A/N: As I continue to edit and revise my stories I will, when possible, replace the old, sloppy chapters with the new and freshly edited ones as soon as they are to my standards. You will see this note, along with possible variations of it, above all the chapters I have edited. Once all chapters are completely edited I will remove all author notes pertaining to the revision of the story.

Trigger Warning: Force-feeding and intense situations. This chapter contains a thoroughly described process of force-feeding as well as intense emotional distress. Reader discretion is advised.

A loud knock came from the door. Lokar frowned and glanced up from his papers. "Enter," he commanded in a slightly irritated voice.

"Sir?" a guard walked in. He was wearing the same black and navy-blue combat armor as his comrades. Only he had a red pauldron on his left shoulder with a navy-blue shoulder cape and red tassets.

"What is it, Warden Stone?" Lokar sighed.

"Sir," Stone began, "Prisoner 721, Nox Kenway, has refused to eat for three days straight."

"She's refusing to eat?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He quickly organized the papers on his desk.

"Yes, Sir," Stone answered.

There were a few seconds of silence where Stone stood silently. He watched Lokar organize his papers. The silence sat heavily upon Stone's chest. He knew what was going to happen. He knew what Lokar was going to do. The mere thought of it disturbed him greatly.

Lokar leaned back in his chair. He folded his hands together. "Now why would she do that?" he mused out loud.

"She must think a hunger strike is going to catch you attention, Sir," he answered softly. Stone wasn't sure if Lokar was talking out loud or addressing him.

He leaned forward so his elbows rested on his desk, studying Stone for a moment. He noted Stone's rising discomfort. "She definitely has my attention now," Lokar said coolly. "I can't let her starve herself. This will not do."

"What will you have me do, Sir?" He knew very well what Lokar wanted him to do.

A smile crept across Lokar's lips. "Inform maintenance prepare the feeding chair," he answered.

Stone's eyes widened. "You plan to force-feed her, Sir?" Stone asked softly. He tried to hide the slight quiver in his voice. He knew this was going to happen. He shouldn't have been this troubled.

"If she refuses to eat I don't have much of a choice," he grunted as he stood up. "Have you already brought her a meal today?" he asked, walking towards the door.

"No, Sir," he responded, following Lokar with his eyes. "I thought I ought to inform you first."

"Excellent. I guess it's about time I took a visit to see Miss Kenway. She must be hungry, after all," his smiled widened. "Stone, come with me."

"Yes, Sir," he gulped. He loved his job. It had a stable income that allowed him and his family to live comfortably. The only thing he despised about his job was when Lokar ordered him to be present when somebody was being force-fed.

As they made their way down to the prison unit, Stone informed maintenance to prepare the chair.

"Thirty-one… Thirty-two… Thirty-three…" Nox counted the cracks in the ceiling. She lay on her bed, her legs crossed, and her hands behind her head. A bored expression on her face. Her stomach grumbled painfully. She ignored the pain and continued to count, "Thirty-"

The cell's door hissed open, scattering her thoughts.

"If a hunger strike is all you could think of to resist," Lokar declared, walking into the cell and holding a tray, "then, I'm thoroughly disappointed. I expected more from you."

"I'm a vegetarian," Nox replied without looking at him. "I refuse to eat meat."

"There are other things to eat on this tray that are not meat," he stated, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Is that so?" she mocked. "Didn't notice."

"While vegetarianism is something respect due to my own culture, you're decision to not eat doesn't seem logical," he frowned. "There are other things on this tray that you could have eaten. Yet," he began to walk forwards, "you did not. So I can't help but think that your refusal to eat is a mere act of defiance."

She sat up and glared at him. "So what if it is?"

"Then you must know your efforts are pointless and juvenile," he scowled down at her. He hated her insolent remarks.

There was a moment where Nox and Lokar silently glared at each other. Nox felt overpowered. She took notice of three guards that stood behind Lokar. One of them was the warden. She was outnumbered.

Nox tried to seem unintimidated. She knew that her hunger strike was only hurting her. In fact, her lack of eating had already started to make her weak and lightheaded. But it was the only think she could think of that was defiant enough to get Lokar's attention but passive enough so she wouldn't be severely punished.

Suddenly, her stomach churned and growled painfully loud. She gave a slight grimace, and then fought to regain her previous stoic composure. It was too late. Lokar's eyes lit up in triumph.

"You're hungry," he finally stated. "Eat."

