"AAAAHHH... the PAINnnnn…" A high-pitched scream echoed before gradually lowering in tone.
"Pain… pain… pain…" The low murmur resonated throughout the cramped space.
"PAINNNNNN!" The girl shrieked hysterically, clutching her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks. It felt as though her life was slipping away.
"KYAAA!!! Hah… hah… hah…" She gasped for air, her chest heaving as if she were struggling to breathe.
"Am I… still alive? Wasn't I just at death's door?" She could still feel a dull ache in her body. Her face was pale, her eyes empty, and silent tears slowly began to fall.
"Well, well, well." A soft, cold voice broke the silence.
A woman emerged, adorned with two black horns sprouting from above her slightly arched eyebrows, curving upwards, reaching lengths of 10 to 15 centimeters. She wore a long dress that radiated an aura of elegance and mystery. The gown was jet black, with delicate details resembling hidden floral patterns shrouded in shadow. The skirt flared gently from her waist, creating a flowing effect as she moved.
The sleeves of her dress puffed slightly at the shoulders, giving her a regal, aristocratic appearance. Around her neckline, intricate black lace formed a high collar that veiled her chest, enhancing her elegance without diminishing the cold, intimidating air about her. Her long, silver hair cascaded down gracefully, a stark contrast to the darkness of her attire, adding to the mysterious aura enveloping her. The black horns gave the impression she was no ordinary human—perhaps a noble from another realm or a creature from the depths of a dark dimension.
The woman sat gracefully on a simple white plastic chair, gazing at the young girl before her with a faint smile.
"!! Who are you?!" The girl exclaimed in shock.
"Who am I? I am you. And you are me."
"What do you mean?" The girl's face twisted in confusion.
"You're still young. Your horns haven't even emerged above your eyebrows yet."
The girl's expression shifted, clearly deep in thought.
"You… you're me from the fu-future?" She stammered, her voice trembling.
"As I expected. I've always been clever since I was young. Now, I shall torment you for our own good, so that we become strong in the future. After all, we are the same person."
"W-what?" The girl's eyes widened in terror. The aura emanating from the woman before her was suffocatingly intense.
Without warning, the horned woman grabbed one of the young girl's horns and dragged her toward a horrifying portal.
"Aaargh!... Please, stop! It hurts… it hurts… I beg you!" The young girl's face contorted in agony, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lips quivered as a small sob escaped her throat.
For the dragon race, horns are a symbol of honor. Even a mere touch could be seen as a grievous insult that might provoke a war between clans or races, especially if the horns belonged to a leader or a member of the royal dragon family, even if it was just a child.
After entering the portal, the girl was subjected to horrifying illusions like a simulation. She saw the rampage of the Demon King Dragon, brutal wars, human heads severed by executioners, prisoners tortured and mutilated alive, and war orphans starving to the point of eating dirt shaped like bread.
The girl cried hysterically. The sound of bones cracking echoed clearly as the horned woman struck her hands and feet with a sheathed sword.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The sound sent shivers down her spine.
"Kyaa!" The girl screamed hysterically. "Please, stop! It hurts!"
"Not yet." The horned woman smiled coldly, then lifted the now helpless girl. She flipped her over into a prone position and straddled her. Her left hand circled the girl's neck, forcing her mouth open, while her right hand held cold forceps.
"Screech... pluck!" A horrifying scraping sound was followed by a wet noise, like roots being forcefully torn from the ground.
"Father... Mother... help me!" The girl cried. After all her teeth were pulled out, her tears mixed with blood. Her pupils turned red.
"Swish! Swish!" The sound of a blade whistled through the air.
"Aaaah! It hurts!" The girl screamed hysterically as her ears were sliced off. She covered her bleeding ear stumps with both hands, trembling in pain.
But the torment didn't end. Every wound healed instantly, only to be injured again. This cycle repeated for a hundred years.
The little girl grew into a young woman with a strong body and a heart full of vengeance. She glared at the horned woman with eyes burning with hatred.
"I will kill you! Remember that!" she shouted fiercely.
The horned woman smiled coldly. "Go ahead and try. Oh no... am I going to lose to a little girl?" she said mockingly.
"Just try if you can." The horned woman crossed her arms over her chest, her expression full of confidence. "Oh, I forgot. I'm not just your trainer... I'm the ruler of your pain."
The girl clenched her fists, her body trembling with emotion. But she knew there was no point in attacking now. The horned woman's intimidating aura was still far above hers.
