Inside a dimly lit room, darkness clung to the walls like oil, swallowing the faint glow of a single mana-lamp that hung above a vast obsidian desk.
Shadows layered upon one another, forming heavy curtains that stretched across the vaulted ceiling and seeped down the pillars like black veins.
The air felt dense, pressing inward and carrying an unspoken weight that made even breathing feel like an act of submission. At the center of this oppressive chamber, a lone figure knelt on one knee.
His head was bowed so low that his forehead nearly brushed the cold, polished floor. Though his back remained straight and disciplined, it trembled subtly with each breath, as if drawn from his lungs by an invisible hand. Beads of sweat rolled silently down his face, splattering against the stone.
