The chamber stank of blood and smoke. Dust drifted down from the cracked ceiling in a slow, choking rain, settling on stone shattered by battle. The Bound Horror lay collapsed at the center, wrapped in burning crimson chains that hissed with each twitch of its vast, shapeless body. Every time it strained, Kael’s bindings groaned and tightened, glowing brighter, sinking deeper into nightmare flesh.
Kael stood over it, chest heaving, blood running down his chin. His limbs shook with exhaustion, and every breath felt like fire in his lungs. Yet his crimson eyes blazed, and the shard embedded in his chest throbbed with a violent rhythm.
The System whispered in his mind.
[Bound Entity: The Horror.]
[State: Dormant.]
[Connection Established.]
[Warning: Maintaining control drains host vital
