CLIC-CLIC !!!
In the darkness, hundreds of metal chains moved, stretched around an immobile figure, as if they were trying to hold back a being struggling under their weight. The metal clattered on the cold floor, echoing through the vastness of this abandoned place.
FUUEEEE !!
The figure's breathing was slow, like that of a creature in agony. Each breath seemed like a trial, a battle against the chains and gravity.
…
A heavy silence descended, as dense as stone, before the figure's eyes ignited with an orange glow resembling fire. Two orbs of a strange light, without pupils, as blind as a starless sky.
The being was enormous, easily two meters tall, draped in a thick, worn black cloak that seemed to blend into the very shadows. The edges were torn, as though the fabric itself had been eaten away by time. But the one thing that struck was the skull that covered its head. A smooth, white skull, almost pure, adorning its head like an imposing crown. Its shape, majestic yet unsettling, was the only part of its body that stood out in this world of shadows.
All around it, the temple seemed to wait, frozen in time. The air was damp, heavy with dust and decay. Symbols etched into the stones, worn away by the centuries, whispered forgotten secrets. The walls were covered in moss, the sculptures eroded by the years, like a remnant of a lost civilization.
The sound of footsteps suddenly broke the heavy silence of the temple. First distant, then growing closer, like the beat of a drum, coming from the darkness.
BOUMM!!!
An explosion erupted, shaking the very foundations of the temple. Stones flew into the air, and dust rose, thickening the air with a heavy veil. Amidst the crash, the chained figure still did not move. Its glowing eyes remained fixed on something beyond the rubble.
The footsteps grew louder, heavier.
Three figures emerged through the ruins. The first to appear was a strange woman, her body seeming to be made of shadow itself. She moved on all fours, a hybrid creature between a human and a lion. Her head was a golden lion's head, almost blinding under the flickering light, her green eyes piercing the darkness, observing everything with a cold, almost predatory vigilance. Her claws sank into the ground as she moved without a sound.
The chained figure still did not react. The being's unblinking gaze remained focused on the space before it, ignoring the three presences advancing.
An albino serpent, with glowing violet eyes, slithered among the debris. Her pearls shimmered, cascading down to her ears. She was calm, measured, moving with an almost hypnotic fluidity, as if each movement were calculated. She observed the scene with a mocking glint in her eyes, then turned to the lioness.
"Fufu, look at this little lion cub all proud to have found the object of our search," she said, her voice hissing, full of sarcasm. She smiled slowly, but her mockery was met with no response from the lioness, who continued to scan the debris, ready to react at any moment.
The last figure stepped through the ruins. A massive stag, its muscles rippling beneath its hairless skin. Its body was a mass of raw power, each step hitting the ground with a force that made the air vibrate. There was no grace in its movement, just contained violence, ready to explode at any moment. Its eyes were focused on the chained figure, but there was no hesitation in its gait.
The chained being still had not moved.
The lioness, serpent, and stag stood silently for a moment, observing their captive with a cold interest.
Finally, a woman in armor stepped forward through the debris. She wore a dark feminine armor, her tall, slender figure standing out. Her short, yellow hair glimmered faintly in the dim light, like a lost solar flare in the darkness. One arm, modified, was equipped with a blade shaped like a shark fin. This blade seemed almost alive, an extension of her own will.
She stopped a few meters from the chained figure, observing it long and hard, her eyes piercing the darkness with a cold intensity.
"Are you the cause of this?" Her voice was calm, but there was an authority in her words, a silent promise of pain if the answer was not what she expected.