Without another word, the mistress opened the door and quickly left. With her gone, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She was definitely not happy over the fact he was interested in the undertaker path. Why did she hate that book so much? Why would she even give him that choice if she didn’t like it? Ryo wondered to himself as he looked at the chest across the room. Her reaction to his choice was something he had not expected. For some reason, he was even more adamant about picking the undertaker path. He would try in his own way to do whatever he could to mess with the plans she had for him. 

Pushing these thoughts aside, he stood up and walked over to the bookshelves, examining each one. They were all made from a coppery red wood that had a sweet fragrance to it. He could tell by the touch that these bookcases were old. They had probably been down here for ages, which excited him. Each one of them had books neatly arranged on the shelves, with a jewel, gem, or strange tool randomly placed in certain areas. Ryo ran his fingers down the bindings of books, feeling the different leathers and materials they were made from. There were probably hundreds of books in the room, which made him jealous. He hoped that one day he could have his own library one day. 

After he took it all end, he started to pull books off the shelves and flipped through them. Ryo just wanted to get a general understanding of what was in this room. It was impossible to read all these books in the time he was going to be here. He needed to pick out the books he was most interested in, and focus on them instead. As he flipped through the books, he learned that many of them talked about magic theory, spell crafting, mana control, meditation practices, potion-making, ancient languages, and even a few spellbooks! Very few of them seemed to be on more common subjects, such as history or math. The books here were also of much better quality than the ones in the cabin. And in a lot of regard were better than the books he had seen at his first master’s manor. 

He loved the smell and feel of each book; they were all so different in their own way. You could see how much hard work the authors and scribers put into making it. Sometimes a person’s entire life was dedicated to a single book. Years of invaluable knowledge was easily obtainable with a quick read. Maybe after he had traveled the world like Robert, he would write about it. 

Several hours passed, and he had not even gone through a quarter of the books in the room. He had started over not long ago, and formed a pile of books on the table he was interested in. Ryo wished that each book had a description at the front, so he could quickly see what the book was about. Instead of mindlessly flipping through it, trying to get a general sense of the book. To him it was just too time consuming, and probably not fair to the author. He could easily flip over important parts of the book, without even knowing. 

Ryo didn’t stop until his eyes burned and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his focus. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but guessed it was late into the night. In his excitement he had forgotten to eat dinner, which his stomach loudly protested about. But he was too tired to get food and decided best to lie down instead. It didn’t take long after climbing into bed for him to fall asleep.

***

Walking behind the personal attendant of the master, the two of them made their way down the spiral staircase beneath the manor. There was a feeling of impending doom in his chest, and his panic rose as he took each step. After they reached the bottom the two of them stood in front of a thick oak door, with metal reinforcements. The attendant pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and slowly opened it up. Turning to him, the attendant gestured for him to enter. Stepping inside the dimly lit room, Ryo watched as the attendant closed the door behind him. 

The room was sizable given it being underground and filled with chains, tables, and strange looking devices. Ryo could smell the thick stench of blood and decay in the room, which caused him to gag. At the opposite side of the room was the master, his back facing toward Ryo. He was hunched over a wooden working bench, focused on the work in front of him. 

“Lay down, face down, on the table over there.” The master ordered, pointing to a large wooden table with metal shackles on it. 

Ryo didn’t say a word and walked over to the table and did as the master instructed. He already knew when he came down here that this day would end in pain. There was no reason to try to escape the inevitable. Laying down on the table, he listened to the master walk over and begin locking his hands and feet into the shackles. Then he felt a metal bar on the back of his neck, making it impossible to move his head. Not long after, Ryo felt another bar lock into place around his waist. 

The master then hummed a slow song as he moved about the room. The tune echoed off the walls, creating an eerie harmony. Gradually it became louder until it was the only thing he could hear. Then an abrupt silence came over the room, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps on stone. The steps stopped beside him, Ryo struggled to see what was happening, but the shackles kept him in place. 

Then he felt something grab a hold of his tail and stretch it out. He gritted his teeth as he felt a sharp, searing pain from it. Violently, he struggled and called out, pleading for the person to stop. Yet, no matter what he did or said, it continued, until he lost consciousness. 

