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Timothy and his friends, now united with Torque, followed indoors. Torque guided them through the passages, entering an extensive lobby of stillness.

The lobby didn't have a single life in it. And nobody lingered behind the main counter. "Empty, as I predicted. We'll use the elevators not to squander time."

With Torque in governance, they consented without many arguments but continued being observant of any signs of her backstabbing them. However, her reasoning for aiding them was more plausible, and they had nothing to fear in their current shape.

They sped in front of the elevator, but it was too diminutive for them to use, "Why is this elevator so undersized in such a monumental building? There's not enough space for five people!" Inquired Tarot, looking at the appliance to handle the elevator with regulators on each end of the door's corner. "But it *can* hold three people at most. Let's just bust up into two units. One will use the elevator, preferably the ones keen to fight and who'll arrive at the battleground first, while the other three who aren't in "excellent" condition use the stairs."

Timothy agreed with Torque's notion and devised their position, "I'll use the elevator with Torque, Chiaki, and Tarot. She's the one who understands Erembour the most. Trinity's situation isn't great because of the injury. She should keep Cassidy next to her as protection and Ayuka in case something goes horribly wrong."

Their course got set into motion, and upon dividing into two groups, Torque's party would soon come to a "dead zone" for which their obstacle awaited.

-

Erembour and Candel entered the section in which they had Aurora crucified. The ropes motionlessly tightened around Aurora's wrists and ankles. She was earning some of her consciousness, but the fuzzled thoughts about what transpired still drummed through her sense.

"Lovely, you roused up, dear Katherine. How was your bedtime? And, have you had enough time to overlook the crises you're in right now? I surely hope you did. Truthfully, I "invite" you to do so as I shall proceed with the final trial." Katherine's eyes became unsteady, and she became light-headed because of the weakened state she was in at the present time.

"Final... trial? W-What do you mean? Wh-What will you do to me?" She spoke with a throaty voice because of her inner heartache and lengthy exhaustion that dragged itself outside and exposed itself to the others. "Remarkable. She certainly *is* dense and doesn't acknowledge she's about to rue coming into *my* world." Erembour stood before Aurora, maintaining his arms behind him and grinning while scrutinizing her in the eyes.

"Let me describe, Katherine. Have you ever asked yourself why Dr. Ashura selected you as his test subject? It's because he foretold the future. The future in which you would meet a "rare" heart — the rarest breed in the world — a relative of the "Holy Light" herself. His experience with the gods in his past life drove him to a judgment. He planned to prove to the world that the divinities of our world are nothing but monsters. They are daredevils and detest valueless lives in our world. They care *not* about the human heart. So, he vowed to the world to create a toxin to massacre even a god. He chose that path because the world's security was counterproductive."

While he uttered to her, he neared her without dismissing his smile, "His ability to foreknow the future steered him into a path that once in the next 50 years, a foe would arouse deep from out of nowhere. He forged the toxin but fell to create the one item he had hoped for. However, he was lucky I was born because I plan to do what my father couldn't. And with a long-awaited opportunity to capture you, it finally happened. I captured you. And with you in my presence — the first ever test subject — I shall seed this toxin into your body. If you don't agree with my demand, I will torture you."

He stepped before Aurora, noticing dread and horror in her trembling eyes, "But to ensure you don't kick back and somehow ravage the stimulant, I will give you a "shocking" beginning." He reached out to the side and reaped a rod into his clasp. "Prepare to go through utter hell." The rod he grabbed had a high-voltage build inside its construction. It zapped the blue electricity at the tip, reflecting and flashing inside Aurora's sharp gaze. "Let's get down to business."

"N-No. Y-You, don't need to do something like that. J-Just use the toxin! I-I won't resist! I promise!" Erembour halted in his tracks, "Oh? Come on? Why would you want to avoid some fun? Don't you want to "experience" something else than only death? If we go through this little game of zapping, surely you'd be more entertained. Why lose hope anyway? There are still people who could come and rescue you from dying?"

Aurora closed her eyes, responding with a whispery voice, "Because they don't know where I am. Even if they find and save me, there's no cure to obliterate the infection. I'd rather die now than wait another few days and suffer. It's probably for the best if you do it now. You don't need to use torture." Erembour laughed at her disappointing personality, "Have you thought? What if I want to decimate your body for my own satisfaction? That's a possibility."

When those words were said aloud, Aurora looked at Erembour and the lance in his hand and felt an even greater horror than before.

She watched Erembour walk in front of her while her eyes quivered in disbelief and unrelenting terror. She felt the rod's tip touch her belly beneath her t-shirt.

And the next second, her heart raced in her chest. It was the beating heart of what she'd soon experience: torment, misery, anxiety, and pain she would not forget. She couldn't even describe the electricity's voltage. Would it be mortal, or would it only be detrimental?

And in the heeded second, the electricity flashed around the chamber.

Aurora screamed with an unignorable sense of discomfort and dread as she felt her internal body getting electrocuted from the outside, sending the heating currents of electricity flitting through her veins and harming her organs. She couldn't endure the pain. It forced her eyes to shake in horrible pain while her body instinctively tried to loosen, desiring to tear itself off the cross.

For some time more, the sound of her screaming could be heard echoing throughout the chamber.

-

Timothy, Torque, and Tarot sped through a long hallway, "Damn it! Where is Aurora?! We've been running through the tower like morons!" They exchanged views, "Stop shouting. She should be through that door in front of us."

He couldn't wait any longer and looked into the door Torque pointed at and at the end of the hallway. He dashed to the entrance, slammed his shoulders into it, and stormed into the chamber as he ran full speed past everyone "Aurora! We're here!"

And then...

He went silent...

To be continued...