In the middle of the room, a person was tied to a chair—it was Yutab, head bowed, screaming in agony. A lantern on a table provided enough light to illuminate the room, casting a hue somewhere between orange and shadow.
The smell of blood filled the air, and Yutab's screams echoed through the room. Charles, appearing as Marcus, stepped forward with a small smile.
"Can you see now?" Marcus said calmly.
Yutab slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her face was covered in bruises, and her fingers were completely severed. In a corner of the room sat a bucket filled with countless fingers—more than hundreds. It seemed that after each severing, her fingers were magically restored and then cut again, forcing Yutab to feel the pain of each severing over and over.
Yutab let out a small, anxious laugh and said,
"Marcus… now I can see. I can see what kind of monster you are… You have no idea how much I've wished to tear you apart, to make you feel the same pain I felt, to break you the way I was broken."
Marcus smiled faintly, showing attention and perhaps that Yutab had become exactly what he wanted—filled with the same hatred and anger toward Marcus. A small smile appeared on Yutab's face as she softly said:
"I don't care about my mission anymore. To hell with the organization, to hell with Aldrin, to hell with Vantius… the only thing that matters to me right now…"
She looked into Marcus eyes as if staring into his very existence, hatred and fury radiating even from her eyes, and said slowly, in a threatening tone,
"…is your death."Then she laughed.
Marcus smiled faintly, then grabbed a wooden chair beside the table and sat down in front of Yutab's chair, leaning slightly forward. He said,
"You think you can escape my hands… but… do you really think you can escape the hands of death?"
Yutab's eyes widened, her face stunned and horrified, as she asked,
"What exactly do you want from me? What is your motive for torturing me?"
Marcus leaned back, crossing his legs, and said,
"I already told you… I want you to feel the pain… the way I felt it. And… I want to know how your partner, Vantius, will feel when he finds your body."
Yutab's anger surged. She clenched her teeth and screamed with all the fury and hatred she had,
"If you hurt him even a little… I'll kill you myself… you bastard… don't you dare go near him!"
Marcus laughed, a thrill lighting up his expression—the exact reaction he wanted to see—and said,
"I really want to see what you're capable of."
He then stood from his chair and walked to the table, picking up a long, sharp needle. Yutab's face twisted in fear and she whispered,
"What are you going to do?"
Marcus stepped toward her, holding the needle, and grabbed one of Yutab's hands. She tried to resist, but her struggle was futile.
He slowly pushed the needle under Yutab's nails and into her fingers. The pain was unbearable.
"AAAAAAA!"
Yutab screamed, begging for help, pleading for Marcus to stop, but Marcus continued, driving the needle fully into her fingertips.
Tears streamed down Yutab's face, her cries and sobs merging into one.
She whispered through her tears,
"Mom… Dad… where are you? I don't want to be here…"
After several minutes, Marcus began inserting needles into her other fingers.
"AAAAAAA!"
The only sound in the room was Yutab's agonized screaming.
---
The next day, early in the morning, in another part of the capital, outside Yutab's seemingly abandoned house, Vantius stood alongside Aldrin wearing a new black coat.
Rain poured heavily as people hurried into their homes. Both Vantius and Aldrin remained silent, staring at Yutab's house.
From a distance, the city was shrouded in thick mist, with white smoke rising from chimneys. The stone houses with wooden gabled roofs glistened with raindrops, and the smell of damp earth mixed with rain filled the air.
Aldrin's face reflected a mix of anger and calm as he stared at Yutab's house. His hair trembled with rage, and his hands clenched tightly. He grabbed Vantius by the collar and shook him with all his strength.
His eyebrows furrowed in anger, his face serious and cold, he said threateningly,
"I told you… to protect her… and now, where is she?"
Vantius didn't seem surprised by Aldrin's reaction, wearing a worried expression. He allowed himself to be released, while Aldrin's eyebrows remained furrowed, and he spoke softly,
"I don't know where she is… I'm just like you. The last time I saw her was that night in the church…"
Aldrin's anger grew. He stepped closer to Vantius, his voice threatening,
"The stars tell me the truth… and what they say… is far from pleasant, Vantius… not for me, and not for you… so don't be foolish, and remember—your life depends on every word you speak from now on."
Vantius frowned, adopting a serious and cold expression. He knew that if he showed surprise or lied, Aldrin would see through it. He thought,
"I heard from Vensing that Aldrin can speak to the stars about hidden knowledge… Wait, does that mean he knows everything? No… if he had known, my head would've been gone already… Does this mean the information he gets from them is limited…"
Vantius looked worried and said,
"Yes… it's my fault… I admit I caused Yutab to disappear… But… the night we left the church, Yutab and I parted ways… I noticed someone was following her…"
Aldrin's doubt deepened. He released Vantius's collar but kept his eyebrows furrowed, saying,
"Tell me everything you know."