Sai slowly opened his eyes. At first, he saw only darkness, heavy and viscous, as if the darkness itself had descended upon his chest, making it hard to breathe. His body ached with pain, his muscles felt torn, and every breath sent a sharp, agonizing pain through his chest. He tried to move—but his arms and legs were bound by chains, cold and coarse.
"Where...?" he whispered, his voice breaking into a rasp. Every word echoed in the dark cell.
The air smelled of rot, earth, and something warm, living. And that living thing was close by.
"Awake?" he heard a sharp, low, unpleasant voice that pierced him like a knife. "How sweet, little human..."
A demon stepped out of the shadow. It was almost twice the size of a man, with black skin, eyes like coal, and a sharp, clawed hand.
"Where... am I?" Sai asked, trying to lift his head.
"You are now... our property," the demon said, taking a step closer. "But don't worry, we will treat you... moderately."
Sai felt a shiver run through his body. His mind began working at its limit, recalling everything his grandfather had taught him: keep emotions under control, analyze, look for weaknesses, don't panic. But the physical pain and fear made it almost impossible.
"We know..." the demon continued, slinking closer, its sharp teeth visible in the dim light, "...we know who you are. We know how humans are trained, how they are prepared for life, how they are raised... Now, tell us... how are you taught?"
"I..." Sai tried to speak, but his throat felt constricted. "I know nothing..." His voice broke, his eyes welling with tears.
"Ah, is that so?" The demon frowned, its eyes glowing red. "You think you can stay silent? You are a human, and your life is nothing. We will teach you that the weak are our prey."
"I am not..." Sai tried to resist, but the chains creaked as he barely lifted himself.
"Better not lie," added another demon, quiet but with terrifying confidence. "We can smell humans. Any of them. We caught your scent the moment you arrived here."
Sai felt fear slowly creeping in, but he clenched his teeth. He remembered his grandfather's words: 'Strength is not the absence of fear, but acting in spite of it.'
"I... will say... nothing," he said firmly, trying to sound more confident than he felt inside.
"You won't?" The low voice pierced him again, and the demon stepped forward, its hand rising, claws glinting faintly in the dark. "Then we will use... other methods."
Sai felt a cold fear envelop his heart, but he did not break. His gaze met the demon's eyes—and he tried to find a crack, any weakness.
"We can speak any language," said another demon, emerging from the shadows, almost whispering. "But you are not human. Your blood is different. Your energy... is not human. You are an outsider among humans."
"I... will say... nothing," Sai repeated.
The demons exchanged brief glances. And then the first trial began. They started torturing him physically: blows, scratches, burns with small bursts of magical energy to test his resistance. Each time pain wracked his body, Sai felt the energy inside him slowly begin to react.
He remembered Nox. The little dragon was still somewhere nearby, or the energy connected to the revolver was trying to whisper to him: 'Survive.' But it was faint.
"If you stay silent..." one of the demons said, "...we will repeat and intensify."
Sai felt every cell in his body scream in pain, yet his mind held on. He tried to concentrate on his breathing, on the inner Echo that was already awakening, though weakly. He remembered all the training, all his grandfather's words, everything that had helped him survive battles.
"I... will not talk..." he repeated, feeling blood rise in his throat, his eyes tearing from pain, but his resolve unwavering.
The demons began to increase the pressure, creating the illusion that time was slowing down, that every moment was an eternity of pain. Sai felt his body almost refusing to obey, his consciousness beginning to drift. But one thought remained in his head: do not break, do not betray yourself, do not give them control.
And suddenly, he felt Nox finally begin to react. A faint light emanated from him, and Sai felt a warmth that helped him cling to the edge of consciousness. His inner Echo began to form slightly, responding to the threat.
"Devilish resilience," one of the demons whispered, almost with respect, "a human who does not fear pain... or cannot feel it?"
Sai couldn't speak. He just held on, clenching his teeth, the chains cutting into his wrists and ankles, but something inside had begun to awaken. His body was filling with a strange strength, not human, but his own, dark, cold, ready to defend.
The demons seemed to enjoy his resistance. They didn't just hit or scratch him—they began using their technology and magic, injecting various substances that caused fever, sharp muscle pain, dizziness, and nausea. Sai felt every cell in his body scream, but he held on, gritting his teeth.
