The general stormed back into the dimly lit chamber, a leather whip coiled tightly in his hand. His boots struck the stone floor with an ominous rhythm, each step echoing through the cavernous space. The sorcerer, chained to the wall, looked up, his face pale and gaunt. His eyes betrayed a flicker of fear, but he quickly masked it with a defiant smirk.
"I swear," the general growled, his voice low and venomous, "I will whip you until I hear the answer I want. Trust me, I won't regret whatever happens to me after."
The sorcerer tilted his head, his smirk widening as though the threat amused him. "Oh? And what answer is that, General?" His voice was smooth, taunting, laced with a dark humor. "Come now, make me beg for mercy. I'd like to see you try."
The general's eyes narrowed, his grip on the whip tightening. "What… are you a masochist or something?" he spat, his tone dripping with disgust.
The sorcerer chuckled, a low, mocking sound. "No," he replied, his grin growing. "I just enjoy watching people's pathetic attempts to make me suffer. They always fail to understand one simple truth."
"And what's that?"
"I don't mind pain," the sorcerer said, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
The general clicked his tongue in irritation, his patience wearing thin. "Tsk. Let's see if you still feel that way when I'm done with you."
He raised his arm, the whip unfurling with a sharp crack. The sorcerer flinched, his eyes squeezing shut. His body trembled, not with fear, but with the anticipation of pain. His previous wounds, barely scabbed over, would surely reopen, and he braced himself for the agony.
But before the whip could strike, the sorcerer's voice broke through the tense silence. "You know," he began, his tone unexpectedly soft, "I never thought I'd end up like this."
The general paused, the whip hovering in the air. His eyes narrowed, unsure if the sorcerer was stalling or genuinely confessing.
"I always thought I'd be someone great," the sorcerer continued, his gaze distant as if he were lost in a memory. "A sorcerer admired by all. Respected. Feared, even."
The general's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, allowing the sorcerer to continue.
"I never had parents," the sorcerer admitted, his voice tinged with a sadness that seemed out of place on his usually smug face. "Only a master. A powerful sorcerer who took me in, trained me. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to make him proud." He chuckled bitterly. "But no matter how hard I tried, I could never give people what they wanted. Not him. Not anyone."
The general's expression hardened. "Spare me your sob story," he growled, his arm snapping forward.
The whip lashed across the sorcerer's chest with a sickening crack, tearing through his already tattered shirt and reopening old wounds. Blood trickled down his skin, but the sorcerer didn't scream. He gritted his teeth, his body shuddering, but his eyes remained locked on the general, defiant.
"You think this will break me?" the sorcerer rasped, his voice strained but unwavering. "I've endured worse. Pain is fleeting. It means nothing."
The general struck again, harder this time, the sound echoing through the chamber. The sorcerer's head lolled forward, blood dripping from his lips, but he still managed a weak laugh.
"You're a stubborn one," the general muttered, frustration evident in his tone.
"And you're predictable," the sorcerer shot back, his grin returning despite the blood staining his teeth. "You think brute force will get you what you want. But you don't understand. I've already lost everything. What more can you take from me?"
The general hesitated for a moment, his grip on the whip faltering. The sorcerer's words cut deeper than he cared to admit.
"Keep going, General," the sorcerer taunted, his voice a mix of pain and mockery. "Let's see who breaks first. You… or me."
The general's hand trembled as he raised the whip again, but this time, doubt flickered in his eyes. The sorcerer's defiance, his refusal to yield, was beginning to wear on him.
And deep down, the general couldn't help but wonder: Was the sorcerer truly unbreakable? Or was this all part of some twisted game he was playing