Chapter 236 — The Hard Way

Chapter 236: Chapter 236 — The Hard Way

Chapter 236 — The Hard Way

Somewhere in Region F, on the other side of the Tower, Lyra slowly opened her eyes.

Her head throbbed.

For several seconds, she couldn’t remember where she was.

Then everything came back.

The Graveborn estate.

Her parents.

Daniel.

Lyra tried to move and immediately felt the restraints around her wrists and ankles. She was tied down, with a pair of cuffs secured around her wrists that completely sealed her cultivation.

She closed her eyes again.

I’m an idiot.

There was no one else to blame.

She’d broken her promise to Victor, entered the Graveborn estate alone, and gotten herself captured. Now there was nothing she could do except sit here and wait to be rescued like some damsel in distress.

The thought made her want to scream.

Lyra forced herself to calm down and looked around.

The room wasn’t exactly a holding cell. It looked more like some kind of storage room that had been repurposed to hold her. Wooden crates and sealed containers were stacked along the walls, leaving only a small open area around her.

No windows.

One door.

And currently, no one else inside.

Her thoughts immediately went to her parents.

Please be okay.

The last thing she remembered was Daniel knocking them unconscious.

They should still be alive.

At least, she hoped they were.

Then her thoughts shifted to Victor.

Her stomach tightened.

After everything they’d been through together, she’d thrown it aside because she’d been too impatient to wait.

The doorknob suddenly moved.

Lyra’s head snapped up.

The door slowly opened.

A man stepped inside.

A snake mask covered his face.

Lyra froze.

She recognized him.

She’d seen that mask before.

The meat market.

Lyra’s expression changed.

No...

This wasn’t just the Graveborn family holding her hostage.

She was in the hands of the Evil God Organization.

That was much worse.

Snake Mask closed the door behind him.

"Ah, good morning, sunshine."

His voice carried an almost playful tone.

"I see you’ve had a good nap."

Lyra said nothing.

She simply stared at him.

"Oh, you don’t have to be like that, sweetheart."

Snake Mask walked farther into the room.

"I’ll tell you what. This will be a lot easier for you if you do more talking."

He tilted his head.

"And you’ve already learned about doing things the hard way, haven’t you?"

Lyra glared at him before lowering her eyes.

She wasn’t going to give him anything.

Snake Mask watched her.

"Looks like we’re doing this the hard way."

He stopped in front of her.

"So, obviously, we know you’re from the Sanctuary."

Lyra’s expression didn’t change.

"And even more obviously, we know Victor brought you out."

He leaned slightly closer.

"But now comes the interesting question."

His eyes narrowed through the mask.

"Why?"

Lyra remained silent.

"Why were both of you inside the Sanctuary? And how did you leave?"

Nothing.

Snake Mask continued.

"Entering or leaving the Sanctuary at a rank above Body Tempering is supposed to be impossible."

He paused.

"But Victor clearly found a way."

His voice lowered.

"How?"

Lyra kept her mouth shut.

Snake Mask studied her for several seconds.

Then, rather than becoming angry, he gave a quiet laugh.

"You know what I find interesting about Victor?"

Lyra’s eyes lifted despite herself.

Snake Mask noticed.

"He keeps doing things he shouldn’t be able to do."

There was something different in his voice now.

Interest.

Almost admiration.

"He disappears into a place that has killed nearly everyone we’ve ever sent inside. Six months later, he walks back out stronger than before."

He began slowly pacing in front of her.

"His cultivation improves. His alchemy changes. His fighting changes."

Snake Mask chuckled softly.

"He really is fascinating."

The word sounded wrong coming from him.

Not because it was mocking.

Because he meant it.

Snake Mask stepped closer.

"So understand something, Lyra. I’m not asking these questions because I enjoy hearing myself talk."

He reached into his clothes and pulled out a dagger.

"I want to know what happened to him in there."

The blade caught what little light existed in the room.

"What did he find?"

Another step.

"Who did he meet?"

Another.

"And how did he get back out?"

He stopped directly in front of her.

"Those are the things I care about."

Lyra stared at him.

Then looked away.

Snake Mask sighed.

The dagger rose until its edge rested against her throat.

"Come now."

Cold metal pressed against her skin.

"Do we really have to do this the hard way?"

His voice remained almost gentle.

"It would be so much easier if you talked now."

