Humiliated

"What are we supposed to do with them?"

Tem could hear someone's voice echoing across the space. She compared it to a powerful, resonant, instantly recognizable voice spoken inside a cathedral.

As she listened to the dialogue in the shadows, she was unable to open her eyes or determine her location.

"In our hands are two of the most dazzling blood vessels," the second voice stated, "these two young women will, in the future, possess two of the most rarest bodies ever created. We'll have the chance to create the perfect potion at last. The drug that would eventually persuade everyone that I am the world's top scientist."

Tem's vision began to come back. Two men were standing in front of each other in a circle room when her eyes slowly started to slowly wake up from the darkness to a brighter room.

"Ah, she's finally waking up."

Every time she blinked, the man in the green clothes got a little bit closer until he stood just in front of her face, staring into her crystal blue eyes.

As soon as she could feel the man's head being raised much closer for him to gaze at her, she could literally feel his foul breath entering her nose and lips.

"Wh-Where am I...?" a typical response to discovering oneself somewhere new. She felt her own head slipping out of his palm as she watched him walk away from her. He reached for what appeared to be another needle that was being charged by a mysterious black electrical surge.

She discovered that she was shackled to the chair when she lowered her view to reveal her body. All she could see was her maiden dress gradually falling down her arms, exposing her bra and the skin on her shoulders.

"I've heard that you've caused the "Sun's Order" soldiers quite a bit of trouble," he said, "you beat Garuda rather hard, and I must say that no regular person could have touched him so easily before. You truly are a gift from the divine to me and to this island. You are the ideal choice to be the last constituent for my elixir."

The man moved back in front of her, picked up a wet napkin, and slowly started to rub it onto the wound.

The wound she suffered from Gabi's needle.

Its surroundings were cleaned of the viscous liquid like butter. She slowly felt her nerves return as though the influence had been fully neutralized by the water. She finally had the ability to flex her muscles to the point where she could move her arm.

She still couldn't make her mind straight. "Just tell me... Where... I am..."

"You're still in the room where I put all of my test subjects within the castle." Tem's head trembled in shock as she quickly came to her senses as a result of his comments. Her face grew enraged as she suddenly recognized the two individuals standing before them.

"Muro... Kizu..." she shouted out in astonishment, "What the hell did you do to Yumi?! Where is she? And what the hell are you doing to me?"

She made an attempt to break free, but the chains appeared to be impeding her movement. There was nothing she could have done, not even make a small flame. It nullified her aura, as if she had forgotten how to use her own skills, something close to a lost memory.

"Relax, would you. We're only taking you for a ride to test some minor blood requirements. Your blood is extremely fascinating, I do love to say that. Really, that won't take very long. Don't move, then, or I might hurt you, so be good."

Tem noticed Muro approaching her from the table and acting like a surgeon.

He prepared the needle as he approached her pristine shoulder. She could detect an odd energy emanating from the tip of it, resembling a steady vibration through the ground.

She made an effort to get out of the way, but it was ultimately useless. The pain was intensified when the needle was injected into the same wound. Not to mention, the needle was considerably larger than any typical needles you could find at the doctor.

She could feel her life energy slowly draining into the needle like blood. She mutely murmured in anguish, making noises, and even forcibly turning her head away from the needle.

"What a lovely young body. That you were once a boy shocked me. I can't imagine the day coming when a man's blood is significantly more effective than a woman's... Or perhaps it's because your entire hormonal profile has changed to that of a woman. Perhaps that explains why it works so well."

Tem's anguish increased as a result of the needle being purposefully pulled out of her shoulder. Her face had begun to progressively grow tired; lifeless, where Muro stepped back to the table. Her life force would deteriorate and get worse every time she was tested or had her blood taken.

"Tell me..." she could hardly speak correctly, "What did you... What did you do to Yumi...?"

"What did I do to her? What, do you think that I would harm my most valuable clientele in some way, lethally?"

Tem turned to face Muro, who was about to draw more blood samples from her while holding a pointed needle.

"Stop keeping me in the dark and tell me!" she shouted. Muro's breathy exhalations were overheard as he turned to face Kizu and called passionately for him.

"Kizu, would you bring Yumiko into the room? Please be careful; I don't want my patient to pass away so hastily. It would be a disgrace for my prestige."

Kizu entered the second room and raced to collect Yumiko, whose condition at the time was still unknown, despite the fact that he seemed to despise his job at the time.

After a brief period of silence, Muro slipped on the new gloves, and Kizu quickly arrived, taking Yumiko out of the room while firmly grasping her clothing.

Tem was utterly surprised to find her in such a state, covered with blood, scratches, and filth. She seemed weak and immobile, and could only assume one thing from that. It was obvious that while Tem was unconscious, something worse than death had occurred to her.

"Yumiko!"

She couldn't be bothered to call to her by her nick name. She merely saw a glimpse of Yumiko's body being shoved onto the ground in front of Tem's feet. She noticed tears in her eyes and knew she was terrified, more than that...

She was petrified...

"As you can see, I performed some "tests" on her body, but don't be alarmed—she is still alive."

She was unable to take her eyes off Yumiko. She realized that in a matter of minutes, her entire life had been spent in torment. Yumiko was bound by wrist chains and her body didn't budge an inch from the ground. Her mouth was barely movable, but her eyes were almost lifeless.

