Punisment

Azrael regains consciousness as a bright light interrupts his sleep. His face wrinkles in discomfort, not ready to wake just yet. But then, he notices something strange—a dry, gritty sensation in his mouth. Spitting out the dust, he forces himself fully awake, disoriented.

“Where am I?” he mutters, looking around.

Azrael realizes he is lying face down, making it hard to see his surroundings. “What is this? Why am I like this?” he tries to move, but his hands are tightly bound.

“What the hell? Where am I…” He struggles to recall the events of the previous night. Gradually, the memories come back—being knocked unconscious by Lina.

“Oh yeah… and Senior Sariel…” Azrael falls silent as he remembers. The weight of the memory presses down on him.

“Yeah, he’s dead because of you,” a voice says sharply, cutting through the silence.

Startled, Azrael lifts his head as much as he can, straining to see the speaker. “Senior Lina?”