Chapter 11: Twisted Pleasure
The sun was setting on a Sunday evening, it had been six days since Grimzna and Tsui's encounter. Tsui walked homeward on her own, her hand carrying a bag of takeout.
Exhausted, Tsui murmured to herself, a sigh escaping her lips. "Working in the kitchen is really tiring..."
“Emma’s not home either, I hope she comes back soon…The house is quiet and boring without her.”
Three days had passed since Emma went on her business trip, leaving Tsui to occupy the house alone. On her way home, Tsui's thoughts inevitably wandered to her recurring dreams. Since her initial encounter with Grimzna, the dreams had not ceased; rather, they had intensified.
Night after night, they plagued her without respite, weaving a relentless narrative within her mind. The medieval city from her dreams became the center stage of an ever-evolving saga. It was as if the story unfolded independently, each dream picking up where the last left off.
In these visions, the city endured an onslaught, its walls breached by the enemy's assault. In subsequent dreams, the conquered city stood, the invaders' banner ominously replacing the city's own flag.
Tsui witnessed rivers being poisoned and the spread of a devastating plague, the horrors progressing with each restless sleep. Though Tsui yearned to dismiss these dreams as mere illusions, they persistently clung to her consciousness, etching their unsettling imagery into her mind.
These dreams brought her nothing but uncertainty and countless negative emotions, their vividness leaving an indelible mark upon her waking hours. The anxiety they inflicted disrupted both her sleep and daily life, a constant cycle of restful body and restless mind.
As Tsui reached her front door, she administered a light tap to both her cheeks with her hands, a gentle reprimand to halt the intrusive thoughts of her dreams. After this self-imposed wake-up call, she positioned her finger on the fingerprint lock.
[Beep] [Beep]
With the door unlocked, Tsui stepped inside, flicking on the lights but the lights wouldn’t turn on.
“Is there a blackout?” Tsui thought to herself.
The hallway to her unit however still had lights on, and the elevator she usually took was operational. Acting on instinct, she activated her phone's flashlight and entered. However, the expression on her face quickly morphed into one of surprise as she looked at her living space. The room was in disarray, clothes strewn across the floor, and furniture toppled over.
“Was there a break-in?”
Tsui walked carefully, trying to make less noise with her footsteps. In the kitchen, she grabbed a knife while holding her phone in the other hand. She went to the bathroom hoping to turn on the lights there, but it was the same.
Suddenly, she heard something fall in her house. Without thinking, Tsui looked towards the direction from whence the sound came—it came from her bedroom. She switched her phone to the dial pad and positioned her finger over the call button, ready to call for help if needed.
The door to Tsui's room was slightly creaked open. With her heart racing, she steeled herself and pushed the door open, knife in hand, ready to defend herself. She swung the door wide, illuminating the room with her phone's flashlight, but no one was inside. On the floor, her plastic water bottle was still rolling slowly.
A sigh of relief escaped Tsui as she felt reassured that the intruder had left. She dialled the number to report the incident in her house. Just as the call was connected, a sudden sharp prick jabbed at her back. Reacting instinctively, she reached back to touch the source—finding a needle.
A wave of weakness swept over her legs, causing her to collapse to the floor. Struggling to stay conscious, Tsui's gaze darted around her room, catching sight of several figures materializing in the shadows at the corners of the room.
“Who…who are these people…?” Tsui thought to herself.
After the call had been connected for a few seconds, a voice on the other end asked, "Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?"
One of the figures approached Tsui and took the phone from her hand. With an anxious tone, she hastily spoke into the phone, "Sorry, it was a mistake. I didn’t mean to call this number.”
“That’s alright, this is more common than you think, people often called us by mistake. Just to ensure there is no emergency, may I have your name, location, and as to how you called us by mistake?”
The figure calmly provided all the details the caller asked for, adopting a tone and voice that made the call appear genuine. The other figures maintained a stoic demeanor, with some listening intently to the call's conversation, while others kept a watchful eye on Tsui.
Desperate to call for help, Tsui attempted to scream, but no sound came out, only stifled grunts. Eventually, the figure ended the call and tucked the phone into her pocket.