"Why... why are you doing this?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes filled with hatred. "I am you. I don't deserve to be tortured by myself."
The woman stepped closer, bending down until their faces were almost level. "Oh, but isn't that the whole point? Your weakness must be destroyed, so that one day we don't just survive, but dominate."
With a swift motion, the woman grabbed the girl's jaw, forcing her to look directly into her eyes. Her sharp crimson eyes burned like blazing embers.
"I'm doing this for both of us—for shaping you into someone worthy of bearing this great power." She grinned widely, pointing at the girl's small horns. "When your horns fully grow above your brows, when your body becomes stronger, and when your mind is finally ready, you'll realize... this pain is the greatest gift I could give you."
The girl gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the boiling anger within her.
"Then what are you waiting for? Destroy me now if that's what you want!" she shouted defiantly.
The woman chuckled softly, her laugh echoing coldly and piercingly. "Ah, how amusing. You're starting to show a little courage. But it's not enough. Not nearly enough."
She released her grip and stepped back. With a snap of her fingers, the space around them transformed. Hellfire blazed in every direction, and the agonizing screams of the damned echoed endlessly.
"Welcome to the Lowest Realm of Hell," she said, spreading her arms wide. "The place where you'll be forged, where every drop of your weakness will be burned away. For two hundred years, you will learn what it means to become me."
A whip appeared in the woman's hand, forged from shimmering black flames. With a single swing, she lashed the air, creating an explosive crack that made the girl tremble.
"Now, let's begin the foundation of your power training."
"You bastard..." The girl spat, but her body couldn't move as the first strike of the whip lashed toward her.
"Aaaarghhh!" Her scream echoed throughout the infernal realm.
Yet, despite the excruciating pain, the girl resolved to endure. In her heart, she made a solemn vow: "I will kill you... I will kill you..."
"ARRRRGH!" The girl's scream echoed once more as the fiery whip continued to strike her mercilessly. Each blow left searing wounds that healed almost instantly, thanks to the hellish realm's mysterious power. But the pain never dulled—it always felt like the first strike, burning her flesh and bones.
The girl knelt, her breaths ragged. Her body was drenched in sweat and blood, though the stains never truly marred her skin due to instant regeneration. But her eyes, which once brimmed with fear, began to change. Something was starting to grow there—a flicker of hatred and resilience.
The horned woman approached, towering over the girl with a cold smile. "You're beginning to understand now, aren't you? Every bit of this pain is a step toward your strength. Don't give up too quickly, or we'll have to start all over again."
The girl slowly raised her head, her blood-streaked eyes locking onto the woman. "I won't give up... And I will never forgive you."
The woman chuckled softly, her laughter grating like metal scraping against metal. "Your hatred is your strength. Keep hating me. Keep being angry at yourself. When you fully embrace this pain, you'll become something even I would fear."
With a light snap of her fingers, the flames around them transformed into sharp blades, spinning like a whirlwind. The blades rained down mercilessly on the young girl, slicing through her flesh and bones, only for them to heal instantly.
"Stop this! I can't... I can't take it anymore!" The girl whimpered, her body trembling under the ceaseless torment.
"There is no such thing as 'can't' in this world," the woman said coldly. "You just haven't tried hard enough yet."
When the blades finally stopped, the young girl collapsed to the ground, her body quivering like a leaf caught in the wind. But in the stillness, she heard something—her own heartbeat. The sound, though faint, resounded like the drumbeat of war, calling her to rise.
"Look at yourself," the horned woman whispered, tracing a finger through the air. A mirror appeared before the girl, reflecting her image. "Is this someone worthy of being called a dragon? Or just a child afraid of her own shadow?"
The girl stared at her reflection, her eyes burning with hatred. She clawed at the ground beneath her, ignoring the pain coursing through her body. Slowly, she stood, though her legs trembled violently.
"I... am not a child," she said, her voice soft but laced with determination. "I am a dragon. And I'll prove it... by killing you one day."
The woman gave a faint smile, her hand moving to trace a glowing magic circle in the air. "Good. Hold onto that resolve. But remember, to kill me, you must become me. And to become me, you must endure this hell without losing your mind."
The magical circle emitted a black light, and suddenly, the young girl felt herself being pulled into an endless abyss. Screams and cries surrounded her, but she stood firm.
"I will endure... no matter what you throw at me!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the void.
The woman nodded in satisfaction, watching the young girl disappear into the darkness. "Good. This is only the beginning."
