Back in the damp, shadow-choked dungeon, Xavier could feel his lungs burning with every strained breath he took. The air itself felt wrong—thin, poisoned, almost stolen from the room on purpose. Every inhale scraped painfully down his throat, leaving his chest tighter than before.
They were suffocating him slowly.
Deliberately.
His vision blurred for a second as dizziness slammed into him again. Heavy chains dug brutally into his wrists, shoulders, and chest, the sharp metal biting deep enough to leave torn flesh beneath. Blood slid lazily down his arms before dripping onto the cold stone floor beneath him.
The darkness around him pulsed strangely.
Or maybe that was just his mind slipping.
Xavier lowered his head slightly, silver hair falling over his eyes as he fought to stay conscious. The exhaustion clawing through his body was becoming unbearable. It wasn't ordinary weakness either—something inside the dungeon was draining him piece by piece.
Trying to hollow him out.
