Stage 16: Prison Break

How long had it been? Three hours? Four days? Handcuffed tightly against the damp wall of my cell, I felt the insects crawling up my thighs and the monotonous sound of a drop of water falling from the ceiling had made my nerves reach the limit of my patience.

- "Wow, I see you're still sane! Anyone else would think that by now you would be babbling like the other prisoners, but it seems that I was not mistaken in choosing you as my sheep" – Entering through the cell door, Sister Nohemí had that same smiling face that she showed in public, with his smile full of cynicism and that air of false holiness.

Punctual as clockwork, the maiden came to my cloister without fail for her regular dose of sadism.

- "Open your mouth wide, don't spill a single drop" - Squeezing my cheekbones forcing me to open my lips, Nohemí introduced a spoonful of boiling soup that burned my throat on its way to my stomach. The first day she gave me that punishment, I reflexively spat that tasteless food onto her robe, causing the sister to hit my head against the wall until I bled. Leaving me the sensation of the taste of blood on the palate every time I took a bite.

As time passed, my throat was already insensitive to pain, I couldn't speak clearly either because of the immense damage that torture had caused me. For the priestess, I was just a mere doll with which she could unleash her wicked games.

- "Sister Nohemí, it's time. We have to take the prisoner to the interrogation room" – True to his dogma, Sebastian, the leader of the inquisitor unit attached to the city of Litho; he would appear half an hour after the priestess played with me, showing his imposing silhouette in front of the cell. Hitting the bars with his sword to try to provoke me.

Repeating the same routine, that man chained my neck and forced me to walk with the weakness that afflicted my legs on the cold floor of the prison. To him, I was nothing more than a simple sinner, making that clear when I eventually stumbled and fell, yanking the chain forcing me to get up unless I wanted to be dragged across the floor.

Worse than a beast, such was the treatment given to the prisoners of the infamous underground prison of the knights of the temple order.

- "Tie her well to the chair, I don't want her to twist like she did two days ago"

- "Yes, Captain Sebastian, leave it in my hands" - With a physical appearance in his late forties, a small mustache and a partially gray head, Fabian Snow was the man in charge of carrying out the torture inside the prison. Nicknamed by the rest of the guards as the butcher doctor, Fabian was a fan of the profession of inquisitor. It used to be said among the maids who cleaned her room that her bookcases and desk were overflowing with documents on medical treatises on unethical manipulation of the nervous system, and even ancient texts on instructions for methods of prolonged torture.

- "Shhh, calm down. They will only be a few small pickets as always." – Introducing thin needles between my nails and the skin of my fingers, Fabian sank those sharp spikes slowly, savoring every second as he contemplated the agonizing expression in my eyes. Making him smile with satisfaction, while connecting the ends of the metal to some electrodes coming from a machine that generated electricity through magic stones.

Varying the intensity of the discharge at intervals, the inquisitor questioned me in the brief pauses that the current stopped flowing, waiting for my answer amidst the gasps that I gave because of the incessant pain in my hands.

- "Maybe it's hard for you to talk because you're thirsty, captain"

- "It could be so, we are not so cruel not to give our prisoners a drink. Give him some water." - Lending himself to that act, Sebastian took me by the chin leading my face to the ceiling while he inserted his index fingers into my mouth forcing me to open it, while Fabian introduced a funnel with a piece of cloth tied to the other end. Which they put me with unheard of viciousness down my hurt throat, generating gags almost suffocating me by my own vomit.

Taking a still that they had prepared from the table, that fluid was poured into the funnel while feeling how the cloth was soaked with that liquid with a strong aroma that was unmistakable when smelled. A very pure alcohol, so strong that it was used to disinfect the wounds of soldiers on the front lines, burned my esophagus, turning my already battered stomach.

That torturous process was repeated constantly, while I could barely maintain consciousness, being awakened by the strong blows of Sebastian's fists on my belly.

- "Confess once and for all! Who do you work for? What are Eunice's kingdom plans? Who are with you? Answer back!"

- "I have already told you that I am not a spy! I don't work with anyone or know anything about Eunice's kingdom, please believe me. I beg you, I can't take it anymore" – With my clothes soaked in blood mixed with my gastric juices, my voice began to fade as I felt my insides riot violently making me unable to maintain a coherent dialogue.

