Chapter Nineteen
· Soifon and Ace's P.O.V*
Soifon awoke gradually from her slumber. Attempting to mobilize her arms, she soon realized her inability to do so. Gazing upwards, she observed that her hands were restrained above her head. In response, she emitted a chuckle, swiftly transformed into a groan due to a piercing discomfort in her neck.
Shaking her head, she possessed awareness of the event that had transpired, yet remained oblivious to her present location or the whereabouts of Erin. Feeling concerned, the raven-haired woman harbored worry, considering that had Erin been in the vicinity, her presence would have been discernible.
Soifon needed to ascertain her location beforehand and determine whether or not she could liberate herself from the restraints, although there seemed to be no apparent means to free her hands. Releasing a sigh, she uttered softly, 'I sincerely hope Erin is unharmed; I would not be able to forgive myself if any harm befell her.' As her gaze, adorned with blue irises, roamed the room, she noticed its complete emptiness save for the solitary bed.
But Soifon was aware that if Ace were to find out, he would not let Erin go unharmed. This is simply how he is – he would harm anyone who is close to her. Soifon glanced up at the cuffs once more, attempting to pull them away from the bedpost, but they remained firmly in place, only making a hollow sound as they clashed against the metal of the bed.
Soifon was occupied with attempting to extract her wrists from the restraints, oblivious to the opening of the door. She made various futile attempts to free herself, but the cuffs were too tightly secured. Expressing her frustration with a sigh, she reclined on the bed with a grunt.
Startled, the young woman leapt when she heard a voice near the bed, turning her head to see Ace entering with a metal table, accompanied by a collection of tools and a whip.
'Please refrain from excessive movement, Soifon, as the amusement is about to commence,' he remarked with a smirk. He positioned the table at a distance from her and approached her, causing her to gaze at him fearfully.
The primary thought that entered Soifon's mind was the whereabouts of Erin. "I advise you not to have physically harmed her, Ace, as I shall ensure that you deeply regret such actions." Soifon conveyed a threat, acknowledging the insignificance of this threat while being restrained; nevertheless, once she gained her freedom, the consequences for him would be severe.
The woman with black hair became tense upon hearing Ace's laughter. Ace then said, "God, you make me laugh, Soifon" as he stopped by the bed and leaned towards her with a smirk on his face. He continued by saying, "I'm not hurting Erin, that is Jack's responsibility, and besides, you are incapable of doing anything anyway." Ace taunted Soifon, his smirk growing wider as he observed her wide-eyed expression. Soifon asked, her entire body frozen with worry for her lover, "What do you mean by that? Did you involve Jack in this?"
"Indeed, I did. Who else, in their right mind, would desire harm upon you? After all, it was you who inadvertently caused the demise of his sister, correct? Consequently, he believed that inflicting pain upon Erin would result in a greater impact upon you." Ace responded softly, gently brushing a strand of hair away from Soifon's face.
"Feel free to make all the threats you wish, my dear, but they are rendered futile, as your punishment for being apprehended and subsequently divulging details about our shared endeavor is imminent. This is precisely why Erin must also face retribution," he murmured, his finger tracing a path down the woman's cheek.
Soifon shifted her face away from his hand, as Ace firmly grasped her chin, forcing her to make eye contact with him. 'And do you know what?' he whispered, leaning in closer to her ear. 'If any harm befalls Erin, it will solely be your responsibility. Will Voight forgive you for endangering his foster daughter? Or will others also hold you accountable?' His words dripped with malice as he reminded her of Jack's blame for Julie's death. A smug smirk played across his face as he observed her futile attempts to break free from his grip.
Soifon suppressed the lump in her throat when Ace uttered those words that she knew to be true. Rather than seeking someone else to blame, she held herself accountable. She closed her eyes, attempting to shut out her surroundings, only to have her arms briefly released before Ace swiftly lifted her up. Her mind raced with the sole determination to exploit the opportunity and confront him. With a sudden headbutt, her forehead connected forcefully with his, stunning him and causing him to release his grip in surprise.
Ace emitted a growl as he grasped his head following the act of dropping Soifon onto the ground. He observed her intentions of making her way towards the doorway but was aware of Thomas' proximity to the exit. Thus, he gave explicit instructions to the other individual to obstruct the door without delay, stating, 'Tom, kindly impede the exit before that woman manages to escape'.
Soifon sprinted towards the door, only to find it obstructed by Thomas. Her blue eyes locked with his green ones as she glared at him. 'I wouldn't advise running,' he growled, effectively blocking her path. 'Move,' Soifon demanded, preparing to strike Thomas but suddenly finding her hand seized from behind. She was forcefully dragged back into the room, where she noticed chains hanging from the ceiling in a corner. 'Nice try, you little bitch,' Ace snarled as he tightly fastened the chains around Soifon's wrists. He then instructed Thomas to pull a lever, causing the chains to hoist Soifon up, leaving her hanging defenselessly.
Fear coursed through Soifon's body as she found herself chained up, her piercing blue gaze fixed on Ace. However, he paid her no attention and instead turned to Thomas. 'You may leave now and guard the room,' he ordered. Thomas nodded and departed, leaving Ace alone with Soifon, who watched his back recede with a mixture of apprehension and anger.
Soifon observed Ace as he approached the medal table containing the tools. She anxiously bit her lip as he selected a knife and ran his fingers along the sharp blade, a smirk appearing on his lips. He tauntingly asked if she was prepared for the punishment, reminding her that she had lost the game of cat and mouse.
As Ace walked back towards her, Soifon attempted to wiggle in her chains in a futile attempt to escape. With her feet also chained, she couldn't even kick him.
