Chương 27: A Different Kind of Torture

Veronika stared at the twisting lights from Rolan's car. They moved in perfect harmony; flowing out then back in until they pierced the clouds above. She'd never seen anything like it. A blatant display of the devil's seduction. Yet she couldn't look away from it.

"Where exactly is this challenge taking place?" she asked Rolan.

"I couldn't tell you for sure. Limbo tends to be a nonviolent challenge, but any wayward participants can show up and make things bloody. Keep an eye out." Veronika looked down at her hands. Second Nature rested within. No witches were nearby at the moment. Welcome challengers! What are you all doing back there? Come closer! I promise I won't bite. Rolan sighed.

"Alright, no time to waste. But be careful when you approach that light. Whatever you do, do not touch it." The five of them left the car and approached the light with wary eyes. Veronika couldn't stop herself from checking every direction for threats, even though Second Nature practically did that for her. She was used to sleeping with one eye open. That wasn't going to change anytime soon.

One second she was looking at the jungle behind them, and the next she was in front of a door with a flashing red exit sign hanging above it. She felt something tugging at her blood, but it seemed to give up after a bit. Welcome to Limbo, dear pawn. Your goal today is to Recover Your Life. [Breath], [Blood], [Name], [Memory], [Joy]. Without these- Oh my. It appears I don't have your [Breath] or [Blood]. You weren't using either before you came in here. Well, I guess that just leaves three out of five. Good for you!

Freak… Well, you have twelve hours to find everything before you squishy little brain gets too comfortable. I guess you can technically leave whenever you want with that damn compound making you essentially a walking corpse. The room was a void of misty grey voids. The woman had an idea of why she was here, but she didn't know exactly who she was. One thought bounced through her head, still as strong as ever. Make me proud baby, but remember DESTROY her destroy her destroy her DEstroy HER.

Ok, so she was a person with very loud thoughts. That was important information. Maybe… She drifted to the right side of the room and started walking down a hall. Paintings were hung in various spaces and mostly depicted violent scenes of conflict between humans and witches. It seemed sort of familiar. Was this how she was supposed to get her memory? Did she really lead such a violent life? If those paintings were an accurate representation, maybe she didn't want to go back to her old life.

Still, having no memory would be a terrible inconvenience. She trudged along the dark path and inspected each portrait meticulously, looking for anything that lit a stronger fire in her mind. The world was in such a miserable state. She found one map that showed how much land the humans had lost to the witch scourge. It tugged at her heart, but it didn't give her any specific memories. However, she did start to think she was a fighter of some sort.

The way her blood moved around her body in chaotic currents hinted at some sort of physical alteration. She did not need to breath, which she knew was abnormal. Yet another battle in the next portrait, but this time, she was drawn to a prominent figure on the human side. A tall woman with a muscular build and skin just a shade paler than her own. Wavy black hair that looked like the curls hanging over her own shoulders. A red pilgrim hat with a silver rose buckle. Her hand came up to touch the figure.

She felt a sense of longing. The woman was important to her. They looked alike, so perhaps a relative? She felt her blood churning through the veins and arteries in her arms. The horrible feeling of metal piercing her skin had her grasping at her wrists. Something was trying to come out. Something that did not belong there. Despite how wrong it was, it felt like second nature. Violence so engraved in her DNA that no force could pull them apart. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen.

Please report the infringement. The woman in the painting told her that. A witch hunter general. Everything she did, she did for that woman. Her mother. You have found your [Memory]. I'd congratulate you, but I don't think there's anything to celebrate. Good luck with what comes next, you'll need it. She blinked, and the hallway started closing in on her. It shrunk from an endless gallery into one small room. She looked down and saw a charred corpse at her feet. A woman. A witch?

She was ashamed to say the smell and sight didn't bother her at all. It made her feel complete.

"Well would you look at that," a voice called from behind.

"You actually managed to kill her." She turned around to find her mother. The woman walked up to her and put a firm hand on her shoulder. It sent a chill down her spine.

"I had my doubts, but I was wrong. You're an extraordinary witch hunter. You're the best thing I ever made." There was a pause. It felt like it lasted for hours.

"I love you, my dear daughter." She didn't move. She stared at her mother and felt her blood moving again. It set her stomach on fire, and she leaned down and threw up on the floor. Second Nature popped out of both her hands, and without thinking, she aimed them at her mother and started firing. A visceral scream left her throat. She could feel the tissue around her larynx starting to swell, but she kept screaming anyway. Tears rushed down her cheeks.

The simulacrum of her mother fell to the ground and she kept pelting the corpse with bullets until they ran out. Click click click. Click. Click. She released her grip on the pistols and they sunk back into her hands. She fell to her knees, right into her own vomit and mother's blood. So much death around her all the time. So much death… Okay. Even I didn't expect that to happen, but I'm all here for it. You've found your [Joy], and my Devil, what a glorious fucking joy it was to witness.

You still have eight hours remaining to find your [Name]. Should be a piece of cake! She tried to say something back. Only a pained squeak left her mouth. She had used up all of her voice on one massive scream. Why was killing her mother her joy? Why, with her mother's bleeding corpse lying in front of her, did she feel so content? The answer was obvious. The devil. Nothing here made any sense. It was all just some sort of trick to make her doubt her mission.

If she stewed in this room long enough eventually she'd lose her mind and be trapped forever. That was exactly what the system wanted. I don't want that, puppy. I want to keep playing with you! But if that's what you need to tell yourself to keep going, I guess I'll shut up and let you carry on. She huffed and pushed herself up. There was no time to sit around like a petulant child. She still had a mission. She did not kill her mom. She did not want to kill her mom.

The only way to go was down the hallway to the left. It was fairly short compared to the hall of paintings, which she was grateful for. A door at the end brought her into a foggy graveyard with a horrible scent of rot coming from beyond the headstones. She shambled through the rows of headstones like a zombie. She wanted her name back, and they were in ample supply here. The headstones that didn't belong to her were kicked down. She was sick of this damn place. She felt a crunch under her boot.

She had stepped on the flower of a rose. Its petals were nothing but a pile of dust now. They blew away when she lifted her boot, but the stem remained fixed at the headstone. HERE LIES VERONIKA PAJIRI-LI. DAUGHTER. Daughter. Just the word daughter. No "beloved" or "remembered fondly" or anything of the sort. She wasn't any of those things. Just a daughter. What's got you so down? You found your [Name]. That means you can leave Limbo whole. Oh wait, you were never whole in the first place. Oh well.

Just more of the devil's mockery. Veronika got up and ran back to the exit door. She wanted to get out of that accursed place as soon as possible. [Joy], [Memory], and [Name] detected. Trace amounts of [Blood] detected. No [Breath] detected. Participant is… alive? The door opened up and blasted Veronika's eyes with its blinding light. She walked through and fell into the sand on the other side. Oh sweet, beautiful sand. She didn't even mind that she had swallowed some by accident. [Rina Ring!] Congratulations!

You've beaten the first Ring of Hell and escaped Limbo. You get +400 XP for completing the challenge, and an extra +2 [Resonance] for your little tantrum in there. Way to get in touch with your inner self. Veronika coughed up a handful of sand. Now her throat felt even worse. Your [Accused] condition has changed to [Guilty]. You've reached level six! Would mother be proud of you now? Just kidding! Don't answer that. Take +2 [Resonance] and +2 [Mobility].

[Guilty Until Purified] reached level three, and it now only takes a fourth of your resistance to activate. If mother could see her now. She'd be… very disappointed.