10. Miserable

"F*ck you!..."

The piercing sound resounded through the darkness, gradually disappearing among the endless wails that filled the air. The daunting silence that followed seemed almost palpable, making the hairs on Sid's neck stand on end.

'Shit, shit, shit! I shouldn't have said that. I'm an idiot. If he understands me, I'm dead for sure. Damn, I really messed up!' Panic surged through Sid's mind, making all his muscles tense up in nervousness.

It was indeed a mess, quite a big one at that. After all, even if the giant didn't understand his words, the sudden outburst was clear enough. It was but a matter of time before the final verdict was delivered.

Sid could sense the grip on his neck tighten as the sword bit deeper into his neck. The pain intensified, making his thoughts cloudy as his panic deepened.

'I'm dead, he definitely understood me. What now? Gotta say something—anything—to make up for it. Dammit, think, Sid, think, faster!... Ahh, damn it hurts like hell. F*ck, if I don't act quickly, my neck's gonna split open.'

"... hehehe, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, I swear. You understand, right... big guy? I didn't mean to swear. In fact, I've never sworn before in my life. Well, can you at least remove the sword from my throat before I die?... plea..se."

'Dammit, I've used every word I know. That has to be the best plea I've ever made. I don't think I've ever sounded this humble in my life. He's got to be impressed, right? If not, I'm done for!'

Sid had just said what he believed to be his most heartfelt and humble plea. Maybe all that spare time he had spent improving his vocabulary wasn't a waste after all—or so he hoped.

Listening to him plead, the strain on his neck loosened somewhat. As he was further lifted up, he finally saw what the giant looked like.

Sid: [ (●)■(●) ]... damn, it's definitely a monster.

Seeing the face that appeared before him, Sid's eyes almost popped out. It was a horrifying sight, to say the least.

It was, in a sense, a humanoid face. Though, the couple of huge tusks that extended from beneath the upper lips said something entirely else. Larger than an elephant's tusks, the sharp teeth that grew out were like spears of death, hanging before Sid's face.

Its nose was enormous, almost resembling a bull's nose. It was pierced by a large golden ring in the middle, that hung over the thick, dark mustache underneath.

Its eyes were pitch black, with pupils that gleamed with an ominous hue of blood red. Looking into them was like looking at the endless skies that covered the night, with the blood moon hanging within, watching over all that's underneath.

The ears were the only thing that resembled a human, though with their giant size, they were nothing short of daunting.

Its pitch-black hair was slightly disheveled, as if not combed for days. Mixed in with its horrifying face, it was no human, that was for sure. It was something far more sinister—a monster, or perhaps... a demon.

"@;:#,$!^$,%?..." The giant spoke in some unknown language, bringing Sid's face closer to his, as if observing his reactions very closely.

'Dammit, what the hell is it saying? Still can't understand the language. Not to mention its breath smells like shit—ughh, it's even hurting my brain. Ahh... just my f*cking luck.' Sid thought, cursing silently in his heart. Yet, not a single unnecessary sound was made, as he still looked at the giant tusk, not even daring to meet its eyes.

Seeing him motionless like that, the giant's patience seemed to have run out. It lifted Sid high up in the air, hurling him to the ground with great force.

His body hit the ground, causing a dull impact. Sid groaned, feeling the pain from his broken ribs. His eyes were wide open in disbelief, as if he had not expected such a violent response.

Cough... cough...

Sid coughed violently, blood spurting out of his mouth each time. If looked closely, one could find small bits of flesh mixed within the blood.

'Dammit... I would've been better off dead... It hurts like hell, looks like... the internal injuries are quite severe... It's difficult to even breathe properly... It's... getting dark... looks like I'm losing consciousness. Well, at least... I won't have to bear the pain... anymore...'

Sid thought, his thoughts growing distant with each passing second. Gradually, he lost consciousness.

.....

After an unknown period of time

Sid gradually regained consciousness, still feeling the intense pain in his chest. He tried to lift his head, wanting to see what was going on, only to give up midway through. The only thing that fell into his eyes was the bright light of the bonfire, that burned nearby.

There were voices to be heard from time to time, as if someone was talking. Although he still couldn't understand a single word, from the voice he knew it was the giant demon and its companion.

'It looks like it brought me here to decide my fate after discussing with its companion.' Sid thought, hoping to distract himself within his thoughts, a desperate attempt to escape the pain.

His movements weren't unnoticed by the pair talking at the side. As the one who brought Sid over, stood up walking towards him.

Sid could see the approaching figure out of the corner of his eye, each step a chilling reminder of impending doom. The sound was like a sword that hung over his head, ready to strike, its fall inevitable yet uncertain.

The footsteps stopped right beside him. The demon towered above, its gaze fixed on the miserable creature below. With a cruel smirk, it pressed its foot on Sid's head, twisting slightly as it turned to address its companion.

Laughter echoed in the air, sharp and mocking.

'F*ck! It's mocking me! It's definitely mocking me! What courage, to be mocking this young master. Cough... cough... Although I'm a bit miserable right now, does this guy think I'll take it lying down or something.'

'Well, he isn't wrong there. Ahem... I mean, just you wait till this young master's expert aura grows stronger. You'll be dead by then for sure!'

Even though Sid couldn't understand what it was saying, it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was being mocked.

His heart burned with rage as his dignity was trampled upon. Yet he could do nothing, just cursing in his heart and consoling himself with dreams of revenge in the future.

Hmm... Come to think of it again, this was nothing new.

The demon, seemingly still not satisfied, lifted its leg and kicked it out with brutal force. Sid felt a strong impact hit his gut as he flew back towards the bonfire. Blood spurting out of his mouth, his injuries seemed to have worsened. As he fainted once again.

.....

'F*ck, how the hell am I not dead even after all that? I wanna die. Let me die, dammit!'

Sid woke up once again, bewildered by the fact that he was even alive right now. Well, looking at his deformed upper body, it made sense why he would think that. The agony of it all could only be understood by him.

'I don't remember ever being immortal or something. Is it another one of those hidden abilities that I awakened with my expert's aura back then? Dammit, I don't wanna be immortal, just let me die in peace... Ahh, what the hell is it this time?'

Sid kept on rambling in his heart, no longer trying to sense his surroundings. It seemed like he was gradually starting to lose his sanity, or maybe he understood that sensing the outside world would only further amplify his suffering. Reality is but a fleeting illusion, self is the only truth.

But soon he was brought back to reality with a dose of sharp pain coursing through his leg. He struggled his eyes open, lifting his head, and was rather surprised that he could still move his body.

Though soon, even the tiniest bit of surprise left him; there was no time to think about this trivial stuff. He looked in horror at the chain that had pierced his ankle.

Before he could even think about what was happening, he felt a tug at his foot. His head was forced back to the ground as his body was dragged forward with great force.

He could sense each and every gravel of sand as it tore at his skin, amplifying the pain he felt as he was dragged forward at lightning speed.

The wails he had heard before kept increasing in intensity as he was being dragged. It was still horrifying, the only difference being—Sid's wails were mixed in with them this time.

Now he finally understood why the wails sounded so lifeless. He was but a recent victim, yet his condition was even worse than a dying dog.

Despite the agony, he shivered, contemplating the torment others had endured before him.