"Ha!" one of the demons laughed, looking at him. "Tanyusha, look, he's already lost so much blood, how is he still alive? Definitely not human!"
He tried to spit, but his mouth was dry and full of blood. It felt as if every drop that dripped down his chin took a piece of his soul with it. But inside, something new was being born, something dark and cold that seemed to whisper: 'Survive.'
Suddenly, a demon decided to take it further. It grabbed Sai by the shoulder and began slowly tearing, breaking muscles and skin, ripping his body apart—then carefully stitching it back together. This process repeated again and again, leaving burns, abrasions, scars, and indescribable pain on his body. Sai felt his consciousness on the verge of snapping, but he still resisted; every attempt to break free gave a tiny impulse of inner strength, just enough to not lose control of his mind.
"A little more," whispered Tanyusha, the demoness who played with him like a toy. She ran her fingers over his legs, pulling, slapping, testing his reactions. "Come on, growl, little one, show us you have at least some energy!"
Sai tensed. His body let out a quiet growl—not human, but dark, hoarse, from deep within his chest. The Echo inside, Nox, felt it, and the dragonet whined softly, slightly raising its tail, as if trying to protect its master even through the chains.
"Look," the demon continued, "he has spirit, which means we must test him completely."
New tortures began: blows with electric magic, isolation in cold water, injections of new substances that caused hallucinations. Sai saw darkness before his eyes, and from it emerged the faces of the dead—his family, his grandfather, his friends—all mixed in a chaos of pain and fear.
But he did not give up. Each flash of pain awakened something inside—weak but persistent. Nox scraped his claws against the chains, emitting a piercing sound that only strengthened the inner connection with Sai.
"How long can you survive?" one of the demons said, leaning over him. "Are you human? Are you a monster?"
Sai remained silent. He felt his body almost ceasing to obey, the bleeding sapping his strength, but his mind began to concentrate on a single thought: not to be broken, to survive, to use this pain, to turn it into strength.
Tanyusha, with a demonic smile, played with his arms and legs, testing their limits. She jumped on him, pushed him, growled, playing like a cat with a mouse. Each of her jumps and movements caused a surge of inner energy in Sai—a dark, cold flame that whispered: 'Now is your moment.'
The torture process repeated for hours, but Sai began to notice a pattern: every action of the demons, every blow or injected substance created a micro-signal inside him that could be used. His body began to adapt to the pain; the blood almost no longer hindered him, and his consciousness grew sharper.
"You're still breathing," a demon uttered, taking a step back. "It's amazing. Not a human, but a monster."
Sai closed his eyes, felt Nox's faint breath nearby. The little dragonet was ready to leap, to attack at least one of them if it could. Sai slowly began to concentrate, understanding that this was the first real push for the awakening of his strength—not through training, not through exercises, but through pain, through fear, through the impossibility of being weak.
He realized one thing: this was not the end. This was the beginning.
And when the demoness jumped on him again, playing with his legs, he allowed himself a quiet but firm growl for the first time. It was a sign that his personal dark energy was awakening inside, ready to defend its master.
The chains trembled, blood flowed, his body hurt, but his consciousness remained clear. Sai understood: if he survived, he would be a different person. Not just a survivor—but strong. And this understanding gave him more strength than all the blows combined.
Tanyusha froze, her eyes widening as she felt the new pulse of energy. The demons glanced at each other again—for the first time, they began to sense that they weren't just playing with this human.
Sai still couldn't move fully, the chains still held him, but the energy inside grew, spreading through his veins, filling his body with a strange, icy heat. The demons who had tried to "study" him now retreated, wary of his every movement.
He closed his eyes. The world around him was distorted, pain still raged, but his consciousness became clear. Nox was nearby, ready to act. And although he couldn't fully control the power, he knew one thing: no one would be able to break him anymore. No one.
This night, full of torture and pain, became the first real test. And the demons understood: they had encountered something they did not comprehend. A being that survives in hell, that is not human, but lives.
Sai opened his eyes, blood and sweat streaming down his face, his muscles aching, his body nearly broken. But something inside had awakened completely. And he whispered quietly, not yet fully comprehending:
"This is only the beginning..."
And the demons retreated, trembling, not knowing what to do next. Tanyusha clenched her hands, as if afraid to even touch him.