Blood dripped from Mal's nose, splattering on the hard concrete floor. It was broken in all places and had now turned to a crooked mess. His lip was swollen and bleeding, adding more to the puddle beneath him. His eyes were barely open and were tired and bloodshot.
His arms were hanging above him, chained up to the wall and he was pressed onto his knees, the floor underneath him uncomfortable as ever and his knees had gone numb from putting his weight on them for so long. It wasn't sure how long they had been going at him, but it must have been a while.
The Oprichniki threw another punch his way, sending his head to the side and Mal grunted. He spat out, sending saliva and blood in the direction of the Oprichniki and it dribbled on his chin, a long string dangling and then falling into the puddle.
He had been beaten, punched, kicked, whacked, you name it, they had done it to him. His wrists were chafed, the metal cutting the skin and red blisters had appeared. At first, he had kept his head up, fighting by trying to stay strong, showing the guards he couldn't be broken. But they hadn't stopped and eventually he gave up. His head hung down as the blood pooled beneath him and his body was bruised and battered.
The other guard took his turn in kicking Mal in his side, his body wobbling and if it weren't for the chains he'd be hunched on the floor. Mal groaned and received another punch to his face, blood splattering over the guard's uniform. His face broken all over, his jaw aching from the punches he'd received, his nose smooshed, lips cracked and swollen so he couldn't feel them.
This was his punishment.
Mal stared through the cracks of his weak eyes, his vision on the puddle of blood. There was so much of it, he could almost see his reflection. He wasn't even making noises now; he was just enduring the pain he was receiving. The guard threw another punch his way, chains rattling as his body flung to the side and pinged back like a yoyo.
"That's enough" his voice was quiet but the command was clear. Both Oprichniki stepped away and Mal stayed looking into the blood. The cell fell silent and he didn't look up. He didn't need to; he already knew he was there. The guards left and it was just the two of them.
Kirigan stared at Mal for a minute or two, basking in the defeated sight of him. Only up and till now did he see Mal this weak and defeated. The tracker was known for putting up a fight, he'd already seen it on several occasions and fighting him by The Fold proved he knew combat and could handle taking a punch or two. But now, seeing him drenched in his own blood, silent and torn apart was new to Kirigan.
Kirigan strolled inside, standing at the entrance to the cell. Mal sniffled, blood pouring out from his nose and his breathing was hard and ragged. Mal slowly lifted his head, peaking through his nearly closed eyes and staring at Kirigan.
"Where's Alina?" he rasped and Kirigan took a deep breath. He stepped further inside and took the chair that had been placed there at his request. He moved it from the corner to the middle and sat down, back straight and hands in his lap.
"She is none of your concern now" he didn't deserve to know where Alina was. Even with him chained up and nowhere to go, Kirigan was not going to give in to his demands.
"You know I'm impressed with you; you have managed to flee from my prison twice now, fool me, fool my guards and take my sun summoner" Kirigan said.
"Or perhaps I wasn't making it hard enough".
"Or maybe your just terrible at keeping people prisoner" Mal murmured and Kirigan smirked. He knew he still had that fight in him… his temper.
"Well, I think I've learned from my mistakes now" Kirigan said calmly.
"You know I've been contemplating, what I should do with you" Kirigan stared at Mal, watching as he rocked slightly on his chained hands, his gaze downwards, his body slowly shutting down.
"My first thought was to kill you after everything you've caused, stealing Alina away like that, I thought best to get rid of you and then we can move on" Mal didn't answer, only listened. He didn't have the energy but it didn't mean he wasn't going to fight back.
"Then I thought about sending you away to the furthest island, leaving you there for dead, but I'm not going to do that either".
Mal shuffled on his knees, trying to put some feeling back into them but it only caused more pain and his face scrunched up when he moved.
"I still want you to suffer, to see that you cannot win in this, this is your endgame" Kirigan said darkly and Mal looked up, gazing at Kirigan.
"Alina has understood that this is what it should be, she understands now that I am the only one for her, she will want no one else, she knows now that you cannot be there for her, no matter how much you try to tell her that and convince her, she will see that it's not possible".
"She knows now you only hold her back, you never appreciated her and you never will, you'll understand how much power she has, you won't be able to handle it, you'll be scared of her, of what she can do".
Mal clenched his fists but didn't make a move to scream or shout. He knew Kirigan would want that reaction. He hated every single word falling out of that manipulative monster's mouth.
"I will never be scared of her, I will never turn my back on her, when she needs me the most, I will be there… you can never give her that" he whispered.
"You are a delusional psycho" Mal spat and Kirigan smirked, chuckling softly.
"I am her soulmate, for all of eternity, our bond will live on while you will die" Kirigan gritted the word through his teeth and Mal fought a little against the chains holding him up.
"She won't forget me, we have something" Mal breathed. The scar adorning her hand would forever be there and Mal prayed that Kirigan had no knowledge of it.
"What… feelings. You think because you told her you love her; she'll want to be with you" Kirigan asked.
"She will forget all that, every day she spends with me she will be pulled by our bond until eventually you are nothing but a stranger, a blur in her mind, a Otkazar'sya with nothing to show" Kirigan sneered and Mal grew angrier. He held his temper back, not wanting to satisfy Kirigan with the reaction, knowing that he was getting inside him and messing him up.
"And you will see, you will see her live her life, grow more powerful and forget all about you".
Mal looked up with hard glaring eyes, his mouth screwed in a scowl. No, he wouldn't let Alina go like this.
"You can try and convince yourself that, but Alina will realise the truth, the truth being she doesn't belong with you, you can force her to be yours as much as you want but it will never make her want you".
"She and I will leave here one day and you will be the one she forgets, the one she leaves to die" Mal spat with fury. Kirigan blinked for a moment and stared at Mal. After that moment, a small smile grew on his lips and he spoke calmly.
"You keep telling yourself that".
"Your life remains here, a prisoner for life, you'll be a wanted man, if you escape, I'll have my guards torture you, if you flee to another nation, I'll have them capture you and bring you here".
"And if at any point I think you could be useful to me, you will obey. Your tracking skills are one of a kind and that is something I cannot pass up on. Your life belongs to me now and I decide what happens" Kirigan said darkly, his voice low and terrifying.
He stood from the chair, placing it back in the corner and then taking one last look at Mal who was now struggling a little more against his restraints.
"For now, though, you can spend it in darkness" he raised his hand, summoning darkness and shadows inside the cell, the shadows clouding Mal's vision. Everything went black and Mal could no longer see Kirigan standing there. Mal pulled at the chains, grunting and when the slam of the cell door sounded, he erupted in a roar.
Hey so I hope you like it, let me know what you think in the reviews and what do you think will happen next.