"It's the perfect place to inflict brutal injuries without actually harming someone's body. Not to mention how much easier it is to turn someone into an obedient dog. "
Lynette nodded, taking note of everything she was hearing.
"Please stop," begged Cristina, her voice coming through loud and clear despite the overwhelming silence of the space.
"Begging won't work here, you should know that by now. I do know one thing though, I heard Zenyph is fond of dogs. Why don't we make you a good girl, Cristina?" said Lynette as she tried to imitate Norena.
Norena, however, was unfazed by Lynette's failed attempt at copying her speech pattern. Instead, she continued speaking calmly, as if the conversation had never even occurred.
"Yes, there is definitely some potential in that idea. However, I prefer the term 'mutt'. After all, mutts are known for their disobedience. Perhaps we could fix that though, with enough effort, of course. Then again, dogs require consistent training. Perhaps we should try a different approach first?" pondered Norena thoughtfully, tapping her chin in thought.
"You mean what I tried with Alice?" asked Lynette.
Norena smiled wickedly, "Exactly."
Without warning, The three women vanished from existence. Cristina was left alone, paralyzed in her own mindscape, unable to move or speak. The only sound she could hear was the steady beat of her own heart. It was a terrifying experience.
Then, a sharp pain pierced her abdomen. The sensation was indescribable. It felt like her insides were being ripped apart, slowly, agonizingly, as if her entire body were on fire.
Cristina screamed, her voice piercing through the deafening silence that surrounded her. She struggled desperately to escape, but there was nowhere for her to go. Her thoughts became a jumbled mess, her vision blurring and fading away entirely.
At the same time, her brain began to overheat, as if someone had placed her directly on top of a radiator. Her skull felt as if it was being crushed from all sides. She was being suffocated, unable to breathe. Her lungs were empty, her body unresponsive. She could do nothing but scream.
As she lay there helplessly, she began to realize what was happening to her. She was being tortured. Normally your body would go into shock or you'll grow used to a certain amount of pain. But not in her own mindscape where the laws are made up by the one with control over it.
Her limbs started to slowly turn into different parts of the anatomy. One second they were normal, then they shifted into paws, then claws, then feathers, then scales. She couldn't bear to look at it, and it hurt to watch. She felt like crying but her throat couldn't produce a single sound.
Finally, just as suddenly as it began, the transformation stopped. She found herself staring at a pile of her own organs and bones, scattered haphazardly about the floor. She could barely register what was going on around her, her vision distorted, her thoughts barely coherent. She felt numb.
As she watched the carnage unfold, she couldn't help but wonder what would become of her. She didn't even want to study at Nexus but her brother asked her to join. She just wanted to live her life peacefully, and now... Now, she couldn't even move a finger. She had lost everything, and she was trapped in her own mind with no hope of escape.
Her body returned to normal after bleeding and regrowing enough bones to fill an entire ocean. The entire mindscape was filled with her organs and bones. She sighed in relief as the pain subsided, the only remaining evidence of what happened was a slight ache in her stomach. She knew that she could never return to the life she once had.
She would forever be scarred by this incident. She could only hope that this wouldn't happen again.
"Okay so Katyana thoughts on the torture? Yay or Nay?" asked Norena, a satisfied smirk on her face.
Katyana looked around the bloody battlefield, her eyes wide with terror. She couldn't believe what she had seen. It was horrifying, almost impossible to comprehend.
"Y-Yes, definitely yay." stammered Katyana, her voice quivering uncontrollably.
Norena laughed evilly, "Excellent. Well then, shall we continue?"
"Wait Norena, let's ask them to sign the contract first." retorted Lynette who was feeling a little uneasy.
"No, it's fine. We don't need them, just their bodies. Don't worry, I already know you're a sucker for animals." reassured Norena as she placed her hand on Cristina's shoulder.