"No," she said firmly. She wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Miss Kenway," he said sternly, "you need to eat. Surely you understand how infantile starving yourself is?"

She glanced from the three guards then back to Lokar. "What exactly would you do should I continue to not eat?" she inquired.

"Then I must let you know," a smile danced across his lips, "if you do not eat, I will have no choice to force-feed you." He paused briefly to watch Nox's expression. "It's your choice," he started again. "Eat or I will strap you to a chair and force-feed you through a tube."

Nox frowned and looked away. She didn't exactly like the idea of being force-fed. Yet, she didn't want to give into Lokar's demands. She thought hard in silence for a moment.

"Well?" Lokar asked with a raised eye-brow. He was curious to see what she would decide on. He knew very well that Nox didn't want to give into his demands but also knew she wouldn't want to be force-fed. "What are you going to choose?"

She looked up at him with a troubled expression. If she choose to eat, that would give Lokar the satisfaction of victory. If she choose not to eat, then Lokar would force-fed her. She had never felt so conflicted before.

"I'm a reasonable man, Miss Kenway," Lokar began when he didn't receive an answer. "Do not test my patience. I will force-feed you should you not give me an answer. My time is precious. I won't have you wasting it. So, I'll ask you one last time. What are you going to choose?"

Stone shook his head silently. He knew that Nox was pushing Lokar close to his breaking point. If she crossed that line the outcome wouldn't be pleasant for her.

"I'm waiting, Miss Kenway," Lokar frowned. When he received no answer again, he sighed, "I trust you realize that this would be easier if you would simply just eat."

Something twisted inside of Nox. She hatted how Lokar belittled her.

"Make me," she finally said.

"Excuse me?" Lokar lowered his eyebrows. He scowled down at Nox. He heard her loud and clear. Despite this, he was giving her a chance to rethink her decision.

"You heard me," she spat.

"Fine," he said roughly. "If this is how you're going to behave, then I guess I have no choice." He handed the tray to one of the guards. "Grab her," he ordered.

Next thing Nox knew, she was being hauled off of the cot, dragged out of the cell, and down the hallway. She struggled violently and kicked about wildly.

"Let me go!" she fumed. Her foot collided with one of the guards' legs. Pain surged through her foot. The armor the guard was wearing was too strong. "I said let me go!" she seethed.

"Stop struggling," the guard to her left ordered in a monotone voice.

This didn't convince her to stop. She kept struggling and thrashing about. The only thing her struggles accomplished was amusing Lokar.

"You've made your choice, Miss Kenway," he smirked subtly. The sounds of her distress was a peaceful lullaby to him. "You should at least honor your own decision."

"Let me go!" she repeated again, yanking her left arm away. This time she nearly broke through the guards' grips.

Once he had a sturdy grip on her once more, he snarled, "Stop struggling, prisoner." The guard struck her hard in the ribs to assert his power.

She grunted and tried to hide her pain. "Get your hands off me!" she screamed.

They had finally reached a door the end of the corridor. Lokar pressed the padlock and the door slid open.

When they entered the room, Nox's heart sank. The sight of a metallic chair with a series of straps and restraints on it shook her to her core. Immediately she began to struggle harder than ever before.

"Stop struggling!" Stone hissed into Nox's ear. He couldn't take watching her struggle much more. "You'll only make this harder for yourself…"

"You're not putting me in… In that thing!" she said frantically.

Stone and the other guard thrust her roughly into the chair. In the brief second she had freedom, she tried to make a run for it. However, Lokar shoved her roughly back into the chair.

"Leaving so soon? We haven't even started yet," Lokar sneered.

Nox stared at Lokar. Her eyes wide with shock and horror. Suddenly two more guards approached her from behind. She felt their hands, groping and scrabbling at her limbs, working hastily to strap her in. She struggled wildly. Her panic increased once they had begun to strap her in.

It started with her arms, then her legs, then her shoulders, then her waist. Eventually they had her head strapped down. Despite knowing that her protests where pointless, Nox kept making them all the same. Once she was fully strapped in, the guards stepped to the aside. Lokar began to approach the chair.

"Seeing as how you refuse to eat," Lokar began, his eyes drilling into Nox, "I don't have much of a choice. If I were to let you starve yourself, what kind of impression would that leave on my subordinates?"

"An honest one," Nox hissed, glaring up at Lokar. Her breath was jagged and uneven.

"Now, now, Miss Kenway," he shook his head mockingly. "You barely know me. How could you make such an accusation?"

