When the narrator first regains consciousness what most hideous of fates does he think Inquisition has planned for him in The pit and pendulum how finally discover truth?

In "The pit and Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe, when the narrator first regains consciousness, he initially believes that the Inquisition has planned a horrifying fate for him. Specifically, he thinks they intend to slowly lower him into a pit while a sharp pendulum swings towards him, cutting him to death gradually. This horrific scenario plays on the narrator's fears and anxieties, leading him to believe that he will be subjected to excruciating torture and an agonizing demise.

As the story unfolds, however, the narrator manages to escape from the pit and the pendulum. He finds a secret passageway and eventually confronts his captor, the Grand Inquisitor. It is then that he discovers the truth about his situation.

He learns that he has been spared from execution due to an unexpected turn of events. The chief inquisitor had received an urgent summons from the King and was forced to leave abruptly, leaving the narrator behind. The pendulum had stopped short of him mere seconds before it would have killed him. Thus, the perceived elaborate torture devices were just a means of psychological torment, and he was ultimately saved by circumstances beyond his control.