Desperate, the only option she had was to plead with him, saying 'Ace please… no… I'm…' Her voice trailed off as she felt the cold metal of the knife blade against her throat.
Soifon observed the knife pressed against her neck until it was withdrawn from her throat. She directed her gaze towards Ace, who wore a smug expression. 'How pathetic,' he remarked. 'Is begging the only skill you possess?' He shifted the blade towards her cheek and proceeded to make a deliberate vertical incision. A sadistic smile formed on his face as he took satisfaction in witnessing her bite her lip in pain and witnessing the slow oozing of blood from the newly formed wound on her cheek.
Soifon felt a sharp pain as Ace cut her face with a knife. She cringed as she observed his smirk while he brought the knife to his lips. 'Isn't that a beautiful sight?' Ace smugly inquired, then playfully slid the knife over Soifon's stomach. Watching him do so, Soifon bit her lip. Ace noticed the fear in her blue eyes but no tears yet, anticipating that they would soon come.
Attempting to conceal her fear, Soifon responded with a glare. 'Why do you care, you bastard?' she snarled, flinching when Ace burst into laughter. 'I don't,' he hissed, forcefully pushing the knife into her stomach. Soifon restrained herself from crying out in pain, but tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks as Ace twisted the blade inside her stomach. 'Bastard,' she emitted a light screech, to which Ace responded, 'I wouldn't be so confident.'
Ace removed the knife from Soifon's stomach with a slow and deliberate motion, causing her to visibly recoil due to the pain. As the knife was withdrawn, blood began to flow from the resulting wound. With a smirk, Ace then shifted his attention to her shoulder, placing the blood-stained tip of the blade against it.
In a disturbing manner, he inquired about her ability to endure the excruciating pain, while simultaneously twisting the knife into her shoulder blade. Soifon, unable to bear witness to this torment, clenched her teeth and averted her gaze, her thoughts consumed by concern for Erin's well-being. Unfortunately, her thoughts abruptly halted as she experienced another sharp and agonizing sensation in her shoulder, caused by Ace forcefully pushing the knife in and then pulling it out.
Soifon observed as Ace departed from her, noticing the blood that dripped onto the floor from her wounds, prompting tears to stream down her face. She gazed on as Ace returned the knife to the table and picked up a leather whip, declaring, 'Let's examine your endurance. How many lashes of this whip will elicit a scream from you?' With a smirk, he proceeded to reapproach her and swing the whip in a mocking manner.
Soifon commenced her struggle against the restraining chains, desperately imploring Ace to cease his actions. However, before she could complete her plea, the sound of a firm grip on her shirt interrupted her. Ace menacingly declared his intention to further escalate the situation by tearing off her shirt, thus exposing her ribcage and stomach.
Upon tearing half of Soifon's shirt, Ace proceeded to raise his whip and forcefully strike her abdomen. Soifon could only manage a small whimper, tears mingling with blood streaming down her face. Ace then delivered an even more powerful blow, hitting her directly in the stab wound, causing her to clench her lip in an attempt to suppress her scream. Erin, please find a way to escape from here," Soifon thought.
Struggling to keep track of the number of times Ace struck her with his whip, Soifon noticed significant welts on her stomach and ribcage. However, there were too many to count, and Ace continued to lash her chest multiple times. "Go ahead and scream. I know you want to," Ace cruelly taunted with an eerie tone in his voice as he approached her from behind, prompting Soifon to glimpse over her shoulder. Despite enduring one final sharp blow to her chest, she remained steadfast in her determination not to scream.
Ace was now positioned behind her, his whip raised, stating, "Let us observe how you manage the sensation of your back being whipped a few times. I am confident that I can provoke you to utter screams." Soifon, while attempting to maintain visual contact with him over her shoulder, found tears streaming down her cheeks. She hoped that whatever Jack was engaging in with Erin was not as severe as this, as she could not bear the thought of such an occurrence taking place.
She closed her eyes and silently pleaded, "I implore you to extricate yourself from this situation, Erin, regardless of the outcome. Please do not concern yourself with me." She hoped that her desperate plea would be heard, understanding that Voight and the others may have discovered their disappearance.
Soifon emitted a soundless shriek when Ace struck her from behind with a whip, displaying a smug expression as he detected her proximity to vocalize her distress. This led him to deliver more forceful strikes on her bare back, progressively harder than the previous ones, witnessing the flow of blood cascading down her spinal area. He uttered a subtle comment, 'Almost,' while observing her struggle to breathe. He proceeded to position the whip in order to administer the final few strikes that he anticipated would elicit a scream from Soifon.
His glacial blue eyes glimmered as he forcefully cracked the whip against her back a handful of additional times, resulting in the ebony-haired woman emitting a resounding and agonizing scream, audible enough for others in the hallway to hear.
Ace observed his handiwork with a smug expression as he delicately lowered his arm following the final blows inflicted upon Soifon's back. Moving around her like a predatory animal, a smirk gracing his face, he beheld the aftermath of his actions. Approaching her, he observed her tear-stained cheeks and clouded eyes. 'You have surprised me, woman. Your endurance is commendable,' he murmured, his touch gentle as his hand brushed against her bloodied cheek. 'I shall return tomorrow to inquire about your well-being,' he whispered before exiting the room, leaving Soifon suspended in her shackles.
Thomas, feeling a pang of pity for the young woman, proceeded to remove the table from the room but swiftly dismissed the sentiment, joining Ace as they exited and closed the door behind them.
Only after the door had been closed did Soifon release a tremulous breath and experience a slight alleviation of her heavy breathing, which stemmed from the pain she was enduring. With her sole focus on Erin, she allowed herself to slip into slumber.
( What will happen next? )