Nyx moved before the men could touch him again.
A low, guttural hiss rolled from deep within her as she uncoiled in a blur of black and shadow. The air rippled — then she struck. One man dropped instantly, clutching his throat, another staggered back screaming as her fangs glimmered in the dim light.
The remaining guards shouted incantations, their voices trembling but desperate. Symbols of pale light flared in the air, forming chains that twisted toward her. Nyx fought them, thrashing violently, her tail cracking against the concrete with a sound like thunder. But the glowing chains coiled tighter, burning against her obsidian scales.
Her hiss turned into a sharp, painful cry that echoed through the warehouse — a sound so full of fury and anguish it made even the captors hesitate. Then, silence. Her body shuddered once more before she was pinned to the ground, bound by glowing sigils.
Perry lay motionless through it all, unconscious, his mind adrift somewhere between shadow and memory.
When his eyes finally fluttered open, everything was quiet. The world came back slowly — the dull ache in his head, the smell of damp stone, the faint glimmer of candlelight flickering off metallic walls.
A figure stood before him. A woman in a black cloak, her face hidden beneath the hood. Her voice was soft but carried an unsettling calm.
"I apologize for the trouble, Perry," she said. "But it was necessary."
He tried to move, but his wrists were bound. His gaze darted around until he saw Nyx — restrained within a shimmering circle, breathing shallowly but alive.
"What did you do to her?" he rasped.
The woman took a step closer, her cloak brushing the floor.
"Nothing she won't recover from," she said. "You, however… your situation is more complicated."
She paused, tilting her head slightly.
"You are the key — whether to save or to destroy this world depends entirely on what you choose to become."
Her words hung in the air like smoke — heavy, uncertain, and almost unreal.
Perry stared back, the weight of her statement settling in his chest. He didn't understand ,not yet. But somewhere deep within, something stirred. A memory. A voice. A pulse of power he had tried to forget.
And from across the room, Nyx's eyes opened , glowing faintly now, not black but silver, reflecting the shape of symbols that began to fade from her chains.