CHAPTER 182: THE CHAIN UNBOUND

Seraphine

The stairs were still dirty beneath my feet—spiral stone, weathered and broken at the edges, dust clinging to my heels with every step.

Outside the abandoned tower, the world was unraveling.

Screams echoed from distant towns, followed by the crash of collapsing structures. The dull roar of fire swept through the air like a beast in motion. I heard the clash of steel, the shriek of abyssal creatures, the final cries of people I would never meet.

Still, I climbed.

One hand traced the cool stone of the wall, steadying myself. The other clutched the key

I wasn’t afraid.

I had already accepted what this moment meant. Something like this was bound to happen with the opening of abyssal gates.

At the top of the stairs stood a heavy door. I paused for a breath, then pushed it open with both hands. The hinges screamed in protest before it swung wide, revealing the highest chamber of the tower.

There she was.

Darcelle.

Slouched in a wide, throne-like chair, one arm draped over the side. Her posture was regal in its own disinterest, her expression unreadable—until her eyes met mine.

Then the change came.

Her jaw clenched. Her gaze sharpened. Her lips curled with disdain.

"...Seraphine," she said, venom dripping from the syllables. "Why are you here?" I noticed that the food tray was untouched. I was already told by the maid who brought Darcelle food that she didn’t eat much.

I stepped into the room, calm. Controlled. "I’m here to free you."

She laughed. A sharp, bitter sound. "Free me? Please. You?"

I reached into the folds of my dress and held up the key. The moment the metal caught the light, Darcelle’s mocking smile faltered. The sound died in her throat.

For a heartbeat, there was only silence.

Then her eyes narrowed. "What are you scheming?"

I walked closer, my footsteps soft against the stone. "I’m sure you’ve heard the noise outside."

She tilted her head. "So?" She rolled her eyes, "I’m sure it’s like before, another gate must have opened but it’ll be over like it was last time. It only took them one night."

"The sky split open," I said, voice low. "A gate has opened, yes... But, it’s bigger."

"How much bigger can it be?" She asked

"Bigger than anything we saw during the two-year war. It’s not just another breach. This time, the whole country is in ruin."

!!!

"What?" Darcelle’s face lost its color. Her skin paled beneath the torchlight. She didn’t move, didn’t speak. Just sat frozen as the screams from beyond the tower seeped through the stone walls.

I stepped behind her gently, not rushing, not daring to break the strange stillness. The collar chain around her neck—the one that had bound her to this tower, restricting all her strength and power—was thick and cold. It clicked loudly as I slid the key in.

Her breathing was shallow, but she didn’t stop me.

The lock turned.

With a final metallic snap, the collar fell from her throat and hit the ground with a hollow, echoing clang.

I barely had time to blink.

In a blur, her hand was around my neck.

The chair screeched back as she rose, red eyes blazing, her grip iron-tight around my throat. I gasped as she lifted me, then slammed me against the stone wall behind us. My body shuddered with the impact.

"You’re lying," she snarled, voice low and dangerous. "How did it happen? Tell me."

I clawed weakly at her wrist, barely able to get a word out. "I... I don’t know."

Her grip didn’t ease. My lungs burned.

"It’s bad," I rasped, voice barely a whisper. "They’re everywhere. People are dying."

Her wings twitched behind her. Her expression twisted between fury and disbelief.

"How come you still don’t know anything when this has all that fool of a step son has been looking into since he came back from the war?!"

"He must know something, he left to investigate before the gates open," I tried to gasp for air, "Draken and Vesper went to investigate too... But they didn’t come back."

She leaned in. Her eyes bored into mine. "And Drakkar?"

"He has taken... charge of the palace. Fighting too..." I managed to choke out, "But,"

Her hand tightened. I choked. I felt like she would kill me right here.

"But what, Seraphine?" she hissed. "But what?"

I gasped, my vision swimming. "But the monsters... they’re huge. As tall as mountains... They’re destroying... everything."

A moment of stillness.

Then we both heard it—more screams. A shriek of something massive falling.

Darcelle let go.

I collapsed to the floor, coughing violently. My throat throbbed. My vision blurred.

Above me, I saw her step back. Her black wings burst from her back in a rush of shadow and force. She didn’t hesitate. She sprinted across the chamber, then leapt—straight out the window.

Glass shattered. The wind howled. She flapped her wings and flew away.

She was gone.

I lay on the cold stone, trying to catch my breath. My hand was on my neck as I gasped for air. It took me a good two minutes to calm down and be able to breathe normally again.

I know this decision to free her was solely mine, but someone had to take it. With how bad the situation had turned, we needed all the help we could get.

The world outside was on fire.

Darcelle and I have one of the worst relationships there could be. She hates me to the core and for what she subjected me too, I hate her too. But she doesn’t hate her people.

I knew that well.

And I knew that she would do anything to help in this fight.

I glanced out the window

And in that moment of quiet—just before the next scream—I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and began to pray.

I wasn’t a warrior either, but I had to do what I could in my place.