First Lesson

All of us step on a white platform, which travels across Hell to bring us to our destination. We don't talk on the way, maybe because of the fact that we didn't know each other much yet. Eventually, we arrive in another white room with chairs, and a whiteboard, Sylvera already sitting in one of the chairs. Had she always been the only student there?

Whatever. I take a seat in front of Sylvera, Marionette and Halsten sitting to the side of me. The door opens, with a middle-aged looking man coming into the class. He had a goatee, with a silver moustache and silver hair. 

"Good morning, class, I'm Mr. Branform, but you shall refer to me as sir, and sir only, are we clear?" he says. His voice sounds like that of an old man's, which I'm guessing he is.

"Yes, sir," says everyone in the class in a blank tone. I see we have new students. The first time after so long!" he says, while chuckling. 

I raise my hand. "Excuse me, sir, what happened to the other students in the class?' I ask.

Mr. Branform smiles. "Dead. All killed by angels on missions." I gulp. Halsten and Marionette, however, seem excited for some reason. "They get to go on missions?!" exclaims Halsten in an outraged tone.

"Now, now, you'll get your chance, laddie, but for now, let's not leave dear Sylvera alone, shall we?" I look at Sylvera, who is lowering her head. Did she have friends that perished? How did she feel after that? I have so many questions, none of them I am willing to ask.

"Anyway, just introduce yourself, the emotion you reside over, more about it, and your battle style. These will help me to teach you easier," says Mr. Branform, pulling out a notebook and pen. Halsten volunteers first.

"I'm Halsten, residing over the emotion Pride, giving me access to light-based powers. I can't transform other things into light to deliver lightspeed attacks, but if I focus hard enough, I can concentrate a high amount of light into the beam, making it able to decimate anything in the way. Other than that, I'm a physical-type fighter, and I don't use much of my actual power." Halsten then takes a seat.

"I'm next!" says Marionette, who goes up to the front of the class. "Just call me Marionette, or Marie, depending on what you like. I reside over the emotion of Lust, which gives me blood-based based attacks. I like to stab stuff!" She summons a blood knife in her hand, which she throws up in the air and catches. "I use stabbing attacks, and also long-range attacks!" 

"Thank you, Marie. Next?" I then go to the front of the class. "Uhm...Hi. I'm Ethan Lector. I don't know which idiot named me after a goddamn  cannibal, but I kinda like it. I...uh...reside over the emotion of Emptiness, giving me antimatter-based attacks. I can't really control it that much, as I literally  just got this power, because I'm a hybri-"

A black knife flies towards me, of which I catch between my palms. I didn't react to it, catching the knife was just a muscle memory. Mr. Branform tilts his head. That bozo threw a knife at me! 

"Interesting. Demonic physical prowess hasn't seemed to fully set in yet, but you're still able to dodge attacks like that. Fascinating..." he says as he jots down on a notebook.

"Is that even allowed?" I ask, throwing the knife away.

"Yes. Matter of fact, I am permitted to attack you in any time in class, to train you to keep your guard up. Now, Sylvera?" Sylvera then goes up to the front of the class.

"Hello, I'm Sylvera, residing over the emotion of Apathy, giving me ice-like powers. I generally serve as a support/main attacker of a team. I use ice-based attacks for whatever I feel is required in the moment," says Sylvera before sitting down. Such a simple explanation. Is this because she didn't want us to know her general attack patterns? If so, then she probably doesn't trust us.

Mr. Branform claps his hands. "Alright! Welcome, class. I'm going to be your homeroom teacher and your Torture I and II teacher. So, can anyone in this class, and I mean the new students, the very essence of torture?"

Halsten raises his hand. "As a way of relieving stress."

Marie raises her hand. "As a way of punishment and managing bloodlust!"

I raise my hand. "As a way of extracting information."

