RE 343 Guilty Spark's review: "I just realized that if I knew how to make gifs, I would make a little Zayus kick the ball at Jiku's head and turn Jiku into Spongegar." Shut up and take my money!


Chapter LII (49)

The Swamp In The Black Forest

She raised her head slowly, grimacing at the musty smell of the small shack she was staying in; Sedena had been sent to the usual small buildings to be isolated from her peers, but after what was going to transpire this pale morning, she would be isolated in a medical wing, unable to lay on her back for several days. Hardly able to move, sharp jolts of pain if she ever did stir. Sedena sat up in the cheap bed she laid on, a rust metal frame, feathered mattress that was practically flat now, itchy covers, and the pillow was nowhere to be seen. The windows could not be opened, and she was only allowed outside when the trainer/guard tasked with overseeing her let it be so. Not that she would be associated with him for long. The whipping would begin after all the other common room occupants had done their morning exercises, after that she would be "made an example". Like she had the night before, she still didn't feel anything, and she still wanted to keep it that way. It wasn't hard to not feel emotions, just a...murmuring emptiness in her stomach. Nothing in her hearts, or thoughts in a frenzy in her head; just the blank hollow, and that was fine. The last thing she wanted was to have an emotional breakdown in front of so many people. There was some pride you just couldn't swallow; and some shame that people would never forget.

Sedena looked up when the trainer entered. They knew each other somewhat, but she could tell he thought it was all a big, steaming, crock of shit.

"Just a half-hour now, Hakrenini," he said, closing the door behind himself.

"The sooner it's over the better," Sedena said quietly, swinging her feet over the edge and folding her hands on her lap.

"I do not believe this is just, Sedena. Not for a second. I know both Omuka and Jiku well enough; and that is knowing them too much. And I have seen the way that Yala treats people."

"It was a set up, me getting into this," Sedena admitted, feeling that she atleast needed to tell someone outside the common room, whether it mattered or not (it still would not in this case). "Yala touched me, and he let me attack him. I was to blind and stupid with anger to realize this before I attacked. Jiku was right there of course, with no explanation of his presence in the common room at that hour; and with Omuka...the deal was sealed. They were just counting on me." The trainer, Hona, gave her a sympathetic look.

"Well...we all have to suffer in life...you have gotten this far, Sedena, do not let them win. Keep on. When you step on the graduation stage, no matter how much you suffered to get there, it is still a victory." Sedena smiled; his words were true. The same words had been spoken by many people millions of times over, in all the universe, during dark times. And his added to the force known as "good" in their tiny, mortal universe. Through her.

They waited for the half hour, until the door opened to their shack, and two silent, solemn Honor Guards stood. Sedena stood and stepped towards them. They stood on either side of her, and Hona grudgingly lead the way. They came to the center-most courtyard of the entire academy grounds, still behind the main building. All the common room occupants were there, and Sedena tried to not look at the faces, especially those of her friends. Recognizing a face would only make this worse. In the center of the courtyard, the floor nothing but pale brown, pebbly dirt, was the fifteen foot post, with shackles at the top where her wrists would be locked. The area of those shackles was ground and splintered from claws that had dug into them, stained with old blood dating back to three hundred years. In truth, the absolute punishment, was to be whipped, and then left to bleed to death. That had happened before, but only in the vent of murder. And a murder had not taken place in over one hundred-thirty years.

Standing by the post, whip in hand, was another Honor Guard; just as blank as the rest of them. Jiku was there as well, next to Omuka, and they were blank, but Sedena knew they were as smug as ever inside. The Honor Guards escorting Sedena lead her to the post, then one had her take her shirt off, then he placed her arms into the shackles.

"Sedena Hakrenini," Omuka said loudly, for all to hear, "For repeated insubordination, disrespect, and the assault of a fellow student, you are to be whipped forty times with no exception. And if you continue in your ways despite of this, you will be removed from this academy, with your honor replaced with shame." Omuka and Jiku stepped back. Sedena breathed hard, looking down at her own feet as she was cuffed facing the post. The early breeze made her shiver, and she dare not look behind. She shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists until her claws ground into her palms. She heard the malevolent whoo of the whip being swung overhead; but what was a crack to other's ears did not even exist to Sedena. Only the splitting, massive pain that made her shout out in agony. Her fists clenched even more, making her fingers ache and her claws putting punctures into her skin, blood trickling down between her fingers. Her back was on fire, she thought it would steam in the cool morning air. The pain returned a moment later, and she screamed again, legs quivering and beginning to falter. She shut her eyes tight, but that did not stop the flow of tears. The third strike seemed surreal, but still there, and her knees buckled. Her wrists caught in the tight bindings, putting welts on her skin, her hands splaying open involuntarily, revealing the eight punctures in each of her hands. The whip made her claws join with the ones before hers on the post, digging into the wood, cutting the tips of her fingers and letting her blood join with the ones before her. By the twentieth strike, it began to get dark, even though the suns were slowly rising and revealing a bright and sunny day. By the thirtieth, her voice was hoarse, and she only let out croaks of misery. She was literally hanging off the shackles now, and her hands were numb from the blocked circulation. And by the final strike, she was almost passed out. She fought immensely to stay conscious. The two Honor Guards helped her stand as best she could, one undoing her shackles. They made her wrap her arms around their shoulders, and they dragged her to the medical wing. And as they went through the crowd, Sedena saw the faces of her friends without realizing it.


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