The dagger is simply perfect. It seems that Mrakus was not lying. It truly can cut through anything. The man proceeded to test the crystal dagger’s capacity by having it slice through pavement, walls, trees, and metallic structures. Each structure was cleanly cut through. There seemed to be no limit to dagger’s sharpness.

“Now for the final test.” He made the crystal dagger and the sword touch each other. He expected some kind of friction or a clash of rough surfaces, but instead the part of the blade that touched the dagger was cut, cleaving the sword in two.

“Amazing, even a sword is no match for this dagger.” This was a weapon capable of killing gods, at least according to Mrakus. He could only hope Mrakus was right about that part as well. However, there was no god nearby he could test the killing capacity of the dagger on, so he would have to settle on its capacity to cut everything it touches.

Now he was finally ready. This was the day he would strike the prison and take his revenge. He could only giggle and smile at the anticipation. Having an opportunity to get his vengeance was like a gift, a gift that was definitely not intentional on god’s part, at least not on Chronos’s part.

* * *

Inside the dungeon, specially designed to hold extremely dangerous criminals and demons, the head torturer was admiring the tools of his trade. His name was Hardo Rashid, around his early forties. His most distinguishing trait was the many layers of fat coating his stomach and the maniacal grin on his face. His appearance aside, his skills at interrogation and torture are second to none. First he cuts his victim’s skin off, even if the victim answers the questions, he would continue to carve the flesh off his victims, piece by piece.

When the victim would think it could not get any worse, he would get his saws, needles and blades. For him, torturing was not just a tool of his trade, it was his passion. An artist with a tapestry of flesh and blood, his artisanship is as horrifying as it is beautiful. After he is done with his victim, he recycles their corpse.

“Even if you are a corpse; that is no excuse to not be beautiful.” That was the motto by which he lived. However, what he defined as beautiful could only be appreciated by select few. One of such man was the first prince of Kizilalem kingdom. In fact, it was the first prince who appointed him as the lead torturer, the act that earned the prince Rashid’s sincere admiration and praise.

“You talent in the craft of pain and suffering is most impressive. I shall assign you to a duty where your talents shall be most useful.” Rashid remembered First Prince’s kind words.

“His majesty is too kind.” Rashid cleaned his knives, after which he proceeded to wipe them with towel. He couldn’t wait to have them spill fresh blood. Each new blood of the victim was a new experience. Their body is a blank canvas upon which he shall enforce his artistic might.

His best work by far was known as the Bloody Falcon. It was what the body of the victim was converted into after his ‘artistic touch’. The skin on back of the victim was carefully removed; the ribs then are pulled out and fused with the arms to make the wings. The legs are broken, cut, and reshaped into claws. The jaws of the victim are broken and stitched together to resemble a beak. No victim survived the entire procedure. In a way, this allowed him to keep the corpses as his masterpieces.

He would ask mages to apply preservatives on the corpse in order to keep it as his trophy. Rashid already made nine such statues. Now it was time to make the tenth, final masterpiece.

The material for today’s sculpture was a snake type demon. Rashid could not tell whether it was male or female, but nevertheless he was glad the material he was given was a demon. Demons are much more fun than humans to dissect.

The other demon, the one they referred to as Demon Lord was off limits because the royal family wanted to hold a public execution, the demon had to be alive and intact until then. However, this common demon was not a Demon Lord, none would complain if Rashid were to indulge himself just a little…

Thinking of the new ways he could play with his toy, Rashid entered the room where the snake demon was tied to a chair. His hands, legs, and tail were all bound by straps. He couldn’t move. His mouth was gagged as well.

Inside the torture room, Rashid faced his victim with a gleeful smile. The snake demon’s horns were already mutilated; the cauterized wound could be seen on his forehead. To a demon, losing horns is worse humiliation than losing life. Many would prefer to die rather than live hornless.

But Rashid had planned far more than mutilation of demon’s horns. At last, he shall enjoy the screams of suffering of his victims. Bask in delight as his latest victim convulses from pain, and when the victim cannot handle living anymore, he would personally see the light fade from his victim’s eyes.

The room was specially designed so that when the door closes, none outside of it could either hear or see what is going on inside the room. It was done through magically warding the room with spells that prevented detection and eliminated sounds.

He would be in this room with his test subject, all alone. He could take as long as he wanted to; after all, he was the one in charge of this prison.

As he readied his knife for the first cut, Rashid heard the door close behind him. Even though the room was warded, the spell of sound elimination would only activate if the door is closed.

Now, anything that went inside the room was concealed from those outside the room.

“Who is there!?” Rashid brandished his knife. He looked around and could see none.

