Recap of the Previous Chapter
The Mistress of Shackles had fallen, but her defeat was not victory. Though Jemil and his wives shattered her chains in the abyss, she left behind a far more insidious mark—a glowing curse carved into Jemil's chest, its molten-gold links pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The Mistress's last words had whispered like venom into his soul: "You cannot escape me, Chainbreaker. You will either belong to me… or be undone by me."
Now, as the spiral stairs carried them upward into the unknown, Jemil knew one truth: the Tower's trial was no longer just outside him. It was inside him.
Main Story
The stairs ended abruptly, depositing the group into a vast, dimly lit hall. The air was cool and damp, carrying the scent of water and stone. Columns of obsidian jutted up from the ground like jagged fangs, their surfaces slick with condensation.
A quiet drip echoed from somewhere in the shadows.
