THE PRISON OF FIRST BLOOD
The chains began to scream.
Not with sound—but with memory.
Kael felt it the moment they stirred: a violent pull in his chest, as if something ancient had reached inside him and clenched its fist around his heart. The obsidian hall trembled, silver flames flickering wildly along the walls as the chains rattled harder, their glow shifting from faint to viciously bright.
Nara gasped beside him.
“Kael…” Her voice shook. “These chains—they’re alive.”
He tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer as he scanned the hall. Thousands of chains stretched across the vast chamber, embedded deep into the walls, floor, and ceiling. Each one was etched with runes that pulsed in rhythm—like heartbeats syncing to a long-forgotten pulse.
“They’re bound to Bloodbound magic
