“Do~do~do~d~Dora”
“Alrightttttt~~~~”
“Do~do~do~d~Dora”
“Let’s goooo~~~”
“Dora~ Dora~ Dora the explorer!”
“Dorrraaaaa~!”
The strange tune echoed in the room….. Arkanis’s eyes fluttered open, heavy with exhaustion. His vision swam with blurred shapes, and his blood-clotted eyes struggled to focus.
But as his sight cleared, he saw Victor, grinning ear-to-ear, and Snowflake—the white snake—dancing and chanting in a bizarre performance right in front of him.
“Ar… cough—” Arkanis tried to speak, but a surge of blood cut him off, spilling down his chin as he coughed painfully.
Victor paused mid-step, turning to Arkanis with a too-bright smile, “Oh? Finally awake, are we? Good morning, Mr. Arkanis! How are we feeling?” His tone was almost sickeningly sweet.
Arkanis glared, forcing words through the agony of his broken body, “If you’re so concerned… why don’t you…
cough, cough
… take off these cuffs and ask me properly?”
Victor clicked his tongue, shaking his head in fake disappointment, “Oh, that wouldn’t be wise, my friend.” His grin darkened, “You’re not exactly in a position to make demands, Arkanis. If I were you, I’d shut both my holes and count my blessings.” He mimicked zipping his mouth shut, then gave a wicked smirk as he pointed toward Arkanis’s back.
The insult made Arkanis’s face flush with pure rage, but his body was shackled tightly to the torture chair.
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Victor observed him with a smug look, then casually produced a hand mirror, angling it so Arkanis could see himself.
“It’s time to see The ART~”
Arkanis’s eyes widened, horror filling them as he took in the sight of his own mangled reflection. The once-proud emperor, once adorned with vibrant blue scales that had bewitched so many, was now almost unrecognizable. His chest was a mess of torn flesh, skin peeled away in patches, his fingers—his pride—were severed, the beautiful blue horns that marked his status had been snapped off, one leaving a bloody hole on his forehead that dripped down into his eyes, blinding him on one side. His right leg, too, was missing, leaving only a twisted stump in its place.
“W-What… what have you done to me…” he whispered, his voice barely a shadow of its former strength, filled with horror and fear.
Victor chuckled darkly, “Not me, dear Arkanis. All of this? It was Aether’s doing. Funny, isn’t it?” He leaned closer, his smile turning cold and merciless, “How does it feel to be on the other side of the torture? Do you like the taste of your own medicine?”
Before Arkanis could retort, Victor broke into a sing-song voice, laughing gleefully, “Because I feel good!” Even Snowflake joined in, letting out a strange, hissing laughter, though it sounded bizarrely warped.
“Hahaha…Haha..sssssssHhasssss~” It was indeed weird.
Desperation seeping into his voice, Arkanis mustered up the last of his arrogance. “My people… they’ll come for me! Once they realize what you’ve done—”
Victor scoffed, pushing the chair forward as he rolled it out of the torture room, “Oh, I’d be more concerned about what they’ll think of you, Arkanis. Especially when they discover their Emperor’s little secrets.” His voice dripped with ominous satisfaction, cutting off Arkanis’s futile cries for help.
Arkanis’s eyes darted around as Victor pushed him through the desolate halls, his heart pounding.
There was no one here. Not a single guard, no servants—nothing but silence!!!
“W-What did you do to everyone?” he stammered, his fear deepening as he realized just how alone he was.
Victor chuckled, never missing a beat as he pushed the wheelchair down another shadowy hallway, “Oh, don’t worry. I didn’t kill them.” His voice dropped lower…. a sinister, “Yet.”
Finally, they reached the underground chamber, and Arkanis’s gaze lit up as he recognized it, his confidence returning, ‘He wouldn’t dare try anything in here’ His mind raced, formulating a desperate plan. “If you think you can threaten me into submission—”
But before he could finish, Victor seized a handful of his remaining hair, yanking his head forward so his eyes could be scanned by the door’s sensor. “I’ve had enough of your mouth, Arkanis.”
Snowflake hissed as it slithered forward, inputting the password with an unnatural precision.
The heavy door creaked open, releasing a cloud of toxic gas that billowed out from the room. Victor’s eyes narrowed, “Now, where’s the control panel?” he demanded.
Arkanis smirked, clinging to a last shred of defiance, “I’ll never tell y–“
SLAM!
Victor smashed Arkanis’s head against the wall, blood smearing from the impact, “I won’t ask again. Where is it?”
Even as he reeled from the pain, Arkanis’s grin returned, teeth bared in a bloody smirk. He could withstand Victor’s rage; he still had leverage. He would not let his fear betray him.
Victor sighed, shaking his head at Snowflake. With a hiss, the snake sprayed a foul, burning liquid directly onto Arkanis’s face.
SSSHHHPPP!
“AAAARRRGGHHH!” Arkanis’s scream echoed, his voice tearing with agony as his skin blistered and bubbled under the acid.
