Rhys watched the boy's face intently - he'd known there was something intriguing about Kurloz, but this was beyond what he'd expected. The resonance in the child's face told him that the Slytherin had understood immediately, and that was a rare thing in an adult, let alone someone his age. He had to be cautious, but he had a feeling about this one. Something in his gut that told him there was something special here.

"And that's only physical pain. One of the crudest tools available for the scourging of the soul, for distilling the essence of a person into what they truly are," he said softly. "Theoretically."