Alarielle fought desperately, her heart pounding in her chest as she clawed at the metal clasp, but it only tightened, biting further into her skin. Every tug, every attempt to free herself seemed to make it worse, the screams in her head growing louder, filling her mind with panic. Logic slipped through her fingers like water, replaced by a visceral fear that left her gasping.
“Let go, Faeling” Maddy’s voice repeated, but the advice was swallowed in her panic, her breath shallow and ragged. The room’s silence was drowned out by the cacophony of screams in her mind, memories clawing at her resolve, reminding her of every chain, every shackle that had ever held her captive, every burn that was left on her. Every clank of the chains that once dug into her mother's skin, tearing it apart.