"Good, good!" says Mr. Branform, while writing all that we just said on the whiteboard in a fraction of a second. "Now, in Torture, we'll learn about the many ways that you can do such things. But, before that, we'll split you all into groups of two.

Now...Halsten and Sylvera will make Group 1, and Ethan and Marie will make Group 2. Now, both groups will be responsible of one sinner, which will be yours to torture however you please. Now, after you break said victim, your groups will change! So, mind sitting in your groups?"

Halsten moves his chair next to Sylvera's table, and I move my chair next to Marie's table. "I'd like to see a practical test of how you all torture victims to get a true gauge of your skill and style." Mr. Branform moves the whiteboard, revealing a door. He opens the door, revealing two other doors with a big 1 and 2 above each, which I presume that each group will cover.

"Well? Go on, then!" All of us head towards our respective rooms.

~~~

Marie and I enter a room, which had another room with a woman strapped down to a table, visible by a two-way mirror. There is a tablet on the floor, with the sinner's information on it. Wonder if Sylvera has information about my past...

"Marie, I'm kinda new to all of this, so...How does this all work?" I ask. 

"I'll just summon the tools, then we'll get to work! Who goes first? Ooh! Rock-paper-scissors!" Marie wins. "Yaaaay!" She rushes putting on some latex gloves, then walks inside. I skim the tablet.

SINNER: PAULA MENTSON

CRIME/SINS: GLUTTONY-OF COMPANY EARNINGS, SLOTH-REFUSAL TO WORK FOR OWN MONEY, GREED/BETRAYAL-SOLD OUT HER FRIENDS FOR MORE MONEY TO LOAN SHARKS, AND PRIDE-BELIEVES THAT SHE IS THE TOP OF THE WORLD/TOP IN THE BUSINESS CHAIN.

HYBRID CONFIRMATION: CONFIRMED. NOT A HYBRID.

I put on the gloves, and head in the room.

~~~

As soon as I get in, I can already see Marie working on her. She's already removed all of her fingers, toes, and is currently beating Paula's face into a pulp. 

"Jeez, save some for me! At least something, now, huh?" I try to talk to her, but Marie seems like she's lost in the zone. She's grinning widely, her short, white hair stained with a scarlet red.

"Ahahaha! So, sinner, have you learnt your lesson yet?" Marie snaps her fingers, and the wounds on the sinner heals. She holds a scalpel over her eye.

"What would happen if my finger were to...slip?" she says, in a low tone, before embedding the scalpel within her eyelid, and in one quick motion, scoop the eyeball out and sever it from the head. This causes the woman to scream in agony, while Marie just eats the eyeball and laughing maniacally.

"Mhmm...Delicious~ If only I had more time to marinate the eyeball, though...Haha!" she says, while tracing her finger across her cheek. I can't help but realize, that's a really refined technique. How long had she been training this? How many victims had she tortured? How many-

All of a sudden, I'm struck with a thought. Why am I wondering about this? This isn't normal-No. What normality?

"What normality, indeed?" wondered the woman. "Is what I am doing truly right, or...wrong? What should I do?!" Piles of dead bodies surrounded her, and me. I simply stroke her cheek. "Don't worry," I remember saying, a wide grin on my face. "You did excellent."

A scream could be heard from the pile of dead bodies. Oh. A victim was still alive. I drag him from the pile, all battered and bloody. Then, I take out a knife, handing it to the woman. "Here. Use it however you like."

The woman grinned. "This...this is my life now, huh? Yes, it is!" She made a small incision on his left forearm, then started to flay him alive, one by one....

I snap back to reality, with Marie snapping her fingers in front of my eyes. "Wake up, stupid! I'm done!" she says, blood still on her face. I walk to the victim, my hands a little shaky, almost as if I can't figure out what to do, but I need to do it-

Instinct. Trust your instincts, Ethan.

I take a deep breath in. A scalpel lies in front of me. I know what I have to do, but I-no. I will do it.

"Scalpel, please," I say, in a shaky breath.