The faint, flickering light barely reached the stone walls of the dungeon, casting elongated shadows that twisted and shifted with every weak flame of the candle mounted by the door. I lay on the cold ground, my body aching and exhausted from hours of forced practice, of pushing magic from deep within me that I didn’t understand and didn’t want to know. I had nothing left to give. And yet, I knew that as soon as I saw him again, he would demand more.
Sergio’s voice echoed in my mind, still sharp, still lingering, a twisted reminder of the power he held over me. He was ruthless and relentless, and every day, he chipped away at my resolve, draining me until I felt like an empty shell, barely holding on to fragments of who I once was.
But who was that? The question gnawed at me as I lay the
