Chapter 19. The Choice of Pain

In the heart of Kai’s chamber, the air was thick with the scent of ash and iron, a pungent mix that seemed to cling to every surface. Torches flickered and spat wisps of smoke towards the vaulted ceiling, casting restless shadows that danced macabrely across the cold stone walls. Beneath it all, the floor stretched out in a gleaming expanse of polished marble, its dark veins reminiscent of blood that had long ago seeped into stone, a grim reminder of the chamber’s harsh history.

Lora found herself at the center of this tableau, her knees pressing into the unyielding marble, wrists bound together with a silver cord that bit into her flesh. Her robe, damp and clinging, did little to ward off the chill that had settled deep within her bones. The rough handling of the guards had left bruises blooming across her skin, and her head throbbed with a relentless, pulsating ache. It was as though two forces—fire from Kai and shadow from Rael—warred within her, their discordant rhythms cl