"Considering the fact that you destroyed a planet, I'm not so sure a more accurate statement could be made," she said gruffly.

"Think what you wish about me, however, you're wrong," he said dismissively, walking over to a counter.

Nox tried to keep her eyes on Lokar, but he moved out of her line of sight. She felt blind almost. She was unable to turn her head. The only direction she could look was forward.

"Then why don't you prove me wrong," she hissed. "If you think that my opinions on you are incorrect then prove me wrong."

"I'm assuming you're asking me to let you go and return you to Boaddai, correct?" he asked with a chuckle.

"That would be a great way to prove me wrong."

"Unfortunately for you, I cannot do that. You see," he said, returning to the chair with a long, rubber tube in his hands, "I've got big plans for you."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Brick," Lokar called, completely ignoring Nox's question, "you still have her tray of food, correct?"

"Aye, Sir," Brick answered.

"Give it here," Lokar commanded.

Obediently Brick brought Lokar the tray of food. He then returned to the line. He stood straight and tall with his hands behind his back.

"As much as I don't like you," Lokar began, walking away once more, the tray of food in his hand, "I must respect your choice to be a vegetarian. I, myself, am one too."

"You didn't strike me as someone who'd be a vegetarian," Nox commented.

"I told you, the assumptions you have about me are mostly incorrect," he responded.

She heard Lokar scraping the rice, peas, carrots, and green beans off of the tray. The sounds of him pouring her drink into something filled the room. The whirling and revving of an appliance alerted Nox that he was blending her food. Once the blending had stopped, she heard Lokar's footsteps coming closer.

"I'm assuming that this is going to be an unpleasant experience for you," he said, a subtle curl in his lip.

Stone noticed that the tube that Lokar had chosen was thicker than the other tubes he normally would've selected. He felt his heart sink. This was going to be worse than usual.

"Um, Sir?" Stone spoke up. "Wouldn't a thinner tube be better? I don't think that will fit through her nose."

"No," he answered curtly. "I'm not inserting it nasally. I'm going straight to the throat with this one."

"Won't that be more painful?" he asked, concern leaked into his voice.

"She refuses to eat," he said shortly. "There's no point in wasting resources on her if she's only refusing to eat to spite me. Anyway, I've blended the food she was offered to eat. It's too thick to go through a thinner tube."

"Are you sure, Sir?"

"Warden Stone, are you questioning my authority?" He turned to Stone. He glared menacingly at him. Authority exuded from his posture.

Stone bowed his head and mumbled, "No, Sir. Not at all."

"Good," he said with a nasty tone. He glared at Stone for a moment, eyed his other subordinates, and then returned his attention back to Nox.

Lokar approached Nox, and then turned to the tray next to the chair. He looked at the tools resting upon the metallic surface. His hand glided over the tools and instruments. For a moment, his hand lingered above one tool in particular. She wasn't able to see what Lokar had grabbed. She didn't need to. Once she saw Lokar's eyes light up and a sickening grin spread across his face, she knew it wasn't good.

"Now," he said far too happily, "open up."

Nox looked at what Lokar was clutching in his hand. Her eyes widened in horror. It was steel gag. Her heart sunk. She had hoped this was just an elaborate stunt. That they were just trying to instill fear into her heart so she would eat obediently. Her hopes were proven wrong. This was actually going to happen. Lokar was actually going to go through with this. She was completely defenseless, and strapped to a chair. There wasn't much she could do at this point. The only thing she had left was to prevent him from getting at her mouth.

She clenched her jaw as tight as possible when Lokar stepped closer to her. She glared up at him intensely as if egging him on without words.

"Come now, Miss Kenway," he sighed, an annoyed expression on his face. When Nox did not open her mouth, he scowled, "You're wasting my time." He roughly grabbed her by the cheeks with his free hand and squeezed tightly, trying to pry her mouth open. Despite his strength and forcefulness, Nox had her jaw locked shut as tightly as possible. "Fine. If you won't be smart enough to open your mouth," he said sternly, "then you've force my hand." He pinched Nox's nose shut.

She hadn't been able to take in a full gulp of air and was slowly beginning to feel the effects. It started off slowly, but the sensation of breathlessness crept up her throat and spread through her lungs. She tried to shake Lokar's hand from her nose but his grip was too tight to break. The fact that she couldn't move her head more than a millimeter didn't help her efforts at all either. This only added to the panic she had built up inside of her from the moment these men seized her. The anger made her chest contract and exacerbated the sensations of breathlessness.

