CHAPTER 41

Two weeks later...

"Even this one you caught is useless? Our time will just be wasted even more on the two of them! You should have just let him die from the beating when he got in here!"

"How would I know that he wouldn't talk either? From what I know, he's Atlas' right-hand man. Who knows, maybe we could get some valuable information from him."

I was startled awake by the loud voices of Perses' two men talking outside my cell. Even just opening my eyes felt like a struggle. The gown I was wearing was slipping off my body because the fabric on my back was completely torn. I began crawling weakly towards the bars to see what they were doing.

Every crawl and movement made me groan in pain just to get to the bars.

My heavy eyelids slowly widened as I saw what was happening in the spot where they tortured me every day. His hands were tied behind his back with black cable ties. Those weren't ordinary cable ties. I could clearly see his broad back, bloodied and covered with countless wounds. It was red and marked with long whip wounds.

"Still not talking, huh?! You're just like Atlas' wife. You don't utter a word, no matter how much we question you!" the man shouted at Oceanus.

I watched as the two men punched Oceanus in the face and beat his body when he refused to speak. With every heavy punch they landed on him, I couldn't help but feel the pain for him, especially since his large wounds on his back were getting worse. I could hear him groaning in agony.

I shut my eyes tightly and hid in the corner as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Quickly, I wiped away the tear that rolled down my cheek to make sure they wouldn't notice that I was crying. I would never let them see me cry because of what they were doing. I needed to appear strong even though my body was already in so much pain from their torture.

Why did he have to follow me? Is he still being dumb even now? Oceanus never rushes into things like this. That's why I was waiting for several days before they could rescue me—because I knew they would come up with a plan before storming in here.

"Stop... stop," I weakly muttered, as if they could hear me.

I didn't know how long they kept hurting Oceanus. I fell asleep at the edge of the cell, my stomach growling from hunger and exhaustion. I was startled awake by the loud creaking of the rusty bars as the cell door was swung open.

"Eat first, and we still have a lot to get from you," the man commanded as he stepped into my cell.

He carelessly set down a stainless plate in front of me, spilling some of the food onto the floor. When I looked at what was served, it was just porridge. He also placed a stainless cup on the ground next to the plate.

I didn't say anything and pulled the plate closer to start eating.

My lips and mouth burned as the porridge was still hot, but I didn't care. I was starving, and my body was trembling from hunger and fatigue. As I shoveled the porridge into my mouth, I noticed how my hand holding the spoon shook uncontrollably.

I slowly raised my head when I realized the man hadn't left. When I fully saw his face, a sly smile stretched across his lips, as if he was planning something vile.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful your body is, Mrs. Collazo?"

I felt like throwing up at the tone of his voice when he said that. I ignored him and lowered my head again to continue eating. I'd rather die of hunger than waste energy responding to his disgusting remarks.

I flinched and looked up when he grabbed my hair, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes were sharp, and his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Why are you lowering your head? I'm talking to you, aren't I?" he said firmly.

His eyes traveled down to the gown I was wearing. I followed his gaze, realizing that the gown had slipped and exposed part of my breast. He smirked, clearly pleased by what he saw.

"You really have a nice, firm, and perky breast, Mrs. Collazo—"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because I spat the warm porridge I was eating straight into his face. Without hesitation, I grabbed the stainless plate and slapped it against his face, along with the steaming porridge still on it.

"F-fuck you!" I screamed at him, even though I was weak, clutching my chest to keep my gown from falling completely.

"You fucking bitch!" I heard him shout angrily at what I had done.

I felt like I regained a bit of energy from eating the porridge. All I really needed was food; without it, I'd been feeling like a wilting plant.

I tried to stand and leave the cell, but he grabbed my long hair. He yanked it, and I fell hard onto the cold floor. My vision spun as I felt his heavy hand slap my cheek. My head hit the ground slightly, and I immediately felt the pain from it.

I let out a soft groan, instinctively holding my forehead. The force of my fall made me feel a few drops of blood trickling down my cheek.

"You're still as stubborn as ever, Mrs. Collazo," the man said with a laugh as he approached me.

"L-let me go..." I weakly said, holding onto my hair where he had gripped it as he dragged me out of the cell.

That was when I saw Oceanus. His face was bloodied, with a black eye on his right side, a cut on the corner of his lip, and another on his brow. His lips parted slightly in shock as he saw the state I was in.

"Hexia..." I heard him whisper.

"You shouldn't have come here, Oceanus," I said weakly, tears threatening to spill from my eyes again.

"Enough with your drama—it's not amusing. You two are so cringe-worthy," the man said coldly.

I let out another groan as the man I had spat porridge on pulled my hair, dragging me further away from Oceanus. I fell face down on the floor as he moved my hair to one side.

I couldn't react immediately when I felt the first lash of the whip on my back.

I tightly shut my eyes and bent over in pain, writhing on the floor. Soft groans escaped my lips as I felt the whiplash on my back repeatedly. It felt as if my skin was being sliced open over and over again, like being stabbed multiple times.

The stinging pain radiated through my entire back, making even the slightest movement excruciating. My body flinched with every crack of the whip's end against my skin.

"Stop it!" I heard Oceanus shout. "Why are you doing this?! We're part of the same faction under El Orden Del Abismo! If Cronus hears about this, you'll pay for it!"

"Did I tell you to speak? You'll be next if this wife of Atlas doesn't start talking!"

