Lloyd POV
How long had I truly been here? The question reverberated through the fog of my mind, mixing with the disorientation that seemed to cloud my senses as I fought to hold onto consciousness. My body felt like a foreign extension of my mind—numb and disconnected—while a growing sense of horror crept in and settled uncomfortably in my stomach when I realized with mounting dread that I could no longer feel some of my fingers. With a shaky glance downward, I felt my stomach lurch violently at the gruesome sight before me: my severed digits lay scattered on the blood-stained floor, stark white bone starkly visible against the deep crimson ruin. Blood had soaked through my pants, turning the fabric into a sticky, disconcertingly warm shroud that clung to my skin. It truly seemed that Lord Wu hadn't been bluffing when he'd made those horrifying threats.
Strangely enough, despite the grisly exhibition of my mutilation, I felt no pain. Was this eerie numbness a remnant of my previous brush with death? Or had my body simply shut down, overwhelmed, and unable to process the trauma that had been inflicted? The very thought rattled me.
With great effort, I managed to raise my head, peering through my one remaining good eye—the other was swollen shut, the result of a particularly vicious blow—at the man standing before me. Lord Wu loomed there like a specter, his posture relaxed and casual, as if dismembering people were merely another mundane task on his daily agenda. He was barking orders at Arthur, who dutifully scurried off to retrieve whatever vile instrument of torment his master desired next. The chilling indifference with which he wielded power over life and death unnerved me even more.
A tsunami of hatred surged through my veins, hotter and more intense than anything I'd ever felt before. I truly hated this man, even more than the uncle who had been my tormentor in my early years. The realization took me by surprise; I hadn't realized it was possible to harbor such deep loathing for anyone, let alone a man who had made my earlier life a living nightmare.
It was almost surreal to think that not long ago—though time felt as if it were suspended in this nightmarish chamber—everything had seemed manageable. Lord Wu had approached me with what seemed like innocent curiosity, his questions about my situation and my world almost friendly, lulling me into a false sense of security. But that facade had cracked as he dove deeper, probing about how I had arrived here and the techniques I had used to cross into his domain. The subtle shift in his demeanor became unmistakable the moment he realized I knew something he desperately wanted.
I had grown increasingly aware that he was fishing for information—scheming to augment his power—when it hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. The moment I fully grasped the danger of revealing too much, I retreated into myself, shutting down in a bid to protect whatever secrets I held. Any discussion of my quest for the Dark Artifacts or the enigmatic entity that had sent me here felt too dangerous; who knew what kind of chaos that knowledge might unleash? Now, sitting here, bloodied and battered, I couldn't shake the notion that perhaps some fibs might have spared me from this torment. Maybe if I had spun a veil of lies, I'd still have both my fingers intact and been spared the brutal beatings of this dark den.
Lord Wu was now meticulously wiping his hands with a crisp handkerchief, which rapidly transformed from white to crimson, tainted by my blood. Elizabeth and Arthur were rummaging through the dim room, their movements methodical as they searched for new instruments of suffering to bring forth upon me. A small, detached part of my consciousness felt a strange sense of gratitude that I had ceased to feel the brunt of the pain a while ago. What new horrors were being plotted by Lord Wu and his two Oni butlers?
"It has been quite a while since I've had someone who has lasted under torture for as long as you," Lord Wu mused, tossing the now-bloodied handkerchief carelessly onto the floor. His gaze caught mine then, a flicker of something—was it respect or mere curiosity?—dancing in his dark eyes. "I suppose you are rather determined to keep your little secret."
His words hung in the fetid air, thick with a mixture of grudging admiration and thinly veiled menace. It felt like he was either begrudgingly impressed or increasingly frustrated by my silent resistance. But his words did nothing to alleviate the dark anxiety gnawing at my insides. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy with the promise of more anguish to come, and I could only wonder how much longer I could withstand their relentless interrogation.
As I met Lord Wu's penetrating gaze, a sinking feeling spread through me like ice. My ordeal was far from over. The glint in his eyes ignited a dread that sang to me of his unwavering determination. Whatever sick plans he had in store, I braced myself for an escalation that would surely test my limits—and perhaps push me beyond the brink of sanity itself. The looming question now was: how much longer could I endure before I shattered? And if I did break, what fragments would remain of me when it was all over?
It was then that Arthur returned, clutching a small, ornate box in his hands. The mere sight of it sent a chill cascading down my spine, pooling in my gut. Lord Wu's eyes flared with sadistic glee as he accepted the box from his obedient servant, his intentions clear as day.
"You know," Lord Wu began, his voice deceptively casual, oozing a sense of terrible anticipation, "I've always been fascinated by the limits of the human body—or should I say the hybrid body, in your case." He opened the box slowly, revealing a set of delicate silver instruments glinting menacingly in the dim light—a promise of the torment to come. "Shall we explore those limits together?"
I could only swallow hard against the rising tide of panic threatening to swallow me whole. My mind raced, frantic in its search for a means of escape from this waking nightmare. But as Lord Wu advanced toward me, silver instrument poised in hand, I understood that my options had diminished to near insignificance.
