That one, small moment where a cool stream of information was channeled into his mind was the only actual break between his cycles of torture. It was but a fraction of a second, as if just teasing him with a moment of peace before the torture resumed.
Lex, however, did not use it to recover or rest, or to savor the moment of peace. Instead, he reflected on what had happened during the previous torture cycle, how it had affected him, and what he had done.
The cycle was actually quite misleading, and in more than one way. It was called the Crucible of Karma, yet what it actually did was cause him pain - physical pain. That's it. It did not harm his body or soul, nor did it let him pass out. It simply caused him all the pain he had ever caused himself throughout his life.
