"You said there was something you could do for us to make us attune in five days," Stallus reminded him.

Kael chuckled, and Azaroth didn’t trust the sound he made. "I did, right? There’s two ways to attune. The first one is to get you to train in a specific technique formation for a while; naturally, your core will adjust and change."

"And the second one?" Azaroth asked flatly.

"To force your core into it. Like shocking it. It’s a brutal, less-used one, but it’ll give you the time that training won’t. If you do this, then you’ll be attuned in five days."

They were silent because they knew what was coming next, and they were right. Kael spread his hand. "Pain. The way to force your core will bring you pain, but it’ll let you catch up with the other team. Attune in five days and use the rest to train your skills."

"Do we have any choice?" Stallus asked. Her voice was already colored with doubt. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Kael laughed. "No, you don’t." And to prove his point, he removed three needles from his cloak. "I have been preparing this for a while. Do you think I’m ready to sit you through weeks of training? No! You must learn pain!"

Then he explained what the needles were. They were longer than normal needles, each colored differently: green, blue, red, and white.

"They are made from monsters. Each needle was fashioned from the bodies of elemental monsters. They are filled with essence—elemental essence—that I will introduce into your body."

He raised the four needles in front of him. "But because you have pure essence as it is, your body will try to reject it, and that will cause you pain."

Alex opened his mouth to start complaining, but the door opened, and Hounds streamed in. They carried metal beds between them. Chains and cuffs were attached to the beds. There was even a collar.

Alex slowly closed his mouth as what the metal beds meant hit him. "You are kidding, right?"

Kael turned his masked face to him. "Why should I be playing? You will all lie on this, and I will use the attuned essence needles on you."

"But...but...chaining us means it’s going to cause so much pain!" Stallus spluttered.

"Of course," Kael said it as if it was the most reasonable thing to happen.

Azaroth was beginning to think that Kael loved to see them in pain. Maybe it was the natural attitude of those who served under the Inferno Legion. Or maybe it was just that everyone here was sick in the head.

The Hounds placed the metal beds down, bowed to Kael, and went just as silently as they came. Kael smiled and gestured.

Azaroth sighed softly and lay on the closest bed to him. Why make a fuss over something that would happen eventually? Kael Hound had already made up his mind. Nothing could change that.

Kael put the cuff around his neck, his hands, and legs and held him tightly to the bed frame. "The metal is heavy. It will hold all your thrashing."

No matter how he cajoled the others, they didn’t move. They stared at the metal beds with horror. The beds represented the pain that was coming; they instinctively knew and recoiled from it.

Kael Hound had prepared for this as well. He removed another needle from his cloak—this one looked like normal metal—and he crossed the distance between him and his students in a blink, piercing their necks with it.

They stiffened and collapsed. Their eyes were still open and blinking, but they could not move their limbs. But their mouths worked just fine.

"You paralyzed us!" Stallus shouted as Kael lifted her and placed her on the bed, securing her on it.

"Yes. Do you think I have time to be running after you because I want to put you here? Now remain silent while I put the others into place too."

Kael put them all on the beds, even with all their complaints. He made sure their heads were held firmly in the leather straps of the cuffs and that their heads rested on the stuffed pillows.

Then he went around the training room to put their weapons away. When he returned, he brought with him four tough brown leathers. "Put this in your mouth."

Azaroth looked at it. "Is this necessary?"

"Yes. I don’t want to listen to your screaming while I relax here." There was a touch of a smile in his voice.

Then Kael gagged them and arranged their beds in front of the training room. "Well then. See you all in five days."

Azaroth’s red eyes widened, but Kael was already piercing him on the forehead with the red needle. His world flipped; it changed color to angry red, and he knew pain.

Azaroth buckled. He bit the leather in his mouth, and he might have cut off his own tongue if it wasn’t there as he clenched his teeth. Then he tried to scream, but it came out muffled.

Liquid fire was passing through his body—or were they hot needles? There was no difference as his body shuddered and shivered. He was sweating, feeling hot, and such terrible coldness at the same time.

His mind screamed the loudest as something foreign slid into it. He reached out to anything to stop the pain, but his hands and legs were held tight.

Then Azaroth realized he could not move his limbs. Kael Hound must have paralyzed him! He lay there and suffered. He lost track of time; everything became meaningless—except for the pain. It was a constant thing that coursed through his body.

Color flashed through his eyes, and everything smelled of blood—red blood and fire.

The thing about the pain was that his body didn’t get used to it. No, the pain was a fresh thing that kept his body taut and his skin shivering.

He cast his mind out like a net. Help! Take this pain! Anything but this!