- "Captain, I find it hard to admit it. But I think this woman speaks the truth. We've been torturing her for seven days now, she understands. Even the toughest spies I've ever worked with break in as little as two days."

- "Sister Nohemí has said that she found her going through her desk and surprised her reading a confidential letter"

- "You mean the correspondence sent by the magic encryption department? These letters erase the text when the intended recipient reads the content. It takes a magician with a great mastery of mana to retrieve the information. And believe me, this woman does not have a single shred of magical control" – Without having been able to recover from the damage suffered on the mountain, before the control evaluation prior to entering the cells, the report in my file did not report that I was dealing with a sorceress.

Upon hearing Fabian's opinion, I thought to myself with some relief that Captain Sebastián would free me from torture, exonerating me to throw myself back into what I called freedom. But far from getting any sympathy from that stubborn soldier, he once again arranged for me to throw my battered body back into the cells, but this time, accompanied by other prisoners who shared a similar fate to mine.

Emaciated faces with sunken eye sockets from dehydration, I found myself among men and women who had lost the sparkle in their eyes, souls who abandoned all hope to see the sun's rays again bathing their withered and decadent bodies.

Dirty, crouched against the walls without saying a word, those imitations of humans spent their days in the midst of the dirt produced by their bodily waste. The guards who occasionally visited the other cells tried to avoid getting close to where I was, throwing the food on the floor. Being the only moment in which he saw how those creatures woke up from their lethargy, running on their limbs like four-legged animals to devour the food on the floor.

- "Please someone, anyone. Just kill me" – Taking my hands to my head while maintaining the fetal position, my mind broke completely leaving me right in the middle of my downward spiral towards madness.

- "Ugh. What an unbearable stench!" – A voice that seemed familiar to me resounded amid the grunts of the people who were immersed in their frenzy with the leftovers of the food. Covering her nose with a handkerchief while holding a lamp, a woman shined light near the bars of that cell as if looking for someone in particular.

When my eyes were able to clear up in the middle of the darkness, I was able to recognize the silhouette of that woman who wore that unmistakable priestly attire of white linen and navy blue stole.

- "Sister Nohemi, here it is! It's me, here I am" – Pounced forcefully pushing aside the bodies that got in my way, I threw myself against the bars holding on to them while I could barely support the soles of my feet.

- "My dear sheep, you finally come to your shepherdess of your own free will"

- "Yes, I am his sheep. Here I am, I told you I'm innocent. The captain and the inquisitor have already stopped torturing me. Sees it? I am clean!" – Unable to restrain my tongue, with my mind almost completely surrendered, the expression on my face reflected in Nohemí's pupils, looked like a mere caricature of my old self. Making my tears roll down my cheeks, feeling the bitter taste on my lips cracked by dehydration.

- "Yes Yes. I can see it my beloved sheep. You are a creature that has been through a lot, which is why I came here looking for you." – Placing her hand on my face drying my tears, the priestess's face seemed lost in ecstasy as if she had experienced an epiphany from heaven. That soft touch that ran through my skin soon became a pressure so strong that it dug its sharp nails into the flesh.

- "Sister?"

- "You are not ready yet, my little sheep. You are like the vine that is not yet ripe to bear fruit, if I harvest you now, you will give a bitter wine to the palate" – At the moment that he moved away from the bars, I felt that my life was falling back into the abyss making me lose control. Stretching my left arm trying to reach the edge of his tunic, to then feel a heat that ran through my shoulder, fading into an intense pain that knocked me to the ground.

At the other end of the bars, in the middle of a pool of my own blood, my severed arm was being kicked by one of the guards to where the dogs from the surveillance post were. Who began to tear at that battered flesh, making me laugh like crazy as I felt the shock of hypovolemic shock.

- "I'll see you in hell, cursed" - Bearing in mind the effect of the curse on my body, I laughed in the middle of my tears, cursing the goddess with screams that reverberated through the prison walls. Beginning to feel the strength leaving my body, my lips trembling as my body began to get cold.

- "Guards! At their positions, they attack us" – The noise of the boots of the soldiers inside the prison began to resound with impetus while the guards gave the alarm signal. Violently shaking the foundation of the upper story, thick clouds of dust and debris fell in and out of the cell, crushing the bodies of both prisoners and guards indiscriminately.

