It didn't take long until Orpheus waltzed into the torturing chamber, bringing with him a familiar scent. Amadeus recognized it as the one Inga, the woman in his chambers had had.

"I pray for your sake that this is something important, Uzbec," Orpheus remarked as he rolled his eyes around the chamber.

Uzbec glanced at him before looking back at Amadeus with observant eyes. "More important than whatever you were doing."

Orpheus snorted and then looked at Amadeus as well. "I see you've gotten somewhere with this one. Any information?"

They spoke like Amadeus couldn't hear them. Good.

"No," Uzbec answered bluntly.

"Really?" Orpheus almost sounded impressed as he looked at Amadeus' amputated foot, stabbed hand, broken toes and peeled skin.

"He seems trained."

"Then why am I here?"

"He said he'd talk to you. I thought it was a good opportunity."

Orpheus sighed and put his hands behind his back before settling in front of Amadeus. "Well? Talk."

"...not trained." Amadeus struggled to speak.

"What?" Orpheus asked.

Uzbec stood up and came to pour some water down his throat before he could repeat.

"I'm not trained," Amadeus said with a cough.

"Then you're quite the natural," Orpheus complimented with a mocking undertone.

"No. Not a natural." Amadeus shook his head slightly, the weakness in his body making every movement a sluggish effort. "Pain is nothing for a man tortured by his emotions. You don't remember, do you?"

"He's rambling," Orpheus said and turned to leave. "Inform me when you have something useful."

"Look at me!" Amadeus roared out with a violent movements movement against his binds. He saw Orpheus twitch just slightly and smiled. Orpheus turned with embarrassed rage, but Amadeus simply continued. "...when I speak to you."

The Orpheus began stomping in his direction. "You wretched little—" Uzbec stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Orpheus did so begrudgingly, but then threw on a fake smile and laughed it off, wagging his finger at Amadeus. "Aah, I see what you tried there." His face went straight and his eyes turned dark. "It won't work. You're alive as long as Uzbec thinks he'll get something out of you."

Amadeus remained unfazed and moved his head around to relieve the strain in his neck. He responded casually, "You really are one dumb piece of shit." Uzbec raised his brows in reaction, seemingly impressed. "But what can be expected from an inbred, spoiled brat." Amadeus' words faded towards the end. It was what he wanted to say and why he had gotten Orpheus to come down, but maybe he'd crossed the line.

Suddenly Orpheus was no longer a comfortable distance away and Amadeus was choking. Orpheus was a large man and looked all the larger standing next to the chair and glaring down as he squeezed his grip on Amadeus' throat. "Say that again," he seethed.

'I would if I could," Amadeus thought despite his face turning red and his body starting to convulse.

He looked at Uzbec who observed Orpheus with interest.

"Look at me!" Orpheus' scream shook him and he turned his attention to see himself mimicked further. "...when I choke you." Orpheus laughed at his own shitty joke, but didn't stop choking Amadeus.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Amadeus started seeing black, but he couldn't pass out. If he didn't get Orpheus to come down again, he would surely die. That's why he had to squeeze it out. "You killed... them."

"I've killed quite a few people," Orpheus laughed, relieving some pressure, but only enough that Amadeus could take short gasps. Then he shook Amadeus by his throat with a grin. "You'll have to be a little more specific."

"My... parents."

"I did, did I?" Orpheus asked with a frenzied look. Then he let go and Amadeus erupted into a fit of coughs. But right after, Orpheus hit him in the face. Amadeus' head hit the back of the chair and was dazed, but he could still feel the following blows.

"Well... I... don't... care," Orpheus said in between hits. Then he got close again and held Amadeus' head tight. "I don't care a out your fucking peasant parents. I mean seriously why does everybody expect me to care? They're fucking peasants! There are millions of them. Their lives have no meaning! They're the very definition of insignificance!"

Amadeus looked at the blurry image of that despicable murderer as the taste of blood lingered in his mouth and wondered why his parents were dead while he was alive. He wanted some even slightly plausible reasoning that could justify it, but he found none.