Lynette opened her mouth to argue, but she quickly realized that it was pointless. She couldn't stop Norena now even if she wanted to. So, she remained silent, resigned to her fate. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in the back of her mind. Was this really okay? Should she try to put a stop to this? But then the image of Katyana pressing the dagger against Zenyph's throat flashed through her mind, and all traces of sympathy vanished instantly. She couldn't allow herself to care about such worthless creatures. They were better off dead.
"Wait no, no, no," mumbled Katyana, her arms flailing wildly. "I-I-I-I'll sign any contract. Please I don't want to go through this ever."
Norena scoffed, "Weak bitch. Fine, whatever, sign here."
She held out a piece of paper with a black quill pen attached to it. The paper was filled with rows of illegible scribbles.
Katyana looked at the contract, confused. She didn't understand what she was looking at. The only words she could understand was 'Zenyph'.
"This is a blank contract right?" asked Katyana, hesitantly.
Norena chuckled, "Of course. The choices are: Being tortured for eternity in your own mind or surrender your soul to Zenyph."
Katyana recalled what she had just seen, and her brain froze. She was about to write something before her consciousness faded away completely. She signed her name and didn't even finish signing as she collapsed onto the floor in a heap.
Norena grabbed the paper and put it back in her pocket.
"That's the beauty of the mindscape, all you have to do is think of signing something, and bam it's signed," said Norena as she looked to the girl who was used as an example.
Lynette shivered, not sure if she would be able to survive that type of torture. Luckily, Norena wouldn't hurt her, right? Because she means a lot to Zenyph. The image of her killing Alice popped into her mind. Lynette let out a sigh as she realized she was fair game.
"Well, that's one down and one to go," said Norena, eyeing Cristina with a malicious grin. She knew that this girl wouldn't give up without a fight.
"W-What? What happened to Katyana? Did she sign the contract?" asked Cristina, confused and afraid.
"She did, now it's your turn," explained Lynette as she motioned to the pen in front of the princess.
Cristina eyed it cautiously. She didn't trust this one bit.
"What happens if I refuse to sign?" asked Cristina as she backed away from the duo, ready to make a run for it.
"Well, Katyana would have gotten tortured for eternity because she's the one that injured Zenyph. You on the other hand just insulted him, you didn't harm him," explained Norena casually as if it wasn't a big deal.
"So either you sign or I'll just lock you away in a corner of your mind while I control your body. It's a take it or leave it offer." said Norena with a proud smile on her face. She enjoyed tormenting others.
"Okay, fine." answered Cristina as she reluctantly picked up the quill pen and signed her name on the paper.
"Great, you can leave now, thank you very much."
The two menaces in question quickly transported them back to reality, leaving them traumatized and defeated.
Norena couldn't help but feel a little guilty. But that quickly vanished, Cristina should've stepped in but didn't. As far as Norena is concerned the whole class should be punished and hand their souls over to Zenyph.
As the group emerged, back at the training ground, a blonde-haired woman was sitting with her back against a tree, reading a book.
She glanced up, noticing their presence. She set aside her reading material and approached them.
"Forcing someone to sign a contract with mind magic Norena. Very cruel, even for you." commented Luciana.
"What are you doing here teacher? You scared me, don't just appear out of thin air. Wait, did you come to help me torture someone?" exclaimed Norena as she beamed enthusiastically at her beloved mentor.
Luciana sighed, "You're on your own this time Norena. It's just wrong for me to intervene. You have to learn how to control your emotions or else you'll lose yourself."
Norena frowned slightly, feeling rejected. She understood that Luciana had morals, but she couldn't help but be disappointed that her idol didn't agree with her.
"I already spent 10 minutes waiting on you, Lynette. Let's go." said Luciana as she grabbed Lynette and teleported out of the scene, leaving Norena and her new pets in the training ground.
"Hmm, so Lynette has potential. Noted. I might have to rethink her value." mumbled Norena to the two unconscious women before disappearing from the scene herself.