As the voice echoed in the hall, it had stripped away the air, the fight, the very will from his body.
"You do not belong here."
The words ranged repeatedly in his skull, reverberating like an unholy decree.
Then—
A force ripped through him.
Buji's body convulsed. His vision flickered as his mind fought to stay conscious. He had felt pain before, had endured wounds in battle, but this—this was something else entirely.
It was as if his own soul was being crushed.
His fingers trembled against the stone floor as he struggled to rise.
"Move!"
But his body refused. Even though he somewhat felt overtaken, he still had that resolve within him.
'It will be only a matter of moments,' he thought.
A sharp clinking sound reached his ears, the sound of the chains.
They slithered through the air like vipers, wrapping around his arms and legs before he could react.
Snap!
Agony shot through his bones as the chains tightened.
