The torch in the corner burned low, its flame little more than a dying ember.
Kairo sat against the wall of his cell, body still battered and trembling from the trial. His hands rested in his lap, chains slack against the floor. Every movement ached, every breath tore at his chest.
The silence was heavy. But silence never lasted long here.
The door creaked.
Igron stepped inside, his cloak trailing across the stone. He didn't smirk this time. He studied Kairo in silence, his eyes tracing the boy's wounds, the faint glow in his crimson gaze that refused to die.
"You met him," Igron said at last, his voice quiet. "Veyrith."
Kairo's head lifted slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Ash and Iron."
Igron leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"He is not like Baalvrix, who covets power. Not like the Boneyard, who only sees flesh and bone. Veyrith…" Igron's gaze dropped, sharp and deliberate. "Veyrith only lives for the string."
Kairo frowned faintly. His voice came low, ragged. "The string?"
"A fight balanced on the edge," Igron said, his tone almost reverent and bitter at once. "The tension between blade and flesh, will and death. He craves that line. To him, it is the only truth left in this pit."
He pushed off the wall, stepping closer. His eyes locked onto Kairo's.
"One day, he will come to you. Not as a general. Not as a judge. But as a duelist. He'll ask for the string — the perfect fight. And if you refuse…" Igron's lips curled faintly, humorless. "…he'll take it anyway."
Kairo's crimson eyes flickered, his fists clenching weakly. He said nothing, but the weight in his gaze spoke enough.
Igron turned to leave, but paused at the door.
"Rest while you can, Kairo. Hades won't let the chain slacken long. And when Veyrith's string comes for you… even gods will lean forward to watch."
The door shut with a groan.
Kairo sat in silence, his head bowed, his body trembling. His chains lay coiled at his sides, but in his chest, the rhythm of the Judgement Dance still pulsed faintly, steady as a heartbeat.
He would endure.
Until the string was pulled tight.