A sharp sound echoed in the room, followed by Oceanus' silence. I couldn't bear to look at him, struggling with my own pain and exhaustion. Silence took over again until I felt the man who was whipping me grab my hair roughly, forcing my head up.

Every breath I took made my body tremble. I was gasping for air, feeling as if I would run out of it any moment. My gaze landed briefly on Oceanus' position. He was slumped over, his face bloodied. I could see the blood dripping onto his clothing.

"Oceanus..." I whispered, my lips trembling as I said his name.

"You even brought your ally with you, Mrs. Collazo. So, are you going to tell us now? What is Atlas' real name?" the man asked.

I couldn't stop the tears that rolled down my cheeks. Oceanus got caught up in this because of me. If only I had stayed in the main hall and waited for them to finish their meeting, none of this would have happened to me.

This is my fault. It's my fault Oceanus is here. It's my fault he's hurt.

"Well?! Are you going to speak or not?!" he shouted at me.

It felt like my hearing had gone numb, overwhelmed by all the thoughts racing in my head. If it were just me here, I might have been able to endure this. But why did Oceanus have to follow me? If I had any remaining strength, I would've knocked some sense into his head out of frustration. He's being reckless again in situations like this.

We had no strength to escape. I couldn't even run fast in my current state, and neither could Oceanus, who had been beaten to a pulp since earlier. Our backs were raw from the whipping, and the idea of trying to escape with these wounds was agonizing. On top of that, we didn't even know the layout of Perses' mansion well enough to find a way out.

My vision darkened instantly as the man slapped me hard when I didn't respond to his question.

"Are you going to talk or not?!" he yelled. "I'll let you both go if you tell me Atlas' real name. Wouldn't you like that? You and your ally can leave this place."

He shoved my face down onto the cold floor. Pain spread across my face as he pressed it hard against the surface.

"I-i'm going to s-say it—"

"Don't you dare, Hexia!" Oceanus' voice boomed across the torture chamber.

"Shut up!"

I closed my eyes tightly as my vision darkened for a moment. It felt like my body was floating. Why does it feel like my body is about to give out now? After enduring so many wounds in the past days—perhaps even the more than two weeks I've been imprisoned here—why does it feel like now is the moment I'll collapse, for no apparent reason?

"R–rand..." I weakly whispered.

"Don't you fucking say his name, Hexia!" Oceanus shouted, his voice seeming to pull me back to consciousness. "Don't tell them! There are still ways to escape this! Don't you dare fucking say Atlas' true name!"

"I said shut up!" the man shouted at Oceanus.

"Shut him up!" he barked at his companion.

I couldn't comprehend what happened next. I tried to open my mouth to speak but I couldn't. My body was too weak. Frustrated at my silence, the man began hurting me again. He slammed my head against the floor multiple times, and all I could do was endure it.

"Hexia!" Oceanus screamed.

I could no longer hear him clearly. It felt like I was underwater, their voices muffled and distant in my ears. I didn't know what to focus on anymore.

The man planted his foot firmly on my back, pressing it down onto my open wounds. I let out a pained groan, unable even to lift my hand to push him away.

As my vision darkened completely, the sound of the torture chamber's door being forcibly opened cut through the silence. The door slammed inward, and a deafening gunshot rang out before the darkness finally consumed me, and I lost consciousness from exhaustion.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

I keep hearing Rafael's voice in my mind as I keep my eyes shut. It plays on a loop, and I'll never tire of listening to it. After five long years, it feels like this is the first time I've heard his voice again—because he has been gone for so long.

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"I'll protect you, Sarah. I promise."

"Raf..." I whispered with my eyes closed. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes as I uttered his name. "Raf... Rafael..." I couldn't hold back my tears anymore as they streamed down while I kept my eyes shut.

"I know... and I miss you too, Sarah."

A soft sob escaped my lips as I heard his voice again. My tears continued to fall, and Rafael's voice echoed in my mind, repeating the same words over and over. I couldn't erase it from my thoughts.

"Raf... I miss you."

I found myself lying on something soft and fragrant. I didn't want to open my eyes just yet—I wanted to savor this feeling. It had been so long since I last felt the comfort of lying on a bed.

I opened my eyes slowly as I felt something cold brushing against my back, as though someone was cleaning my wounds with medicine. The sharp pain from the lashes on my back was gone. My body felt lighter now, unlike when I was in the torture chamber, and it seemed like I was on the brink of death.

I felt relief, but as I slowly tried to get up from lying on my stomach, a hand gently pressed on my shoulder to stop me.

"Don't move yet. I still need to clean the wounds on your back," a voice said.

But I didn't let it stop me. I could handle the slight sting in my back—it wasn't as bad as before, and I felt like I was getting better. I noticed I wasn't wearing anything on my upper body, I pulled the black comforter over my chest and turned to look behind me.

That's when I saw Helios' serious face.

He held a piece of cotton in his hand, his brows furrowed as he looked at me. His ash-grey eyes were unreadable, and I couldn't tell what was running through his mind. I noticed his chest rising and falling, as though he was restraining some emotion upon seeing my face.

Suddenly, I felt self-conscious about how I must look in front of him.

Eventually, the expression in his eyes softened. Slowly, he inched closer until only a short distance separated us.

"Helios..." I whispered his name softly.

"You're not fully healed yet, Hexia. Focus on recovering first," Helios said, and surprisingly, the tone of his voice is soft.

SHANGPU