Lokar glanced over to a clock. He frowned. Only thirty seconds had gone by. "You can't hold your breath forever," he stated, turning his head towards Nox again. "You'll have to open your mouth to breathe eventually."

He was right. Nox knew that. It felt like her chest were being crushed by an invisible force. Her throat felt like it had been sealed shut. Fire crawled across her face. She knew that it wouldn't be long before she would be forced to gasp for air.

She clawed desperately at the metal armrests of the chair. From the stress and pain of holding her breath her muscles contracted. Her knuckles turned white. She frantically tried to wiggle out of the chair. Yet, she knew that these attempts were pointless and only added to her extreme feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

As Nox twitched and wriggled about helplessly, Lokar observed her contorted face. It was flushed with stress and panic. "You're certainly a persistent little brat, I'll give you that much," Lokar said after a minute and a half went by. "But, judging by the expression on your face, you haven't got much longer till you break."

Nox squinted at Lokar then shut her eyes tightly once more. It felt like a boa constrictor had tightly wound itself around her lungs, crushing them beyond repair, squeezing the life out of her. She couldn't take it much longer. Her will power was slipping through her fingers like a torrential waterfall, gushing with waters of anguish and panic. Her body took control, forcing her to gasp wildly and desperately.

Without hesitation, Lokar grabbed Nox's head with one hand and jammed steel gag into her mouth with the other. The steel gag ran around Nox's gums, feeling for gaps in between her teeth. She kept tugging at her head trying to get away. She felt someone grab her shoulders and forcefully hold her still while somebody else grabbed her head. Her breath was hot, fast and accompanied by a low scream and growl.

"There it is," Lokar mumbled triumphantly.

Immediately she felt the steel instrument pressed up against her gums, cutting into her flesh, forcing its way in. Her jaw was gradually pried open as Lokar turned some kind of screw. It felt like he were ripping out her teeth.

She fought as best she could against the gag. She pressed her bleeding teeth and gums down on the steel as hard as she could. When her mouth was finally wrenched open as wide as it could be, she felt Lokar remove his hands, yet, the two guards still held her firmly.

He stepped back and watched her contently as she breathed violently, still struggling for freedom. "There's no point in struggling. Certainly you're aware of this by now," he said dismissively. He then grabbed the rubber tube. He came towards her, leaned in close, and roughly cupped her cheek.

She shuddered under his touch. It was cold and menacing. She looked at him, feverish with horror and outrage. She tried even harder to slip out of the restraints as she watched powerlessly as Lokar brought the rubber tube closer to her mouth.

He slowly and very carefully began to work the tube down Nox's throat. He felt her struggling wildly beneath him. Nox twitched and writhed violently. She felt the tube stretching her throat as it forced its way down. She felt the rubber dragging across her esophagus. She tried to contract the muscles in her throat in an effort to prevent the tube from going down. It didn't work. It only created more friction between the rubber and the lining of her esophagus. The increased traction and resistance only exacerbated the grating sensation in her throat.

To make matters worse, she couldn't breathe in or out at first, and wheezed desperately like she were drowning.

The noises she made as she struggled about and tried to breathe were nerve-racking and disturbing. However, Lokar paid them no mind. He simply continued to insert the tube.

"I told you this would be unpleasant," Lokar said into her ear. "You really shouldn't struggle, though, it could cause complications."

This didn't pacify Nox's contrition nor did it convince her that struggling wasn't worth it. She instead struggled more. Her desperation fueled her desire for freedom.

When he finally got the tube down, she was certain she actually felt it reach her stomach, Lokar hooked the end of the tube up to a funnel like contraption.

There was an eerie silence that none of the guards dared to break. The only sounds were that of Nox's struggles and her careful breathing that sounded very much like whimpers.

"The most unpleasant part of this process is over. So relax," Lokar said grimly.

It seemed like years to Nox as she watched Lokar in disgust and agitation. He raised the pitcher of blended slop up to the funnel. He locked eyes with her. She glanced from him to the funnel in horror. It was almost as if she were begging him not to. He began to poor it in the funnel while keeping his eyes locked with hers.

Not only was she fully aware of her surroundings, but she was also fully aware of her crazy and futile struggles. Nox wished she would just blackout. She wanted to drift off into a rage filled unconscious state of mind. She hated this.

At some point, presumably near the end, she had closed her eyes tightly. She couldn't stand watching the smug look on Lokar's face as she waited for the food to be emptied completely into her stomach

"It's nearly done," she heard Lokar say, his voice sounding a great distance away.

