Chapter 223 - Object Of Torture

Midnight, Teren went back to Jomar's house and went straight to the basement, opening the doors in his way in with his spare keys. The quietness within couldn't only be just explained by night. The moment he entered the basement, he saw Trisha still standing and awake.

"Aren't you back a little too early?"

Trisha was punching and kicking the wind. It was nothing complicated but with her eyes closed, it seemed that she's battling someone in her head. It's not a mystery to who it was she was imagining.

"Aren't you up a little too late?"

"Hah... you're really going to counter everything I say?"

"I won't if you don't stop being snappy."

Trisha just shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to continue the conversation. She took a cold water jug from the floor and drank it empty. It seemed that she's been roaming on the ground floor free to get that water jug. But without Teren there, no one can really stop her although there was literally no one there in the first place that night.

What's amazing is that she still chose to stay there.

"What's that in your hand? Another torture device of yours?"

Trisha began to take things seriously and felt her heart cold. However, she was confident that whatever it is, she will take it head-on and overcome it. She didn't do anything but wait for Teren to reveal whatever 'tool' it was.

"Something like that."

Teren then pulled the chair beside Trisha. She had been moving since earlier but she didn't seem exhausted. From the looks of it earlier, she wasn't using a pinch of her strength. She was just mentally training how to face her 'worst enemy' and that contributed to her little fatigue that's gone with a little rest.

"You just took a bath?"

Facing each other, Teren asked first.

"Why are you trying to act as if we're close?"

But Trisha denied his little chat.

"I'm just asking..." Teren then took out the thing that's within the plastic bag that he brought, "Here" he gave it to Trisha as if it was nothing. His hands were soaked with red afterward.

Trisha stopped and dropped the jug. She stared at the thing that Teren placed on her lap. This greatly paralyzed her... because she recognized this person.

"Eh...?"

Reality finally sank in and every fiber of her body felt debilitated. Tears naturally dropped from her slowly widening eyes.

"AH!"

She jerked and threw the object away before running and diving to catch it in desperation as if she realized what she did.

"Awawawaawa..."

A strange unintelligible sound came from her mouth as her breath was being taken away from her. She hugged the object in hope that this was just a dream - that it was just an illusion. But a moment later, when she took the courage to look at it, now her body smeared by blood, she saw that she recognized the face of the object and not at the same time.

That's not an expression her mother would make.

Her mother would always show a strong face that kept uplifting her mood.

Trisha's time with her mother flashed before her eyes. Her face melted into something vulnerable. From the first memory she could remember, her mother was always there. Yet, Trisha resisted, not able to bear the guilt.

But is it her guilt alone?

"... haaa..."

The feeling of being choked wrapped itself around her neck. Her face uncontrollably twitches as her four limbs trembled as if there was an intense earthquake.

Insanity was not this severe.

If a stranger saw this, they would think that she had turned into something other than human without actually changing her physical form.

She just became a sad being.

This was worse from the asphyxiation she felt, it was worse than just being grabbed by the neck - it was the worst.

"... no...!"

A squeaky voice came out of her mouth as her face formed an 'enlightened' expression.

"This is not happening..."

She had been rebellious, going against every word of her mother. Trisha just realized how wrong she was. That's the time where she comes home and apologizes to her mother, right?

"This is made up..."

Trisha 'figured' out. Her hand softly touched the cold, stiff, and terrified face. She looked for it as a heartless person, but actually, she's just in grief.

Eventually, she realized that this head does really belong to her mother. From the mole on its nape to the small scar on its right ear, it is her mother. It's just the terrified expression left on its face that's not fitting.

How could her mother have an expression?

She... felt it?

Why is this happening?

...

...eventually, she reached the question: Who did this to her?

After that question popped up in her head, the weakness that erodes her body vanished. Slowly, she placed the head back to the ground.

Trisha stood up and looked at Teren who had been silently watching her from the start.

"Teren..."

A murderous aura flickered around her. Her darkened expression stared into the enemy that she had to kill right now.

"Didn't I... didn't I warn you?"

Her voice was a little shaky but she was able to say it.

But towards her fury, Teren asked;

"What are you going to do about it?"

Before this mocking question, Trisha couldn't help but let out a small delirious laugh before she stopped smiling and returned to her cold expression.

"I'll show you."

Trisha walked towards Teren while the latter walked around. Her every step reveals materializing wisps of Spirits. They were entering her, covering up her weakness. Just like earlier, envisioning how she would fight Teren, she figured it out.

It was simple.

She just needs to pull her right fist and before her enemy could react, she would give everything into that single strike.

Her fist wheezed as it makes its way towards the despicable enemy.

Teren tried to block it, but that strike not only lifted him from the ground but launches him away as the basement breaks and collapse at the same time.... in that one strike.