The first thing that betrayed me was the sky. Not because it darkened or cried, but because it did nothing. It stood still, cloudless, pitiless—painted in a blood-orange hue that mocked the end of things. Sebastian’s grip around my chains was unyielding, metallic and cold like his heart. Each drag across the uneven, craggy landscape scraped layers of skin from my knees and elbows, leaving behind a trail of blood that the earth drank greedily. The wind changed as we neared the Pit—it grew heavier, unnatural, like it was laced with breath stolen from the mouths of the damned. My breath caught as the sacred landmark rose into view: the Pit of Despair, carved deep into the ancient spine of the mountain, its edges jagged and whispering, as if alive. Stories had reached me in broken whispers growing up—traitors thrown in alive, their screams echoing for generations—but nothing, nothing, prepared me for its reality. The air here didn’t move. It pressed. It clung. Each inhalation tasted l
Last Updated : 2025-05-17 Read more