Once the slop had finished seeping down the tube and into Nox's stomach, Lokar began to pull out the pipe little by little.

The sounds of Nox's spluttering and gasping filled the room once more. It felt exactly the same as it did when he was putting the tub down her throat. Only, this time, it was reversed. Nox didn't know when it happened, but she suddenly became aware of stream of tears leaking through her eyelids. Finally, Lokar removed the steal gag. The guards who had been holding her firmly in place released her limbs.

One of the guards asked, "Sir, should we release her and bring her back to her cell now?"

Lokar glanced at Nox briefly. He then shook his head and answered, "No. I don't trust her. The second she was brought back to her cell, she'd force herself to throw up. Since the nutrients haven't been fully absorbed into her body yet, this would've been a complete waste of time. You may, however, unstrap her head. It's no longer necessary."

The guard undid the straps around Nox's head. She hung her head to avoid having to look at anyone in the eyes.

"All of you, except Warden Stone and Brick, are dismissed," Lokar instructed.

"Yes, Sir!" they said in unison. They all bowed to him before leaving the room.

"Warden Stone and Brick, keep guard outside. I'd like a moment alone with my prisoner," Lokar said firmly.

"As you wish, Sir," Warden Stone said. He walked out of the room with Brick by his side.

Unable to look up or do anything at all, Nox sat there exhausted, breathing jaggedly from her struggles, and sobbing silently. Her shoulders shook violently as she tried to choke back her tears. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Her teeth throbbed with pain. A coppery aftertaste lingered in her mouth. Her throat ached and burned.

After what seemed like forever, she finally gained some control over her breathing. It was still rough and slightly jagged, but she was able to breathe more smoothly. She was aware that Lokar was still in the room with her. That was the main reason why she kept her head bowed, letting her tears roll down her cheeks and drip onto her training robes. She didn't want to risk looking at him. Not yet.

Finally she opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurry from her tears. She blinked them away. Lokar was not anywhere to be seen. She heard something somewhere behind her. It sounded like running water.

He must be washing his hands, she thought to herself. The sounds of footsteps alerted her that Lokar was drawing nearer. She saw his feet in front of her. It occurred to her that she still crying. She kept her head bowed. She didn't want to see the satisfied look on his face.

"I'm warning you, Kenway. You're playing a dangerous game here," Lokar hissed, grabbing her by the chin. His eyes were ablaze with malleolus intentions and satisfaction. "Now, unless you enjoy being force-fed, then I advise you to eat when you are told." He had released her chin and looked down his nose at her, "I won't have this type of nonsense going on. Do you understand me? Now, will you eat obediently?"

She couldn't bring herself to answer. She could only stare at the floor, breathing heavily, and tears still rolling gently down her cheeks.

This irritated Lokar. He wanted an answer. "I asked you a question," he said harshly. "Do not make me repeat myself."

Suddenly Nox felt the palm of Lokar's hand collide with her face. She yelped in pain and whimpered out of fear. It stung and hurt but in comparison to her throat and dignity, it was the latter two that hurt the most.

"Answer me," he demanded.

She murmured an inaudible word.

"Speak up," he said harshly.

"No," she said croaked softly.

"That's unfortunate to hear," he sighed, almost as if he cared. "However, pitying your decision is pointless."

Lokar leisurely walked over to the side of the room. Nox watched him cautiously out of the corner of her eye as pulled up a chair so it was opposite her. He sat down, leaned back into the chair, steepled his fingers, and then observed her tears, still flowing at a slow, constant rate, and her expression.

He smirked when she looked away from his gaze. Despite knowing the answer, he asked, "I'm assuming that this wasn't a delightful experience for you. Am I correct?"

Nox didn't answer. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't even want to be left alone with him. The familiar sensation of panic surged through her body. Though her tears had subsided, she was still unable to stop crying silently. It only added to her sense of frustration that she was unable to control her tears. She especially hated crying in front of someone who had hurt her.

"You don't want to talk?" he jeered, narrowing his eyes at Nox. "That's understandable. Your throat must be rather soar. Although, if I'm assuming correctly, your hunger strike was merely an attempt to get my attention, right? Well," he flashed a cynical half-smile, "you have it now. Don't waste it." He studied her closely, noting her tears and clenched fists.

She felt his eyes rolling over her. It made her want to throw up. She hated being stared at, especially under a scrutinizing gaze like Lokar's. Never before in her life had she ever felt this violated and mortified. She didn't want to speak to him at all. Yet, she also knew that Lokar would continue to glare at her until she said something. She couldn't muster up the courage to say something.