"Wait!" I gasped, my voice barely more than a hoarse whisper. "I... I can tell you something."
Lord Wu halted, curious intrigue crossing his features. "Oh? And what might that be?" he replied, his tone a calm mask for the insanity that surrounded us.
I took a shaky breath, realizing that what I was about to share could very well shift the tide of this horrific encounter. But now, I was inching closer to desperation, willing to share anything that might postpone my grim fate, perhaps even to expose a way to escape this hell.
"The entity that sent me here," I managed to spill out, choosing my words with great caution. "It's not just interested in me. It has ambitions... grand ambitions for all the realms."
Lord Wu's expression morphed into one of narrowed concentration, a blend of suspicion and intrigue flaring in his gaze. "Go on," he urged, the silver instrument still hovering ominously above me.
"It..." I stammered, feeling revulsion swell inside me. How had fate brought me to this lowly, horrific juncture? "It is..."
But before I could continue, reality itself seemed to ripple and tear. A familiar voice whispered in my ear, "I came to assist you. You should've asked for help sooner, especially when you're in a life-threatening predicament."
I turned my head cautiously, wincing as pain jolted through my battered form. There it was, halfway emerging from a shimmering rift in reality, the entity's ethereal presence as indistinct and unsettling as I remembered—a swarming mass of shadows and otherworldly energy.
Everyone froze, shock and dread flooding the room. Whether they had encountered this being before or not, one thing was clear: this entity commanded a strength greater than the collective might of all present. The air was charged with an otherworldly energy, and I felt the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand heedfully on end.
The entity's gaze washed over the room before settling on the ground, bemusement twisting into a tangible rage as it looked down at my severed fingers. "Why is someone as weak as you touching my things?" it snarled, its voice resonating with anger and annoyance.
I had never heard it sound so furious. Its voice dropped lower, reverberating through the small space as it felt like the very foundations of the room shook with its wrath. The entity's form rippled as if something deep within was clawing to be released. Shadows writhed and twisted around it, teasing the edges of sanity as I glimpsed impossible geometries and cosmic horrors swirling within its essence. I had never laid eyes upon such a thing, and judging by the look of paralyzed terror on Lord Wu's face, neither had he.
"What on earth?" Lord Wu stammered, his usual composure fracturing for the very first time since my torment began. His hands flared with sickly purple energy as he prepared to unleash a blast of destruction.
Panic surged within me as I realized what was about to unfold. A blast of destruction from Lord Wu in this enclosed space could easily obliterate the room, taking every last one of us with it. "Are you out of your mind?!" I shouted hoarsely, my voice cracking under the strain of desperation, but it was to no avail.
Before anyone could respond, Lord Wu unleashed his fatal shot. A beam of pure destructive energy—a dark torrent crackling with malevolent power—hurtled toward the entity, and by extension, me. As the annihilating energy hurtled closer, I was struck with the grim certainty that the entity had sent me here just to face an early death at the hands of men who reveled in despair and suffering.
Time slowed to a crawl as I observed the lethal blast approaching. My life didn't flash before my eyes; instead, I found myself contemplating whether this truly was how everything would end: obliterated in a dank torture chamber, far from home, with every ambition and hope dashed before me. Was this to be my inglorious end? A brief flicker in the annals of history, snuffed out before I ever got the chance to fulfill my purpose?
The destructive energy was mere inches away now, the sheer force warping the air around it and making my skin prickle in anticipation. I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for the impact, the searing pain that would lead me into oblivion. In those suspended seconds, a strange calm enveloped me, as if whispering a promise of release. Whatever happened next was utterly beyond my control, and perhaps that fact was the only solace I could cling to in these final moments.
…
Heroes POV
Jay didn't know how he felt about seeing the same motorcycle helmet people who jumped him and told him that Nya was never going to love him due to him being born in a junkyard and whatnot.
There right before him were three men wearing motorcycle helmets with black clothing. It would have assumed that they were the same guy but they didn't have quite the same build. To be honest all of them were in their size. One of them was tall and muscular while the other was just a normal guy but you will notice a little bulk. And the last one was a bit shorter and less muscular out of the three. But that didn't answer the question.
"Who are you people?" He asked. He did go around and ask people he does know to help him save Nya and stop Nadakhan but he doesn't recall knowing these people.
"A friend of yours asked us to come and assist you," The tallest out of the three answered. "Believe us, we don't like what this djinn is doing."
A friend? Jay knew almost everything about his friends. It is not like they have many other friends outside of the friend group. Except… Lloyd. He knew nothing about Lloyd, except that he was abandoned by his mother, lived with his adoptive mother, went to Darkly Boarding School, and that he is Abaddon. And that's pretty much it.
If it was Lloyd who told these people to come and assist him then. What else does Lloyd have at his disposal? But he does need all the help he could get.
"Fine, I can't be too picky with who wants to help," he shouldn't let the past affect him. Right now he needs to save Nya. "Let go and stop Nadakhan."