I steadied my breath.
The pain didn't fade, but I stopped fighting it.
It was there, constant, a reminder of how far I had come and how much farther I had to go. But it was no longer something to escape. It was something to endure.
The flickering light overhead cast long shadows across the chamber.
The lightning chains curled around my body and the platform, crackling softly, and striking my body. But I didn't flinch. I didn't rush. I stood still, my sword resting at my side, my grip firm but relaxed.
For the first time in days, my mind was clear.
The task was simple.
Cut through the lightning. Find the moment when resistance faded, when the chains loosened just enough.
It was there, Arkas had said so.
I had spent days fighting blindly, thrashing against the pain, forcing my body to move with brute strength instead of precision. But now, I wasn't just fighting.
I was waiting.
