The followers ran immediately to deliver the message, while William hung there, tasting the harshest pain of his life.
It wasn't just physical pain… his mind itself was cracking under the pressure, each breath slicing into his chest like a dagger.
Moments stretched into what felt like centuries.
Kaite approached again, wearing that smile that carried nothing but venom:
"I'm bored. How about a little game while we wait for the Third Elder?"
William's voice was torn, barely comprehensible:
"C… can you… just… let me… suffer in silence…"
Kaite chuckled softly, his tone dripping malice:
"I've decided on the game."
He brought out sharp nails and scattered them across the floor, then began untying William.
No sooner were the restraints loosened than William collapsed onto the ground with force, pain ricocheting through every part of his beaten body.
"You will jump like a frog to the finish line within a minute… or I will rip every hair from your body."
He said it as if explaining the rules of a fun little game.
William tried to stand… he fell.
He tried to jump… he fell again.
Each attempt tore a muscle, reopened a wound, and shattered something deep inside him.
Yet still… he moved.
Step forward… then fall.
Crawl… then a half-hearted jump.
Pain devoured every breath, but he advanced nonetheless.
And when only one step remained before the finish… Kaite suddenly appeared in front of him and struck his leg with force. William collapsed silently, as if his body had lost even the ability to feel pain.
Still… in the final seconds of the minute…
He gathered what was left of himself and jumped…
And he reached it.
Kaite did not get angry.
Instead, he leaned toward him with a strange smile:
"Your persistence is beautiful… let's play another game."
He forced him into the chair again, restraining him while William couldn't even lift his head.
As Kaite prepared to continue the torture, something inside William broke… or perhaps awakened.
He no longer heard the sounds around him.
Not Kaite's steps… not the echo of the room… not his own exhausted breaths.
All that remained…
A heartbeat.
A pulse… of pain.
A pulse… of fear.
A pulse… of emptiness.
His vision warped.
The walls twisted, the light dimmed, the world shrank into a single dark spot.
Then came a voice… cold, harsh, like unfiltered truth:
"You will die. They will take your marrow… and no one will remember you."
Another voice, weaker, desperate:
"Run… you must… run…"
But the first voice interrupted with contempt:
"Run? You can barely move your hand."
His breath choked, but within the darkness… a small ember appeared.
Weak.
Yet burning.
"If I'm going to die… why am I still afraid?
Why… do I still want to live?"
Then a third voice came. It was not a scream… not fear…
But a deep weight, pulsing from the depths of something he didn't know:
"Because you are not a victim… and you will not be."
His body trembled.
He found himself seizing that ember… clutching it.
It wasn't power…
It was pure, dense hatred, born of torture and humiliation.
"I will live…"
"And I will make everyone in this place scream as I screamed."
The door suddenly opened, and a heavy voice cut through that internal darkness:
"What do you have here, Kaite? And why summon me?"
An elderly elder entered, face lined with countless wrinkles, yet his aura was terrifying.
He looked at William as if the boy were nothing but trash on the floor.
"Does this boy have my granddaughter's marrow? He doesn't deserve it."
Something ignited within William… but he barely restrained it.
The elder sneered:
"Not bad for a lowly human. Tell me the price directly, I don't want to waste my time with this trash."
Kaite smiled coldly:
"The price is not fixed… my grandfather and the High Elder want the marrow as well. The price will be high… for you only… with a golden card."
The elder screamed in anger:
"You're dreaming! I won't pay that price. I'll find another talent myself!"
But Kaite said calmly:
"**You know the requirements to extract the root by force: Willpower over 400, and an Orange-level Spirit.
Even if you found it… the faction would fight for it.
And if we took this boy's marrow… he would not die. I could not kill him to avoid punishment.
Which means he may take revenge on me in the future…
So the price is very fair.**"
Silence descended.
William… was boiling inside…
The fire grew.
It grew.
A full minute passed in that heavy silence.
No one spoke.
Kaite didn't try to persuade… the elder didn't bargain.
Finally, the elder said coldly:
"Fine… consider yourself victorious this time. But this will not happen again. Prepare for our next meeting."
Then he left to fetch the card.
William tried to say something… but no sound came out.
Suddenly, Kaite's grip clamped down on his neck from behind.
He yanked violently, tearing the tendons of William's bound hands. The muscles in his neck screamed in sharp pain.
No sooner had he caught his breath… than Kaite drove his hand into his back.
He tore through skin and muscle in a single motion, then ripped out part of William's marrow with brutal speed.
Blood erupted from the wound, and William felt his back burn with unbearable fire.
Kaite enveloped the marrow with spiritual energy, then forced William's vertebrae back into place with the same power.
He pushed a little energy into him to keep him alive… nothing more.
He re-secured the chains around William's hands, then shouted toward the door:
"Bring some low-quality spiritual pills from the faction… quickly!"
Then he placed the marrow on the table.
Meanwhile, William…
Covered in blood…
Half-conscious…
Unable even to scream.