- "Call the priestesses, tell them to come immediately! Their faces covered in dust and blood, the guards tried to hold their breath as they dragged the bodies of their badly wounded comrades through the corridors, trying to reach the upper levels.

With my vision already blurry, feeling that my end was near, suddenly in front of me, a slight ray of light coming from the upper floor hit me directly in the face, making it impossible for me to distinguish any image.

- "Amelia! Where are you fucking fat cow? We don't have much time, get out of where you are!" – A stone golem mounted on her shoulder, Sandra tried to locate me with her eyes in the middle of that chaos. Clicking her tongue impatiently, as she conjured alchemical circles of protection as the soldiers fired energy blasts at her.

No matter how hard I tried, my mouth wouldn't open. My jaw was locked with cramps from the loss of blood, while my breath hitched from my heart rate racing from my excitement.

- "Amelia! Do you want to die?" – Shouting with her face slightly reddened by anger, the alchemist nearly hurt her throat as she clenched her fists helplessly at her sides.

- "Sandra!" – Taking what I thought were my last strength, I unlocked my jaw giving a scream in which I felt that my soul was leaving my body. Making Sandra turn in my direction, commanding the golem to break the thick bars of the cell, while my vision was turning black.

Plunged into that darkness, my ears could only hear the sounds as light murmurs, almost as if I were submerged in the water with my light body on the shoulder of the mighty golem.

Commanding an imposing squad of stone, Sandra led the way, breaking through the defenses of the order members, folding the metal armor as if it were mere sheets of paper.

- "Resist, please you have to resist Amelia." – The alchemist's voice seemed to break, trying to hide her despair, seeking strength within her fear. Muttering curses under his breath, he continued to hurl transmutation circles into the ground, turning the stone into sharp points that emerged from beneath the soldiers.

- "Freya, I tell you you can't do it!" – Suddenly changing to a scenario unknown to me, surrounded by luminescent pillars that oscillated between the colorful spectrum of the rainbow, the silhouettes of two women seemed to be engaged in a heated discussion.

- "Until when Artemis? Tell me my sister! Why do you insist on following the council's orders without even complaining?"

- "But Freya, they are the great sages of antiquity. We were created by them, they are like our parents."

- "React, you stupid fool! What father would tell his son to kill his offspring?" – With wavy greenish hair, amber eyes finely slitted at the edge, the goddess's appearance was very different from the sinister form with which she had presented herself to me the first time.

- "I know it is difficult for you, but you must understand that it is the best!"

- "Better for whom, Artemis? The creatures of my world are not objects that they can dispose of as they please, they are alive. As much as you and me. What is the sin for which they must perish? They have only decided to walk on their own, as you and I do; Much to the regret of those you call parents"

- "Freya, you know well that I will always love you"

- "I know, that's why take my hand and let's run away from them. We will fight together and show them how wrong they are" - Extending her hand to her sister, the goddess had a look full of virtue with a heart overflowing with hope, which was destroyed in a matter of seconds, by the cold embrace of a handful of chains that emerged from the ground.

"Why? Because you have done this to me, sister" – Moving abruptly like a beast that has been subdued, the goddess Freya moved her arms furiously trying to break the energy chains, which pulled her forcefully until she was on her knees against the ground.

- "It seems that what you told us was completely true, goddess Artemis" - Materializing behind the goddess, the silhouettes of two bearded men with a stern look, placed their hands on Artemis's shoulders. Who lowered her face without saying a word, while Freya did not take her eyes off her, yelling that it was still time to defeat them.

- "Even in your current situation you are still so insolent. It was to be expected from a daughter of doom like you are." – Dionysus, who was considered the main head of the council of the gods, approached where Freya was, placing the palm of his hand against the goddess's forehead. Through his skull with a ray of light that left a slight mark on the floor of that place.

With the pupils of her eyes rolling back, Freya's mind was reduced to the behavior of a baby in her arms. Being taken into custody by two entities with the appearance of winged creatures, who raised her with her arms outstretched while moving her to what appeared to be an altar.

