Twisted [Degenerate Series, Book 1][Blackfrost] ✔️

Chapter 25

I think the worst part about the room was how hot it was. The palace guards had led me down hallways even I wasn't familiar with, and into a lonely dark room. The room was quite small, but it led out into a large chamber that seemed pointless for it's massive size.

As soon as I had entered the room, I began to pant. It was like an oven. Sweat beads had formed on my hairline and rolled down my face in a matter of seconds.

Then they told me the protocol. One week: no sleep. Meals once every two days and water once a day.

I struggled to get used to the room after a while. It was too damn hot. My shirt was soaked within the hour. I paced in any attempt to get a breeze.

What felt like hours later, they brought me a cup of water. The door opened for the briefest of seconds before some hidden figure passed off a tray to the guard standing in the cell.

The guard stared at me and I stared at the tray. On it was a small cup of water. My mouth was dry from the heat.

The guard handed the cup to me after a minute and I downed it in a matter of seconds until I realized my mistake. Water once a day. That was all I would get until tomorrow.

I threw the cup and watched it smash against the far wall.

The guard flinched, and I could see the youth in his eyes and the flush to his cheeks. So he too was hot. He wasn't quite as miserable as I, but pretty close.

The guard moved to pick up the broken object. I let out a huff and began to pace the small cell, feeling hot and anxious. After a while, I was so hot that I had to lay down and catch my breath.  I saw the guard approach.

"You can not fall asleep," he said gruffly.

"I'm just..." I placed my hand on my forehead. I was soaked from head to toe. It felt like the time when Thor had made me jump into the water below the Bifrost as a dare. The water had been icy cold, but that didn't bother me so much as how wet I was after. "Catching my breath," I finished.

The guard nodded. He was gone within the hour. The heat had gotten to him. Another guard came in and she retreated to the corner. I was still laying on the floor. My body felt exhausted from the heat.

That's when I realized that getting through this week of no sleep would be a lot harder than I initially thought.

Two days passed. Not much happened, though it was my first time getting food. The food arrived on a small tray and was passed off to the guard. The guard, I realized, was there only to keep me awake, as part of this punishment.

Each guard was only there for about an hour. The heat inside of the room was too much for everyone.

Screw Odin. I knew he did this on purpose.

The food was dry and bland. Rice and bread and olive oil. This was normal for Asgard, as most of the food is meat and carbohydrates. I couldn't believe how much I missed Midgardian food. The pancakes were so good.

I ate slowly to savor the small amount of flavor. My water came a few minutes later. I couldn't resist the urge to chug the water down. I gasped when I finished and shattered the glass against the ground. I barely even felt the glass cutting into my hand. I collapsed back down and closed my eyes.