The training went on for decades, centuries. Time in hell flowed strangely—every second felt like a century of suffering. Yet the girl endured. She began to embrace the pain, using her hatred as fuel.
Every wound, every broken bone, every tooth ripped out—each became a reminder of her resolve. Slowly but surely, she started to master the dark energy enveloping her body. Her once-small horns grew tall, black, and gleaming like obsidian.
By the 200th year, she stood at the peak of hell, her body radiating an aura so terrifying that even the shadows around her seemed to retreat.
"I'm ready," she said, her voice deep and full of power. "Now send me back to the world. I will prove that I am better than you."
The horned woman appeared before her, smiling proudly. "Welcome to the pinnacle of pain and power, my younger self."
With a snap of her fingers, a portal opened, leading back to the mortal realm. The woman grabbed the girl's left horn and, with one swift motion, threw her into the portal.
"You bastard, my older self!"
"Bye-bye, my sweet self," the woman said, flashing a sincere smile without showing her teeth.
[5,000 years in the future...]
She slowly opened her eyes. The dim red glow of massive candles surrounding the room greeted her. Cold air brushed against her skin, carrying a sharp metallic scent—like dried blood. She sat in a grand throne made of bones and black metal, a seat that had remained empty until her return.
Her hands trembled as they gripped a long dagger that seemed to have appeared without her noticing. The blade's tip hovered over her heart, barely pressing into her skin. She took a deep breath and carefully placed the dagger on the table before her.
"Such intense self-loathing..." she whispered, her voice heavy with exhaustion. She leaned back in her throne, closing her eyes for a moment. But as she tried to relax, flashes of memories stormed her mind.
Visions of her younger self—a small body riddled with wounds, desperate cries, and a gaze filled with hatred—played relentlessly in her head. She saw it all, like a never-ending film of her darkest moments.
"The pain..." she muttered, her low voice almost a whimper. "I created a hell for myself. But..."
She opened her eyes, gazing at her reflection on the polished metal table. Her eyes, now fully glowing red, radiated a power she had never imagined.
"...I succeeded."
She rose from her throne, her legs heavy as if bearing the weight of the world. Each step felt like she was walking through layers of time, dragging her past into the present. Yet, despite the exhaustion coursing through her body, she did not falter.
"It was all worth it," she declared firmly, staring out of a massive window that revealed the outside world. The sky was dark, alive with raging storms. In the distance, she saw glimmering cities, blissfully unaware that the strongest being from hell had returned to their realm.
"I've forged a new version of myself," she whispered, her voice cold but resolute. "My old self... weak, afraid... is dead."
But deep down, she knew that wasn't entirely true. A part of her younger self—the little girl she had brutally trained—still lingered, hiding in the corners of her mind. And that hatred, the hatred for herself, still burned brightly.
"But this hatred..." she said, gazing at her hand now radiating a dark aura. "It is the fuel that will take me beyond all limits."
[Several Days Later…]
She stood on the balcony of her grand castle, gazing at the world sprawling beneath her. Cities, forests, mountains—everything seemed so insignificant from where she stood.
"Now, everything belongs to me," she said with a cold smile. "But this is just the beginning."
Behind her, her loyal servants—dark creatures resembling living shadows—knelt in reverence.
"Our queen has returned," one of them whispered with utmost respect.
But she did not respond. Her mind was elsewhere, spinning strategies for her next move. Her power now surpassed the limits of any mortal or being, yet she knew this world was filled with threats that could not be underestimated.
She clenched her fists, feeling the energy coursing through her veins. It was an energy born of pain, hatred, and the resolve she had forged through centuries of torment in hell.
"This world doesn't yet know what's coming," she said with a knowing smile. "But they will learn... that pain is the ultimate tool to shape a ruler."
------+++-+++----
In a secluded corner of the castle, inside a small, dark room, stood a grand mirror reflecting her image. But it wasn't her adult self staring back at her.
It was the young girl she used to be—the one with eyes brimming with hatred, a body covered in wounds, and an expression carved by suffering.
"I will always be here," the reflection spoke, its voice cold and cutting. "I am you. I am the reason you survived. Never think of forgetting me."
She stared at the reflection with an unyielding gaze. "I won't forget you," she replied softly. "You are a part of me. But I have surpassed you. And now, we will move forward together."
With that, she turned away from the mirror and left the room, ready to face the world with the power she had built from the ashes of her own destruction.