Several minutes of silence passed by with Lokar simply studying Nox. He was aware that she was more than shaken up from the experience. It interested him how easily her spirit broke when Maya wasn't with her. He started to get annoyed after a while of silence. He didn't like wasting his time waiting for her to speak but he wasn't going to push her to talk.

"I… I feel humiliated," she quivered softly, without looking up. She regretted speaking as the words came out of her mouth. She knew that Lokar, of all people, couldn't care less if she was humiliated or not. He had shattered her dignity and did so without any sort of hesitation.

He sat there for a second, with raised eye-brows. He hadn't expected her to voice her feelings after what he had just done to her. Though he was stumped with her emotional honesty, he understood why she felt embarrassed and ashamed.

"I'm not surprised," Lokar commented. He noted her bloodstained teeth, the trail of blood out of the corner of her mouth, and her tear stained cheeks. "Your mouth is sore," he stated.

Despite being true, Nox did not say anything. She heard him get up and walk over to somewhere in the room.

When he returned, he stood directly in front of her. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor where Lokar stood, refusing to look up. Suddenly she felt his hand, not as rough as before but far from gentle, cupping her cheek. He lifted her head so she was looking at him. He brought a cup to her lips.

"Drink," he instructed. "It will ease the pain."

When she did not do as he had asked, he forcibly opened her mouth, she had put up much less of a struggle this time, and poured it inside.

One the liquid touched her abraded gums, it stung wildly. She winced and nearly retched. A bit of the liquid leaked out of the edge of her mouth. It left a chilling trail in its wake as it seeped onto her face and down her neck. It tasted disgusting. She wanted to spit the vile substance out.

The look in her eyes told Lokar she was debating on spitting it out, especially at him. "Spit it out and you'll be sorry," he warned.

Aware of her current position, Nox had no choice other than swallow the revolting substance. So she swallowed reluctantly. She felt the medicine leave a fiery coat on her esophagus, burning her raw throat, and leaving a sickening sensation of warmth throughout her body when it reached her stomach.

"Good girl," he sneered, removing his hand and walking over to his chair. He sat down and watched Nox's expressions carefully. She hung her head and refused to meet his gaze once more. He sensed her anger and feelings of degradation, but she was also confused. "It's to prevent your gums from getting infected as well as help them heal," he explained.

She sat there glaring at the floor. She felt his gaze drilling into her and once more a skin crawling sensation of shame crept across her neck and to her cheeks. She felt her eyes watering and knew that she was going to cry again. It wasn't the type of tears that one could contain. They were the type of tears one sheds after the feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, shame, humiliation, and terror become too extreme to hold back any longer. They were the type of tears one sheds after realizing that the gaps in their childhood were comprised of similar emotions that had been repressed for too long. They were the type of tears one sheds after being torn apart from the inside, yet, still desperately trying to cling to the something they know they no longer have.

There was a silence, in which, only the sounds of Nox's sniffles and sobs were audible.

Lokar simply sat and watched her cry. He was slightly amused by how easily he could torment her. The sweet taste of fear and control teased his lips into a smile. His eyes rolled over her. His gaze moving from her feet, up her legs, over her torso. He gazed over her shaking arms and hands, and, finally, landed upon her head. Her eyes were nearly hidden by a curtain of white-blonde hair. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. He watched her shoulders shake uncontrollably as she sobbed silently.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nox's tears subsided, but never stopped flowing.

"Why are you doing this?" she quivered softly without looking up.

"I can't let you starve yourself," he answered offhandedly.

"But why?" she questioned further. "If yo-you're trying to keep me a-alive so you can hold me for ransom, th-the Redakai Council won't negotiate-"

"I'm not holding you for ransom," he interrupted.

"What?" she asked meekly, meeting Lokar's gaze. It startled her to see that smug grin on his face.

The look of shock and fear on Nox face pleased Lokar. He couldn't help but widen his grin. "I'm not holding you for ransom," he repeated again, slightly amused. "I have no desire to contact the Redakai Council asking for anything in exchange for your safe return. In fact," his ominous gaze only became darker, "I have no intentions of returning you at all."

Nox sat silently as she absorbed this information. If he wasn't holding her for ransom then why would he have abducted her? It didn't make sense. She wanted to know why he was keeping her here but she couldn't gather up enough courage to ask.

