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Bruno stood in the middle of the cell room, guards with their weapons aimed right at him. In his hand he held the well-worn whip, the color of the lash discolored from years of blood, and he didn’t dare look up.
He didn’t want to see Kamaria’s back, a canvas waiting to be marred by his hand. He wasn’t prepared to do what it takes to give them all a break for however long Kane promised him. His lips trembled, his jaw tightly clenched, the ringing in his ears getting louder when Kane’s voice broke the illusion of silence.
“You better start soon. The faster you go, the faster it will end. Just pretend she isn’t a person. I never have to worry about it because she’s some Vaya toy,” he General cackled without a care in the world.
Bruno almost spoke out of turn, almost gave into his rage, almost turned into the monster he used to be on the battlefield. He wanted to tear Kane’s throat out, watch the pathetic excuse of a man claw away at his throat in a futile attempt to not drown in his own blood. But he couldn’t. Because he loved Kamaria more than he hated Kane, and for that, she had to suffer.
“K-kamaria, I’m sorry,” he murmured, not getting a response due to the gag in her mouth, but the way she hung her head told him all he needed to know. He sucked in a deep breath and sent the whip her way, her skin tearing along the whip’s trajectory and crack.
Her screams were muffled, but it was enough to ache his heart.
Not enough to stop, though. He sent lash after lash, at times falling to his hands and knees and crying, sobbing when the scent of blood filled the air. Not his blood, her blood. That’s even worse. It made him sick to his stomach, remembering his broken promises to keep her safe and to never hurt her.
He’s useless. Kane’s mockery of him along with the guards stung, and he stood back up, Kamaria’s back so ruined. He shouldn’t have agreed. By the time their break would be over, her back would barely heal for the next round of torture. He dropped the whip at his feet, shaking his head. “I can’t do it. I… I’m sorry. I… I did too much… I…” He stammered and tried to formulate a single coherent thought, but Kane didn’t care.
The General had the guards hold him down on the floor, pressing his face into the bloody stone, as he picked up the whip. “I suppose I will have to pick this up where you left it.” This time, however, he took off Kamaria’s gag before commencing again, the guttural screams of agony ripping Bruno’s heart apart.