The pain was unbearable, ‘It burnnnsssss!!!!!” ripping any resolve he had left to shreds.
Victor stood, unmoved. “I can do this all day, Arkanis,” he said calmly, watching as Arkanis writhed.
Eventually, the tortured emperor broke.
“D-eactivate… deactivate the system protocol!” Arkanis shouted, choking on the words. The gas halted instantly, cut off by his voice command.
‘Voice activated… interesting,’ Victor noted, then he leaned down, expression cool and predatory. “Now, hand over full control. Now.”
Arkanis, panting, his face twisted in agony, shook his head weakly. “I-I don’t know…” He coughed.
Snowflake was about to spray another acid when Arkanis shouted in fear with a hoarse voice “I don’t know… cough, cough… I only stumbled upon this place first…”
“Huh?” Victor raised his hand as he stopped Snowflake.
Victor raised his eyebrows in surprise. “So, you didn’t create this place?”
Silence hung heavy in the air as Arkanis remained tight-lipped, refusing to respond. Snowflake slithered closer, its forked tongue flicking out as it prepared to spray another wave of acid directly onto Arkanis’s exposed chest, already marred by deep wounds and peeling skin.
“AARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!” The scream tore from Arkanis’s throat, raw and desperate, echoing off the stone walls.
As the agonizing pain subsided to a dull throb, he mumbled, “P-Please… Yes… ha… ha… I didn’t create this place.”
Victor nodded, satisfied with the response. With a flick of his wrist, he splashed cool water over Arkanis’s scorched body, the liquid stinging as it met the acid burns. He then poured a small amount into Arkanis’s mouth, his expression deceptively gentle. “Listen, all you need to do is cooperate with me, and I promise I’ll let you go. Believe me.”
‘As if I could trust you!’ Arkanis thought bitterly, feeling his teeth grind together. He had been a fool to ever trust this bastard in the first place. The regret clawed at him, but deep down, he knew that Victor wouldn’t kill him. They were in Arkanis territory, and eliminating him would be the last thing any rational person would consider.
So Arkanis was fine for the time being!
“Very well,” Victor said, breaking through Arkanis’s dark thoughts. “I see you’re not eager to cooperate.” He sighed, but then a sly smile crept across his face. “I know how much you love contracts…. Here.” He produced a document.
Arkanis narrowed his eyes as he scanned the parchment. The terms were astonishingly simple: he only had to tell the truth, and Victor would let him go, untouched. No harm would come to him or even his empire.
‘Hah… this arrogant fool.’ Arkanis chuckled inwardly, reassured that Victor remained within his grasp. Masking his confidence, he put on a show of reluctance. “Y-You’re sure?” he asked, voice trembling. “You’re promising not to harm me?”
‘Just wait, you bastard. I’ll bring my entire army to destroy everything you hold dear,’ he thought, holding the pen hesitantly before finally signing. Victor mirrored the action, sealing the deal.
Victor’s gaze settled on Arkanis. “So, are we in agreement now?” he asked with a faint smile as he removed his cuffs.
Arkanis nodded, wearing his own sly grin, “Yes… yes, of course.” He leaned back, crossing his arms as he began to talk, “This is the place I stumbled upon when I was young, a hidden passageway in the castle that’s older than the rest of it. Seems someone centuries ago built more than just walls and towers. Truth be told, this castle holds more secrets than my forefathers ever knew.”
Victor watched him intently, pushing his wheelchair forward, positioning himself for every word. “Go on,” he prompted.
Arkanis obliged, his eyes flicking to Victor with feigned sincerity, “In this hidden room, there are… records, experiments, documents about creating new species, bizarre mutations… things you wouldn’t believe possible…..” as Arkanis slowly told everything he knew….
Victor’s expression morphed into one of horror and—was that disgust? His eyes widened, the lines around his mouth tightening as he listened, unprepared for the twisted revelations spilling from Arkanis’s mouth.
The longer Arkanis spoke, the more Victor’s face changed, caught between horror and disbelief. It was as if he couldn’t fathom that someone—anyone—could even consider such vile ideas to their own kin.
The confession dragged on for what seemed like an eternity, When Arkanis finally finished, he looked at Victor with a faint glimmer of satisfaction and dared to ask, “So… that’s everything you wanted. I can go now, yes?”
It took Victor a long moment to process what he’d heard, to even come back to reality.
He blinked, staring blankly at Arkanis, his fingers drumming against the armrest of his wheelchair as he collected himself.
Arkanis frowned, an uneasy feeling stirring within him. “Y-You signed the contract… You agreed. You have to let me go!” he insisted, his voice gaining a slight edge.
Victor nodded, “Yes, yes, Of course I will let you go. You’ll leave, all right. But first…” His voice lowered, “First, you’re going to summon every Noble and High-Ranking officer in this Empire… and you’re going to do it now. I want them here immediately.” as he handed over high level healing potion to Arkanis.
Victor eyes flickered with crimson as he activated his crimson Veil!