The Cell That Forgot to Fear
He took one slow, deliberate step forward.
The faint lanternlight dragged his shadow across the stone like a stalking beast, long and restless, stretching over the wet floor as if it wanted to reach the prisoners before he did. The damp air clung to the walls, thick with the metallic sting of old blood and the colder scent of sins never washed clean. Even the guards posted at the far end of the corridor straightened without meaning to. Not because of rank. Instinct. Something about Leon tonight felt different—sharper around the edges, darker in the places where he usually held himself back.
He slowed to a stop, and the silence tightened.
"So tell me," Leon murmured, his voice sinking into a deeper register, the kind that didn't just fill the room—it *pressed* on it. It felt like the stones themselves absorbed the sound.
"was it money… bounty… professional duty… or vengeance?"
The three prisoners didn't react.