Another man’s voice spoke, “Tie her up, make sure she can’t move. The others are waiting for us.”
Tsui struggled to keep her eyes open, her vision growing blurry. She could sense ropes constricting tightly around her wrists and legs.
"They know my name... what are they...goi…" Tsui's thoughts trailed off as her consciousness wavered. Before she could finish her thoughts, she succumbed to unconsciousness, losing awareness of her surroundings.
…
Gradually, Tsui's consciousness returned, her senses awakening in the pitch-black void. As she opened her eyes, she was met with darkness. Confusion gripped her mind, and she wondered, "Where am I?"
A cloth bag covered her head, constricting her sight. Struggling, she attempted to shift her head, only to encounter resistance. Something held her neck firmly, immobilizing her. Panic surged as she strained to move her limbs, but they were held captive.
Frustration mounted as she fought against the restraints, her efforts to remove the cloth in vain. Questions raced through her mind. "What's happening? Why am I...?"
Her thoughts were punctuated by a gnawing hunger and the parched sensation of her lips. Desperation set in as Tsui's panic deepened.
"Is this... Could it be another dream?" She clung to the hope that this was merely another manifestation of her vivid dreams, the boundary between reality and imagination blurred beyond recognition.
Amidst her confusion, a harsh sound cut through the silence – a creaking metal door, old and reluctant. Tsui froze, her body tensing as heavy footsteps drew near, a chorus of them echoing with an air of foreboding.
A deep, rugged voice broke the tension. "You're awake..." The words lingered, laden with mystery.
Summoning her courage, Tsui asked, "Who... are you?" Her voice quivered, an uncertain plea for answers in the darkness.
“I am known as the Grandmaster. I believe you are Tsui Agawa, or at least that is the name you’ve given to yourself since you first arrived.”
“What do you want from me? I have nothing.”
“Oh, but you in fact do have something, it’s the whole reason why we’ve captured you. Your arrival has brought us the gifts we’ve been longing for a long time.”
The Grandmaster removed the cloth from Tsui's head. Though she could not move her head, Tsui could see her surroundings with the corner of her eyes. A cold, unyielding metal chair served as her restraint, shackles and straps binding her limbs.
A semicircle of figures encircled her – their hooded forms concealed by cloaks and masks. Only the Grandmaster remained unmasked, though his features were obscured by his cowl, much like the rest.
“Your species is truly fascinating.” the Grandmaster remarked, his fingers brushing against Tsui's hair. “Some of your kind look just like us, yet you are much more capable.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Tsui retorted, attempting to pull her head back from the Grandmaster's touch.
“You’ve done well to conceal your identity, but it’s futile to lie to us. We discovered you since the day you first came to our world.”
“I don’t know you guys. I don’t know what the hell are you talking about!”
“We had eyes on you ever since the night you fell from the sky. Our report confirmed that you were wearing an otherworldly armor, wielding a glowing sword in your hand as you fall.”
A quick sharp pain shot through Tsui's head, as if her mind was fracturing.
“I…don’t know what you are sa…ying!”
“You did well, even managed to convince the human to shelter you.”
The grandmaster's words kept flowing, detailing every interaction Tsui had since her supposed descent from the sky. Tsui's mind struggled to fully grasp the man's words. To her, these individuals seemed utterly deranged. Yet, the accuracy of the information they provided was unsettling — they had been shadowing her, observing her actions closely.
“Just what do you want from me?!”
“I’ve told you, we want you. Every single of us here have been waiting for your arrival. The day you die is the day we will receive our gifts!”
“Wha- what? Are you going to kill me?”
“I wouldn't use the word 'kill.' Instead, we'll free you from your physical form, allowing your essence to transform into a potent source of energy for us to absorb.”
Tsui couldn't make sense of the Grandmaster's words. His intentions left her confused and uncertain. Recognizing her confusion, the Grandmaster pulled up a chair, positioned himself in front of her, and began to offer an explanation.
"You see, a few years back, I stumbled upon beings from another world that occasionally cross over into ours. Sometimes they appear as humans, other times as monstrous beasts even a mother wouldn't love. Yet, they all have one common trait – when they're killed, they bestow power upon us."
