The Shadow King's Tale: Part 1: The Omega War

Chapter 8: The Interrogation

The room was dark, lit only by one candle. The soldier groaned and stirred. He could barely see because it was dark. The things that he could make out were numerous blades on the wall, and what appeared to be a potion near the candle. He tried to move but found himself chained to the wall in a spread eagle formation. He continued to struggle until he heard an oddly sinister laugh.

  “Struggling is useless,” said the source of the laugh. “The chains that bind you were forged by the Reapers, indestructible and very effective.”

  The soldier saw two glowing red eyes looking directly at him. The eyes were moving forward towards the candlelight, until they revealed the person behind them being Shoko. Shoko looked oddly different from before. Usually he has a gentle expression and a calm tone of voice, but he didn’t have any of that. He looked paler than bone, with a very terrifying glare, and his tone went from calm and elegant to the complete opposite.

  “Why am I tied up?” asked the soldier.

  “Simple,” said Shoko. “You were one of the men responsible for the attack on my kingdom, my home. I killed your allies, but I kept you alive, because I need information. I need the why, the how, and the who.”

  “The why, the how and the who?” asked the soldier.

  “Exactly,” said Shoko. “Why you attacked my home, how you entered my castle, and who were the people that sent you. Since you said you wouldn’t talk, I have decided to use a means of interrogation, that admittedly I’m not too fond of, but find effective nonetheless. I’m sure you are familiar with the method called torture?”

  The soldier looked frightened. On the one hand, if he told Shoko what he knew, Burake would kill him, but on the other hand, death would be a blessing compared to whatever Shoko would do to him. Meanwhile, Shoko was busy looking through the blades, wondering which one he should use.

  “So many options, so little time,” he said. He looked back at the soldier. “Time is a very valuable thing. Do not let it go to waste. Ah, here we are.”

  Shoko grabbed a small needle. He checked and double checked it, then smirked.

  “Yes, this will suffice,” said Shoko. The soldier just laughed.

  “Seriously? All of these blades, and you choose that small needle?!” asked the soldier. “That won’t do anything! You can’t expect me to talk using a needle!”

  Shoko rolled his eyes and chuckled.

  “That is why I have this little concoction,” he said, moving towards the potion. “One of the Twitches had this with her when she was making an attempt on my life. From what I know, it decreases the human body’s tolerance to pain. Based on your current physique, and state of mind, an amplified needle prick would feel like a stab from a giant sword through where you were pricked, repeatedly.”

  Shoko took the needle and dipped it in the potion. The soldier started to sweat in fear.

  “Of course, I don’t have to use this,” said Shoko. “If you just give me the information I need, then I can let you go.”

  “I can’t!” said the soldier. “If I did that, then my lord would kill me!”

  Shoko shook his head in disappointment.

  “A pity,” he said. He took the needle and ran it along the skin of the soldier’s arm. The soldier was screaming in pain. “Some people would consider death an escape from my tortures. But you are a pretty ignorant and stubborn man, aren’t you?”

  The soldier continued to yell in pain as the needle ran down his arm. Shoko stopped once he reached the soldiers palm. He took the needle and threw it straight through the soldier’s eye. The soldier was twitching and screaming as the blood leaked out of his eye. Shoko wiped his finger on some of the blood and licked it.