𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐘 ― d. grayson ¹

⤿ nineteen

She was given another break and a tray of water. She hadn't thought of how thirsty she was until the first drop fell into her tongue, a reflex shot up to her brain, making it ask for more, anything to help their situation. She gulped down the entire thing, cleaning her mouth with the back of her hand, only to lick the trails of moisture left.

"Phase two was not successful. What temperature did we reach?" Their tone was dry, unbothered by the mess that kneeled not too far away. She glared at the woman next to the doctor, daring her to blurt out the temperature she was put through.

"Six hundred and fifty degrees, higher than any home oven, sir."

Robin cried out in desperation, not believing her ears. There was no way she could still be alive. She reached for the bars, screaming with despair at the pair, "you monsters! You're crazy, let me go!" Her arms began shaking the bars, feeling like she could snap the metal in half and escape.

The doctor stared at her for a second before turning back to the notebook at hand, crossing off whatever was written in there. Whispers filled the room, filling her senses like a distant flying mosquito, too far to swat away, having to deal with its annoying noise. She covered her ears, teeth grinding together in struggle.

But the doctor's voice came clear to her. "Move on to phase three, physical contact. Let's see how she likes it."

Not giving her time to prepare, the heat raised once more, reaching last phase's similar point. Artemisia squirmed in her cage, unsure of what to expect. She just remained on the move, avoiding any factor that could touch her. Her legs trembled, in fact, she suspected every inch of her being was shaking uncontrollably. This strange environment could kill anyone, yet she barely displayed an effect.

It was clear to her that this was not a work of her own. She'd have to thank Diana if she were to survive this torture. With her spirit's force was she able to face this menace, which left her physique ruined, for it was Robin's carcass that endured all the pain. She shut her lids, forcing them to remain closed as the wave of magical energy raved across her veins, reaching her core.

Taking her distraction as an advantage, one of the men surrounding the cage approached the fire that had been suffocated her for the past two hours. He held in his grasp, a metal pole, which he neared to the flames until the dark surface turned vivid orange. With a hard thrust into the cage, the pole poked her skin, which drizzled under the hot touch, the sound paining more than anything.

Artemisia let out a devastating cry, feeling her vocal cords tear, a slight taste of blood brushing her taste buds. She shoved her torso forward, clutching onto her waist as sobs escaped her mouth. She was a mess, both mentally and physically. They had put her through so much, her mind could barely register when one torture finished, and when a new one started. To her, it was never-ending pain.

Her waist still burnt as though the living metal still touched her delicate skin. All the muscles around that area started to throb, spreading to the tip of her fingers. She collided with the ground, not able to fight her eyes closing.

And that's when she lost control.

Perhaps the blaring alarms were because she had exploded, quite literally. A burst of energy had expanded from her silhouette, washing through the entire room, letting out all the absorbed heat throughout the last hours. Both the doctor and assistant now laid on the floor, unconscious, with minor burns.

There was no recollection on her brain of this, for she was seeing something else, the cause of her sudden burst. She stood before a crimson tunnel, the hellish glow brushing on her skin, making her feel just a slight sample of what awaited inside. Sadness, to a point where her lips curled down, anger, her fists clenched to a side, remorse, for every mistake she did and affected those around her.