Surrounded by six obelisks and a ceremonial stone in the middle, that altar served as a receptacle for the offerings of the gods at the time when the worlds immolated their sacrifices to find pleasure in their eyes.

- "Hold her tightly, so she doesn't have a chance to escape" - Ordering the creatures to nail the goddess's hands and feet against the rock, the blood that flowed from her wounds followed the grooves of a symbol engraved on it, until the crimson flow completely filled the symbols of the altar

Lighting up the moment the god Dionysus set foot on it, serpentine rays of purple mixed with black particles flowed from the altar obelisks, which, converging in the center, shot out concentrating their force on the goddess's chest. Who screamed in pain while his hair turned black, wings sprouting from his back with the appearance of an undead.

The amber eyes that let their tears roll as she contemplated her sister, turned her pupils into an intense red hue that floated on a sclera as black as the starless night sky.

- "It is done, the filthy daughter has finally taken the royal appearance of her heart."

- "Sister!"

- "Goddess Artemis, the creature that is on this altar has ceased to be a goddess. Calling her sister is blasphemy against the high council."

- "But Dionisio, this was not what you promised me! You told me you wouldn't hurt him!" – Holding tightly to the mantle of the god, Artemis was reprimanded with a slap that left a mark on her cheek, turning to see the god with a look full of resentment.

- "Dionisio, don't be so hard with her. Keep in mind that she must now fulfill her duty as a goddess" – With crossed arms and his expressionless face, Apollyon, the second in order within the council, opened a crack in the celestial fabric of the world of the gods. Pointing directly at the planet pandora.

- "Artemis, little one. It is time for you to minister the atonement of that fallen world" – Wrapping Freya's body in a cocoon of black rock like obsidian, Apollyon delivered control of that orb into the hands of the goddess. Who resisted in the middle of pleas, being pushed firmly by the inflexible god of judgment.

- "I beg you father, don't make me do this. For whatever you want…" – leaning his face placing his chin against the goddess's shoulder, Apollyon narrowed his eyes, calmly exclaiming that, if he didn't, both the creation of the world of Pandora and his sister would be erased from existence.

- "For eons it will be said that those who survive the judgment, that a fallen goddess brought chaos to the world." – With a smile marked from ear to ear, Dionisio raised his arm as a sign to throw Freya against her own world. Like a celestial body that crossed space, the obsidian rock lit up with the planet's atmosphere accelerating due to the momentum of its orbit, before the gaze of the creatures that observed that sky glow in an instant; to later be consumed by the force of the explosion that ensued from the impact.

The earth shook to its centers, shaking the dust that rose through the skies accompanied by the immense heat produced by that great celestial object that had impacted squarely against the planet.

What before was brimming with life, gradually consumed itself, leaving a few survivors who took refuge in the depths of the caves. Witnessing the desolation that followed that fateful event.

- "Can you see it human? That is the secret that this world hides behind the veil of the stories of the gods" - With a melancholic voice and her expression full of regret, appearing from the shadows, Freya took me by the hand, raising my chin so that I would not move my face away. look at the horrors that were accomplished at the whim of the high council.

- "Why are you showing me this?" – Incredulous at what I saw, my mind could not conceive that such brazenness against life could go unpunished. That figure that had appeared before me as a sinister being, was nothing more than the victim of a twisted game typical of the evil of beings who considered everything below their standards as inferior.

- "I created an imperfect world, with imperfect creatures that sought to improve day by day. I gave them free will, I let them walk and stumble with their own forces, all in order to aspire to what we call divinity.

As you can see with your own eyes, what they considered a threat, they did not hesitate to erase almost completely. Turning me into the nemesis, the evil that must be erased for the good of the gods"

- "But what about Artemis? She…"

- "YOU'LL SAY? WHAT IS NOT THE FAULT? SHE MADE HER DECISION! She knew well that the high council was rotten to the core, but the moment I gave her my hand, tell me, what did she do? He turned his back on me! To me that it was his own sister!" – Raising her hands to her face, Freya cried bitterly as she remembered all those passages from the old memories of the past. Cursing the council and his own sister as he held me by the shoulders again.

- "You know I'm right, you also have a sister who gave you her back when you needed it most"

- "No! Is not the same! Akemi was just a girl."

