| " | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t“Raise the temperature by five degrees.” Mahin could no longer remember how many times he heard that phrase. He had been put on the device for more than an hour and the pain became far beyond unbearable with the heat that grew from freezing cold to searing hot, as if the splitting sensation with his own weight pushing down against the blunted blade was not enough to intensify the agony. “This will continue until you tell us what we want to know. Do not test us any further than it is necessary.” He was framed for murdering an ambassador two years ago and was due for an immediate execution, but for reasons unknown he was instead sentenced to a life of slavery and sold to a foreign kingdom as a part of trade negotiations. He had languished in a brutal desert camp for over a year when he first met Adele, a female slave who was imprisoned at the camp for a year before him. She taught him everything she knew about the new world- how to cope with desert heat, the kingdom's culture, and the camp layout. But most importantly she brought a glimmer of hope out of Mahin. Three months later, Mahin and Adele managed to escape from the camp by exploiting camp's ill-maintained fortifications, but became separated from the pursuing guards. By the time he was in the clear, Adele was nowhere to be found and found himself alone in a sea of sand. He was eventually rescued from near dehydration when he wandered across a caravan of performers, who nursed him back to health and allowed him to join the family and become a performer himself. He never found out what happened to Adele until he received an anonymous letter one day, asking him to meet in a secluded location. Upon arriving at the meeting place he noticed another letter held up against a wooden post with a dagger. The letter revealed that the kingdom found out about his whereabouts and sent hired hunters to capture him. The letter also directed him to travel towards a familiar location hidden behind a fancy riddle- one of the hideouts Adele drilled into his head back in the camp- she was alive! Mahin let out a sigh of relief, but his joy quickly turned into despair once he realized that his family was danger. He rushed back to warn them, only to find the caravan destroyed and all but one of the performers killed. As soon as he moved in to check the sole survivor, the hunters descended upon him and swiftly captured the young fox before he even stood a chance. The hunters used the survivor as a bait and killed the performer as soon as the deed was done. For several days he was simply beaten and whipped intermittently to see if he would just give up the information, but it became clear that the torturers were growing impatient and resorted more devious methods to force it out of him. They wanted to know where the other slave had run off to, how they managed to escape, and what the rebels were plotting- the torturers wanted to know everything, and they intended to tear Mahin apart if they had to. The other prisoner was far too important for them to lose and with a good reason. They had discovered that Adele was a spy from a rebel faction opposing the kingdom, who was supposed to be executed which for reasons unknown never took place, and they assumed Mahin to be part of the rebels from the letter he had at the time of capture. One of the torturers came up and clutched Mahin's hair, holding it up as if he was going to tear it away. “Where- is- the spy?!” He shouted with growing irritation from the fox's silence. The torturer released his grip and landed a swift punch across the prisoner's face, causing Mahin to yelp. “What's the meaning behind this letter?” The torturer continued, pacing back and forth while holding up the letter in front of Mahin's face. “Where are the rebels? When are they going to carry out their next attack? Answer, damn you!” The torturer landed several more strikes across Mahin's already battered body, causing him to cry out in pain. “Raise the temperature by five degrees!” Ordered another torturer. Mahin immediately let out a scream as he felt his legs and genitals light up with burning sensation. “Don't try to act like a fool. We know this riddle leads to one of the rebel camps and you know what it means!” Mahin's strained body was well beyond its limits but he remained defiant. He blamed himself for the death of the performers and he intended to take the message to his grave if it meant further misery for those who ordered the massacre. But he also knew that the torturers would never let him go so easy, and feared that they may actually break him into submission. The torturer grabbed Mahin's neck and began to slowly suffocate him. “You don't get it, do you?” Growled the torturer. “What do you possibly think to gain by aiding the rebels? You think they are the resistance in shining armor fighting against an oppressive regime, but they are nothing but ungrateful parasites who wants to sell our land to foreign demons and suck the kingdom dry of everything it is worth. The world will not become a paradise with them in charge, and you will not become part of our downfall!” He gradually released his grip. “Don't think we won't break you. You are an expandable in their eyes. Do you think that whore let you out just because she found you cute? You were a distraction for the guards! The bitch used you, like the rebels uses everyone else! Why can't you fucking see that?!” Mahin felt himself flare up in anger at the mention of Adele and spat in the torturer's face. “Your people murdered my family and expect me to swallow up every bit of your bullshit? I'll never betray her!” “Oh hell, that's it!' The torturer wiped the spit off of his face and reached for a branding iron resting in a brazier. “Raise the temperature by ten degrees. I want to hear him fucking sing!” “Fuck you!” Mahin shouted back in rage. Although he was terrified of what was coming next, he also knew he would never forgive himself if he gave in. The torturer immediately pressed the branding iron against Mahin's thigh, causing him to shriek in agony.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t