"Seeing as how I'm not about to contact the Redakai Council or disclose my location, Boaddai will never find you. So you might as well just give up and accept that," he said solemnly.

"That's not true!" Nox nearly shouted. She hated the idea that she'd be stuck here, in this dismal hellhole, for the rest of her life.

"Then where is he?" he asked with a smirk.

"I… I don't understand what you're asking," she mumbled.

"If Boaddai is looking for you, as you would have me mistakenly believe, then why hasn't he found you yet?" He paused, watching Nox frown. He went on, as if explaining some kind of epiphany, "I'm certain that he'd be trying to find you through any means necessary, assuming he actually did care about you, of course. But, unfortunately for you, it seems that he doesn't care much about you. After all, I haven't heard or seen him snooping about for clues."

She shook her head. She refused to believe Lokar. He would lie to her if it meant getting what he wanted.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he gave a throaty chuckle. "Whether you're aware of it or not, Boaddai resents you. He's very good at hiding his emotions, but he's left subtle clues. Ones that you've undoubtedly have noticed."

"You… You're lying!" she spat, her eyes burning with anger.

"You didn't think he was aware of your growing interest in the dark side of Kairu?" he sneered. "Did you not stop to think that he would've eventually found out what you were doing with your Inner Kairu?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," mumbled Nox.

"Don't lie to me, Kenway," Lokar frowned. "You don't have to save face in front of me. I know you spent many nights playing around with your Inner Kairu. Twisting it in ways that Boaddai and the rest of the Redakai Council, for that matter, would find disturbing. Your Inner Kairu has been stained with the dark side. You can't hide it. Especially not a foolish amateur like yourself."

"I… That's not…" She felt her heart sink. It was true. Every word of Lokar said was true. She hated how easily he could read her. "How?" she asked softly.

"How can I tell that you've been messing around with things you probably shouldn't have? Or how is your Inner Kairu stained?" he questioned.

"Both," she said meekly.

"You're Inner Kairu has remnants of a form of Kairu in it that isn't native to yours," he explained. "That means you've been twisting and transforming your Inner Kairu from its original structure. Although, I am impressed that you managed to return the majority of your Inner Kairu back into its primal energy." He paused. He sensed Nox's growing desire to return her Inner Kairu back into its original form. "However," he added, "once you've manipulated and distorted your Inner Kairu, you can never fully get it back to its original form. So you can forget about trying to force your Inner Kairu back to the way it was."

Nox felt sick to her stomach. She hadn't even thought about the long lasting effects of messing with her Inner Kairu had. She just kind of did it.

"I was able to tell this," he continued, "partly because I was able to personally able to feel its tangibility due to the Dehaustor Technique I had used on you. But it was mostly due to my innate ability to sense the darker hues of Kairu that allowed me to figure it out.

"Boaddai," he added, "though not as skilled in sensing Kairu as I, was still more than able to notice the change in your Inner Kairu. Even though he would only be able to sense a slight change. He had sensed it nonetheless."

"So… Boaddai would've been able to tell?" she gulped.

"Not entirely," he shook his head. "He would've sensed a difference. Everything else, would only be mere speculation."

"But then why can I sense the darkness in you?" She shuddered. "You couldn't have been… Where you born…" she struggled to word her question. Suddenly, it felt like something was tearing through her. It occurred to her that her question might have crossed a line. She wasn't Lokar's friend. She was his prisoner. A prisoner who was strapped to a chair, completely vulnerable.

"No one is born into darkness," he said sternly. "Despite the lies the Redakai Council would have you believe, everyone is born with the potential to surpass those around them in power. Some chose to take the extra steps. I took those extra steps. End of story."

Another moment of awkward silence passed by. Nox felt the need to know why she was here growing.

"If you're not holding me for ransom," Nox sniffled, "then why are you keeping me here? As a trophy? To get revenge on Boaddai?"

"I'm offended that you think so low of me," Lokar sighed irritably. "Your current position here as my prisoner has little to nothing to do with my own personal agenda. I told you, I have big plans. I won't elaborate any further. You'll find out soon enough."

She looked up and watched him walk over to the door. It slid open. Stone and Brick stood at attention immediately.

"Take her back to her cell," Lokar ordered. "I'll lead the way."

"Yes, Sir," Stone nodded. He and Brick walked over to Nox and undid the restraints.