- "And perhaps you were not? Weren't you a child whose childhood was taken away to take the place of your mother?"

- "No, you're wrong. Just like you said about Artemis, I also made my decision."

- "So you're telling me that you're on her side?" – With a leisurely tone with a deep voice, Freya squeezed her fingers tightly on my shoulders to the point that I could feel an immense anger that was growing.

– "I'm not on your side, but I'm not on her side either. Just as the council of the gods did, so you did to me."

- "DO NOT COMPARE US WITH THOSE DAMNED!"

- "Why do you speak in the plural? Are you considering your sister?" – The moment I uttered those words, Freya's anger shot up like an erupting volcano, throwing me into the air, feeling how my astral body began to crack from the force of the impact.

- "Goddess Freya! I propose a bet. If I can return you to your state of grace, you will return me to my world and break the curse on me."

- "Ha, ha, ha, ha. Are you telling me that you will defeat the high gods?" – Extending her hands furiously in the direction of my astral body, Freya's gaze seemed to waver at my proposal.

- "No, better than that. I'm going to kill the gods" – Outlining a smile on her face, the fallen goddess joined her hands, returning my astral body to its intact ethereal form. At the same time that he walked up to me, taking me by the waist while he placed his index finger against the center of my chest.

Feeling an ardor that burned my soul, his fingernail traced some symbols over the ouroboros mark, returning the tattoo on my neck to its original shape as if the countdown was going back.

- "The curse that you carry in your soul I cannot remove it, its power does not come from me but from the gods of the high council. But at least I can freeze it by paying the price for it."

- "What are you talking about?" – The hand with which I modify the symbol of my soul, began to disintegrate from the tip of the finger until it ate away the entire arm up to the shoulder. Leaving her mutilated in the middle of a sea of intense pain.

- "This will be the last time we see each other face to face, until you fulfill your promise. To help you in your mission, I am going to give you one last gift as the good goddess that I am" - Extracting four small colored orbs from my being, the goddess took them in her hands while giving each one a kiss reciting a song unknown to me .

A black orb representing Faust's soul; another red that glowed with a dim, almost dull glow, was the remnants of Amelia's power. The celestial blue that shone like the morning sky and another violet color like the twilight firmament, represented the oracles that had been given to me as a blessing and a curse.

They all merged into a single orb, glowing brightly as it entered my chest, energy overflowing from my eyes and mouth.

- "Until now you were only a mere container of an immense divided power, you did not have the ability to control it completely. Now they are all together within you as one; an immense power that rivals the gods, the power to kill even a god you carry in your hands" - Serena giving me that explanation, Freya moved away from me, sitting on a throne with her breathing agitated by the effort that was involved in her form astral.

- "I can't believe this comes without a price, so tell me where's the catch? What prevents me from using this power to betray you and kill you right now?" - Smiling bringing her index finger to her cheek, the goddess Freya laughed at me.

- "Don't be confused little one, the power you carry was fused with mine. If I die, the force that holds together that immense body of power will completely consume you, erasing your soul from existence.

And by the way, one last piece of advice. Tell the brat accompanying you to teach you some alchemy, it will come in handy, believe me." – Snapping her fingers forcefully, the goddess returned my soul to my physical body, which was still on the stone golem. With the sunlight hitting my eyes, I could see that the escape attempt from the order's prison had been a success.

- "Wake up at last" - Holding tightly to the golem's head, Sandra had a temple maiden chained with her, who begged in terror to let her go.

- "We are safe?"

- "No and don't move, I can barely stop the bleeding with my power. Just take a damn look behind us" – Slowly turning my neck with difficulty, my eyes saw a scene so amazing that it seemed taken from a movie.

Mounted on griffons, the knights of the temple order were shooting energy arrows at Sandra's golems, who made their way through the middle of the city destroying every building in front of them. With the screams of the nobles, who could barely escape the rubble that fell on the streets, crushing more than one in the middle of their flight.

- "Hey you idiot! Stop crying and start healing my friend or I will throw you at the feet of my golems."

- "Yes Yes. Please don't kill me!" – Trembling in panic, the maiden pointed her hands in my direction as she recited an incantation to restore my lost blood, healing my internal organs to their original state. But it being impossible for her to restore my arm that was amputated inside the prison.

