CHAPTER 506: RECORD THE MUSIC

"You have other plans?" he asked back with barely controlled fury. She knew he wanted to burn the world. But it did not scare her. If any, she felt more secured, loved and cared.

"I want to be there when you kill him. I want to see him die." Alric paused, hesitating. But when he saw determination in her voice, he nodded.

"Then he can live for one more day. Rest! I will take you there tomorrow." Nora nodded and closed her eyes. She felt weak all over. Though the pain hurt, she felt asleep easily after taking the medicine Alric had given her,

Alric watched her sleeping soundly and sighed.

"He could live one more day. But that did not mean it would be a peaceful night." he called Emma at once.

"Come here and guard her. I have things to do."

—-

The heavy door to the underground chamber creaked open, revealing a space damp with condensation and thick with the smell of iron. In the center of the room, bound to a chair bolted to the floor, sat Chris. His face was bruised, a cut above his brow dried into a dark scab, and his wrists were raw from the coarse rope that bit into his skin.

Chris glared at Alric as if trying to burn the truth into him. "You went back on your word," he spat, voice echoing in the cavernous room. "I trusted you. I never harmed Nora! She targeted me from the start when it was her family who had harmed her. I had nothing to do with her!"

Alric didn’t respond. He walked over to the side table and picked up a pair of leather gloves, tugging them on with slow deliberation. The sound of the leather tightening over his fingers was louder than it should have been. Chris shifted uncomfortably, trying to read his intentions.

"Let’s talk this out," Chris said, more urgently now. "She came after me! Nora—she’s the one who started this! She’s been using you!"

Alric tilted his head slightly. . He simply opened a small wooden box and pulled out a thin, metallic nail clipper.

Chris’s eyes widened. He struggled against his restraints, the ropes slicing deeper into his arms. "Wait. Alric, wait—listen to me, just listen— we have no bad blood. I can offer you my contacts and wealth. And.."

But Alric was already walking toward him, the clipper in hand. "You scream, I won’t stop," Alric said quietly. "You stay quiet... I still won’t stop."

"No—!"

Alric gripped Chris’s left hand with an iron hold, pinching the first finger in place. Chris thrashed, but the rope made it impossible to move. Alric positioned the clipper under the nail and ripped upward. The first nail tore off with a wet, cracking sound, bringing with it a smear of blood and a ragged strip of skin.

Chris howled. His entire body convulsed in the chair. Blood spattered to the floor, warm and fresh.

"You have no idea what she felt," Alric muttered. "What she still feels. But I’ll help you understand."

Another finger was held tightly and pulled once again. Alric twisted the clipper as he pulled, tearing the nail halfway before yanking it completely off. Blood poured freely now, mixing with the dirt and sweat on Chris’s hand.

Chris’s screams echoed through the chamber like music in the dark night.

"You’re insane," Chris screamed, writhing. "She’s turned you into a monster!"

"No," Alric said softly, meeting his eyes at last. "I have always been a monster. She had turned me into a human."

"You’re not dying tonight," Alric said, pulling the nail with a clean snap. "You’ll die when she watches you bleed."

"You think she is.." before he could complete another nail was pulled with more cruelty. That made Chris howl like an animal. But at the same time he stopped cursing Nora.

One by one all the nails were plucked. Chris only stared at Alric with vacant eyes, knowing well that nothing could stop this beast.

"What if I beg her for forgiveness?" he finally asked when Alric wiped the clipper on a cloth with calm precision, then looked down at his work. "What if she forgives me?"

Alric paused and then his lips curled slowly. "You think she would forgive you! You can try!" but Chris did not understand. He could not understand why Nora hated him so much. He had never taken Nora as his enemy until she had destroyed him.

Alric did not explain him further. He closed the door behind him. lric emerged from the underground chamber with quiet steps. Two of his guards were waiting for him there.

"He’s yours for the night," Alric said without emotion. "Don’t kill him."

Isaac nodded, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "You want the usual?"

"No," Alric said. He paused, his gaze heavy. "Make it worse. If he starts to fall asleep, wake him. Beat him until he can’t remember his own name. And when he screams, pour salt in the wounds until he can not scream anymore."

Bren raised an eyebrow. "What if he passes out?"

I don’t care how. He doesn’t get to sleep while Nora is still healing. Not when she wakes up and has to remember him."

The men exchanged a glance. There was no pity. Only obedience.

Without another word, Alric walked away. His boots echoed on the stone path, steady and merciless.

In the chamber, the door opened again. Chris lifted his head weakly, his eyes swollen and unfocused. He could barely raise his hands—they were pulp now, soaked in blood, every finger a source of searing agony.

Then came the first punch. It landed on his jaw with a brutal crack, snapping his head sideways.

"Wake up," Isaac said cheerfully. "We’re just getting started."

Bren poured a handful of coarse salt into a metal bowl, then grabbed Chris’s mangled hand. "You targeted the wrong girl, man. Now you have to bear its consequences. Sing for us so that we can record the music for the boss."