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Chapter
Chapter 4
I hit the stone floor hard, a sharp crack reverberating through the empty cell as my shoulder collided with the jagged stone. The pain was distant, barely more than a whisper at the back of my mind. It was as if my body and I had made some unspoken agreement: I wouldn't feel, and it wouldn't bother me with the details. The guards didn't bother chaining me. There was no point. I hadn't fought back in days—maybe weeks. Time had blurred into a fog, impossible to track in the darkness. The cell was small,…-
11.4 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 5
The darkness felt heavier now, pressing down on me as I lay on the cold stone. I hadn't been here long—just hours, maybe. Yet time felt strange, distorted in the prison's stifling air. Every ticking second dragged like a lead weight, each moment an eternity circling in on itself. It hadn’t been enough time to adjust, not that anyone could ever truly adjust to a place like this, a place that swallowed hope and replaced it with despair. The sound of boots on stone echoed down the corridor again, the…-
11.4 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 6
I woke to the sound of water dripping. It was steady, relentless, a maddening rhythm that I had learned to tune out in the days I had been here. Every drop echoed in the cell, a cruel reminder that time hadn't stopped, even though it felt like it had. Each splash was another second of my life slipping away, another moment lost to the darkness that surrounded me. My body ached from the inside out, every muscle sore from the strain of healing. The magic had drained me, left me hollow. I was a husk, brittle…-
11.4 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 7
The bread was still in my hand when I woke, cold and stale, its edges rough against my palm. It was real. Solid. A stark reminder of something I hadn't considered in what felt like an eternity: survival. I stared at the meager offering, its weight echoing the stranger's words in my mind. "There will be a time when you'll have to make a choice—live or die." The choice should have been obvious. Most people fought to live, clinging desperately to the thread of life. But me? I didn't know if I wanted to…-
11.4 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 8
The warmth of the room was suffocating, cloying in its false comfort. The flickering torchlight carved sharp shadows across the walls, the movement making the general’s expression seem even more grotesque. My heart pounded beneath the weight of his command, each beat a stark reminder of my silence and powerlessness. The eager Vila stood ready, eyes bright with anticipation. The annoyed Vila leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, a scowl twisting her lips. I felt frozen, bound by more than just the…-
11.4 K • Ongoing
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