- "I told you to heal her!"

- "I did it, I really did it! But my power is incapable of growing a severed limb. There is no maiden who can perform such a prodigy."

- "With a demon, then you are of no use to me" - Impulsing her arm with force, Sandra was about to throw the maiden to her death when at that moment a great ball of fire completely shook the golem's legs making us fall to the ground .

- "You are well!"

- "Yes, I'm OK!"

- "Your not idiot, I mean Amelia"

- "Yes, a bit dizzy, but in one piece. Or what's left" – Laughing nervously at my joke, Sandra raised an energy shield to repel the incessant attacks coming from all directions. The three of us standing together in the center of our barricade, peering suspiciously through the dense cloud of smoke and debris, as a menacing silhouette walked toward us.

- "You three damned heretics have brought disgrace to this city. Not only have they almost completely destroyed it, but they have sullied the holy name of the temple knight order." – Dressed in golden armor on which lion head effigies protruded from his shoulders, Captain Sebastián was accompanied by a regiment of soldiers with their sticks pointing threateningly at us.

- "My lord, I am Ofelia, the sister Ofelia who serves in the barracks as a healer. I'm not with them"

- "Shut up damn impious" - Throwing an orb of energy that impacted with enormous force against the barrier, the intention of that attack was none other than to take the life of the maiden, who fell exhausted on her knees crying while urinating prey to the fear.

- "Tch, you are a fool. For them you are nothing more than an expendable object, have some dignity damn fox in a tunic"- Spitting on the ground with annoyance, Sandra's face looked agitated due to the effort she made to contain that last attack.

- "It seems that this is the end of the trip, Amelia" - Closing her eyes with a smile drawn on her face, Sandra was about to take an artifact that hung from her neck.

- "What is that Sandra?"

- "This? Let's just call it a one way ticket to hell. When you throw this talisman on the ground, it will explode destroying everything within a 100 km radius. Sure, we will die in the process. But we'll take those bloody bastards with us."

- "But I'm not with you?"

- "Are you still with the same damn breasty turkey?"

- "Sandra, put that away! I have a plan" – Taking her by the shoulder, I asked the alchemist to lower her hand and restrain her impetus. At the same time, he took a step outside the barrier to receive the full blow of Sebastian's sword. Stopping its edge with my hand, a few inches from my face.

- "Where did you get so much strength, woman?" – Without giving him time to finish understanding the situation, I delivered a frontal kick directly to the breastplate of the captain's armor, throwing him into the air, impacting his body against the wall of soldiers who fell to the ground next to him.

- "Captain Sebastian, I challenge you to a duel!"

- "Duel? What are you talking about, slut? A holy knight like me would never accept lowering himself to the desires of a sinner" – Leaning the point of his sword against the ground, the captain stood up removing his cape in a defiant tone. With his soldiers waiting for the orders he was going to give them.

- "Apostle of the shadows, your astral body is not yet fully synchronized with your physical body. The mana consumption in his first form is not optimized and there is a risk of destroying the main body. Do you want to proceed anyway?" – Mixed all together, the voices that he had come to miss spoke in unison as a single being, like the roar of many waters similar to the voice of a demon.

- "It is strange to listen to you, you are an amalgamation of all the consciences that were in me. What should I call you?"

- "Command not recognizable, my existence does not require a name to work"

- "Okay, but I'll go crazy if I don't know what to call you, so I'll give you one. I'll call you Faust. Well, boy, how long can I use my power for now."

- "The barrier limit before the main body is destroyed is 15 minutes."

- "Okay, then I just have to kick that canned sardine's ass in 14 minutes" - Spreading my feet a little, leaning my back forward, I raised my right arm in the air concentrating on my weapon. Which flew out of the rubble of the prison levitating forcefully until it was in the palm of my hand.

- "Very good Sebastian! Since you're a devotee of the goddess, I'm going to send you and your men to kiss her damn ass in person."

- "Blasphemer! Everyone, take your weapons and destroy them" – A human wave ran against me with the thunder of their footsteps crashing against the cobblestone of the street, taking out sparks in that nebulous cold wind that permeated over it.

- "Very well, so be it. All of you against me" – A bloody battle was about to take place in the paradisiacal vacation land of Litho.