***

Waking up in a cold sweat, gasping for air, Ryo frantically felt for his ears and tail. When his hands brushed against the scars where they once were, is when he remembered. All that was just a nightmare that had happened years ago. His hands lingered on the scar where his tail used to be, remembering the pain its removal had been. There were times he swore he could still feel it back there, moving sometimes. But he knew that this was probably his mind playing tricks on him. 

Looking around the room, he could see or hear the mistress at all. From the looks of things, she probably ever returned after leaving him here. Getting up and out of bed Ryo, stretched his aching body, before putting on his clothes. There was no way he could fall asleep again, so he might as well begin his day. After putting on his clothes, he walked across the room. He opened the door and looked out into the hallway quickly, before closing the door behind him. 

His stomach was still complaining from the lack of food, so he had figured it was best to eat now before the mistress returned. Walking across to the opposite door, he opened it and peered inside. The workroom was mostly empty, aside from a rotting wooden stool and desk. On the  far side of the room, in the left corner, Ryo spotted a rickety wooden door. 

Walking over to the door, he opened it up and looked inside. The room was compact and had wooden barrels and crates stacked up along the walls. Dried meat and fruit hung from ropes from the ceiling, giving the room a pleasant scent. Lifting the lid on one of the crates, he found a loaf of brown bread. Taking one, he walked over and grabbed some dried meat and fruit. Then took a clay pitcher and filled it with water before returning to the bedroom. 

When he walked through the door, Ryo found the mistress was waiting on him. She was sitting at the table, tapping her fingers on the table impartiality. Noticing the food, she looked slightly annoyed, but said nothing immediately. Not saying a word, he walked over to the table and placed the food down. 

“Go ahead and eat, we can begin the experiment afterwards.” She told him, while pulling out a scroll from her robe. 

“Yes, mistress.” He replied, sitting down at the table. 

Silently he ate his food as the mistress set across from him, reading her scrolls. It was nerve-wracking to know she was waiting on him, so he tried to eat quickly. Which was a shame because he wanted to enjoy the dried fruit. As he was finishing the mistress glanced up from her scroll, and asked. 

“Are you finished yet?” 

“Yes, mistress.” He answered, putting down the last bit of his brown bread. 

“Good, now I have a total of three experiments planned for today.” She stated, rolling up her scroll and putting it away.   

Wait three?! Didn’t you say yesterday that it was one?! Ryo thought to himself, taken aback by her comment. He could distinctly remember her saying there was an experiment, not experiments. The only reason he had agreed because he had thought it was only going to hurt once. Before

‘First, I will try to explore it on my own. Much like what happened the first time. To see if anything has changed or developed since the last time I saw it.” She explained, holding up a single finger. 

“O-okay, but…” He tried to say, before she cut him off.  

“Then I will help you try to figure it out by putting you into a special meditative state.” She said, holding up a second finger.  

“Then if that fails, we can try a joint method.” She finished saying, holding up a third finger. 

“M-mistress, didn’t you say….it was only one...experiment?” He nervously stuttered, glancing down at the table, not wanting to meet her gaze. 

“Yes, yes, but that might not be enough.” She snapped back, causing him to flinch in fear. 

“Ahem!” The mistress cleared her throat.

“Just remember why you're down here. This thing could be of tremendous benefit to you.” She assured him, in a gentle voice. 

Ryo chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about what she said. He wanted to know what the mistress had found, the reason the elders forced him off the island. But he had only agreed, thinking it would only be one experiment. He had mentally prepared himself for the pain, but Ryo wasn’t sure if he could endure three experiments. However, instead of saying anything, he just clenched his teeth and silently nodded to the mistress.”

“Good, now follow me.” She ordered, standing up and briskly walking toward the door. 

Getting up, Ryo followed closely behind her, as dread filled his heart. Walking out of the room and into the hallway, the mistress turned left and opened the door she had forbidden him to enter. The mistress quickly went inside with him in tow. They both desneded a long fleight of stairs before walking down another hallway. Aside from the occasion glowing stone that provided light, there wasn’t anything else to see. Which to Ryo was a little boring considering this was supposed to be a secret cave for a mage. He had thought it would be full of stuff, like the bedroom had been. 

