Chapter 89: Agony

Zendaderi would never forget the torment of starvation as they drained him dry. Hunger had consumed him from the inside, gnawing at his flesh, leaving nothing but an empty shell of agony. To survive, he had slipped into a death-like slumber, his heart and lungs ceasing their function to preserve the last remnants of blood within his body. He awoke only when sustenance was near, always alone, always immobilized, and always in unrelenting pain. In that darkness, he learned hatred. He learned rage. There was a place beyond suffering, a place devoid of light, filled only with a raw emptiness and an all-consuming desire for revenge. His thoughts drifted to Caitlin. Had those same monsters attempted to hunt her? The idea sickened him, stirring a primal fear deep inside. He tightened his hold on her, needing the reassurance of her presence. Was she being tracked even now? Were they close, their shadows lurking just out of reach? His thoughts twisted with guilt. If he had unjustly punished h