"Your parents mean less than nothing to me. Fuck you. I own this world." Orpheus spat in his face before taking one hand off his face and getting ready to bash his face in.

"Wait." Uzbec stopped him. Orpheus backed off with a scowl. Uzbec walked in front of Amadeus and observed his state.

Amadeus just felt numb, wanting this part to be over, so he could return to the proper torture.

"He has a grudge against you," Uzbec said to Orpheus.

"Oh? How did you figure that out?" Orpheus asked, the definition of sarcasm.

"Idiot," Uzbec said, his gaze darkening still as he turned away from Amadeus to talk to Orpheus. "Why would he want you here."

"To aggravate me obviously," Orpheus scoffed.

"No. He's a professional. Everything he does has a purpose," Uzbec complimented monotonously.

'I was wondering when they'd figure that much out,' Amadeus thought with sluggish amusement.

Then Uzbec turned back to him with eerie intelligence in his view. "Do you recognize that birthmark?" Orpheus moved to Uzbec's side to look and furrowed his brows. "I thought it might've been hidden just to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention, but now..." Uzbec scratched Amadeus' cheek and brought his hand back with some dried salve under his fingernail. "High quality. I think it had another purpose entirely."

Amadeus felt his heartbeat rise as Orpheus watched him. And it rose ever still as he saw Orpheus begin to remember.

"I see." A grin grew on his face. Then he looked at Uzbec. "He threw a rock through the window of my carriage some years ago. I'm pretty sure I put my hand through his mother in response."

'Pretty sure?' Amadeus seethed at the words.

Uzbec was unamused, thinking. He looked down at Amadeus. "You wanted us to know this."

"Perhaps he wanted closure." Orpheus laughed. "What good that did him."

"No, he wants to die." Uzbec scratched at his beard. And walked around Amadeus' chair. "His grudge suggests he was sent to spy because he wanted to do it rather than because of his skills. He's telling us he isn't capable enough to have any information. The liveD might as well have sought him out and sent him straight here. Hell, it might've been an ally of his. As far as we know, I could be wasting my time on a man with a grudge instead of a valued member of whatever the liveD is."

Orpheus tilted his head, looking at Amadeus who stared at him cursing him in his mind. "You want to die, do you? But you're far too young."

"I don't know anything," Amadeus said, his tone low.

"No. I think you do," Orpheus said like a disapproving parent. He looked at Uzbec. "He brought me here so that I would arrive at that conclusion. I want you to keep prying away at him." Uzbec nodded, seemingly having had the same thought. "Playtime is over. I want to know exactly who these saboteurs of my business are." Orpheus looked to have finished and turned to leave. Every step was like a stomp to Amadeus' ears.

'No. That can't be it. It can't!' He felt his heartbeat in his skull and started to go into a panic.

But then, to his own stupidity, Orpheus turned back again. "Oh, I heard some screaming out of here. This place isn't meant for torture. Well... your kind of torture. I suspect it'll take a while to break him. Take him to your base."

As planned. Amadeus reminded himself to not try his luck again. Asking more from the world could only end badly

"What if we're intercepted in a rescue attempt?" Uzbec asked.

'Say that it won't happen, you nonchalant bastard. Call me worthless," Amadeus thought as he glared at Orpheus.

"You won't. You'll be sent out with merchants. Even if someone's watching, they won't even know you left."

Amadeus' soul sank. And right as Orpheus was going out, he spoke even thought he shouldn't have. Just an omen of what was coming, so that he could see Orpheus' facade that would crumble as Aurelius slaughtered his forces.

"The liveD will kill you."

Orpheus stopped and turned only halfway to look at him. "When I am, death is not, and when death is, I am not. You on the other hand... are already dead." He turned back with a satisfied smile and walked out of the room.

Orpheus was right. He just didn't know how. But more than that, unbeknownst to him, there was a world of pain between life and death. He would find that out soon enough.