In the split second of freedom Nox had, she sprinted forwards, trying to make a run for it. However, Lokar stood blocking the doorway. He glared down at her. She skidded to a halt. Fear surged through her body. She gaped up at him, took a few step backwards, and then bumped into Brick. She felt him and Stone seize her arms.

Lokar frowned, "You didn't exactly think that through, did you? What were you planning to do if you actually managed to get past me?" A malicious smile spread across his face, "We'd hunt you down rather quickly. You'd be back in a cell within a matter of moments."

Nox put up less of a struggle this time as they hauled her off. She was too exhausted to fight. Suddenly she sensed Warden Stone's discomfort. It occurred to her that he didn't enjoy watching her being force-fed. He seemed, in fact, disturbed by it. She relaxed her arm, hoping Stone would sympathize with her limp limbs.

He did. When she felt his grip on her arm loosen, her desperation for freedom took control. She twisted and jerked her arm out of his grasp. She kicked Brick in the stomach, managing to push him backwards. She dashed out of Stone's reach.

Unfortunately, she only managed to get a short distance away before Brick caught up to her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him, effectively disorienting her balance. He then pushed her into Stone's arms and hissed, "Hold her still, will you?"

Stone complied. He held Nox by her arms tightly. Nox struggled to break free from Stone's grasps while making feral animal-like noises.

Brick glanced at Lokar with pleading eyes. Lokar gave a subtle nod. Brick smiled strangely down at Nox.

She glared up at Brick, and nearly shuddered at the sight of the smile on his face. Nox spit at him. It landed on his face.

"You're going to regret that, brat," he hissed softly. He wiped it off. It was obvious he was enraged by this. His anger was silent and controlled. It was terrifying. He approached her, staring forebodingly down at her. "Boaddai obviously didn't do a good job disciplining you. So it looks like I'll be doing his job," he snarled. He was going to enjoy thoroughly beating Nox. Then he struck her.

Nox yelped and recoiled in pain. She barely had time to recover before he hit her again. And again. And again. She couldn't keep count.

It wasn't long before there was blood gushing from her nose. The warm, crimson liquid oozed down her face, into her mouth, down her neck, and stained her training robes. It felt disgusting. The coppery smell filled her nose. She wanted to vomit. Brick wound up his arm once more, preparing to strike her again. She hung despairingly limp in Stone's arms, spluttering and gasping, waiting for the blow to come.

Lokar observed Nox's weakness and acquiescence. "That's enough, Brick," he said firmly.

"Are you sure, Sir?" he narrowed his eyes at Nox. "She still looks a tad rebellious to me."

"Brick, she looks defeated," Stone commented. "She's had enough."

"Fine…" he grumbled, lowering his fist. He roughly grabbed one of Nox's arms.

They then continued to drag Nox's limp body off to her cell.

Once they had carried her inside, they pushed her to the floor. Stone and Brick exited the cell, while Lokar stood over Nox, watching her trembling form.

"I thought I made it clear that you wouldn't be able to escape," he said coolly.

She sat up and brought her eyes to meet his cold gaze. She was weak and dizzy from the beaten she had endured. She was exhausted from her struggles. Her body tensed up. Her knuckled turned with from clenching her fists to tight. She needed to resist. She needed to retaliate. She needed…

Before she knew what she was doing, she had her boot off and chucked it at Lokar.

Lokar easily sidestepped out of the way, and then glared at Nox. She didn't even have a chance to react. He had yanked her to her feet and shoved her violently against the nearest wall, her head crashing into the wall. She cried out in pain. Once again, tears flooded down her cheeks, with the blood oozing from her nose. Her vision became hazed by thousands of tiny, black dots. A loud ringing noise blocked out her hearing.

"If I can't trust you to wear shoes," he hissed into her ear, "then I won't let you wear them." His hand firmly held onto the collar of her robes. He lifted her up, her back dragging up the wall. He felt her struggle and writhe wildly. Then he grabbed at her boot, and yanked it off her foot. He let go, watching her drop to the floor. "You've lost the privilege to wear shoes, Miss Kenway," he said, standing over her. "Don't expect to be wearing them again anytime soon."

With that said, he left the cell, the door sliding shut behind him.

She pulled her legs up to her chest. She shook uncontrollably as she sobbed. It was too much. This was all too much. Nox wanted nothing more to be reunited with Maya. That was something she knew that would not happen. Not for a long time. This revelation crushed her hopes to dust. With nothing to cling onto except the fragments of her shattered dignity and hope, she remained in that one spot, crying, until Lokar and the guards returned to haul her off to the feeding-chair once more for dinner.