The world around Kaelor was dark, cold, and suffocating. His body ached as if every bone had been shattered, and his mind wobbled from the betrayal that had led him there. When his senses returned, he found himself restrained, his wrists bound by strong metallic chains that burned his skin like molten iron.
The chamber he was in vibrated with an ominous, otherworldly energy. Stone walls carved with ancient, malevolent symbols seemed to mock him, their jagged edges twisted in the faint reddish light. The air smelled of decay, thick with a brassy sharpness that made breathing a laborious task.
From the shadows, mocking laughter sounded.
"Well, well," came Gustos's voice, loud and condescending. "Look at the mighty Kaelor now. The scourge of empires, the wielder of unspeakable power… reduced to this."
Kaelor glared through the blood streaking his face.
"You've made a mistake, Gustos," he growled defiantly.
"Oh?" Gustos stepped into the light, "And what mistake would that be? Capturing you? Rendering you helpless?"
Kaelor smirked, despite his pain.
"Underestimating me."
Gustos's eyes gleamed maliciously as he leaned in close.
"I haven't underestimated you, Kaelor. I've simply waited for the right moment to break you."
With a wave of his hand, a relic appeared. It was a jagged, crystalline talisman that radiated a sickly green light. Kaelor recognized it immediately.
"The Shard of Theim!" he murmured.
"Ah, so you do remember," Gustos said, grinning. "This relic has been the bane of many powerful sorcerers. It drains power, consumes it, until all that's left is a hollow shell of what once was."
Kaelor's heart sank as Gustos pressed the shard against his chest. A sharp, searing pain erupted, and he let out a guttural scream.
"Feel it, Kaelor," Gustos sneered. "Feel your essence being stripped away. This is the price for defying the otherworldly forces."
***
Hours, or was it days? passed in a haze of torment. He was subjected to relentless torture, each method designed to strip him of his will. Gustos's underlings, grotesque creatures with twisted forms and soulless eyes, took turns mocking and tormenting him.
One of them, a hulking beast with claws like scythes, dragged its pincers across his chest, leaving deep, bloody lacerations.
"Where's all that power now, mage?" it snarled, its voice gave out a guttural growl.
Another, a lithe figure with a serpentine tail, whispered venomous taunts into his ear.
"Who could've believed that you were once feared, Kaelor. Now you're just… a worthless piece of entertainment."
He clenched his teeth, refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing him beg. But every moment was a struggle, his body weakened, and his mind fractured.
At some point, Gustos returned, surrounded by his most loyal followers.
"Let's see if the mighty mage has any fight left," Gustos said, in a mocking tone.
He gestured, and the chains binding Kaelor shone brighter, sending jolts of excruciating pain through his body.
He screamed, and his voice resounded through the chamber.
"Pathetic," Gustos said, shaking his head. "You were once a force to be reckoned with. Now you're nothing but a relic of the past, clinging to delusions of power. You've crumbled!"
Kaelor's vision blurred, but he forced himself to meet Gustos's gaze.
"You'll regret this," he said.
Gustos laughed, letting out a cruel, hollow sound.
"Regret? The only regret here is that I didn't capture you sooner."
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a wave of dark energy that slammed into him, sending him crashing against the stone wall. The impact left him gasping for air, while his body trembled with pain.
Despite the torment, his mind raced with many thoughts. He couldn't let this be his end. He had faced unimaginable odds before, and emerged victorious. This would be no different.
But the shard's power was unrelenting. It gnawed at his soul, each moment eroding the strength he so desperately clung to.
"You're fading, mage," Gustos said gleefully. "Soon, there will be nothing left of you but a husk."
Kaelor refused to respond. He wouldn't give Gustos the satisfaction of seeing him feel such misery. Instead, he focused on the faint, flickering ember of his magic that remained. It was weak, almost nonexistent, but it was there. And as long as it existed, so did hope.
As Gustos and his followers reveled in their victory, his thoughts drifted to Joan. Her betrayal had cut deeper than any physical wound. The memory of her tear-streaked face, her apologies, haunted him.
But beneath the pain lay a burning fury. She had chosen her side, and he would make her pay for it.
Time lost all meaning in the chamber of torment. He drifted in and out of consciousness, his dreams were plagued by visions of his past life, and the battles that had defined him.
In one vision, he stood atop a mountain of corpses, his enemies defeated, their blood staining his hands.
In another, he saw Joan, her face twisted in anguish as she begged for his forgiveness.
When he awoke, Gustos was standing over him once again.
"Still clinging to hope, I see," he said mockingly.
Kaelor glared at him, his eyes blazing with fire.
Gustos laughed.
"Admirable. Foolish, but admirable."
He raised the shard, its sickly green light intensified.
"Let's see how much more you can take."
As the shard's energy enveloped him once more, he felt his grip on reality slipping. But even in his weakest moments, he refused to give up.
"You've underestimated me," he whispered.
Gustos leaned in, wearing a wicked smile on his face.
"What was that?"
He met his gaze, and his eyes were filled with a mix of pain and determination.
"You've underestimated me," he repeated, louder this time.
Before Gustos could react, Kaelor summoned every ounce of his remaining strength. The ember of his magic flared, sending a shockwave through the chamber that momentarily disrupted the shard's power.
Gustos staggered back, caught off guard.
"Impossible!" he snarled.
His chains remained intact, but the brief surge of power had reignited his hope.
"This isn't over," he said, despite the pain he felt.
Gustos recovered quickly, his expression darkening.
"You'll regret that," he said, raising the shard once more.
But before he could strike, a low rumble echoed through the chamber.
Gustos froze, narrowing his eyes.
"What is that?"
Kaelor smiled faintly, the first genuine smile he'd managed since his capture.
"Your mistake," he said cryptically.
The rumble grew louder, the chamber shook as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart.
He turned to his followers, barking orders.
"Find out what's happening!"
Kaelor leaned back against the wall, his body battered but his spirit remained unbroken.
Whatever was coming, he would be ready…