章節 22: Abysmal Torture
The breeze comes with that sense of balance. As it approaches the dry meadow, it marches in with heavy footsteps as if its leaves were of fall and scrambles the shrubs as if the sounds were its chaotic drumbeat. With fog rising to the sky, the footsteps headed toward the abandoned house. Lights flickered as the only light in the dark, amidst the wilderness, surrounded by an aura of misty malevolence. The house was visible now; smashed windows, splintered wooden doors, and a sea of wilting all over the entrance.
The rusty iron gate creaked loudly as it was pushed open. Rotten planks of wood lay upon the threshold like a corpse, shrouded in layers of soot and mud. Meanwhile, the wind throbbed against the thatched roof and the echoing sound of the breeze broke the suffocating silence.
The ceiling was as dark as slate. A bulb tied to a grey rope hung from the ceiling, swaying sideways like a pendulum, fighting against the gushes of wind. The floorboards snapped under the pressure of Chukka boots. A small coffee table sat silently in the middle of the hall. Its surfaces were encrusted in mould but no dried leaves or dust were apparent, almost like it had been the only iteam which is touched.
Could clearly hear the barren, orphaned stretches of the moor yelping in utter desperation. The iron gate clanked against the pillars, which stood firmly like sentinels summoning their strength to fight back. Mr Kael grabbed the edge of the coffee table and moved it aside, revealing a small trapdoor underneath. He pulled it open and the door's hinges creaked and shrieked. The sound resounded in his mind as his face was hit with a glacial blast of icy air that carried the metallic scent of blood.
"Ah, I will never get used to this!" he muttered to himself as he stepped inside and headed down the stairs as he closed the door above him.
The long hallway seemed to stretch on forever as he took discreet minuscle steps cutting through the onyx-like darkness. As he took a few more steps ahead the lights turned on making the floor and the walls visible. The walls and ceiling were black with an iron door at the end. No, on second thought the door actually appeared to be made of scintillating silver and was cool to touch. Around the edge of the door a panel was exposed,out. Quivering fingers touched the panel, a feather-like touch. Although his touch was light, the coldness of the panel sent shivers through his veins.
Despite the unusually low temperature in the hallway, the door opened with a soft whoosh, revealing a brightly lit room beyond. He stepped through, not knowing what to expect. The room was filled with scientific gadgets and gizmos, all of which were illuminated by a strange blue light. There was a strange humming noise coming from the corner of the room, and a wizened man with straw-like hair stood there watching through the glass wall.
"Kael Percy reports in, sir!"
The man turned towards him and rubbed one of his brows, "What brings you here Kael?"
"I visited the hospital today and the kids were asking a lot of questions which was pretty unusual. I didn't answer any of their questions, but I still hope to get an explanation. Is there a possibility that their memories haven't changed properly?" he asked anxiously.
The way-worn eyes of the principal opened wide in surprise, "well..." he nodded as he put his arms behind his back and started walking towards Kael, "that's indeed unusual. We have given them nanite injections, a microscopic intelligent machine that replaces their bloodstream and changes their memories at our command. Thank you to the doctors Quintus for making this possible. Only they can tell us about this malfunction which occurred in this process."
Mr Kael's ears perked up as the name of the doctors reached him, "By Quintus... do you mean Ray Quintus and Eiza Quintus?"
He nodded as he spoke in his wakie takie and called the two doctors out. Mr Kael had heard of the Quintus family before. They were known to be one of the most renowned sets of doctors in the city, and were highly respected in the medical field. Moreover, they were the parents of Lorek Quintus. Were they even aware of the fact that their kid gave the cadet test?
The two doctors arrived shortly. Every action they took was precise and purposeful. They smiled in the cold and distant way professionals do. Mr Kael can never relax around such expressions since he cannot tell what they are really thinking. He needs a genuine face, preferably a smile, to detect it, but if not, he would prefer if they did it. Mrs Quintus' eyes were devoid of any make-up and her hair was in a tight bun, not a strand out of place. Mr Quintus had hanging eyelids circles under his eyes. As part of the examination, they gave commands rather than requests.
He explained the situation, and the two doctors listened intently. When Mr Kael was done, they pondered for a moment and whispered a few words among themselves before speaking up.
"Actually, it's not our fault," Quintus replied while looking through his tablet. "Sometimes this happens due to other persons' strong minds."
Mr Kael frowned, "All of them?"
Mrs Quintus strides towards the principal and Mr Kael as she shows them her tablet. "The study we did with a few more doctors showed that some people are mentally strong. They take responsibility for their role in life and understand that life isn't always easy or fair. They don't allow others to control them, and they don't give someone else power over them."
A scream filled with distress echoed through the silent room, as the doctors shared their findings from the study. Everyone in the room was shocked and surprised, as the scream stopped and they were caught off guard in the situation. Both doctors rushed in to see what was wrong. The principal invited Mr Kael to the corner of the room in front of the imposing glass wall. Mr Kael was horrified by the unimaginable sight in front of him. He couldn't believe what he had seen. His mind couldn't process what was in front of him.
The principal saw the horrible expression of Mr Kael and scoffed, "What's with your face? Hm?"
Mr Kael turned towards him as he tightly held his hand on his back, "It's just I didn't know there would be anything like this here."
He smriked as he spoke, "well well well," he put his hand on the glass, "who asked them to be rebellious to the decision I made?"
The room was simple, a small wooden bookshelf filled to the brim was near the door, the two walls in the back were a navy colour the other walls were made of glass while the door was pitch black. In the corner of the room were red and black chairs with chains on them and a few concrete isolation boxes. Without any doubt, Mr Kael knew that the Abysmal torture practices were held here under the order of the principal. The kids are kept in small concrete isolation boxes for days and sometimes weeks. They won't let the students out unless they sit in a specific posture for a whole day.
"So, how did Adrina and her group rebel against you?"
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