Raizen's heart raced as the thick iron doors of the interrogation chamber slammed shut behind him. The cold, sterile atmosphere of the room was suffocating, and for a moment, he wondered if he was walking into his own execution. The walls were lined with intricate, yet unsettling devices — tools of torture and manipulation, all designed to break the mind before the body.
At the far end of the chamber sat a figure in a high-backed chair, a silhouette framed by the dull glow of a single flickering torch. A tall man, draped in a long, dark cloak, his face obscured by a silver mask that reflected no light. This was Inquisitor Vaylen, one of the highest-ranking officers within the World Government's covert network. His reputation preceded him — a sadistic enforcer who specialized in extracting truth through methods so cruel, they were whispered about in the darkest corners of the world.
Raizen stood at the center of the room, his hands bound by thick chains, his body bruised and battered from the ongoing trials he had faced. He had known he would eventually come face to face with one of the World Government's most notorious interrogators. He hadn't anticipated how much it would test not just his body, but his mind.
Vaylen's voice, soft yet piercing, broke the silence. "So, you are the infamous Raizen. The one who destroyed the Crown of Shadows. The one who believes himself to be a revolutionary, a beacon of hope for the downtrodden."
Raizen said nothing, his jaw clenched in defiance. He had been through enough to know that responding to these kinds of provocations was a trap. He would not give Vaylen the satisfaction of any reaction.
The Inquisitor's gloved fingers tapped the edge of his chair, the sound sending a chill down Raizen's spine. "You must be exhausted. You've been fighting for so long, running from one battle to the next. You've made enemies of governments, pirates, and even your own people. But do you really know what you're fighting for, Raizen? Do you understand the cost of your rebellion?"
Raizen's eyes narrowed. He had faced enough lies from the World Government to last a lifetime, but the Inquisitor's words seemed different. There was a sickening truth to them that gnawed at him.
Vaylen's lips curled into a thin smile as he stood, his mask reflecting the dim light. "Perhaps it's time for you to understand the greater game you've entered. The game that the World Government has been playing for centuries. A game where truth is the most dangerous weapon of all."
He snapped his fingers, and the sound of clanking chains echoed through the room. Suddenly, the walls shifted, revealing hidden panels filled with scrolls, books, and glowing orbs. Raizen's heart skipped a beat — this was not an ordinary interrogation.
"Every movement, every whisper, every revolt," Vaylen continued, his voice becoming eerily calm, "is a part of a much larger narrative. A narrative controlled by the most powerful institution in the world. And you, Raizen, have been playing right into our hands."
Raizen's eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of the setup. His mind raced as he realized that the Inquisitor wasn't just trying to break him physically. No, Vaylen was after something far more sinister: control over the narrative of his life, his legacy.
Vaylen gestured to a massive screen that flickered to life above them, displaying a distorted image of Raizen, one that was distorted with lies and propaganda. It showed him as a cruel tyrant, a power-hungry maniac bent on destruction.
"Do you see this?" Vaylen asked, his tone mocking. "This is the version of you that we've been spreading across the seas. The version of you that will stick in people's minds. The one they'll fear. The one they'll rally against. And it works, doesn't it? All of it works."
Raizen felt a deep rage build within him. He had known the World Government manipulated information, twisted the truth for its own purposes, but seeing it laid out before him like this was another level of deception. He had become the enemy they wanted him to be, and he had fought against that image with every fiber of his being.
"Why?" Raizen growled, trying to control the fire burning inside him. "Why are you doing this? Why twist the truth so much?"
Vaylen chuckled darkly, his voice dripping with contempt. "Because truth is malleable, Raizen. The truth that you believe in — that the world needs to change — is nothing more than a fleeting illusion. We, the World Government, have mastered the art of shaping reality. We control how the people see the world, how they understand the conflicts, how they feel about revolution. We make them believe that you are the problem. We make them believe that you are the cause of the chaos."
Raizen clenched his fists, his mind reeling with the implications. He had always known that information was power, but hearing it laid bare like this made him feel the weight of the world bearing down on him.
Vaylen's expression darkened. "But now, we will see just how far you will go to protect your truth. We will see how much you're willing to sacrifice to keep the world from believing the lie. And we will see if you can survive the Inquisitor's Game."
Before Raizen could react, chains shot from the floor, locking around his arms and legs. The room seemed to shift, and suddenly, his surroundings were replaced by a maze of shifting mirrors, each reflecting a different version of him — a different interpretation of his life, his motives, his identity.
Vaylen's voice echoed around him, "In this game, Raizen, you must face your own reflection. Every lie, every truth, every fear that you've been hiding from will come to life. Your greatest enemy will be yourself."
The mirrors shimmered, each reflection of Raizen twisting into something monstrous, each version of him more distorted than the last. Raizen's breathing grew heavy as he realized that the real battle wasn't just against the World Government. It was against his own perception of who he was — and what he was willing to become.
With every step forward, the mirrors seemed to shift, multiplying into more grotesque forms, trapping him in a labyrinth of lies and half-truths. The walls seemed to close in as Raizen fought to keep his focus, to keep his sense of self intact.
"You'll never escape this, Raizen," Vaylen's voice taunted from the darkness. "The truth you're seeking will always be twisted by those who control it. And you… you will always be the villain in someone's story."
Raizen gritted his teeth, his mind burning with the need to fight back, to crush the lies, to shatter the mirrors that held him prisoner. He couldn't let the Inquisitor win. He couldn't let the World Government define him.
With a roar, Raizen charged into the nearest mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The maze of lies began to unravel, the reflections scattering like shards of glass. But he knew this was just the beginning. The Inquisitor's game was far from over. And the price of losing was more than he was willing to pay.
End of chapter 5