He paused.

The blade pressed a fraction closer.

Lyra’s breathing slowed.

Snake Mask waited.

Then he lowered the dagger.

For one brief moment, Lyra thought he might step away.

Instead, he took her hand.

Lyra immediately tried to pull back.

Snake Mask examined her fingers almost thoughtfully.

Then—

Pain tore through her hand.

Lyra screamed.

Her entire body jerked against the restraints as Snake Mask ripped away one of her fingernails.

Her breath came in short, ragged bursts.

Snake Mask didn’t say anything.

He simply waited.

That somehow made it worse.

When Lyra still didn’t answer, his hand moved to another finger.

"No—"

Another burst of pain.

Lyra screamed again.

Snake Mask released her hand.

"That’s two."

His voice was calm.

He looked at her trembling fingers.

"You have eight more."

Lyra clenched her teeth.

"Then toes."

He crouched slightly so they were closer to eye level.

"And after that, we’ll have to become creative."

Lyra glared at him through watering eyes.

"Speak."

Her breathing remained ragged.

"How did you leave the Sanctuary?"

Silence.

"What secrets is Victor hiding?"

Nothing.

Snake Mask stared at her.

His head tilted slightly.

"Interesting."

Lyra’s expression tightened.

Snake Mask laughed quietly.

He began pacing again.

"I wonder what it could be."

He seemed genuinely absorbed by the question.

Then he smiled beneath the mask.

His fist suddenly slammed into her stomach.

Lyra folded forward as much as the restraints allowed.

Blood sprayed from her mouth.

She coughed violently, struggling to breathe.

Snake Mask stood over her.

"Talk."

Lyra slowly raised her head.

Blood ran from the corner of her mouth.

"You can do whatever you want to me."

Snake Mask went still.

Lyra stared directly into the eyes behind the mask.

"But I will never tell you anything."

Her voice shook from the pain, but she continued.

"You can cut off my fingers. Rip out my tongue. Tear off every nail on my hands and feet."

She swallowed.

"You can gouge out my eyes."

Lyra’s glare hardened.

"But even then, I can promise you one thing."

Snake Mask stared at her.

"You’ll learn nothing."

Silence filled the room.

For several seconds, Snake Mask simply watched her.

Then something changed in his eyes.

"You really believe that."

Lyra said nothing.

"Hm."

He looked down at the dagger.

"I’ve met people like you before."

His thumb slowly ran along the flat of the blade.

"People who decide they’ll die before they betray someone."

He looked back at her.

"The mistake they make is assuming they’re the only person who can be hurt."

Lyra froze.

Snake Mask noticed immediately.

He smiled.

"Your parents are still at the Graveborn estate, aren’t they?"

Lyra’s stomach dropped.

Snake Mask stepped closer.

"And then there’s Victor."

His voice became quieter.

"You care about him quite a bit."

Lyra forced herself not to react.

Snake Mask gave a soft laugh.

"There are always other ways."

Lyra’s hands curled as much as the restraints allowed.

"If you touch either of them—"

"There you are."

Snake Mask sounded almost delighted.

Lyra stopped.

Another mistake.

He leaned toward her.

"That’s the problem with caring about people, sweetheart."

His voice was almost sympathetic.

"They give everyone else somewhere to put the knife."

Lyra stared at him with pure hatred.

Snake Mask straightened.

"Don’t worry."

The playful edge slowly returned to his voice.

"You’ll talk."

He turned toward the door.

"Maybe not today."

His hand settled on the handle.

"Maybe not tomorrow."

He glanced back.

"But eventually, I’ll find the right question."

A pause.

"Or the right person to ask it with."

Lyra’s face went pale.

Snake Mask opened the door.

"Get some rest."

Then he left.

The door closed behind him.

Lyra was alone again.

Her breathing remained uneven as she stared at the door.

Pain pulsed through her fingers and stomach. Blood coated the inside of her mouth.

She lowered her head.

She knew she’d done this to herself.

Every decision she’d made had led her here.

But knowing that didn’t change the one thought that kept forcing its way into her mind.

Victor.

Lyra closed her eyes.

For the first time since she’d left the apartment, she stopped trying to convince herself that she could fix everything alone.

There was nothing she could do now.

Nothing except endure.

And hope.

Victor...

Her hands trembled against the restraints.

Please.

She could only hope he would find her.