The Laughing Swordsman

Talon came to a realization.

Somehow or another, he was able to resist whatever transformation the empire's last resort tried to put on him. Not only that, but his resistance genuinely made Oddryl worried.

But most importantly, from how Oddryl sounded, there was a high chance his sister was actually alive.

Talon was fairly certain Oddryl would've found a way to show him his transformed sister, thus breaking his mentality down immediately.

He was in despair just moments ago, but was pulled up from the depths to see the light.

Talon's burst of confidence let him tighten his muscles fiercely. He began to suppress the strange thing in his body. Talon did so slowly, but began to stand up.

Oddryl snorted.

"I have multiple ways to deal with you!"

Talon's yellow eye began to glow brightly.

Suddenly, he crashed down, falling onto his knees. There was strong pressure bearing down on him, threatening to make him break.

This pressure also affected the strange thing in his body, but not in a way that benefitted Talon. He could feel the strange thing spreading downwards, slowly claiming his intestines, liver, stomach, and more.

Talon could hardly keep himself from crumpling down on the floor, much less suppress the infection.

Oddryl could not help but laugh.

"You boasted to the skies, yet look at where you are now!"

Talon was beginning to feel dizzy. There was a nauseating and piercing pain in the places where the infection spread through his body.

He had to do something... but what was there to do?

Talon slowly raised his hand. The pressure made cracking sounds ring out from his arm. Talon did not cut himself any slack, even if that meant nearly breaking his joints.

Oddryl snorted.

"And what exactly are you trying to do?"

Talon had a solemn expression on his face.

"I am going to... survive."

He slowly brought it up to his glowing yellow eye.

A memory of Talon's sister, Lena, flashed by his mind.

...

"Can you handle one more?"

Talon's father was holding a whip in his hand, staring at his son blankly.

As for Talon, he was standing up with his hands facing the wall, while his back faced his father.

At this moment, Talon was trembling as though he was shivering from the cold. Several bright red wounds swelled up on his back. They were injuries caused by the lashes of a whip.

Talon's breathing was ragged. His vision would blur intermittently, and a faint ringing sound seemed to come from his ears.

Talon's father lifted up his whip in a monotonous manner.

"I said, can you handle one more?"

Talon could only make out bits and pieces out of what his father was saying, but could guess what was said at this point.

He slowly nodded.

"...Y-Yes."

The crack of a whip resounded.

Talon's father mercilessly swung the whip, making another bright red mark appear on Talon's skin.

As for Talon himself, he let out a cry of pain. His vision blurred considerably, while his consciousness blanked out for less than a second. His legs and arms gave out, causing him to fall down and smack his forehead along the way.

Talon landed on his knees, scraping them against the rocky floor. He sharply inhaled and began uncontrollably spasming from the pain. There was a blaring ringing sound coming from his ears, as though he was just nearby a massive explosion.

Talon spent a few moments in this state, barely able to make sense of the world around him. Every lash on his back seemed to be lit aflame, burning him away. The old lashes were covered by new ones. It was as though Apollo's back was a wall that was going to be repainted.

Talon's vision slowly cleared while the ringing sound died down.

He could just barely hear a few faint noises that vaguely resembled his father's voice. It was as though his father was mumbling.

Talon closed his eyes shamefully and clenched his fists.

"I... I can't! Not anymore..."

His mind cleared up, allowing him to hear his father's last remark.

"Try to last longer next time. Only by pushing yourself can you break out of the shackles of weakness and join the center of the city."

With that, Talon's father left.

As for Talon, he collapsed onto all fours, panting like he was moments away from death. Although the lashes stopped, his injuries continued to hurt as they always have.

Talon could feel his consciousness wavering just from the piercing pain that assaulted his mind. It was as though a balloon was being filled with water. The water flowed into the balloon slowly, but it wasn't stopping any time soon.

As such, the balloon stretched a little wider every second, straining itself to the very limits.

Talon grit his teeth and let out a muffled roar.

He could feel his mind go numb. Other than a warm heat, he no longer felt anything from his wounds.

However, not even a second later, the pain rushed back to him.

Talon vomited, spilling out the contents of his stomach onto the floor. He spat and furrowed his brows.

"I... I'm so weak."

"I don't think you're weak."

Talon slowly turned to the side to see his sister, Lena, looking at him curiously.

Lena was looking at the wounds spread out on Talon's back. She gently touched his back, in a way that was more gentle than a feather.

"You lasted very long."

Talon smiled bitterly, as he felt itchy from Lena's touch.

"...But I wasn't even able to last half as long as a few days ago."

He coughed violently.

"I've been getting worse and worse... it's not long at all."

Lena crouched down next to him and flashed a gentle smile.

"Brother, you've been doing this every day. You've already been working so hard."

Talon shook his head.

"But... I'm only getting weaker."

Lena patted Talon's head.

"You have been able to endure every day. The fact you can still stand shows how far you have come."

She giggled.

"So you are strong."