“You must be insane…if you belie –”
The Grandmaster extended his arm towards Tsui, and to her surprise, fire materialized from his palm as if conjured from thin air.
“It's not just me, you see.” The man directed his hand towards an empty wall adjacent to the altar, and after a moment's delay, several previously invisible, hooded cloaked figures gradually emerged into view.
“Look at the wonders your kind brought us. We’ve learned that if a creature of your world is killed, every individual in its proximity shares in its bestowed gifts equally.”
Once more, the sharp pain returned, as if her head were on the verge of shattering, lasting only a few seconds. Tsui couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like magic, something out of a fantasy story.
“What…is happening?”
“Now do you see? There is no point to continue pretending. We know exactly what you are.”
“You’re wrong! I’m just a human! Whatever creature of another world you said there is, I’m not one of them!”
The Grandmaster seeing that Tsui continued to deny what he said she was, instructed all the others to leave the room.
"Clear the room, all of you. I need to cast preparatory spells to ensure the subject remains compliant during the ceremony. Ensure there's no one near the room while I perform these enchantments."
Upon hearing the Grandmaster's order, the remaining figures promptly exited the room, sealing it shut with a resounding clang of metal against metal. The chamber now contained only Tsui and the Grandmaster. He proceeded to secure the door with a series of locks, ensuring utmost privacy.
The Grandmaster went behind Tsui's chair, revealing a cart covered with a large piece of cloth that he had kept in the room. With an eerie purpose, he rolled the cart closer to Tsui, the wheels emitting a faint, eerie squeak as they turned.
The Grandmaster removed his cloak, and placed it neatly on a distant table, away from Tsui. As he unveiled the cart by removing the covering cloth, a sinister chuckle escaped his lips.
“I tell people I am performing enchantments that helps subdue the target, but really, I’m just doing this because I find it amusing.”
As the cloth was lifted, the cart displayed a collection of cruel tools. There were sharp, gleaming metal objects with jagged edges, along with straps and bindings hanging from the sides. It was a chilling sight, a collection of instruments meant for causing pain and suffering.
Tsui's eyes widened with fear, her voice trembling as she stammered, "W-what do you intend to do with those...?" She asked, though the answer seemed all too clear.
"I've always found the way people react to pain quite intriguing. Especially when mixed with fear, it's like the perfect blend," the man explained, his voice tinged with an unsettling excitement.
“Ever since I was young, I always find pleasure in inflicting pain to others. Never understood why, except that I love the feeling of it. I started with insects, I would pluck away their legs and watch them struggle, before cutting off its head. Watching its headless body move…”
The man continued to recount his sense of nostalgia, as he arranged the tools on the cart neatly.
“Then I moved on to larger critters, mouse, kittens, dogs, but *sigh*, I had to do it somewhere people would not have seen me. I mean, could you imagine, the consequences if people saw me doing it?”
The man picked up a scalpel, examining it closely. “Then it just wasn’t enough anymore, I had to move on bigger animals. How about humans? But that would’ve been extremely illegal, killing small animals is one thing but another fellow human?”
The Grandmaster took hold of a strip of tape, stretching it out before firmly affixing it over Tsui's mouth. Tsui desperately resisted, but with her neck firmly held in place, it rendered her helpless to stop him.
A sinister grin spread across the Grandmaster's face as he locked eyes with Tsui. “Then, there comes your species. Not truly human, and certainly not of our world. What better way to satisfy my thirst for some fun? However, your death will indeed grants us power for the advancement of humanity. I didn’t lie about that.”
Tsui's attempts to speak were in vain, her words muffled and reduced to mere grunts by the tape firmly pressed over her mouth.
The Grandmaster's fingers brushed against Tsui's hair, his touch almost tender as he caressed the strands of her silky violet hair. "Patience, my dear. The ceremony is still a few days away. We have to wait for others to arrive, so until then, we have time to indulge ourselves in some... amusement." His voice carried a sinister edge, a twisted invitation to her torment.
Leaning in, he pressed a chilling kiss to Tsui's forehead. With that unsettling display, he turned his attention to the array of tools, his fingers curling around their cold, unforgiving edges.
