11: A degrading life

Alora’s POV

The cold, damp air of the dungeon clung to my skin as we were dragged further into its depths, the iron chains around our wrists rattling with each reluctant step.

Sienna walked beside me, her eyes vacant, like she hadn’t fully processed what was happening. I wanted to say something, anything, to comfort her, but the words stuck in my throat, choked by the rising panic and guilt that threatened to overwhelm me.

The guards were silent, their faces expressionless as they led us down a narrow corridor, the dim light barely illuminating the jagged stone walls.

Each footfall echoed ominously, amplifying the terror that gripped my heart. The dungeon was not what I had imagined. It wasn’t the hellhole of torturous screams and rusted chains I had pictured in my darkest nightmares, but it was still a place of despair, a place where hope came to die.

And now, we were prisoners here, victims of my own desperation and Rune’s unforgiving wrath.

We were shoved into a small, cramped r