The Chains in her mind

Sleep took her quickly, dragging her into its depths before she even realized she was slipping under. One moment, Liria was staring at the ceiling, her thoughts tangled with the Dark Sovereign's voice, her mother's voice, curling around her mind like a creeping vine. The next, she was somewhere else entirely.

A dream. But not a normal one.

The air shimmered, thick and heavy, pulsing like a living thing. The space around her was endless, dark, stretching in all directions without horizon or sky. And in the center of it all stood a single figure, waiting for her.

[Took you long enough.]

Liria exhaled sharply, crossing her arms. "I didn't choose to be here, you know."

[No, but you need to be here.]

The system's voice was as dry and amused as ever, but there was something else beneath it. Something rare. Seriousness.

Liria frowned. "What is this place?"

[Your mind. Sort of. Think of it as… a battlefield.]