PHASE 89 - MY DAILY TORTURE SESSION

“Tiara? Hey, Tiara!”

I woke up from my daydreaming as soon as my boyfriend’s hand waved in front of my face. I should have forgotten that we are having a wholesome conversation right now, behind the bars of this prison. On my hand, is a grilled cheese with bacon strips sandwich that he wholeheartedly cooked for me.

Rikkun visited me on the very first hour of the morning. He’s currently wearing his school uniform, and he said he will go to class later after his visitation in this prison.

“Tiara, are you okay?" Rikkun asked as he stopped sipping his morning coffee and squinted his eyes. He looked at my pupils as if he’s trying to reach for his non-existent psychic powers to read my mind.

“A-Ah! I-I’m okay, Rikkun!” I shrieked as I waved my two hands. “D-Don’t mind me if I space out like that again!”

“Really?” Rikkun had this curious pout. “Are you sure there’s no problem here?”

“Mmm-mmm!” I nodded as I pumped my fists. “Mister Heushac is here, so you don’t need to worry! They’re treating me here just fine! I get enough sleep and food here! You don’t have to worry about me!”

“If you say so, then it’s okay.” Rikkun sipped the last drop of his coffee.

After a few seconds, the door to this prison opened, revealing a cold blue but empty eyes of the person with blue hair. It was Heushac, and he looks grumpy just like yesterday.

“Hey, visiting hours is over,” Heushac yelled.

“I know, I know.” Rikkun scratched his head as he stood up. “Why are you so strict about this? Can’t I have more time to enjoy with my girlfriend?”

“Rules are rules.” Heushac walked towards Rikkun with a hint of dragging him out of the prison if he decides not to cooperate. “If you can’t abide it, then you can’t visit her.”

“Okay! Okay!” Rikkun raised his hands as a form of voluntary surrender. He immediately packed his bag and put it on his back. Then he looked at me with compassionate eyes, saying “I’ll be back tomorrow morning, Tiara! Stay a good girl!” He even patted my head which made me feel orgasmic.

“Woof!” I mockingly replied. Because of this dog bark, I was able to make my boyfriend chuckle a little.

Finally, Rikkun left, leaving only Heushac and me in this room. The atmosphere, which was once warm and full of joy, has become cold and grim the moment my love left the scene. Memory flashes about what happened last night came back to me which made me cry.

“...You didn’t tell him, didn’t you?” Heushac muttered.

I held my aching chest. “...I-I didn’t.”

“Good,” Heushac said as he turned his back and slowly reached for the door. “As long as you don’t speak about the nights, you can atone for your sins.”

Heushac stepped out, and slowly pulled the door close, leaving the poor me in this cold lonely room.

<>

I have to keep silent. I should not tell anyone about this, on what happens to me every night. This is the retribution I have to face alone, for all the sins I have done. I have killed a lot of people. This is the least I could do to fix it.

Last night, Mianette summoned all the relatives of the Gate Guardians and Cursed Guardians I have killed. They all brought torches and rocks for my just punishment, to torture me the whole night. They threw rocks towards me that destroyed my skin, ripped my flesh, and shattered my bones. By doing these, those abandoned relatives of the people I have killed will have their sense of justice fulfilled.

The pain is hell itself, but I can manage. We Brightmore Witches have this innate ability to reset our appearance to our prime, which means that no matter how severely we are injured, the sense of time in our bodies would revert back to its original state. We would heal from wounds in just a matter of hours just by rewinding time in our bodies. There will be no evidence that I’ve been tortured.

I may leave unscathed, but the pain remains in my mind. I could barely move my left leg this morning because I still remember the injury I got. The ruptures I got and even the broken bones echo in my brain, giving a phantom pain. My body might work but my nerves remembered everything.

Mianette said that I should repent for my sins until the day I die. Of course, I don’t want to suffer like this. I don’t want to get hurt. But I can’t just escape. I can’t just ask for help. This is my sin and my sin alone.

I wonder what kind of punishment I will have tonight.

<>

Hundreds of torches lit around the area, slightly repelling the darkness. The wind blew on the Bermuda grass of this backyard that seemed to be the last sign of peace I will have for this night.

Just like what happened last night, I was tied at the stake. Unlike last night, I’m now almost naked, with only a few clothing that covers my private parts. Mianette is now preventing any evidence about this torture since my clothes would be drenched with blood after this session.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Manette's crimson eyes glowed upon the townspeople who are itching for revenge. “We have assembled tonight to purge the sinners! We shall now pass the judgment upon the witch that killed your loved ones!”

“ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” The crowd went wild.

One of the children slowly picked up a rock on his feet and then threw it straight to my forehead. He shouted “This is for killing my brother!” as he unleashed the stone from his fingers.

“Kyah!” I cried as the stone tore the skin of my forehead, making it drip blood. “I-I’m sorry!”

The next one who threw a stone to me was a rockstar-looking guy with long orange hair. His face is quite familiar since I’ve seen him in the Gate Guardian Tournament back in Book Two. “This is for killing my bro Drex!” He shouted as he threw his rock in a spiral manner.

The rock hit my left cheek, which immediately bruised. “I-I’m sorry!” I cried out loud. “Please forgive me!”

Then the next avenger threw after the next one, shouting their anger and hatred towards me. “This is for my sister!” , “This is for my mother!” , “This is for my best friend!” , “This is for my dog!”. Their hate is beyond limitless as they pour all their emotions in just one piece of rock.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

I repeated my cries, hoping that one day they will ever forgive me. But I know they won’t. All I can do to ease the pain on their hearts is to endure and endure this torture until my life withers.

But for tonight, I will still have to endure hours and hours of injury until the sun rises up.

<>

My daily routine has become like this. Each morning, Rikkun would visit me, offer me food, and then we’ll have random talks together. Every morning is a ray of hope for me, and it was also the happiest hour of my life.

After he leaves, I will be left in my cell with nothing to do, except but to cry on my bed about what happens every night and how helpless I am in these kinds of situations. I will just wait and wish that it will be morning again so that I can eat. They never feed me in this prison.

At night, I will be tied in a stake, facing the retribution from the people. Every stone that hits my head makes me want to scream and cry and beg for mercy. The stoning event every night would last for twelve hours until the sun rises up.

During the third night, however, they brought spikes to hurt me. I was drenched in blood a lot and it took a long time for me to regenerate my body as my wounds are still visible during sunrise, so Heushac did not permit any visitations on the next morning. I failed to see Rikkun.

This is the fourth day.

I don’t know if I can still take it.

Maybe my body can, but my sanity won’t.

I have never seen Rikkun today, so I’m all lost, sad, and lonely. I haven’t gotten any sleep for the past days ever since I was imprisoned, and I have never gotten any proper meal since then. Only Rikkun’s cooking was the only one nurturing me, but since he was banned this morning, my stomach acids are now dissolving my stomach.

I curled in the corner of my room, shaking and crying.

“Rikkun… please save me…”