Kael's POV
The first thing I felt was cold.
It seeped into my bones like poison, dragging me from the void of unconsciousness. My head throbbed. My ribs screamed. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by darkness—a thick, heavy black that swallowed everything.
Then I saw it.
A dim yellow light, flickering from a single bulb overhead, illuminating a narrow, stone cell.
The smell of iron and blood hung in the air.
I tried to move—my muscles ached—but I wasn't bound. I stumbled to my feet, blinking through the haze.
That's when I saw him.
"Henry!"
He was chained—arms stretched upward, wrists bound in iron cuffs hooked to the ceiling. His head hung low, breath shallow but alive.
I rushed toward him—only to crash into cold steel.
Iron bars separated us.
"Kael…" His voice rasped, weak but steady. "You're awake…"
"Hold on, I'll get you out." I gripped the bars, testing them. They didn't budge. I dug my claws into the metal, muscles straining until my bones burned—
Nothing.