Walking further down the hall, they passed four iron doors. The first thing he noticed was that each door had a number and underneath that was a complex magic circle, with runes around it. Toward the bottom of the door was a small hatch that could open and close, but was currently bolted shut with a thin metal bar. As he walked past the doors, he could smell a strange but familiar scent. He tried to think about why the smell was familiar, but couldn’t place it. 

As they continued, they reached the end of the hallway, and were confronted with a metal door with runes on it. The mistress began tapping specific runes which would glow as she touched it. Once she was finished the mistress pressed on the door, gesturing to him to enter. After he entered, the mistress was close behind and shut the door behind her. They walked down a few stairs before coming to another hallway that split into three. The mistress turned right and hurried down the short hallway. Ryo tried to look down the other paths, but she was had been too quick. 

At the end of the short hallway was another wooden door, but this one was painted red. Without stopping, the mistress pressed against the door and walked inside, with him close behind. This room wasn’t that large and was filled with various objects, tools, and strange equipment he had never seen before. There was a small desk with several scrolls and books stacked on top. Beside it were shelves filled with vials and bottles, filled with different colored liquids. The back right corner of the room had a slim metal door, much like the ones with the numbers on them. 

Opposite of the door was a long wooden table, with iron shackles on it. When his eyes saw it, he could feel the blood drain from his face. He unconsciously took a few steps back, the sight of it making him panic. It closely resembled the wooden frame the master had fastened him to, when they took his tail and ears from him. The dream he had the night before replayed back to him. He felt his heart beat in his ears, as his breathing became erratic. It wasn’t until he felt a stinging pain across his face, did he come back to his senses. 

“Hello?!” The mistress shouted at him, her face twisted in rage. 

“I-i’m...so...rry mist...ress” Ryo stuttered, pulling his eyes away from the table. 

“Finally, an answer! What’s wrong with you?!” She demanded. 

“A-are...we using...that.” He mumbled, pointing towards the table. 

“Of course, unless you want to lie on the floor.” She snapped back sarcastically, giving him an icy glare. 

He was about to ask to lie on the floor before her glare stopped him. Looking back towards the table, his body trembled in fear. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, as sweat formed on his brow. For some reason he felt like something was choking him, as he looked at it. 

“Hmmm...Ah, I see.” He heard the mistress say. 

“Don’t worry Ryo, It’s only for you to rest upon.” She tried to assure him, stepping in front of him. 

“...” He tried to reply, but found the words wouldn’t leave his lips. 

“I’ve already told you what we are doing today. I have no reason to torture you.” She told him, cupping his chin in her hands.

“Now, pull yourself together and go lay down.” She ordered, lifting his chin up to meet her gaze. 

“I-i’m sorry.” He mumbled, embarrassed by his reactions. 

“You need to be calm for this experiment.” She said, smiling. 

“It’s j-just…” He tried to say, before she cut him off. 

“Yes, yes, I know. I just need you to lie down on the table so we can begin.” She snapped, letting go of his chin. 

The mistress grabbed his head and muttered a spell, calming his mind. Grabbing his hand, she guided him over to the table and had him lie down. As soon as she took her hand from him, Ryo could feel his panic coming back. Taking long deep breaths, he tried to fight back against the panic, to keep himself calm. He had to remind himself the reason he was here, and that he was going to be fine. 

To distract himself, Ryo thought about Robert and Beth. He remembered the old man's stories, and the countless hours they had practiced with the spear. And about the delicious food Beth made for them, and the time they planted the sunflowers. All this was that he, Beth, and Robert could escape one day. With this in mind, he was able to subdue his panic. 

“You have experienced this pain before, so you know what to expect. However, I will place my hands on your chest this time.” She explained, lifting his shirt up. 

“Y-yes, mistress.” He replied.

“Okay, now put this in your mouth.” She instructed, handing him a wooden stick. 

Taking the stick from her hand, Ryo put it into his mouth and bit down. Bracing himself mentally for what was about to happen, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He thought about all the happy times he had with Beth and Robert. 

“Good, let us begin.” Ryo heard the mistress purr, before placing her hands on his chest.