Chapter 156 - Flame

The destruction of the pale figure had left an oppressive silence in the great hall, broken only by the soft rattling of bone chains that now climbed halfway up Selena's thighs. The whisper that had taken root in her consciousness continued its insidious work, gradually altering her perception of the world around her in ways she was only beginning to understand. Colors seemed less vivid than they had moments before, and the emotional weight of Dante's confession felt increasingly abstract, as if it were happening to someone else whose experiences she was observing from a great distance.