“Come out; come out wherever you are…”

“Here I am, fatty.” The sound was followed by Rashid slashing at the source of the sound; however his weapon only managed to strike the furniture.

“Ow, c’mon. Don’t be so boring. Let’s lighten up the mood.” The sound disappeared. Now Rashid felt his body collapse on the ground.

Why did he suddenly fall? What made him lose his grip with the ground? As he looked at his legs, the answer was painfully obvious.

His feet were still planted on the ground, but his legs were no longer connected to his feet. Instead the severed stumps of his legs were rapidly bleeding.

Rashid screamed.

Then, from the fireplace where Rashid had prepared his burning torture equipment, a hot tool that resembling branding iron came floating towards him.

Before he could muster the strength to move, the branding iron made contact with his leg, cauterizing it in the process. Rashid screamed again.

“I cannot have you dying on me, yet, fatty. There is so much I want to do with you, so much to chat about as we go along, am I right?”

He proceeded to cauterize the other leg as well. Rashid seemed to pass out from the sheer pain.

“He fell asleep? Well then, time for a wakeup call!” the invisible man proceeded to use the branding iron to brand Rashid’s chest area. The pain was too much to ignore, Rashid’s eyes flew wide open as he screamed in agony.

“I have been waiting a long time to do this.” The man took off his cloak of concealment revealing a human underneath. Now he proceeded to climb on top of furniture.

“Bombs away!” he jumped off the furniture and landed feet first on the fatty. Cracking of ribs could be heard.

“Again!” he proceeded to repeat his action, now targeting the other areas. He squashed Rashid’s internal organs and bones. It was miracle Rashid was still alive, yet alone screaming in pain.

“You know, I always wondered whether fat makes bodies more bouncy, thank you for giving me the opportunity to test my theory.” He proceeded to jump and squash the man another five times.

Now blood and broken teeth decorated the floor.

Now Rashid resembled less of a man but more of a pink mush.

Amazingly, he was still alive.

“Hey you! You there? Are you still alive?” he now was talking to the snake demon.

The snake demon was frightened, his eyes open wide, in expectation for the pain that was about to come next.

“I will free you, but from now on, I shall be your lord and master, you shall serve and obey me and only me, comply and I will let you live. It’s your choice.” His red and brown eyes were focused on the snake demon’s.

Slowly, the demon spoke.

“If it means escaping this hell, I shall gladly serve you, milord.”

“Perfect! Fatty! See, what a reasonable fellow!” the man proceeded to use the crystal dagger to cut off the snake demon’s restraints, freeing him.

“Now for my first order…Kill him. I bet you have been aching to do so much longer than I have. Go on, I will give you this once in lifetime chance.” He handed the snake demon a copper knife.

Hesitantly taking the copper knife, the snake demon slowly approached the now defeated and helpless torturer.

“PLEASE, SPARE ME!!!!” the torturer screamed, hoping someone outside would hear them.

“It is useless, what happens in this room stays in this room. As you already know, the room is perfectly sound insulated. You really like to take your time without interruptions, don’t you?” Rashid’s eyes could only open wide as he realized that his own specification for the room to be soundproof was the reason no help was going to arrive on time. It was his fault and his alone.

“Please…I beg you…” he was drooling on the floor, his squashed face and broken teeth barely able to look even remotely human.

“What you have done to others is unforgivable. They were my friends. You shall repent with your death.” With a single move, snake demon stabbed the miserable man’s throat.

Slowly, Rashid’s throat was coughing up blood. It took quarter of an hour, as he lay dying. It was not a quick death, but a slow one. Snake demon deliberately made sure that Rashid would not die fast; instead he would suffer in continuous agony for a time until his blood ran out.

Finally, the fat torturer’s corpse stopped breathing. He was dead.

“Thank you, milord for allowing me to take revenge for my comrades. I have nothing else left to regret. My life is in your hands.”

“Yes. From this day on, you shall serve me. Pledge your loyalty and service to me.” He extended his hand.

The snake demon bowed and took the hand into his own.

“From this day to my last, I shall serve you until my death.” The binding of the contract was established. Now the snake demon was firmly under his control.

“What is your order, master?” Snake demon asked.

“For now, hide somewhere. As soon as I open the doors, there will be a massacre. It will be convenient if you could conceal your presence until then. When I am done, I will call you.”

“Yes, milord.”

Putting the cloak of concealment on himself once again, the man, proceeded to exit the room.

What followed was a sound of a commotion, then multiple slashes and screams.

“Where is he?”

“I can’t see him!”

“Watch out!”

Each one of the screams died down, one by one. What stayed constant was the guttural laughter, the laughter that sent chills down snake demon’s spine. That was the laughter of his savior and new master. No matter how afraid he was, he already accepted his master’s offer, now it was too late to back out.