Chapter 10: Lessons in Loyalty

The air in the room was thick with agony. The metallic stench of blood and sweat lingered, mingling with the suffocating weight of fear.

The wooden table, once clean, was now an altar of suffering—a place where flesh was torn, bones were shattered, and screams were offered like prayers.

Vaibhav and Abhinav lay broken, their bodies barely clinging to consciousness, their minds teetering on the edge of insanity.

Yet, She wasn't done.

Her attention shifted, her eyes settling on the three remaining boys.

Silence.

They didn’t scream.

They didn’t cry.

They didn’t even breathe too loudly.

Instead, they prayed—not to be saved, but to be overlooked.

To be swallowed by the darkness.

To simply disappear.

But She saw them.

She always did.

She took a step forward, the click of her heels shattering the silence.

The three flinched as if even her footsteps could bring them pain.

They trembled—pleaded.

One of them, the boy closest to the table, fell to his knees.

“P-please…” his voice cracked, his words tumbling out in panicked gasps. “We—we didn’t mean to! We just—w-we just followed orders! We—”

His sentence broke into a strangled sob, his body wracked with uncontrollable shivers.

she watched.

Listened.

And then, she sighed—not in irritation, not in anger, but as if she found their words mildly amusing.

“Ah,” she mused, tilting her head, “so you’re saying you did nothing?”

They frantically nodded, tears streaming down their faces.

“We—w-we didn’t w-want to,” another one whimpered. “W-we just followed Vaibhav and Abhinav! W-we had no choice!”

her lips curled into a smile.

“Oh… I see,” she murmured, as if in deep thought.

For a fleeting second, hope flickered in their eyes.

Maybe—just maybe—she’d let them go.

But then—

She laughed.

A slow, bone-chilling laughter.

And with that laugh, hope died.

Her amusement faded into something darker, something merciless.

“How unfortunate.”

She crouched down in front of them, cupping the tear-streaked face of the boy who had spoken first.

“You poor little lambs,” she cooed, her thumb brushing away his tears. “Blindly following your masters… like good, obedient pets.”

She leaned in, her breath warm against his trembling skin.

“But tell me, darling…”

Her fingers tightened against his jaw, nails digging into his flesh, making him wince.

“Didn’t you ever stop to think that you, too, would have to suffer for their sins?”

His lips parted, but no words came.

Only silent terror.

She straightened, dusting off her dress as if this was nothing more than a casual discussion.

“That’s why,” she said sweetly, “you should choose wisely who you follow.”

She turned away, walking slowly, deliberately, giving them a moment to process her words.

Then—

She stopped.

And smiled.

“Well, don’t be so scared,” she said, clapping her hands lightly. “I’m not heartless, after all.”

Her voice was gentle, almost comforting—almost.

“So, because you were just good little followers, I’ll reduce your punishment.”

Their eyes lit up with hope again.

But then—

Her next words shattered them completely.

“I won’t kill you,” she said, her voice carrying a mocking kindness. “But I’ll leave you with something to remember me by.”

She turned, giving them a playful tilt of her head.

"Let’s make this fun! One of you will lose your nails."

The boys’ expressions twisted in horror.

“Another…” she continued, stepping toward her tools, “will give me a few fingers.”

One of them gasped, his stomach twisting violently.

“And the last one?”

She picked up a razor-sharp scalpel, twirling it between her fingers.

“I’ll carve my love into that pretty little face of yours.”

Their bodies went stiff.

Their world spun.

No more pleading.

No more begging.

Because in this moment, they realized—there was no escape.

No mercy.

And no exceptions.

She smiled, her voice soft, soothing, cruel.

“Now then… shall we begin?”

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