
"Yes, the supplies have already been delivered to the area you told me about."
"Tomorrow at noon, mobilize all the available troops. I want that neighbor
kingdom to suffer huge losses."
After that, the seven friends departed to continue fulfilling the king's orders. They will do anything to achieve what they have always wanted in life. The things they didn't experience when they were poor, and all the privileges they can get.
Right now, Cleoantra and the other six were on their way to Estaria's neighboring kingdom, Doloria. Their goal was to inflict minors, yet
problematic damage to the kingdom.
Estaria and Doloria had been in a truce for a decade now. No conflicts had been reported in the past ten years, and the king was about to change it all for the sake of seizing more lands and premises. Also, Doloria is famous for its hardest metal, which is strictly distributed only to the kingdom.
The quality of the metal was high, and its value was pretty much cheap since it's abundant in Doloria. The only reason it isn't being distributed to other kingdoms is because of rivalries and the potential growth of opposing empires.
"Can you feel it? I can feel a storm brewing between two kingdoms. Soon, a war will break out, and many lives will be taken. However, it will be for
a greater cause. Therefore, sacrifices made will be worth it."
~