You couldn't even see pupils in them...

Yumiko continued to speak despite all of this, but her voice was as quiet as a whisper could be. Tem was unable to ignore her slight trembling or the fact that she was inconsolable.

"I'm... sorry... Tem... I... I wanted to... to... I just... wanted to prove... to you... that... that I can... I can-" She began to speak but was unable to finish it without crying even louder. "... fight by myself... in... in the end... all I could... do... is fail... my father... he was right..."

Tem's eyes started to shake once more. As soon as Kizu kicked Yumiko in the hips, Tem's eyes widened even more as she heard her painful scream becoming louder and more agonizingly.

"Stop it, now!!! You're hurting her more than you already did!"

Tem shouted loudly, but Kizu paid no attention to her and just kept kicking her relentlessly. It sounded like incessant traffic when Kizu's insteps struck Yumiko's hip, not stopping once.

"Why should I? For months, I hadn't had the opportunity to kick something so valuable to someone. Don't you realize how satisfying it is to see the backstabber be bashed around like a useless piece of rubbish discovered in the wild?

"She is a fool, and she has no right to live. Who cares about the blood when I just want this sobbing stray to perish among the other wretched residents of the area's homeless camps? Just pay attention to her."

His fingers were pressed into her forehead as he grasped her by the ponytail. He yanked her out by the neck like a cat would be grabbed.

"A rotten fish that lost its way to where she belonged!" he shouted, "Just like a baby, crying out loud to her daddy."

Tem fixed her gaze on Yumiko's face. Her eyes were shaking from the pain and how horribly she was being cared for, and it was covered in a torrent of tears.

It had the impression of being a withered flower that would never bloom again.

Tem became completely silent after Yumiko was compelled to talk out.

She heard... everything...

"I just... wanted to help them... the poor... my family... Is that too much to ask...? I just want... to have a normal life... but...

"... but my father is completely right... they are... completely right... I am hopeless... worthless... garbage... backstabber... I am all of that... but... d-does that really... mean... that all of this... s-should be happening... Tem... tell me...

"Tell me...

"I beg of you! Please!!!"

"Am... I really... only... good for others' pleasure... am I only good for this dumb blood... even I don't know... know why my blood is... this precious... after everything... I just don't see... how it would make sense... for me... to have... something... precious...

"I... just want to die..."

Tem was only able to cling on for so long. Yumiko wasn't simply a hindrance to others; she was also a hindrance to herself. It was a barrier she had to overcome.

"Please... Tem... Everybody else knows I'm worthless... so please, just admit it... I know you only came here to cure your friend's illness... and all I did was... put you in a live-or-die scenario... dragging you to a real hell... just look... all I did... all I did was put you in danger... because of my selfish reasons..."

"So... just say it... tell the truth... I'm a good-for-nothing... aren't I?"

"Yumiko... N-No you're..."

Before Tem could finish, her last request, Kizu threw his arm forward to slap Yumiko in the face and knock her to the ground before picking her back up and dragging her to the wall.

"Okay, enough of your irritating words..." Her arms were raised in the air by Kizu, who then hung her from the wall. Her frail, drooping, and worn-out body hung from the wall like a crucifix.

"We might need of her disposal. She isn't as important as she was before now that we have this new girl here." Muro asserted. He said while placing his arms on his hips: "I'll tell you what, we could make a doll out of her. That kind of material is highly sought for. She may be the ideal choice just because of how attractive she is."

Muro then softly slid his palm down her skin from the top of her body to her hips with his hairy arms.

"Wouldn't you agree, Temmy-girl?"

There were no words spoken. She was motionless on the chair, yet her presence sent a vibration across the entire space. Her back and shoulder wounds began to gradually heal as blue flames and a new shade of yellow gently engulfed themselves over her arms.

"Oh, I have a better idea... Have you heard of the saying: "What goes around comes around"? Because that's what people such as you receive."

She raised her head, revealing a serious expression, blue flames bursting from the top of her hair, and the brightest blue in her eyes.

Tem's body was soon completely set ablaze, as if she had entered a large, difficult-to-extinguish inferno and was only visible to the smoke and fire.

Slowly, the flames began to heat up in a catastrophic way, combining into the two brightest shades of blue, yellow, and illuminating the room's blackness with their luminosity.

She was able to use her ability once more despite the shackles keeping them from being liberated. Even Muro and Kizu were astonished, and the heat made it dangerous to approach.

"Yumiko... I understand why you'd feel that way about yourself after everything you've been put through, but not a single word you or them said is true.

"You have the largest meaning in this city for the people. Those who say otherwise are people who don't know what life's about.

"You weren't born to be a test subject, living trash or a pleasure machine... If it weren't for your hard work these people you want to save wouldn't have survived until now. Your role as a knightess to the island, heroine of this island is exactly what you are.

"It doesn't matter if you failed or win... In the end all that matters is the good deeds you've done for them. People who are looking up to you are always going to treasure you with their love, even in the future.

"People like these shouldn't deserve to live, even I can attest to that. Remember my promise to you? Well I tend to keep it and make it come true. You just hold on, because you're about to see what you wished for.

"The wish to see Muro defeated before your eyes will finally come true. You will watch him die, and I'll be the one to kill this psychopath! If it means dying in return, I will be more than glad for it to happen."

To be continued...