1st scene: The boy in the dark room

The man struggled to scream as blood spurted out of his leg, but only an agonizing moan passed through the wood gag.

“Boy, get me the potion” – said a masked figure barely illuminated by the candle lights while tightening the ropes that tied the man to the table.

“Ah!”

The boy, perhaps fourteen, trembled uncontrollably and almost let the flask fall. He had done it a couple of times, but it was impossible to get used to the feeling. He opened the flask and poured the light green liquid over a piece of cloth, careful not to breathe it.

“You always take too long”

The masked master took the cloth from his hands and pressed it over the agonizing man´s face. It didn´t take long for the pained groan to become faint. A potion with the power to make men sleep or even see things. It was made from the green devil´s flower, his master had told him, and it could lessen the pain.

“Take a look at his wound, Athen”

His master ordered in a cold tone. Athen approached, but still feared it. The red liquid poured out slowly in a dark colour since a tourniquet was made to stop the bleeding.

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“It´s dark… come closer and tell me what else you see”

Even though he hated the smell of blood, he approached as he was told and looked with his face half turned away.

“So? What do you see?”

His master pressured him, but he still didn´t know what he meant. He saw a wound, nothing more.

“It is… deep”

He raised his hand to cover his mouth trying not to vomit. The smell of blood is far from pleasant.

“And?”

He couldn´t think of nothing else. However, that man wasn´t the first to come with such a thing is his leg, even if the first he was so close to.

“He can´t keep the leg… we have to take it out quickly or else he is going to die…”

The physician gave a nod, maybe pleased with the answer. Athen´s eyes got wide in terror when his master took a blade, a saw, and gave it to him.

“You are going to take his leg out. Don´t panic, I´m going to help you, but it is better if we do it while he is asleep…”

“I can´t!”

“Lower your voice... You can and will do it. As I said, I´m going to assist you”

Athen took the saw into his hands, but his mind resisted until his master pressed the handle over his hands. His grip tightened. It was going to take all his courage, even if to do it while in tears.

The saw ripped the skin and got deeper, tearing all the flesh. The movement sent blood flying to his face and arms and he almost stopped, thinking the bone was too hard from him.

“We can´t stop in the middle...”

His master was calm, way too calm for him to feel at ease. Still, the physician´s grip over his hand kept him going. It barely took a feel minutes and he knew that, but it felt like a small eternity.

“You can go… rest and meet me tomorrow”

Athen couldn´t take his eyes from the severed leg while taking a few steps away. He stumbled and almost fell, but the moment his mind recovered, he ran out of the room without looking back. He just wanted to go back home.